Dawn's Desperate Plea

Aya, please stay right there.

Grace Riddle ran desperately along the pre-dawn road, her breath ragged as the first streaks of light began to break across the sky. Somehow, every taxi she approached had its doors locked tight, refusing to let her inside. That bastard, did he really think he could buy her off with a bribe?

“Haa…”

Her lungs burned; her legs ached for release as she fought the urge to collapse. If she was late, Eli would be taken from her.

She rounded the corner, and the moment a lit townhouse appeared, she sprinted forward, flinging the door wide open.

“My darling, you’re home?”

Too late. The instant Grace saw the man holding her daughter, despair crashed over her like a wave.

“Maaah—”

Eli, who had been crying for a long time, reached out to her with a red, swollen nose.

“Eli, Mama’s sorry.”

Grace lunged to scoop her up, but the man twisted, shielding the child with his body.

“Hand her over.”

Grace dove for her daughter, but no matter how she fought, she could never best him. In front of this man who had everything, she had always been powerless.

“You said you’d hand over my daughter!”

“My daughter?”

The man sneered.

“Pretending to abandon her and then having the nerve to come back for her.”

Guilt silenced Grace for a moment before she lunged again, voice sharp with accusation.

“Who’s the one being shameless now? I’m the one who raised this child—me! Me alone!”

“Alone? Making it look like you did. Who told you to raise her alone? Grace, I prepared everything for this child. Yet I couldn’t fulfill my duty as a father—because of you.”

Anger boiled up inside her, fists clenching, but she could not swing. Eli, startled by the commotion, began to cry, and Grace clenched her teeth and stepped back one pace.

“You fucking bastard.”

Even her curse did not change his expression. Instead, his lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.

His coat was thrown to the floor, followed by his sweater, blouse, and skirt. While Grace stripped herself bare, the man watched with eyes burning with greed, employing every filthy trick a man who possessed everything could dream up to claim even the lowest creature like her.

“In the end, it was as you wished. Congratulations.”

Teeth gritted, Grace muttered, unlacing her bra. As the undergarments fell away, the man’s cold gaze began to smolder. She glared at his Adam’s apple while she loosened the garter belt, then lowered her blue bloomers without hesitation, exposing her lower body.

“That’s enough.”

The man watched her until only her stockings remained, then approached with deliberate slowness.

“Stripping in front of the child. Disgusting.”

He removed the trench coat draped over his shoulders and draped it over her, then led her to his bedroom.

The instant the door opened, Grace froze. Iron bars covered the windows.

“This is…?”

Somehow, it was not the townhouse but a room in the Annex.

“Get in.”

He dragged her to the familiar bed and roughly pushed her down, then carefully placed Eli on the mattress. The man stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Grace as if she were prey before a lion. He loosened the cuffs of his shirt and commanded her.

“Spread your legs.”

Grace spread them obediently, eyes blazing with murder. The man rolled up his sleeves and, dressed in a suit, climbed over her.

“Haa…”

The man’s lips sealed over hers, his thick tongue thrusting inside and swirling wetly. At the same time, his hands roamed her thighs.

“Carrying a weapon in front of the child. Extremely dangerous.”

Clack. Thud. The holsters tied to her thighs were undone and flung away.

“I’ll have to search this too.”

“Haa…”

Long fingers suddenly pushed inside her, and Grace stiffened. Her body betrayed her as she clenched and released around the invading digits.

“Nngh… there… ah… I didn’t hide anything… please…”

Long fingers searched deeper, then added a second, stretching her with the precise pressure of scissors. The heated walls inside throbbed under the expert strokes—unrelated to the search, yet her lower body grew slick with unwanted pleasure.

“Aah… s-stop… please…”

Her shoulders shook violently as she gripped the man’s arms, unable to hold back. This body had never been touched since giving birth to her children, yet it felt far more sensitive than before. The overwhelming pleasure made her gasp in shock.

“Ah… just a little more…”

As heat surged through her, her pleas turned desperate. In her fog of pleasure, she forgot shame and unconsciously squeezed and released around the man’s fingers while swaying her hips. She even longed for the search to last forever.

“Haa… nngh… right there…”

Her hips lifted as the relentless stroking intensified. Her toes curled against the sheets while her back arched, trembling beneath the large hand supporting her.

“Hah!”

Her fingers pressed hard against that sensitive spot, and her breath hitched. The white light of heaven finally appeared before her eyes.

“As you said, it’s empty.”

The man withdrew his fingers. The moment he did, Grace plummeted back into harsh reality.

“This… hah…”

The man wiped his glistening fingers with a handkerchief and asked, “Your empty body… how does it feel?”

Grace could not deny the flush rising on her face. She covered it with the sleeve of her coat and turned her head.

“Filling your empty body is always my job.”

He untied the trench coat’s belt, peeled away the fabric wrapped around her like unwrapping chocolate, and the buckle’s sound rang out. Grace snapped back to her senses.

“No.”

She urgently stopped the man as he spread her pants and pulled out his glistening length, then shot a glance toward the bed. Eli was crawling on the floor behind them, back turned.

“Have you lost your mind? Are we animals?”

“Animals? This is not copulation.”

The man frowned in distaste, then suddenly smiled sideways and added, “It’s the joyful moment when my brother is born.”

Grace’s heart sank.

“No… nooo!”

She tried to flee, but her ankle was seized. Her legs, forcibly spread, exposed her entrance as the baby-sized tip of his cock slammed home.

Long, thick flesh burrowed deeper into her belly. It finally reached the very end of her walls, the blunt head pressing against her cervix.

“Even here… it’s empty and desolate. Ah, of course, it’s mine.”

He gently rocked his hips while caressing that spot, then pried her resisting hands away and pinned them to the bed. Thrusting began at once, heat spreading through her entire body. She had been to heaven countless times, yet her heart had fallen straight to hell.

“Haa, ah… no inside… please…”

“Grace.”

The man slipped a ring onto her left ring finger and whispered a chilling promise of love into her ear.

“I will fill your womb with my child for the rest of your life. If you give birth, I will impregnate you again and again. I can’t carry all the children and run away, so…”

He stroked her flat belly, smiling with joy.

“The moment you escape, I’ll bring you back. It will be worth watching.”

Thus, before Eli, the man fucked her like an animal. He had imprisoned her in the Annex and spent his perverted desires on her, doing so with raw, barbaric intensity. Grace hugged her close, trying not to see the thin fabric moving beneath her waist, but facing him filled her with guilt and shame.

“Ah, ahh!”

The moment her body, trained to extreme orgasm from those two emotions, lost control, the child slipped from Grace’s arms and crawled toward the edge of the bed.

“Hah, Eli! No!”

The instant Eli was about to fall, the man reached out and caught the child.

“Waaah—”

“If she falls, she’ll hurt. If you hurt, my heart hurts. So you must be careful.”

He lifted her up and held her close, rocking her. Even as he soothed the child, his hips never stopped pounding Grace’s folds.

“Ah, ahh…”

“Maaah—”

“Good girl. Let Mama rest.”

