“We must be suspicious. There were witnesses who saw Canillian near the Louvre.”

“So, Canillian is contacting them in secret? You think that as well?”

“Our dear Marchioness believes so.”

Claude laughed. Canillian went missing from the ball because she was with him the whole night. She was still with him.

But someone saw Canillian near the Louvre…

“I feel sorry for the Marchioness. Seems like something’s wrong with her head.” Claude opened the balcony.

“You’re sure it wasn’t him?”

He stopped in his tracks. Wade couldn’t read Claude’s expression.

“You’re not the only one worrying about Canillian, Grand Duke.”

“Good to hear,” said Claude. The Prince let him go.

Claude instantly went to Canillia’s room. He let the guards know that Wade was in the balcony and opened the door, Canillia looked up when she finished buttoning up.

She looked pretty as a man now that she was dressed up again.

“Darn.” He clicked his tongue. He didn’t like it. She finished buttoning up and avoided his eyes.

“I know it’s weird. But I can’t help it. It’s a habit…”

“Who said anything about it? I didn’t say anything, Canillian.”

He called her Canillian on purpose. He was going to accept if she insisted on looking like a man. It wasn’t like he could take her back to Del Casa right away, or put a ring on her finger.

Claude stood behind Lia. He took the comb from her hand and brushed her soft hair. He brushed her hair awkwardly. The feeling of her hair wrapping in his fingers was addicting.

He looked at her hair in his hands. The light shone and illuminated her. His lover who was becoming a man right in front of him.

The eyes that stared at him looked concerned. Canillia looked away after staring at him for a while. Claude then grabbed her chin and turned her to face him.

“You’re beautiful. No matter what you do.” He kissed her long and pale neck. He licked her soft skin and opened her shirt button one at a time.

Thankfully there was no leather undergarment that was constraining her this time. That was enough for him. As long as she doesn’t choose to endure the pain herself, he’ll make sure other forms of pain don’t reach her.

He was confident. She became a beautiful lady in his arms.

“Not yet. I don’t think you will be able to leave here today, Canillia.”

***

Damn the snow!

The road was a mess. He was barely able to make it to the Townhouse to meet the police officers who were investigating the case.

The attendees who were chatting among themselves saw the young Marquis and greeted him formally and went back to their position.

Messiness was not allowed in the Vale family. But right now, flashing lights and the people claiming to be witnesses were filling up the Marquis’s place.

“Mother.” Kieran went to the meeting room immediately followed by a servant. There was Anastasia talking with the head of the police department.

Anastasia saw Kieran and looked at him in despair.

“What happened?” Kieran asked the police officer.

“Late last night, there was an attack. Four culprits. They went straight to the vault. Coincidentally, the guards were with the Marquis couple. I think the intruder knew that.”

“What about Angel? Where’s our butler?”

“Angel was escorted to a hospital. Your father took him,” said Anastasia.

“Is he alright?”

“He should be fine now.”

Kieran breathed a sigh of relief. There was one important question left. Kieran felt like he was on the edge of the cliff when he heard what the head of the servants had to say.

He looked stern and stopped the head of the police from talking to Anastasia further. “Sir, there’s a problem with the testimony.”

The other policemen talked amongst themselves as they were ready to head out. Their head frowned.

“The Marchioness already testified. She was… worried about Sir Canillian.”

He was trying to sound nice considering the second son’s dignity. He was trying to be considerate of the mother’s feelings when she had to accuse her own son for the attack. But Kieran took the head’s notepad and read it.

Canillian was mentioned quite a lot. There was testimony about him disappearing from the ball and that he appeared near the Louvre. It was awful. Everything was a lie, and that it was his mother who had started this lie.

“This testimony is wrong. Canillian… was in the palace at that time. It is impossible for him to be at the palace and the Louvre at the same time.”