Luciella blankly moved her lips. Enoch had gathered courage to confess the truth…… but now that he was about to hear her answer, tension and fear rushed over him again.

“Ah, and from now on, don’t associate with Grand Duke Winston.”

So he eventually spat out an irrelevant statement like escaping.

“Suddenly? No, we weren’t talking about that right now.”

“It would be good to do what I say.”

Enoch rose from his seat with those words, cutting off further conversation.

“Your Grace, where are you going? Our conversation isn’t finished……”

“I’ve finished everything I had to say.”

It was essentially running away.

* * *

He didn’t plan to avoid conversation forever. Enoch intended to give Luciella some time.

‘It must be sudden……’

While struggling to read documents that wouldn’t register in his eyes.

The document about Bert Kingdom’s coup that he had recently asked Zek for caught his attention.

‘Ah, come to think of it……’

Enoch briefly put down the documents and turned his gaze to papers related to Bert.

The contents were truly shocking.

The Bert citizens’ dissatisfaction had certainly soared to the sky, but there were no commander-level figures to unite and lead them.

But during that time, a group receiving imperial support suddenly appeared in Bert. Thanks to this, the rebel forces were able to acquire new weapons.

The document was densely filled with related information. Though they couldn’t clearly track the sponsor, it was certainly new imperial weapons that had never been exported to Bert.

‘How could such a thing……’

Enoch’s hand gripping the document tightened.

His suspicion toward Sejef began turning into certainty.

‘If I could just find slightly more concrete evidence……’

Though he knew it wouldn’t be easy, he had no intention of giving up.

If his guess was correct and Sejef had orchestrated this, if he was truly the one who made Luciella like this, he wanted to make him pay dearly for his crimes.

“Your Grace, are you in?”

“Come in.”

Zek happened to visit the office.

“What’s the matter?”

Enoch put down the document he was holding and shifted his gaze to Zek.

“Well, it’s nothing major……”

But today too, Zek’s expression was subtle. Like before, he couldn’t hide his uncomfortable demeanor, looking like he had troubling news.

“I came because I have something to tell you regarding the Princess.”

When Zek mentioned the princess, Enoch’s expression hardened instantly. He anticipated the following words wouldn’t be welcome.

He briefly wondered what she had done this time.

“A letter arrived for the Princess from the Winston grand ducal family……”

“What?”

The words from Zek’s mouth were worse news than Enoch had expected. He immediately shot up from his seat.

“Did you just say the Winston grand ducal family?”

“Yes, yes, th, that’s right.”

The moment Enoch heard Zek’s stammering answer, he felt the dangerous sensation of his thread of reason about to snap.

Enoch irritably left the office. Thump, thump, the ground seemed to shake with each step he took.

The place Enoch headed was naturally Luciella’s bedroom.

“Luciella!”

With a loud shout, bang, Luciella’s door opened. He asked fiercely in an angry tone.

“Did a letter come from Grand Duke Winston?”

“Yes…… but why?”

But unlike Enoch who was furious and barely suppressing his anger, Luciella remained calm. She blinked her round eyes and looked at Enoch innocently, like asking why he was making such a fuss.

“Ha, but why? Is that all you have to say to me right now?”

Luciella looked like she didn’t understand the current situation. Her expression scratched at Enoch’s insides even more.

“I clearly told you not to associate with Grand Duke Winston.”

“That…… was unreasonable stubbornness.”

“You thought that was unreasonable stubbornness?”

“Yes, he’s someone I’ve known much longer than you, Marquis.”

She wasn’t usually like this. Today especially, Luciella didn’t back down from any of Enoch’s words. It was completely unlike her.

‘She reacts this sensitively to anything related to Grand Duke Winston.’

Enoch thought this and sneered.

That letter must have contained very important content. It was obvious. Sejef must have sweet-talked her about rescuing her from him.

‘Knowing what kind of person he is……’

Enoch tried to calm his burning insides and continued speaking.

“Ha, so what conversation did you two exchange?”

“It was just simple greetings.”

“Head maid! Bring the letter immediately. All the replies Luciella sent too!”

“What are you doing right now?”

“What am I doing? I’d like to ask that myself. What exactly are you planning to do with that sinister bastard?”

“Sinister bastard? Surely you don’t mean my brother?”

“This is truly tearful.”

The head maid, who had been watching them anxiously, hurriedly brought both letters and handed them to Enoch. Enoch carefully examined the letters.

The content was ordinary like Luciella said. Common, unremarkable greetings.

Nevertheless, Enoch didn’t believe it. He suspected there must be hidden codes between the two.

