Chapter 0

Raindrops splattered heavily from the body of the black horse as it crossed the dark night.

In the heavy fog that was almost imperceptibly thickening on the surface of the man’s silver armor, he could quicken his pace at a ferocious speed.

Splashes of water rose like waves as he hopped over the deep puddle halfway without hesitation. He deftly took hold of the reins, acting as if he didn’t mind that his entire body was covered in water.

Neighh!

Cainell didn’t get off his horse until the black horse came to a stop in front of the enormous stone mansion. He sighed and removed his helmet when the waiting butler held out his hand to his lord.

“……Who is here?”

Between the dripping rainwater on jet-black hair, his red eyes flashed. Even in the dark, it was easy to see the vivid color of his eyes that seemed to dissolve in the rain.

When it comes to his frightening and beautiful eyes, his aura grows darker the more he kills people.

Many interested people were talking about him, but it wasn’t just because of his crimson eyes.

He had a sharp jawline, a steep nose, dark hair that appeared to encapsulate the darkness, and a special feature added to his eyebrows, the overwhelming aura flowing from his entire body was reminiscent of a war deity of a particular temple.

No doubt, the majority of them boasted about his capacity to sweep the battlefield and referred to him as a god of death.

“If not, I must have misheard.”

“……Lady Cartien has arrived.”

Cainell hesitated shortly as he trudged inside the mansion’s door.

A while ago, when he heard the news at the training ground, he assumed he had made up what he had heard because it had mingled with the sound of the rain, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. However, there are still a few things to look into.

” ‘Which’ lady from Cartien?”

“Ah…..Lady Tatiana, the youngest daughter of Viscount Cartien.”

“……”

His brows wrinkled, and his face crumpled. His beautiful face stiffened horrifically, either because someone from that nasty family had come to see him or because he had heard her name. At first glance, he showed a resolute gririm.

That woman, she is at my residence?

As he brushed his wet hair, he laughed aloud.

He had been to every harsh place in the world, but nothing was more foreign to him than his house, which was entered by a noblewoman. Whether voluntarily or intentionally, he had never even expected it……

No, not even once.

Even though he had only once thought about it, it had been a long time ago.

It was like a nightmare that, if thrown aside, would be perfect in the middle of hell.

“I’ve already told the lady that the master was in the training ground, but she said she insisted that she would wait until you come home. She said the situation was urgent.”

“Is that so?”

To wait for him, though, was rewarding.

Cainell, who passed the butler, headed straight to the drawing room with large strides. Today is particularly chilly in the stone mansion, which is cold yet barren.

Someone’s little shoulder shook as soon as he opened the door, leaving behind a lengthy trail of gray tiles without even thinking to wipe off the rainwater that was dripping from his body.

“……Y-you’ve arrived. I committed an act of disrespect by entering a place where the owner was not present.”

“That’s enough.”

“……”

“What’s your business?”

When he saw her standing like a doll in front of an unlighted fireplace, his eyes grew even redder. She is one of the few people who does not avoid looking into his eyes.

Either she isn’t afraid of death, or there is something more frightening than death.

“I understand that coming here on your own feet is not appropriate.”

“……Sir.”

Tatiana, who was unsure of how to address him, managed to speak, but Cainell grinned sourly. She is an aristocratic woman, and even in the absence of the home’s owner, she maintained a flawlessly straight stance.

“I’m not a person deserving of the title, so the lady must have been wrong. In the first place, I’ve never had a title.”

“Cainell.”

“…….”

“Should I call you that?”

She continued to stare unwaveringly at him, causing his scruff to wilt and rise. At least until that woman called him that, so what’s the matter with someone calling him by my name?

The same lady who ruled suzerainty over the great aristocracy.

“I’m here to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?”

He observed even the tremor in her voice as she gradually found her own tempo.

He did not like what he saw. Cainell poured brandy into a glass after removing it from the shelf above the fireplace.

Even yet, the way the home’s owner treated the visitor was inappropriate, and on top of that,  she is also an unmarried woman of an aristocratic family. He can’t bear that duty given that she traveled great distances to be here on this drizzly road.

“I don’t know what kind of good news you were expecting by traveling all the way here right now, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do for you.”

“The one you are drinking.”

