“Ah, hnngh!”

“Ugh.”

The entwined, writhing bodies of the man and woman shuddered and stopped simultaneously, then collapsed together.

The woman, Odette Tyrot, swept back her sweat-dampened hair with a pleased expression as she caught her breath.

“You’re quite useful.”

Hah. Hah.

Simon, also catching his breath, gave an ambiguous smile at her praise as he withdrew his body.

‘Useful, she says. Is that what you say to a man you just spent the night with?’

He was dumbfounded, but he dared not voice such complaints to the Tyrot princess.

Odette beckoned with a leisurely gesture to the servant standing by the bedroom door, and Simon observed her actions out of the corner of his eye.

The Tyrot princess was an extraordinary woman in many ways.

From inviting a man she’d just met at the Crown Prince’s banquet straight to her bedroom, to boldly making love with that man while a male servant openly watched.

‘The rumors of her promiscuity were true.’

Even as he inwardly clicked his tongue, Simon’s mind was busy calculating the benefits he could gain from this unexpected event.

In fact, when he had witnessed Kasha and Leon’s secret tryst earlier, he had felt as if the sky was falling and the earth crumbling beneath him.

‘How could Kasha truly betray me like that!’

Ever since the series of events Kasha had caused at the hunting competition, Simon had been beside himself.

To think she would unveil a completed lethal magic tool in front of all the capital’s nobility.

The sight of Kasha declaring herself the owner of the magic tool while standing on that high platform had been truly unfamiliar.

But she went even further, making a public proposal to the Grand Duke’s son Leon.

When Leon accepted her proposal and knelt before her, returning the gesture, Simon’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.

Several anxious days had passed since then. During that time, Simon had desperately tried to come up with various plans.

But no matter how much he racked his brain, he saw no way to survive other than winning back Kasha’s heart.

If Kasha really did monopolize the magic tool technology, ‘that person’ would surely take not only Kasha’s life, but Simon’s as well in the blink of an eye.

‘How did that foolish woman change so much in just a few days?’

There must surely be someone behind it.

‘Is it Leon?’

No wonder. He had seemed suspicious in many ways ever since their encounter at the Imperial Library.

That man must have caught wind of Kasha’s ability to create magic tools.

‘No. I can’t let him steal away years of my efforts!’

That’s why he had been desperately searching for Kasha since the Crown Prince’s wedding reception.

When he finally found her, she was engaged in a scandalous romantic act with Leon Aranias.

Cradled in Leon’s arms as she caught her breath, Kasha’s face was flushed with passion.

Simon was so taken aback by the atmosphere and heated expression he had never expected to see from her that he lost his composure and cried out in front of Leon.

Peach-colored cheeks, eyes clouded with desire.

Recalling her disheveled appearance so unlike her usual self, he felt a subtle tension in his core even as he lay in Odette’s bed.

“Would you like a drink?”

While Simon was recalling Kasha’s face, Odette suddenly spoke up.

She was indicating the drinks on the silver tray held by the servant.

“Ah, yes.”

Despite his considerable experience with women, Simon didn’t dare speak casually to Odette even after they had slept together.

Odette exuded such a worldly air that it was hard to believe she was the same age as Kasha. Was this the true face of the queen of high society, usually hidden behind beautiful makeup?

Recalling Kasha’s face that wouldn’t leave his mind, Simon drank the beverage with somewhat troubled feelings.

But then, as if she had read his thoughts, Odette asked:

“What’s your relationship with Kasha Lyuschino?”

“Pardon?”

Simon was so startled he nearly choked.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Why the coyness? From what I saw earlier, you two seemed far from strangers.”

“……”

Simon was struck dumb. Earlier, he had been so distraught that he had forgotten others might hear and blurted out unnecessary words.

“Did you perhaps have a relationship with that Kasha girl?”

“Ah… no, nothing like that.”

Simon denied it for now. He couldn’t guess what Odette’s intentions were in bringing up her name.

But Odette didn’t seem to believe a word he said.

She leaned in with an alluring pose and whispered to him. Her gaze was as persistent as a snake approaching its prey.

“Don’t be like that. Just tell me honestly everything you know about that woman. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

She said this with glittering eyes.

