Chapter 1

How did this happen?

In the red gaze that seemed to burn at any moment, melted helplessly.

“…Miss Ariah Bertin.”

A mesmerizing low voice tickled my ears.

The suffocatingly heated atmosphere grew even stronger as the opponent strode towards me. couldn’t stand the growing heat and turned my head away, but the seductive red eyes didn’t let me go.

“Look at me.”

A long, elegant finger gently tickled my jaw.

I swallowed my breath. It was rare for him to come into physical contact from the beginning.

“l-if you do this…….”

“I can’t? I’m just following the agreement between

us.”

The lips, neither thin nor thick, drew a line.

“And how many times have I told you? At times like this, call my name. I think it’s time for you to fully understand what I mean….”

I wondered if I was really hearing the man’s voice talk with such a soft tone, and then my vision suddenly shifted as I had my face buried in his wide, hard chest

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

There was a sound of a heart beating all the way to the tip of my chin. It was not until a moment later that I realized that the sound was mine.

“Ariah.”

I closed my eyes tightly as I felt the hot breath tickling, The desire for this situation to end and the desire for it to last a little longer collided with each other, making my stomach feel tight.

“Ah!”

I let out a groan at the stinging pain felt in the back of my neck

He had rarely been this rough.

“S-sir….”

“Shh.”

When I closed my mouth according to the command, a soft texture moistened the area where I felt the pain a while ago.

“Ha….”

A strange sound popped out of my mouth.

He smiled, grabbed my two cheeks and kissed me. A lump of flesh invaded between the lips that were instinctively opened.

Ah.

I fell into the illusion of being swallowed up as it is.

The strong and stout tongue dug and explored the softest areas, giving me no room to regain reason even for a moment. Losing even the slightest bit of self-control, as I pressed my body into his arms, I felt a warmth close to that of heat.

When he finally removed himself from me.

No matter how many times I experienced it, my vision was blurred red with excitement that felt unfamiliar.

I managed to catch my breath.

The man keeps the line well, so he’ll end it here today.

And he’ll leave the room without looking back.

Because he and I were not lovers. It was a relationship to relieve the side effects that inevitably occurs whenever a person uses black magic.

That was all.

So to him, I’m, probably….

“A commoner who he somehow has been indebted

to.”

I hiccupped and opened my mouth.

“Your Grace, are you okay?”

There was silence.

My mind automatically became anxious.

Usually, by this time, the man would completely escape from the side effects of black magic, regain stability, and leave at the same time as giving a short thank you.

By the way, what do you mean by silence? It wasn’t a good sign.

“No.”

I took a breath.

Perhaps the man’s condition was worse than 1 thought.

I’ve heard that he’s been overworked lately…… Was it to the extent that even a passionate kiss couldn’t resolve it properly?

I took courage and took a step toward the man.

The man’s body stiffened.

“……What are you trying to do?”

“I want to give you a hug.”

I answered honestly.

“This is the most effective.”

I didn’t do it a lot because I was shy, but the calming effect was stronger when I approached from my side

first.

plucked up my courage, wrapped my arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. I heard an irregular heartbeat. Since I have regained my composure, this time this beating will belong to him.

Whenever I gently patted his back, wearing a thin shirt, I felt his solid muscles tense under my hands, Soon after, he regained stability, and I quietly stepped back and looked at the man.

The man’s face, who had been expressionless until a moment ago, was red up to his ears.

“Your Grace”?

I called him carefully.

“Are you okay now?””

“…. Thanks to you.”

A gentle answer came.

“That’s a relief.”

I smiled and waited for the man to leave, but he only looked at me gently without saying anything.

I wet my lips.

It had been done several times already to reduce the side effects of black magic while interacting with a man, but he had never shown such a reaction before,

“Let’s not worry about it.’

I’ve got to set my mind straight. I couldn’t afford to pay attention to the sudden whim of the man. Because I had a child to take care of.

“I’ve got to go…..I’ve promised Elodie that I’ll read her a fairy tale before she goes to bed.”

The man’s eyes hardened.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes.”

I answered briefly.

“…I wish you could stay a little longer.”

He shook his head slightly and approached me. It was a quite burdensome distance because it was only a step or two away from me in the first place. I unconsciously took a step back, but the man also took a step closer.

Our silent chase ended only when a hard wall was felt behind my back. I thought there was a sound of paab, as he put his hand on the wall and took a posture looking down at me.

Naturally covered by his shadow, I stuttered.

“Ri-right now, this… what…”

“Ariah.”

A dangerous voice tickled my ear.

“I don’t know why you are hurting me so much.”

“….What are you talking about?”

My voice trembled on its own.

“You really don’t know?”

A long, hard finger caressed my cheek.

“I thought I revealed my feelings over and over again.”

I was silent.

If you are not a blind idiot, you will know what this man, Duke Theodor Vanice, wants to say.

“Are you deliberately pretending not to know, or is it just dullness?”

The soft and polite voice gradually turned into a threatening whisper.

“Are you testing my patience?”

swallowed my dry saliva. Now I have no choice but to admit it. I’ve been trying to deny it, but Theodor Vanice has fallen in love with me.

He was a handsome and wealthy duke, so any woman would have hawk-eyes while securing him as a bridegroom. If I didn’t know his real self, I might have been moved and even shed tears.

If only this man wasn’t a madman who, while confusing me as the kidnapper of his daughter, tried to kill me just a year ago!

I didn’t mean to raise a child from the beginning. It was a world where I was busy taking care of only myself.

It’s already been seven years since I became an extra in a novel that I enjoyed reading. After trying hard, settled down and saved money. This means that after all my hard work, all that’s left is to enjoy my life.

That’s why.

The reason why I stayed up late at night at the village festival I had never been to, was because I was working hard.

I didn’t go with anyone in particular, but just walking around with snacks and a glass of alcohol felt like I was changing my mood after a long time. Was it because I was immersed in the festive atmosphere?

On my way home, I didn’t notice the black shadow wandering around the alley.

I was staggering and walking down a dark alley when someone pulled me with a strong force. Naturally, tried to scream, but the opponent quickly blocked my mouth with a handkerchief.

A gloomy voice was heard right next to my face.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better be quiet.”

“Woom, Hump, Hpm……!”

I struggled hard, but it was of little use because I was already trapped in a leather bag. Soon darkness came, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

How long has it been?

As I woke up trembling, something like a wet towel touched my forehead. “Ma, ma’am.”

Then, I think a small and cute voice was calling me.

I blinked my eyes. A dark room slowly came into view. This was absolutely not my room. The rough blanket and grav-colored walls looked more like a prison than a family house.

“Madam!”

I turned my head toward the source of the voice. A young girl with gloomy gray hair, red eyes, and a shabby look was looking into me.

I think she is about six years old now.

It was hard to estimate her age because she was very skinny, but when I looked at her height, it looked like that.

“I’m glad you woke up.”

Tears were in the child’s big eyes.

“Wait, you…”

My eyes opened wide.

It was because I remembered who the child was.