Chapter 8

“What? What did I just hear?”

Velita flinched at the word “darling,” a term Jeremy used to address her as if she were his lover, and he placed his arm around her shoulders.

“Darling, you don’t look well. What’s going on, hmm?”

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“Well, that is…”

“Oh, did that hideous fellow standing right in front of me do this to you?”

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Jeremy’s disparaging comment about Killian, calling him a “hideous fellow,” left Velita visibly flustered.

After all, Jeremy hadn’t even acknowledged Killian’s presence, treating him as though he didn’t exist. Yet, he hurled such harsh words without hesitation.

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But, strangely, she didn’t hate it.

Having someone openly take her side like this wasn’t a first, but knowing that a figure far stronger than her aggressor was on her side brought a strange thrill to Velita.

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“Velita.”

A peculiar sensation crept up from her toes, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. Jeremy, observing her reaction, lowered his head and whispered in her ear.

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“If I help you, what will you give me in return?”

“Ah…”

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His soft, low whisper made Velita finally realize it.

Jeremy’s extended hand wasn’t an offer of help without strings attached.

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Even in this urgent situation, doubt clouded her thoughts.

‘Is it okay for me to accept Jeremy’s help like this…?’

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It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Jeremy wanted. Whether or not he had genuine feelings for her, in a situation like this, there was only one thing a man could desire from a woman.

There was nothing difficult about it. And yet, the thought of how the maids’ cruel gossip about her earlier that day was now becoming her reality left a bitter taste in her mouth. Emma Collin whispered love to Jeremy in pursuit of wealth, and here she was, reaching for his hand to escape her family.

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Was there truly any difference between the two?

“Hmm? Velita.”

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Jeremy’s voice urged her gently but firmly.

“Do you…”

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Velita, knowing full well how foolish it sounded, couldn’t stop herself from asking him.

“Love me…?”

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She whispered softly, low enough that Killian wouldn’t hear. The moment the words left her lips, shame flushed her ears red. Even if Jeremy had any interest in her, it was laughable to imagine it aligning with something as lofty as love. Yet here she was, daring to ask for something so grand.

If Jeremy became annoyed and let go of her hand, she couldn’t blame him. Bowing her head, Velita prepared for rejection.

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“My beloved Velita.”

Jeremy’s voice rang out clearly, loud enough for even Killian to hear, as he called to her.

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“What’s holding you back?”

“…”

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“It would be so easy if you just took my hand.”

The warmth and protection Jeremy offered at that moment reminded her of a boy she used to know.

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Once, there had been someone who treated Velita as though she were more precious than any treasure. With that boy, she could hold her head high, as if she were truly something special. As a child, she’d been content with whispered affection and praise that lifted her spirits, even if they came from someone as powerless as she was.

But now, such fleeting comforts weren’t enough.

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That boy was no longer by her side, and the only way she could protect herself now was by selling what little she had left to offer.

“I’m on my own now.”

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The realization hit her with sudden clarity.

She had long considered the possibility that the boy who had cherished her, Daniel, might be dead.

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But deep in her heart, she had always denied it. Daniel’s promise to return from the battlefield as a grand knight had been the one glimmer of hope in Velita’s miserable life.

And yet, here and now, Velita fully grasped an unavoidable truth. She accepted it.

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Daniel might never return. Her hopes, like so many other things in her life, had been crushed by the weight of reality. And there was no choice but to move forward, alone.

“I…”

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Velita leaned into Jeremy’s arms, murmuring softly so that only he could hear.

“I’ll give myself to you.”

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It was a belated response to the question he had asked earlier:

[If I help you, what will you give me in return?]

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“So, please… get rid of that man in front of me.”

With just that simple choice, the nightmare was over.

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“Get rid of him.”

Jeremy uttered the command with cold indifference.

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At his words, the nearby servants swarmed in, dragging the large-framed Killian away like a dog, despite his struggles.

“Let me go! Velita! Velita!”

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He called out her name—his younger sister’s name—desperately, but Velita showed no intention of helping him.

