The woman nodded slowly—then suddenly wrapped her arms around Seo-jun.
The unexpected contact made him freeze. His heart slammed wildly against his ribs. This was the first time in his life he had ever been embraced by a woman who wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing.
The warmth of her body pressed fully against his, unmistakable and overwhelming. His face flushed instantly.
Seeing her master flustered like that, Sora clicked her tongue in irritation and immediately pulled the two of them apart.
"That's enough," she said curtly. "You should head home now, sir. It's getting dark. The forest becomes dangerous if you leave too late."
Seo-jun nodded stiffly, still reeling from the sensation of her chest brushing against him.
"Ah—r-right."
Just as he turned to leave, the woman suddenly slipped and fell off the bed.
Startled, Seo-jun rushed over and helped her lie back down. The panic on his face was obvious—so obvious that it only made Sora more irritated. She knew perfectly well that this was nothing but an act.
She wanted to expose it immediately, but the red-haired woman was faster.
"Sir… I don't want to be far from you," she said softly, clinging to him again. "I'm scared."
Her deliberately sweet tone sent chills down Seo-jun's spine.
"A-ah… o-okay," he replied awkwardly. "You can come home with me."
Once again, the woman winced dramatically as she tried to get off the bed. In the end, Seo-jun had no choice but to carry her princess-style, holding her tightly so she wouldn't fall while riding with him.
Watching Seo-jun leave with a strange red-haired woman in his arms, Sora could only let out a long, frustrated sigh.
She reminded herself of her place.
She was merely a trusted aide hired to work—not someone with the right to interfere, and certainly not someone meant to compete.
During the ride, the woman trembled nonstop, as if she were freezing. Unable to ignore it, Seo-jun pulled her closer, even though he knew full well she was wearing proper clothes—including a thick jacket Sora had lent her.
Still, Seo-jun was fully aware that he was being fooled.
And oddly enough, the harder she tried to deceive him, the more intrigued he became. He decided to play along—curious to see how long she could keep this act up before the truth revealed itself.
When they reached the front gate, Seo-jun froze.
His father's carriage had just arrived.
Inside the house, his father—mid-conversation with the head butler—simply glanced at him and said nothing. Raised in an overly protective household, Seo-jun instinctively tried to explain.
"Ah, Father… let me introduce—"
Before he could finish, his father cut him off, gesturing toward the stairs.
"Go to your room."
No questions. No comments. As if this were perfectly normal.
"B-but, Father… I brought home a strange woman," Seo-jun said in disbelief. "Seriously—no questions at all?"
His father burst into laughter.
At that moment, Seo-jun's mother came down from the second floor and walked over.
"What's all this noise—oh my. Well, hello there," she said casually. "Why didn't you take her straight to your room, dear?"
Seo-jun stared at them, stunned.
"You're… not angry that I brought home a stranger?"
Now both of them were laughing so hard they nearly lost their balance. Luckily, Seo-jun's personal attendant quickly stepped in to steady his mother.
"Since when have you ever asked for our permission?" she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "You used to do far worse right in front of us without a shred of shame. Now you're suddenly acting like you've been possessed—so polite it's almost suspicious. At this rate, you might as well join your brother Alaric at the monastery."
Hearing that, Edmund stopped laughing at once. His expression turned deadly serious.
"No. Absolutely not!" he snapped. "You need to go back to being a bastard, my son. Otherwise that damn Archbishop will drag you off next—hell, my perfect child already locked himself up there willingly. Damn it!"
Seo-jun was left completely speechless as Edmund vented his frustration, his resentment toward the hypocritical Archbishop spilling out without restraint.
Sensing the conversation drifting deeper into open criticism of the clergy, Seo-jun decided it was best to remove himself from the situation. He carried the woman upstairs toward his room.
She looked genuinely surprised—clearly realizing for the first time that a family so highly regarded by the church actually despised being close to it.
As Seo-jun opened the door for her, he caught a fleeting, calculating smile on her lips. But the moment she noticed his gaze, she quickly masked it with a gentle, harmless expression, as if nothing had happened.
Once inside the room, Seo-jun instructed the servants to attend to her. Watching them move efficiently without needing repeated orders impressed him. Satisfied, he left them behind and headed to his study, which was located some distance from his bedroom.
There, he began sorting through the pile of letters stacked on his desk.
"I barely attend noble gatherings anymore, yet they still send invitations," he muttered. "Probably just formalities…"
His eyes paused on one envelope.
"Hm? This one's filthy—but it bears the Sebastian Hanwick family seal?"
He broke the seal. Inside was neat, elegant handwriting.
It was from Rowan.
The letter explained that Rowan would return in the coming spring and was willing to assist with Adrian's rubber tire project until winter ended.
"Not a bad deal," Seo-jun murmured, "even if the payment is a luxury cruise ship."
He scoffed quietly.
"Damn nobles. When they ask for something, they never ask small. Still, this brings me one step closer to becoming the family's heir. Once the diamond business starts running properly, the profits will dwarf this. Breaking even is guaranteed."
Seo-jun slowly set pen to paper. He was still awkward with this kind of quill—one careless move and the ink could bleed everywhere.
Just as he was deep in concentration, the study door swung open without warning.
Startled, Seo-jun jolted—and the nearly finished letter was ruined as ink spilled across the page. Irritation flared instantly as he shot a sharp look toward the intruder.
"What is it?" he asked coolly, restraining his temper. "Why aren't you resting?"
"Hm… I simply didn't want to be far from you, Lord Adrian," the woman replied softly. "If I may ask—how many women have been serving you lately?"
Her teasing tone made Seo-jun frown.
He hadn't spent the night with anyone in quite some time. His focus had been entirely on business, and he had no interest in women of questionable background. He'd sworn not to repeat the old Adrian's habits.
"None," he replied, replacing the ruined paper with a fresh sheet. "I don't have the time."
The woman's expression shifted instantly—pure shock.
"Seriously? A former Casanova quitting just because he's busy with work?" she blurted out. "Are you impotent?"
Seo-jun continued writing, unbothered.
"Could be," he said calmly. "Everyone has their reckless phase. Eventually, maturity takes over—and hard work follows."
"That's impossible—Prin—ah—" she cut herself off abruptly. "I mean, impossible. People across the kingdom would laugh themselves sick if they heard you say that."
Seo-jun merely chuckled, still focused on finishing his reply to Rowan Hanwick. After sealing the letter with the family crest, he finally looked up and decided to ease the awkwardness.
"So," he said lightly, "we haven't properly introduced ourselves."
The woman smiled.
"My name is Chewie, my lord. I come from a land far from here. That's why my hair stands out so much compared to most people in this kingdom."