The man gently placed the child beside Grace. Eli immediately latched onto her mother’s breast, sucking hard on the nipple that had stiffened. The man watched with discontented eyes, sighed, and muttered, “It’s a shame, but for a hungry daughter, the father must yield.”

“Haa!”

“Perhaps the gods split the breast so father and child could share.”

He spoke blasphemously and grabbed one of Grace’s breasts. He kneaded the overflowing flesh until it was squeezed in his large hand, then laughed.

“It will never return to its original size.”

The moment he moistened his dry lips, he lowered his head and attacked the nipple protruding between his fingers like a predator.

“Haa!”

He greedily sucked in her entire areola and pulled the breast deep into his mouth. The intense pleasure of milk being drawn out made Grace bite her lip as a vulgar sound echoed from his throat— a grown man swallowing milk.

“There will be no lack of milk.”

The nipple popped free from his mouth, yet milk still flowed freely. He licked the back of his hand, eyes flaring with heat, and latched onto the nipple again.

“Haa… please… stop…”

Grace, moaning while nursing her child, might have been the most blasphemous woman alive.

“Ahh…”

Eli, well-fed, fell asleep in her mother’s arms, using the shaking bed as a cradle. Beside her, Grace covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down as her whole body shook.

It’s good. I’m going crazy. Did I really go insane?

But somehow it was not satisfying. She had orgasmed many times, yet the pleasure that once turned her into a lust-driven beast with Leon was missing. It felt as if the most important thing that had made her that way had been taken away.

“Over there… this… no, it doesn’t feel right…”

“Grace, be quiet. You’ll wake the baby.”

Although something felt wrong, the man did not stop. She was still impaled by his thick, hard cock and forced to endure the rough thrusts. Even at the exact moment he slammed to the hilt and stopped moving, Grace felt no pleasure and lay there. Then she suddenly screamed.

“Aaaah!”

The instant he came, Grace’s belly swelled instantly.

Impossible. This is a dream.

Grace squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. She pulled down the blanket and breathed a sigh of relief. Her belly was flat.

Yes, it was a dream.

But why did it feel so real? The man was still staring at her. His turquoise eyes were filled with displeasure.

Turquoise?

Grace finally woke up completely, hugged Eli, and sighed.

“Mamaaa—”

“……”

“Mama!”

Eli changed the emphasis on “Mama” and kept calling her, then began squirming to escape Grace’s arms.

“Mama! Mama!”

Finally using the staccato method, Grace lifted her head from the pillow and glanced at the clock on the side table. Eli had woken up faster than the alarm, as usual.

“Just thirty more minutes.”

“But bread! Eli bread!”

“Our princess, the bakery isn’t open yet.”

Still shouting “Bread! Bang!” while wriggling, Grace hugged the child and whispered, “Thirty minutes,” before closing her eyes.

“Mama’s sleeping.”

“You’re a sleepyhead.”

She had always teased Grace for being greedy, so apparently she thought people who slept a lot were called sleepers.

“Mama, stop sleeping!”

Actually, she was already fully awake. The reason she could not get up was different.

Why do I keep dreaming this?

Her face was burning against the pillow.

“Grace.”

The words the man had whispered in the dream—combining affection and lust symbols—kept echoing obsessively in her mind.

When did you start calling me Grace so arrogantly?

After they met on the passenger ship two years ago, the man had begun calling her Grace in dreams. Sometimes she dreamed she had been caught then. It had been the most terrifying time, so it made sense. But what was the reason the dreams had become increasingly lewd lately?

Desire frustration?

She had thought she had no such desires. When she considered primitive urges as universal among humans, dreaming lewdly might be normal, but what she had dreamed last night was definitely not normal.

“Perhaps the gods split the breast so father and child could share.”

The man had never actually said that. It was only a thought that had come from Grace’s own mind.

“Uaaaah…”

Grace tugged at her hair.

No. I’m not that kind of pervert. It’s just what the man would say, and it only appeared in the dream because I know him too well.

“Mama, stop?”

Eli, who had been sniffing the air in her arms while Grace was troubled, suddenly lifted her head. Grace hugged her tightly, trying to prevent the child from looking up, and sighed.

“Just thirty minutes.”

It was embarrassing that she could not even look Eli in the face.

“…Daisy.”

No, your name is Grace.

“You filthy pig!”

Don’t go!

Leon seized Grace’s wrist as she tried to flee. Then he shouted toward the dark silhouette of his father visible beyond the headlights.

Come back right now!

But nothing changed.

“I am Sally Bristol.”

How many times have I told you your name is Grace? And you are not a maid, you are a spy.

“You don’t love me, do you?”

Yes, I love you. No, I do.

Leon removed the noose from Grace’s slender neck.

You don’t belong in the torture room. Let’s go find your brother together. In the moments you read your mother’s diary, open your eyes to the truth, and begin revenge, I will never let go of your hand.

And on the day we finally shed the burdens crushing our shoulders, wait for me on the beach at sunset, just like the day we first met. With our daughter.

But Grace disappeared.

After reviewing every mistake and making different choices, the result never changed. This was not reality.

Still, by repeating this dream countless times, Grace had finally allowed him to change the outcome of her final moments.

Eventually, the Grace who could not escape the ship came to his room on her own two feet. From the balcony, white foam crashed violently against the dark sea, and tears never stopped flowing in the bedroom.

“Hic…”

I don’t know what I would do without you. You make my life feel like it’s already over.

Leon stared at the weeping Grace holding the child and asked, Is this really the result I wanted?

Once, he had decided that. When this woman cries in front of me again, I will not laugh—I will hold her. But Leon could not do it. He was the one who had made her cry.

With no words, no touch, only watching…

“Waaah—”

The baby, whose face could not be seen, reached out her hand.

“……”

He wanted to call her, but he could not.

Goodbye, my daughter. What is your name?

He asked, but the child did not answer. It was the moment he wanted to catch those chubby little hands.

“……”

The hand never reached him before he woke from the dream.

Leon sighed and turned his head to the side. Through the window, which was hazy from alcohol, it was blue-gray. This early morning had no birdsong, no sound of life stirring.

Why am I awake already? I should increase the dose.

Early or not, the old Leon would get out of bed the moment he woke. But at some point, living like a real human had become difficult.

The sheet touching his hand was cold. Realizing he had unconsciously rested his hand on the empty space beside him, Leon pulled away as if burned by frost. It was ridiculous that he had the habit of leaving half the bed empty, yet no laughter came. The woman was the one who laughed at him.

If you’re going to laugh, laugh in front of me.

The moment the mocking kiss flashed back, the urge to do anything rose. No matter what, he had to endure one more mocking kiss.

He entered the bathroom, but the hazy feeling did not fade.

When did it start?

Leon stared at the stream of water pouring into the sink, then suddenly snapped back to himself.

“Fuck…”

He glared at the medicine bottle on the shelf above the sink. The label read “Barbital,” and inside were white pills. The bottle looked barely used, yet the bottom was visible.

Why does a human need sleep?

He could no longer sleep without the sedative. And because of this fucking Barbital, he dreamed every night. Whether nightmare or happy dream, waking up was painful either way.

