Dirty Heart - Chapter 13

In her previous life, she was nothing more than an ordinary office worker. Every day repeated the same routine, and the only real comfort she had was lying in bed reading erotic web novels.

She had little dating experience and had never done anything particularly bold. Just a dull, conventional life.

So in a way, her current situation might be an opportunity. A rare chance to personally experience all the things she had only ever imagined her entire life.

“….”

Courtney clenched her small fist tightly.

A second life granted to her like a miracle. It wouldn’t be so bad to freely do all the things she never managed to do before. Even if her body ended up shattered into pieces, she would break free from these chains and ruin herself completely.

After agonizing over it for days, she finally established a plan and gave it a name.

The so-called “Dirty Heart” project.

Courtney’s new plan was to become the most promiscuous woman in the Empire and deliberately defile her own heart.

Of course, there was no guarantee her life would be spared just because her heart became unusable.

Rumors about a lowly maid of House Erhardt shamelessly sleeping with multiple men would undoubtedly reach the Duke’s ears within days. The moment he recalled the transplant side effect cases, he might fly into a rage and try to eliminate Courtney immediately.

The same would likely be true for the Young Duke. He never truly regarded Courtney as his lover, so he wouldn’t feel betrayed. But even so, it would deeply wound his pride.

The father and son might once again try to confine the disobedient maid in the dungeon to control her.

But it was already a matter of life or death. To increase her chances of survival, it was far better to attempt something than remain idle like this.

“Yeah. It’s all or nothing.”

It was time to overturn the board in a way no one would ever expect.

***

Under Alex’s guidance, Lionel began sword training, but even before their second sparring match ended, exhaustion was already evident on his face.

“Steady your breathing, Young Duke.”

At Alex’s advice, Lionel’s brows twisted sharply. He immediately readjusted his grip on the sword and charged forward with a fierce shout.

Whoosh-!

Lionel’s blade cut through the air. But Alex didn’t retreat even a single step. He stood firm, calmly receiving the attack.

Each time their wooden swords collided, dull impacts rang out and echoed through the empty training grounds.

“Young Duke. Swordsmanship is not just about flashy technique.”

Lionel’s movements were clearly aggressive, but they lacked sufficient strength. He tightened his grip desperately, but the more force he used, the more unstable his blade became, exposing wider openings.

Alex read his trajectory instantly and evaded smoothly, maintaining only the minimum necessary defense. Meanwhile, Lionel’s movements gradually slowed.

“Ha…!”

Gasping heavily, Lionel stomped forward and charged once more.

“Ugh!”

But his momentum didn’t last. His vision swayed violently, and his entire body staggered.

At last, he lost his balance and fell onto the dirt. In that instant, Alex’s sword drew across his neck without hesitation.

“If that had been a real sword, Your Grace’s head would have already fallen.”

His voice was short and merciless. Lionel gritted his teeth in frustration and threw his sword aside.

“You don’t go easy on me anymore these days.”

“The world of competition is cold by nature.”

“Go bring me some water. I’m thirsty.”

Alex shot him an irritated glance. He should have at least beaten him a few more times with the wooden sword under the pretense of a mistake. A sense of regret washed over him.

Leaving Lionel sprawled beneath the shade of the tree like a corpse, he headed toward the well. Along the way, a group of maids carrying laundry baskets on their heads passed by.

Watching the scene with indifferent eyes, a small and frail maid suddenly crossed Alex’s mind.

Her name was Courtney, was it? For some reason, the Young Duke had kept that maid he didn’t even like by his side for quite a long time.

He complained every day that she was unbearably annoying and that she was a brainless fool, yet whenever he stood before her, he pretended to be the most gentle man in the world.

“If that’s the case, why keep her around?”

Alex clicked his tongue inwardly. That contradictory behavior had continued for years, and in the end, the only pitiful one was the woman who knew nothing and looked only at Lionel.

He thought things were finally getting interesting when she was the one who initiated the breakup, but apparently they reconciled not long after.

“Well, how could they not reconcile? If she asks to break up, he throws her in prison.”

He’d only suggested creating a crisis to test her, yet what kind of lunatic actually threw the woman into prison? Alex shook his head as if he truly couldn’t understand.

“Billy… instead of the horses tonight… how about playing with me instead?”

Alex had just passed the stables.

A voice, flirty as anything, slowly drifted out from a dark corner.

“Mmm? Don’t do that… look at me.”

The woman’s voice stretched languidly through the air, like she was heavily intoxicated.

‘Oh? Don’t tell me.’

The thought that he might get to watch something interesting for free lit up Alex’s face. Before he knew it, he approached the stables with careful steps.

Sure enough, through the half-open door, a maid was openly leaning toward the stablehand Billy, deliberately initiating physical contact.

“Billy. Why aren’t you saying anything? Hm? Am I not to your liking…?”

Completely flustered by the maid’s blatant seduction, Billy’s face turned bright red as his eyes darted around.

His stiff, statue-like posture was so absurd that a mocking smirk spread across Alex’s lips as he watched.

“I-I… th-this… you suddenly came here, so I don’t understand what you mean….”

“Don’t think so hard about it, Billy… it just means we should both enjoy ourselves lightly.”

“En-enjoy… what exactly do you mean by….”

“You already know.”

As the maid whispered seductively and stepped closer, Billy flinched like he’d been burned.

Soon, her hand slid suggestively down his shoulder. At the same time, a cry mixed with panic burst from his mouth.

“P-please… please don’t do this!”

“Oh my, Billy!”

As if completely overwhelmed by her blatant flirting, Billy fled from the stables in a panic.

“…You really are easily flustered, aren’t you?”

Left alone, the maid, looking somewhat awkward, muttered to herself as she paced around the stable.

“…!”

Only then did Alex finally get a clear look at her face, and he froze in shock.

The woman the Young Duke constantly mentioned, the one he called foolishly naive. Courtney Balkan was standing right there before his eyes.

Meanwhile, completely unaware that someone was watching her, Courtney remained lost in thought for a while before quietly walking toward the back entrance of the stables.

Alex, so stunned by the bizarre scene that he even forgot he was supposed to fetch water for Lionel, hurriedly followed after her.

The next place Courtney headed to was the duke’s rear garden.

Approaching Martin, the gardener who was trimming rose branches with crisp, precise cuts, Courtney began repeating exactly what she had done to Billy.

“Martin! Instead of caring only for the roses in the garden… wouldn’t you care for me a little too? If you want, you can soak my body completely with water.”

“….”

Martin looked Courtney up and down as if dumbfounded, then shook his head firmly.

“Miss Courtney. I’ll speak frankly. I already have a woman I love.”

“Then how about indulging in a little snack today? Hehe.”

“I think it would only ruin my appetite.”

Hidden behind the fountain, secretly listening to their conversation, Alex’s face twisted harshly.

‘What is this trashy conversation…?’

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wondered if Courtney Balkan had always been such a shameless woman.

“Please think about it one more time. I’m confident I could satisfy you better than your lover….”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I’m busy, so excuse me.”

Just like Billy, Martin rejected Courtney coldly. She slumped her shoulders and muttered to herself.

“Rejected again. But….”

She suddenly lifted her head, despite looking deeply disappointed just moments ago. Then, after slowly scanning her surroundings, she let out a playful smile instead.

“How long do you plan on watching?”

“…!”

“Sir Alex Lanchester.”

Alex’s heart dropped. He’d never been this frightened in his life.