"What happened?" Shin asked, his voice calm in a way that was far more terrifying than anger.
Zoren swallowed hard.
Old Master Lin waved his hand dismissively. "Just an unfortunate misunderstanding. Nothing worth troubling yourself over."
"Yes, yes," his son echoed quickly. "A guest had too much to drink."
Shin did not respond. His gaze drifted past them, scanning the room once more.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Madam Zhi moving briskly toward the garden doors, her face pale with worry.
Shin turned away without another word.
The night air in the back garden was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of roses and freshly trimmed hedges. Soft lantern lights illuminated the stone path where Yeri stood near the pond, her dress clinging uncomfortably to her skin.
A maid hurried over and handed her a clean towel.
"Miss, please."
"Thank you," Yeri said quietly, accepting it.
Just as she lifted the towel to drape it around her shoulders, warmth enveloped her unexpectedly.
A suit jacket settled over her frame.
Yeri was startled, then looked up. She blinked in surprise.
It was the man who had spoken up for her earlier, just before Tristan intervened. His features were gentle yet composed, his smile polite but distant, as if carefully measured.
"Ah… thank you." She nodded and reached to return the jacket, unwilling to inconvenience a stranger.
But he stopped her gently. "Keep it," he said softly.
Before she could protest, he placed something cool and firm into her palm.
Yeri looked down, it was a business card?
By the time she lifted her head again, the man was already walking away, disappearing into the shadows cast by the hedges as though he had never been there at all.
Yeri stared at the card, her brows knitting together. The name printed in elegant black lettering felt unfamiliar.
She was certain of one thing: she had never met that man before tonight. Not in any business setting, not at school, not through acquaintances.
Then why give her his card? And in such a moment, no less?
Before she could think further, hurried footsteps approached.
"Princess!" Madam Zhi's voice broke with alarm as she rushed into the back garden. The moment her eyes landed on her daughter, drenched, hair damp, her face paled.
"What happened? How did you end up like this?"
She reached out instinctively, gripping Yeri's arms, her gaze scanning her anxiously as if afraid she might find injuries she couldn't yet see.
Worry and heartache were written plainly across her features.
"I'm fine, Mom," Yeri said softly, forcing a small smile. "It's just… an accident."
Madam Zhi clearly didn't believe her.
Behind her, unseen, Shin Keir had just stepped into the garden.
Long, unhesitating strides echoed across the stone path. Every step he took drew eyes like moths to flame.
Conversations faltered. Guests nearby instinctively fell silent as he advanced, his tall figure cutting a straight line toward Yeri.
He didn't slow, didn't divert, his destination was unmistakable.
Yeri felt it before she saw him. When she lifted her head, Shin Keir was already standing before her.
"Why are you in this state?" he asked calmly, echoing Madam Zhi's question almost word for word.
His gaze swept over her with swift precision, then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he reached out.
Yeri stiffened slightly.
Shin plucked a small pond leaf from her hair, his fingers brushing past her temple with careless familiarity before flicking it away.
Yeri blinked, stunned, not by the gesture itself, but by how unthinking it had been. When did he arrive?
Only then did Shin's eyes land on the suit jacket draped over her shoulders. His expression darkened by a fraction.
"Who gave you this?" he asked.
Yeri hesitated. She still hadn't fully processed his sudden appearance. "Ah… a guest," she replied honestly. "He lent it to me."
Without another word, Shin reached for the jacket.
Before Yeri could react, he shrugged out of his own suit jacket in one smooth motion, took the stranger's jacket from her shoulders, and replaced it with his.
Yeri "..."
The warmth enveloped her instantly, his scent, clean and unmistakable, wrapping around her like a silent claim.
The discarded jacket was handed to a nearby attendant without ceremony.
Only then did Yeri realize the garden had gone deathly quiet.
She slowly turned her head. Every gaze was fixed on them, eyes wide. Faces frozen in disbelief. Some guests looked as though their jaws might drop clean off their faces.
Curiosity, shock, confusion, each expression layered upon the next.
It wasn't exaggeration. It was Shin Keir.
The infamous misogynist of the business world. A man known for his cold distance from women, for treating romance as a needless liability. A man rumored to have never so much as offered a hand to the opposite sex in public. And yet here he was... showing concern, replacing another man's jacket with his own, standing close enough that no one could mistake the intimacy of the moment.
From a distance, Venice also saw it all, her blood run cold as her eyes locked onto the man approaching Yeri.
It didn't surprise her that Shin Keir knew Yeri. After all, he was friends with Jj. He had even attended Yeri's birthday banquet. But what terrified her was how naturally close they looked, how quickly that distance between them had vanished.
