Chapter 03 

The Man Called the Black Hound

Florence vividly remembered the day she first saw the Grand Duke in question.

“Grand Duke Edelston Kylan Ricardo is entering!”

The moment Florence had finished getting her satisfaction from making Clark and Lady Paradi applaud the new couple and turned away, the Grand Duke Edelston had appeared with the announcement of a chamberlain.

And he looked as though he had just come straight from a battlefield.

As if to prove his notorious reputation as the Butcher of Nobles, he carried a sword with dried blood staining the blade and wore boots splattered with red.

His cloak fluttered behind him as though it were about to emit black smoke, and he strode into the banquet hall with the confidence and arrogance of a demon descended upon the earth.

His overwhelming presence pressed down upon everyone in the room, making the entire crowd fall silent.

But wasn’t a demon, for all its frightening nature, also alluring?

Standing in what seemed like direct opposition to the sacred saints painted across the ceiling, there was something about him that made it impossible to look away.

“Isn’t that the Grand Duke who appeared two years ago claiming to be the late Emperor’s illegitimate son? I heard his mother was of low birth.”

“Watch what you say! Do you want your entire family destroyed? He’s called the Black Hound. They say he’ll kill everyone if things don’t go his way.”

“Oh my, if I were to die at the hands of such a handsome man, I wouldn’t mind at all, hohoho!”

The nobles gathered in the banquet hall whispered among themselves, their gazes filled with a mixture of contempt, fear, and desire.

“Oh, my dear brother. I heard you just returned after dealing with House Marquess Elton, which was plotting a rebellion. Well done!”

“……Your Majesty.”

As the Emperor publicly praised him, the nobles gathered there realized that this was a warning directed at them.

If you commit treason, Grand Duke Edelston will deal with you.

It was a secret that everyone knew but no one dared to say aloud.

[The Emperor was using Grand Duke Edelston as a card to strengthen Imperial authority.]

After changing into proper attire at the Emperor’s command, Edelston returned to the banquet hall, where countless people gathered around him.

Their awe of his beauty had overcome their fear.

But Florence, whose mind was still complicated by the aftermath of her broken engagement, simply watched the scene indifferently from a distance, standing alone.

……He is handsome, though.

It was nothing more than a quiet murmur to herself.

But perhaps he had heard her.

The Grand Duke Edelston suddenly looked at her.

Startled, Florence quickly turned her head away and avoided his gaze.

Surely not. We’re quite far apart. Perhaps he heard about the commotion over my broken engagement and simply became curious.

She absolutely did not want any more attention focused on her.

But just as she was about to turn around and leave the hall, an even bigger problem arose.

Grand Duke Edelston left the crowd behind and strode directly toward her.

“Lady Sinclair, I would like to ask for permission to escort you.”

Florence almost lost control of her expression at his sudden proposal.

She couldn’t understand why he wanted to escort her when he barely even knew her.

Phew. He’s not someone I want to get involved with.

He was a beautiful but dangerous man.

After being publicly dumped, getting involved with a man like him right away could only bring trouble.

“……Thank you, Your Grace.”

But in the end, there was only one answer she could give.

There was no way a mere daughter of a count could refuse a Grand Duke’s offer of an escort.

He approached her with slow, measured steps.

He was unbelievably tall, almost like a giant.

His shoulders were broad, his torso thick, and the overwhelming pressure radiating from him was so immense that she almost felt as though she were facing a beautiful yet dangerous wild beast.

“Your hand.”

The hand he extended toward her was large and solid enough to resemble a shield.

Compared to his refined, aristocratic face, his hand was covered in scars, bearing the unmistakable marks of a hard life.

It suited the title of Black Hound perfectly.

The thought that those hands had cut down countless people was almost chilling, but Florence had no choice but to place her hand in his.

Holding his enormous hand, nearly twice the size of hers, Florence walked toward the main entrance at an unhurried pace.

As she passed Clark, their eyes met briefly.

But she calmly looked straight ahead again.

If only I could sneer right in his face and say, “It was disgusting being with you, so let’s never see each other again.”

Still, seeing Clark’s foolish-looking face was satisfying enough.

“You did well.”

When they passed through the banquet hall doors and stepped outside, Grand Duke Edelston’s eyes gleamed as he said something strange.

