Her heart seemed to miss a beat before beating again.

She leaned forward slightly and glanced at him. A woman was wrapped around Jack’s arm, her hand looped possessively through his. He bent close to her ear and whispered something only she could hear. The woman burst into bright laughter as though he had said something irresistibly amusing and gave his chest a light, playful tap.

That kind of easy intimacy doesn’t develop overnight. They looked every inch the lovers who had shared a long history.

“I could never forgive a woman for cheating on me. Trust is the most important thing.”

The echo of Jack’s voice, as he had looked her in the eye and spoken at length a few days ago, reverberated in her ears like a hallucination.

The contrast between his words and the scene before her prompted Bella to let out a hollow laugh.

‘How fortunate.’

The first emotion she felt was not betrayal, but relief.

Instead of feeling angry that he had deceived her and her godmother while already having a lover, she felt strangely unburdened. The simple truth that she would never see him again lifted a weight she hadn’t realized she had been carrying.

Her godmother’s words had lingered heavily on Bella’s mind: “Even if you dislike him, meet him at least three times.” Now, the guilt of failing to keep that promise quietly dissolved. If she told her what she had witnessed today, her godmother would surely understand.

At last, she had a proper reason not to see Jack again.

That alone was enough.

Bella turned her back on them without hesitation. As she made her way home, her steps felt lighter than when she had set out.

***

When Bella arrived home, she was told that someone had called while she was out.

For a moment, she thought of the man she had seen in the busy district, and her chest tightened with tension. But the caller had not been Jack.

It was Joshua.

When she returned the call, he answered immediately, as though he had been waiting for it.

“I’m really sorry. Something urgent came up in the lab and I couldn’t make it. I should have let you know beforehand, but when I called, they told me that you had already left.”

“It’s alright, If you’re busy, that can happen.”

“I’m still sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. I really am.”

“It’s truly fine.”

She answered him sincerely. She knew that Joshua would never intentionally break a promise, and she could hear the sincerity of his apology in his voice.

“I hope we can meet before you leave for Netherwell.”

Only after apologizing several more times—promising to make it up to her next time—did he finally hang up.

When Bella lowered the receiver, the quiet of the house settled around her with startling clarity.

‘I hope we can meet before you leave for Netherwell.’

Part of her wanted to go back to Netherwell immediately. However, as the countess had paid for a month’s lodging in advance, she could not simply leave whenever she wanted.

‘And…’

The face that surfaced whenever she almost forgot it gripped her ankles like an invisible chain.

It was the man who had promised to get in touch soon but hadn’t sent a word in a week.

‘Why am I waiting for the duke to reach out?’

Whenever he stood beside her, she wanted nothing more than to run away. Now, however, she found herself missing him, even though she could no longer see him.

Bella drew in a slow, steady breath. Every time she thought of him, she felt a dull ache in her chest as though something were pressing down on her heart.

Beyond the narrow attic window, the city shimmered with unchanging lights. The summer night moved on without pause, indifferent and relentless. Crouching before the window, Bella gazed at the city that refused to darken. Her fingers absentmindedly drifted to the scar on her shoulder, tracing its faint, familiar line.

***

With the arrival of summer, the social season in the capital reached its peak.

Noblewomen’s calendars were filled with banquets, formal dinners, concerts and grand balls, while messengers bearing invitations inundated mansions across the city every day.

The Fraser duchy was no exception. New cards accumulated in the invitation basket daily.

Logan declined most of them with polite refusals, often without even opening the envelopes. Society had its uses, but it was not his priority. Already engaged, he was more concerned with securing investment and expanding his hotel business than building new connections.

Nevertheless, he could not withdraw completely from society. Each year, he therefore personally reviewed and responded to the invitations.

As he leafed through the stack that his secretary had placed on his desk, his expression indifferent, Logan suddenly paused. He selected one envelope from the pile.