“We really aren’t anything special. We’ve just seen each other’s faces a few times as our families associated, and when she showed interest in me, I politely entertained her out of courtesy.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“Yes. And when she asked for my advice regarding magic tools, I obliged a few times, but she became a bit of a nuisance. So I treated her coldly recently, and now she’s acting aloof, perhaps because she’s upset. Haha.”

Simon covered his lie with a laugh tinged with bravado. However, Odette didn’t seem particularly concerned about that.

“Is that so? Well, putting that aside. So you do have some connection with that Kasha woman, right?”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“Then, would you like to do something for me?”

“Pardon?”

“You know there were originally marriage talks between the Grand Duke’s son Leon and me, right?”

“Well, yes.”

High society is a place without secrets. Especially for those like Simon who stake their lives on every piece of social information.

“But suddenly that Kasha woman interfered, putting me in a very awkward position. So I’d like to get rid of her.”

Simon was a bit taken aback by Odette’s words as she picked at her cuticles.

“Get rid of her… What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. It would be best if you could provide me with information that’s disadvantageous to her. I’ll take care of the execution.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by ‘execution’, but judging by her eyes, it was clear she wasn’t planning a simple prank.

Simon suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Was following Odette really the right thing to do?

At the reception, he had been in such a panic that Odette’s seduction felt like a lifeline, and he had followed her without much thought.

But for Kasha’s name to come up here as well.

It seemed clear that Kasha Lyuschino’s presence had grown beyond his imagination. To think that even the great Odette Tyrot would be wary of her.

‘Wait. If that means Kasha is a common target for Odette and me, could this situation be an opportunity for me?’

Or would the lifeline he had grasped with his own hands end up wrapping around his neck and threatening his life?

Simon’s opportunistic mind began to work rapidly.

“Well, if it’s difficult to share information due to trade secrets, you can act on your own. As long as you separate that Kasha woman from Leon, I’ll pay you handsomely. Or I could ask my father to create an administrative position for you.”

Having said this much, Odette observed Simon’s reaction. To see if he would take the second bait she had thrown.

Simon pretended to hesitate for now. In any case, it was clear that he had something Odette needed, so there was no need to rush.

‘Perhaps there might be a way to survive.’

Simon muttered inwardly.

Thinking that if he used his head well, he might find a way to reclaim Kasha, receive a substantial reward from Odette, and avoid displeasing ‘that person’.

The next evening, at the Aranias family mansion.

Leon was finishing up some paperwork before having dinner with Eve and Anthony, which hadn’t happened in a while.

Knock knock.

The butler Miles appeared with the knock, holding out a silver tray with letters on it.

“Some letters have just arrived. I brought them right away as the envelopes were marked ‘urgent’.”

“Thank you.”

Leon replied briefly as he picked up the letters. Miles continued with a pleased expression.

“You’ve been looking much better these past few days.”

“…Have I?”

Leon pretended to examine the letter, avoiding Miles’ loyal gaze.

“Indeed. Just a few days ago, your complexion had worsened so rapidly that I was considering calling for a doctor.”

“I see. I’m fine now, so don’t worry.”

As he said this, Leon’s face did indeed look noticeably more at ease.

Perhaps because he had somewhat relieved his desires?

For two days since kissing Kasha at the Crown Prince’s wedding reception, he had been in a stable state.

The problem was that while his lust had stabilized, Kasha’s face kept appearing before his eyes, refusing to disappear.

Even now, as the scene of kissing Kasha began to replay in his mind, Leon became flustered.

‘At this rate, I wonder if I’ll be able to face her properly tomorrow.’

Tomorrow was the day Kasha was supposed to visit the Grand Duke’s residence.

Suddenly remembering that fact made him feel good. As the corners of his mouth kept rising involuntarily, he rubbed his lips awkwardly and cleared his throat as he opened the second envelope.

“……?”

But as Leon looked at the letter inside the envelope, his face quickly began to harden.

Miles asked in confusion.

“Young master. What’s wrong? Is it bad news?”

“Miles. Tell my siblings that I’ll be late, so they should eat dinner first.”

After saying this, Leon gestured to Miles. Miles didn’t ask any further questions and quietly closed the door.

Left alone, Leon’s eyes had sunk into a cold gaze.

He unfolded the letter again. The letter began like this: