“Close your eyes.”

At Carson’s soft and gentle command, a small gap opened between her hand and ear, and her shadow, dimmed by the moonlight, fluttered as her eyelashes closed.

He somehow felt that the moment her eyelashes closed was more vivid than the chaotic scene unfolding before his eyes.

Caught by a strange sensation that briefly etched itself into his mind, Carson looked down and saw a bit of Ines’s green dress peeking out from beyond the curtain.

He slowly grasped her dress with his hand and pulled it discreetly to the front. At that moment, he unintentionally brushed against her thigh.

Surprised, he looked at Ines’s shoulder, but she did not flinch at all.

Even though he was only touching the fabric of her dress and not her body, he felt engulfed by the feeling that he was doing something improper. However, he could not loosen his grip on the dress.

At that moment, the two of them continued speaking.

“Joseph, you know that it’s impossible for commoners to become nobles, even in death, don’t you?”

“Nobles?”

At the unbelievable words, Carson’s brow furrowed.

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“So, just remember that clearly. Know the favor you’re receiving right now.”

With a clearly dismissive tone, Joseph roughly pushed the woman down onto the sofa and quickly took his place above her. Then, with a firm and clear voice, he said:

“So, it’s not like I’m trying to die and wake up right now.”

The woman seemed satisfied with his rough behavior and laughed.

“Yes, it wouldn’t be so bad to die and wake up once.”

“I’ll trust and leave everything to you after that. After all, the word ‘impossible’ doesn’t suit the Greum household.”

Although the two were no longer visible, the messy noise continued for a while.

Carson could only look pitifully at Ines as she breathed lightly. He knew better than anyone how terrible it was for a woman to witness the betrayal of the man she loved.

From his mother’s constant lessons over the years in the palace, he had learned this all too well.

A moment later, the two walked out of the room as boldly as they had entered.

Carson hurried to clean up the place, but the woman standing in his arms seemed stuck in place, as if shocked.

He wanted to give the betrayed woman time to collect herself, but his own situation was not so leisurely.

“Lady Swellenden?”

“…”

“They have left.”

At his words, Ines suddenly turned around.

‘Thump.’ Their eyes met, and someone’s heart beat loudly once. They were close enough to mix breaths.

Even when facing his golden eyes up close, Ines didn’t think to move away. Even in the darkness behind the curtain, he shone clearly.

It was Carson who first averted his eyes. Only then did Ines realize that she was not just pressed tightly against him but had been leaning her weight on him.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Her face flushed in an instant. Without any other response, he opened the curtain that had been hiding them and first threw open the window to ventilate the room.

Ines sat down across from where the couple had been entangled.

Carson could not sit down but looked at her worriedly. He tried to find some miserable light in her face, but it was not an easy task. Despite trying to deny it, her reaction was indeed a bit special. It was hard to see her as a woman who had just been betrayed by her lover.

So, he had to ask.

“Are you all right?”

“Huh? What’s…”

But she didn’t look entirely fine. Thinking hard about something, she looked like a young student faced with a difficult problem.

“Did you know everything?”

He asked hesitantly, and finally, she looked at him clearly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He glanced at the soiled empty sofa and then said to Ines,

“Let’s change our seats.”
Ines was guided to the office in the main building, not the banquet hall. The main building was quieter than ever since most of the servants were mobilized to the banquet hall.

She followed him, recalling the words she had just heard. The contents that had not yet been sorted were mixed up randomly.

Carson was also lost in thought about something, so the two sat facing each other without talking for a moment.

“You look beautiful today.”

Ines suddenly raised her head at the sudden words.

“Ah…….”

Although she had been wondering how to respond if she heard these words from him, Ines couldn’t say anything for a moment as if it made her previous worry meaningless.

“The dress suits you better than I thought.”

Ines felt her face and even her ears turning red. So she finally stood up abruptly. Carson’s eyes followed her in surprise, but she naturally bent her knee and began her prepared words.

“I should have thanked you first, but I’m sorry I’m late. Thank you for sending me these wonderful clothes, my lord.”

Although she showed a calm smile that she had practiced in front of the mirror, it was already exposed that she had been flustered.

“Sit down. That’s not why I said those words.”

While she was sitting back down, she felt him looking at Ines’s empty neck. Therefore, she hurriedly connected her words.

“Thank you for the necklace too.”