Chapter 5

A desolate space with all the small windows. In the middle of the floor, where cold air is emitted, a man with a rope tied to his wrist is lying down in a bloody shape. By the look of his small heaving chest that is softly breathing, it appears he is still alive.

Drip― Drip―

There was the sound of the faucet turning and the sound of water pouring out.

“Captain, I will keep an eye on him.”

Dane, who was washing his hands in front of the cold sink in the corner after finishing the torture without much profit today, burst into laughter at the soldier’s words.

‘Captain, it’s a ridiculous title no matter how much I hear it.’

He wiped his dripping hands with a towel nearby. In the mirror above the sink, he saw his messy hair and blood smeared on his face. Dane picked up the towel and wiped the bloodstains.

As he threw the bloodstained towel at the soldier next to him, he received the towel and took a stiff and tense salute posture.

It was definitely daytime when he entered the torture chamber, but when he came out, he saw the darkened sky.

‘Fucking asshole. You’ve dragged on a lot of my time.’

Dane frowned nervously as he looked at the sunset dyed red in the sky.

Even after investing for such a long time, he has not achieved any results. He was very uncomfortable with the feeling of wasting his time unnecessarily. On top of that, it smells damp. It smelled like rain.

The weather in Lesbourne was always fluctuating and unpredictable, and it wasn’t once or twice that he was in a foul mood.

‘Good thing I came with a carriage.’

He rummaged through his pants pocket with his right arm, which had become heavy from using his strength, and pulled out a cigar from the case and walked out into the street, biting it. It was time to go back to the sun.

Once he has stepped out of the back alley, you’ll know for sure. The fact that the place that suits him is not under the sun, but in a dirty and ugly back alley. He was born with all sorts of filth, even if he washes it, it won’t go away.

As Dane was walking slowly towards the carriage, a woman caught his attention.

A light green dress and an unadorned gray hat that doesn’t go with it. With her entire face covered, all he could see was her mouth and chin. Dane’s gaze did not fall from the woman who was standing still, staring blankly at the back alley.

He immediately recognized who the woman was.

Liv Ragnell.

Baron Ragnell’s only daughter.

Not long ago, she briefly showed her face at the ball and quickly disappeared.

‘Thanks to you, I had a very boring time…….’

He was given a ridiculous position as captain and had to attend a pathetic ball. It was all because of that woman. But where was she……

Dane’s eyes lit up fiercely as he looked at Liv. Anger, irritation, and affection. His eyes wandered around somewhere.

Damn. He was chewing on a cigar that wasn’t even lit as swear words kept coming out of his mouth for no apparent reason. The cigar was painfully crumpled by the relentless force.

Liv, who had been standing still, turned around, and Dane’s feet moved on their own in order not to miss her. He spat out the cigar he was biting, neatly tucking his messy hair back, and put on a clumsy mask.

“Lady Ragnell.”

The first word that came out of his mouth felt familiar as if he had practiced it over and over again. As if he had been thinking and thinking about this situation for a very long time.

Liv couldn’t easily turn around. Despite a voice she only heard from afar, it was a voice that was deeply engraved in her head. How could she forget.

Dane warned in a low voice as Liv moved her feet, pretending not to hear.

“You’d better not go there unless you want to be in trouble.”

He came a step closer.

“This back alley, which looks like nothing has changed, has actually changed a lot. So it’s better to be careful when the sun sets like now. Especially if it’s a woman like you.”

Liv swallowed her saliva.

‘The owner of the bookstore didn’t recognize me because of the hat…… How did you find out?’

Her body trembled with tension.

Tsk. Dane misunderstood the gesture and clicked his tongue.

“I said something useless. There is no need to be afraid.”

As Dane got closer to Liv, she turned back in surprise.

A wide chest wrapped in a white shirt was visible. As she raised her eyes upwards along the buttons of his shirt, she saw his solid neck through the unbuttoned collar of his shirt.

He was definitely a child who was one span shorter than her, but now he has grown to the point where she has to look up.

It was disconcerting to see him so close, whom she had always seen through newspapers and rumors. Liv quickly averted her eyes like a mouse in the sewer who felt the light as soon as she made eye contact with him.

“Why don’t you take my carriage?”

