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“…What in the world is going on here?”
He quickly rushed to my side. When he saw that Zen was holding my hand, he grimaced and naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me towards him.
As Zen let go, he blinked with a puzzled expression.
Theodore glanced at him coldly once, then he turned to face me.
“Miss Esner told me that I must urgently go to the greenhouse, so I ran all the way here… But what happened, Lily? And Lennon Chester, why…”
Hearing his explanation, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows.
Florentine sent him here?
‘What is she planning?’
…I need to think about this for a moment.
Lennon and Florentine looked like they had agreed beforehand to lock me up here.
I would have been in a dire situation if their plan went through. But Zen Delacroix intervened, and Florentine must have seen him go into the greenhouse, so…
‘If Lennon gets arrested for attempted sexual assault, Florentine’s name would surely come up once Lennon gets interrogated… She must have thought quickly about how she can wash her hands clean before she could be pointed out as an accomplice.’
…And certainly enough, I’m sure that Florentine wouldn’t be caught as an accomplice.
I glanced up at Theodore and asked.
“What exactly did Miss Esner tell you?”
“She…”
Theodore explained in detail how he arrived here.
The story he told went like this.
He came here because he finished his work for the day early, and he wanted to see me. But unexpectedly, Florentine came running to him and asked for help…
“…Miss Esner rambled on as if she was frightened.”
While Florentine told him why he should hurry to the greenhouse, she also mentioned that she had been threatened—that she had no other choice but to do what she did because bad things might happen to her.
“And she said that you were in danger. She never mentioned Lennon Chester.”
“……”
I let out a heavy sigh.
I’m utterly baffled.
Right now, all I could think of was how Florentine and Owen seemed to be a match made in heaven. They shouldn’t have broken their engagement. They should have gone on to marry each other.
They must share the same interests and hobbies. I’m sure they’d live a wonderful married life together.
“…What happened to Lennon Chester? …And why is Young Duke Delacroix here?”
Theodore pulled me in closer and hugged me as he asked.
His hands were shaking.
He seemed to have already guessed what exactly transpired.
I was neither ashamed nor scared. I’m just upset that I couldn’t beat up Lennon Chester myself.
So, I spoke without reserve.
“Florentine lured me all the way here and locked me up with Lennon alone. And Lennon tried to rape me.”
“……”
Theodore’s expression turned cold at once.
Soon, there was a vicious fire burning in his eyes, and he glared directly at Lennon Chester with a look that expressed just how much he wanted to kill the man right then and there.
“Uhh… uuugh…”
Regaining consciousness, Lennon staggered to his feet.
He must be in a good enough condition for him to still be able to stand up after Zen beat him up like that.
As expected, it’s a pity that I couldn’t hit him myself.
‘But if Zen Delacroix didn’t step in…’
At that moment.
The air inside the greenhouse started humming strongly, and my head started ringing.
It was a sign that a powerful elemental was being roused by the severe fury of its contractor.
I looked at Theodore, shocked.
The shade of his blue irises was brighter than usual.
Soon, a blue flame manifested out of nowhere and began to circle around him and me.
With a flame coiled around it like a snake, he extended his arm.
A split second later, an arrow of blue fire shot off from his hand—and hit Lennon squarely on the right side of his face.
“AAAAACK!!”
Lennon dropped to the floor, screaming.
His face was immediately devoured by the blue flames.
It happened in an instant.
The fire died down in less than ten seconds, but Lennon’s face…
In the fire’s wake, an unseemly burn was left, one that I couldn’t bear to look at.
“A…AACK! AARGH! My face… MY FACE!”
Lennon ran madly towards the greenhouse’s fountain.
Firmly gripping the stone grates with both hands, Lennon looked at his expression in the water.
But he soon let out a sharp, desperate scream.
“AAAAAAAH!”
He rammed his face straight into the fountain.
As if that would wash away the burn on his skin.
At the ridiculous sight before me, I could feel my lips tugging up a little.
I didn’t even think to maintain decorum anymore—no need to keep a gentle, obedient façade.
None of that mattered now.
I felt like a foal that’s been allowed to frolic freely outside.
Perhaps this is better.
Now that you know who I really am, you’d stop acting as if you care about me, Theodore.