#Prologue

Somehow it felt too easy to be let go.

Chloe Liden, who had turned around with a light heart thinking she had finally escaped from the duke’s mansion, froze in her tracks as soon as she saw the man standing right in front of her.

Standing in the middle of the alley entrance, staring intently at Chloe, was Duke Hugrey Ulpaz, the owner of the mansion she thought she had safely escaped from.

Looking at the duke standing there like a gatekeeper, as if daring her to try and pass, Chloe sensed it.

That he had been waiting for her.

To be precise, that he had come to catch her.

“Your Grace…”

A sound like that of a starved mosquito escaped from her throat.

“Clyne Liden.”

The duke called her name. Of course, he called her by the male name ‘Clyne’, which he believed to be her name.

Even though he had only called her name, Chloe felt as if she had also heard the words “Come to me right now.”

Is this how a cow feels being led to the slaughterhouse?

She reluctantly took one step, then another, approaching the duke.

“Your Grace, what brings you here…?”

“Well, I wonder why I came?”

The duke’s voice, cutting off Chloe’s words midway, was chillingly cold.

That icy aura made it difficult for Chloe to part her lips, as if her upper and lower lips had frozen together.

Nothing had been discovered yet.

So why did it feel like everything had been found out?

“If it’s because of the woman you’re looking for…”

“Woman? No, no. That’s not it.”

“…”

In response to Chloe’s barely uttered answer, the duke said “no” a whole three times.

“It’s not about a woman, but it seems I need to look into a man.”

“A man…?”

Her head was spinning.

Could it be that she had been found out?

She had thought that nothing would happen once she returned home, but it seemed it was already too late.

A few days ago, when the words “I need to find a woman” had come out of the duke’s mouth, she should have fled right then.

On that very day a few days ago.

#1. The Woman to be Found

“I need to find a woman.”

Thump.

At Duke Hugrey Ulpaz’s words, Chloe Liden felt as if she had actually heard the sound of her heart dropping.

Woman.

The word ‘woman’ had come out of the duke’s mouth. And he even said he needed to find her?

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped from Chloe’s lips.

Not just the duke, but even Sir Joyce who was listening to the duke’s instructions, both of them furrowed their brows and looked at her.

“Ahem! I apologize. When you said woman… I was a bit surprised…”

Chloe tried to explain while clearing her voice, but unable to hide her trembling heart, she couldn’t even finish her sentence properly.

Fortunately, the duke nodded slightly as if he understood.

As if he himself knew how shocking it was for the word ‘woman’ to come out of his own mouth.

If there was a word least likely to come out of Duke Hugrey Ulpaz’s mouth, it would be ‘woman’.

“What kind of woman is it?”

Sir Joyce asked.

Chloe watched the duke’s mouth intently while inconspicuously swallowing her saliva.

She needed to stay calm.

It would have nothing to do with her.

“A woman who stayed at the inn in Arne last night.”

Ah…

She felt like she was being strangled.

Please, just don’t let the name ‘Night of the Dog and Cat’ come out.

Before she knew it, Chloe was even praying with her hands clasped together.

“The name of the inn is ‘Night of the Dog and Cat’.”

As if mocking her prayer, the duke added.

Of course it was that name.

A name so unique that once heard, it seemed impossible to ever forget.

What nonsense about dogs and cats.

It was Chloe’s third time staying at that inn yesterday.

In those three times, she had never once seen a dog or a cat.

Come to think of it, why on earth was even the inn’s name like that?

“A woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes.”

In stark contrast to Chloe’s state of her heart racing wildly, the duke calmly continued his explanation.

Behind the incredibly thick glasses with no prescription that covered nearly half her face, Chloe’s blue eyes shook uncontrollably.

At least she should be thankful that her long blonde hair was well hidden under the short brown wig.

“Her height is about here, up to my shoulder…”

The duke paused in his explanation.

Chloe, who had been hanging her head low, slowly raised it at the feeling of something hot piercing her left cheek, only to swallow her breath with a start.

The duke was staring right at her.

“Your Grace…?”

Her voice trembled finely.

“Clyne, you… how tall are you?”

“Eh?”

For a moment, she almost hiccupped.

Could it be that he had noticed that woman from last night was her?

In an instant, cold sweat rose up Chloe’s spine.

“Your height… it’s exactly the same as yours. How tall are you?”

Ah!

Relief that she hadn’t been discovered and fear that she might be discovered washed over her simultaneously, making her left atrium and right ventricle thrash even more violently as if about to start a riot.

Right, she would be about my height.

The duke had quite an accurate eye.

“168 cm, Your Grace.”

