Chapter 15

“Henry.”

After a long period of silence, Jeremy finally spoke. Henry, ready to vent his frustration about Count Ryles, was caught off guard.

“I think my tastes have changed.”

What came from Jeremy’s mouth, however, had nothing to do with Count Ryles.

“What kind of tastes? Your taste in women? Your taste has always been all over the place, except for the fact that they’re pretty.”

“Not that.”

“Then what?”

Jeremy’s gaze drifted as he stared vacantly ahead, as though his eyes were fixed on something far away.

“I think I have a sadistic streak.”

“…You’re crazy.”

Henry, instantly understanding the implication of Jeremy’s words, couldn’t help but curse. At a time when Count Ryles was already irritated, Jeremy had gone and involved himself with another woman.

Despite being his friend, Henry couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“So, what kind of woman is it this time?”

“Mm…”

Jeremy, still gazing at the “Shards of the Moon” necklace he had set down earlier, grinned faintly before answering.

“A greedy woman.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

For several days, the Ryles Estate was bustling with activity.

It was all in preparation for Selina’s birthday party. Especially now, with the party the following day, the household was even busier as everyone worked to decorate the mansion.

“I wish we could just have a small, simple gathering like usual.”

While decorating the hall for the party, Janice, as always, explained the Ryles family’s past events to Velita.

“Ever since Miss Selina’s health started to decline, we haven’t held any social parties. The birthday parties were always just small family affairs with Count Ryles and Master Jeremy. Of course, even those were extravagant for family events… But anyway, it’s been such a long time since we’ve had a party where we invite others to celebrate her birthday.”

In other words, this party would be Selina’s chance to reappear in society.

As Velita decorated the second-floor railing with silk cloth and flowers, she shared a sympathetic smile in response to Janice’s grumbling about how hard the task was.

“By the way, Janice.”

“Yeah?”

“Exactly where is Miss Selina sick?”

It was a question that had been on Velita’s mind for a while.

Everyone kept saying that Miss Selina was frail, but no one ever specified where she was weak. From what Cain Mortens had said, it seemed like she had been ill in the past…

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“All I know is that Miss Selina is just frail. The doctor checks on her regularly, but as servants, we don’t really need to know the specifics of her illness.”

Since it was Velita’s first time working as a servant, she wasn’t sure what was right or wrong, but she found it odd. After all, if the lady they served was ill, wouldn’t it be basic for the servants to know what the illness was, unless it was something that had to be kept hidden from everyone?

“Ah…”

Just as Velita pondered her question about Selina, a decorative flower slipped from her hand and fell to the floor below.

“Oh no, what do I do now?”

The flower wasn’t dangerous, so no one would get hurt from it falling. Going down to retrieve it was just a minor inconvenience. But the sharp pain in Velita’s wrist from the missed grip was enough to heighten her senses.

“I didn’t see it and accidentally kicked it. Sorry, Velita.”

It was Emma Collin who, crouching down, had kicked Velita’s wrist while she was trying to hang the flower on the railing. The apology was clearly a lie, as the action had been deliberate.

“Emma! What is this?”

Velita, staring blankly at her wrist, was about to be scolded by Janice on her behalf. However, not wanting to attract attention for something unpleasant, Velita quickly calmed Janice down.

Janice had a habit of raising her voice when she got upset, so Velita had to make extra effort to keep things calm.

“It’s fine, Emma. It could happen by accident.”

Velita, holding her reddened wrist, gave a bitter smile and forgave Emma easily. From behind, Janice could be heard clenching her fists in frustration, but this was neither the time nor the place to raise their voices and argue.

However, there was something Janice didn’t know.

“Thanks for understanding, Velita. Looks like I scraped my foot on something, so I should put some medicine on it. Oh, I wonder if there’s any medicine for wounds around here?”

“You can ask Master Jeremy to call a doctor for you. It’s fine.”

