“Yes, thank you Mary. I’ll always be careful.”

As if understanding her feelings well, Eileen held Mary’s hand firmly and nodded.

“By the way, Miss, have you decided what to wear to the upcoming boat party?”

“Ah, there’s a boat party, isn’t there?”

At Mary’s words, Eileen recalled the party she had momentarily forgotten.

Since it was her first boat party, she had been extremely happy when she received the invitation.

‘I wonder if Aaron will come to that party.’

I hope he does.

‘……?’

Eileen’s thoughts, which had been smiling at the thought of the party, stopped for a moment. And returned just as quickly.

‘Really……!’

The painfully vivid memory quickly colored Eileen with heat.

‘Please stop already!’

With the welling frustration, Eileen now felt like crying.

Time passed, and the day of the boat party arrived.

Eileen watched the rapidly changing scenery outside the carriage window and muttered quietly.

“Should I just go back? No, I don’t need to avoid it.”

She was talking to herself for a while when she heard the coachman’s voice announcing their arrival. Hah, Eileen let out a deep sigh and got out of the carriage.

“Wow.”

The ship docked at the pier wasn’t large enough to overwhelm people, but it was elaborately decorated overall, naturally catching the eye.

“It’s beautiful!”

Eileen, who had arrived at the pier, kept exclaiming in admiration as she looked at the ship.

Although she had wanted to turn back due to her troubled feelings before coming here, the ship was beautiful enough to fade those feelings.

While she was admiring the ship, a low voice came from behind her.

“Pleased to meet you for the first time, Lady Eileen.”

Though it was kept low as if trying to hide his identity, the voice wasn’t unfamiliar at all. Rather, she felt she knew who it was, and a smile gradually appeared.

“Oh my, it’s not the first time, is it?”

Eileen turned her head with a mischievous reply. There stood the painter Oliver, as expected, with his glossy black hair styled upward.

“It’s too much to say it’s the first time if you recognized me just from my back.”

At Eileen’s added comment, Oliver burst into cheerful laughter.

“Lady Eileen, have you been well?”

“Yes, have you been well too, Oliver?”

Eileen smiled brightly, her mood naturally improving thanks to this long-awaited reunion.

“But did you come alone without an escort?”

Oliver asked, tilting his head.

“Well, it just happened that way.”

“My goodness, then this is my opportunity!”

Because Oliver had his back turned, his playful smile was visible only to Eileen.

“Then will you escort me?”

Eileen held out her hand, trying hard to suppress her laughter to play along with his joke.

“It would be my honor, Lady Eileen.”

Oliver responded by kissing the back of her hand.

“……”

Little did she know that Aaron was watching this scene from not too far away.

His presence at Marquis Chester’s boat party was purely coincidental.

He had recently started doing business with Marquis Connor Chester, and the marquis had invited him as a business partner, that’s all.

If he had known in advance that Eileen would be attending this party, he would probably have asked the marquis for understanding and not come.

“Lady Eileen, have you been well?”

“Yes, have you been well too, Oliver?”

So overhearing their conversation was also, of course, a coincidence.

No, perhaps it was deliberate.

He had promised never to appear before her again.

So that day, he had turned away, letting go of all attachments.

But the moment he saw Eileen smiling brightly under the sunlight, everything fell apart.

His resentful eyes kept following her, and his foolish ears heard only her voice. Still, Aaron tried to leave to keep his promise.

“My goodness, then this is my opportunity!”

“Then will you escort me?”

Until he heard that irritating conversation.

“Damn it……”

Aaron bit his lip at this cursed feeling he felt once again. But he didn’t want to stupidly hurt Eileen by getting irritated like before.

“It would be my honor, Lady Eileen.”

But the moment that man kissed Eileen’s hand, all his resolve crumbled.

“……”

Eileen might get angry at him for breaking his promise, but what could he do?

I’ve always been a selfish bastard anyway.

And couldn’t he resolve these feelings without hurting Eileen?

So, for the very last time, just once more, that false rumor….

Aaron approached the two with a smile. Then he called out in the most affectionate voice possible.

“Eileen.”

Eileen raised her head, startled by the shadow suddenly covering her view.

“……Duke Aaron?”

Unlike usual, his silver-gray hair was neatly styled, and he wore a white uniform embroidered with gold decorations.

Add to that his affectionate smile and eye-smile as if looking at a lover, and it was dazzling. So dazzling that she might be enchanted just by looking at him.

“Found you.”

Aaron pulled Eileen’s hand toward himself.

Then he wiped her hand by rubbing it and kissed it. The process was so natural that Eileen just stared blankly.

“Um, Lady Eileen. Who is this?”

At Oliver’s question, Eileen, who had barely regained her senses, introduced Aaron while trying to pull her hand away.

“Th-this is Duke Aaron de Monston.”

“Pleased to meet you, Duke Aaron.”

