The hasty release was the culmination of Rey's unconsciousness that just evaporated.

One final firework, which had been prepared by the committee tonight, shot freely towards the sky followed by a loud bang.


At that moment, Rey seemed to have just woken up from his stupor when he realized there was a sobbing sound recorded by the ear.

Like a stone, the man stood still with his body perfectly frozen. But having not changed position at all, Rey was still right above Luana who was now looking away in the other direction.

Who did not want to look at the man's face.


It took a few seconds for Rey to fully come to his senses, though not yet fully realizing the foolishness of what he had just done.

"Luana?"


Rey's voice sounded a little shaky, as the man slowly shifted from his position earlier.

It was still a gray area, as if Rey had done that thing that made Luana look pathetic when she lost consciousness.

Luana sobbed. Immediately pulling her cardigan that had been draped somewhere, Luana wanted to cover her slightly exposed upper body.

Even her dress was slightly torn at the top, due to Rey's forceful behavior as the woman had tried to struggle earlier.

Adjusting his hair in frustration, Rey sat limply right next to Luana's body that was still lying stiffly.

"Luana, I--"

Rey was speechless, with eyes that crumpled without any radiance.

Realizing the situation had changed now, Luana wiped away the tears that had been rolling down her cheeks. Savoring how the throbbing and pain competed with each other inside her chest, the woman slowly moved to sit up.

Not caring about the pain that hit her down there, Luana couldn't think of anything other than she had to escape from that man.

The man who was said to be a nobleman, but turned out to behave like nothing more than a rancid jerk.

Wiping away the remnants of tears with the back of both hands, Luana moved to get off the gazebo. Stepping on the white sand that tickled under the soles of her feet, Luana dragged her feet to get out of there.

Rey was still lost in his own thoughts, cursing how stupid he was for what he had done to the girl.

Trying to pull the strings of why he did that, made Rey sink further into regret with the endless cursing to himself.

"Damn it, Rey, you've gone completely mad!"

Both of the man's hands were clenched tightly, letting the mixed feelings boil down to his fingertips.

Just as he realized Luana was moving away, Rey simply followed her.

"Wait!" the nobleman exclaimed in a hesitant tone, hoping Luana would oblige by halting her steps.

But this time Luana really didn't care about Rey's call. Even though she heard him, the woman still sped up her steps even with difficulty.

Rey took a few steps forward.

The man's feet treaded the wet white sand, still trying to keep up with Luana's footsteps ahead. The sound of the crashing waves played in symphony with the chill of the bone-chilling wind.

"Luana, stop!" Rey shouted again.

But again Luana ignored him, because the only thing she could think about was running away from him.

She had no face to show Rey, because Luana had completely lost the most precious thing in her life.

She was dirty, stained, and no longer valuable.

Growling as Luana did not slow down, Rey half ran until he grabbed her wrist.

"Stop!"

Successfully pulling Luana's hand away, Rey made the young woman turn around with one decisive movement.

Only the moonlight glowed above them, with the darkness already complete. This helped Rey to see how Luana's face looked, though not completely clearly.

The woman still had tears on her cheeks, with her eyelids starting to swell. Her face was red with anger, with a glare shot sharply at Rey.

"Let go!" Half shouting, Luana exerted all the strength she had left to keep away from the man.

But Rey Lueic was the dominant one, as he tightened his grip on Luana's wrist.

"Listen to me!" Rey called out. The man had to raise his voice, making sure it wasn't overpowered by the sound of the waves behind him.

"I don't want to hear anything!" Luana retorted quickly. "Let go of my hand, I don't want to touch or make eye contact with a man like you!"

Luana couldn't help the disappointment that just came over her. She knew her position there, and she also knew that Rey was not a man with a high level of kindness.

But what the man had just done to her, really did not reflect how a high-level noble like Rey should behave.

No matter if the man realized it or not, what Rey did just now would only make him look like a complete jerk.

"Hey, listen!" repeated Rey again. "I... I lost consciousness. It all happened just like that and...."

Rey stuttered in composing his words, followed by an annoyed snort that slipped from Luana's lips.

The woman was still trying to struggle, but of course it was not that easy to break free from Rey Lueic's grip.

"Shut up!" Luana exclaimed this time. Her chest rose and fell, with mixed feelings in her heart.

Anger, regret, and shame that she could not measure the percentage in there.

"After what you did to me, you should know you have no right to say anything!" Luana railed in a tone that rose several octaves.

"I know I may look easy to you, but it's not my wish to be in this ridiculous marriage with you!" she continued, still in a fiery tone.

Rey was stunned.

Her pride was hurt, but she couldn't do anything but listen to all of Luana's cursing.

Because he, indeed, deserved to be abused.

"I have so much respect for how Madam Collins has been kind to me all this time," Luana spoke up again. "But you just destroyed that, as I now deeply regret agreeing to Madam's request to be by your side yesterday."

Rey still hesitated, though he had not completely loosened his grip on Luana's hand.

The woman was breathing with difficulty, trying to stay upright even though her knees felt weak from time to time.

"You're not a noble, Mr. Rey!" Luana scolded. "You're just a dirty jerk, who can't even measure your tolerance for alcohol!"

Rey was eager to reply to this woman's slur, but all he felt was emptiness and loss of words.

Just as Luana's last sentence hit the air, Rey's grip slowly loosened.

As if he got a hard slap, Rey felt even more frantic and guilty for what he had done to the girl.

He really didn't mean it, he really regretted why he could act stupidly like that.

Realizing her hands were starting to get free, Luana slammed Rey's hands away with one firm motion.

"Luana, listen. I'm asking--"

"I will not forgive you," Luana cut in quickly. "You won't get my forgiveness for the rest of your life!"

As soon as she turned around, Luana tried again to swing the steps that had been held back.

The cold sand below did not stop her, as all she could think about was how to erase the marks Rey had left on her body.

How to forget that heinous thing, even if she had to spend the rest of her life hating an asshole like Rey Lueic.