Eveline Florence — have you lost your mind entirely?
A broken engagement with Edwin?
Do you have any idea how close your relationship is with the Count of Hansworth, and you dare pull a stunt like this?
Is this marriage arrangement some kind of joke to you?
You have disgraced your father enough, and over what — some trivial mistake a man made?
Do you have any idea how deeply ashamed you have made me?
I am returning to the capital at once, ahead of schedule.
You had better brace yourself, because this time I will not let it go so easily.
I blinked.
“My. He seems angrier than I expected.”
The fury radiating from the letter was stronger than I’d anticipated.
But that’s strange. I clearly witnessed Edwin’s infidelity, and that’s precisely what I told Father in my letter — so why am I the one being scolded for it?
“Miss. We’re running out of time.”
“It seems like a direct approach really is inevitable,” I sighed. “I wanted to avoid it as much as possible. It’s honestly so embarrassing. And I’m not even sure it’ll work…”
“I understand. But — actually, wait. Let me show you something for reference first.”
Emily picked up a book from the table and began turning the pages with quick, practiced efficiency.
The title of the book was: How to Be Loved by a Man.
“I happened to stop by the library on the off chance, and I found this — it covers exactly what we need.”
Emily pointed to the first item in the table of contents with the tip of her finger: Purity.
She turned a few more pages, and the body of the chapter appeared beneath that very heading.
I leaned in and read it closely.
Men are selfish creatures by nature. They prefer a woman who may be bold during the day but becomes passive at night. No man truly desires a woman with extensive experience. If he were to discover that you are experienced and uninhibited, his affections would cool rapidly and without question…
“Just as I suspected,” Emily said. “This explains why His Grace has become so fixated on you, miss.”
“Oh…”
“You had no experience with men whatsoever. That means you must have been entirely passive with him. You simply didn’t know otherwise.”
“…That’s true.”
“Ha. I knew it. That was the missing piece. We overlooked something very important.”
Just as Emily had deduced, I had been anything but bold in that bed. I had known nothing and simply followed wherever Kael led.
“Let me ask one more time, just to be certain. Did you ever, even once, desire him before he desired you? Truly?”
“Absolutely not! Every time he came at me, I was too busy trying to get away!”
I waved my hands in firm denial. I swore it on my life — not once, since that one night, had I ever been the one to reach for him first.
“Then it doesn’t matter how it began,” Emily said. “The twist was that beneath it all, you turned out to be innocent — and that became your hidden appeal.”
“Hm?”
“Think about it. You seemed bold enough to initiate the encounter, but in bed? Pure as snow. Now I see it clearly — that contrast was exactly the point that lodged itself in His Grace’s mind.”
We were both certain of it now. We understood the reason for his inexplicable obsession.
“Right,” I said, steeling myself. “Then I need to play the part of a thoroughly worldly woman. Not an ounce of innocence. Someone practiced, experienced, and completely at ease.”
I carved the plan into my heart like a vow.
And for the rest of the night, I practiced unbuttoning my father’s shirt over and over again — along with an extensive repertoire of poses.
The next day.
The moment I opened my eyes, I got dressed and marched straight over to the Duke’s residence.
I spritzed on the perfume Emily had recommended — a fragrance called Drive Him Wild — and made sure to bring the shirt.
I crept around the grounds like a burglar, searching for Hugo.
For today’s plan to succeed, the most important thing was that I did not run into Kael first.
In the distance, a familiar figure caught my eye.
Found him!
Hugo.
Thankfully, there was no sign of Kael anywhere.
“Hugo! Hugo!”
I sprinted over to him in a single breathless dash.
“Oh? Miss Eveline? Is your leg feeling any bett— oh my! Don’t run! I’ll come to you!”
Hugo strode quickly toward me, his expression creased with concern as his eyes dropped to my leg.
Kael even deceived Hugo?
That dreadful man.
“…So he fooled you too, Hugo.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. That’s not what’s important right now.”
“Miss Eveline? Are you quite all right? I’ll go and fetch His Gr—”
“No! Please don’t call Kael! Not under any circumstances! There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Hugo — would you be willing to help me?”
“Of me, miss?”
“Yes! You, Hugo! Only you can do this!”
Hugo tilted his head slightly, a look of gentle bewilderment settling over his face.
Please. This plan couldn’t move forward without Hugo’s help.
“If it’s something Miss Eveline is asking of me, then of course I must help. What is it you need?”
“Hugo! Right now — please take me to Kael’s bedroom!”
“I beg your… h-his bedroom, miss?”
“Yes! Kael’s bedroom!”
“T-to that room again… Are you quite certain you’ll be all right?”
“Yes, yes — I’ll be absolutely fine! Only, we have to go without Kael knowing! As quickly as possible!”
“Miss Eveline…! This way…!”
Hugo pressed his back flat against the wall, then turned to look at me.
I was trotting along right on his heels, taking quick little steps to keep up. He scanned the corridors carefully in every direction, moving with all the gravity of a man entrusted with a top-secret mission of national importance.
“…Hugo. Is Kael nearby?”
At that, Hugo’s warm brown eyes grew serious once more.
The sharp, coiled tension radiating off him made me swallow instinctively.
He really thinks so.
I gripped my skirts and said nothing more, scurrying after him like a rabbit.
Hugo seemed to register that I was pressed right up behind him, and gave a small, solemn nod. He peered around the corner of the wall — first to the right, then to the left — and spoke.
“His Grace is currently at the shooting range. He’s in the middle of his training.”
“Sh-shooting?”
“Yes. It’s one of his hobbies.”
“And… what is it he shoots at…? Targets, I’d imagine?”
“No. He shoots at birds and game from the hunting grounds, of course.”
…Birds. And game animals.
Even the smallest of creatures… all life is precious.
Not paper targets — actual living animals.
And surely, he didn’t shoot at people as well? Human hunting, perhaps?
…He really is a frightening man.
So completely unlike me, who hated the taking of life.
The fear that had quieted inside me began to stir again.
I swallowed.
“…S-so the shooting range must be very close by? Can one see this spot from there, perhaps?”
I asked Hugo in the most hushed, careful voice I could manage.
“Not at all. It’s quite far. Given how expansive the estate is, it’s approximately thirty minutes on foot from the main building.”
“Oh…”
This townhouse sat empty more often than not, from what I understood — and yet it was still enormous. Incomparably larger than our Florence estate.
“…So when did he leave for the range?”
“Less than thirty minutes ago. Miss Eveline! This way…!”
Hugo continued to communicate in that urgent, almost theatrical whisper.
Wait — if it’s thirty minutes away on foot, he’s extraordinarily far from here.
There didn’t seem to be any real need for this level of secrecy and stealth. I thought about suggesting Hugo relax a little — he was clearly straining his voice whispering like that, and the chances of running into Kael were essentially zero.
I was just about to say something when—