Oliver sent a bright greeting, but Aaron looked down at him without answering.

His gaze was so fierce that it seemed to warn against touching what was his.

“Th-then I’ll be going now.”

Oliver retreated with an awkward laugh.

Then Aaron heard people whispering near his ear.

“……”

He felt gazes on his back, clearly everyone was talking about him and Eileen.

Then, though he had already achieved his goal, he thought, would it really be a big deal to go a little further when everyone already knew?

Still strange. But today is truly the last time.

Aaron rationalized as he gently wrapped both of Eileen’s hands in his.

“Eileen, I promised to escort you.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Eileen tilted her head.

“Why are you asking another man?”

“What nonsense is that…!”

“Are you perhaps angry with me and doing this deliberately?”

Cutting off Eileen’s words, Aaron finally knelt on one knee and looked up at her.

“Eileen, I was wrong.”

His voice was so pitiful that one might think he was crying.

“Don’t leave me, Eileen. You know I can’t even breathe without you.”

“Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you?”

“Please, please don’t leave me. I was completely wrong. Eileen.”

As his pleading continued, people’s whispers grew louder.

‘What on earth is this about!’

Acting like he would never appear again, making her heart troubled!

Eileen bit her lip hard and whispered in Aaron’s ear.

“Duke, are you crazy? Are you determined to spread rumors?”

“When I think of you enjoying the party holding someone else’s hand instead of mine, I feel like I’ll go insane, so please……”

But Aaron continued pouring out words, regardless of Eileen’s threats.

To anyone watching, he sounded truly passionate, as if they were really in a secret relationship.

‘Leave the rumors alone? They’ll grow if I try to explain?’

I’m a fool for trusting Aaron de Monston again!

He’s someone who casually took away the theater, what wouldn’t he do to torment me?

She wanted to do something to him right then, but first she needed to stop his mouth. Eileen reluctantly nodded.

“Fine, so shut your mouth!”

At that, Aaron immediately smiled softly as if nothing had happened.

Then he naturally extended his hand to her and said.

“Shall we go then?”

“Do as you please.”

Eileen sighed, then moved her steps according to Aaron’s escort.

At that very moment while Eileen and Aaron were arguing,

Someone was watching them from not far away.

“Eileen.”

From the moment he boarded the ship, Count Dylan’s gaze was fixed only on her.

“You’re still beautiful.”

Her sparkling golden hair and innocent smile were as beautiful as before. Just as desirable now as then.

“Eileen. When I think of you enjoying the party holding someone else’s hand instead of mine……”

Except for one thing.

Beside the perfectly beautiful Eileen, unchanged from before, was something like a stain.

A man with disgustingly pure silver hair.

The moment he saw that stain, Count Dylan’s insides began to twist.

If not for that stain, Eileen would have been absolutely perfect.

“How dare he stand beside my noble Eileen.”

In the past, he couldn’t forgive Eileen’s detestable attitude of pretending not to know him after she had seduced him first.

But as time passed, his desire for what he couldn’t have grew, which eventually diminished that anger.

“I’ll erase that stain for you.”

Yes, back then Eileen was young and probably ignored me because of Duke Kyle.

After all, Duke Kyle’s love for his only daughter was famous throughout the Empire.

Dylan rationalized, then took a step toward Eileen.

But words from a noblewoman’s mouth tied Dylan’s hands and feet so he couldn’t move.

“My goodness! The two are so bold now that Duke Kyle is gone!”

“……What do you mean?”

Not noticing Dylan’s stiffened face, the noblewoman answered with a voice full of delight.

“Count Dylan, didn’t you know? That Lady Eileen and Duke Aaron are in a secret relationship!”

As she finished speaking, Dylan’s eyes sank coldly. In those eyes were mixed dark emotions like anger and contempt.

And those eyes were directed at Eileen.

* * *

The ship carrying the nobles left the port and took them to their destination where gentle waves rippled.

When the ship stopped, fireworks announcing the start of the party echoed loudly.

At this, nobles who had been spending time in the cabin came out to the deck in small groups to admire the beautiful fireworks.

But Eileen just glared at Aaron with a sullen expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Aaron asked, feeling her sharp gaze continue.

“I’m wondering how long you plan to stick so closely to my side.”

“Well?”

“And why are you acting this way when you said rumors would die down if left alone?”

Eileen fired back, putting anger into each syllable.

“Why? Do you want to enjoy the party with another man instead of me?”

“I don’t need another man either.”

“Then that’s good.”

Aaron chuckled and carefully brushed back her hair.

“Give up for today.”

If she had known this would happen, she shouldn’t have gone to Aaron for help about the false rumors. Eileen felt regret washing over her, but it was already spilled water.

A rumor circulates that she and Aaron are in a secret relationship.

She suffers because of the rumor while Aaron rather uses it to torment her.