TWOTCL༘ ೀ⋆｡

XXXV

⭑. ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑.𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭

“An imprint… you say?”

The one who reacted most strongly was Roxana. She raised her head towards Hadeon, her eyes wide with disbelief.

For the men of the bloodline, an imprint was like an unforeseen disaster. At least, that’s how Roxana had concluded it. It was akin to falling into a pit one day, without any will of one’s own, becoming captivated by another. What could be more of a calamity than that?

“Are you saying you can imprint on a human?”

Jewel pushed up her glasses and responded to Roxana’s sharp outcry.

“I’ve heard it’s not theoretically impossible.”

The phenomenon of imprinting existed above any law or rule in noble society. There was nothing that could stop a male who had imprinted. Once the imprint occurred, the men of the bloodline would be irresistibly drawn to the chosen one, losing all control. No former lover, family, or even death could separate them from the object of their imprint.

Indeed… it’s not without basis.

Roxana had experienced the reactions of a bloodline man who had imprinted. Her gaze naturally turned to her brother Lexus, who stood protectively by Jewel.

A year ago, her brother was the epitome of a rake, unable to settle for any one woman. Jewel, too, was just the daughter of a minor noble from the outskirts, without any point of contact in life. The destinies of these two people were completely overturned in one encounter at a banquet Jewel attended when visiting her relatives in the south. Lexus had even left traces of his liaison with Jewel’s relative on the terrace when they first met.

Roxana had never seen her brother act so servile in her life. Nor had she ever seen him look so happy.

It took exactly three months.

Jewel, the daughter of a humble family, bypassed all social rules and regulations and rapidly became engaged to Lexus, the eldest son of a marquis. The noble society accepted it. Everything was permitted for the sole reason that Lexus had imprinted on Jewel. That was the significance of imprinting for the bloodline.

Now all eyes were on the person concerned.

Hadeon Lark observed all the commotion as if watching a bug flipped over at his feet. His cold eyes and unmoving expression conveyed everything, remaining steadfast.

“Ha.”

A laugh that could only be described as a sneer formed at the corner of his mouth.

“Ridiculous.”

With just a few words, Hadeon swept away all possibilities and silenced the group.

As if the thought of playing along with such nonsense and superstition was out of the question, the cold-blooded demeanor of the Duke of Lark froze everyone present.

“Yes, Jewel. Imprinting is a very rare phenomenon, nine out of ten times a mere superstition.”

Lexus quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

“Even if an imprint did occur, it would be with a woman of the same bloodline. A human woman, of all things, is out of the question. It’s not something that happens frequently. You and I were a special case.”

“That may be true…”

Lexus lifted Jewel’s chin and kissed her briefly. Given that there was no error in his words and the Duke’s reaction, the group that had been murmuring fell silent.