# 33
---
Edwin smiled kindly.
“Everything will be fine, Senpai.”
His voice wavered softly, and the corners of his eyes curled slightly.
After a short time, they arrived at the restaurant.
From the time they crossed the entrance until they sat down at the table, Edwin accompanied Dana with agility and consistency, as if he had received this type of education since childhood.
I suddenly realized that he always carried an aristocratic touch in his movements.
Whether he was eating, drinking tea, or walking, there was no disturbance in his appearance.
‘In what environment did Edwin grow up?’
Even Jimmy, who had the full support of his parents, did not carry such a presence.
When Dana gave Edwin a wary look, a smile spread across his lips.
“Is there something you would like to say?”
“Um… I was thinking… shouldn’t I say hello to your parents?”
Dana feared that talking about his family would be too much for him. Here his smile, which was always calm, hardened.
Meeting his family means revealing his true status. Those old obsessions seeped into his heart.
But he soon regained his features.
“Well… we’ll meet them at the Foundation Festival.”
Then he continued cutting a piece of meat for her.
“A lot of people will come, so I will ask them to arrange a short time to meet.”
“Did you mean that the number of visitors is large?”
“Something close to that.”
Inspired restaurant? Things got more confusing.
Then Edwin called to her in a more solemn tone than usual.
“Senpai...”
“Yes?”
“You only have to remember one thing.”
"What is it?"
“No matter where I am, my feelings for you are sincere.”
His voice was drawn with an unprecedented seriousness, and his gaze contained an unhidden depth. Concern spread across Dana's face.
'Is his situation worse than I think?'
His circumstances may have been much more complex.
She asked him in a low voice.
“Whatever it is… you can't talk about it now, right?”
“Yes...”
Edwin was always quick to reassure her. Everything that puzzled her, he was quick to explain.
But when it came to his family, the barrier was clear.
His aristocratic appearance, his gentle language, his unfriendly family...
One conclusion flashed through her mind.
'You see...is he the illegitimate son of a noble?'
With this possibility, all the tangled things became clear.
And perhaps... he lived a darker life than she lived.
'Now it's my turn to comfort Edwin.'
She wanted to give him back the security he had given her.
She raised her face with a reassuring smile.
“Edwin, look at me.”
As soon as he raised his head, his blue eyes met her steady gaze.
“It's okay. Whatever the circumstances... you're my husband, Edwin.”
"Don't be afraid and tell me everything you want. We're a couple now."
The air vibrated with the clear tone of her voice.
“We share everything, and our relationship never breaks.”
Then she gave him a warm smile.
Never stop...
Edwin echoed her words silently deep inside.
"I thank you."
His lips parted in a smile, and his red eyes filled with Dana alone.
***
Late at night, as he did every day, Edwin drove her to the palace gate.
Before his hand left hers, he seemed to hesitate.
“…Are you really going to be okay?”
“Yes, tomorrow I will go to your house.”
“I don't mean tomorrow... but tonight.”
Dana had told him that before she left her family home, she would take the documents for the illegal loans that had been made in her name, in addition to her ID card that had been exploited.
This means that she will open her brother's safe.
In this palace, Dana did not have a single supporter.
The moment she was discovered, danger would inevitably fall upon her.
"Don't worry."
Dana took out the bottle of strong wine. She had ordered it from the restaurant where they had dinner.
“As long as the drink is expensive... they rush to it without thinking.”
“Go now, you have work tomorrow.”
She patted his back lightly, then smiled reassuringly.
“…Okay. Watch yourf.”
He answered her reluctantly, and kept looking at her until the moment she entered the palace.
'If I could just burn everything down...'
A frightening thought crossed his mind. Dana waved her hand reassuringly, as if she sensed his anxiety.
He quickly got rid of the idea.
This was something Dana would have to decide for herf. Unless she asked him to come forward, his interference would be ignoring her wishes.
He waved to her with a smile, and she returned the greeting and turned around. She crossed the palace gate, heading through the garden.
She seemed still, but she was tense like a taut string. Perhaps because she was so nervous, the sound of the grass beneath her steps seemed unusually loud.
When she opened the palace door... she swallowed unconsciously. A slight trembling reached her heart, and it began beating strongly.
At that moment, a loud voice rang out from the direction of the dining hall.
“Ha-ha-ha!”
“Jimmy, your speech is really great!”
As usual...family laughter.
Her late return from work was of no importance to them.
Dana entered the hall.
“What’s the matter? If you’re back from work, come in quietly.”
Jimmy muttered with a frown. Since his childhood, he had harbored pure distaste for Dana.
A look as if he saw an intruder who shouldn't be here.
Dana overcame his usual reaction and took out the bottle of wine.
“I bought it for you. Here you go.”
The father's eyes widened when he read the poster.
“Isn't that an expensive drink?”
At his words, everyone rushed to try the new bottle. Soon the power of the drink began to overwhelm them.
Dana couldn't sleep until dawn. She listened down until their laughter fell silent, and until each of them staggered back to his room.
She was eavesdropping downstairs.
“Ohhh…”
And the sound of Jimmy's steps coming up the stairs.
The door to his room opened, then the sound of his body hitting the bed...
With his careless demeanor, his steps were easy to follow.
Dana held her breath.
In the dark, with a small lamp shining, she focused all her attention on Jimmy's movement.
After a long time, all that remained was the sound of his snoring. Dana went out cautiously into the corridor.
He had fallen asleep and did not even bother closing the door to his room.
She approached the direction of Jimmy's room.
With the exception of her small room located in the farthest corner of the second floor,
Everything was his: the bedroom, the dressing room, and the office.
As for Jimmy's office, it was different from the offices of the nobles. The shelves filling the walls did not hold books, but rather luxurious possessions for display.
Dana had no idea what was there; He did not even allow family members to enter.
He always kept the office key at his waist.
'The contract is there without a doubt.'
There was no room for error.
No matter what happens tonight, you must get the illegal loan contract…
The document that reveals its exploitation.
Dana's shoulders stiffened, and she began to move slowly toward him.
Jimmy was on the bed, fast asleep, snoring, still in his clothes; He probably didn't wash.
The key appeared at his waist. Dana cautiously extended her hand towards him.
In the dark room, there was only a ray of moonlight guiding her.
“Ohhh…”
Jimmy fidgeted, tilted his body, and the key moved to the other side.
Dana moved closer, leaning on the bed with extreme caution, fearing that he would notice her weight, fearing that something of it would touch her, fearing that he would feel her presence.
Even her breathing held her back.
Suddenly her fingers touched the golden key.
With the utmost tension, she began to undo the ring tied around his waist.
‘How careful… even the knot is tight.’
When I was about to untie the last thread and pull the key...
“...What are you doing?”
Jimmy's eyes were open right at her.