A New Life After Divorce - Chapter 121

“Do you like gentlemen?”

I halted at the sudden question.

Turning around, I stared at the man. Beneath his mask, his lips curved into a smile.

I frowned, puzzled by the intent behind his question.

Perhaps taking my reaction as a rejection, the man rubbed his chin.

“Hmm, maybe not. But most people do like gentlemen. Then, what kind of man do you like? I’ll be whoever you want.”

His tone gradually became more frivolous.

I scowled deeply.

“Asking such a personal question without even introducing yourself is quite unpleasant.”

The man stopped rubbing his chin and widened his eyes in surprise. Then, lowering his hand, he chuckled before looking at me again, mumbling something about me being a bit prickly.

In the soft glow of the ballroom, his eyes gleamed like a restless beast.

“You know, you have the right to choose a superior being.”

“…”

“I can do anything you desire.”

“So, are you saying that superior being is you?”

The man smiled and nodded confidently.

Seeing how thrilled he seemed about this situation, I let out a scoff.

At first, I thought Lunox had appeared earlier than expected, but it turned out to be just some drunk, flirtatious man spewing nonsense.

‘Well, if it were Lunox, he would have tried to kill me.’

If Lunox had shown up, it would have been because he saw me as a threat. Killing me would have been his logical course of action.

Yet, this man exuded no hostility—only interest, as if he had fallen for me at first sight.

As I contemplated this, I noticed his face flushing slightly with anticipation, as if waiting for my response.

Determining that he was not Lunox, I released the tension in my shoulders and spoke firmly.

“Unfortunately, I’m engaged. Stop wasting your time and find someone else.”

The man merely chuckled, unaffected, as if he was certain he could win me over.

“Well then, goodbye.”

Offering a half-hearted farewell, I turned to leave. He simply leaned against the railing, watching me go, showing no intention of stopping me.

‘What a strange person.’

Just as I was about to step off the terrace, something caught my eye.

A breeze swept through, making his coat flutter. In that brief moment, I glimpsed something gleaming—a small, dark stone.

A purification stone.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

And then—

“See you again, Etricia.”

A voice, guttural and monstrous, pierced through my ears like a blade.

I spun around instantly.

But the man was gone. Only a few fresh leaves fluttered in the air where he had stood.

‘No way…’

My heart pounded violently. Even standing still, my breath came in short gasps.

I remained rooted in place, staring at the spot until Tale rushed in.

After the masquerade ball ended, I carefully scanned my surroundings.

Among the departing nobles, I couldn’t find anyone who resembled the man from the terrace.

Noticing my unusual behavior, Tale, who had been organizing the knights, approached me with concern.

“Are you alright?”

“Sorry for making you wait.”

Giving up my search, I climbed into the carriage. It began moving immediately.

Sinking into the sofa, I fell into deep thought.

The suspicion that the man was Lunox only grew stronger with time.

‘Recalling it again, that was definitely a purification stone.’

But one question remained.

‘Why didn’t he kill me? Instead, he just tried to flirt with me.’

Could it be… he came to kill me but fell for me at first sight?

Shaking my head, I dismissed the absurd notion.

Unable to make sense of it, I decided to report the incident to Edmund. With his level-headed judgment, he would surely provide a clear answer.

‘Of course, I’ll leave out the part about his lousy pickup lines.’

No man would be pleased to hear that his lover had been hit on by someone else.

Letting out a worried sigh, I pulled back the curtains.

The carriage had already entered the garden of the Mipedian estate.

Just as I was about to step down from the carriage, I gasped in surprise.

Firm hands had wrapped around my waist, lifting me effortlessly.

Once I was placed on the ground, I turned to face the person responsible.

“Edmund…!”

“Welcome back.”

Edmund greeted me with a smooth smile. He was freshly dressed, his hair neatly swept back—evidently just returning from work himself.

A natural smile spread across my lips.

Every time I returned from a social event, he was always there to greet me.

“Did you come to meet me again today? Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I was simply eager to see you, like a dog waiting for its master.”

Embarrassed by his blunt words, I tugged at his sleeve and whispered.

