Khalid traced Alice’s lips while she lay in bed. He could give her anything she wanted, but he had no intention of setting her free. She had left his side too many times.

“How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?”

At his words, Alice opened her eyes. Khalid’s face reflected in her dark eyes.

“Get up. Blake wants to see you. We’ll bring Dorothy too.”

“Dorothy?”

Blake? If he was Khalid’s friend, he couldn’t be a commoner. Nobles wouldn’t consider commoners their friends.

Khalid’s lips curled up as he watched Alice rise from the bed.

“Yes. He’s looking for an attendant to play with his son.”

Giving his daughter away to be an attendant to his friend’s son. No matter how Alice thought about it, she couldn’t understand. Khalid seemed to be continuing his misunderstanding.

“Dorothy is your child, Lord Khalid.”

Khalid smirked.

“Who is Dorothy’s real father? I’m curious what you’re trying to hide with these constant lies. It’s not my father, is it?”

“Lord Khalid!”

Alice barely held back the curse that threatened to escape. She had lived her life without ever cursing, but Khalid’s words now made her furious.

“My father often slept with maids… Yes, even with that friend of yours, Mariam.”

“…!”

“But he wouldn’t have touched a servant. Father didn’t have such tastes.”

“Lord Khalid. Are you going to the estate soon?”

“In a little while.”

“I…”

“You’re coming with me. Surely you don’t want to stay here?”

Alice trembled like a bird with broken wings. Was freedom no longer possible?

“Then please let me say goodbye to Mariam.”

Khalid fell into thought for a moment, seeing Alice’s desperate gaze.

Mariam had gotten along well with Alice even when they were at the estate. According to the guild’s reports, Alice seemed to have only one friend.

When Alice was pretending to be a man, Mariam had been a thorn in his side, but now that he knew Alice was a woman, he didn’t mind her.

He had long since driven away Alice’s other friend, the servant named Tom. That man’s gaze toward Alice had been similar to Khalid’s own.

“Fine. But I’ll bring mercenaries with us.”

“Mercenaries?”

“So you won’t escape. You’re my property now.”

Khalid’s tongue parted Alice’s lips and entered. While kissing her, he slid his fingers into her womanhood. With a squelching sound, his fingers now entered easily. Alice’s face turned red.

“Mmph. Mm. Mmm…”

Alice’s body trembled slightly at his touch. Khalid’s lips parted from hers, and his tongue flicked across her neck.

“Does it feel good? Alice?”

“Haa. Yes, Lord Khalid.”

“I like it too. Seeing you excited makes me want to take you.”

“Ah…!”

Khalid spread Alice’s thighs and pushed his thick, hard member deep inside her. Her waist arched momentarily, displaying her br*asts temptingly before his eyes. Khalid took her n*pple into his mouth.

“Ah…! Mmm.”

When Alice covered her mouth with her hand, Khalid grabbed her wrist and raised it above her head.

“You can make noise. I want to hear your moans. Haa…”

“Ah…! Haa. Mmm…! Haaa.”

Squelching sounds mixed with rhythmic thumping filled the room. No matter how many times they did it, Alice’s inner walls wrapped tightly around Khalid’s manhood. While thrusting inside her, Khalid held back the urge to climax.

“Haa… I want to finish, but I should hold back, right Alice?”

“Just… do it. Ah… Mmph.”

“I can’t. You’re excited, and it would be no fun to end so quickly.”

“Lord Khalid…”

“Alice. I’ll release inside you many times, so bear my child. Hmm?”

“Haa… What… mmph. What use would you have… for a slave’s child? Aah.”

“A slave? It would be my child.”

“…”

Alice was speechless at Khalid’s words. He was refusing to acknowledge Dorothy while saying he would recognize any child born from now on as his own.

‘But he said he would make Dorothy a commoner.’

Even if he wouldn’t acknowledge her as his child, he said he would treat her as a commoner, not a slave.

Tears rolled down Alice’s cheeks. She felt both happy and sad.

