Chapter 10.1

After Claire left, Rexion, now alone in the room, took out a bottle of alcohol and a glass from the cabinet, pouring the drink until it overflowed. He felt that without drowning himself in alcohol, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight.  

“Claire….”  

After emptying the glass in one gulp, he softly murmured her name. A name that felt so close yet so far out of reach.  

And the woman who wouldn’t have entered his heart if not for that incident.  

If that day hadn’t happened, Rexion wouldn’t have even known of Claire’s existence. She would have been just another administrative officer he passed by without knowing her face.  

His feelings for her began on that day. The day he helped her.  

Rexion, who usually did not attend banquets, was in the Imperial Garden that day because of Duke Radner and Helion.  

Since Duke Radner constantly kept an eye on them, Helion tried to be cautious outside but occasionally lost control.  

It usually happened when stress built up—whether from work or from their father. When Helion reached his limit, he would release his stress through carnal desires.  

When his stress peaked, he would hold any woman in his arms. Of course, being mindful of Duke Radner’s watchful eyes, he would mostly target the maids working within the mansion.  

The reason rumors hadn’t spread was that Helion silenced them with money. However, problems arose when he targeted women outside the mansion.  

‘You go and keep an eye on him.’  

Since a single misstep could ruin the image they had worked so hard to build, Duke Radner frequently ordered Rexion to watch Helion and ensure he didn’t cause trouble.  

‘I had a bad feeling this morning. It seems he’s under a lot of stress from work. You’ll need to go and bring him back.’  

That day, Duke Radner, having received reports about Helion’s stress levels, feared that something disgraceful might happen at the banquet and ordered Rexion to watch over him.  

And that was when Rexion stumbled upon Claire, who was in a difficult situation.  

She looks like she’s in pain.  

Her face was pale, and she looked as though she was suffering. Rexion couldn’t bring himself to walk away. She appeared so fragile that he couldn’t stop worrying about her.  

Unable to ignore her pain, Rexion decided to set aside his duties and help Claire first.  

‘Are you alright?’  

The moment her heartbeat resumed, her breathing evened out, and her complexion returned, Rexion felt a surge of exhilaration throughout his body. It was the first time in his life that he had saved someone’s life, and the joy was overwhelming.  

He wanted to stay by her side until she recovered, but he had to go after Helion, so he couldn’t.  

After dealing with Helion, Rexion hurried back, but by then, Claire was gone.  

I hope she made it back safely.  

When he unconsciously turned his gaze toward the banquet hall, he saw a woman being helped to a carriage by a maid. Though her complexion hadn’t fully recovered, the fact that she was moving suggested that she was alright.  

At that moment, he felt relief—a feeling he had never experienced before.  

Why am I feeling this way?  

The unfamiliar emotion felt awkward and raised questions in his mind, but Rexion dismissed it, thinking it was a fleeting feeling. After all, he didn’t know her name or family, so he thought he could ignore it.  

But when he accidentally ran into her in the Imperial Palace hallway, he realized something.  

This wasn’t an emotion he could suppress.  

For some reason, he wanted to approach her and ask if she was alright. He lowered his gaze, trying to meet her eyes, but Claire didn’t recognize him, as she didn’t know he had helped her.  

Well, at least she’s not in pain anymore.  

He hadn’t helped her to be recognized, but seeing her pass by without acknowledgment left him feeling strangely disappointed. He didn’t know how to describe the emotion—it felt somewhere between disappointment and regret.  

Experiencing yet another unfamiliar feeling, Rexion found himself unconsciously following her with his gaze.  

When she wasn’t around, he wanted to see her. When he did find her, he couldn’t stop watching her.  

It was the first time he felt this way about anyone. Especially when he saw her radiant smile from afar, his heart felt like it was sinking.  

But he knew. Her gaze was different whenever she looked at his brother.  

Helion was so popular that Rexion was well aware of the many women who admired him. But seeing that Claire was one of them left him feeling bitter.  

Rexion had always mocked the women who admired Helion. They were deceived by the gentle smile Duke Radner had carefully crafted for him, unaware of Helion’s true nature.  

But knowing that Claire was one of those women, he couldn’t bring himself to mock her.  

He wanted to respect her feelings, but he couldn’t bring himself to support her and Helion. He often felt the urge to reveal Helion’s true nature to her.  

Then someone came along to fuel his emotions—Lady Obelir.  

“I want to marry your brother, so help me make it happen.”  

Rexion already knew about the rumors surrounding her. She was constantly surrounded by men.  

No matter how he looked at it, Lady Obelir was not suitable to be the Duchess of Radner. Of course, Helion lacked the dignity expected of a duke as well.  

“May I ask why?”  

“He’s from a good family and handsome. He’d be great to show off. And you’ve heard the rumors about me, haven’t you? That’s why I can tell at a glance that he’s the same type as me.”  

“What is your intention in telling me this?”  

“I thought you might help me. You don’t particularly like your brother, do you? So I figured you’d think someone like me would suit him. Am I wrong?”  

Though she didn’t match the family at all, Rexion couldn’t deny that her words held some truth. He thought they were indeed a well-matched pair.  

“Alright. I’ll help you.”  

Though he didn’t particularly want to help her, Rexion saw it as a good opportunity to help Claire sort out her feelings, so he conspired with Lady Obelir to create a situation. It involved using an aphrodisiac to get Lady Obelir and Helion to spend the night together.  

On the day they planned to use the aphrodisiac, Rexion brought Lady Obelir to the Radner estate and escorted her to Helion’s room. After that, he left everything to her.  

“How did this happen? Why Lady Obelir of all people!”  

When Duke Radner found out too late that Helion had been involved with a noblewoman, he was furious, and talks of an engagement between the two began.  

Of course, given Lady Obelir’s poor reputation, Duke Radner tried to silence her and oppose the engagement. But Lady Obelir threatened to expose Helion’s true nature, forcing him to accept her.  

“Was this your doing?”  

Helion’s anger turned toward Rexion, as he now faced being engaged to a woman he didn’t want.  

“Why would you think that?”  

“It’s strange that Lady Obelir ended up in my room and that I suddenly became aroused!”  

Though he had no evidence, Helion was certain Rexion was behind it and grabbed him by the collar.  

“Well, who knows?”  

Since Helion couldn’t overpower Rexion, Rexion didn’t care whether Helion acted out or not.  

“I won’t let this go!”  

Even as Helion cursed him, Rexion remained indifferent. He was satisfied with tying Helion down and cutting off his connection to Claire. He had no intention of getting closer to her.  

Rexion had made up his mind because he knew how much Claire liked Helion—enough to make a wish at the Wish Tree for him.  

He hadn’t realized how deeply Claire felt for Helion, and the guilt and despair he felt led him to bury his own feelings.  

‘Would you spend the night with me?’  

What provoked him was Claire’s single remark.  

How should he handle the woman who had disrupted his peaceful life?  

After hesitating, he ultimately gave in and took her into his arms. Though he didn’t win her heart, he was satisfied for the moment. But then, he grew greedy and wanted to win her heart little by little.  

Thinking that physical intimacy might lead to emotional connection, he came up with various excuses to hold her. But life didn’t go as he wished.  

It was because Helion and Lady Obelir’s engagement talks fell apart.