Jeremy, noticing Velita’s fingers slowly entwined with his, raised their clasped hands and teased her with a playful smile.

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“Shall we go now, darling?”

Velita nodded obediently.

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⚜ ⚜ ⚜

She couldn’t quite remember how she’d managed to step into the mansion in the first place.

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Instead of heading upstairs to his bedroom, Jeremy had forcefully ushered Velita into an empty room on the first floor. There, he pushed her slender, defenseless body onto the sofa, leaving her lying down in a vulnerable state.

Velita felt the hairs on her body stand on end, a visceral reaction to the situation. She hadn’t come this far to turn back now.

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But, deep down, an urge to flee crept in.

She’d never experienced this before.

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The weight of being in an unfamiliar situation for the first time and the fear born from her ignorance pressed heavily on her body and mind. The only comfort she found was that Jeremy wasn’t acting hastily.

Though he had seemed poised to kiss her the moment he laid her down on the sofa, Jeremy paused, observing her stiff form as if studying her. Then, he adjusted his demeanor, taking a more deliberate, unhurried approach.

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Sitting on the edge of the long sofa, beside where Velita lay flat, Jeremy’s voice was soft and teasing as he asked, “Are you scared?”

His hands, large yet elegant, with no signs of calluses and long, graceful fingers, played near the buttons of her blouse.

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Click, clatter, click…

As his fingers lightly trailed from her collar to her navel, her buttons made faint, intermittent sounds as they shifted under his touch.

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“…I’m not scared,” Velita managed to say.

“You’re brave, aren’t you, my Velita?”

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“Just… get it over with,” she replied.

“I don’t enjoy doing things alone.”

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Was he bragging about how many times he’d done this with Emma? Velita knew about his physical relationship with Emma, but for him to allude to it so blatantly now felt deeply inappropriate.

Velita narrowed her eyes, glaring sharply at Jeremy. Her expression must have signaled something to him, as he finally began undoing her buttons, this time more slowly and intentionally.

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His relaxed manner filled Velita with an inexplicable sense of unease.

“Y-You… you do like me, don’t you?”

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“…What?”

“You’re doing this because you like me… right?”

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She wanted assurance.

Velita needed to confirm that Jeremy truly liked her, that this wasn’t merely a transactional relationship born from their current circumstances.

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However, as Jeremy remained silent, his deep blue eyes fixed on her face, unease began to creep in. She had taken his hand to escape a dire situation, knowing full well what he wanted in return. Even so, if there was even a hint of love—or at least some affection—mixed in with his desire, she felt she could find some solace in that.

It would mean she wasn’t just spending the night with a man as part of some cold, calculated exchange, as the other maids had whispered about her.

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But no answer came.

The mounting anxiety prompted Velita to grab Jeremy’s wrist without even realizing it.

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“…If that’s the reassurance you want,” he said at last, a soft laugh escaping his lips as though he found the situation amusing. He slipped his hand beneath her clothing.

“Ah—!”

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“I love you, darling,” Jeremy whispered, his tone like that of an affectionate lover.

Velita’s trembling hand, which had been clutching his wrist, faltered and fell away.

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Her uncertainty was met with a response, and now it was time to accept him.

Velita quietly received Jeremy’s kisses, which rained down on her face and shoulders. Seeing her compliance seemed to please him, and his face lit up with a grin as he called her sweetly.

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“Darling.”

That tender address, as if she were someone’s cherished lover, someone truly loved, made her stop clawing at the sofa in nervousness.

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“What do you want me to do for you?”

His tone was as if he could give her the entire world. His deep blue eyes curved into crescents as they gazed at her, brimming with an affection so soft that Velita felt the strength drain from her body.

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As Jeremy’s weight pressed down on her, Velita suddenly recalled the conversation she had overheard earlier that day between Selina and the maids.

[Girls like that don’t know their place. They’ll start dreaming bigger.]

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[What if she harbors improper feelings for the young master?]