Chloe wanted to bite her tongue, but instead of biting it, she answered.

“Why are you looking for this woman?”

Sir Joyce asked.

‘Because he slept with her.’

“A woman I slept with.”

Chloe’s inner answer and the duke’s answer came out simultaneously.

Chloe felt like her face was about to burst into flames at any moment.

Despite the fact that not only Sir Joyce, but also the duke currently thought of her as a man, and had no idea that the woman he had slept with was her.

“Ah! Oh no!”

Sir Joyce suddenly exclaimed upon hearing the duke’s answer.

Why is he acting like that?

“How could such a thing happen! Augh!”

Sir Joyce was almost sobbing, even trembling with both fists clenched.

His complexion, usually on the dark side, now looked almost purplish-black, perhaps flushed from holding back tears.

Seeing Sir Joyce’s reaction, Chloe felt as if she had stolen the purity of the utterly innocent duke.

“How could this happen… This can’t be…!”

Sir Joyce finally started sobbing.

Watching him sob like that made Chloe’s mood, which was already at rock bottom due to last night’s mistake, sink even lower.

But Sir Joyce’s ridiculous words and actions were far less shocking than the duke’s following words.

“Stop making a fuss, Joyce. What’s done is done. This must be my fate.”

Chloe felt as if the floor she was standing on had flipped to the ceiling and back down again, spinning round and round.

Fate?

It was just a one-night mistake.

At least she knew her partner was the duke.

For the duke, it was truly a mistake in every sense of the word, not even knowing who the woman was despite her being right in front of him.

It’s natural that he wouldn’t imagine that the cross-dressing attendant would be the woman he slept with, but still!

It was a meaningless one-night stand for both of them.

Just faithful to desire.

But why!

Why, not content with deciding to find her on his own, does he even mention fate!

“Is she… a commoner… human?”

Sir Joyce asked with reddened eyes.

The emotion filling his red eyes was clearly anger.

Who on earth is that anger directed at?

Besides, asking if she’s a commoner human?

Then, are commoners animals?

How offensive to commoners listening to this.

“I suppose so.”

A hint of resignation could be heard in the duke’s voice as he answered.

Needless to say for the duke, even Sir Joyce was a noble.

To them, with blue blood flowing in their veins, the feelings of a commoner attendant standing right there didn’t seem to matter at all.

Oh my, I’ve committed a mortal sin.

How dare a mere commoner like me cause trouble with the duke.

Chloe lowered her head even more to hide her displeasure.

It’s not like she asked the duke to take responsibility, so why this atmosphere as if the sky is falling!

The commoner woman doesn’t like this situation either.

So please don’t look for this commoner human!

Of course, she was only grumbling inwardly.

“One more thing, she had a scar on her shoulder.”

Soon, the duke added one more piece of information in a calm tone, indifferent to Sir Joyce’s frustration and grief.

“It was a scar in the shape of a slightly distorted circle. It looked as if she had been bitten by a wild beast. I’m not sure since I didn’t see it with my eyes, but…”

Crazy!

Not sure?!

It was already a perfect description, as accurate as it could be.

The scar on her shoulder indeed looked as if it had been made by a wild beast’s bite.

“I understand.”

Sir Joyce answered, clearly showing signs of swallowing his indignation.

It was more and more ridiculous to watch.

“We need to find her as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I’ll depart right away.”

Chloe unconsciously frowned as she watched Sir Joyce’s solemn back as he left.

As soon as Sir Joyce left, the duke propped his elbow on the desk and cradled his head in both hands.

As if he had a headache, he let out a faint groan like a sigh and furrowed his brows.

“Your Grace, then I’ll take my leave as well.”

Due to the aftermath of last night with the duke who had been like a beast in heat, Chloe felt as if her whole body had been beaten up, even if she didn’t have a headache.

To the point where she didn’t even have the strength to stand anymore.

“Mm…”

The duke responded vaguely while still hanging his head, but pretending to take it as permission, she quickly turned to leave.

“Clyne!”

But the duke’s call caught her by the scruff of the neck.

Ah, why!

“Yes?”

Despite her inner thoughts, Chloe politely answered and looked at the duke.

“But what… is this smell?”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve been smelling something for a while now.”

Smell?

“Now that Joyce is gone, I can tell for sure. It seems to be coming from you.”

“There’s no way…”

“You, come closer.”

“No, I…”

There’s no smell at all.

Usually, he doesn’t like people coming close, so why ask me to come closer on a day like this!

“I told you to come closer.”

There was no choice. She finally approached the duke. Just half a step, though.

“A bit closer.”

She took another half step closer.

“Right up to my nose.”

I don’t want to.