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Chapter 7
The Villainess Got Imprinted by the Male Lead
“What if I have to stay with the male lead until the day we die?”
The only thing she had gained from their conversation was a huge problem. Nothing had been resolved at all.
Actually, if she put aside the original story and thought about it purely from a practical perspective, forming a connection with Duke Cassio, a man whose very existence had a tremendous influence, would be an enormous benefit to her family.
‘But before that, the truth that this relationship wasn’t formed willingly will be revealed.’
If her family found out about the circumstances behind her being forced into a marriage with Licht, they would never be able to sincerely bless Luciana’s future with happiness.
‘And on top of that, I’ll have to spend my entire life watching the male lead, who was forced to love me.’
Luciana recalled how Licht had treated her that morning.
She could tell just by looking at his face that he did not see her as a woman. The only things reflected in his clear eyes were rejection and confusion.
Even if such a person confessed his love passionately in the future, it would be meaningless.
“Not to mention the heroine who will be grieving because she lost the male lead overnight…”
Sigh.
A relationship like that wasn’t something that would make her happy at all.
A fear she had forgotten for a long time came rushing back.
This distorted future would become a difficult and painful period of her life as well.
‘Isn’t there any good solution? I don’t want to be dragged along helplessly like this.’
She planned to talk with Licht about a solution at the upcoming New Year’s ball, but perhaps because of her anxiety, she couldn’t simply sit still and wait.
Luciana got up from where she had been lying around helplessly and nervously bit her nails.
‘They said he was a descendant of werewolves…’
An imprint caused by that.
‘Ah! Could there be a book that might help?’
While continuing to think, Luciana remembered the library upstairs.
The Marquis’ estate library was so large that it could easily be called a personal library. It was a space the Marquis had specially prepared for Tershion, who loved reading.
‘Father reads books on all kinds of subjects. There might be books dealing with other races.’
Without hesitation, Luciana headed toward the study.
Before long, she found a book titled “Encyclopedia of Other Races” and reached out for it immediately.
‘If the imprint was influenced by werewolves, there should be something about it.’
While checking the table of contents, Luciana hurriedly turned the pages. Soon, a subheading titled Werewolf appeared along with an old-fashioned illustration.
A wolf’s head baring its fangs and drooling, attached to the body of a human man covered in fur.
‘Could Licht also be hiding another form?’
With a slight sense of fear, Luciana continued reading.
Werewolves. Beings possessing both the form of a four-legged wolf and a human. Normally, they appear no different from ordinary humans, but when the full moon rises, they become consumed by madness and transform into the appearance shown in the illustration. At this time, they lose their human reason and…
‘What? There’s nothing about imprints at all?’
The eyes that had held a small amount of hope quickly filled with disappointment.
She had hoped the book might help her, but she gained nothing from it.
After returning the encyclopedia to its place, Luciana left the study with a troubled expression.
Actually, she could have asked her parents or Lorraine about the Duke of Cassio’s family.
The three of them had much more experience in high society than she did, and they would do their best to answer anything she asked.
‘But they would find it strange that I’m asking this. Everyone would realize that the person I spent the night away from home with yesterday was Licht.’
No matter how she looked at it, there didn’t seem to be a solution.
Did she really have no choice but to wait until she could talk with him tonight?
When Luciana returned to her bedroom after her fruitless search, something suddenly caught her attention.
“Ah!”
Wait a second. Why hadn’t she thought of this?
The noise in her mind stopped when she noticed the small door attached to the corner of her bedroom.
That place was a kind of study room and laboratory that Luciana had used since her days at the academy as a student of magical alchemy. It was her private space, filled with countless books and various magical herbs.
“Spiritual binding…”
Licht’s explanation of the imprint suddenly came back to her.
“If it affects the mind, then its nature is similar to magic.”
If that was true, then ordinary methods would never be able to remove the imprint.
The imprint could not be removed through physical means or her only talent—magical alchemy.
“Could it be…?”
Her eyes widened as if a dark cloud had suddenly disappeared and she had gained a realization.
Like she had been possessed, Luciana immediately headed to her laboratory. She turned the doorknob and entered, and the familiar interior welcomed its owner.
The room lacked the delicate decorations expected of a noble lady’s space and was somewhat plain, but the bookshelves covering the walls and the faint scent of herbs made it feel rather cozy.
The idea Luciana had suddenly thought of was none other than this:
Creating a potion that could nullify the imprint by using her specialty.
‘Because this is what I’m best at.’
Luciana swallowed dryly as she thought about the one skill she could proudly show others.
After making the important decision long ago not to live according to the original story, she had built a life different from the original Luciana. One of those differences was studying magical alchemy.
Interested in combining strange materials that looked like something from a fantasy game, Luciana even entered the academy and proudly obtained her degree.
This was not a common choice among noble ladies like her who had no right to inherit a title or no desire to enter society.
Unmarried noble ladies in such positions usually entered the marriage market early and focused on finding an excellent husband.
“It might be possible, theoretically.”
Even if the chance was as small as threading a needle, if there was even a possibility, shouldn’t she try?
Fortunately, Luciana had considerable talent in magical alchemy.
“…I know. I understand that this might be too vague a problem for a rookie who just graduated from the academy to solve.”
But Licht was the kind of man who had threatened her life and warned her to keep quiet about his identity.
There was no way she could reveal a secret that would obviously cause chaos if it became known to the public.
Of course, the Duke’s family had enough power that something like this would not shake their position, but because an imprint could potentially become a weakness, it was not easy to entrust the matter to an outside organization.
“I have to do something, even if I’m just grasping at straws. And the male lead probably knows the most about imprints, so wouldn’t it be better if we worked together?”
She decided not to forget to bring it up when she met him on the balcony later.
For now, there was no obvious solution, so she had no choice but to quietly wait until they went to the Imperial Palace.
There was still time before then…
Should she at least sit down and look through some books?
Trying without knowing anything would only be wasted effort. But if she did nothing, she felt she wouldn’t be able to calm down.
So Luciana sat down and turned through the pages of books for a long time.
The office was so quiet that it felt desolate. Even though it was still afternoon and the sun had not yet set, a dark atmosphere lingered inside.
“……”
Sitting alone in the heavy silence, Licht frowned slightly with his beautiful face and sank into thought.
‘I lost consciousness?’
His lips, pressed into a straight line, tightened.
Licht replayed every detail of the conversation he had with Luciana that morning, as if trying to dissect it completely.
However, no matter how much he doubted it or tried to deny it, he could not refute the fact that he had been drunk and spent the night with a woman.
For someone who normally controlled himself with almost frightening precision, he could not accept yesterday’s mistake.
‘There must be someone else behind this.’
The higher one’s position, the more enemies they naturally gained.
‘Whoever that damn rat is…’
His red eyes narrowed like the tongue of a snake, filled with murderous emotions.
‘Luciana Leslie. First, is that woman truly innocent?’
The honest voice that had insisted on her innocence from beginning to end, and the clear gaze that rejected even the slightest connection with him, contained no trace of lies.
Because of that, Licht had no choice but to withdraw his distrust.
“An… imprint?”
“What…? It won’t disappear?”
He remembered Luciana’s shocked expression when she heard the word imprint, and how she had rubbed her wrist so hard that it seemed like her skin might peel away.
“……Damn it.”
