Jane felt hurt. It was a markedly different attitude from when she heard Mrs. Themis shouting and charging at her.

Did he now not want to speak to her or even look at her?

“If you have nothing to say, then leave.”

“I do have something to say.”

Jane suppressed her feelings of disappointment. She recalled the thoughts and resolutions she had made on her way to find Cain while holding Joseph.

Naturally, the scene of Mrs. Themis hurling abuse at Joseph came to mind.

Seeing Joseph trembling before her, unable to say a word and biting his lips tightly, Jane realized:

If the Hastings family was water, Jane and Joseph were oil. Floating around, ready to be skimmed off as impurities when someone found them bothersome.

She didn’t mind being oil herself. But Joseph was the heir to the Hastings family. She couldn’t let that child float around like oil.

Jane clearly understood what she had to do in the Hastings family.

She would protect Joseph and ensure that the child received proper treatment as the heir to the Hastings family.

So that no one could treat Joseph carelessly.

“Cain.”

Cain reluctantly raised his head. She stubbornly tried to look at Cain’s face. Even though neither of them could show a pleasant expression.

Cain and Jane’s gazes intertwined in the air. For a moment, sparks flew in Jane’s green eyes. Seeing this interesting change, Cain brushed his hair back.

“I’ll have my debutante next week. And let’s get married two weeks after that, us.”

Jane made a bold proposal.

Cain slowly closed and opened his eyes. His blue eyes shone even more vividly and coolly. It was like looking at an icy lake.

Jane, whose palms were sweating, rubbed them on the hem of her dress.

To properly protect Joseph, Jane needed to acquire the appropriate qualifications.

The Hastings household staff called her the prospective duchess, but in reality, she was nothing.

That’s why Mrs. Themis could freely push Jane around.

“Still the same, that country bumpkin look.”

“I’ll try to shed it.”

That statement sounded peculiar, and Cain stroked his chin.

The midday sun was slowly warming the cool room. Yet the air between the two remained cold.

It was Cain who broke the tense, confrontational gaze. He took out a cigar from the drawer of the side table and lit it. He put the cigar between his lips and fell into thought.

Mary’s assessment, diametrically opposed to Mrs. Themis’s, came to mind. He had remembered it because it was quite remarkable how two people could have such extreme opposite evaluations of the same person.

If Mary said so, of all people.

Cain believed Mary, not Jane. Nevertheless, her unsightly dress still bothered him.

Of all times, the Black Hawk’s report came to mind.

Her bold proposal and the Black Hawk’s report.

There was no objectively proven connection between them. But Cain was concerned.

It was the first time she had demanded something from him.

And to urge marriage, at that.

Wasn’t it the perfect topic to divert his attention?

Cain stood up. The cigar that had been between his lips had somehow moved between his fingers.

Jane’s gaze followed Cain’s movements.

Cain stood right in front of Jane and looked down at her. Jane’s nerves tensed at the intimidating presence.

“You want to get married.”

Jane looked down, not meeting Cain’s eyes.

“Yes.”

“Suddenly?”

“We were going to do it anyway. Is there a problem with moving up the timing?”

There was no problem. Rather, it was beneficial to him as he wouldn’t have to look for a new etiquette teacher for her, and all the marriage proposals that kept coming in would disappear completely. It would also be convenient to just entrust Joseph to her entirely.

But it didn’t sit well with him.

“Look up.”

What are you thinking, proposing marriage to me? Why did your mind suddenly change?

Cain became very curious.

But Jane did not raise her head.

“I told you to look up.”

Jane now didn’t even answer. Her attitude instantly transported Cain back to seven years ago.

Back to when he knocked on the door, and no matter what he said, his sincerity didn’t reach her.

Cain had waited like a fool then. For Jane to return. Recalling that time, Cain’s insides twisted.

Cain waited for the emotion that had rushed in like a fierce gust to subside.

There was no need to wait now. Realizing this, a fleeting expression of affection passed over his face. Even before Cain himself noticed it.

Soon, without hesitation, he slid his fingers into Jane’s hair at the back of her head.

Her neatly arranged hair became disheveled. Cain stroked the soft hair and then applied force. Jane’s head tilted back, revealing the green eyes that had been hidden.

“Uh…”

Jane’s eyelashes trembled as her head was tilted.

Cain gazed at his own reflection in Jane’s eyes.

His expression was calm, but he knew. He was burning inside.

Anger, hatred, or irritation.

It wasn’t clear which one exactly, but it was certainly an unpleasant emotion.

