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Chapter 10
I’m the Villainess, but I Was Imprinted with the Male Lead
“How am I supposed to give him a signal like this? I’m not even running a business or anything—if I just walk up to him, I’ll stand out immediately.”
If she drew attention from the noble ladies already swooning over Rihit, rumors would spread the very next day—something like, “Lady Leslie is showing interest in Duke Cassio.”
I need to leave some kind of signal that I’ll be waiting…
Why had he been so meticulous in everything else, but only left a vague message like “meet at the balcony”?
While Luciana was tucked away in a corner, deep in thought, Rihit—who had just entered and was scanning for pink hair—suddenly turned his head inward.
“…!”
Ah. Eye contact.
His disturbingly emotionless gaze collided midair with her startled yellow eyes.
Now.
This was her only chance.
Luciana subtly flicked her fan toward the balcony in a gesture so small only someone attentive could notice, then turned away.
Was that too quick? He didn’t miss it, right?
She had kept it discreet to avoid drawing attention, but since they had already agreed beforehand, that level of signal should be enough for him to understand.
When she glanced back near the balcony, she saw Rihit excusing himself from people trying to speak with him. Even so, his gaze occasionally drifted toward the quiet area where she stood.
What is he doing just standing there? Why isn’t he coming?
The faint tilt of his chin almost seemed to say, “Go on ahead.”
Ah, good. He got the signal.
Reassured, Luciana quickly slipped away.
Why does he keep looking over there?
A few perceptive nobles followed Rihit’s gaze toward the back of the ballroom, but the fluttering figure had already disappeared.
* * *
Rihit barely managed to shake off the nobles clinging to him like insects and went to find Luciana.
There was a reason he had agreed to something as vague as a balcony meeting.
Even in the vast imperial palace, where anyone could vanish without notice, finding a single person without contact methods was not easy.
However, Rihit—like all Cassio bloodlines—possessed the ability to sense his mate within a certain radius. So locating Luciana was not difficult.
Of course, for someone like him who detested the imprint, being drawn toward her instinctively was far from pleasant. But there was no alternative.
Silently, stubbornly, he followed his instincts.
“……”
Then he stopped.
Beyond a closed door, he could distinctly feel Luciana’s presence—only he could sense it.
Knock, knock.
“…Who is it?”
A wary voice answered his knock.
“…Lady.”
After a brief pause, the door finally opened, revealing her.
“…!”
Thump.
Rihit clenched his fist tightly, trying to suppress the sudden beat of his heart.
A faint floral scent drifted from her movements.
Unlike her disheveled appearance from the morning, she was now carefully dressed—so refined that it felt like a trap set for prey.
The moment his eyes landed on her softly glimmering lips, his throat tightened with thirst. He gritted his teeth hard.
…I really am a fool.
It had only been half a day since they last met, and already he had to suppress the instincts raging at the presence of his mate.
I should finish this quickly and leave.
He did not want to feel like he was losing himself again every time he stood in front of her.
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
“I actually also have something to say to you, Your Grace…”
They spoke at the same time and fell into brief silence.
“P-please, you go first.”
“Very well.”
Luciana yielded.
Without hesitation, Rihit took something from inside his coat and handed it to her.
“What… is this?”
“A contract of sorts. It prevents information about the ducal family’s secrets from spreading.”
“….”
A contract.
As she touched the document, she could feel mana embedded within it—enhancing it with magic.
Luciana quietly read the clauses.
It was simple: if she leaked the secrets of the Cassio ducal house, she would face appropriate punishment.
As expected, he’s thorough.
It made sense. It would be absurd not to take precautions for something so serious.
I have no intention of risking my life anyway.
She had never planned to reveal their secrets in the first place, but she accepted it without protest.
“Then, Lady—what was your matter?”
After confirming the contract’s magic had activated properly, Rihit asked.
“Is there… any way to break the imprint?”
“…”
So that’s what it was.
“I thought you’d ask something like that.”
Ah. So there really isn’t one.
Just as Luciana gave up and prepared to bring up her own proposal, Rihit spoke again—unexpectedly.
“There is… not exactly none.”
“What? Is that true?!”
Why hadn’t he said that this morning?
Before she could press him further, Rihit added calmly:
“Death.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you want to avoid the imprint’s effects, you can simply die.”
…What?
It was absurd enough to make her lose all strength in her body—but at the same time, it made a twisted kind of sense.
If life ended, the soul would leave the body, and everything in this world would return to nothingness.
Still… even if things are terrible, giving up your only life is…
So that’s why he didn’t say it earlier. It was basically no solution at all.
Then I really only have one option left.
Luciana was about to speak about potions when Rihit interrupted again.
“According to the ancestral records of my family, there were attempts to research the imprint.”
“…!”
“There were even discussions about methods to nullify it, just as you suggested.”
This was unexpected good news.
Luciana’s face brightened instantly—but that hope was quickly crushed.
“However, they all failed. It was concluded that removing the imprint is impossible, and the research was abandoned long ago. No one studies it anymore.”
“What? They just gave up…?”
Wasn’t this far too important to abandon so easily?
Seeing her shock, Rihit spoke with faint self-mockery.
“Why do you think that is?”
“Because… you said there’s no possibility…”
Rihit’s gaze drifted to his marked wrist.
“There were several ancestors who experienced incidents similar to mine.”
“…!”
What? There were others in the same situation?
Luciana looked at him in disbelief.
“Research into removing the imprint started from cases like that.”
Rihit continued, ignoring her gaze.
“But every generation’s head of the family who ordered the research eventually canceled it all.”
“Ah…”
Luciana slowly understood.
No matter how much they resisted the imprint… in the end, they all fell in love with their mates.
That was the fate of the Cassio bloodline carrying wolf instincts.
Or a curse…
Even Rihit, despite how awful his situation must be, looked completely indifferent—like it was someone else’s problem.
That made Luciana’s chest feel heavier.
Like someone who had already given up everything before the battle even began.