“…”

“Or you could just ask him to put some medicine on it, so don’t worry too much.”

What Janice didn’t know was that Velita had been angry for quite some time.

It wasn’t just Emma who was making Velita angry.

Ever since she met Cain Mortens, Velita had been upset, though she hadn’t shown it to anyone. She had been holding onto her anger all along, and now she just wanted to vent it on someone. Unfortunately, that someone happened to be Emma Collin.

If Emma were still close to Jeremy, she wouldn’t have shown any signs of being disturbed by Velita’s words.

‘So Jeremy’s been neglecting her.’

She had guessed as much, but now it was clear that the only woman Jeremy was seeing lately was Velita herself. Although she hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up, she was grateful to Emma for inadvertently confirming it.

“Acting so full of yourself. I told you, I’ve seen a lot of women like you.”

“Don’t be jealous, Emma. Women blinded by jealousy are so common, you know.”

While Emma’s voice grew more agitated, Velita’s remained calm, as always.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever have to deal with someone like you again.”

You’ve had plenty of women like me, but I won’t be one of them.

As the meaning of her words dawned on Emma, her expression slowly began to crumble.

“I wondered where my maid was slacking off.”

Velita turned around at the sound of a voice coming from behind.

“Master, didn’t you say you were going out today?”

“That was the plan, but something more important came up.”

Even though Emma was standing right there, Jeremy completely ignored her, as though she weren’t even there. He then turned to Janice, seeking her approval.

“Would it be all right if I took my maid with me?”

“Of course, Master!”

Though technically Jeremy didn’t need Janice’s permission, it was essentially a formality.

Janice, who had already picked up on the relationship between Jeremy and Velita, mischievously raised an eyebrow, urging Velita to go.

Emma stood frozen, unable to move as Jeremy passed by her without so much as a glance. Velita felt a small twinge of sympathy for Emma, but that was all. Without a second thought, she followed behind Jeremy, walking past the motionless Emma Collin.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Ugh…! Mmph!”

As soon as they entered a secluded spot away from others’ eyes, Jeremy pushed Velita against the wall. Before she could even let out a pained groan from hitting her head, his sticky lips pressed against hers.

Jeremy clung to her lips as if he were a starved man unwilling to part. Velita, still reeling from the sharp pain in her head, let out a faint moan and tried to pull away. Sensing her resistance, he hastily stroked the back of her head in a soothing manner. However, she knew all too well that this seemingly gentle touch wasn’t meant to comfort her—it carried a different intention entirely.

The power in this relationship had always belonged to Jeremy, leaving Velita with no choice but to follow wherever he led. However, over the brief time they had spent together, Velita had come to understand one crucial rule for maintaining this precarious arrangement.

Make sure Jeremy never grew bored of her.

Jeremy disliked dragging things out with naive pretense, but he enjoyed being teased in a way that stoked his impatience.

“Velita…”

Jeremy finally pulled away, his voice low as he murmured her name. He tried to guide her toward the bed, but Velita, not missing the momentary gap, swiftly slipped out of his grasp.

“You knew I hit my head earlier,” Velita said, feigning a sulky tone.

Jeremy glanced at his now-empty hand, which had just been holding hers, and then let out a soft laugh.

It seemed he was more than willing to indulge in this little game of “soothing a pouting lover.”

“Alright, alright. My fault,” he said with mock contrition.

Of course, this game didn’t always work.

On days when Jeremy wasn’t in the mood, such playful complaints wouldn’t get her anywhere. Fortunately, he seemed to be in quite a good mood today.

Jeremy crept toward Velita, who had slipped out of his grasp like a cat, moving as if to humor her retreat. But when he noticed her preparing to escape again, he moved swiftly, catching her with ease and pulling her back into his arms.

“Kyah!” Velita let out a startled scream before bursting into laughter, finding herself naturally perched on Jeremy’s lap, seated on the nearest sofa. Realizing belatedly that she’d made such a loud noise, she quickly covered her mouth. Thankfully, no one outside seemed to have heard or entered to investigate.

