Kenyan did not respond.

Upon hearing Lindsey’s words, his eyes widened. He even let go of Lindsey’s arm, which he had been gripping tightly.

His face turned red.

It seemed his body was trembling with anger.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Who would ever marry someone like you!”

Lindsey found the situation so absurd that she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

She had fainted from healing and woke up to find her ex-fiancé’s younger brother visiting her home, and as she was looking at him, someone had pushed her, causing her to fall.

Just that was funny enough, but now the younger brother was suggesting he’d marry her?

Lindsey felt like she was being pushed to her limit.

‘Why am I facing this situation?’

She wanted to get rid of the guy standing in front of her right away.

“You’re… really consistent.”

She felt stupid for even considering dealing with him just because he had helped her in a dangerous moment.

“A consistent piece of trash.”

Kenyan glared at her. No matter how barbed her words, Kenyan wouldn’t be hurt.

Her words probably wouldn’t cause him any pain.

It was always the same.

The people from his household.

The people from the Marquis of Kesion’s household.

They were all the same.

There was no one who genuinely treated her well. Even now, Kenyan was mocking her.

But the moment she spoke those words, Lindsey saw it.

Kenyan’s face looked somewhat hurt. What the heck. Lindsey felt a wave of discomfort.

She wanted to scream at him, asking why he was the one making a hurt expression.

“Kenyan Radian. Step back.”

Someone intervened between Lindsey and Kenyan.

“Mikhail Dweisi?”

Kenyan frowned.

Mikhail exuded a fierce aura, as if he were ready to attack Kenyan at any moment.

Mikhail grabbed Lindsey’s wrist.

“I said step back.”

There was a strong sense of intimidation. The rumors about the Marquis of Kesion’s dog being excessively competent made sense now.

But at the same time, he seemed excessively dangerous.

Mikhail shielded Lindsey behind his back. Kenyan raised his eyebrows in displeasure at Mikhail’s actions.

“What’s it to you?”

In the tense atmosphere that seemed ready to erupt into a fight, Lindsey shook her head and spoke.

“We’re leaving. I hope we never see each other again. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your nonsense.”

“You…”

“Even if it means I have to die, I will never go back to the Radianhousehold.”

“……”

“So don’t get it twisted. I don’t still…”

The illusion that I would beg for your love.

⋆★⋆

Kenyan watched the backs of Lindsey and Mikhail as they walked away. Mikhail Dweisi exuded an unsettling aura as if he intended to protect Lindsey Kesion.

Though the reason was unclear, Mikhail seemed extremely displeased.

The two of them quickly distanced themselves from him.

Kenyan recalled the expression Lindsey had when she fell from the window.

‘Now that I think about it, she always had that expression.’

Although Lindsey had changed noticeably in recent days, Lindsey Kesion had always worn that expression.

Somewhat melancholic.

A person who exuded a gloomy atmosphere.

Yet, whenever she saw Brother Azhet, her eyes would sparkle. Kenyan always had the same thought whenever he saw that.

‘Stupid and pathetic.’

After all, Brother Azhet wouldn’t pay attention to her. He might have even forgotten she existed.

“Azhet, can we have dinner together tonight?”

“I’ll try harder to awaken my divine power!”

What did Azhet respond with at those times?

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for dinner.”

“I have no expectations of you, Miss Lindsey. I don’t believe you will succeed in awakening your divine power.”

“Just live quietly like a mouse. Don’t let me see you.”

Whenever he returned such harsh words, Lindsey would always laugh awkwardly and respond that she would do better.

The more Kenyan saw Lindsey’s behavior, the less he could understand her.

Begging for emotions that would never be returned seemed pathetic to him.

Lindsey believed that Azhet would save her.

Kenyan knew better than anyone how foolish that thought was.

Even so, Lindsey always begged Azhet for love.

Why, just why?

Meanwhile, the bizarre things she did around the mansion only grew worse.

There were rumors that she had beaten maids who liked Azhet and squandered the mansion’s wealth.

His mother, Sylvia, always whispered to him that Lindsey was a troublemaker.

‘A person of lowly status with a bad disposition.’

That was the Lindsey Kesion he knew. So when she said she was leaving the mansion, wasn’t he rather pleased?

“Who cares.”

Kenyan gritted his teeth.

There was nothing more he needed to do for someone who wanted to leave the Radian household.