Clink. He snatched the bottle, and the pills inside rattled like screams. He raised his hand to throw the bottle into the trash can in the corner, but froze.

The damned woman asked sweetly, “Unhappy?”

I was happy in the dream.

Clank. The bottle slid back onto the shelf.

Without this fucking Barbital, he could not dream every night. Nightmare or happy dream, without them he could not meet the woman and the child.

On days when he was truly lucky, he replayed the last happy moment from the dream—the day he lost Grace and the child at the port two years ago.

Although the outcome was tragic, the process, that single instant when he held the woman and child, had been happy, so that day remained, oddly, one of the happiest days of his life.

Her scent, warmth, appearance, and voice. As time passed, all those senses became faint in reality, but under the drug’s influence, the moment became as vivid as reality. That was why Leon could not stop taking the cursed medicine even today.

And this morning’s dream had been quite pleasant.

She called it happy because she had seen Grace cry.

Leon washed the water off his face with the faucet, smiled, and looked up. But the broken mirror showed a man who was not smiling.

Ice-cold water dripped from his face, which was covered in rust and cracks. He looked like a living corpse with no expression.

The woman was still alive and could not die, but he was neither living nor dead because she was not beside him. He was a living corpse.

Eli had no morning nap.

“Mama, I can’t!”

“Then just five minutes.”

“No.”

Thirty minutes became ten, ten became five, but the opponent would not compromise. Her stubbornness and lack of mercy were exactly like her father’s, yet Grace had to endure it.

“Mama wants to get up too, but the blanket is too warm and Mama will melt.”

Grace, who usually did not take naps, was different when forced to wake early. The late-autumn bed was like a swamp. While she mumbled, Eli stood and declared solemnly, “Then Mama guard the house. Eli will go first.”

“Huh?”

Grace poked her head out of the blanket in surprise. At two and a half years old, the child who clung to Mama and refused to let go was starting to develop independence.

No, she was saying that already?

Eli hugged her stuffed rabbit and slid down under the bed, opened the door, and ran to the living room. She returned to the bedroom wearing a scarf around her neck and holding her coat, ready to go out.

“Dress me.”

Grace picked her up and put on the coat over her pajamas, buttoned it, and Eli turned to the side table.

“What kind of bread mug does Mama want?”

“Eh? What are you doing, Eli?”

“Money.”

The child who knew money was needed to buy bread pulled a wallet from the handbag on the table. Grace raised a white flag and had no choice but to get up.

After hastily combing her hair in the bathroom and changing only her underwear, Grace found Eli already dressed, waiting by the front door.

While Grace put on the coat hanging on the wall, Eli carefully covered the five stuffed animals in the toy cart with a blanket, even imitating Mama’s tone.

“It’s cold. If I go out like this, I’ll catch a cold?”

Eli, who never ate yesterday’s baked bread, made the daily morning ritual of going to the bakery across the street to buy fresh bread. Each time, she pushed the toy cart like a mother taking a baby for a walk, carrying her precious dolls.

“Let’s go.”

The sound of the small cart rolling down the apartment corridor echoed as the front door opened. Riding the elevator down to the first floor, Grace looked at Eli’s small head wearing a fur hat and smiled happily.

Even two years ago, Eli had cried so loudly that the whole world would end when the elevator moved. Now she stood on tiptoes, pulling the lever herself, saying she would pull it.

“When I was a baby, I was so scared I cried.”

Then she chattered like a baby, and how adorable it had been. As if she were an old man living in memories, today she pulled out the same old line, and Eli suddenly turned her head, sulking.

“I didn’t cry!”

“Really? You didn’t cry? Then who was the baby who cried back then?”

Grace pinched the cheek of the child who was spinning her feet and teased her again.

“Eli is no longer a baby.”

“Really? Eli is no longer a baby?”

“Nooo. Babies are here.”

Eli stuck out her lip and pointed at the dolls sitting on the cart.

“Too bad. I liked both the big Eli and the baby Eli.”

Grace stuck out her lip in return and muttered, “I liked both too.”

At that moment, her turquoise eyes wavered as Eli suddenly grabbed Grace’s legs and clung tight.

“Eli is a big baby.”

Grace lifted the thirty-month-old daughter who was far too big and heavy for a baby, then patted her back like she used to and whispered, “Our little one, don’t grow up too fast.”

The brave sight of the child going out alone to buy bread was both admirable and painful. She saw her own childhood self. Although she knew it was excessive worry, she feared the daughter would follow the same path of becoming an adult too quickly because she had received too much adult love.

Grace pressed her cheek to Eli’s chubby cheek and repeated like a mantra, “You will remain a child. But I love you.”

“Unnnno.”

A little girl holding a toy cart in one hand and her mother’s hand in the other entered the bakery. The shop owner, who had just taken fresh bread out of the oven, smiled and welcomed the mother and daughter.

“The little princess is today’s first customer.”

As always, the auntie scooped a handful of almonds glazed with sugar and cinnamon from the display and gave them to Eli as a gift.

“Eat like this almond—sweet like a day.”

“Waaah—”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Thanks.”

Eli chose the largest almond from the handful and handed it to Grace.

“Mama, ah—”

The child had grown from the baby who always tried to snatch whatever Mama was eating to the one who now put it into Mama’s mouth herself.

Today she bought two brioche, two soft rolls, and two croissants. Holding the warm paper bag against her chest, she walked home hand in hand with Eli.

Just as they were about to enter the apartment, a strange old woman with a cane entered the bakery. She saw Eli and smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Oh my, what a beautiful child. I thought it was a doll.”

Grace had heard the phrase “walking doll” countless times but had never been tired of it. She smiled proudly and greeted the woman.

“Thank you.”

The old woman looked up at her and said something casually, and Grace’s smile faded.

“The little angel resembles her father a lot.”

At that moment, Eli tilted her head. Grace pulled her hand and quickly finished the greeting and left.

“Have a good day.”

“Anyway, I’ve never seen that face before?”

Before the door closed, the old woman muttered, and the shop owner replied faintly, “It’s the new mother who moved in last spring. You’re the first to see her?”

It had been half a year since they had moved to the suburbs of a central metropolis. Before that, they had hidden in the immigrant district of a southern port city to escape the man.

The neighborhood was poor and rough, but it was not bad. Thanks to helping the neighbors who could not speak English well and receiving help in return, Grace could raise Eli safely alone.

But she could not keep raising her anymore in a neighborhood where every day she heard the fight between the daughter and the man. When she decided to focus only on childcare at home, she got bored and spent time with the neighborhood aunts, which led to Eli mixing her native language with English.

“I only know one word: almond. Hing. Mama eat.”

“In our language, it’s not almond, it’s almond. And Mama is done, so Eli eat.”

At two and a half, it was time to send her to daycare. She needed to expand Eli’s small world by letting her have playmates other than Mama.

So she had moved to the suburbs of the big city with good security and excellent schools half a year ago. It was quiet, close to parks, and perfect for raising a child.

Also, the office was only thirty minutes away by tram.

She had started working four months ago, of course for the money. The gold had all been spent, and she needed to sell the last diamond.