Many people were invited to the Marquis Hill family’s party in the capital. One of them was Khalid Walsh. Beside him stood a woman in a pure white dress. Everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

Alice trembled while holding onto Khalid’s arm. Behind them, a maid carried Dorothy, who was also dressed in white.

Khalid whispered in Alice’s ear.

“Why are you shaking so much?”

“It’s, it’s my first party.”

“Just stay by my side. You’ll be attending parties like this often from now on.”

“What?”

She had never heard of slaves attending parties. Khalid also disliked the idea of slaves attending noble parties. However, things were different for concubines.

“You’re my concubine. Since I currently don’t have a wife, I’ll mainly attend parties with you.”

“You don’t have a wife?”

Alice looked up at Khalid, surprised by his unexpected words. Khalid smiled, pinching her cheek with one hand.

“Of course not.”

“…”

She couldn’t believe Khalid was still unmarried, having thought he would have already married due to the Countess’s pressure.

Blake and Bianca, the hosts of the party, greeted them arm in arm as a couple. Blake whistled when he saw Alice.

“Oh. So this is what she looks like.”

“I’ll kill you if you eye her.”

“Haha. I was wondering what kind of woman would make my friend nearly die of lovesickness. Hahah.”

Blake’s gaze slithered over Alice like a snake. Khalid quickly stepped in front of her, blocking Blake’s view. Bianca chuckled and said to Khalid:

“You really treasure this lady. Are you sure it’s okay to give her child to be our child’s attendant? Really?”

“It’s fine. I promised Blake.”

The person whose eyes widened at those words was Alice. The maid holding Dorothy followed a servant of the Marquis’s household.

“…!”

Alice, startled, tried to follow Dorothy. Khalid wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Alice.”

Alice’s eyes trembled with anxiety.

“Why are you giving Dorothy away as someone else’s attendant? You said you would make her a commoner.”

“That’s right. She’ll become an attendant, a commoner, not a slave. Better than you.”

“Lord Khalid.”

Khalid’s lips touched Alice’s forehead gently.

“Even commoners can receive a good education by becoming attendants. It’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“Are you trying to separate Dorothy and me?”

“I told you. Dorothy isn’t a slave. She’ll be an attendant to the Marquis’s family, but she’ll stay at my mansion. Okay?”

“Yes.”

Blake shrugged as he watched the two.

“This is different from what you said, Khalid. I wanted an attendant who would be with my son 24 hours a day.”

Bianca jabbed Blake’s side with her elbow.

“Oof.”

“Hoho. I apologize for my husband’s tactlessness, Lord Khalid.”

“It’s nothing, Lady Bianca.”

“She’s still young, so of course she should be with her mother! What nonsense about 24 hours… Eight hours a day is plenty. Hoho. We’re just looking for a playmate, so we won’t give her difficult tasks. We just want them to be like friends.”

Bianca smiled and took Alice’s hand.

“Let’s leave the husbands to talk and go see the children, shall we?”

“What? Yes, Lady Marchioness. Thank you.”

Alice’s heart lifted at her words. She hadn’t expected Bianca, the Duke’s daughter, to be so considerate.

After Alice and Bianca disappeared to the second floor, Khalid kept staring in their direction. Blake patted him on the back.

“Khalid…! A man who obsesses so persistently lacks charm! You know? Women run away when you wear your emotions so openly.”

“Blake.”

Sensing the dangerous aura, Blake immediately apologized.

“Sorry.”

“I appreciate your help with my affairs. But…”

“Hmm. About that child Dorothy? Is she really not yours?”

“What?”

Dorothy appeared remarkably composed for a child. That expression and face resembled Khalid.

“Men like you are rare, but Dorothy seems to take after you a lot. It’s unusual for a child to have such a stoic expression.”

“…”

Khalid remained silent. Blake smiled dismissively.

“Well, never mind. It’s really okay to use her as an attendant for our son?”

“…”

Khalid felt strangely uncomfortable. He had no emotional attachment to Dorothy, but wanted to remove her from his sight because she was another man’s child. Yet he regretted it after bringing her. All he wanted was to take the child and leave the mansion.

‘And Alice too.’

He didn’t want to show what was his to others.