‘Pretending not to notice?’

For a little eavesdropping rat.

A cynical smirk tugged at Valoid’s lips. Unaccustomed to being ignored, irritation flickered across his face as he grabbed the woman by the shoulder and turned her around.

“Ah—!”

Startled by the sudden grip, Serine gasped. The tie at the back of her head loosened, and her bound hair slipped free.

For an instant, as her hair scattered and fell away, her vision cleared.

A face, striking and almost unreal in the dim night, appeared right before her.

Sharp, well-defined features. Deep-set eyes beneath perfectly shaped brows. A high, elegant nose and sensuous lips came together in a beauty that felt almost too precise. His neatly styled black hair and the suit that fit his large frame without a crease only heightened his refined presence.

And yet—why, the moment she met his golden eyes, did she think of an untamed beast?

“You’re quite good at pretending to be startled.”

His lips moved as he spoke.

“I called you from right behind. There’s no way you didn’t hear me. What were you doing here? Listening in on our conversation?”

“N-no!”

Only then snapping out of her shock, Serine managed to answer.

“I was just waiting for my sister.”

“Your sister? Who?”

“Her name is Suzanna…”

The quickest way to clear this misunderstanding would be for Suzanna to return. Serine turned toward the balcony entrance, hoping to spot her—

But Valoid caught her arm and pulled her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Swish!

The curtain was drawn shut with a ruthless hand, and Serine’s eyes trembled.

It felt as though she had become a mouse trapped alone with a cat.

‘This is dangerous.’

Balconies were often used for illicit meetings between men and women. If an unmarried woman were discovered alone with a man like this, her already narrow prospects for marriage would be completely ruined.

“Th-there seems to be a misunderstanding. Could we go outside and talk? This place is a bit…”

“And let you go after hearing what you might have overheard?”

The man bared his teeth—but his eyes held no trace of humor.

“Do I look like a fool? How much did you hear? Who sent you?”

Like a predator toying with its prey, he drove Serine back into a corner. Step by step, she retreated, trying to avoid the broad wall of his chest—until her back struck the railing.

“Ah—!”

“You should be more careful.”

As she wavered, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her. The scent of his cologne rushed to her senses, and the firm pressure against her lower abdomen made fear seize her chest.

“P-please let me go! I truly didn’t hear anything.”

“You didn’t hear? From this distance? You’re not deaf.”

The arm she had been using to push him away stilled.

She tried to compose herself, but tears welled in her eyes, and her lips trembled.

The man’s sharp gaze narrowed, as if questioning what trick she was attempting now.

“You’re deaf? Really?”

Serine nodded, her throat tightening.

“Don’t lie. You understood everything I said just now. If you’re pretending not to have heard me so you can use that as an excuse, you’ve got quite the nerve.”

He took hold of her chin and turned her face this way and that.

“Well, this is something new.”

There was no malice in his expression—only a curious amusement. Like a cat that plays with a struggling mouse, repeating the hunt without concern for its suffering.

“If you give in too quickly, it takes all the fun out of it. The night is long—we’ve got plenty of time. Let’s take our time with this.”

In that sense, Serine’s resistance only served to intensify his cruelty. The small space between them disappeared as they pressed tightly together.

His hard chest and abdomen pressed into her softer form. Even through their clothes, she could feel the heat of his body seeping into hers, filling her with fear.

She struggled to break free, but he didn’t budge.

“Since running away would cause problems, I’ll have to take some precautions. If you were a man, I would have beaten you by now, but since you’re a woman, I’ll show you some leniency. I’ll settle for leaving you in a state that you couldn’t possibly show to anyone else.”

Lowering his head, he let out a warm breath near her ear. The faint sensation of his teeth grazing along the edge of her ear made her shudder involuntarily.

“You’re already trembling over something like this. And I haven’t even started yet.”

He said something more, but they were too close—she couldn’t clearly see his lips.

Lifting her tear-filled eyes, Serine desperately tried to read them.

“What do you think happens when you look at a man like that?”

Misreading her gaze, he suddenly closed the distance between them.

Startled by the abrupt closeness, she found his presence overwhelming as he stepped in without warning. Her eyes widened as she was taken aback by how close he was.

The sensation left her feeling disoriented, and she let out a strained breath. At such close proximity, the sharp lines of his eyes and the bridge of his nose seemed almost unreal in their intensity.

Because of that, she reacted a moment too late to push him away.

“Haah…”

Her breathing came too fast, making her head spin. Unable to trust her own balance, Serine instinctively clutched at the front of his coat.

“I don’t usually like women who cling… but you’re a bit cute.”

His gaze lingered on her tear-streaked face, and he brushed a thumb along her damp lips before gripping her hair lightly. His touch traveled upward, pausing at her cheek, then her closed eyelids.

“If you don’t want this to get any worse, why not start telling the truth?”

“I-I told you, I’m deaf! I couldn’t hear anything. It’s all a misunderstanding!”

Serene tilted her head back, her voice trembling as she pleaded. Clear tears streamed from the corners of her wide, earnest eyes, and her flushed cheeks glowed faintly.

Even the most devout ascetic might have faltered at such a sight.

His gaze followed the trail of her tears downward and lingered.

“If you won’t speak, then I’ll have to find out for myself.”

His hand moved, loosening the neckline of her dress. The fabric slipped, exposing pale skin chilled by the night air.

“I thought it would be softer in tone…”

His voice softened, carrying a hint of quiet amusement.

The moment lingered as he carefully observed her reaction, his touch slow and deliberate. One hand held her steady while the other moved with unsettling precision, gauging her response.

A sharp, unfamiliar tension coiled low in her abdomen, stealing her breath. Unaccustomed to such intimacy, Serine faltered under his calm and controlled handling of her, feeling completely overwhelmed.

“Which do you think you’d like more—this… or something else?”

“N-no… please, stop…”

“You’re already losing your composure. That’s rather bold of you.”

His hand slid lower along the fabric of her dress, the heat of his touch seeping through the thin silk.

“This kind of dress is dangerous. If it shows, there’s no hiding it.”

Even so, there was still no visible sign—though the thought seemed to amuse him.

“Last chance. How much did you hear?”

“Re-really… nothing…”

“You’re stubborn. I don’t mind.”

A dangerous smile curved his lips. The tension in the air thickened, pressing down on her as though there were no escape.

His hand lifted the hem of her wine-colored dress slightly, revealing slender ankles, pale calves, and knees faintly flushed like soft petals.

He began to move higher—

“Stop this, Your Highness!”

Andrew’s voice cut sharply through the moment as he rushed onto the balcony, breathless.

“Ah—! You haven’t already caused trouble, have you?!”

The Grand Duke’s large frame completely blocked Serine from view. Still, a glimpse of light brown hair flickered beneath his arm, swaying in the breeze.

D*mn it.

“That lady is the daughter of the Marquess of Penrose!”

“…The Marquess of Penrose’s daughter? This woman?”

“Yes. And… she is unable to hear.”

It was a first meeting that had been ruined beyond repair.