If she continued to lose money bit by bit, it would be better to buy a house and settle, but as a fugitive she could not. She had no choice but to earn money or she would lose the inheritance her mother had left her.

Settling in the New World after escaping would be possible. Really, when would she leave?

Grace sighed as she entered the apartment building.

She was so tired of the incidents at Newport Port that she no longer even tried. Holding a child as tall as her waist and running away was impossible.

And if she asked why she was running, who was that old man, what would she say?

“Did you know the hot water doesn’t come out well in the maid’s room bathroom? I just didn’t want to stand under ice-cold water.”

All day long, the woman’s trivial complaints kept slicing through Leon’s mind like a knife.

“Haa…”

Leon turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower stall, making a silent vow.

From tonight on, I will sleep in the master bedroom.

As empty as the vow to quit the medicine. Just as empty as the vow to remove the baby carriage from the corner of the room.

He immediately headed to the dressing room. Over ten years of habit, his body moved on its own. When he looked in the mirror, he saw not a frail corpse about to break but a strong soldier staring back at him.

At least, that was how he looked on the outside.

He opened the top drawer and took out a bundle of white cloth. He lifted the handkerchief, and underneath it was a baby bonnet. Leon stared at the bonnet the same way he had every morning, then pressed his nose to it and took a deep breath.

Even if it was just a scent, it was faint. Anyone seeing it would think he was sniffing drugs. Perhaps it was not wrong. The scent of Grace and the child was a drug to him. The brief ecstasy followed by the excruciating emptiness—that was no different from a drug. The withdrawal symptoms that followed made it impossible to quit, just like drugs.

Leon folded the bonnet neatly, wrapped it in the handkerchief, and put it in his jacket’s inner pocket. It was against his heart.

The moment he looked at himself in the mirror again, a line from the letter he had memorized so thoroughly flashed back.

Your birthday is May 21. You are sensitive and picky because you’re like me, so suffer a little.

Like me?

He had always smiled at this line.

How much? You look like my face too?

Leon tried to imagine his daughter’s face that he had never seen on his own reflection, but it was in vain today. He recalled the moment he held Grace and lowered his gaze to his chest.

We were that close. I should have held her first.

I don’t remember your face, but I remember your chubby cheeks. That was enough to make her adorable.

Suffer a little. I am happy to let you suffer the way you said.

Protect her so she doesn’t fall into the hands of the Blanchard bastards. I know you’re a heartless human, but if you still have a shred of conscience, take care of the child.

Then give me the chance.

Please.

Leon started the new day by replaying his vain regrets, as if he were a mouse trapped in a wheel. He died a little more every day, still in the same place.

“I hope this breakfast suits the princess’s delicate taste.”

The moment the maid placed the breakfast on the table, the man in Grace’s head always said that. There was no reason to refute him, because Eli really was no princess.

Eli sat down, cut the brioche in half, spread butter, and placed the fried egg on top. Then she stabbed the egg with her fork. For breakfast, the egg should have been poached, so the yolk should not flow and should be cooked just enough to be soft.

“Pass?”

When Grace asked, Eli nodded seriously, then lifted the brioche with both hands and took a huge bite.

Eli was the child who ate her favorite foods with such enthusiasm and never bothered to chew when she disliked something.

“Let’s try this on the bread too.”

“Yuck.”

She had asked her to try the sautéed mushrooms, which were finely sliced and crispy, but Eli made a face.

“You’re just frying them in butter.”

“Even so, yuck.”

“Just one bite.”

Grace had only tried to force the bread on her, saying she would eat it. Lately, when told or persuaded about other things, she listened, but eating was something she never did. She even covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head.

“Eat what is given.”

The man’s words rose to the tip of her tongue.

Who is she like?

From childhood, Grace had eaten everything without discrimination. The man was picky but not a picky eater, but why was this child?

The picky taste did not stop at the house. In daycare, she did not eat the lunch or snacks provided, so Grace packed her own croissants sandwich and a cut-up fruit in a metal lunchbox decorated with a picture of a fairy tale city, and she packed lunch for herself too. While Grace was washing dishes, the child who had been peeking from the side asked, “Can Eli help?”

“Really? Then can Eli wipe the table?”

“Joah.”

Lately, Eli had been saying “Can I help?” and “I can do it” often. While cleaning and organizing the whole narrow apartment, she followed her everywhere. This was when she sat Eli in front of the dressing table and combed her hair.

[The royal family has broken tradition and admitted Princess Elizabeth to kindergarten for regular education…]

Eli shouted while listening to the radio news.

“Mama! The princess is in the news!”

“That’s right, Eli is a princess.”

Grace kissed her silky golden hair and smiled with deep affection. Then she suddenly looked at the child and herself in the mirror.

The child resembled her. From the fact that she resembled the wrong person.

Even while looking at the face that resembled the man, Grace did not wipe the smile from her face.

No matter who she resembled, this child was my princess. My daughter was not a forbidden being who should not have been born. She was not a monster or the byproduct of hatred and scheming.

So she was not me either.

Finally, Grace faced her turquoise eyes, smiled, and hugged her daughter.

“Mama and Eli are both the most precious in the world.”

“Then let’s do Mama’s hair, Princess.”

“Eh… what kind of hair does a princess have?”

“Like this, like this, mara—”

She had accidentally started the sentence and had to take out the hair dryer and curling iron for the busy morning and make Eli’s hair into cute curls.

“All done.”

“This?”

The child pointed at her crown with her finger and asked, “This?”

When Grace did not understand, Eli brought a picture book. Looking at the princess drawn on the cover, Grace realized what her daughter wanted.

“A crown?”

Eli nodded vigorously.

“No crown…”

“Hing…”

“Today I’ll wear a ribbon, and the crown is something Mama and I will buy at the department store on Sunday.”

“Joah.”

Finally, they compromised on tying a sky-blue ribbon the same color as the dress around her head like a crown. The child jumped from the chair, stood in front of the full-length mirror, admired herself, then followed the etiquette she had learned at daycare, spreading her skirt, placing one foot back, and bending one knee. She did not have a doll.

“Pretty.”

Yes, pretty?

There was no way the man would know how pretty it was to make her gasp. She must be quite envious inside.

No, there was no way she was envious. Because she did not know how adorable the child was.

“The afternoon interview schedule at the magazine and the estate main building is at three o’clock…”

While listening to Pierce’s report in the passenger seat, Leon’s eyes, which had been hazy all the time, suddenly focused. His gaze went to the child walking along the road while holding a young woman’s hand. The child looked about two or three years old and had golden blonde hair by chance.

Leon checked the child’s face fleetingly as the car passed, then replayed the memorized information in his head.

Born May 21. So now she is two and a half. Old enough to go to daycare like that child. Blonde like that child.

But that child was not his child.

According to rare information obtained through the maid who had been close to him when the infant was born, Grace and his child were girls.

A girl. A girl with deep blue eyes. Perhaps she had changed to turquoise like Grace.

Now she was two and a half, old enough to talk and run around. Perhaps she was now holding Grace’s hand like that and going to daycare.

Where exactly?

Leon did not take his eyes off the passing children from the window the entire commute to headquarters. Suddenly, he recalled the last line of the letter Grace had left.