Florence suddenly felt a lump rise in her throat.

What did he mean by saying she had done well?

Her broken engagement with Clark?

Her conduct at the banquet?

Accepting the Grand Duke’s escort?

And more importantly, why would he have any reason to say something like that to her?

“Thank you for the escort.”

Instead of snapping at him, Florence politely expressed her gratitude while loosening the hand she had clasped with his.

It was meant to tell him:

Please stop holding my hand like you’re gripping your prey.

But instead of answering, he merely smiled quietly.

His white, even teeth complemented the graceful curve of his red lips.

The smile oozed sensuality, as though an incarnation of lust itself had descended upon the earth, overflowing with temptation.

And perhaps he was simply oblivious, because he still hadn’t released her hand.

Even after the carriage bearing the Sinclair family crest had stopped in front of them.

“Your Grace, you should return to the banquet hall now. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

In the end, Florence could no longer bear it and was just about to pull her hand away when the Grand Duke suddenly stepped closer.

A heavy woody scent seemed to press down around her as his eyes grew even darker.

“May I see you again? And since it is already late, I would like to escort you home.”

He gently drew her hand toward him, his eyes glinting dangerously.

Then the sensation of warm, soft lips against the back of her hand traveled through her body, and Florence shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation that pierced through her entire being.

The moment his lips touched the back of her hand, she was overwhelmed by a very strange feeling.

As though, if she dug deep enough into her memories, she would find some fragment of him hidden somewhere.

It felt familiar, yet strangely sad.

If she had to define the sensation, it was closer to discomfort than pleasure.

“I’m fine. And I don’t think we’ll have any reason to see each other again.”

Even though she cut him off with a coldness bordering on rudeness, he merely smiled.

Instead, he moved even closer and whispered into her ear.

“Who knows? Life is always unpredictable.”

His face still wore the polite, gentlemanly smile of a refined nobleman.

But his eyes did not.

His eyes gleamed like those of a leopard that had just found its prey as he continued.

“If you wish, shall I deal with Young Master Idiart for you? Lady Paradi as well, while I’m at it.”

Florence wanted to avert her eyes, but strangely, she couldn’t.

A strange tingling sensation spread through her stomach, and her breathing suddenly became shallow.

Without realizing it, she tightened her grip on the hand he was holding.

When his breath, coming from so close, entered her nose like a fragrant cup of poisonous wine, she suddenly came to her senses and quickly took a step backward.

“I must decline. This is a matter between our families, so there is no need for Your Grace to concern yourself with it.”

Perhaps she looked like she was stubbornly refusing him.

Perhaps he thought she was putting on a ridiculous act.

But Florence didn’t care what he thought.

She simply wanted to get away from this man radiating such a dangerous aura as quickly as possible.

“Still, thanks to Your Grace, I was able to make my exit with some dignity. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Gathering every last ounce of her spirit and employing her final bit of social grace, Florence firmly pulled her hand free from Edelston’s grasp and hurried into her carriage as though fleeing.

I thought I’d never have to see the Grand Duke again.

Yet the groom standing before Florence now was the very same man with the rough, scarred hands.

The very same Grand Duke Edelston who had told her that life was always unpredictable.

It was him.

Florence restrained her trembling body and looked up at Grand Duke Edelston, standing in the groom’s place.

At the Imperial Palace banquet, he had radiated an unbearably beautiful and dangerously sensual aura.

And now that same man was smiling brightly with the happiest expression imaginable, as though this really were the happiest day of his life.

Dangerous.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded against her chest as tension and fear became hopelessly tangled together.

It was as though her entire body had turned into a drum for her heart.

“I’ll help you.”

He completely covered Florence’s trembling hand with his own while she held the pen.

Then, with a gentle movement, he guided the pen and casually scribbled something into the bride’s signature box.

And just like that, Florence, half out of her mind from shock, ended up marrying Grand Duke Edelston.

“Now, I hereby declare the two of you husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss!”

Florence was hit by yet another crisis before she even had time to process what had happened.

Her panic reached its peak, and she nearly stumbled backward.

She had been so focused on surviving the wedding ceremony itself that she had completely forgotten about the part involving a kiss.