‘Yes, it’s a good thing if Brother Azhet breaks off the engagement.’

It wasn’t his concern what treatment she received in this household.

This woman, who found the Marquis of Kesion’s treatment more tolerable than the Duke of Radian’s.

There was no need to worry about her any longer.

But.

Kenyan felt a suffocating sensation for reasons he couldn’t understand.

He unconsciously placed his fist over his chest.

His heart was pounding rapidly.

⋆★⋆

Lindsey looked at Mikhail. She couldn’t understand what this man was thinking.

She glanced around.

She felt the servants of the Marquis household stealing glances at them.

They didn’t dare to make a sound.

Mikhail’s presence was that overwhelming. The very air around him felt different, as if he existed in another world.

As Lindsey walked quickly, she frowned.

‘It hurts.’

It seemed she had twisted her ankle when she fell. Seeing her wince, Mikhail, who was walking ahead, slowed his pace.

“Is your foot hurting?”

“Not really… it’s fine.”

Mikhail came to a complete stop. His empty gaze turned to Lindsey. He approached her closely.

Lindsey’s eyes widened at what happened next.

Mikhail lifted her into his arms.

Lindsey looked up at him in a daze. Mikhail’s delicate forehead furrowed.

Lindsey realized for the first time that he could express emotions.

“W-what on earth…?”

Lindsey, flustered, couldn’t continue speaking. Mikhail asked in an eerily calm voice.

“Who pushed you?”

“What?”

“You don’t know who did it.”

His voice was icy.

Lindsey instinctively shrank back. Mikhail’s overwhelming presence quickly subsided.

After a brief silence, Mikhail spoke again.

“I told you not to come back.”

Lindsey let out a hollow laugh.

‘As if I wanted to come back.’

She couldn’t understand why this man had helped her. He could have just ignored her. But his words felt unfair.

She did want to leave the Radianhousehold, but she didn’t want to come back to the Marquis of Kesion either.

“I didn’t want to come back either.”

There was no reply.

A man whose thoughts were inscrutable.

To Lindsey, Mikhail was just that. She didn’t dislike him, but she didn’t like him either.

He was someone who genuinely followed the Marquis of Kesion.

Lindsey gripped the hem of her dress tightly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to cause trouble. I’ll prove useful to Father.”

“……”

“It will be convenient for you to have me around, won’t it? You’ve seen my divine power. I’m useful…”

“That’s not necessary.”

Lindsey looked at Mikhail as if he were an oddity. Her guiding ability was surely special. Even after experiencing it, he could say it wasn’t necessary?

Moreover, Lindsey knew better than anyone how much pain Mikhail must have endured.

‘I definitely have value now.’

Saying he didn’t need her power was an unimaginable response.

“You didn’t like this place.”

Lindsey fell silent.

What was he trying to say?

‘Is he trying to say I should stay away because I dislike it here?’

Soon she shook her head, thinking it was an overreach.

Mikhail Dweisi only acted for the Marquis of Kesion. Even if he showed her kindness, it was surely on the Marquis’s orders.

‘I must be tired.’

The realization that she had returned to a world where she had no allies seemed to be a shock.

To think Mikhail Dweisi would say such things for her sake.

‘No one to rely on, so you depend on Mikhail Dweisi? Lindsey Kesion, you really have become weak.’

The servants’ gazes grew increasingly piercing, but Mikhail did not set Lindsey down.

‘I have to go to the family meeting…’

She needed to calm her racing heart. Lindsey clenched her hands. Her fingertips trembled slightly.

She couldn’t face the family in this state. She had shown enough weakness in the past.

The family meeting would also include members of the Kesion branch families.

Many of them didn’t look kindly upon her. She still couldn’t forget the things people said when she left the Marquis household.

“She’s utterly vulgar. She will surely tarnish the honor of the Radianfamily!”

“She’ll cause trouble for the family after returning from being rejected!”

It hadn’t been long since she almost died at the hands of someone in the family. She expected no one to welcome her back, but it was worse than she had anticipated.

At least if she proved useful, she thought she could preserve her life…

‘There’s no choice. I have to prove my usefulness further.’

There was no other way to ensure a smooth escape.

She needed to stay sharp.

If she wanted to survive here.

But despite her resolve, Lindsey found it hard to keep her eyes open.

Was it because of Mikhail’s transcendent warmth?

Lindsey fell asleep right then and there.