The paper was dyed a deep black, its surface embossed with delicate gold leaf patterns.

[You are cordially invited to a masquerade ball.]

His eyes lingered on the words printed in the center of the card before he broke the seal and carefully drew it out.

A masquerade.

For one night, names and titles were set aside. Faces were concealed behind masks, and people got to know each other through nothing but dance, music, and instinct. In the rigid world of high society, this was one of the rare occasions when the line between noble and commoner blurred, allowing a fragile sense of freedom to exist.

The moment he read the rule requiring each guest to attend with a partner, a single name surfaced in his mind: Bella.

At a masquerade, where anonymity was guaranteed, she could easily attend. With an invitation in hand, there would be no need to reveal her — or his — name.

He slowly turned the invitation over between his fingers, deep in thought. The fact that he had not sent her a single message, despite promising that they would meet again, was already beginning to weigh on him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and his secretary stepped inside.

“Your Grace, the documents you requested.”

Logan accepted the documents.

They contained the investigative report on Jack Hunter.

A newly successful businessman, Jack had inherited a pig farm from his grandfather and expanded into butchery and distribution, achieving remarkable success. As industrialization took hold, self-made entrepreneurs like him began appearing everywhere. In just a few short years, he had accumulated a considerable fortune.

As Logan skimmed through the report, his expression slowly darkened.

Initially, Jack was described as a hard-working proprietor who worked tirelessly, without a day’s rest, during his years on the pig farm. However, after achieving success, his behavior changed.

There were frequent disputes with business partners. His reputation was tarnished. There was also a conspicuous trail of women.

Despite the unsavory rumors, his enterprise flourished steadily, supported by the general public, thanks to his background — he was descended from immigrants — and his monopoly over meat distribution in the capital and eastern regions.

Logan closed the report with visible irritation.

It even detailed Jack’s true motive for seeking marriage.

Due to the unfavorable gossip surrounding his private life, he intended to marry for appearances’ sake while continuing to see other women.

The mere thought of Bella sitting opposite such a man, forcing polite smiles and maintaining courteous conversation, filled him with displeasure.

He was also angry with the countess who had so carelessly presented that dubious schemer as a suitable husband. Even the most cursory investigation would have revealed his true intentions. How could she have failed to see it?

If he had not crossed paths with them that day, Bella would probably still be meeting the man, unable to refuse her godmother’s wishes.

She was naive enough to do exactly that.

‘I should contact her soon.’

Logan set the masquerade invitation aside, keeping it separately.

***

A few days later, Bella finally met Joshua.

They met on the campus of the university he attended.

The campus, with its red-brick buildings and immaculately tended gardens, felt serene yet brimming with youthful energy.

From the moment they met, Joshua apologized repeatedly before showing her around.

“This is the central library, and over there is the science building where I usually spend most of my time.”

As they walked across the campus, he pointed out the library and the lecture halls one by one. He also told her the legend behind a statue of a weeping woman.

According to the legend, if someone kissed the statue, they would meet their soulmate.

It was strangely charming that even a university filled with the empire’s brightest minds held onto such a superstition.

For lunch, they enjoyed the famous chilli stew that was popular with the students. Afterwards, with ice creams in hand, they wandered down a shaded, tree-lined path.

For the first time in a long while, Bella found herself laughing freely, without a care in the world.

“On the other side is the Department of Sociology, where Young Master Vincent once studied. We won’t be able to see everything today, so I’ll show you next time.”

“Mm. Thank you.”

Whenever she was with Joshua, she felt a sense of calm wash over her.

It would be difficult to find a better man than him.

Had she accepted his confession back then, she wouldn’t have had to go on that blind date. But to her, Joshua had always just felt like a good friend. She didn’t want to exploit her friend simply to escape her circumstances.

“By any chance… if you’re free this weekend, would you go to a ball with me?”

Joshua, who had been sitting beside her on a bench overlooking the pond, finally spoke, his voice cautious.