Her neck was marked as if someone had deliberately scratched it. Luke’s gaze became fierce.

“Who on earth…”

Daring to do such a thing within the Duke’s mansion.

Just as Luke was about to say that, Aria’s fingertips, stained with blood, entered his sight.

He stepped back with a shocked expression. Aria’s long nails had bits of flesh stuck between them.

The evidence was so clear, showing who the perpetrator was.

Luke covered his mouth with one hand.
Checking to see if there were any other injuries, he examined carefully, but aside from the bruised neck visible at a glance, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual.

Fortunately, at least there was that.

Whether it could be considered fortunate or not, he wasn’t sure.

Luke sat down beside Aria as cautiously as possible, making sure not to shake the bed too much.

His red eyes faced the unconscious Aria. His gaze narrowed.

Whether she had fainted or just fallen asleep from self-harm exhaustion, he couldn’t tell.

‘I should call a doctor.’

But if he called the family doctor, others in the mansion would find out that Aria had self-harmed.

That was not an option.

Because.

Because, well.

Well…

Ah, right.

‘I can’t have rumors spreading that my daughter is following a crazy woman.’

Luke, who had forcibly found a rational reason within himself, looked at Aria again.

Just in case, he was waiting to see if she would wake up at the sound of his voice.

But even after waiting for about a minute, Aria lay still without any movement.

Luke reluctantly decided to wake her up.

He gently shook Aria’s body. A low, sinking sound flowed out.

“Hilton.”

Then, the light golden eyelashes of Aria quivered. Luke thought that the moment she opened her eyes, it was like a crouched butterfly spreading its wings.

That’s when Aria’s hand covered Luke’s cheek. Frozen, he thought her smiling face seemed like a butterfly that had just spread its wings.

At that moment.

Aria’s hand reached the other cheek as well.

Tap.

The remaining hand covered Luke’s other cheek.

Held captive by bloodstained hands, Luke was left speechless. He felt neither the urge to get angry nor the mood to express his confusion.

‘Has she caught a fever?’

The two hands holding his cheeks felt extremely cold, far beyond what could be considered normal body temperature.

Luke sighed.

“Let go now.”

“Uh-huh.”

It was ridiculous.

Except for Elodie, no one had ever grabbed his cheeks like this before.

In many ways, it was an exaggeration.

Originally, he would have boiled with rage, wondering what nonsense this was…

However, he wasn’t the kind of villain who would vent his anger on a sick person. Clearly, this woman was not in her right mind, and anything he said would be nothing but nonsense.

Just as he was about to forcibly remove Aria’s hands, her pretty smile appeared.

“When I was dying, it was a shame that you weren’t there… But seeing you like this, it’s good.”

Incomprehensible words flowed from her red lips.

While Luke was frozen, she wiped his cheek with her eyes filled with longing.

Instinctively, he lowered his upper body.

And at that moment.

His heart pounded.

“I love you, Luke.”

Elodie, on the bed, was particularly known for putting her hand on his cheek. She had done so every time they met for a joint session.
Before officially starting their work, Elodie always reached out her hand to wipe Luke’s face. The touch that gently caressed him from the edges of his face always gradually moved downward, ending up under his eyes.

She whispered to him again.

“Luke, now, quickly…”

When that moment came, Luke slowly kissed Elodie.

“….!”

Up to that point, Luke recalled it vividly, and he abruptly stood up. Aria’s cold hands fell from his cheeks.

“Luke?”

Her dazed blue eyes looked at him with confusion.

Luke gritted his teeth at the seemingly innocent expression. Flames rose within him.

It was because he realized what he had just tried to do.

“Don’t go. Huh…?”

Unaware of such a speed, Aria reached out to grab his sleeve. Luke avoided her touch as if he were avoiding a fire.

He bit his lip and turned away. The sound of her calling from behind didn’t reach him. It had to be that way.

Thud.

Closing the door and stepping out, the chill of the night seeped into his body. Unlike the room with the burning fireplace, it was cold.

Like Luke, thrown from a warm dream into a cold reality.

He walked to a corridor far from the room and suddenly pounded on the wall.

He couldn’t forgive himself.