After the broken engagement incident, Lucas was optimistic for a while.

Ariana knew about the affair with Elena. Damn it. She did this because she was upset with me about that.

Thinking it was an act of rebellion due to feeling betrayed made everything somewhat understandable.

The reason Lucas could be optimistic was simple.

Until very recently, Ariana Lopez’s love for him had been so solid.

After failing to dismiss Ariana as delusional, his optimism diminished a bit.

But soon he found a new breakthrough.

‘I’ll convince her that Elena seduced me one-sidedly. That I was momentarily shaken by her schemes, but you’re the only one I love.’

If needed, he would even kneel and shed tears.

He just needed to succeed in separating Ariana from that man by whatever means necessary.

Under imperial law, women are subordinate to the head of household before marriage, and to their husbands after marriage.

As long as Edward, the head of the Lopez family, and Lucas were in agreement, obtaining Ariana would be all too easy.

…At least until she got a new ‘master’.

“Damn it!”

Thinking of Dante, Lucas slammed the desk roughly.

No matter what connections or money he used, he simply couldn’t make contact with Ariana.

It was because that bewitching and crafty thing’s new ‘master’ thoroughly shielded Ariana like a ferocious hunting dog.

Eventually, the two of them ended up holding their wedding. Ariana’s ownership had completely passed to that man.

This damn situation was exactly what they meant by ‘a dog chasing chickens can only look up at the roof’.

‘But there’s still a way.’

All the evidence had been prepared.

He had even bribed a pharmacist to falsely testify about the aphrodisiac Elena supposedly forced him to take.

“M-Master. This is not the time. You need to come out right now.”

“Damn it, why are you making such a fuss!”

“People from the constabulary have come!”

Lucas’s body suddenly froze.

“…What came from where?”

“Those men are insisting they must take you in for questioning! Please come out quickly!”

Lucas stormed out of his office in disbelief.

The lobby was in utter chaos.

“What insolence towards my son! How dare you state-funded men try to tarnish the reputation of the Fedegrin marquis family, founding contributors to the nation!”

The Marchioness Fedegrin was furiously confronting the intruders, but upon spotting Lucas, they easily bypassed her.

“Lord Lucas Fedegrin. You have been accused of forced rape and must come to the constabulary for investigation.”

“W-What nonsense is this!”

The marchioness clutched at her stiffening neck.

To dare attach such a crime to the head of the honorable Fedegrin family! It was an unthinkable, horrific thing.

Lucas was equally dumbfounded.

“What utter nonsense is this? Get out of my house this instant!”

“Your immunity has been temporarily suspended due to requests from over ten people.”

“Ha, absurd! Who on earth agreed to investigate me on such charges! If it’s true, name them!”

“I cannot give you exact names at this time.”

“See! The fact you can’t say proves this is prepost-”

“Because there are about thirty-five of them.”

At the constable’s blunt reply, Lucas’s jaw dropped.

“Th-Thirty-five?”

Taking advantage of Lucas’s shock at the unexpected number, the constables grabbed his arms.

The marchioness wailed at the sight of her proud son being humiliatingly taken away.

“You damned wretches! How dare you! Let him go! My son! My son!”

“Mother…!”

After a heart-wrenching scene of separation, the constables finally succeeded in dragging Lucas out of the marquis residence.

Pitiful voices could be heard from behind.

“Kyaaak! The marchioness has collapsed again!”

“Oh no, they said it would be really bad if she collapsed one more time!”

“Ha. This is so damn…”

A sharp, mirthless laugh reflected off the prison walls.

Lucas looked around in disbelief.

Head of the Fedegrin family, a marquis house of founding contributors. One of the greatest among the great nobles.

He was currently imprisoned under the pretext of investigation.

And for such a trivial reason at that.

‘Elena Lopez. That damn bitch.’

I forcibly raped her?

How dare that fox-like woman frame him with such a false accusation!

The fact that he himself had attempted to do the same thing had long since evaporated from Lucas’s mind.

Lucas gritted his teeth, recalling Elena’s coquettish face.

He couldn’t remember exactly who had initiated that relationship.

It seemed like maybe he had first caressed Elena’s nape, or maybe Elena had first fondled his leg under the table during a banquet.

But what mattered was that regardless of which side, they had eagerly accepted the other’s outstretched hand of taboo.

After their first transgression, Elena would constantly give him sultry glances.