I wish you eternal suffering in the hell you created.

Another day had dawned. But in his hell, the sun still did not rise.

“A princess does not run around recklessly.”

When the daycare building came into view, Eli, who had been running so fast that the lunchbox clinked, stopped at Mama’s words. Although she did not know what “recklessly” meant, she seemed to understand everything else.

“Majah. Eli is a princess.”

The child started walking slowly toward Grace again. Whether she thought her steps were elegant like a princess or not, Grace saw them as toddler steps.

The mother and daughter held hands and walked again. As Eli fiddled with the fake wedding ring on Grace’s left ring finger, she suddenly lifted her head and asked, “But why doesn’t Mama wear a ribbon?”

“Mama has to wear a hat.”

“Chii…”

“But you’re wearing sky-blue clothes just like me.”

Because of the daughter shouting “Mama and Eli wear the same clothes!”, Grace had dyed her hair blonde. And that was not enough; she had even run a sweat because she had made Eli wear a big ribbon on her head too for going to the office.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Grace greeted the parents who greeted them at the daycare entrance and entered the building. While removing Eli’s coat and hanging it on the wall and changing her shoes, the nursery teacher approached.

“Hello, Eli. Today you have a big ribbon. From far away I could tell it was Eli.”

“But Mama doesn’t wear one.”

Eli tattled to the teacher in a sulky tone, and Grace could only smile.

“Our princess, then play happily today and listen well to the teacher, and see you later.”

“No. Mama don’t go. Eli play. Ung?”

Eli still had big teary eyes and clung to Grace. Every time this happened, it was heartbreaking, but Grace had already heard from the teachers that when she left, Eli played just fine.

“Play with Mama in the evening.”

Grace crouched down to the child’s eye level.

“Eli, Mama loves you. Kiss.”

Eli stuck out her lip as if she would cry, but soon gave up because it wouldn’t work. Two small hands wrapped her mother’s cheeks. A candy-scented mouth pressed and then left.

“Mama love you.”

“Hmm…”

While waiting for the tram on the way to work and getting bored, Grace’s gaze naturally went to the newspaper stand beside the station. She flipped through today’s newspaper and magazine on the stand, and her eyes sharpened.

[Winston Baron and Aldrich Duchess Are Getting Married!]

What the hell was that?

She turned her gaze to the approaching tram at the end of the road. But after a while, she sneaked another glance at the stand. On the front page of a tabloid, a thin diagonal line separated the photo of the man and the duchess.

Come to think of it, today was the day she had to bring in the new magazine?

p>

So this was work. Grace quickly picked out two magazines and one tabloid from the stand and boarded the tram that had just arrived.

She folded the magazines and newspaper without reading and stuffed them into her handbag. Then she sat in an empty seat and looked out the window.

Looking at the woman reflected in the window, Grace smiled. With blonde hair, red lips, and thick eyeliner, her appearance was still unfamiliar.

Anyway, she was still pretty.

I wonder if I should buy new earrings when I go to the department store on the weekend?

Grace looked at the drop-shaped pearl earrings dangling from her earlobe reflected in the window and muttered to herself. It would be fun to try more flamboyant and bigger ones.

She did not wear sunglasses. She could not do her job while blindfolding her eyes. And now she did not wear them even outside the office. Wearing sunglasses all year round would look even stranger.

After not seeing the man for over two years, she had naturally loosened up. These days, even missing persons posters were no longer seen.

Have you really given up? Yes, you were probably tired of it.

Her fingertips tapped the newspaper peeking out of the handbag impatiently.

Getting married, huh.

Does that mean you won’t chase me anymore? Then I’ll take Eli and leave. Hurry up and get married.

The tram stopped in front of the giant movie set in the middle of a field. The film company employees all rushed out, and Grace also got off the tram and entered the tallest building.

She took the elevator to the top floor and opened the old-fashioned door. The manager who had arrived first tilted his coffee cup at his desk and greeted her.

“Good morning, Anna.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Tate.”

Grace went straight to the guest sofa in the center of the room and opened her handbag. She took out the magazines and tabloid she had bought on the way and arranged them neatly on the coffee table. At that moment, another office worker who had just come in tilted her head.

“Eh? Anna, it’s not your turn to bring magazines.”

“Eh… just… uh…”

“Gossip?”

Mrs. Tate looked at the tabloid in Grace’s hand and smiled meaningfully.

“I guess Anna wanted to read it.”

“No, haha…”

Grace smiled awkwardly. She folded the tabloid so the man’s face would not be seen and placed it on the table, then quickly sat at her desk.

There was a note left on the desk as if the boss had come in last night. At the end, in bold handwriting, it said to type this letter and send it before noon. Grace took out the premium paper embossed with the film company logo and inserted it into the typewriter.

Grace worked at a film company. Originally she had been hired as a typist on the second floor. A month ago, however, she had been promoted to office assistant in the boss’s secretary room after being noticed by Mrs. Tate, the boss’s secretary.

The pay was much better, so she had not refused. There was no chance she would meet the man as a secretary assistant.

This was the first time she had taken a job purely for money, but she had to use a false name for safety. She even gave a wrong address.

[The Hero of Blackburn: The Last Winner]

Grace stared at the movie poster for a moment, then lowered her gaze to the typewriter.

[Winston Baron’s Tea Time]

Grace stared at the magazine cover in Mrs. Tate’s hand at the break room table and tilted her teacup. She did not know how the magazine editor had fabricated it, but as someone who had forced the man into tea time countless times, she had no recommendation.

If it was a porn magazine, it would be the closest to the truth.

While she was internally mocking, Mrs. Tate looked at the magazine while eating or not and sighed in admiration.

“He really is amazing. It’s the innate movie protagonist aura, isn’t it?”

Innate protagonist? If it were an innate villain, maybe.

Grace mocked again and took a bite of her sandwich.

The movie based on the Blackburn cleanup operation was about to be released. Grace, who had been living quietly at home without knowing how the world was turning, had signed the employment contract and only then realized she had been hired by the very film company that made the movie.

“Coincidence is really tenacious.”

It was better to have lived without knowing how the world was turning. Then she would not have had to see and hear about the man every day on the newspaper stand and radio. Three years since he had become “The Hero of Blackburn,” and why was he still trending? If he was a soldier, he should have quietly done his job. Why did he have to stir up the media? It was annoying.

“Even though he’s young, how talented he is.”

Mrs. Tate showered praise on that bastard again, and Grace bit into her apple hard and chewed loudly.

The cleanup success was all thanks to his ability.

But in a way, it was also thanks to the man’s ability. The man who had made everyone she had lived as family betray them in an instant was the man.

“And he’s handsome on top of that.”

The other female worker waved her hand at Mrs. Tate’s words.

“He’s just handsome, not to that extent. More than the photo…”

The boss turned the magazine and, without showing the face Grace already knew, pointed at the movie poster on the wall.

“He is even more handsome than the actor who plays his own role. Just looking at him, you forget to breathe.”

There was no way to forget to breathe.

The manager added that Grace’s expression was sullen because she had not seen the real man.

“Anna, you haven’t seen the real thing.”