“……”

“If you don’t mind, can I have a drink too?”

Cainell’s hand, who had just lifted the glass, faltered.

Tatiana’s eyes, which had been silently gazing up at him, sank as if they were worn out. He narrowed his eyes as soon as his attention was drawn to her wet hair and dress.

……This woman, what’s her ulterior motive?

Cainell gave the crystal glass a fleeting glance while maintaining his alertness all the way to the end.

It was absurd that this woman was visiting his home, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at how stubbornly she insisted on getting some alcohol first.

“Do you even know what this is? I don’t think you’re naive enough to drink whatever a man gives you.”

“I’ve been naive. So far.”

Uncertainly, Tatiana took the glass he was holding. Cainell was left with no choice but to merely observe the incredibly natural movement, as if accepting what he was supposed to give her.

“Look, Lady Cartien.”

“I’ve abandoned it, that castle.”

“……”

Either expelled or abandoned.

There was a slight difference, but she didn’t really want to tell them apart.

With his red eyes staring at her as if she was really going to drink it, she took the glass to her mouth, exuding the tenderness.

What the hell? This woman.

She tried to avoid taking even a sip of the strong brandy, but her purple eyes showed how miserable she was.

Cainell lifted the bottle while continuing to fix his gaze on her slightly quivering edges.

“……”

Gulp.

The liquid quickly lost its dark amber hue. Although it was a crude gesture that no aristocrat could have imagined, it was impeccable because it fit him so well. He would have been left with the title of duke, which the Crown Prince had repeatedly offered, if he had made up his mind in the beginning.

“Do you need more?”

“……Sir. No, Mr. Cainell.”

“I think it’s a story that you can’t tell even when you’re sober.”

Don’t you think?

His red eyes precisely stared at Tatiana as she clenched her glass tightly.

No man in high society looked at her with such a direct gaze as this one did.

However, the reason she came here through the remote forest outside Levron was not to find a shrine.

“There is no need to wait any longer if the story is one that cannot even be told while drunk. Then I realized that you have nothing to say to me.”

“Let’s get married.”

“……”

The fact that he didn’t drop the bottle he was holding implies that he is a man of great rationale and coldness. Without Tatiana’s unpredicted words and the out-of-the-ordinary tremors that followed her trembling voice, he probably would have immediately abandoned his solid sense of reason.

“……What are you?”

“I’m not crazy.”

Although she was about to go crazy.

Tatiana emptied the last of the alcohol right away because she was so determined about it. The only solace in this situation is to claim that the alcohol is still making her hands tremble.

“Let’s get married, I’ve been waiting to say that.”

“……Do the nobles say it as a joke?”

“I don’t risk my life enough to make a joke like that to you, even if my situation is urgent.”

She slowly rubbed her white neck with a light gesture.

Looking at the way she talked about her life, it doesn’t seem like she had come to the wrong place or made a mistake to come to the wrong person.

When Cainell acknowledged her sincerity, his eyes darkened.

“Am I funny?”

“Cainell.”

“You’re right. It’s true that I was once interested in you. This is something that no one knows about, thanks to your kind mother.”

As he grinned bitterly, Cainell’s lips began to curl upward. He implies that’s the last when he smiles like this. Because he always brought things to a close with his sword.

“Don’t get me wrong, what I wanted back then was not you, but your body.”

“Perfect. You are interested in the only thing I have.”

“……”

However, if he feels relief with something on his chest like this, it’s funny to hold a sword.

More precisely, he was enthralled by those dainty purple eyes that he couldn’t bring himself to draw the sword from his waist.

“There should be at least one good thing for you as a result of our marriage. I was worried because I didn’t have much left at the time, but that’s not a bad thing.”

“……I thought you would at least be more reasonable than your mother.”

“I came here because I think I did the right thing. I threw everything away, whether it was my sweet mother or my residence.”

“……”

Despite the blatant insult that he wanted her body, she was arrogant even when he compared herself to her mother.

The unexpected figure fitted her so well that Cainell was speechless for quite some time this time.

“Can we then sit down and go over the details?”

“……”

When he realized something was wrong and looked up, there was only a young lady on the sofa wiping the hem of her wet dress.

“I’d appreciate it if you could also light a fire.”