Liv was taken aback by the totally unexpected suggestion.

“It, it’s fine. I was just about to go for a carriage ride.”

“If you’re thinking of renting a carriage, it’s probably going to be difficult.”

“Yes?”

‘I want you to take that hat off.’

Dane felt uncomfortable because he could not see Liv’s face properly. At the ball, she hurriedly left her seat and didn’t show her face, and now he can’t even see her face properly because of that damn hat.

“As you can see, Lesbourne has a large floating population. By now, most of the carriages will be out in other areas.”

Oh my. Liv cursed her old-fashioned naivety. Why didn’t she think that there would be no carriages? Of course, she felt like an idiot who believed she would be rich.

“Let’s go to my carriage. I’ll take you to the mansion.”

Liv shook her head and stepped back unconsciously.

“Oh, no. That’s all right.”

Even in this open place, her heart beats so fast that she can’t get her head together, and cold sweat was already running down her back at the thought of being alone in the narrow carriage. She might even open the door of the carriage and run out while it’s moving.

Dane saw that and raised his eyebrows slightly.

There was a strange feeling that she was avoiding him, but he thought she was just a cute shy person. But now that he saw it, it wasn’t. She was definitely avoiding him. She also appears to be trembling.

‘Am I that scary or am I unpleasant.’

Either way, he didn’t intend to retreat.

Dane reached out his hand to Liv with a languid smile.

“Let’s go.”

Liv stared at the hand as if it were horrendous. The thought of touching that hand made her feel like her body would melt.

‘Why am I like this. Why do I feel so terrible. Why do I want to run away and disappear when I stand in front of him.’

She didn’t know either. She just felt like her legs were going to lose strength and collapse and her heart was beating so fast.

Dane waited patiently. As he stared at her tightly closed lips under her shaded hat, waiting wasn’t that difficult.

The cover allowed Liv to be free from other people’s gaze, but that was the case with Dane as well. He looked at Liv’s lips and small chin at ease.

A tiny mole is visible on the tip of her chin.

‘I remember it wasn’t there before.’

Dane went past the mole and looked down at her slender neck. He was entranced by the soft neck seen through the fluttering fabric so much so that he wanted to touch it.

Dane, who had difficulty taking his eyes off her neck, imagined the other half hidden in her hat this time.

‘Are the eyes hidden there terrified of me. Or is she frowning at the lowly man who dares to reach out to her.’

He wanted to take off her hat and check it out right now.

If she’s scared, he wants to soothe her gently, and if she frowned because of displeasure, he wants to make her more unpleasant.

Dane waved his hand lightly.

“My hands are slowly getting numb.”

With moderate intimidation.

Liv had a lot of thoughts in her head.

She wonders if she can get accommodation with the money she has now. She had never slept anywhere other than her home, but she felt like she could do anything in this current situation.

Should she just contact her father? Liv shook her head immediately. If she does that, she may never be able to leave the mansion forever. She thought she’d rather borrow money from him than ride his carriage, but it was terrible as it is.

Liv bit her lip with her front teeth. It was one of the things Anton hated the most, saying it was not noble. There was no way that it wouldn’t come into Dane’s eyes when only her lips were visible. Her chewing her lips touched his insides.

‘This is a bit dangerous.’

The idea that once came to mind spread out of control. For example, he wants to put his teeth into that white neck. He wants to put those pitiful lips that are constantly chewing in his mouth and gently comfort them.

He wants to…… grasp that white hand that he can see slightly at the end of her sleeves. Every single gesture of hers began to look distorted.

If only Liv could look him in the eye, she would have stopped chewing her lips right away, but unfortunately, Liv fell into her own thoughts and didn’t notice.

Drip―

Droplets of water spread over the finely laid sand. The erratic Lesbourne sky finally dripped water.

The sudden drop of cold raindrops freed them from their own thoughts.

The weather in Lesbourne, which has always annoyed him, is very pleasant today. Dane waved again at Liv.

“You don’t seem to have a choice anymore.”

After he finished speaking, the rain that had been falling one or two drops suddenly turned into a heavy rain shower, digging into her clothes. The rain seemed to push her back and urge her to make a choice.

She couldn’t help it anymore. Her lips, which seemed to never open, began to open little by little.