It was different from Ariana’s docile, grateful gazes, and that made it uniquely flavorful.

Having two women look at him with such worship-like gazes simultaneously made Lucas’s insides tingle with excitement.

To think that Elena, who had been like that, would betray him in this way.

‘Could it be she got upset over what I said back then?’

Thinking that made it even more infuriating.

When the honor of both the Marquis Fedegrin family and a woman who was noble in name only but commoner by blood was at stake, wasn’t it obvious which side should be sacrificed?

He had even offered a countermeasure of finding her a good marriage prospect.

Wouldn’t it be better for Elena to make a fresh start with some clueless foreigner rather than living unmarried and stigmatized by society?

…Of course, Elena would probably never have crossed the border safely, but anyway, that’s what he meant Elena should have thought.

‘That ungrateful thing… This won’t do.’

He decided that as soon as he got out of here, he would have to deal with Elena first.

It wasn’t difficult to ruin the life of a commoner woman who was noble in name only.

Lucas resolved to pass the boring time by imagining ways to cast Elena into the abyss.

He would be able to get out of this damn place before sunrise anyway.

He didn’t know how Elena had managed to persuade so many nobles… damn it, thirty-five of them, but it was useless.

They couldn’t keep a great noble like himself locked up for more than one night over something with no evidence.

Click, click.

Just then, the clear sound of shoes descended the stairs.

Lucas’s eyes widened as he instinctively turned to see the owner of the shoes.

“…Ariana?”

He almost didn’t recognize her.

Lucas stared blankly at Ariana coming down the stairs.

‘Was her skin always that good?’

Was it because the background was the dingy prison?

Ariana’s platinum blonde hair shone more brilliantly than he’d ever seen before.

Her skin, once ghostly pale, was now smooth as if carved from white jade, and her lips, once bloodless, were now fresh as if stained with rose juice.

He knew she was beautiful, but was she this beautiful?

Lucas felt saliva pooling under his tongue without realizing it.

“Hello, Your Grace.”

Even her graceful greeting was different from before.

A faint smile hung on Ariana’s face as she approached.

Though it was a very small smile, it felt worlds apart from her usual timid, withdrawn self.

A strange charm unique to someone who knows exactly what they’re doing rippled over her entire body.

Lucas unconsciously gulped.

‘If she had been like this from the start, I wouldn’t have turned my eyes to Elena.’

“Ariana.”

Lucas rushed forward and grasped the bars.

“You finally show your face. Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you?”

As he started speaking, anger nearly welled up, but Lucas forcibly suppressed it. Now was the time to coax her.

“Anyway, I’m glad you came. Let’s talk. About when we last met, my suspicion that you were delusional-”

“The investigators are currently searching Your Grace’s mansion.”

“What?”

Lucas’s eyes bulged at the sudden statement.

“Have those bastards truly gone mad! Humiliating me like this wasn’t enough, now they’re searching my house too?! On what grounds do they dare!”

“Ah, I gave testimony.”

Ariana calmly replied and smiled even more deeply.

“I said I saw Your Grace forcibly molesting Elena in that mansion. That evidence of it would remain in the rooftop garden of the marquis residence.”

“Lies!”

Lucas shouted.

How could she tell such blatant lies without even blinking? Lucas had never even brought Elena to the marquis residence.

The agitated Lucas pointed and yelled.

“How could such evidence remain there!”

Lucas paused for a moment after saying that.

Wait. Didn’t she just say… rooftop garden?

‘Why is that place coming out of Ariana’s mouth?’

A chilling sense of unease crept up his spine.

“Of course, it’s not a very believable story that evidence would be in such a place, but the constabulary had to conduct a search. It was content I personally reported after obtaining requests from thirty-five nobles.”

“You, what did you just say…?”

“Ah, of course, there isn’t really evidence of your relationship with Elena there. That wasn’t important to begin with.”

“Ariana!”

Lucas growled, but Ariana just grinned brightly.

As if this situation was unbearably refreshing.

“But, because of my false testimony, the investigators searching the innocent garden ended up finding something suspicious.”

Ariana smoothly continued and pulled something out.

Lucas gaped blankly as he identified what it was.

“This was discovered while searching the greenhouse in the rooftop garden.”

“…”

A leather cover the color of burnt bread crust.

Recognizing the ledger, Lucas opened and closed his mouth feebly.

“How did you get that.”

He stammered in a voice as if being strangled.