CHAPTER 2. The New Master of Whitehouse
“Marriage?!”
“Hmph. You’re a penniless noblewoman now! Do you know what happens to a lady of noble birth who gets tossed out onto the streets? She ends up living a miserable life in the gutter!”
Nathan stepped closer.
His greasy forehead and long, stretched lips when he smiled were revolting.
Marie instinctively took a step back.
“Who exactly am I supposed to marry…?”
“You’re going to marry me and become the Countess of Whitehouse.”
“What?!”
Marie’s face twisted in horror.
Everyone knew his wife had died from his abuse.
“Why should I marry you?!”
Marie stepped back again, shaking her head.
Nathan’s greedy eyes roamed over her figure.
“Hmph, with you by my side, no one can question the legitimacy of my heir!”
“D-Don’t come any closer! And you don’t have the right to decide who I marry!”
His muddy pupils gleamed like the eyes of a rotting fish.
He licked his lips as his eyes darted.
“Hehehe, don’t be so scared. If you behave, I’ll be good to you.”
Nathan reached out with his clammy hand and touched Marie’s cheek.
“······!”
It felt like a slimy leech was crawling across her skin.
Her legs trembled. She was on the verge of fainting.
Yet her body wouldn’t move, as if her feet were glued to the floor.
At any moment, she thought his massive hand might push her down.
“Damn, you really are something. That soft light-brown hair… those pretty eyes and long lashes… Hehehe.”
But she couldn’t take this anymore.
“You’re going to marry me and become the Countess of Whitehouse.”
“Kyaaaa!”
Marie couldn’t hold it in anymore and screamed.
Then, without realizing, she swung her paintbrush.
“Ugh!”
White paint splashed thickly across Nathan’s shiny face.
“Gasp!”
Seeing his chin and navy suit covered in white paint, Marie’s face also turned pale.
Nathan, unwittingly swallowing some of the paint on his lips and tongue, grimaced in disgust.
“Y-You insolent little—!”
“Stay away from me!”
As Nathan lunged forward, Marie smacked him straight on the lips with the paintbrush.
“I said don’t come near me!”
“Ugh! Bleh!”
Swish, swish!
The paintbrush sliced through the air again.
His red tongue was soon drenched and turned completely white.
“B-Bleh! Gag!”
His throat visibly convulsed as he gagged, the inside of his mouth a grotesque white like some pitiful clown.
But to Marie, that made him even more terrifying.
A madman was always scarier than a bad man.
Trying to shake off her fear, she blurted out whatever came to mind.
“Maybe that filthy mouth of yours keeps spewing garbage because it’s dirty? Let me repaint it for you.”
“You—you bitch! How dare you—!”
Nathan flailed his arms, trying to grab the paintbrush.
But Marie swung it even faster.
Swish, swish, swish!
“No matter how much I paint, it’s not enough.”
“You—you little—!”
“I think I need to remodel the whole thing.”
Nathan’s hands, arms, and jacket were all turning white.
“You damn brat! Stop right now! If the head of a noble house offers you shelter, the king has no choice but to approve the marriage!”
Nathan’s bloodshot eyes flared as he lunged again.
“Ah!”
Marie’s wrist was suddenly grabbed.
“You insolent little wench…!”
Nathan raised his other hand high.
Marie shut her eyes tight.
‘He’s going to hit me!’
But then—
Snap!
Someone grabbed Nathan’s wrist.
“Stop.”
“Who the hell—?!”
Nathan yelled as he turned around.
“Gasp…!”
But when he saw who it was, his face went white with shock.
A tall man stood above him with an overpowering presence.
“Y-You’re…!”
The man was well over 190cm.
Though he was lean, his broad shoulders and defined chest hinted at a powerful physique.
He wore all black, including a cloak, and most notably—a signature black half-mask.
“D-Duke Bloodstone…?”
His jet-black hair wasn’t long but fell softly, giving him a strangely decadent air.
From behind the slits of the mask, his red eyes glowed with a fierce light.
The gaze was sharp enough to strip someone bare in a second.
‘That man…?’
Marie instinctively shrank back.
Those were the eyes of a predator.
Eyes that burned like wildfire across the savanna…
Yet exuded a coldness like frostbite.
They seemed to announce he could spill blood at any moment.