‘Otherwise……’

Enoch tore the letters in his hands to shreds. Even the reply Luciella had carefully written.

“You’re making me look like a complete fool.”

Even so, his anger didn’t subside. Enoch clenched his innocent fists tightly to forcibly suppress the surging rage. Then he approached Luciella closely.

“Why didn’t you tell that bastard that you’re no longer a virgin?”

“What? What kind of vulgar thing are you……”

“If you don’t plan to talk about it, I’ll write a reply for you.”

Enoch’s dark eyes wavered with anger. Unusually swept up in emotion, he opened his mouth sarcastically.

“Dear brother, I’ve been too busy receiving the vulgar Marquis Walter’s c*ck lately.”

He mimicked Luciella’s speech pattern while moving his mouth mockingly.

“Marquis Walter’s c*ck has made my p*ssy soaking wet.”

“Coming here suddenly…… what are you doing?”

He hadn’t planned to be this cruel…….

But Enoch couldn’t control his emotions. The thought of Luciella being completely deceived by Sejef made him nearly mad with anxiety.

‘Knowing who made you like this……’

Honestly, he wanted to confess everything. Words rose to his throat. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to speak because Luciella certainly wouldn’t believe him.

Disgust would surely settle in those silver eyes. She would look at him with revulsion, asking if he was slandering her brother.

‘Since she trusts Grand Duke Winston more than me……’

It wasn’t surprising.

Enoch’s heart pounded with anxiety even while forcibly pulling the thin Luciella into his arms. He feared Luciella in his arms might disappear like a mirage in an instant.

He pressed down on her panting body and savagely thrust his rough c*ck inside.

“You mustn’t forget the purpose of mating, Luciella.”

He hoped a child would be conceived. If that happened, there would be a reason Luciella had to stay by his side for a while. Enoch desperately wished and wished again.

“What you need to do is.”

“Hiuk, hht!”

“Carry a child in this belly.”

Enoch said this while raising the corners of his mouth.

“Luciella, your and my child.”

Luciella, who had been unable to think straight from excitement, panted and barely managed to open her mouth.

“Huh…… th, that won’t…… hht, happen……”

Once again it was a cold rejection.

“What did you just say?”

“That won’t…… happen.”

But not using contraception yet asserting a child won’t be conceived — what could that be about?

Enoch furrowed his brow like he couldn’t understand.

“No matter how much we do this…… it’s impossible.”

Watching him, Luciella muttered in a small voice.

“……Because I don’t menstruate.”

The moment Enoch heard Luciella’s words, his vision turned pure white. Enoch could only freeze in place like a stunned person.

“So just…… please cancel the marriage. I’ll somehow return the one billion gold……”

His mind began to grow confused.

‘She doesn’t…… menstruate?’

Luciella, who had uttered those shocking words, squeezed her eyes shut and trembled. Like someone waiting for execution on the guillotine.

Enoch chewed over the words he had heard again and again.

She doesn’t menstruate. She can’t bear children.

Enoch knew how devastating a blow this was for an upper-class woman.

‘But I never heard rumors that Princess Bert was infertile……’

Enoch, who had been continuing his thoughts, belatedly sighed in realization.

‘She thoroughly hid it.’

There was no reason to publicly announce such a huge flaw…….

Only then did the scattered puzzle pieces begin fitting together rapidly.

“This marriage…… please cancel it.”

“I also know what you want to marry me for. But that’s the wrong choice……”

“……What if I can’t do that either?”

The fragments of Luciella’s appearances — always evasive and giving only negative answers whenever marriage was mentioned — flashed through his mind like shards.

And even his own image of getting angry asking why she couldn’t even do such things.

‘Damn……’

Enoch sighed and tightly embraced Luciella’s thin body. Then he muttered quietly.

“……It doesn’t matter anyway.”

He was sincere. The child had only been a suitable excuse to demand marriage from the beginning.

Enoch’s purpose from start to finish was entirely Luciella’s safety.

“I don’t care about children or anything.”

“What exactly is that……”

“What I wanted from the beginning was only you, Luciella.”

Enoch continued speaking slowly and calmly.

“I’ll make all those who made you like this pay for their crimes……”

Luciella, who had been quietly listening to his words, widened her eyes.

“Please just stay quietly by my side.”

“……”

“It’s a sincere request.”

Their gazes crossed in midair.

“If you’re doing this because you hate me terribly, I’ll send you away when your safety is guaranteed, so please……”

Enoch speaking this way looked desperate, like he was pleading.

No, he actually was desperate.

He only desperately wished and wished again that Luciella wouldn’t get involved with Sejef anymore.