Chapter 31
“Lady! What happened to your face?”
“Asha…”
There was a voice I’d been waiting to hear, but not hearing it left me deeply disappointed.
I wasn’t used to this—
this burning sense of anticipation in my chest.
It felt like I could burst into tears at any moment.
Why was this happening? Why did my sister always seem to go out of her way to humiliate me so cruelly?
“Oh? Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. But Asha, what brings you here?”
“Ah! I came to bring you the food I portioned out… but when I saw you from afar, I got startled and ran over.”
When I focused my sense of smell, I could catch the scent of wheat bread.
She must have been carrying a tray and dropped it when she rushed over to catch me.
“I’m sorry. I just… I always end up being a burden instead of any help to you, my lady…”
Her voice trembled with guilt. Just as I was about to comfort her and tell her not to say such things, I heard something strange.
“At this rate… I won’t be able to carry out the order he gave me.”
“Order?”
“Ah, it’s nothing!”
So in the end, you got close to me because of someone’s command too.
My head was foggy, but for some reason, I felt relieved.
At least if it was because of an order, she wouldn’t betray me easily.
As I leaned on Asha and walked toward my room, one question crossed my mind.
‘Why did Russell summon my sister?’
He must have known things would turn into a disaster.
I didn’t want to think anymore, but my head was pounding too much to focus anyway. I just leaned into Asha’s support and entered my room.
“Hmm, hmm~”
A sultry hum echoed down the hallway.
She was walking through the corridor wrapped in a white silk bathrobe.
As Frater had said, Lena was blessed with stunning beauty. She had inherited the dazzling looks of her mother, who had once been a famous dancer in a renowned troupe—and she was proud of it.
In society, there wasn’t a single man who didn’t fall for her looks and allure.
‘Well, being the daughter of a duke certainly helps too…’
Whether it was the son of a minor noble family or a successful aristocrat, all of them were bewitched by her. No man disliked her.
That radiant beauty, that seductive voice, those teasing movements—
Lena knew exactly how to make herself irresistible to men.
‘No matter what kind of grim rumors there are, the Duke of Glacies is still just a man.’
To Lena, all men were the same. The Duke of Glacies would be no exception.
‘If cunning doesn’t work, I’ll just have to be bold this time.’
Standing before his office door, Lena narrowed her eyes.
This time, she had applied a special perfume—one that made people fall under her spell.
It was her secret weapon, used only when she set her sights on a truly special target.
No one had ever resisted her once she wore this fragrance.
Relaxing her expression, Lena gently knocked on the office door.
Knock, knock.
But no matter how long she waited, no voice invited her in.
If she acted rashly again like before, she might regret it, so she waited.
“It’s cold…”
The thin silk robe was hardly enough to protect her from the chill. She shivered, hesitating.
‘If I open the door, it’ll look like I’m the desperate one… But who cares? He’s the one not answering.’
Without further hesitation, Lena opened the door.
Whoosh!
A gust of icy air greeted her first.
The window was wide open, letting the northern wind sweep through the room. The fireplace was unlit, papers were strewn across the desk—
and the place was empty.
“What? No one’s here?”
Lena muttered, disappointed. She crossed her arms over her chest, trembling from the cold wind.
Still, she figured he’d show up soon enough if she waited.
‘He’s quite a man worth having.’
He had worn a black uniform, as if in mourning, but his body was solid—proof of long years of training.
Every time he spoke in that deep, low voice, his Adam’s apple moved, and his eyes—dark like dusk—held an unsettling chill.
Just thinking about him made her breath catch.
He was far more enticing than any man she had met in the social circles.
But a lady should never let it show that she’s become a prisoner to a gentleman.
‘The seat of the Duchess of Glacies, the Duke’s side—
They’ll all belong to me.’
With that, she smirked.
Everything Fiona desired, Lena believed she rightfully deserved instead.
But then, suddenly, she felt a cold, dangerous presence behind her.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah! You startled me!”
So unrefined! What kind of greeting was that?
Lena stumbled backward into the office, hurriedly running her fingers through her long golden hair.
She cleared her throat, perched on the edge of his desk, and crossed her legs.
Russell shut the door behind him and approached with no visible expression.
“Do you really… not know why I’m here?”
Lena exhaled a heated sigh.
Sitting on the desk brought her to just the right height to meet his gaze.
She reached out a soft, delicate hand and lifted his chin with her finger.
“You must be bored, aren’t you? I doubt that blind little girl gives you any pleasure.”
Russell’s brow twitched slightly.
Lena noticed—and smirked.
Men.
She ran her fingers along his firm chest. It felt even more solid and masculine than she’d imagined.
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted him.
She had to have him.
“How about it? I think I could make things… fun for you.”
Lena knew men well.
The noble sons who acted refined, the shy commoners who whispered love, even the arrogant drunkards—all of them were the same inside: full of lust and pride.
This man was no different, she was sure.
But then Russell chuckled—mockingly.
“And how exactly do you plan to give me pleasure, Lady?”
He caught her hand and pushed it away—
a clear sign of rejection.
“I’m not easily satisfied by mere pleasure.”
The provocative tone in his voice made Lena flinch.
Did he have… peculiar tastes, perhaps?
She scrambled for words, trying to cover her nervousness.
“W-what kind of pleasure do you mean?”
“If I had to say…”
Just as he opened his lips, a gust of northern wind swept through the room, and the curtains fluttered, plunging the moonlit space into darkness.
It was the perfect setting for him to hide his expression.
Russell lifted the very finger that had touched his chin earlier—
and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
In that instant, Lena felt as though her heart caught fire.
The flame that started at her hand burned through her veins—hot, consuming, leaving nothing but ash.
Beautiful.
He would be a hunting prize worth the chase.
She wondered what would be revealed if she stripped away that calm exterior.
Madness? Sorrow?
“I’m not much of a man who indulges in women.”
Russell’s lips curved into a faint smile.
It was hidden in the darkness, but it was still enough to ensnare her completely.
His arrival into noble society had been a shock.
Out of nowhere, the aging Emperor’s illegitimate son had appeared, entrusted with the northern border of the Kasus Kingdom—and conveniently removed from the capital.
Rumors about him ran wild in the capital, mostly because he rarely attended social gatherings or banquets.
But one thing was certain:
He had turned the entire northern region into his own garden.
“But I have been waiting for a woman like you, Lady.”
Russell’s smile deepened—dark and devilish.
