“Ansi?”

There was no answer. Damion immediately got up from his seat and strode across the room. Anxiety that had instantly risen covered his entire body.

It had been a few days since they had returned to the mansion. During that time, Ansi had not gone anywhere and had stayed by his side.

But what if that was all an act? What if it was a behavior to make him let his guard down? What if she was going to leave the mansion, complete her revenge, and thereby throw away her life?

His bloodshot eyes swept the entire room. She was nowhere to be found in the room. Damion headed towards the door with desperate steps.

That’s when it happened.

The door opened quietly. Spotting him, she opened her mouth, her eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re awake…”

“Where have you been?”

At his unknowingly raised voice, Ansi flinched and trembled. After moving her lips for a moment, she spoke, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I went to my room… to get a cardigan.”

True to her words, Ansi was wearing a cardigan.

Damion’s gaze wavered. He rubbed his face.

He felt like a fool for being so sensitive over nothing. Nevertheless, his anxiety still did not subside. It was clear that even if it was tomorrow morning, he would act the same way if Ansi was not to be seen again.

It felt like he was walking a tightrope between dream and reality. The moment he was searching the room to find her was a true nightmare. Now that he had found her and had her in front of his eyes, it was reality…

Ansi moved and sat down on the bed. Quietly watching her, Damion caught his breath and opened his mouth again.

“…Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

The answer was brief. Damion returned to the bed and sat next to Ansi. Then he deliberately spoke in a brighter and more affectionate tone.

“I heard lunch will be prepared in the glass garden. They said it has been newly decorated to match the changed season.”

“Sounds good.”

Ansi answered, slightly raising the corners of her mouth. However, no emotion was felt in that answer. Neither positive emotions such as anticipation or curiosity, nor negative emotions such as defiance or dissatisfaction.

It was just an attitude as if she was being informed of someone else’s business that had already been decided. There was a sense of resignation that she could not be involved in any part of it.

But Damion just nodded.

There was no other way. At least for now, it was better to break her will in any way possible.

Honestly, he couldn’t even tell if the reaction she was showing now was her true feelings or not.

Frankly, even if he kept Ansi in this house, he didn’t think she would easily obey. Because Ansi was that kind of woman. A selfish woman who wouldn’t bend her thoughts and would deceive him with even more terrible lies than Damion had.

So Damion couldn’t believe Ansi’s current easy compliance and resignation either. He didn’t know when she would draw a knife again to stab him and herself.

With those thoughts, Damion pulled Ansi to him. He held her delicate body tightly in his arms.

She seemed to have invisible thorns all over her body. The more he held her, the deeper the thorns seemed to pierce his body. But he could never let go.

That’s when there was a knock on the door outside.

“Master, it’s Nouvel.”

“Come in.”

At Damion’s permission, the butler with a grim face entered. With a bad feeling, Damion narrowed his eyes. Soon, the butler delivered the news.

“The Viscountess has passed away.”

No outsiders were invited to Bekishi’s funeral. It was due to Marianne’s opinion that it was better not to draw attention as it was an unseemly death.

Kardian also had no intention of making Bekishi’s death itself a big deal, so they decided to do so. Since Bekishi’s parents, the Marquis and Marchioness of Rania, had died in an accident a year ago, the only attendees were the Duke and Duchess of Orpheus, her husband Kardian, Damion, and Ansi.

“Shall we… go in a little later?”

When they reached near the cathedral, Henet, who was driving, asked Damion. Damion shifted his gaze to look at the cathedral. In front of the small cathedral, uninvited reporters were encamped.

Although cleared of murder charges, questions about the relationship between Bekishi and Damion did not subside. Moreover, the suspect who killed Bekishi was also found dead, making the case even more unresolved.

As a result, Damion de Orpheus was still a hot topic for gossip. If they went in now, they were bound to attract attention.

“What should we do?”

Damion asked, looking at Ansi. Ansi, who had become tense upon seeing the swarming reporters outside, soon answered.

“It would be better to wait a bit.”

The woman who had only been nodding like a doll at the mansion was now showing quite a bit of emotion. Damion found that fact both pleasing and unsatisfying at the same time.

