He twisted the blade, aiming for the assassin’s neck, while the one who had emitted a clumsy presence earlier approached the door.

A colleague of this person? Or an intruder sent from somewhere else?

“Huh!”

At the same time that a childish voice was heard, Kailius quickly turned his head.

‘Why is that child…’

The assassin’s sword accurately aimed for his heart, not missing the opportunity.

“No!”

The child screamed in panic.

In the middle of the night, the lights in the Duke’s residence shone brightly. People who had heard the commotion hurriedly came up to the room.

While distracted by the child, a gap had appeared. The assassin cleverly chose to escape, not missing the first and last opportunity given.

Staring out into the dark window where the intruder had disappeared, Kailius commanded in a chilling tone.

“Chase him.”

The knights who received his command immediately ran out of the room.

“Poison and now an assassin?”

Filen, who had entered the room, felt bewildered. Moreover, that his lord let the assassin escape. Was the assassin that skilled?

Filen, confused, suddenly recalled one possibility and whispered softly to Kailius.

“My Lord, did you intentionally let the assassin go? To find out who’s behind it?”

Kailius’s eyebrows twitched for a brief moment.

“…Yes.”

‘Of course.’

There was no other way the Lord would have let the assassin escape. Filen was immediately convinced.

Then Kailius bent down, and suddenly, the child was hanging in his hands.

“Ah!”

Startled by a childish cry, Kailius loosened his grip a little on the child, though he didn’t let go entirely.

He had seen the child trying to touch the fallen dagger on the ground.

‘About to cause another accident.’

With narrowed eyes, Kailius pulled the child towards him, and the child wriggled to break free.

“Ah, I got it! I won’t touch it!”

Filen hurriedly threw the dagger far away from the child.

“Young Master, that’s not something you should touch carelessly! It could cause great trouble!”

“I know! But it’s okay if I just hold the handle, right?”

“Even so, it’s a dangerous item for the Young Master. Especially since that sword has poison on it.”

“Poison?”

“Yes, a very, very dangerous poison. If it seeps into a wound, the wound won’t heal, and the flesh will rot while still alive…,”

“Filen, aren’t we busy?”

Kailius cut off his words lightly. Facing a cold gaze, Filen wisely shut his mouth and pretended to busily tidy up the surroundings.

With Filen gone, Kailius questioned the child, leaving him behind.

“Who said anyone could come in here?”

“Me? Um, well, that’s because…”

Whether he was thinking of an excuse or not, the child stretched out his words. The slower the response, the colder his expression became.

Just then, an old congressman stumbled into the room.

“Your Grace, I’m here!”

Attention was momentarily diverted. In the meantime, the child quickly escaped from his hand.

Kyleius, who lost the child, chased after him with his eyes wide open.

Surely, during the time the assassin passed through the corridor, the child was also there.

It was fortunate that the assassin was solely focused on his target; if his attention had been directed at the child even for a moment, the child’s life would have been in danger.

As he thought that far, anger boiled up to the tips of Kyleius’s hair. He felt a chill cooling his fingertips.

‘What was he doing alone in the corridor that night?’

He was intent on questioning the child immediately.

That was when it happened. The child, having heard the news, rushed to Sofia.

“Your Highness!”

“Sofia!”

The child, embraced in Sofia’s arms, clung tightly to her clothes. His small shoulders were visibly trembling.

Upon seeing that, the words he was about to say awkwardly stopped. The words he intended to say to bring the child to him were stuck in his mouth, unable to come out.

…He pretended to be unaffected.

He should have questioned the child.

Because being in front of his room at that time was enough to be suspicious.

“The child…,”

“Shall I bring Your Highness?”

A servant quickly asked beside him, but the blocked words did not come out easily.

A sigh escaped naturally. Kyleius, who was intently looking at the child nestled in Sofia’s arms, finally said,

“No, tell her to take him to the room.”

That night, I couldn’t sleep a wink.

It must have seemed to Sofia and Delma that I was scared. They stayed by my side all night, repeatedly reassuring me.

“It’s okay, Your Highness. It’s all right now.”

But I was really fine. The assassin didn’t threaten me, nor did he cause me direct harm.

Though my still young body was shaken, and my lips trembled uncontrollably, preventing me from speaking, that was the only drawback.

Instead of sleeping, I spent the whole night thinking about what I had seen.

The reason I had ventured out into the dark corridor alone last night was because I had planned to leave the house.

With continuous failures every morning, I thought it might be better to try at night.

But as I was passing through the corridor, I discovered a strange figure.

I naturally assumed it was one of the household servants, and I waited for him to finish his errand and return, only to discover that he drew a sword from his possession.

I secretly followed the suspicious person to confirm.

If my suspicions were correct, perhaps he,

‘Was targeting the Duke.’

The suspicious person stopped in front of the Duke’s door.

‘A poison, and now an assassin?’

I overheard Fillen’s words on top of that. I recall a scene that I had witnessed before.

The day a few days ago when the Duke killed a servant.

‘That day, what the Duke killed wasn’t a servant.’

I had thought too simply. I had assumed that the villainous Duke killed someone on a whim.

‘That day, what the Duke killed wasn’t a servant.’

I recalled an incident that had happened in the original work.

‘What the Duke killed that day was…’

Someone knocked lightly on the door. The door opened, and Fillen appeared.

“His Lordship has requested to bring Your Highness.”

Sofia and Delma did not want to let me go, but there was no choice. They couldn’t disobey the Duke’s orders.

It was something I had to face sooner or later. I calmly organized my thoughts and followed Fillen to the room where the Duke was.

It was a different room than the one the Duke had originally stayed in. It seemed that he had deliberately changed rooms since the assassin had once invaded it.

Entering the room, I felt a shiver in my neck.

The Duke suddenly raised his eyes.

“Sit there.”

The Duke’s sharp gaze softened a bit. At the same time, I felt the chill that had been pervading the room dissipate somewhat.

I approached the sofa that the Duke had pointed to with a quick stride.

“So.”

The Duke came toward me.

“Why were you alone in the corridor yesterday?”

It had come. Unconsciously, I swallowed my dry saliva.

An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most

One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.

This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:

1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.

It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.

(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)

2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.

The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.

3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.

Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).

Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.

Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.

4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).

5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!