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Dawnfall in the Name of Love

Translated by: ME

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*****

Late that night, after the reception had concluded.

Or rather, after the gathering that had devolved into a mere evening party, as Wellmy and her companions had hardly made an appearance.

Wellmy had not been permitted to return to the Count’s estate; in fact, she wasn't even allowed to step foot outside Eides’s mansion. After a bath, she had been made to change into a nightgown—one of fine, soft fabric, though a modest, ordinary style rather than a negligee—and was promptly deposited into Eides’s private chambers.

「You’ve arrived.」

He spoke with a smirk, seated on a two-seater sofa placed a short distance from the bed, a glass of fruit juice rather than alcohol in his hand.

(Surely he doesn't intend for me to... serve him in bed before the wedding...?)

As someone who had promised to 「accept any treatment」 and 「obey any command,」 Wellmy had no right of refusal, yet her expression inevitably stiffened.

「Do not look so worried. Just how much of a brute do you take the man you fell for to be, Wellmy?」

「...The 'cruel and atrocious Magus Lord' is quite famous in high society, Lord Eides.」

When she addressed him in the formal tone of a high-born lady, Eides let out a low chuckle. He set his juice on the table and patted the spot on the sofa beside him.

It was a silent command to come closer.

Moving obediently, Wellmy was suddenly pulled by the arm before she could even sit, tumbling into his embrace. Held snugly against him, she was overwhelmed by the warmth of his chest against her cheek and the faint, clean scent of soap.

「...Is this not a 'brutish' act?」

「I am only behaving this way because it seemed you had a preference for such things.」

Desperate not to let him realize how hot her face was becoming, she stayed still. He didn't press further, simply leaning down to brush his nose against her hair.

「What is the matter? This is hardly the reaction I expected from a 'shameless woman' who clung to men in public.」

Wellmy didn't answer. At that, Eides invoked his absolute authority.

「It is your duty to answer my questions, Wellmy. Why are you making such an innocent face?」

(He definitely knows what he's doing. He's enjoying this!)

She glared up at him, digging her nails lightly into his chest, but he didn't seem bothered in the least.

「...Being touched by someone you loathe is simply repulsive. That's all.」

It was true; Wellmy had never actually allowed Irvine to truly have his way with her. However, she had permitted him to stroke her skin, and she had draped her own arms around his.

She had been willing to do anything to ensure he stayed away from her sister.

「Keep speaking like that. I will not permit you to wear a mask when we are alone.」

Perhaps satisfied because she had answered his question, Eides narrowed his eyes with pleasure. Wellmy shot back, 「You have strange tastes.」

「Tell me... what is it about me that makes you so amused?」

His words had suggested he valued the various schemes she’d pulled to let her sister escape, but she assumed he had simply been impressed by her potential as a mistress of a house.

Eides was a man who kept ladies at such a distance he was rumored to be a misanthrope; there wasn't even a whisper of him ever laying a hand on a woman. That was why she had trusted him, believing he would appreciate her sister’s brilliance.

But this current physical closeness felt different. It was as if he were... cherishing and enjoying Wellmy herself, savoring the way she reacted to his words and actions.

「Let's see. The answer to that is simple... back at that first evening party where we met, you weren't the only one watching.」

「...You were watching me?」

「It's Eides, Wellmy. Call me by my name.」

At his prompt, Wellmy realized that he had been calling her by her name frequently. To use a name without a title was a sign of deep affection.

「...Eides. Why?」

「I was intrigued because you were the only one looking into my eyes.」

Eides was exceptionally handsome. Even with the rumors of his dislike for women, his sharp, refined features made him the object of constant longing. With his bluish-purple eyes and silver hair reminiscent of the stillness of night.

「That moment your expression shifted—greedy to search for something, yet desperate not to let it be known. In that gaze, there wasn't a single trace of the shallow, lecherous air I see in the countless ladies and wives who look only at the surface.」

「Well, of course. I was looking for someone I could entrust my sister to.」

Eides’s hand stroked Wellmy's hair.

「But you fell for me, didn't you? In that single instant, looking only into my pupils. Peering into my inner self.」

Wellmy caught her breath. She sharply averted her gaze and pouted.

「That's impossible. You're far too self-assured.」

「Wellmy. Did I not tell you to stop wearing a mask? If you keep this up, I'll be tempted to strip that nightgown right off of you.」

As he spoke, he reached for the ribbon at her chest as if to untie it. Wellmy frantically grabbed his hand.

「Wait...!」

「Are you in the mood to speak your true heart now?」

「...!!」

Whether it was being undressed or speaking her true feelings, both were mortifying. Groaning at the unreasonable choice she’d been forced into, Wellmy finally gathered her courage.

「...Fine... yes...」

Satisfied with her answer, Eides let go of the ribbon and nodded happily. By now, the heat had spread beyond her face to her ears and neck.