Jeremy, as always, remained unfazed by the precariousness of being discovered in such a compromising situation.

“Well, since I’ve wronged you, I suppose I owe you some kind of compensation.”

At some point, Jeremy had developed a habit of giving Velita “rewards.” Sometimes it was for obeying him well, sometimes for looking particularly stunning, and other times, simply for laughing in a way that pleased him.

What he found endearing, and consequently what he decided to give, always depended entirely on his mood that day.

“What shall I do for you? Shall I knock Emma down a peg for you?” he asked with a sly smile, his tone dripping with mischief.

Jeremy playfully pressed Velita’s nose, acting as though he already knew about her strained relationship with Emma.

Well, it wasn’t surprising if he had noticed. Ever since his relationship with Velita deepened, he hadn’t sought out Emma Collin at all.

Velita could tell because of Emma’s growing jealousy, which seemed to thicken with each passing day. And, truthfully, Velita didn’t mind being the object of Emma’s envy or the way Jeremy treated her like a cherished cat.

“Or would you prefer a few days off? Preparing for Selina’s birthday party must be tedious,” Jeremy offered with a teasing tone.

“But if I take time off while young master isn’t around, I’d have absolutely nothing to do.”

“Then you could go out shopping or something,” he suggested lazily.

Most of the rewards Jeremy gave Velita were material things—pretty accessories, or sometimes, he’d outright hand her money.

“Young master, I actually have a different favor to ask…”

Jeremy pulled her waist tightly against him, though it was questionable whether he was truly listening to her.

With a finger hooked through the loop of her blouse ribbon, he gave it a deliberate tug, letting it slowly unravel.

Swish. Jeremy’s hand continued to undo the ribbon’s knot, and Velita didn’t stop him. Instead, she leaned closer and kept speaking softly into his ear.

“That knight… I’m talking about him.”

Jeremy, who had earlier declared he’d offer her a reward, seemed utterly uninterested in her words. By now, he had completely untied the ribbon and was more focused on unfastening her buttons.

“Does he have any weaknesses?”

Just as Jeremy unbuttoned the third button, his hand slipped beneath the fabric. Yet, he paused and looked up at her face intently, as if gauging her intentions.

He had been thinking lately that Velita was becoming bolder…

“Cain Mortens?”

“Yes.”

And today, her audacity was especially brazen.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“I told you before. That knight insults me every time he sees me for no reason.”

“And if I tell you his weakness, are you planning to blackmail him?”

“How could someone like me dare do such a thing to a noble knight of the sacred temple?” she replied, her voice tinged with mock innocence.

“Then knowing his weakness won’t help you much.”

“But I can savor it privately and laugh at him in my head. It might ease some of my anger,” Velita replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

She was getting bolder.

Jeremy considered knocking her down a peg, but for now, her audacity amused him too much to bother. Besides, he still found her cheekiness endearing.

“What could Sir Cain Mortens have been thinking to upset my maid so terribly?” he mused, feigning concern while his hands deftly undid the rest of her buttons.

“I’ll make sure Cain Mortens pays for upsetting you later. But in return…”

“…”

“Won’t you entertain me a little?”

If Velita had known he would dismiss her so lightly, she might have just asked him to buy her something instead. It was absurd to expect the son of a duke to reveal the weakness of a knight sworn to the temple just because of a maid’s grievances.

Still, Jeremy had been granting most of her requests lately, so she figured it was worth a shot. Given the tension between him and Cain, she thought there might be a slim chance. But it seemed this time, her hopes had been too high.

Pouting, Velita leaned into him, slipping his hand further beneath her loosened clothing as she kissed him.

Whether it was the feeling of being cherished or the material rewards he offered, the more satisfied Velita was with what she gained from Jeremy, the more inclined she felt to indulge his desires in return.