He wasn’t a villain, just a wounded child.

While it was true that Antes had resorted to violence against Fersen, it wasn’t something that warranted the label of ‘crazed psychopath with anger management issues.’

“Why couldn’t you just get along with the young lord? He’s the Marquis’s eldest son, after all. Was there any need to escalate things like this?”

In the original work, it had been mentioned several times that Antes was eyeing Fersen’s position, but in reality, Antes didn’t seem to have any interest in it.

If there was anything he liked, it was Emma’s cooking and occasionally drinking bad wine together.

He even enjoyed teasing her from time to time. In a way, he was quite a simple-minded young man.

“Was he a person who behaved normally?”

“…Yes, I suppose so. My question was foolish.”

She had been through it herself several times, so why did she ask? Was there really someone besides Fersen who had nothing to do with the mess they were in?

Even Seira, who seemed destined to be with him for eternity, had chosen to flee. It was safe to say that everyone suffered because of him.

Why had he become the male lead of the novel, especially considering that the real main character was Seira?

In the end, it was all a farce. Of course, he wasn’t the male lead in the strictest sense, but even his status as Seira’s ex-boyfriend had been stripped away.

‘Wait, so what happens now? I mean, technically, in the novel, Seira was the female lead, right…?’

She pondered what had become of the men who had been around Seira.

Most of them had suffered the consequences of their mistakes and faced bitter endings. Fersen might also meet a similar fate, but Antes interrupted her thoughts.

“In any case, for these reasons, I decided it would be better to go down to Vincent’s territory where there would be no chance of running into him. We never parted on good terms anyway. There was never a single occasion when we parted amicably.”

“What about your family? Weren’t they trying to help you? The Marquis and Marchioness seemed genuinely worried about the young lord. They even hired Royer to settle the matters.”

In truth, she was most curious about the Marquis and Marchioness. Imagining them in their current state, she believed they would have trusted and supported Antes.

However, Antes’s response was unexpectedly cold, as if he disliked his family more than Fersen.

“My family? My father was the first to abandon me. At first, he sided with me, but after a few repetitions of such incidents, he thought I was in the wrong and didn’t even listen to me.”

After that, it was Antes’s mother who had abandoned him.

Hiring Royer was not to prove Antes’s innocence but merely an attempt to reach a peaceful settlement.

‘So, as soon as we met, he told me he’s sorry…’

Luna recalled the first time she met Royer. There was a time when she received a profuse apology even though she didn’t even say what happened.

At the time, Luna thought what would have happened if Antes had had an accident, but when she thought about it again, it wasn’t an issue to be taken lightly.

This meant that even the lawyer thought he was the perpetrator and didn’t trust him.

“So, when I said I was going to Vincent’s territory, no one tried to stop me. Maybe they even welcomed it. Theat the troublemaker had finally disappeared.”

He explained that he didn’t feel guilty about it because he didn’t think of it as him leaving due to a sense of guilt but rather as his family sending him away at a young age to the Vincent territory.

At that time, Antes was only twelve years old, and yet he was left to fend for himself on the Vincent estate.

Even though he was cast as the antagonist, how could he have lived so nonchalantly?

Or was it really so nonchalant? Could a person endure that? When those who should have believed in him turned their backs?

“Are you okay?”

Luna asked him because of all these thoughts running through her mind.

She was genuinely worried about him, to the point where she didn’t know what pronoun to use to describe all of his troubles.

If it were her, she wouldn’t have been able to bear it . The reason Luna was able to smile despite the ridiculous rumors was all thanks to the family next to me.

“What do you mean by ‘okay’?”

“Just, everything.”

Antes stared at Luna’s eyes in silence for a moment.

He had thought that the events of over ten years ago were long forgotten, but when he saw her genuinely worried face, something deep inside him sank heavily.

However, it had been so long since he had openly expressed such emotions that he couldn’t even remember when he had last done so.

“If it’s not okay, and I ask you to stay by my side until I’m okay, will you do it?”

So, as he always did, he playfully retorted while waiting for Luna’s grumbling response, but unexpectedly, she reached out and held Antes’s hand, affirming it.

“I will do that.”

“…!”

“I’ll stay by your side until the young lord is okay.”

