Prologue
From early evening, the wind and rain began to rage fiercely. As thunder rumbled in the distance, the windows of the count’s mansion were tightly shut.
As expected of a long-standing noble family from the South, the estate was usually bustling with guests—but tonight, it was eerily silent.
Swoooosh!
They said it was the heaviest rainfall in ten years.
The downpour stung like needles against the skin. The guards at the front gate struggled to pull the heavy iron doors closed as they shouted to each other.
“Lock it tight! We need to secure everything!”
“Let’s just go inside. It’s not like we’re risking our lives—who in their right mind would be out in this weather… huh?”
Clop-clop-clop.
Through the torrential rain, the sound of horse hooves drew nearer.
Who could possibly be arriving at this hour? One of the guards turned his head in surprise, and through the mist, a shadowy figure flickered.
Even from afar, the overwhelming presence was unmistakable. The figure’s imposing form radiated an aura that wasn’t dimmed by the storm. The deep silver armor repelled the rain and stood stark against the dark, misty night.
Neigh!
The man pulled the reins just as he reached the entrance, then swiftly jumped off his black horse. He didn’t even glance at the guards’ shocked expressions as he removed his helmet.
Drip.
Droplets of rain fell from his silver hair. Beneath it, his eyes—blue with a hint of gold—shone with a piercing chill.
With a sharp nose and a jawline like a blade, his face was so perfectly sculpted under the moonlight that it looked carved from stone.
“…Where is the Lady of the house?”
Even his first words, after storming through the rain, were intense. The guard, instinctively unnerved, pointed toward the mansion.
“If you mean the Lady Count… she’s likely in her second-floor office, around this time…”
“Move.”
Whether or not the guard staggered under the weight of the helmet he received, the man strode into the mansion without pause.
He didn’t even bother to change out of his soaked clothes as he climbed the stairs and threw open the door to Adele’s office.
“Don’t worry about that… Wait, Xerox? What are you—good heavens! How are you here?”
“Am I not allowed to come here?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Adele, who had been going over documents, jumped to her feet at the eerie tone in his voice. Her face was a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Then, realizing the man’s drenched condition, which she hadn’t noticed in her surprise, she began looking around for something to dry him with—but he was faster.
In the blink of an eye, he stood right before her and stared down at the young man sitting across from Adele.
“…Didn’t you say you were leaving?”
“Who… wait, are you Xerox?”
“…”
Answer me.
His blue eyes gleamed like a finely honed blade. A flash of lightning outside lit up the room, and Adele gave her dazed head a shake.
“There was a change of plans—I couldn’t even depart.”
“…”
“But you—didn’t you say it would take a week? How did you manage to return in this weather…?”
It hadn’t even been three hours since she saw him off.
As Adele stared at the man, soaked from head to toe, he simply shrugged and lifted his chin, as if it was nothing.
“I left something behind.”
“Was it important?”
“A little… no, a lot.”
“Still… what could be so important that you’d come all this way back in this kind of storm?”
“…”
It was clear he had no intention of answering further.
As he glared at the table between Adele and the young man, as if he might split it in two, she let out an unconscious sigh of relief when he finally turned away.
Whew… Anyone would think he came here to catch a cheating wife.
Her head spun. Once he left, she needed to collect herself and finish her work.
But instead of hearing the door open and close, what she heard next was the scrape of a chair being pulled out.
Gulp. Xerox, sitting across from her, swallowed hard. Though Adele had her back to the man, Xerox was facing him directly.
Watching Xerox’s trembling hand, Adele finally turned around sharply.
“Excuse me, but—”
“Don’t mind me.”
He sat with his legs crossed in the chair by the fireplace, brushing back his wet hair with a face devoid of expression. Then, he spoke—not as a warning, but as advice.
“Just go about your business. Pretend I’m not even here.”
“…”
Crackle. The only sound in the suddenly quiet room was the fire roaring in the fireplace.
Adele tried to refocus on the documents, pressing her dry lips together.
She was the heir to a major trading company and future head of a count’s household. Kicking out one uninvited man shouldn’t be a problem—but the reason she couldn’t bring herself to do it was simple.
“I told you, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“…”
That arrogant and dangerous man… was none other than the husband she had personally chosen.
A husband you chose V