Still, beneath the mask, his chiseled features—the high nose and sculpted jawline—were almost unnaturally handsome.
Even his lips were sensual, like he might whisper sweet nothings while driving a sword through your heart.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“N-No, Duke Bloodstone! I—I was just…!”
Nathan instantly backed down.
This was a man one dared not even speak casually to.
“I-It’s not what it looks like…”
Duke Calix Bloodstone, though only twenty-six, held both the kingdom’s military and economy in his grasp.
Dark rumors constantly trailed behind him, making him a terrifying figure.
“Ugh!”
Nathan grimaced in pain as his hand was released.
He felt like something had broken, even though it was just a brief grip.
“I paid a fair price. Is it not settled yet?”
The Duke’s voice wasn’t loud, but each word cut like a blade.
He had clearly overheard their conversation.
“N-Not at all! Thank you again for purchasing Whitehouse!”
Nathan, covered in white paint, staggered back.
He looked like he might faint any second.
“I—I was just trying to maintain order in my family…”
He kept stammering, his face twisting from the paint still on his tongue.
“B-Bleh. S-Sorry. I keep gagging…”
“Leave.”
A short, low command spilled from the Duke’s lips.
Just one word, but it froze the air in an instant.
“Y-Yes! I’ll be going right away! I just need to take the girl—”
Nathan took a step toward Marie.
But at that moment, the Duke’s indifferent gaze sharpened.
A flash of displeasure burned in his crimson eyes.
“Eek!”
Nathan nearly wet himself.
“L-Leaving! Now!”
He turned quickly toward the parlor and tripped, falling comically to the floor.
“Ahhh!”
Everyone watching went pale as paint.
“······!”
His expensive leather shoes were submerged in paint, and his black pants were splattered.
He’d knocked over the paint can on his way down.
A thick vein bulged on Nathan’s forehead.
“I—I’m fine!”
No one had asked, but Nathan nodded awkwardly toward the Duke.
“…….”
The Duke didn’t respond, his face stony.
Embarrassed, Nathan jumped up.
“I—I’ll be going…”
But just then, another paint can got caught on his shoe and tipped.
Splash!
Paint spilled everywhere, and Nathan fell flat on his back.
“Ugh!”
His cloak and his clean pant leg were drenched.
All in stark, glaring white.
“Aaaargh!”
He screamed, clutching the back of his head.
A sigh slipped from Marie’s lips.
“Oh dear…”
The future head of the Whitehouse family now looked like a big white pig covered in paint.
Nathan’s bloodshot eyes locked on Marie’s.
“M-Marie-Anne…! You dare humiliate the future family head and think you’ll get away with it?!”
“……!”
Fury boiled over and he roared.
“You little bitch! You think I’ll let you go?!”
His voice thundered through the parlor, making Marie drop the paintbrush in shock.
Then a red glint appeared in the Duke’s ear as his voice rang out, firm and cold.
“Baron Beret.”
“G-Gasp, D-Duke?!”
Nathan suddenly remembered the Duke was still there.
“Are you going to keep this up?”
Just one sentence.
But it held a crystal-clear warning.
“Ah! S-Such disgrace…! N-No. I’ll take my leave now!”
“…….”
Nathan offered a hasty farewell and fled the room without looking back.
Marie clutched her pounding heart.
‘Goodness… What just happened?’
The parlor was a mess of spilled paint and smeared footprints.
‘So he’s the one who bought Whitehouse…’
Marie looked up at the tall man before her.
He was watching Nathan’s retreating figure with weary eyes.
‘Still… he saved me. So he can’t be that bad, right?’
She let out a small breath of relief.
The kingdom’s noble society wasn’t exactly known for helping people in crisis.
Maybe he would ask her to stay as a guest until she could find her footing again.
‘Well, I can’t just freeload—I’ll ask him to delay the eviction until I find a place to stay.’
Marie held out her hand for a handshake. Her voice rang out clearly and confidently.
“Thank you for your help, Duke Bloodstone. I’m Marie-Anne Whitehouse.”
“······.”
But he simply stared at her hand without making a move.
‘What’s wrong? It’s not like shaking hands is that big of a deal…’
And behind him stood another man with auburn hair, wearing a less-than-welcoming expression.
He must be the Duke’s aide.
‘Okay, but why does he look so unfriendly…?’