The only person who had seen the man’s real appearance without missing a single detail was Grace, who had been biting her lip and holding back a smile.

Two years and three months ago, when the film production discussions were happening, Mrs. Tate had met the man while doing the boss’s errands, and today she blushed and went beyond praise to outright worship.

“He has innate elegance. His demeanor is light yet weighty, and his eloquence is amazing. He is sophisticated and elegant.”

Grace’s stomach twisted. She knew too well how the noble man turned into a crude animal in front of her.

“It’s overflowing with charm. From that day, my dictionary’s definition of charm is the Baron of Winston.”

Grace’s appetite had vanished. She put down the apple she had been eating and was about to sip her tea when the manager said, “The ascetic military man turned into a lewd man.”

“Puuwh—”

She sprayed the tea she was drinking.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yes.”

The colleague next to her offered a napkin, and Mrs. Tate’s eyes widened. Grace quickly wiped her mouth and picked up her teacup and stood up.

Ascetic… well, on the surface it looked that way.

While washing the teacup in the sink, Mrs. Tate teased her without noticing.

“Oh, Anna, you have a child and still don’t know? The moment the man who is the embodiment of abstinence turns into an animal that doesn’t know restraint on the bed is how dangerous it is.”

I know. The problem was that I knew too well.

Grace bit her lip anxiously and wiped the teacup with a tea towel. In her mind, the dream from this morning replayed.

I’ve gone crazy.

“Before I die, I want to experience the gun of a man like that at least once…”

Mrs. Tate whispered the word “gun” secretly and laughed like a mischievous ten-year-old girl.

“I should try it.”

From the gun Mrs. Tate was talking about to the real gun. Everything the man had done to her flashed through her mind, and her knees went weak. Grace narrowed her eyes and tilted the teapot over her cup.

Really, that filthy madman…

The moment Mrs. Tate said the unnecessary word “gun,” the last time they had met flashed back.

The man had bitten the tip of the gun Grace pointed at him, curled the corner of his eye in a smile, and licked the barrel with the tip of his tongue, just like when he was caressing her body.

Damn…

Even then, her groin had tingled.

Why am I like this?

Grace squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead when the colleague shouted from behind, “Anna! Overflow!”

“Ah, hah!”

Water from the cup overflowed from the sink drain.

“Why are you so clumsy today? Ung?”

“Ah… my daughter woke me up from early morning, haha.”

Grace finally gave up drinking tea and sat at the table with empty hands.

“By the way, I’m going to see the real Winston Baron at the screening.”

“Jealous.”

The colleague, jealous of Mrs. Tate’s boasting, looked dejected. Grace calmly finished eating and cleaned up. It was fortunate that she did not need an assistant manager for the screening next month.

“The Duchess is coming too, right? They really don’t make a matching pair.”

The colleague spread the tabloid in front of her, and the moment Grace’s eyes met the photo on the front page, she looked away like someone burned by fire.

“Compared to the Baron, the Duchess has a pretty ordinary face. But in a loveless arranged marriage, is appearance important?”

“But it didn’t seem like a loveless marriage.”

Grace’s hand that had been sweeping the bread crumbs from the table stopped.

“…What do you mean by that?”

The two women, who had always been indifferent to the Winston Baron’s stories, did not realize that “Anna” had shown interest for the first time.

“I heard from Mr. Grant.”

The break room next to the boss’s office had only three people. The colleague lowered her voice and whispered. It was not gossip, it was the boss. Grace held her breath as credible information seemed to come out.

“At the party, Virginia Rose dropped the hotel room key in front of the Baron but he didn’t pick it up.”

“Virginia Rose’s hotel room key?”

Virginia Rose was the top actress of the era, the symbol of sensuality. When working at a film company, you could not avoid hearing the gossip of actors, and Rose had never failed to pull a man she had targeted into bed. After all, she was an incredibly beautiful woman.

According to the colleague, Virginia Rose had tried to seduce the man all night with her body burning, but he had pretended not to notice until the end and had politely refused. She said, “I will remain faithful to only one woman for the rest of my life.”

“Oh my, innate elegance and romance.”

“Then who else could she be if not the Duchess?”

Grace quietly smiled while gathering the bread crumbs. If not the Duchess, then who?

I heard the Duchess has a secret relationship with Jerome Winston. Maybe something changed between them, but that was ridiculous.

Faithful to only one woman… huh. It’s ridiculous. I want her loyalty.

And the word “loyalty” itself was debatable. What the man gave Grace was not loyalty but obsession.

“Refusing Virginia Rose’s hot night by saying she would keep her chastity for the person who would become her wife. Men should learn from this.”

Grace smiled inwardly at her boss’s words.

Because I can only be a man for you, I had to refuse. By the way, she’s going to a party with an actress. Is it worth it?

“Anna.”

Grace, who had been staring at the photo on the tabloid front page, flinched when the manager called her.

“Eh?”

“What are your weekend plans, Anna?”

“Ah, I’m going to the department store with my daughter. The princess said she wants a crown.”

“Hmm, I see…”

The manager and colleague were lukewarm toward Grace’s words. They did not even ask the child’s name, which was fortunate, but they were envious that Grace had no one to share the joys and hardships of parenting with, not even to boast about her child.

“Are you spending the weekend with your daughter again? Date too, Anna.”

“Yes. How old was the child again?”

“Two and a half.”

“Now it’s time for the father to come, isn’t it?”

Grace understood why the manager had asked about her weekend plans and smiled awkwardly. Mrs. Tate kept trying to pair Norman, the manager’s PR manager, and Grace. If it was just the manager playing matchmaker, she could understand, but the problem was that Norman was also interested in Grace.

“Ah, come to think of it, I forgot I had to send something to Paramount Theater today.”

Grace escaped from the break room. She had wrapped the items to be sent in a box and put them in the mailroom on the first floor, but there were many magazines on her desk.

“Last month’s magazines, Anna took them all. It’s going to be thrown away anyway.”

The manager said that from behind, so Grace could not refuse or throw them away. She thanked him with a blank expression and moved the stack of magazines with the man’s name written in one corner to the corner of the desk and sat down.

“Don’t forget to send the screening invitations within this week.”

“Yes, Mrs. Tate.”

Grace took the document folder labeled “Blackburn Hero: Screening and Party Participants” from the file holder. She had already notified the participants of the screening date long ago, and it was now time to send official invitations.

She took out a bundle of high-quality cards and envelopes and opened the cap of her fountain pen. She stared at the name at the very top of the participant list for a moment, then slowly wrote the first line on the card.

Dear Baron of Winston,

“Dear” was odd.

She deliberately made the strokes long and elegant. There was no record of the man using this handwriting in the Annex, so even if he read the invitation, he would not recognize it.

She finished writing the invitation and raised the card. While shaking the card so the ink would dry properly, Grace’s eyes met the man’s. It was because the other office worker had placed the tabloid back on the coffee table and arranged it so the photo and headline would be visible.

[Winston Baron and Aldrich Duchess Are Getting Married!]

She would bring the Duchess to the screening.

Checking the number of attendees and hotel reservations was done by another office worker, so Grace did not know. She did not want to know.