“People can hear you.”

“Hmm?” He looked puzzled.

I gestured subtly toward the knights standing by the carriage.

I didn’t care about propriety, but Edmund was a duke and the commander of the imperial subjugation force. Letting his subordinates hear him compare himself to a dog was hardly appropriate.

Just then, Edmund tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him.

“It doesn’t matter. The only handsome man you should focus on is right here.”

His eyes crinkled slightly, revealing a hint of jealousy.

Was he jealous… of the knights? Finding it endearing, I let out a small laugh.

Edmund reached up and gently removed my mask. I closed my eyes, allowing him to do so.

“Did anything happen today?”

Instead of answering, I hesitated, biting my lips. I wanted to talk, but with the knights present and Edmund removing my mask, I decided to wait a little longer.

At that moment—

A warm, soft sensation brushed against my lips, rendering my mind completely blank.

My eyes flew open in shock.

“W-What are you doing?!”

“You were pouting. Wasn’t that an invitation for a kiss?”

“…It wasn’t.”

“…”

Edmund blinked, as if dazed, then slowly looked away.

“Ah.”

Realizing his mistake, he covered his face with one elegant hand.

Both our faces turned as red as tomatoes.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm!”

The knights, who had been watching, awkwardly cleared their throats.

Only Tale seemed unimpressed, lazily picking his ear. But the moment Edmund shot him a cold glare, he quickly shut his mouth like a clam.

After fanning my flushed face, I met Edmund’s gaze. This wasn’t the time for this.

“Edmund, I need your judgment on something that happened today.”

“What is it?”

His expression immediately turned serious.

“Let’s talk inside.”

As we entered the estate, I began recounting my encounter with the mysterious ‘man’ from the terrace.

Inside Edmund’s office, I explained everything, omitting only the man’s flirtatious remarks.

Once I finished, I avoided Edmund’s gaze, staring at a random spot in the room.

His eyes gleamed with barely restrained fury.

Noticing my fear, he pressed his fingers to his temple, exhaling sharply.

“Edmund, what do you think?”

After a short sigh, he replied, “I agree. I’ve never heard of anyone possessing a purification stone personally.”

“Neither have I. It’s illegal, after all.”

We both reached the same conclusion: a monster had appeared.

I shuddered, realizing I had narrowly escaped death.

Sensing my unease, Edmund swiftly moved around the sofa and pulled me into his arms.

“Edmund…?”

“I should have been there. I won’t leave your side again.”

I let out a weak laugh with both arms tied.

Besides searching for monsters, he also had to focus on restoring the territory and training the subjugation troops for future battles. I knew better than anyone how busy his days were.

“You even assigned Tale, your most trusted person, to stay by my side instead.”

“…Now that the monster has revealed itself, I won’t leave you again. It may not have threatened you, but if anything had happened, I…”

Edmund held me tightly in his arms, almost as if hiding me in his embrace.

I—I couldn’t breathe. My body was really being pulled into his broad chest and strong arms.

When I let out a soft groan, “Uugh,” he was startled and quickly let me go.

“Are you okay?”

“Cough, y-yeah, I’m fine. But please, try to control your strength next time.”

“…From what I can see, it’s your stamina that’s the problem. That day, I checked over and over just to make sure you were still breathing after you fainted.”

My mouth dropped open at the unexpected, rather inappropriate comment from someone like him.

Unlike me, he looked genuinely worried.

“T-That’s your fault! It’s because you’re too strong to begin with. Do you even know how hard it was for me?”

“Was it only hard?”

Well… it wasn’t only hard… but the way he asked made me not want to admit it.

“Yes.”

“Lies.”

“Why do you say it’s a lie?”

“I can tell just by hearing your voice.”

“My voice…?”

Edmund blinked once with a blank expression, then quietly looked away and said,

“When you cried out my name.”

Realizing what he meant, my whole face turned bright red, all the way to the top of my head, and I shut my eyes tightly.

“Okay… okay, I get it. So stop talking now.”

It was my fault. I had forgotten for a moment that Edmund now was no longer the man who used to blush every time I teased him.

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