Wellmy had indeed harbored feelings for Eides from that very moment.

It wasn't something as impulsive as love at first sight; rather, she had felt something in his sincere demeanor—something fundamentally different from Irvine or her classmates, who would shamelessly ogle her and wear lecherous expressions.

Determining a person's essence and deciding how to deal with them... that way of living was likely very similar to Wellmy's own.

Truly, Wellmy had been drawn to Eides since then. Even though they had never exchanged a word, the more she researched him, the more she found herself falling for him.

---(Though I could never have admitted it.)

Eides narrowed his eyes as if peering into her very soul.

He was so mean. And yet, she wished he wouldn't look at her with such kind eyes.

「When a young lady of barely sixteen shows such a delightful reaction, even I cannot help but be intrigued. Even more so when the man beside her is a worthless commoner of no value.」

Just as Wellmy had been watching, so had Eides. Surely, with the same perspective.

「That said, I didn't intend to do anything about it at the time. But when I saw the letter you sent two years later, I knew. I realized it was the woman from that night.」

He explained that he had begun his investigation out of interest, requesting reports and verifying the Count’s background. Just as he became certain of the culprit, Leo had brought him a second, identical letter.

Wellmy had a question she hadn't asked in detail before, so she voiced it to Eides.

「Before you even asked Leo...? How did you know that letter was mine?」

Wellmy had sent the letter anonymously. Even if the likelihood of being caught was high because she’d entrusted it to Leo, she thought she had behaved cautiously so no one would know it was her handiwork.

As she tilted her head, Eides’s hand slid from her hair to cup her cheek.

「It's because you failed to notice things like that that your work was sloppy enough to be exposed, Wellmy. ---You cannot disguise your handwriting.」

「No way... but, my handwriting...」

「You were intentionally making it look nearly identical to Lola’s, weren't you? I imagine you had many opportunities to see your sister's writing. But no matter how much you mimic someone, your personality shines through. Lola’s script is elegant, while yours is a bit rounder and more charming.」

He told her that the handwriting in the letter matched reports she had submitted in Lola’s name in the past.

「...So in the end, it was impossible for someone like me to truly imitate Sister.」

「Your talents and Lola’s are not things to be compared. You possess a power that lies in a completely different direction, Wellmy. And the woman I was looking for was someone like you.」

「I don't understand that at all.」

She simply couldn't believe she had any points of superiority over her sister.

「Your personalities are entirely different, after all. The way you show kindness, the way you show shame... Did you permit that worthless man to touch your lips?」

The hand stroking her cheek stopped, and his thumb brushed against Wellmy's lips.

「...A few times.」

She answered honestly. Her mask would be seen through instantly anyway. Irvine had demanded that kind of affection. She had believed that rejecting or dodging him too much would only incur unnecessary resentment.

Eides shook his head, perhaps noticing the way her face contorted in disgust.

「...Are you disappointed?」

「No. Would one think an actor was scandalous for sharing a kiss as part of a performance?」

As he spoke, Eides leaned in and pressed a kiss against her—a mere touch.

「The 'firsts' belonging to the Wellmy who has removed her mask are all mine. Including the lips I just took.」

That kiss was entirely different from the unpleasant ones with Irvine. It was a sweet sensation that made heat surge from deep within her body.

The way he chose his words, the comfort of his voice... everything, every part of him, drew her in. His very existence was like a sweet poison, slowly consuming her.

「Was it unpleasant?」

「...No.」

「Don't make that face. I want to savor this slowly, but you make me want to take everything from you right this second.」

Eides let go of her but kept his arm around her waist, making a demand.

「It's your turn now, Wellmy.」

「...! That's... impossible...!!」

It was embarrassing. It was so embarrassing. Just being held like this felt like her heart might break, let alone initiating something herself.

And yet.

「Weren't you going to obey my every command?」

「...That’s unfair...」

From now on, forever. This man was surely going to make demands of her like this.

「...Close your eyes. At least do that.」

「Very well.」

Those purple eyes that looked straight through her were hidden behind his eyelids. Taking a deep breath, Wellmy closed her own eyes.

And she pressed a kiss.

Against his forehead.

Wellmy averted her gaze from Eides, who had opened his eyes and was looking quite dissatisfied.

「...You didn't say where.」

「Fine. From now on, I shall specify the location as well.」

Eides stood up, easily lifting Wellmy in his arms and carrying her to the bed.

「I will do nothing today. You must be exhausted. But from this day forward, we shall sleep in the same bed every night. Understood?」

「Wha—!」

「You have no right of refusal. Isn't that right, Wellmy...?」

His voice resonated right by her ear.

「---You are mine now.」

Ah, Wellmy thought.

How did it come to this? Truly, why?

(This is my downfall.)

She had the premonition that this man—like a poison that destroyed her the more she involved herself with him—would likely never let her go for the rest of her life.

*****

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