<Chapter 2> Quiet Ripple (Part 4)

Kiern forgot about meeting the Duke and hurried to the venue of the ball. He wasn’t sure why he was following her there. Even though he knew Stella’s words were meant to provoke him, he couldn’t help but act.

If he went to his father’s room now, the filthy and chaotic scent would linger everywhere. Even knowing it was a tactic to prevent him from entering, Kiern couldn’t avoid falling into her trap.

He felt sorry for Elizabeth, who resembled Stella but was not like her. He was worried as a friend that the overly kind woman would waste her life on a bad man.

Of course, Kiern knew that the worst man was himself, but he pretended not to know. And he never acknowledged the messy feelings inside him.

When he arrived at the ballroom, the atmosphere didn’t look good, probably because of Stella’s words. People seemed more eager to touch each other than to dance.

Those hiding behind curtains to kiss, sending cheap glances, heading to the terrace, and throwing flirtatious looks were all mixed together.

Kiern searched for Elizabeth among them. It didn’t take long to find her. Elizabeth, in a scarlet dress, stood out the most in the hall. Her red hair, like the color of ripe roses, caught the eye.

Kiern felt relieved seeing her alone and bored. He was worried that something might have happened to her, just as Stella had said.

Having seen that she was fine, he thought of leaving. At that moment, James Parker approached Elizabeth, catching his attention.

Seeing him throw flirtatious glances made a slight crack appear on Kiern’s face. He recalled something James had said in passing at a previous gathering.

‘If Abigail gets engaged, won’t Miss Elizabeth be sad? I should comfort her.’

Since it was said in a drunken state, he had let it pass at the time, but at this moment, he couldn’t. Kiern’s nerves were as sharp as a taut bowstring.

A guy who couldn’t resist any woman wouldn’t ignore Elizabeth.

She had a beautiful face, anyone could see that. Damn it, she looked like Stella.

However, James hadn’t dared touch Elizabeth because of Kiern’s watchful eyes. Kiern had been preventing him from approaching her.

But now, with the news of his engagement, James seemed to think he could try his luck. Kiern saw Elizabeth unable to properly resist as James held her wrist.

Her situation was just that. The value of a barony with only the family name left was worth nothing. James’s dirty hands groped Elizabeth’s waist, just like everyone else at this ball.

If left as it was, it would go as Stella wished. The thought of watching that happen made his insides burn.

Kiern impulsively strode over, pulled Elizabeth into his arms, and glared coldly at James.

Letting him go, pretending nothing happened, was only to check if Elizabeth was okay. It didn’t mean he would leave it at that.

He planned to properly take revenge on the Parker family later, under any pretext.

Realizing belatedly that he was seething inside as if Elizabeth was his, Kiern let out an absurd laugh.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth fled to the terrace. When he followed her in, Elizabeth looked awkward. Her hesitation, as if she had something to say, was annoying.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just her clothes that had changed. She was wearing makeup, something she usually didn’t do. It was probably done by Stella, but it irritated him for some reason.

Why couldn’t Elizabeth resist such words?

Why did she come to a ball, dressed up, where men came to meet women?

If he hadn’t stopped her, it was obvious how she would have been treated.

If she came not knowing, she was foolish, and if she knew and came anyway, it was terrible in its own way.

The more he thought about it, the more unpleasant the situation became, making Kiern want to leave.

‘Kiern. Don’t get engaged.’

Her words, spoken with a trembling body, left him somewhat deflated. It felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer. Hearing those words, Stella’s earlier words flashed through his mind.

‘Ellie seems naive but she knows how to drive men crazy with her boldness. …Perhaps you know that too, Young Master.’

Her subtly probing words now sounded different. Perhaps Stella’s idea of helping was actually aiding both him and Elizabeth.

Even if it was an excessive assumption, Kiern wanted to confirm it.

That Elizabeth was different from Stella.

He hoped the reason she was stopping his engagement was the same as before. He wished she would reproach him for forgetting the Duchess’s words to marry someone he loved.

Elizabeth was always that kind of person.

Unlike Stella, she was upright and proper.

Most importantly, she didn’t know about Stella and the Duke’s relationship. Her ignorance, leading her to act so naively, always annoyed and concerned him. That’s why he often said harsh words, only to feel sorry later.

Sometimes, he wanted to ruin her like himself. It was hard to bear seeing her remain so innocent alone.

But in the end, he didn’t. Because the desire to protect her innocence followed.

Inside him, two emotions were always in a tight battle.

Kiern waited for her answer. His impatience made him urge her to say more if she had anything left to say.

Finally, Elizabeth gave a reason that had nothing to do with her initial opposition to his engagement. The one he hoped it wouldn’t be.

‘I like you, Kiern.’

His stomach churned. Her blushing confession seemed fake. The way she closed her eyes, as if expecting something from him, twisted his insides.

When had she ever told him to act like a gentleman, calling him a bad young master?

She was making the worst confession possible. Kiern’s expression hardened.

Now it was clear. The man she wanted to hold onto tonight wasn’t one of the wolves in the ball, but him.

“Kiern, I’m sorry. It’s so painful to leave you in this hell because I’m too weak. But I’m too exhausted to live like a walking corpse buried in this loneliness.”

The words his mother said before she died lingered in his mind.

‘I regret bringing Stella into this house. I want to tear apart my heart that pitied her. I was deceived by her innocent face. The tears I shed for her have become daggers stabbing me.’

His mother passed away, leaving only the words never to trust the Lua family.

After that, Stella brazenly frequented the Duke’s bedroom. It was a secret relationship that even the Duke’s aides were aware of.

Ironically, the only one who didn’t know was Stella’s daughter, Elizabeth. Yet, seeing her unknowingly trying to seduce him like her mother made him feel hollow, confirming she was indeed Stella’s daughter.

What perfect timing.

‘Somehow, it’s pathetic.’

Immediately after, Kiern cupped Elizabeth’s cheek. The feeling of his blood running cold made him want to crush and ruin her.

This time, there was no room for internal conflict. There was no hesitation in his actions.

She flinched but didn’t avoid him. As if hoping for a kiss, she kept her eyes closed.

With her cheeks flushed, she was seducing him with her entire body. To prevent him from getting engaged, to take that position for herself.

Kiern impulsively captured her lips. It was maddeningly sweet, matching her adorned appearance, leaving him feeling ragged.

It felt like his throat was burning. Even as he kissed her roughly in a fit of anger, she only clung to his chest without resisting.

Her excited breath sounded seductive. It felt as if she was doing it on purpose, making it hard for Kiern to suppress his anger.

And when he realized the reason for his anger, he let out a hollow laugh.

He admitted it. That he had been deceived by her innocent face, constantly brainwashing himself that she wasn’t Stella’s daughter, that she was different from that woman.

But it was just his wishful thinking. Elizabeth was inevitably Stella’s daughter, inheriting her blood.

The mother and daughter, trying to take both father and son from his mother.

‘You’re just the same.’

Kiern left, feeling an inexplicable churning inside. This was the end of their relationship. He chose to trample on her heart.

To uphold the Duchess’s will, as she had said.

‘Don’t trust the Lua family.’

That was his mother’s last word.

But strangely, even though he was the one who trampled, he constantly felt trampled. It was so revolting that Kiern’s face twisted in anger. And he fled the terrace as if running away.