The woman, who had turned pale, was sitting and looking at me blankly.

The man named Sasu, who was sitting next to her, was glaring at me fiercely.

His eyes were filled with wariness.

I had come to do a fairly good deed, but the welcome was not very pleasant.

But what can I do?

It was I who had taken the steps to come this far.

As Tiobe said, it was not a trivial matter.

There was nothing wrong with what he said, that it was not like me to do this.

Indeed, from the moment I did not use this woman to take down Count Alten, all plans had gone awry.

Since meeting this woman, had anything gone according to my plan?

Everything had become a mess and crumpled.

If a crumpled paper is crumpled once more, nothing will change.

So coming here was just one of the many variables that arose because of this woman.

From the moment I told the woman to do as she wished.

No, from long before that, from the moment I walked with the woman on the beach at midday.

I had to admit it.

The fact that this woman would become the biggest variable in my life.

This woman, who had been poured into my peaceful life like cold water, always stirred my insides and made them dangerously swell.

I know that in the end, there are only two ways to erode that dangerous change.

Either let the woman disappear as I wish.

Or make her forever subordinate to me.

The words I said to the woman to do as she wished were actually all lies.

Because I know that even if she disappears, this woman will only rise more, so until my heart is all worn out, this woman should not be allowed to go anywhere.

As always, there is nothing that I cannot possess, and the dirty bloodline of Blanchet never lets go of it.

This woman’s choice is actually meant to be decided according to my will from the beginning.

Tiobe neatly put the tidied documents on the table.

“This is the contract. Please check it.”

I received the contract in a daze, but I could not grasp the situation at all.

What on earth was going on, why was he in front of me…

The lumps that were not sorted out became a whirlpool and turned my insides out.

What were you up to, coming all the way here and handing me this contract?

His voice, which had coldly chided me at one point, asking why I had to do that, rings in my ears.

The past, which had been like that, was as if it were just my own dream, and he was looking at me calmly as if nothing had happened.

Sir Sasu, who had taken the contract from me as I stood blankly, was examining it carefully.

Even during that time, the man did not avoid my gaze that met his.

The gaze that slowly swept over me made me feel distant, even though it seemed to have no emotions, as if it were indifferent.

Was it possible that everything about this person’s recent softening was just a process for today?

To put me up high in the sky and then make me fall.

To enjoy watching that sight from the sky.

Yes. Come to think of it, the sudden change in attitude was also strange.

Especially to someone who had tried to kill him.

Thinking that he was planning the worst revenge, the vibration of my heart was transmitted to the tips of my fingers.

Hiding my trembling fingertips under the cuffs of my sleeves, unable to do this or that, Sir Sasu tightly gripped the contract.

Sir Sasu’s breathing gradually became rough.

There was an unfathomable light in Sir Sasu’s gaze fixed on the contract.

‘As expected…’

Just as my vision was about to become not only dark but also distant, Sir Sasu handed me the contract.

“You check it too.”

“…”

“I’m not sure if I read it correctly.”

Sir Sasu’s eyes trembled slightly as I glanced at them.

What kind of conditions were there?

How great was this trick this time?

With a half-resigned heart, I lowered my head and picked up the documents.

The hand gripping the documents convulsed on its own.

I didn’t want to show my terribly trembling hands to this man.

I didn’t want to be a plaything for him until the very end.

Only after several deep breaths did I lower my gaze.

But…

The letters that came into view were unbelievable.

‘He says he will provide all the necessary sponsorship?’

‘And without any conditions…?’

I checked several times to see if I had read it wrong, but the writing on the contract clearly said that.

When I turned my head, I saw Sir Sasu, who had the same, no, even more surprised expression than me.

Sir Sasu seemed to have gained confidence in what he had read just by looking at my face, and turned his head toward the man.

“Are you really going to fully fund our project?”

The man sat like an elegant black bird, put down his glass, and smiled lightly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The full amount, until the project is completed.”

This time, the man just nodded his head slightly with a cold-blooded but kind face, as expected of him.

A stronger excitement than usual rippled over Sir Sasu’s eyes as I glanced back.

Even if he tried hard to hide it, a person’s energy cannot be hidden just by trying to hide it.

