“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Dante, who had helped Ariana up, examined her body.

People started to come to their senses as they watched the scene.

“Oh my…!”

“The Duke saved the Lady!”

Those who were dumbfounded by the sudden event belatedly grasped the situation.

The Duke, who appeared like the wind, had saved the Lady who was about to be trampled by a horse.

Those who witnessed this heroic tale began to applaud enthusiastically.

“That was amazing!”

“It could have been a disaster!”

“To subdue such a wild beast in one go. As expected of the Duke.”

Among the noble ladies, there were even more secretive whispers.

“My goodness, he’s even more…”

“Handsome than we thought from afar?”

“And with such chivalry too. He’s truly the perfect gentleman.”

The noble ladies hid their true feelings as they looked at Dante and Ariana, whom he was supporting, from behind their fans.

‘Murderer? Scary to the point of not being able to look him in the eye? … Not at all.’

‘How did such a terrifying nickname get attached to someone so kind and gentlemanly?’

Hearing the shower of applause and cheers, Lucas gritted his teeth and got up.

‘Damn it!’

What a humiliation because of that cursed four-legged beast.

“Ariana!”

Lucas rushed hurriedly towards Ariana.

“Oh, my love. Are you hurt? How dare that vile beast!”

Lucas glared at the already subdued horse lying on the ground with burning eyes. His glaring intensity was fierce enough to believe that Lucas had been the one to defeat the horse.

“Duke Fedegrin.”

The Duke stepped in front of Ariana.

The gesture of seemingly hiding Ariana behind him was strangely irritating.

However, there was no time to dwell on that discomfort for long. The Duke took a step closer to Lucas.

Although Lucas was tall, Dante was a span taller. Lucas felt uncomfortable as he lifted his head. It wasn’t familiar for him to look up at someone from this angle.

The Duke he looked up at had eyes as cold as frost.

Lucas took a short breath at the gaze that didn’t hide its contempt.

“Is it your family’s chivalry to throw a Lady as a shield?”

“What are you saying!”

Lucas widened his eyes and turned to Ariana to explain.

“Ariana, I was also going to save you. Even if it wasn’t for His Grace the Duke, I would have saved you.”

“…Yes. I’m sure you would have.”

Ariana said calmly while arranging her dress skirt.

“From what I saw, you were falling on your bottom.”

Huh.

The Duke let out a short laugh. Lucas felt heat rising to the top of his head.

“That’s not true at all, Ariana. I was also throwing myself to save you. You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

Lucas pulled Ariana’s shoulder closer. Dante’s gaze hardened even more fiercely.

As Lucas examined Ariana’s body here and there, he spoke in a voice full of concern.

“You seem to have some dirt on you, but you don’t appear to be hurt. What a relief… Wait.”

Lucas’s brow suddenly furrowed.

“Where’s the ruby bracelet?”

That expensive bracelet he had personally put on Ariana’s wrist just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

Ariana, checking her empty wrist, slightly furrowed her brow.

“Ah, I must have dropped it when I fell.”

“How could such a big thing… Ah!”

Lucas, who had been looking around, soon found the bracelet lying nearby.

“Damn, the muddy water…”

Lucas hurriedly picked up the bracelet.

Unfortunately, it had fallen into a puddle of muddy water, leaving the bracelet in a terrible mess.

‘Ah, this is maddening. Do you know how much this costs!’

Damn that horse!

No, why couldn’t Ariana dodge with him in the first place? Wasn’t being light and agile a virtue for a woman?

A low voice abruptly stopped the irritation that was creeping out.

“My, how dirty it’s become.”

Dante clicked his tongue and turned to Ariana.

“I’ll gift you a new one, Lady.”

“Why would Your Grace gift jewelry to my fiancée?”

Lucas frowned and stepped forward.

Although they were both high nobles, he had to use honorifics to the Duke who had royal blood mixed in. Even that fact hurt his pride.

Lucas turned to Ariana and spoke in a kind, yet somewhat trembling voice.

“I’ll… buy you a new one, Ariana. Don’t worry.”

Even as he said this, Lucas felt like his heart was being torn apart.

How expensive was that item, and now he had to gift another one?

Normally, he would have just wiped it off roughly and made her use it, but given how the Duke had intervened, he had no choice.

“Your Grace, Your Grace!”

At that moment, a brown-haired young man, Rio, came running from afar, out of breath.

“I was so surprised when you suddenly ran out… huff, huff. Oh my! Why is the horse lying down?!”

Rio, who was startled at the sight of the fallen horse, then turned to Ariana.

Reflexively about to greet her, Rio barely managed to gather his senses and pretended not to know her.