Venice's fingers clenched at her side. No. This couldn't happen.
Her thoughts screamed like a blaring red alarm. She couldn't allow the two of them to get any more closer.
She absolutely could not!
She's almost close, so close to surpassing Yeri. Once her father officially took over the Zhi Corporation, her status within the family would rise effortlessly. In matters of marriage, of influence, of standing- she had believed without doubt that she would finally step on Yeri completely.
She had even felt genuine happiness earlier when Leo Nafplion mentioned Yeri being engaged to him. Venice hadn't known about such an arrangement beforehand, but the moment she heard it, she approved wholeheartedly.
Someone like Leo Nafplion was perfect for Yeri.
Yes. That should have been the outcome. That was why she had been eager, no, enthusiastic to push the two together earlier.
Yeri tied down to such a scumbag, and living a miserable life, just the thought of it was thrilling.
But this?
Venice's gaze burned as she watched Shin Keir stand beside Yeri, his jacket wrapped around her shoulders like an unspoken declaration.
No. She could not allow Yeri to stand on a pedestal again, even more climb any higher.
Venice lunged forward, her heels clicking sharply against the stone path as she inserted herself between the murmuring guests.
"Young Master Keir!" she exclaimed brightly, as if greeting an old friend she hadn't seen in years. Her face lit up with exaggerated delight. "What a coincidence seeing you here!"
In her mind, there was no doubt he should recognize her. She had attended Yeri's debut banquet. She had even spoken to Tristan Felan and Saeki Jie long enough to establish herself as someone worth remembering.
Yet reality was cruel.
Shin Keir did not even glance at her, his attention remained solely on Yeri as he spoke in a flat, decisive tone. "I'll take you back."
Venice's smile faltered but she didn't give up, her eyes flickered, calculation flashing through them.
If she couldn't pull Shin Keir's attention toward herself, then she would push him away from Yeri instead.
Feigning panic, Venice suddenly turned toward Yeri, her voice rising with false concern.
"Yeri, are you alright?" she said anxiously. "I tried to pull you away from the pond earlier, but I wasn't strong enough. I ended up falling in with you instead…"
Her explanation was flawless, carefully crafted. She was not stupid enough to accuse Yeri outright of harming her. That estate was filled with cameras; any lie would collapse instantly but concern was believable.
Then, as if remembering something too late, Venice covered her mouth. "Oh, by the way," she added, her voice laced with thinly veiled alarm, "how's your skin disease? What if those black veins on your face get worse?!"
The words struck like a stone dropped into still water, even Yeri stiffened.
For a brief moment, she forgot to breathe, her mind blanked. That matter, she had almost forgotten about it entirely.
The area by the pond where she had been standing just minutes ago was dimly lit. No one had mentioned it. However, when she moved slightly into the open so her mother could check if she was injured, the stronger light made everything clearly visible.
Madam Zhi turned sharply toward Venice, confusion written plainly across her face.
"Skin disease?" she repeated. "What are you talking about?"
However the damage had already been done. The surrounding guests stirred uneasily.
"What? She has a skin disease?" a young woman standing closest to Yeri exclaimed, instinctively stepping back.
"Did I hear that right? What black veins?"
"But she looked flawless earlier…"
"You don't know makeup technology these days," someone whispered. "It's easy to hide skin issues. I just hope it's not contagious."
"Wait- Shin Keir is standing so close to her. Does he even know?"
"What exactly is his relationship with her? I remember Tristan Felan and Zoren Lin being close to her too."
"Damn, she must be very skilled," another voice scoffed. "But I refuse to believe Shin Keir would fall for such obvious beauty trap."
The whispers multiplied, overlapping, growing sharper.
Venice lowered her gaze, pretending to look worried, but inside she was already gloating. Her lips trembled not from fear, but from the effort it took to suppress her smile.
This was it.
No man, especially Shin Keir, would tolerate deception. Once he saw Yeri's so-called ugliness, he would be disgusted, worst horrified.
But the next second her satisfaction shattered.
Shin's towering figure shifted. He stepped slightly aside, no longer blocking Yeri from view.
The garden lights caught her fully.
Her wet, mermaid-black dress clung to her body like flowing water, outlining her figure with shameless elegance. Damp strands of hair framed her face in soft disarray, lending her an unintentional, dangerous allure. Her large almond eyes, dark, smoky, luminous, lifted slowly, and anyone who met her gaze felt an inexplicable pull.
But the most dazzling was her skin. Against the darkness of the garden, her complexion appeared flawless, radiant like polished porcelain kissed by moonlight.
Tiny droplets of water lingered on her collarbone and arms, catching the light and making her seem unreal, like a celestial being.