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Chapter 8
Kierne recalled something James had said in passing at a previous gathering.
“If you get engaged to Abigail, Lady Elizabeth will be sad. I should at least comfort her myself.”
At the time, it had sounded like drunken nonsense, so he had brushed it off. But not now. Not in this moment.
His nerves tightened like a drawn bowstring.
A man who couldn’t keep his hands off women—there was no way he wouldn’t set his sights on Elizabeth.
She was undeniably beautiful. Damn Stella, for looking just like her.
The only reason James hadn’t touched Elizabeth until now was because he had been wary of Kierne. Kierne had deliberately blocked him from getting close to her.
But now that Kierne was supposedly getting engaged, James seemed to think he had a chance.
Kierne saw Elizabeth being held by the wrist, unable to properly resist.
Her position made sense in a cruel way. A ruined barony with only its name left held no real value.
James’s filthy hand slid along Elizabeth’s waist—just like the other men at the banquet.
If things continued like this, everything would end exactly as Stella wanted.
The thought made something in him burn hot with frustration.
Kierne strode forward impulsively and pulled Elizabeth into his arms, casting a freezing glare at James.
Letting him go earlier had only been to check whether Elizabeth was alright. It was never permission.
He intended to deal with the Parker family properly later. One way or another.
Only after did Kierne realize with an absurd laugh that he was treating Elizabeth as if she belonged to him.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth fled to the terrace.
He followed her inside, and she looked flustered, hesitant—as if she had something to say. That alone irritated him.
Now that he looked again, it wasn’t just her clothes that had changed. She was even wearing makeup—something she rarely did.
No doubt Stella’s doing. For some reason, that thought soured his mood further.
Why couldn’t Elizabeth resist that woman’s words at all?
Why had she come to a banquet filled with men looking to prey on women, dressed up so beautifully?
If he hadn’t stopped it, it was obvious what would have happened to her.
If she came not knowing, she was foolish. If she came knowing, it was even worse.
The more he thought, the more irritated he became.
He was about to say they should leave when—
“Kierne. Don’t get engaged.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
And for a moment, his mind went blank.
It felt like being struck in the head with a hammer.
Because Stella’s words suddenly echoed in his mind.
“Ellie is innocent—but she can be bold enough to make men restless.”
“…Do you understand what I mean?”
At the time, it had felt like meaningless provocation.
Now it sounded different.
Was Stella’s so-called “help” actually referring to this—Elizabeth and him?
Even if it was a stretch, Kierne needed to confirm it.
He needed to know Elizabeth was not like Stella.
He wanted her reason for stopping the engagement to remain what it had seemed at first.
He wanted her to rebuke him for forgetting the Duchess’s will, to tell him to marry the person he loved.
That was the Elizabeth he knew.
Unlike Stella—upright, honest.
Above all, she didn’t know about Stella and the Duke.
That ignorance was exactly why she sometimes acted so infuriatingly pure.
It was why he would snap at her, then regret it afterward.
Sometimes, he even felt like breaking that innocence himself—because it was unbearable to see her remain untouched in a world like this.
But in the end, he never did.
He wanted to protect that purity.
Two opposing feelings always clashed inside him.
Kierne waited for her answer, growing impatient, pressing her for something more.
But Elizabeth’s response had nothing to do with the reason he wanted.
It was the one thing he had hoped it wouldn’t be.
“I like you, Kierne.”
His stomach twisted.
Her flushed confession looked fake—too perfect, too timed.
Even the way she closed her eyes, as if expecting something from him, felt wrong.
After all the times she had scolded him for being improper, called him a reckless young lord—
Now she was doing the worst kind of confession.
His expression hardened.
Now it was clear.
The man she was trying to hold onto tonight wasn’t one of the wolves at the banquet.
It was him.
And then—
“Kierne, I’m sorry. I’m too weak to stay in this hell with you…”
His mother’s dying words echoed in his head.
“I regret bringing Stella into this house…”
His mother had warned him never to trust the Lua family.
And after her death, Stella had openly moved through the Duke’s bedroom—something everyone in the household knew, except Elizabeth herself.
The irony was that Stella’s own daughter knew nothing.
And yet, despite not knowing anything, Elizabeth was now trying to seduce him in the same way her mother might have.
Of course… at the perfect timing.
How pathetic.
Kierne reached out and grabbed her cheek.
His blood ran cold.
For a moment, he wanted to crush her—ruin her completely.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Elizabeth flinched, but did not pull away.
As if she wanted him to kiss her.
Her cheeks flushed, her entire body inviting him.
To stop the engagement.
To take that place for herself.
Kierne suddenly kissed her.
The taste of her—dressed up, sweet, overwhelming—made his mind feel filthy and frayed.
His anger surged.
He kissed her roughly, without restraint, and she still didn’t resist—only clung to his chest.
Her breath sounded almost intentionally sensual.
And that realization only made his anger worse.
Then he understood why he was angry.
He had been lying to himself—convincing himself she was different from Stella.
But that was only what he wanted to believe.
Elizabeth was Stella’s daughter.
And in the end, she would be no different.
Mother and daughter… taking everything from men.
“…You’re the same after all.”
He left her there.
He chose to destroy her feelings.
To follow the Duchess’s will.
“Never trust the Lua family.”
That was his mother’s last command.
But strangely, even though he was the one doing the crushing—
he felt like the one being crushed.
The feeling disgusted him.
And with a twisted expression, Kierne fled the terrace.
If Only Feelings Could Be Washed Away Like Rain
Agaphel Castle was in the middle of preparations for the engagement ceremony. Kierne had hastened the engagement, and everything was moving quickly because of him.
Elizabeth thought of it as his answer.
Her feelings had never even had the chance to rise toward the sky before they had fallen straight to the ground and been trampled without care.
That sweet kiss had turned into a cruel memory, one that tormented her endlessly.
He had treated her as casually as if she were a stone on the roadside—kicking it away without a second thought. The feeling of being used, of being looked down upon, left Elizabeth in agony.
She no longer wanted to stay in Agaphel Castle, so she spoke to Stella.
“Mom… should we move? You said you liked the Britannia Kingdom before, right? We could even go across the border.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Leave a perfectly good house and go where?”
Stella frowned as if she had just heard something absurd.
The way she so naturally called the castle “home” made Elizabeth’s chest tighten. She too had once thought of it that way—but not anymore.
Elizabeth spoke calmly.
“This isn’t really our home anyway. Even if the Duke is kind enough to let us stay here, it feels shameless.”
At that, Stella’s eyes sharpened.
“Shameless? Why would it be shameless? Do you think we’re living here for free? Don’t worry about appearances. We’re staying here in exchange for what we’re owed.”
“That’s not what I mean. I just… don’t want to stay here anymore.”
Stella stopped what she was doing and came over, taking Elizabeth’s hands.
“Why? What happened?”
“……”
“Is it because of young Lord Kierne?”
At the direct question, Elizabeth lifted her head. Stella’s face lit up immediately.
“I knew it! Something must have happened between you two!”
“No, Mom. Don’t say ridiculous things. He’s about to get engaged.”
“He hasn’t even gotten engaged yet. Why are you already giving up and backing away?”
Stella began to chatter excitedly, as if she had just heard something amusing.
“You seemed so innocent, but you do have high standards. So what happened? Did you kiss Kierne at the banquet?”
Elizabeth couldn’t answer—her silence was enough.
Stella let out a delighted exclamation.
