Chapter 70
It wasn’t a lie.
After all, the Duke of Luhanes and the Marchioness Cristener’s daughter had never once officially announced that they were lovers.
Someday, when the truth came out, the Saintess might be hurt—but for now, at least, the immediate crisis had been avoided.
While Eric and Dean shot Luke approving looks as if to say well done, Eunha’s expression grew darker by the second.
Then who was that person? I’ve seen plenty of beautiful people here, but she felt… far more beautiful than any of them.
Among all the royals and nobles dressed in extravagant gowns, accessories, and makeup, the woman wearing old, shabby men’s clothes had seemed far more beautiful.
Was it simply because she truly was more beautiful than anyone else?
Or was it because the man Eunha liked had treated her as someone special?
And somehow… it felt like she already knew me.
Eunha clearly remembered the woman she had collided with staring blankly at her face and calling her name—“Ji Eunha”—without hesitation.
She had definitely never seen that woman before, and as far as Eunha knew, only a handful of people even knew of her existence.
She blinked slowly as she stared in the direction the two of them had disappeared.
Who is she, and how does she know me?
Eunha decided she would ask Rixion directly once he returned.
And how do you feel about her…
Every last question that was making her so uneasy right now.
So please…
Come back as soon as possible.
Back to my side—quickly.
“Let go of me!”
I shrieked and leaned sharply backward, yanking my arm with all my strength and digging in my heels.
Even so, it didn’t change the fact that I was still being half-dragged along.
I glared in disbelief at the back of the man walking ahead of me, firmly gripping my hand.
To think there was someone I couldn’t overpower—me, who even strong men couldn’t move once I put my strength into it.
And of all people, it had to be Rixion Luhanes.
“I said let go! This is seriously your final warning!”
I squeezed out every last bit of strength and planted my feet. When it seemed utterly useless, I simply stopped moving altogether.
“I said—let—GO!”
With my feet stuck in place and only my upper body being pulled forward, my body pitched sharply ahead.
At this rate, I’m going to face-plant.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt an arm urgently reach out and grab me.
Expecting to be slammed into the ground, I had squeezed my eyes shut—but when I cautiously opened them again…
I found myself completely leaning against Rixion Luhanes’s arm.
When I lifted my head, he was staring down at me with a shocked, flustered expression.
Apparently, he hadn’t expected me to go that far—he looked genuinely startled himself.
“You could’ve gotten hurt.”
The one who farted is the one getting angry, huh.
Rixion Luhanes scolded me instead, and I immediately snapped back, mimicking his tone perfectly.
“That’s because you wouldn’t let go.”
His brow furrowed even deeper. I glared back at him, irritation written all over my face.
“I was simply going to escort you back to the marquisate.”
“I’ll handle that myself, so mind your own business!”
“And how am I supposed to ignore you wandering around dressed like that without even a single escort?”
“I’m perfectly fine going alone!”
“Then what about the injury on your cheek?”
“I told you, it’s just from brushing against something by accident!”
As we continued trading barbs without yielding an inch, Rixion let out a short, frustrated sigh.
“Why were you even here alone in the first place? Where is that man?”
As he spoke, he scanned the surroundings as if genuinely looking for someone.
I blinked in confusion. Come to think of it, hadn’t he said something similar earlier…?
“What are you even talking about? That man?”
Tilting my head at the incomprehensible question, I saw Rixion sigh again.
“That man—Jade. Or whatever his name was.”
Ah. Jade.
Jade… Jade?
Murmuring the name that slipped from Rixion Luhanes’s lips, my eyes suddenly widened.
“Right—Jade must be waiting!”
Between getting attacked by masked men and Ji Eunha suddenly appearing, so much had happened that I’d completely forgotten about him.
At this rate, I wouldn’t just fail to make up for yesterday—I’d probably damage our friendship even more.
Panicking, I hurriedly turned around to leave—
—or tried to.
My arm was still firmly trapped in Rixion’s grip.
With a fed-up expression, I turned back to him and pleaded.
“Seriously, just let go already. I’m really busy.”
“If it’s a date, it would be better to do it in daylight. It’s far too late today, so let’s return to the marquisate.”
…What the hell did I just hear?
I stared at him in shock, my mouth hanging open.
“Even my extremely old-fashioned father wouldn’t say something like that!”
“The former Marquis Cristener would have said exactly the same thing in this situation.”
“Not that father!”
Whether I stomped around in frustration or not, Rixion Luhanes remained calm from beginning to end.
Looking at him, clearly with no intention of letting me go, I forced myself to speak in a steady tone.
“Anyway, I have an appointment with Jade, and he’s waiting. I have to go.”
Even as I spoke, the thought of Jade continuing to wait for me made me increasingly anxious.
“And shouldn’t you be going too?”
I deliberately brought up Ji Eunha.
At my words, Rixion muttered softly, “Ah.”
Judging by his expression, it felt like he had completely forgotten about her again.
I looked up at him, utterly bewildered.
But Rixion’s expression was strange too.
For a moment, it looked like he had something to say—his lips parted—then he shut them again.
He seemed lost in thought, or perhaps unsettled.
What’s with him?
As I stared at his annoyingly handsome face, his wandering gaze finally returned and met my eyes.
“I don’t believe there’s any need to keep an appointment with a discourteous man who calls a lady out this late at night.”
Back to square one.
I rubbed my tired face.
“That’s not for Your Grace to decide.”
“Is your brother aware of this situation?”
At his calm counterattack, my body stiffened.
I looked up at him with a wary expression.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to tattle to my brother again? How petty.”
“When I was young, my mentor taught me that sometimes, to win, one must become petty and underhanded.”
“What do you gain from winning against such a delicate lady?”
“The benefit is safely returning Liz to the marquisate when she’s wandering alone at night without an escort.”
Ugh. He never backs down even once.
Feeling my blood pressure spike, I tilted my head back and let out an exaggerated sigh.
He clearly had no intention of yielding, and at this rate, we’d be stuck arguing until I got home.
Having run into an unexpected obstacle, all I could do was sigh over and over.
I couldn’t just knock him out and leave like I did with those masked men earlier…
As I pondered what to do, I squeezed my eyes shut once—then snapped them open.
“Fine. Then let’s go together!”
Last time, I’d been in such a hurry to meet Jade that I’d dragged Rixion along too.
Jade’s reaction back then hadn’t been great, but right now, meeting him as soon as possible was the priority.
“Why would I go meet that man?”
This time, Rixion’s reaction wasn’t exactly enthusiastic either.
I wanted to snap that it was because he kept stopping me—but I didn’t want to waste any more time arguing.
“Even if I postpone the appointment afterward, I need to talk to Jade first. If you’re worried about sending me alone, then come with me!”
As time passed, my anxiety only grew, and my tone hardened accordingly.
Perhaps realizing he couldn’t just refuse outright, Rixion finally nodded reluctantly.
“Then I’ll accompany you—for now.”
Only then did he release my arm.
I hurried forward, weaving through the bustling crowd toward the meeting place.
Worried he might discover the masked men hidden in the alley, I deliberately avoided the side streets we’d passed earlier and stuck to the main road.
“…Huh?”
But when we arrived, the area in front of the angel statue was completely empty.
There was no sign of Jade—no one at all.
Did I get the place wrong? Or did he leave because I was too late?
No matter how frantically I looked around, nothing changed.
A strange sense of unease crept over me.
Something felt wrong.