It was heavy to confirm once again how much he must have suffered, even though he had pretended to be fine.

Sir Sasu’s hand holding the contract trembled slightly.

After such an eternity-like moment had passed.

The man gestured to the man who seemed to be his adjutant.

The knight, with whom I had been acquainted before, faithfully carried out his orders this time as well and placed a pen in Sir Sasu’s hand.

Sir Sasu took it and hesitated for a moment.

Unlike someone who had wandered alone for a long time in search of a sponsor.

The eyes that were fiercely pouring out were seeking the usual cold reason.

The heavy words that followed were also.

“Are there really no conditions?”

I tugged at Sir Sasu’s clothes a little by his side, but his attitude was adamant.

I knew why Sir Sasu was taking a hard line.

He was always a person who believed that there was no unconditional good will.

It was an extremely cold and, in a way, the most realistic thought.

Sir Sasu always lost his romanticism except when it came to ‘that person’.

The man, who had been watching the scene with interest, opened his mouth for the first time.

“If there are conditions, would that be good will?”

The tense muscles relaxed and Sir Sasu’s face softened a little.

But it didn’t look like he had completely let go of his guard.

“I would also like to know why you asked me to bring my assistant with me.”

It was only natural to have doubts from the moment the letter asked me to bring it.

Moreover, Sir Sasu did not know the relationship between me and this man.

Even I could not calculate at all why this man had suddenly had a change of heart.

The man’s gaze slowly turned towards me.

The ruby-like red eyes leisurely swept over me.

“I just… wanted to see for once. How passionate she would be.”

The man’s eyes looking at me curved wickedly.

Sir Sasu’s doubts seemed to deepen at the man’s ambiguous answer.

“I would like to know why you are bestowing this good will.”

My mouth became dry with tension at Sir Sasu’s words.

What would this man answer?

Would he mention something about me? But what…

Come to think of it, there was not even a point to introduce the relationship between me and this man.

But if it’s not because of me, there’s no reason for this man to come all the way here and help with this, is there?

The emotions that were complexly mixed turned into a gray murkiness.

The more intense the man’s red gaze toward me, the more it felt like my insides were burning.

The gaze that was tenaciously intertwined did not turn away for a long time.

He crossed his legs, gently put the glass on the table, and opened his mouth.

“Let’s say I have the same purpose.”

“The same purpose?”

The man’s gaze leisurely pierced through me.

Under the long eyelashes, the red eyes rippled like the sun.

It was filled with me, just like a little while ago.

“There is someone I like, and I’m trying to find that person.”

The gaze was quite persistent, and it felt like my insides were being completely exposed.

Because of that, his words are heard in fragments.

Someone he likes. Trying to find them.

Did he have such a person?

Only then did it come into view that the light settled on his brightly rippling eyes was clearly different from usual.

The transparent light felt from the fixed gaze had only me in it from beginning to end.

As I turned my head, feeling somewhat suffocated, his languid voice rested on my ears.

“Even those who have run away need to know. The earnest heart of the person who remains.”

The low but soft voice, which was prepared for external use, was full of dignity and at the same time humility.

Somehow, it felt like his gaze was still fixed on my side profile.

I was suffocated by the red gaze that collided more strongly the more I tried to avoid it.

I had the illusion that this man was saying these words to me.

It made me wonder if all the man’s words, that he would disappear, that there was no change in his mind, and that I should do as I wish, were actually all lies.

If this man by any chance loves me and has no intention of letting me go.

Even though it couldn’t be, somehow looking at him made me have such delusions.

Sir Sasu’s voice was layered over it.

“I see.”

Sir Sasu’s plain voice fortunately cut off this whole dizzying situation.

Sir Sasu, who had let go of his guard, added with a nod.

“We will do our best not to disappoint you.”

A business card was placed in Sir Sasu’s hand as he finished signing and got up from his seat.

“From now on, you can send correspondence to this place.”

While the adjutant kindly guided us, Sir Sasu quietly looked at the business card.

Sir Sasu’s gaze was fixed on the name Blanchet.

His eyes looking at it were strangely stiff, unlike usual.

The voice that came out soon had a slight tremor.

“Were you… a person from the Blanchet family?”