Chapter 11

Last night's early evening rain grew stronger, and by morning, it was pouring as if the sky had opened up.

The storm seemed to be intensifying, and Adeline woke up to the sound of the torrential rain.

The window hinges creaked under the weight of the downpour.

"Is this house going to be okay?"

It was, after all, the villa of the Thorpeo family, despite being neglected.

Yesterday, watching the rain, she thought everything would be fine.

"Surely, the Thorpeo family's villa won't collapse."

But the intense downpour began to worry her.

The rattling windows seemed to signal an impending disaster.

Soon, her worries turned into reality.

With a thunderclap, a flash of lightning was followed by the sound of something splitting.

"What, what's that? Oh!"

Shocked by the loud noise, Adeline rushed to the window and gasped.

A large tree struck by lightning had split in two and was now leaning towards the mansion's wall.

"What's happening, Adel?" The Duke hurried to her side.

She frantically pointed to the window.

Through the window, the half tree slowly tilted towards the mansion.

It all happened in an instant. The falling tree crashed through the window into the mansion.

Adeline and the Duke exchanged a look of disbelief.

"What do we do?"

"Oh no. The window is completely ruined."

Adeline sighed, hardly believing the situation.

She paced around, unsure what to do next.

Then another loud crash was heard, this time from a nearby room.

"That sound! Isn't it from the office?"

They quickly left the bedroom and headed to the office.

Sure enough, the office window was shattered, glass strewn everywhere, and the rain was pouring in.

"Oh my God."

Adeline's sigh was laced with despair.

Yet, standing there wasn't a solution. She began picking up the glass shards.

The Duke, noticing her, intervened.

"You'll hurt yourself. Let me do it, get out of here."

Reluctantly, Adeline stepped back and looked at the barely hanging window.

'How to repair this?'

As she approached the window, the rain soaked her through.

Ignoring it, she tried to remove the hinge with her bare hands.

The Duke, almost done with the glass, noticed her dangerous action and shouted.

"Adel, let's call a repairman! It's too rainy, we can't do this."

"No."

Adeline insisted, struggling with the hinge.

"Just call a repairman."

The Duke reached out to stop her.

"Don't do this!"

Adeline fiercely shook off his hand and unexpectedly shouted.

If they called a repairman and he recognized the Duke as Thorpeo…

But the Duke, unaware of her concerns, didn't understand her refusal.

"Adel! Why are you being so stubborn…"

"Ah!"

Adeline lost her balance and fell from the window frame.

As she fell, the sharp edge of the twisted hinge sliced through her palm.

A groan escaped her lips. Blood oozed from her palm, dripping onto the floor.

"I told you not to do it!"

Upon seeing the blood streaming from Adeline's palm, the Duke's anger boiled over.

He knew she was stubborn, but he hadn't expected such recklessness.

He had been anxious watching her precariously balance at the window, trying to fix it.

And now, this accident.

"Why are you so stubborn?! Let's see the wound."

He examined Adeline's palm, his brow furrowing deeply.

"Ah, it's a deep cut. Wait, I'll get some medicine."

He stormed out, slamming the door. Alone, Adeline slumped down, her head in her hands.

"Ah…"

Nothing was going right.

She hadn't really believed she could fix the broken window herself.

But given the situation, she couldn't call a repairman, so she tried to fix it herself.

'I didn't want to get hurt. Why is he angry when I'm the one injured?'

As she was welling up with emotions, the Duke returned and silently treated her hand.

Adeline's gaze fell on his back.

The office became more drenched as the rain poured in.

"We need to block the rain…"

Muttering to herself, Adeline's words drew the Duke's attention.

He surveyed the room and pointed to a piece of furniture.

"Let's use that to block the window for now. It seems movable. And we'll call a repairman tomorrow."

Adeline gasped at the furniture he indicated – it was covering the passage to the basement.

"No!"

She couldn't reveal the passage to the basement. She had no choice but to keep objecting.

"Why not?"

His brow furrowed.

"Why are you being so obstinate?"

The Duke couldn't understand her stubbornness, unaware of her inner turmoil.

"Anyway. If it's no, it's no. Just leave it. I'll take care of the house."

"Fine! Do as you please. I can't understand anymore."

Annoyed by Adeline's stubborn and irritated tone, the Duke got up and left the office.

Adeline approached the window and angrily drew the curtains.

She was fed up with the relentless rain.

Her wet dress clung to her, and her injured palm throbbed, only adding to her frustration.

Adeline, uncomfortable in her damp dress, returned to the bedroom.

Was the villa always this large? The bedroom felt eerily quiet and dark today.

As she reached for the zipper on the back of her dress, a sharp pain shot through her palm.

It was deeper than she thought, throbbing with every slight movement.

The zipper kept slipping, frustrating her further.

The bedroom door opened behind her.

Had the Duke returned? Adeline stopped trying to unzip and turned towards the sound.

Unaware of her intention to change, the Duke entered the room and slumped onto the sofa irritably.

No words were exchanged between them.

Adeline, needing to change, found it absurd that he was occupying the sofa.

"Can you leave for a moment? I need to change."

She spoke without looking his way.

"Why should I leave?"

Still upset from their earlier argument, he showed no intention of moving.

"Then stay as you are."

Adeline's response, laced with a soft sigh, prompted the Duke to stand.

Perhaps realizing his own pettiness, he walked towards the bedroom door.

'What am I doing?'

Tired from the heavy rain, she felt drained. It seemed like an unnecessary emotional toll.

While she understood his feelings, Adeline lacked the energy to explain everything in detail.

Moreover, she couldn't honestly spill everything, adding to her frustration.

She was left with no choice.

Adeline struggled again to unzip her dress.

It felt like her hand could reach the zipper, but it kept slipping.

Trying too hard only aggravated her injured hand.

"Ah…"

Emotions she had suppressed welled up.

She had lived a tough life, believing it was her fate, but now found herself in constant hardship.

Having escaped an engagement with a prince who killed his fiancées, she fled to this villa.

She had hoped that saving the Duke would also save her.

But nothing was going right.

'Perhaps I shouldn't have saved the Duke.'

Her negative thoughts spiraled, quickly overwhelming her.

And that's when her eyes started to moisten.

"Stubborn, aren't you?"

A flat voice surprised her. Turning around, she felt the Duke's solid presence blocking her way.

He had returned, unbeknownst to her.

The Duke grabbed her wrist, pulled it down, and whispered close to her ear.

"Stay still."

His warm fingers touched Adeline's cold neck as she was soaked in her wet dress.

"Why did you let yourself get so cold?"

"Ah!"

His sudden touch made her shrink back.

"With your hand in that state, how did you plan to unzip this?"

He sighed and slowly began to unzip her dress.

The zipper seemed to move excruciatingly slow, revealing Adeline's pale skin as it went down her back and waist.

Then, something warm and soft touched her partially exposed shoulder.

Adeline flinched, about to turn around.

"What just…"

Before she could speak, the Duke leaned in, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

His hot breath brushed against her back, making her feel a warmth spreading inside.

"Adel."

His voice, a low growl, left her speechless.

After a moment of silence, he turned her around to face him.

His eyes caught hers immediately – the intense, blood-red irises.

Adeline instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed by the illusion of flames in his eyes.

The guilt and tension of deceiving him tangled inside her, tormenting her.

"Why are you avoiding my gaze now?"

"I haven't avoided your gaze."

Adeline tried to turn away, feigning ignorance.

But before she could do so, the Duke's large hand swiftly reached out, grasping both of Adeline's cheeks.

"Then don't avoid me."

His voice, low and resonating near her ear, accompanied his face drawing closer.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 35.

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