The sadism within him crept up slowly.

The reason Damion became the center of gossip was because Ansi had called him to that scene. He didn’t want to turn a blind eye to the consequences that occurred due to her mistake. He wanted to make her clearly see what they had lost as a result.

“Let’s go in now.”

He stared at Ansi and answered Henet. Following the instruction, the car stopped in front of the cathedral. Reporters were already swarming near the car.

“Young Lord Orphe! What are your thoughts on the Viscountess’ death?”

“If you really only witnessed it that day, why were you trying to meet the Viscountess there?”

“Were you really in an inappropriate relationship with the Viscountess?”

“What does Lady Ansi think about this?”

Ansi’s gaze wavered at the barrage of questions pouring out as they frantically rushed over. Damion reached for the door handle to open the car door. Ansi grabbed Damion without realizing it.

Damion silently stared at Ansi. She hastily opened her mouth.

“They’re asking rude questions. Let’s go in later.”

“Why should we? I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Damion leaned down and whispered to Ansi.

“Unlike Ansi who called me to that hotel.”

Ansi’s eyes trembled. She clenched the hem of her skirt tightly.

Her concern for Damion quickly transformed into fear mixed with guilt. The dozens of eyes staring at them blatantly felt like gun barrels aimed at her.

Ignoring this, Damion opened the door.

People’s voices rang even louder in their ears.

Damion escorted Ansi out of the car. Even at this moment, his touch was as gentle and soft as ever.

Damion moved with a calm and dignified gait, as if the reporters were invisible. Ansi matched his stride, ignoring her wildly beating heart. Pretending not to see or hear anything, she just walked hard.

In order not to cause any more harm to Damion.

They arrived at the door of the cathedral. Damion glanced back with indifferent eyes and entered the cathedral.

“……”

After the door closed, Damion waited a few seconds for Ansi to compose herself. The hand tightly holding his was trembling slightly.

If she couldn’t even endure this properly, how could she make the decision to throw her body into revenge? His thoughts returned to resentment towards her.

“…Let’s go in.”

Ansi’s lips moved slightly. Only then did they walk from the main entrance of the cathedral towards the inner door. When they opened the door, people’s gazes turned towards them.

However, where Damion’s gaze was directed was not at Bekishi’s coffin, nor at the Orpheus people who had arrived earlier.

It was at the woman standing next to him.

What she was looking at. What expression she was making. That was Damion’s only concern.

And the moment he confirmed what was at the end of Ansi’s gaze, a sneer appeared on Damion’s lips.

Ansi was looking at Kardian.

As if she had a desperate errand left with him. With a truly urgent and wistful gaze.

Damion embraced Ansi’s shoulder and pulled her towards him. Only then did Ansi look up at him.

“Whatever deal you were trying to make with Kardian, you’d better give up.”

“I…”

Ansi, who was about to say something, closed her mouth. She couldn’t say anything. The fear that Kardian might do something to Dale if she recklessly mentioned his existence here took precedence.

In the end, Ansi lowered her eyes.

“…Don’t worry.”

Kardian had said he would wait for her. So he wouldn’t be able to do anything to Dale, who would become his pawn, right away. Anxiety gnawed at her heart every minute, every second, but Ansi tried hard to ignore it.

They approached Bekishi. Bekishi was quietly asleep in the coffin. Ansi bit her lower lip. She felt so sorry for her who had become Kardian’s sacrifice, and at the same time, she was angry at her own helplessness to do anything.

As emotions swirled, her eyes reddened. But crying in front of this was a luxury. Ansi bit her cheek hard, placed the flowers, and turned her head.

“We’ll be going now.”

Damion, who had placed flowers for Bekishi following Ansi, turned around sharply as if his business was done. Although he had attended the funeral as a courtesy to Bekishi, he could not pretend to be a close-knit family with the Orpheus people as before.

At that moment, Kardian took a step forward and asked.

“You’re leaving already? You should at least come to the cemetery with us, Mion.”

“There are reporters swarming outside. Isn’t it enough to throw them bait by coming to this cathedral?”

Damion countered straight away. Barely refraining from spitting at Kardian who was looking at him with an innocent face.