Chapter 2

The first time Selena saw that book was—  

It was an afternoon, just a few days after she arrived in the capital.  

Selena had left for the estate at age eight after the kidnapping incident and returned to the capital after twelve years. This time, she had come because she couldn’t postpone her debutante any longer.  

She was already twenty years old.  

Considering most debutantes happened between sixteen and eighteen, she was very late.  

This was largely due to the overprotectiveness of her grandmother, Veronica. The Elisia Earldom treasured their daughters, and since Selena was the first girl born in generations, her kidnapping had shocked the entire family.  

So Selena was sent down to the estate, guarded by the family’s soldiers.  

Her grandmother Veronica insisted, “Our child must only see pretty and gentle things, and must never go near anything dangerous.” The family agreed.  

This overprotection continued even as Selena reached the age for her debutante.  

「The capital is a dangerous place, you never know what might happen there. And a debutante, my goodness. Is my baby already at that age? Impossible. It’s too soon. Honey, all men are wolves—except your brothers and father, of course.」  

And Veronica strongly insisted that all the men Selena would meet at her debutante were dangerous.  

She completely ignored the fact that they were all reputable nobles.  

Tired of being cooped up in the castle, Selena pretended to agree with her grandmother’s words, acting obedient on the outside, but in her heart, she thought differently.  

The more she was forbidden, the more she wanted to do it. Selena secretly read the few romance novels she found in the study, dreaming up all sorts of fantasies.  

Holding hands with a handsome knight, riding together, and sometimes shyly kissing against a sunset backdrop.  

She thought those things only existed in romance novels—until she found a book by chance after coming to the capital.  

She picked up a book that the maids had obviously left behind by mistake and was shocked by its contents.  

‘My goodness! So there were things that happened before a kissing couple woke up together in bed the next morning.’

It was a world-shaking revelation.  

After that day, Selena’s mind was filled with such fantasies. She eventually returned the book to its place, but she’d read it so many times she could recall its contents vividly with her eyes closed.  

The more she dwelled on it, the more she wanted to read others.  

It was by chance that Selena overheard the maids’ conversation while she was pondering how to get more books.  

Sitting by the window, the maids didn’t notice her and chatted excitedly among themselves.  

「Betty, did you buy Goldrose’s new release?」  

「No, not yet. I’ve put in an order at Michelan in the central plaza, but the reservations are full. I don’t know when my turn will come.」  

Goldrose was the author whose emblem was on the book she’d read before. Apparently, it was the author’s signature. And a new release—how exciting must that be?  

Selena’s eyes glazed over with longing.  

Central plaza, Michelan.  

Mulling over those two words, Selena started to plot. Then, a bright idea struck her. 

Her grandmother was away at a tea party in the Imperial Palace.  

Since coming to the capital, her grandmother had been busy attending tea parties and recitation gatherings with her friends, somewhat loosening her watch over Selena, perhaps reassured by the city’s improved security.  

Except for accompanying Selena to the temple, her grandmother hadn’t planned any outings.  

It wasn’t deliberate, but Selena’s quiet behavior had paid off.  

She immediately put her plan into action.  

“Mary! Mary, prepare the carriage, I need to go pray at the temple.”  

The temple was near the central plaza. Using prayer as an excuse, she could be alone for at least an hour.  

She hadn’t planned for this, but during a previous visit, Selena had noticed a back door in the noble prayer room, hidden by drapes, apparently for emergency escapes.  

Using prayer as a pretext, Selena luckily escaped through the back door. It was nothing short of a miracle.  

Fortunately, finding the bookstore named ‘Michelan’ wasn’t difficult.  

She almost gave up midway, but Selena miraculously managed to get her hands on Goldrose’s new release.  

* * *

The young lady clutching the book to her chest left the bookstore as if being chased.  

Watching her, Adrian let out a small laugh.  

“I didn’t expect to see her here. By the way, my fiancée has quite the naughty taste. Or should I say, my soon-to-be fiancée?”

Recalling Selena’s blushing face as she asked for the red book, he chuckled again.  

‘How cute, with such an innocent-looking face, to be after a risqué book.’

While muttering to himself, a young man with brown hair entered through the open door.

“What are you doing just standing there, Your Grace?”

The young man, Robert, looked at Adrian with a puzzled expression. Adrian replied playfully.

“Hmm. Selling?”

“You, Your Grace? Selling?”

Robert frowned as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. But knowing the man before him would never joke about such things, he had to ask.

“So, what did you sell?”

“What was the title again…. Ah, right!”

The moment the book’s title left Adrian’s lips, Robert’s face twisted far more than before, and he shouted. He knew it was insubordination, but he couldn’t help but get angry.

“My goodness! What did you say! You sold ‘The Baron’s Daughter’s Secret Taste’?”

“Yes. Well, I didn’t exactly sell it—I gifted it.”

‘To my future fiancée. I thought it’d be good for her to study in advance.’

Thinking to himself, Adrian smiled slyly.

Unlike Adrian, who was smiling, Robert looked about ready to lose his mind.

“No, that book was reserved! How could you give it away as a gift? There was only one copy left!”

“100 gold.”

“What?”

Adrian clicked his tongue at Robert, who didn’t immediately understand, and kindly explained further.

“The price of the book. Is 100 gold enough?”

It was pure extravagance. But the materialistic Robert quickly changed his expression to a capitalist smile.

He could already hear the sound of gold coins piling up in his money pouch.

“Of course! If you want, I can get you more.”

Robert, ever perceptive, was sure Adrian would want more books.

“More, huh…….”

Adrian rubbed his lips thoughtfully for a moment, then curled them into a smile.

“Alright. Get something with a ‘red flavor’.”

Buttoning up his loosened shirt and picking up his cravat, Adrian spoke in a serious tone.

“Red flavor?”

With a bewildered look, Robert helped Adrian tie his cravat and handed him the jacket he’d left in the corner.

Adrian put on gloves and neatly brushed back his tousled hair. The relaxed atmosphere from earlier was completely gone.

Adrian, now returned to his arrogant self as a Duke, added briefly.

“Yes. Something so intense it makes your whole body burn. And get another copy of that book from earlier too.”