The spring of the southern region brought with it the gentle scent of the sea. A warmer breeze than the capital tickled Damion’s cheeks. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.

The Baron Jiden’s mansion, where the party was to be held, was situated in a place with quite a nice view. The exterior of the mansion, with the sunset settling between the clouds, wasn’t bad either.

It would have been better if they hadn’t decorated at all.

Seeing the grand entrance excessively adorned with colorful flowers, his mood suddenly dampened.

Should I not go in? As he was thinking this.

“Excuse me, are you Major Orphe?”

Damion turned around. Dark eyebrows and light brown hair, about a hand span shorter than himself. The young count of Bercel, an old southern family, and a wealthy man with vast lands.

“Nice to meet you, Count Bercel.”

Damion smiled brightly and extended his hand. Bercel’s expression brightened.

“So you know me, Major.”

“I’ve heard much about the name of Bercel and wanted to meet you. However, I’m no longer a major. I’ve retired.”

“Yes, I heard you’ve been staying in the capital for a few months. Then shall I call you Lord Damion?”

“Whatever you prefer.”

The two entered the banquet hall. The hall was already filled with many people. It was also filled with numerous flowers. One could tell the terrible sense of the mansion’s owner.

At least the crisp violin melody wasn’t bad. Damion decided to take comfort in that. Although he couldn’t appreciate the music due to the naturally flowing conversation.

“By the way, is your brother coming too? I mean Viscount Kardian de Orphe.”

“No, my brother is busy with work.”

“Ah! Coming all the way here in place of your brother. Your fraternal affection is admirable.”

Damion smiled brightly at those words. He decided not to mention that he had just stopped by while on a business trip to the south.

“Oh, Damion. Fancy meeting you here.”

Some men who spotted them approached. One was the representative of a hotel invested in by an elder of Orphe. Next to him was the son of the man who controlled the southern railways.

Damion raised his wine glass. It was a gesture indicating he would engage in conversation with them. A servant from the hall approached and poured white wine into their glasses.

Soon, maintaining an appropriate distance between each other, polite and refined conversations continued.

Damion was well aware that their solemn and leisurely attitudes were conscious of the ladies standing over there. The glances that seemed quite blatant were now even amusing.

It was when this farce was starting to get boring that he noticed the woman.

Damion’s eyes narrowed.

A brown-haired servant quietly clearing plates in the corner of the hall.

It was a completely ordinary sight, but Damion couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Was it because while clearing the plates, her gaze kept scanning the hall as if searching for someone? Or was it because of her tightly closed lips that somehow seemed tense?

Or was it because of her strangely familiar appearance?

“It seems a bit risky to invest right now. Don’t you think so, Damion?”

His gaze, which had been fixed on the woman, naturally turned to his companions. He swallowed the wine he had been holding in his mouth and smiled leisurely.

“Well, wouldn’t now be the right time after the bubble has burst?”

“Hmm, I suppose so?”

The conversation flowed again.

And when Damion’s purple eyes turned back to where she had been, the woman was already gone.

And yet.

Who would have thought he’d see a woman with a gun to her head in a place like this?

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t cause trouble today.”

In the deserted garden late at night. The woman’s surprised gaze turned to him.

Skin so pale it was almost transparent. And those ocean-blue eyes, shining brilliantly even while revealing extreme wariness, were indeed familiar.

Is it really that woman?

Well, whatever the case.

“I detest nightmares.”

For now, that was the reason he prevented the woman’s death.

A man resembling an angel.

Looking at his figure bathed in moonlight, Ansi thought this.

His neatly swept platinum blonde hair and well-groomed eyebrows gave off an air of nobility. His smooth skin and red lips created a handsome impression, but the sharp bridge of his nose and angular facial features offset this, giving him a decadent feel.

The man wore a smile, as his voice had suggested. However, the deep-set eyes beneath held a certain coolness.

Just as she thought his appearance was strangely familiar.

“Have you ever tried apricot tart?”

“……”

A question with unclear intentions was thrown. Ansi frowned and stared intently at the man. He continued speaking nonchalantly.

“You should try it before you die.”

“I’ve had it before.”

“……Then.”

The man tilted his eyebrows as if perplexed, then took something out of his pocket. The corners of his red lips lifted in satisfaction.

With that, the man approached Ansi. Ansi stood up and took a step back. However, the man’s leisurely steps were faster.

Before she knew it, he had reached Ansi and held out what was in his hand.

It was a fountain pen.