“Cain…”

Though trembling, Jane did not resist.

Why?

Was she used to this kind of thing?

Had she been touched by other men?

All sorts of lewd imaginings cluttered Cain’s mind.

The cigar scent that had been pressing on his nerves until just now felt nauseating.

At that moment, Jane’s neck caught Cain’s eye. The long, slender neck fully exposed because he had pulled her hair back.

He skipped the thought process and lowered his head to the boundary where Jane’s neck met her shoulder. It was where Joseph had buried his nose.

There, instead of Jane’s usual scent, there was a faint smell of baby powder. It was Joseph’s scent.

‘This isn’t great either.’

“Cain… let go.”

Jane’s voice came out with a slight tremble.

Every time the tip of his nose brushed against the skin of her neck, it felt like being scraped by a well-honed blade.

Her body tingled uncomfortably. She couldn’t breathe.

Cain’s nose bridge skimmed up Jane’s neck and reached her ear.

From that position, he turned his head slightly and took a puff of the cigar before exhaling.

The cigar scent was better than the powder smell coming from Jane.

Jane couldn’t escape the strong scent.

Jane coughed with her mouth tightly closed. Seeing her shoulders jerk and her neck tremble, Cain lost interest.

Jane, who had seemed so confident when proposing marriage, now looked as shabby as a withered tree at just one touch from him.

“How boring.”

Cain released Jane.

Then he calmly looked down at his own hand that had been wrapped in Jane’s hair.

He had done something despicable. Yet he wanted to be even more despicable.

Cain inwardly sneered.

He had told Joseph and Jane that they didn’t match the standards of the Hastings family, but now he himself, with his thick Hastings blood, was the one who didn’t fit.

This wasn’t like him.

Jane made him unlike himself.

Cain, no longer wanting to face Jane, took out a checkbook from his pocket and tossed it on the table.

“I’ll do as you wish. But if you’re going to shed it, shed it completely. I absolutely detest anything half-hearted.”

Cain spoke firmly and turned away. With each step he took, a cold wind seemed to blow, chilling Jane’s body.

Soon came the sound of the door closing. Though it was a very small sound, it sounded like thunder to Jane’s ears.

Cain had left, but Jane couldn’t move an inch.

Only upon seeing the checkbook Cain had left did Jane realize that he had granted her request.

Although she had heard words more painful than a rejection, he had given Jane everything she wanted.

He had driven away Mrs. Themis and accepted her proposal.

Her heart pounded loudly. Jane stared at the empty sofa where Cain had sat, waiting for that heart to calm down.

Until the strong cigar smell Cain had left behind completely disappeared.

* * *

Jane returned to her room with the checkbook Cain had given her.

And she discovered a small figure standing in front of the door.

“Joseph?”

Joseph, who had been hanging his head low, noticed Jane and approached but then hesitated.

It was the aftereffect of being scolded by Mrs. Themis earlier.

The last time he had secretly gone out to the garden to meet Jane, the maid taking care of him said he could roam freely within the mansion, but today he met the witch while doing so.

To Joseph, Mrs. Themis was a witch who wielded a whip.

He thought witches only existed in fairy tales, but one was openly roaming around inside the Hastings house.

The witch yelled at Joseph, telling him he must absolutely never run around or make loud noises, and not to behave frivolously.

And she hit the angel who stood in her way.

Joseph knew who she was. The maid had told him her identity recently. She was to be his new mother.

Joseph was happy that the angel would be his new mother. And he wanted to make a good impression on her.

But because of him, Jane was insulted and hit.

Joseph’s heart felt like it was being torn apart. He never wanted her to be troubled because of him again.

‘What should I do? How should I act?’

Joseph didn’t know what actions weren’t considered frivolous.

The tutors Cain had assigned him a few months ago only made Joseph read books, they didn’t teach him what was proper behavior.

So Joseph didn’t know if he could run to Jane now, if he could greet her cheerfully, what he should call her, and so on.

‘I can’t make another mistake.’

The reason he wanted to make a good impression on Jane wasn’t just because she was going to be his new mother.

He liked her.

To Joseph, she was like sunshine. Although they had only met twice, it was a powerful memory for Joseph.

There were endless reasons why he liked her. First of all, she was kind, she was pretty…

“Joseph, were you waiting for me?”

And her voice was lovely.

He wanted to make a good impression on her. With that thought, his tongue and legs froze.

“Uh… I… I…”

Joseph stammered. Feeling pathetic about himself, Joseph’s face crumpled into a frown.