Her eyes were incredibly serious, as if she meant it no matter how heavy the burden might be.

“What if it never gets okay?”

Antes asked, his words laden with meaning, but Luna’s response remained steadfast.

“It’s okay. As long as you don’t get sick, I’ll stay by your side until you grow old.”

“Sick…”

Despite the momentary seriousness, the atmosphere didn’t remain heavy. The sudden mention of illness seemed to shatter the mood.

It felt too much like Luna, and the feeling that had been pressing on his chest disappeared.

“Just try not to get sick. So that you don’t abandon me.”

Antes replied with a wry smile.

Of course, he didn’t mention that he had no intention of actively trying to get better. There was no need, and he had no such intention.

* * *

As Luna and Antes were regular members of a busy people’s club, they drove the carriage without much rest, and they arrived at their destination faster than expected.

Due to the discovery of diamonds, the security around the mine had become strict.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

It seemed like they had been waiting very impatiently, as the mine supervisor rushed over as soon as Luna got off the carriage.

“Lady Luna!”

“You’ve gone through a lot to come here!”

Along with him were workers who greeted Luna with friendly faces. They had been laid off because of the mine’s closure. Now, they were working with ease, earning a higher salary than their previous jobs.

“It’s good to see you all. Have you been well? If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let me know.”

Luna expressed her gratitude to them and, together with the person in charge, inspected the mine.

She couldn’t help but tremble as she confirmed the diamonds she had discovered in the past few weeks.

‘This is insane.’

Ladies and gentlemen, my life is insane.

In fact, until she saw it in person, she couldn’t have imagined how much it was. At this rate, she could throw money around as she pleased without a care in the world.

“After reporting, we continued mining, and we found a similar amount of diamonds in succession.”

There was no happier news than that. Antes picked up the largest uncut diamond and observed it closely, his eyes shining.

“I guess we can open an auction with this… I wonder what kind of luck the young lady has.”

The diamond wasn’t only sparkling but also unusually large. No matter how it was cut, it was bound to display the owner’s wealth and power.

“Then, I’ll take this one.”

Without hesitation, Luna declared that she would take ownership of the diamond.

“We can display it in the store soon. It has to look stunning.”

With a smile, she decided where the gem would be used.

They didn’t think of selling it for a high price by any means; instead, they considered using it as a mere decoration.

However, since Luna was the one suggesting it, no one raised any objections.

Afterward, as they discussed the additional personnel and expenses needed for mining, the day began to wane.

Since they had surveyed the site thoroughly, they decided to finalize the contract with Antares Mechant Guild in the capital city, and they headed to a hotel near the mine.

“Ah, I’m so tired.”

After moving tirelessly from the city they had just visited to the mine, conducting inspections, and discussions, Luna felt utterly exhausted.

She had just finished taking a bath and was lying on the bed, enjoying a state of half-sleep when someone knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

It was Antes. At this hour when even Laura would have gone to sleep, what could he want?

“What’s going on? Is it urgent?”

“It is. It’s important.”

She wanted to stay as she was, snugly wrapped in the bed, but she couldn’t ignore the urgency in his voice.

Groaning, Luna got up from the bed, opened the door, and invited Antes inside.

“I think you should come out. There’s something I need to show you.”

Dressed warmly, even with his coat on, he urged Luna to go outside.

“At this hour?”

“I have to go up to the capital early tomorrow, so there’s no time except now.”

Antes said with a hint of impatience as he checked his watch. Apparently, there was something important he had to check right now.

“…Wait for a moment. Let me grab my coat.”

Luna, who picked up her coat, followed Antes. It was quite chilly as they left the hotel at night, and a cold breeze brushed against her cheek.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Antes, without even telling me exactly where they were going, suddenly held out his left hand.

When Luna stared at him wondering something, he answered as if it were very obvious.

“You’ll understand when you see it, but there are many people passing by, so there’s a possibility of scattering.”

Did he want to hold hands or something? It wasn’t affectionate at all, and it was so gentlemanly that Luna opted for a fist bump instead.

“Let’s go like this.”

As if he didn’t care that it was more gentlemanly, Antes gave a subtle smile and walked forward, holding her arm in a casual manner.