Ansi took it reflexively. As their fingertips brushed, she involuntarily shrank back.

“It should be quite valuable. Sell it when day breaks.”

“Why… are you giving me this?”

“Consider it the price for a day’s worth of life. Or think of it as payment for helping me avoid a nightmare.”

The man let out a chuckle. Only then did Ansi realize what kind of misunderstanding he was having.

He must have misunderstood that she was trying to kill herself. He’s telling her to use the money from selling this to sustain her life.

It was an incredibly arrogant thought, but it was actually fortunate. It was much better than being caught trying to kill someone.

Ansi clenched her hand holding the fountain pen. Confirming this, the man turned away without lingering. The spring breeze that blew from his direction carried a faint musk scent.

In that lingering fragrance, Ansi lowered her gaze.

Henet de Maron.

The name was inscribed on the pen. The Marquis Maron family. It was the name of a family she had heard of before.

‘So he wasn’t even from the Orphe Duke’s family.’

Ansi burst into a dejected laugh. She then turned in the opposite direction from the man.

“Miss Rain, I’m sorry but I can’t extend any more credit after this.”

The pharmacy owner hesitated before lowering his eyebrows and speaking. His voice was tinged with apology, but Ansi knew how much he had already accommodated her until now. Ansi nodded.

“…Yes, I’m grateful for what you’ve given me so far. I’ll definitely pay for the medicine next week.”

“Alright, take care. Another morning shift today?”

“Yes.”

“Your mother will be waiting. Hurry on home.”

At Baron Jiden’s mansion, there were both resident and commuting staff, and Ansi was one of the latter. When work ended, she returned to her home located on Wart Street, not far from the mansion.

It was a small house with only one room attached to a narrow living room, and you had to climb up to the third floor of the building, but she knew to be grateful for having a space where she could lay her body.

However, as Ansi was taking out her key, she noticed something strange.

The doorknob was broken.

An ominous feeling swept over her.

Ansi pushed the door open with a bang.

“…!”

The inside of the house was a mess. All sorts of furniture and household items were overturned and scattered about, and food ingredients were spilled and strewn everywhere.

“What is this……”

“You should come home early, Rain.”

The answer came from inside the room. Ansi glared into the room. A young man walked out with a regretful expression.

“I came and no one was here. Your house ended up like this because you sneak around at night like a stray cat.”

“Geris.”

“Don’t look at me so fiercely. I just came to give a warning because there’s a lot of money left to pay.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I paid back the principal plus interest.”

“A new interest clause was created before you paid off all the money, so you have to follow it.”

“That clause wasn’t in the original agreement!”

“Stop acting like a moral little girl.”

Geris suddenly grabbed Ansi’s hair and yanked it hard.

“Ah!”

Ansi screamed at the sudden pain. Geris whispered in her ear.

“Rain. If you wanted to find a promise, you should have gone to a bank. You came to us because we’re the only ones who would lend money to someone like you.”

The whites of Ansi’s eyes reddened as she glared at Geris. Finding this amusing, Geris burst out laughing. Biting the inside of her lip hard, Ansi fumbled with her skirt.

“Going to take out your gun?”

“…!”

“You know why I didn’t take that away? Because I have a gun too. By the time you release the safety, I can put a hole in your head first.”

Geris threw Ansi to the ground. His chuckling laughter was heard over her as she lay sprawled on the floor.

“I’ll be back next month.”

The door slammed shut.

The surroundings were quiet. As if everything that had just happened was a dream.

It was fortunate that she had sent her mother to Mrs. Merhi’s house today. When she had tried to kill Kardian, it was to allow her mother to escape, but to think something like this would happen…

Ansi got up and started cleaning the house. With her lips tightly pressed, she righted the chairs, gathered the scattered clothes, and picked up the broken cups.

“…Ah.”

A tingling pain was felt on her finger. Blood began to seep out. Ansi collapsed to the floor as if crumbling. Rough breaths escaped her mouth.

The hot hatred and sorrow stirring inside her did not disappear.

If only she hadn’t borrowed money from such a person. If only she had the wealth to cover her mother’s medicine costs. If only Rubella’s assets hadn’t been confiscated. If only it weren’t for that bastard Kardian de Orphe.

If she had known that hatred would pile up like this, she should have killed him then.

Instead of fleeing the duke’s mansion in fear. She should have slit his throat.

When she closed her eyes, her father’s blood-stained dog tags and her brother’s screams as he was hit by a bomb tormented her.

Ansi’s time had not moved at all since a year ago when her father and brother died.