While staring at the smiling face, her fingers itched.

How dare you forget me and live your life?

If there had been no risk of pursuit, she would have already stirred up his heart with phone calls or letters. Grace suppressed the urge to write “Darling, congratulations on the marriage” on the inside of the invitation envelope.

I will get married too now.

By next April, Grace would be thirty. In her childhood, she had imagined that when she was around thirty, she would have a husband and children. Now she had a child, so if she only had a husband, the harmonious family she had imagined would be complete.

Living with Eli alone was happy, but sometimes she needed someone to talk to honestly and openly. Eli would be happy with a father.

And watching Eli, who was becoming a child, made her want a second child.

She did not want to go through morning sickness again, but maybe next time would be different. Perhaps, because of the man’s cursed child, she had shown a rejection reaction because she did not want to have a child.

“And maybe…”

If another man appeared, would she no longer dream of the man?

The only man Grace knew was the man. The only way she knew sex was the man’s way.

If she turned Leon Winston, the only man she had slept with, into one of many men, and diluted the sex with the man into just one of many, maybe she could completely erase the memory of the man from her body.

“The first experience is unforgettable. I will do my best to make today’s night unforgettable and the memory last a lifetime.”

Grace smiled as the man’s words from the night he had first taken her flashed through her mind.

The memory of that shocking first experience had dulled. After being subjected to far worse by the man and looking back, what she had endured that day seemed trivial. The first day had felt like the end of the world and the collapse of the earth, but somehow Grace had survived and escaped, and now she casually sipped tea while recalling that day.

Somehow, she was the last winner.

Also, the night had been so exhausting that her memories were sparse. She only vividly remembered the moment the beast-like eyes looked down at her.

At that moment, she took a deep breath.

“Sally.”

The moment the door opened and the man’s voice was heard, Grace’s heart sank.

“Yes, Mr. Grant.”

The man who entered was Roger Grant, the president of the film company. The man in his fifties approached the colleague sitting at Grace’s desk next to him and asked something. It happened to be the name of the other office worker—Sally.

“Sally.”

“I want to be dug long and hard under Captain—”

Damn. Why again…

Like a dog trained to drool at the sound of a bell.

“Why is my future star in a sweat?”

Grace, who had been dazed, finally realized the boss had come over and started a conversation.

“I don’t want such lewd expressions in my office, but in front of the camera.”

The boss brought up another useless story, and Grace smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.

“I sent the letter to Myers before noon.”

“Good.”

The boss headed to his office. The man who had been watching Grace from afar for a long time approached her side.

“Hello, Anna.”

“Hello.”

The man in his thirties stood in front of the desk and said something odd today.

“I was looking forward to coming to work right after I left work yesterday, Anna, and you don’t know that, do you?”

“That’s something you should say to the boss.”

Grace bowed her head and typed the screening invitation, smiling only once.

“I spent the whole night with my eyes open, looking forward to seeing Anna’s dazzling face this morning, but when Mr. Grant told me to come to the studio, I was so disappointed I don’t know how to describe it.”

“You always have the same face.”

“A pretty face, the same.”

The man searched his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out two musical tickets, waving them in front of Grace.

“I wonder how pretty you’ll be on the weekend, and I’d like to give you a glorious chance to see it.”

“I’m sorry, but I have plans for the weekend.”

From behind, Mrs. Tate’s teasing voice seemed to say, “It’s a date with your daughter.”

The man who liked Grace had already rejected his date requests several times and had not given up. He was probably showing a puppy-like expression now, but he would hit on Grace again in the morning.

“Norman, stop harassing my star and come here!”

From behind the half-open door of the boss’s office, the boss shouted. Norman put on his cap, said goodbye, and turned away.

He was not as handsome as the man, but his friendly appearance and opposite vibe made him look like a good husband and father in every way. However, Grace had never been interested in marriage, so she had naturally not been interested in the man either.

Not when she had not been interested in marriage.

“Norman.”

“Yes?”

Norman, who had been going to the boss’s office, looked back. Grace shouted impulsively.

“I have no plans for this evening.”

The high ceiling windows poured in the warm afternoon sunlight. Between the conversations flowing like water, the occasional clink of cups and laughter added a rhythmic touch.

The atmosphere in the reception room where the interview was in progress was extremely cheerful.

“It has been three years since you became the hero of Christmas.”

The woman reporter, who looked about the same age as the Baron, smiled with seductive eyes.

“As a journalist, I always feel the same, but Your Highness’s popularity never fades. I heard from Mr. Pierce that love letters are still flooding in from across the country.”

The Baron, sitting with his legs crossed in a gray suit and relaxed, gave a slight smile of embarrassment. The corners of the reporter’s mouth rose even more.

“I think they are more like love letters than fan letters.”

“Oh, that would make the fans sad, wouldn’t it?”

“Fans…”

The Baron frowned slightly and let out a helpless groan. That man, even on the bed, would he say such lewd things? The reporter loosened one button of the blouse she was wearing and waved her notebook like a fan.

“As an ordinary soldier and head of the family, I don’t think the word ‘fan’ suits me.”

“But you have more popularity than most movie actors.”

The reporter took the October issue of the magazine from her handbag and opened it.

“In our Modern Lady, we do popularity polls for our readers every season. In this fall’s poll, Your Highness was chosen as the most attractive man.”

In addition, she showed the Baron at the top of every popularity poll for “the man I want to marry,” “the man I want to kiss,” “the man I want to spend the night with,” and so on. Throughout it, the Baron, who had his hand on his forehead in embarrassment and looked at her with a sideways gaze, opened his mouth with a frown.

“It is an honor, but I want only one woman at the top.”

“Oh my…”

The reporter covered her mouth with one hand and blushed.

“My heart is beating wildly. That one woman is surely Aldri…”

“Anyway, I have sworn to remain faithful to only one woman for my life.”

The reporter quickly noted the Baron’s words in her notebook and clasped her hands together as if dreaming, sighing in admiration.

“A man who will remain faithful to only one woman for his life. As expected, a loyal soldier. That would make more love letters flood in. You know how to shake a woman’s heart. By the way, making a woman this excited while remaining faithful to only one person—how cruel.”

The reporter, with a flushed face, chattered on and on, and the Baron listened calmly. Pierce’s expression in the corner, watching them, was ridiculous.

Why is he like this?

Smiling and chatting with a woman. And a woman who talks so much and can’t stop flirting, the Baron would hate it even more.

“Have you become another person?”

Since early last year, the Baron had suddenly ordered him to accept the media interviews he had previously rejected. Moreover, he even told him to choose the direction of the interviews himself.

As a soldier, he had always disliked media exposure and public attention, but after tasting national fame, he had opened his eyes to new things or something.

Whether that was the reason or not, he instructed him to only select interviews that were broadcast nationwide or distributed in newspapers and magazines.

Perhaps because the family’s status had completely changed, he was now picky about the quality of the media. But when he received the order to respond to tabloid requests that would also be distributed nationwide, Pierce could not figure out the reason.

“And why women’s magazines?”