‘Outwardly, we’re supposed to be strangers still, right.’

But unlike Rio, his master seemed to have no intention of ignoring Ariana.

The look in Dante’s eyes as he blatantly scanned Ariana and Lucas seemed to be dripping with strange displeasure and disapproval.

Rio glanced at his watch and spoke in an anxious voice.

“Um, Your Grace. If we delay any longer, we won’t make it in time for the audience.”

“…Lady.”

Dante gazed intently at Ariana.

“If you happen to be hurt anywhere, please contact me.”

A spark flew in Lucas’s eyes. Dante’s attitude had been irritating him from earlier.

“With all due respect, Your Grace, why should Ariana contact you?”

“It seems I was the only one able to protect the Lady in this situation.”

Dante said, pulling up the corner of his mouth slightly.

“So if the Lady wasn’t fully protected, wouldn’t that be my responsibility?”

Lucas felt a surge of displeasure welling up.

“…Thank you for your concern, but Ariana is my fiancée. She’s under my responsibility.”

Lucas asserted emphatically.

To think there would come a day when he would argue like this in front of that murderous maniac.

He couldn’t believe it himself, but there was no fool who would just stand by when a stranger was openly flirting with his woman.

…Yes, flirting. The Duke was now blatantly flirting with Ariana. Absurdly!

“Then, Lady.”

Dante turned to Ariana with a strange look and nodded politely.

“Until we meet again.”

“…Take care. Thank you.”

Ariana returned the greeting. Even her impeccable etiquette irritated Lucas’s eyes.

As Dante turned to leave, Lucas also grabbed Ariana’s wrist and pulled.

“…Let’s go, Ariana!”

As he moved with angry steps, Lucas took rough breaths.

‘What’s with that guy?’

What on earth was that look he was giving Ariana?

Lucas was a man. He knew all too well what such a look from one man to a woman meant.

‘How dare he, to my woman…’

It felt like blue flames were rising in his chest.

Lucas somewhat roughly shoved Ariana into the carriage. He wanted to hide this woman in his own space as soon as possible.

It was a first. Feeling such possessiveness towards Ariana.

“Let go of me.”

Ariana furrowed her brow and firmly shook off his hand.

Lucas could see his red handprint left on her white wrist.

Looking at that sight, Lucas swallowed hard.

Seeing the handprint, an even deeper sense of possession boiled up, as if he had become a conqueror leaving the first footprint on virgin snow.

Lucas took a deep breath as he scanned Ariana’s face, which didn’t hide her displeasure.

Her face, which had always been either intimidated or emotionless, was now overflowing with vitality as expressions settled on it.

Come to think of it, being Elena’s older sister, Ariana was also quite beautiful.

No, Elena was just so passionate about dressing up, but looking closely, Ariana’s features were actually more harmonious and beautiful.

From her elegant eyes to her pure nose and cute lips. She definitely had aesthetically superior features.

Is that why the Duke fell for her at first sight?

‘He has an eye for beauty, that butcher.’

But in the end, she’s my woman.

Inwardly sneering, Lucas subtly leaned his upper body forward.

“Ari. Since I’m taking you home today, I’ll stay at the Lopez mansion too. And… when night falls, may I come over to your room?”

Ariana finally turned to look at Lucas.

Ha.

A blatant scoff burst from Ariana’s mouth, not hiding her expression.

He should be angry, but somehow even that look seemed beautifully vibrant.

“I’m sorry, Duke,” Ariana said with that captivating expression.

“But my shoulder, which you pushed when the horse charged, still aches.”

Thump.

Lucas heard his heart beating loudly for a moment.

Ariana was clearly mocking him. But why wasn’t he getting angry?

Moistening the strangely drying inside of his mouth, Lucas said,

“…That’s not true. I was really trying to pull you closer.”

Suppressing his anxiety, Lucas changed his strategy.

“As for the ruby bracelet, I’ll buy you another one right after the wedding ceremony is over.”

With a kind smile, Lucas continued,

“It would be good to match it with a necklace and earrings as a set. If you wear them as a set to the ball, all the women will envy you. Right, my love?”

Well, tonight isn’t the only night.

After all, the wedding was just five days away, and on that night, Lucas would be able to possess that woman completely.

Thinking about it made his lower abdomen feel heavy on its own.

Despite the remaining contempt and shame, Lucas felt a strange euphoria enveloping his mind as he lifted the corners of his mouth.

Time flowed as fleeting as it was swift.

And finally, three days before the opening of the St. Verdicto Festival Opera.

The morning of my wedding day dawned.