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Chapter 7
“Should I really end up staying with the male lead like this until I die?”
At the end of their conversation, all she gained was a massive problem—nothing was resolved.
If she thought about it purely logically, leaving aside the original story, forming a connection with the Cassio Duke, someone with overwhelming influence, would be an enormous benefit to her family.
But before that… the fact that their relationship wasn’t formed by choice would inevitably come to light.
And if her family learned that she was forced into a bond that made a man love her for life, they would never be able to sincerely bless her future.
Not to mention she would have to watch the male lead—now bound to her—falling helplessly in love with her for the rest of his life.
Luciana recalled how Rihit had looked at her that morning.
It was obvious at a glance—he didn’t see her as a woman. His eyes were filled only with rejection and confusion.
Even if such a man were to later confess his love passionately, what would that even mean?
“And on top of that, the heroine would end up heartbroken because the male lead was taken… seriously, none of this is good!”
Ugh. This kind of relationship wasn’t something to be happy about at all.
A fear she had long forgotten slowly crept back.
A distorted future would become an unbearable life for her too.
“What can I even do? I don’t want to be dragged into this helplessly.”
She would talk to Rihit about it at the upcoming New Year’s ball, but the anxiety made it impossible to wait calmly.
Luciana sat up and nervously bit her nails.
“Wait… he said he’s a descendant of wolf beings…”
A bond caused by that kind of bloodline?
“Ah! Maybe there’s a book that could help!”
She suddenly remembered the library upstairs.
The Lesley estate’s library was so large it could easily be called a small academy archive. It was a space her father had specially designed because he loved reading.
“If it’s about beastkin or other races, there might be something useful.”
Without hesitation, she headed to the library.
Soon, she found a book titled Encyclopedia of Non-Human Races.
Luciana immediately grabbed it.
“If the imprint is related to wolf beings, there might be something here.”
She flipped through the table of contents and opened the section labeled “Werewolves.”
An old illustration appeared—showing a snarling wolf-headed beast and a man covered in fur.
“Maybe Rihit also hides another form…”
She read further.
Werewolves: beings that take the form of both wolves and humans. Normally they look no different from ordinary humans, but when the full moon rises, they fall into madness and transform into the form shown in the illustration. At that time, they lose their human reason…
“…What? There’s nothing about imprinting?”
Her faint hope quickly faded.
After returning the book, Luciana left the library in disappointment.
She could also ask her family or her brother. They were experienced in noble society and would answer anything.
But…
“They’d definitely get suspicious. They’d realize I spent the night with Rihit.”
There was no easy option.
Maybe she should just wait until tonight’s meeting with him.
As she returned to her room exhausted, she suddenly stopped.
“…Ah!”
Wait. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
A small door attached to her bedroom caught her attention.
It was a personal lab she had used since her academy days—a space filled with books and magical herbs.
“Spiritual binding…”
Rihit’s words echoed in her mind.
“If it affects the mind, then it’s similar to magic.”
If so, ordinary methods might not work.
But what if she used magic engineering?
Luciana’s eyes lit up.
“I could create a potion that neutralizes the imprint.”
That was her specialty.
After deciding she would no longer follow the original story, Luciana had chosen a different path—studying magical engineering instead of becoming a typical noble lady seeking marriage.
She had even entered the academy and earned a degree, which most noblewomen of her status did not pursue.
“I might actually be able to do this…”
Even if the chance was small, she had to try.
Fortunately, she was talented in potion crafting.
“I know… I’m just a fresh graduate. This might be impossible.”
But Rihit had even threatened her life to keep the secret of his identity.
She couldn’t afford to let this information leak.
Even if she couldn’t rely on outside help, she couldn’t ignore the existence of the imprint.
“If I just try… maybe it’ll work.”
She decided to wait until their meeting at the balcony.
For now, there was nothing else she could do.
Meanwhile, in the quiet and dimly lit office…
Rihit sat alone, his expression dark.
“…I lost consciousness?”
His lips pressed tightly together.
He replayed everything from the morning.
No matter how he analyzed it, he couldn’t deny that he had spent the night with a woman while intoxicated.
For someone who controlled himself so strictly, this was unacceptable.
“Someone must have been behind this.”
The higher the position, the more enemies one had.
“Whoever that damn rat is…”
His red eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Luciana Lesley… for now, that woman seems innocent.”
Her firm denial and refusal to be involved with him had not felt like a lie.
Then he remembered her face—shocked, confused, desperately scrubbing her wrist as if trying to erase something.
“…Damn it.”