The press that scheduled the interview today was a women’s magazine company. A magazine that was displayed at the station kiosk or the first row of the grocery stand.

Anyway, it had taken two years, but the Winston Baron had remained the hardest riddle for Pierce.

“Ah, this…”

The Baron checked his watch, slightly lifting the white sleeve covering his left wrist, and sighed regretfully.

“I would like to continue talking, but I have the next schedule.”

There was no next schedule. The Baron would probably go straight to the Annex and not appear until tomorrow morning.

“Ah, then before you go, can I take a few photos for the magazine…?”

The Baron nodded readily, and the reporter signaled the photographer sitting next to her. The photo shoot began at once. She moved the location in the reception room, finding the right angle and lighting, and the Baron responded kindly without complaint.

Pierce watched the scene with dazed eyes.

“Your Highness, look at the camera.”

Leon stared at the camera and thought to himself. This lens was right in front of that woman’s eyes. Grace would see this photo. Thinking that, a smile came easily.

Look well, Grace. I’m smiling. Doesn’t it make you angry? Call me right now and scratch my heart. Please.

Finally, after the torture-like interview, it was time to send the reporter away.

“Seeing you in person, your charm is even more attractive, but I’m sorry we can’t fully convey that charm through photos or words. I’m already sorry just thinking about the movie coming out soon, and I haven’t seen your real self yet.”

Leon smiled at the reporter who was dragging out useless parting words while looking at him. While the reporter was distracted, he naturally took the interview notebook from her hand.

“There is one more request related to this statement.”

Leon’s finger tapped the memo “A man who will remain faithful to only one woman for his life.”

“Yes, please tell me anything.”

“When publishing the article, please limit it to the Duchess of Aldrich or do not mention the Duchess directly.”

The reporter looked puzzled, and Leon slightly narrowed his eyes in a difficult expression.

“After all, it seems that repeatedly mentioning a lady’s name in the media would not be good for the Duchess’s reputation in social circles.”

“Oh my. There was such a deep meaning.”

The reporter covered her mouth and sighed in admiration. In reality, she did not know that the stupid media had spread the rumor that the woman he wanted to remain faithful to for his life was the Duchess, so that Grace would not misunderstand.

“As expected, you are a gentleman. A great hero, and with the title of Baron and a tycoon, you are so kind and deep. It may be rude to say, but in terms of appearance too. Really, a man who has everything.”

“A man who has everything.”

Suppressing the rising anger, the corner of his mouth twitched as he forced it up.

“Thank you for your interview. It was really a happy time.”

“I also had a really fun time.”

It was only fun because she thought Grace would read this article. If not, this was a disgusting waste of time.

[Leon Winston, the Man Who Has Everything]

The phrase written on the magazine cover the reporter had given him mocked him.

Oh, I should correct the article.

Leon took the fountain pen from Pierce’s hand and slashed through the center of “The Man Who Has Everything” and wrote below it.

Empty-handed.

Leon Winston had everything, but he did not have Grace Riddle. Therefore, he was an empty-handed man who had nothing.

He immediately threw the corrected magazine into the burning fireplace and handed the fountain pen back to Pierce. While walking toward the main door of the mansion, Leon laughed. But the man reflected in the window was not smiling.

People said he had everything. A noble nobleman, a respected noble lord and member of parliament, a great hero, a military commander with vast authority, and a capable businessman. He had achieved all the success a man could pursue in society in his young age.

But those were not purposes to be achieved; they were things that lost meaning the moment they were achieved, like milestones on a long journey. In his life, there was a meaningful destination separate from that.

Leon stepped out of the main door of the mansion and looked up. The cool wind blew, and red and yellow leaves scattered across the clear blue sky without a single cloud.

Autumn had come.

Autumn had come—the season in which the woman, who had collapsed while suffering morning sickness, had pretended to love him and then fled with two faces of a lady and a vixen.

It was the season of torture.

He sniffed the scent of autumn like a dog trained to drool at the sound of a bell and waited for Grace’s new torment.

Envious of the past self who had said he would throw a bone to a starving dog but never give him a chance to catch it, Leon now had nothing but a dry bone that could not even be received and was slowly dying.

Grace, throw me a bone quickly. Anywhere is fine. Throw it so I can watch the mad dog chase you and laugh.

While repeating the same words, his steps naturally headed toward the Annex.

After chewing on the conversations they had shared after she escaped countless times, Leon had captured one consistent psychology.

I no longer have any resentment or interest in you.

In that phone call from some time ago, she had said that, and at the end, she had said something like this.

Do you still love me? So you’re unhappy?

With mockery.

Saying there was no resentment, she had left a letter full of resentment. The fact that she had left a letter at the end had been the evidence that had not let him go.

Daisy, Sally, Grace Riddle—all of you are dead. You killed them.

So forget.

You told me to forget, but you resented that I killed you.

You smile and suddenly remember me and feel pain, so I want you to have me stuck in your heart like a nail that won’t come out for the rest of your life.

You told me to forget, but not to forget.

p>

I am already your unhappiness, so I am happy.

The words did not match like a letter from a schizophrenic patient. You told me to forget, but I wanted you to be unhappy because I could not forget you.

Looking back, it was the same at Newport Port. While running away from him, she had stopped and poured out words and actions that would wound him.

I no longer have any resentment or interest in you.

It’s funny. The smell of resentment and interest from you is so strong.

Grace still has lingering feelings for him.

That was the psychology Leon had captured.

Even if the root was not love but hatred, it did not matter. It was better to plant hatred than nothing. The only thing Leon could cling to and hope for now was to erase the emotion he did not want from that woman’s heart.

Grace, do you wish I couldn’t let you go?

I will make sure you can’t let me go either. No matter where you are, you can never escape from me.

That was why he had chosen the media.

Whenever that woman in some place in this kingdom turned on the radio, walked the streets, she would have no choice but to see his face endlessly and hear his news endlessly.

He only showed her a happy appearance to the woman who wanted to see him suffer. In front of the woman who believed he was a villain, the media praised him as a hero. It was obvious how twisted her stomach would be.

Until you can’t stand it and come out to bother me, I will bother you.

Now that I am your flaw, I will erase you from your perfect life.

It’s ridiculous. Just as I can’t forget you, you can’t forget me.

The restaurant Norman had reserved was in Prescot, fifteen minutes by car from the studio. It was a bustling restaurant only one block away from the Paramount Theater where the screening would be held next month.

“I wanted to take you to a better place, but I had to make a reservation at the last minute…”

Norman, sitting across from her at a small table, said that. Grace looked at him and waved her hand.

“No, this place is good too. If anything is wrong, it’s my fault for suddenly saying I wanted to eat dinner.”

“Not your fault. I’m happy that I could have a date with Anna even at the last minute.”

Grace smiled back at the smiling man and fiddled with her empty left ring finger under the table. When she was about to leave work, Mrs. Tate had scolded her so much, “Take off the ring for a while.” And she had even run a sweat because she had refused the manager’s offer to lend her a deep V-neck dress that made her chest look especially beautiful.

“Where do you live, Anna?”

“In Greenfield.”

Actually, she lived in Hazel Brook on the way to Greenfield from the studio.