What had Lady Selina said in response back then?…

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[There’s no way my brother would ever see Velita as a woman, and he never should.]

Lady Selina had spoken with such certainty, firmly believing that Jeremy would never take an interest in someone as insignificant as Velita.

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[Of course, I also trust that Velita wouldn’t harbor those kinds of feelings for him either.]

Her words had made it clear: the very idea of Velita desiring Jeremy was absurd, unthinkable.

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Now, the emotions Velita had tried so hard to suppress—bitterness, frustration—were mingling with an unfamiliar, intoxicating sense of pleasure, slowly consuming her.

“Ah…!”

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It wasn’t just her circumstances or her actions that overwhelmed her; it was the realization that she had stepped into territory Lady Selina had deemed unimaginable. And yet, here she was, contradicting everything Selina believed about her.

The dam she had built within her heart collapsed, and emotions surged forth like a tidal wave, overwhelming her. The flood of negativity was too much to bear, and Velita began to sob, clutching at Jeremy’s wrist as his arms encircled her waist.

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Jeremy stroked her cheek, his voice gentle and soothing, as if he were comforting a child.

“Tell me what you want, Velita.”

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His voice stirred memories of someone else.

There had been another person who had wanted to give her everything, just like Jeremy. But while Jeremy had the power to do so, that person had not.

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He used to say the same thing to her, almost habitually:

[You’re precious, Vel.]

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But how did she appear in the eyes of the noble class?

[Pitiful.]

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Even at best, that was all she was—pitiful.

Just as Lady Selina seemed to view her.

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Yet, the man before her was consumed with desire for her—the pitiful girl she saw herself as. He even told her he loved her.

Some might laugh, mocking her for taking the words of a man desperate to lay a woman in his bed at face value.

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Still, Velita believed him. No, she wanted to believe him.

Even in the supposed paradise of the Ryles estate, where she often felt her misery keenly, she yearned to think there was someone who could offer her true, undivided affection.

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“H-Huh… Uh… Selly, what… what will you give Miss Selina for her birthday?”

Knowing it was presumptuous, even audacious, Velita couldn’t help but envy Selina. If she could be reborn in a world like Selina’s, where love flowed without lack or struggle, she felt she could endure dying a hundred times over.

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And so, when Jeremy asked what she wanted, she brought up Selina’s birthday gift.

In truth, Velita already knew what Selina was going to receive.

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Over dinner that evening, Selina had proudly shared what she would be getting from Jeremy—a diamond necklace.

“That… that diamond necklace… give it to me.”

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The necklace had recently come to auction from the royal family of a neighboring country, which had fallen in a revolution. It was an extravagant piece, and Jeremy had apparently promised it to Selina as her birthday gift.

Now, here was Velita, accepting Jeremy’s advances while asking him for the very present he intended for his sister.

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“Phew…”

Jeremy, who had been holding her tightly, said nothing in response.

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No man would gift such a precious necklace to a woman he had only just begun to claim. Velita knew her request was excessive.

But she did not back down.

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As Jeremy bent to kiss her, Velita turned her head away, evading him.

Her envy of Selina, the idea of her birthday gift, played a significant part in her request. But it wasn’t the whole reason.

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For Velita, it was a matter of survival.

She had managed to drive Killian away today, but she knew he would return. And there was no guarantee Jeremy would be there to protect her each time. If Killian decided to cause a scene at the estate gates, she couldn’t stop him.

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Velita closed her eyes, the sound of the maids’ gossiping laughter echoing in her mind.

A necklace like the one Selina was supposed to receive was worth a fortune. If she had something of such value, she could turn it into the means to protect herself from Killian.

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For that to happen, Jeremy had to help her.

When he leaned in to kiss her again, Velita dodged him once more, turning her head away.

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“…Ha.”

Jeremy exhaled a low sigh, his breath brushing against her shoulder.

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This greedy maid, it seemed, wouldn’t yield to gentle coaxing alone. Jeremy adjusted his approach, gripping her chin firmly, leaving no room for defiance.

 

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