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Elisha shook her head slowly.

“It is not so.”

“Give me the letter.”

“No.”

Lucerne realized it was the first time she had said no to him. But he was already right in front of Elisha.

“I don’t want to be uncouth to you.”

Lucerne whispered most tenderly.

“Give me your hand, Elisha.”

“… … .”

She looked up at him.

“… … Promise me you won’t be angry. I just received this letter.”

Elisha said at last. Lucerne nodded with a stoic look.

She held out the letter.

His cold eyes scanned the letter very slowly.

Her mouth tasted bitter. Elisha wanted to hold on to something to reassure herself. But there was nothing for her to grab onto.

His eyes stared at her letter. She saw a terrible fury seep through his chilly glare. She wanted to close her eyes.

‘… … ah.’

And she thought Lucerne would turn away from her. But, instead, he unexpectedly reached out to her to support her body.

“First,”

Lucerne said curtly.

“Go back to the room.”

Elisha was barely breathing. Her face was pale like a sheet of paper. She barely managed to nod.

But that was the limit. Elisha just blacked out in Lucerne’s arms.

I shouldn’t have drunk, I shouldn’t have been so riled up, Elisha thought, feeling dizzy.

Things never turned out well when she was so worked up. As expected, she thought to herself, euphoria or joy did not suit her.

***

Chris Ellot Pian.

Chris,

Ellot,

Pian.

And Martin, Lecove and Avran. In addition… … .

Elisha couldn’t forget the names she had seen in her past life. The day she saw those names, she witnessed Lucerne’s rage for the first time.

Lying in her bed, half unconscious, the memories of her previous life occupied her head again.

Most of her previous life was hell. And the memory of that day was the worst of them all.

***

Elisha’s memory remained on that day after being held in Lucerne’s arms in a flower-filled spring.

That day was also the beginning of summer.

She was holding an old mirror on her lap. She looked in the mirror several times, inspecting her ugly face distorted by burn scars. She did it in an attempt to bring herself back to reality and realize her place. But it didn’t work much.

‘Why do I keep thinking about him? I must be crazy.’

A small change took place within her. A small flower of fervor bloomed in her heart. It was a miserable and shabby little flower.

But it was the only flower in her life. She couldn’t sleep for days trying to control her emotions.

But early one day, Elisha admitted it to herself:

Lucerne.

Thinking of him was the only joy she had in life.

It was the heart of a woman who had nothing, was hideous, pathetic, and terribly blind.

And then, a few days later, Carola summoned her.

“Do you remember? The day Lucerne got angry and stormed out of the Duke’s dining room. Carola said that day: ‘I have something for you to do.’”

“… … .”

“My orders are simple. You write a letter and summon Lucerne. The place… … . It should be here.”

“I can’t do it.”

Elisha rebelled against Carola for the first time in a long time.

“Mimosa. Bring the whip.”

Mimosa strode forward. Elisha was taken aback and backed away in surprise. Her large handmaid, Mimosa, was as strong as an average man. In the past, she had suffered for days afterwards when Mimosa had only beaten her with her bare hands.

“There’s no way the general will come out just because I invited him.”

“It’s not for you to judge. Do what Carola tells you to do. Even if you don’t, Mimosa will do it. She is a master at imitating handwriting, remember?”

There was no way for her to refuse this time again. Elisha had no choice but to follow her command.

At the time, Carola was running a secret club called the ‘Red Club’ under a borrowed name. The club’s primary use was to launder money to evade taxes. In reality, the institution acted as a courtesan lodge and venue for entertaining Jacob’s distinguished guests.

In the innermost part, guests were provided a room where various secret transactions were conducted. A round table with a white tablecloth was placed in the middle of the room, covered with faux silk wallpaper emblazoned with suggestive red flowers.

‘There’s no way that man would come to a place like this.’

Lucerne didn’t fit in here. He was a noble and beautiful man. Maybe Carola had lost her reason because she wanted Lucerne so much?

She had given her a strange order today.

‘Set the VIP table and put the names of the invited guests in front of each seat. Make sure it is visible as soon as you enter.’

Carola handed her a list of 14 people.

The list was frankly odd.

“Chris, Ellot, Pian, Lecove, Avran… … .”

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