Ailea looked around the main street through the carriage’s small window. Her lips parted slightly, amazed with what she’d seen. She didn’t look like the type of people who often visited the capital center. Clint’s heart pained looking at her expression. She was satisfied and happy even with the smallest interactions. Simplicity wasn’t a bad thing, but seeing her lack of worldly experience pained him so.

The full moon poured beautifully through the opened window carriage as they stopped in one of the most reputable designer shops nearby.

Ailea got off the carriage with eager anticipation but immediately hesitated once she saw a certain someone. It was Rita and Lawrence. They must be having the time of their life as she twirled around in the dress and him smiling so lovingly.

Rita shook her head. She didn’t like the dress too much and disappeared to change again. Lawrence sat in a chair and crossed his arms. He looked over the glass wall, his gaze meeting Ailea. He didn’t react. He was indifferent.

Ailea’s heart drop to the floor.

Clint had seen what happened.

Ailea turned around and held her husband’s arm tightly.

Pursing his lips, Clint bent forward and whispered in her ear softly, “Do you want to make him jealous? Just say the word and I’ll help make that happen.”

“…”

Her innocent blue eyes met with her knight in shining armor. The movement of her thick lashes had been otherworldly and strange. Standing under the moonlight, she looked as if leaf-like shadows were cast on her face.

Clint slowly wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck after pulling her locks behind her ear, startling her.

On a dark, starry night, golden eyes which held no other resemblance in this world, looked at her. Only her. Ailea had been a bit shaken. His eyes were cold when she looked closely at them.

The figure of Lawrence disappeared from her mind. Clint was weird. He made her feel something that she could not describe. It was as if someone grabbed her heart, squeezed it in pain, and forced it to beat fast.

He leaned his head against her shoulder and said, “If you want to do it, let’s do it properly.”

He was close. Very close. She could feel his breath. Ailea turned around, her cheeks blushing. She saw Lawrence, face still indifferent.

It was as if Clint was losing his mind. If she wanted to make Lawrence jealous, wouldn’t that mean that Lawrence held a place in her heart?

“…Should we kiss?” Clint asked softly.

Ailea panicked. What she felt for Lawrence was complicated. She had been betrayed, fooling herself into thinking that he loved her and missed her. The wedding dress he sent was proof of it so. She knew deep down that he never cared for her, yet she kept fooling herself. And then she was confronted with the truth.

She’d rather ignore Lawrence completely if she had it her way, but it wasn’t easy.

She looked away from Lawrence and softly whispered, “N-no… you don’t have to do that.”

Clint’s face changed as he saw the many emotions full of anguish cross her face. He held Ailea in his arm and walked back to the carriage.

“…Clint?”

“Let’s go to another shop.”

Ailea was startled by his roughness. “It hurts, Clint…”

If he were sane right now, he’d have let her go right away, but today, he had no intention of doing so. He couldn’t think of anything else. He just hoped Ailea had no other feelings towards Lawrence Theresia de Calise.

The bastard had done nothing but hurt her.

So he prayed and wished that the image of that man would disappear from her mind forever.