Chapter 4
Chloe had never seen a man with a face like this before.
Without realizing it, she stared at him.
Until now, there had only been one man she thought was the most handsome in her life—
Lucian Edmont.
When Lucian first returned from abroad, he had drawn as much attention as Roeni the moment he appeared in Babelheim society.
Not only because he was the future head of the Marquis Edmont family—
But because he was young and strikingly handsome, capturing the eyes of countless noble ladies.
And that man had chosen only Chloe.
That was how the Enrite family and the Edmont family became connected.
But now—
She no longer knew when that choice had changed.
Chloe stood face to face with the man who had casually broken the rules of this secret gathering—
The rules that demanded masks—
And had thrown his aside without hesitation.
Snowflakes fell softly.
One… then another…
Cold snow melted against Chloe’s cheek.
As she stood there silently, her face growing colder—
The man suddenly placed a black coat over her shoulders.
She didn’t even know when he had brought it from inside.
Then he spoke.
“I am Karsein Bloodien.”
Karsein Bloodien.
Chloe doubted her ears.
“This man… is that Grand Duke Bloodien I’ve only heard about?”
The northern region of the Babelheim Empire—Norzea.
He was the ruler of that land.
A frozen, barren place.
And the master of the battlefield who constantly defended the northern front from endless enemies.
She had also heard—
That he was the First Imperial Prince of the Empire.
“No wonder… no ordinary person could have figured out who I am.”
Chloe had spent an enormous amount of money hiring the most secretive information broker in Babelheim.
No one should have been able to trace her identity.
But—
If the person was the Grand Duke of the North… and a former First Prince—
Then it was different.
“Why would someone like him be in such a lowly gathering?”
As soon as she saw his face, countless questions filled her mind.
“You must be wondering why someone like me, who should be in the North, is here… meeting you.”
Karsein spoke sharply, as if he could read her thoughts.
“But I cannot explain that.”
His expression darkened slightly.
Chloe frowned.
Then—
“What matters is this—”
“I know that your sister and your fiancé were meeting here… and having an affair.”
Under the falling snow—
Karsein removed Chloe’s mask.
“And I can help you take revenge on them.”
Chloe, now revealed as well, looked at him with trembling eyes.
“…You really mean to help me?”
Karsein nodded without hesitation.
“So I have a proposal.”
He extended his hand toward her.
Tears had not yet fully dried on her cheeks.
“If you want…”
His hand filled her vision—large and firm.
“You can spend tonight with me.”
His words echoed in her ears.
Strong. Direct.
Shocking.
“….”
Chloe quietly looked down at his hand.
Snowflakes fell onto his palm and melted, just like on her face.
It must be cold…
That was the thought that crossed her mind.
Then—
She let out a bitter thought.
This man is saying something ridiculous.
“Are you asking me to spend the night with you?”
She lifted one corner of her lips and looked into his eyes instead of taking his hand.
“If you want,”
Karsein replied indifferently.
As if offering his own body meant nothing, as long as it served his purpose.
Chloe found that almost laughable.
“The way you’re acting makes me even more curious… Is there some great secret in that gathering?”
From the moment he had dragged her out—
She had already noticed.
The noble Grand Duke Bloodien clearly saw her as an unwanted guest.
And he had personally stepped in to stop her from causing any disturbance.
Which meant—
There was definitely a reason.
Because of that, Chloe wondered if he had some connection to the gathering.
But—
She wasn’t interested enough to press him.
There was only one thing Chloe wanted to know.
Whether the people she loved—
Her sister and her fiancé—
Had truly been meeting in secret…
And betraying her.
That was all.
“I didn’t come out here on my own, but I’ll leave quietly now.”
Chloe did not take his hand.
“So I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”
She turned away coldly.
“….”
For some reason, Karsein felt as if she had struck the truth again.
He had thought she would be too emotional to notice such things.
But Chloe Enrite—
Was already walking away.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
Her shoulders, though trying to appear calm, looked small.
“Since you understood what I meant… we won’t meet again.”
He watched her figure until it disappeared.
Then slowly clenched his empty hand.
“….”
After returning to the estate—
Chloe stood in front of the annex for a long time.
Not long ago, it had been a place of happiness—
Like a dream of newlywed life.
But now—
She couldn’t bring herself to step inside.
The moment she had seen everything—
Endless thoughts began to torment her.
When I wasn’t home… what were Roeni and Lucian doing?
Did they boldly share their love inside this very place?
“…Even if they did… no one would have suspected anything.”
Chloe muttered, her eyes unfocused.
To others, they would have simply looked like a close brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
It had started last summer.
After Lucian moved into the Enrite estate—
Chloe spent most of her time in the annex.
Roeni would often visit, saying she was bored.
Each time, her stepmother, Lilliana, would scold her.
“You shouldn’t enter the annex of a couple preparing for marriage.”
But Chloe would always smile and stop her.
Because—
Spending time together, drinking tea and chatting—
The three of them—
Had become her happiness.
She wanted Lucian to get along with Roeni like family.
She loved them both deeply.
They were both precious to her.
And that—
Was her greatest mistake.
“Maybe… this is all my fault.”
Chloe blamed herself.
Was it wrong to let her fiancé live in the house before the wedding?
As Lucian stayed in the estate—
The two of them had grown close.
But to Chloe—
They only looked like a comfortable brother and sister.
The family thought so too.
Even the servants.
But—
There was a saying.
“There is no smoke without fire.”
If they had shown even the slightest suspicious behavior—
Someone would have noticed.
But they had been careful.
Perhaps they only met in secret—
At that gathering in the deep dawn.
That was why no one suspected anything.
“…No.”
When she thought about it again—
The first person to suspect the affair—
Was not anyone else.
“Sister… I think your fiancé… has another woman…”
It was her own younger sister.
Chloe, who liked reading romance novels, once read about the thoughts of a woman having an affair.
She knew not all mistresses were the same.
But the woman in the story had said—
“I wanted you to know… that your husband was cheating with me.”
