Chapter 8
“Monster ma— no, Marquis Gray…!”
Huh?
The guest was Felix?
Confused by the unexpected identity of the visitor, I tilted my head.
Felix Gray. Why would that man suddenly come to see me?
“I guess rumors really can’t be trusted. He’s tall, handsome, and honestly just as good-looking as Young Lord Aiden.”
That’s strange. Who was it that used to badmouth Felix’s rumors nonstop?
The same person who once warned me not to even think about the Marquis household still vividly came to mind.
Lucy, who used to shiver and call him the “monster marquis,” now looked like she had become his fan.
Well… I couldn’t really blame her. If you saw that face, it was understandable.
He really was unrealistically handsome.
Felix Gray, the Monster Marquis.
He inherited the marquis title at a young age and was a man shrouded in mystery, rarely seen in noble society.
There were all kinds of dark rumors about him—half his face was disfigured by some strange disease, he never left his estate because of curses, or that the Gray household was haunted.
Because of this, people called him the “Monster Marquis.”
In the original story, his first appearance was when Count Carnarvon, in financial trouble, tried to “sell” his daughter for the second time.
It was shortly after Aiden and Agnes got married.
The Kingdom of Livatan in the west of the empire had been waiting for an opportunity to expand its territory. When the emperor’s health worsened and the empire fell into political chaos, they immediately crossed the border and started a war.
Aiden, known for his exceptional swordsmanship, was called to the battlefield.
Agnes was left alone at the estate, waiting endlessly for his return.
Then one day, she received shocking news.
Aiden had gone missing in battle.
Agnes refused to believe it until his body was found and clung desperately to hope.
But Count Carnarvon dragged her away from the Crofton estate almost by force and forced her into a new marriage.
And her second marriage partner was none other than Felix Gray—the so-called Monster Marquis.
In truth, he was actually a gentle, affectionate “puppy-like man” who was the complete opposite of his rumors.
But now that I had seen his real personality…
Wasn’t “Monster Marquis” actually kind of fitting?
Or was he one of those male leads who is only sweet to the heroine?
Lucy was still praising him with starry eyes.
“And he’s so polite, and his voice is so gentle too.”
“In my twenty years of life, I’ve never seen such a perfect gentleman.”
Lucy… that’s all an act. It’s fake.
Having already seen his true nature, I could only smile awkwardly.
“By the way, how did you meet the Marquis?”
“Hmm… just accidentally ran into him once.”
“Really? But he even came all the way here. I wonder what he wants?”
“Who knows…”
I was just as curious.
Wait… maybe he came to demand compensation for the dirty shoe?
He did seem the type to get furious over something like that.
Just in case, I grabbed a few gold coins and went down to the reception room.
There, Felix was waiting—dressed neatly this time, unlike our first meeting.
“It’s nice to see you again, Lady Aster.”
He smiled softly as he greeted me.
“How have you been? We didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye last time.”
I still vividly remembered him grabbing my collar and glaring at me like he was about to kill me.
Now, knowing his real personality, his overly gentle attitude felt… uncomfortable.
Not exactly bad, but strangely unsettling. Even a little creepy.
“Um… please just act like you normally do.”
Not used to this version of him, I spoke carefully.
“You don’t need to pretend in front of me.”
“Pretend? What do you mean?”
Felix lifted his eyebrows in confusion.
Wow. This guy really is talented.
If there were acting awards in this world, he would definitely win.
One moment he looked like a thug from the back alleys, and the next he was a perfect gentleman.
“I won’t tell anyone, so just relax. It’s not like I have anyone to tell anyway.”
Felix was silent for a moment, then slowly curled one corner of his lips.
“Is that so? Then I guess I don’t have to pretend.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he yanked his tie loose and leaned back lazily in his seat.
“I thought you’d be more welcoming. I’m not someone you were waiting for?”
“No, I was just surprised. So, what brings you here?”
I asked directly.
Felix stretched dramatically and yawned.
“Just… I was bored.”
Hmm. And what am I supposed to do about that?
“Still, why did you come to my house specifically?”
I asked as politely as I could.
Felix looked slightly offended.
“Don’t be so cold.”
“I’m not being cold. I’m just curious.”
“Well, I did have something to give you.”
He pulled something from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.
“What is this?”
It was a small, flat round container.
“It’s ointment. For your neck.”
“…Ah.”
So he came all this way just to bring medicine.
Even if he was rough and hot-tempered, maybe he wasn’t completely a bad person.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Then Felix tilted his head and smiled wickedly.
“Want me to apply it for you?”
Nope. Cancel everything I just thought.
Aiden was right.
His “messy relationships” comment suddenly made sense.
“No, thank you.”
“Really? That’s disappointing.”
After I firmly refused, he clicked his tongue and laughed.
“So, you’re done here, right?”
“Not really. I told you—I came because I was bored.”
He was completely unreasonable.
What am I supposed to do with someone like this?
“Even if you stay here, you’ll still be bored.”
“No. It just got interesting.”
He tilted his head.
“And did you forget? We still have an unresolved issue.”
He pointed at my foot.
Ah… so that was the real reason.
“The shoe? I said I’ll compensate you for that.”
I was already taking out my gold coins.
But Felix crossed his legs the other way and spoke again.
“No need for compensation. You said something back then, didn’t you?”
“That I would do anything you wanted?”
“W-What? I did?”
Did I?
I tried to remember that unpleasant first meeting.
Right… I might have said something like that while begging him to let go.
“That was just because you were strangling me and I was trying to escape…”
“Leticia.”
Felix lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes.
“Do you know what kind of people I hate third most?”
Just how many “types of people he hates” did this guy have?
“People who go back on their word?”
I answered first.
Felix’s eyes curved smoothly.
“You’re smarter than I thought.”
The words “just take the money and leave” were almost spilling out of his mouth, but I sighed instead.
He wasn’t going to leave until he got what he wanted.
And if my already poor household got ruined because of him, that would be a disaster.
“Fine. So what do you want?”
“Well….”
