Chapter 96
“Ugh…!”
Startled by my sudden movement, he parted his lips and let out a low groan.
“Liz, wait a moment.”
He urgently grabbed my legs, panting, and looked down at me with wide, surprised eyes.
I, equally startled, stared back at him, and he whispered in a lowered, soothing voice.
“It’s hard to hold back like this.”
I wasn’t naive enough to ask what exactly he meant by that.
Even in my original world, I already knew enough about adult matters. And I had spent twenty-three years in this world too.
I wasn’t so young or innocent that I couldn’t understand words like that.
Unconsciously, I swallowed. It’s not even real—so what? That thought shook me.
Yeah, when else would I get a chance like this to be with someone so stunning? That thought tempted me too.
No, this isn’t right! He’s supposed to belong to Jieun!
Hey! It’s all a dream anyway! Only I know!
No… yes… no… yes…
Two opposing thoughts fought fiercely in my mind, and yet my lips, already dazed by the visual pleasure he was giving me, spoke on their own.
“I don’t think I need to hold back…”
At that moment, the look in Lixion Luhanes’ eyes changed.
His gaze, which had briefly darkened, instantly took on the light of a predator.
I could see it even if I didn’t want to—the line he had drawn, the boundary he had restrained himself with, breaking, and the emotions he’d been holding back exploding into ecstasy.
I marveled at how he had restrained himself until now, as violent emotions swirled in his blue eyes.
Everything about him seemed ready to consume me whole.
His thumb slowly approached and gently parted my lips.
Lowering my lips to his, he whispered softly.
“Don’t regret saying that.”
With that, his lips pressed down over mine.
The kiss and his touch were different from when we had tried to maintain some rational restraint, and I felt a slight fear.
But I had been the one to ignite this fire first, so now there was no turning back.
I wrapped my arms around Lixion Luhanes’ neck.
I accepted his lips deeply, more and more, and closed my eyes quietly.
It was suffocating. It felt as if something large and heavy was wrapping around my body, pressing me down.
I groaned in discomfort, still closing my eyes.
Ugh… I tried to turn over, but my body wouldn’t move well.
What… is this?
Thanks to a good night’s sleep, my mind was clear, but my body felt like a wreck.
The lingering muscle pain had worsened, and strange new pains had appeared.
Most acute was the sharp, strange pain under my abdomen.
I struggled to lift my eyelids, swollen to the point I could barely open them.
The first thing I saw was a wall. Or more precisely, a chest—someone’s chest acting as a wall.
What is this?
I blinked my confused eyes.
Thinking I might still be half-asleep and seeing things, I rubbed my eyes—but then, my arms didn’t move at all.
Looking down, I realized someone’s arms were holding my body tightly without a single gap.
I lifted my gaze again. Rising and falling periodically above that chest, I saw a man sleeping—a man so beautiful even in slumber.
His long eyelashes cast shadows over his face as he slept, making him breathtaking. I stared, temporarily forgetting everything else.
Light from the window fell on his body. It was as if a heavenly angel had descended to earth and fallen asleep in front of me.
Even the bruises on his cheeks couldn’t dull his radiant beauty.
His silver hair was scattered across the pillow, and aside from the bruises, his face was flawless. His massive body, curled up as he slept, was completely bare.
As I examined him piece by piece, my face froze in shock a beat too late.
I felt as if all the blood in my body had drained.
Calm… calm down. Elizabeth Christener.
I tried to steady my pounding heart with deep breaths.
I needed to figure out what had happened. I forced my chaotic mind to recall what had happened.
I remembered spending time with the children yesterday, and meeting Lady Rachel. I remembered seeing Lady Rachel and suddenly bursting into tears… but after that, my memories were hazy. I wasn’t sure if I had fallen asleep while crying. And then…
“I like you.”
“I’ll do my best for you.”
“Liz… do you like me?”
It would have been better if I couldn’t remember the rest, but the memories came back—vivid, painfully detailed.
Considering my half-conscious state at the time, it was astonishing that I remembered all of it.
The moment I realized that all the memories I had believed were just dreams were actually real, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Liz… I feel like I could go crazy from how much I like you.”
Even the memories I wanted to forget, the ones I shouldn’t remember, came back clearly. I wanted to die.
Please… tell me it’s a lie.
Darkness closed in on me. Facing a reality I couldn’t believe, I stared blankly at Lixion Luhanes’ sleeping face.
Staring like that didn’t make it a dream. It didn’t undo what had happened. My mind was shattered, pulverized, and I couldn’t do anything else.
How can I possibly believe all of this is a dream? Was I really crazy? Or possessed?
All sorts of thoughts ran through my head. If I could, I would have torn out every hair and strangled myself.
Should I quietly slip away and run?
I tried to calm my fractured mind and think clearly.
I just need to speed up my plan. Get out of here, return to the Christener estate, gather my money and luggage…
Knock, knock!
The silence was broken by a knock on the door.
Startled, I turned my head while still held by Lixion and looked toward the door.
“Unnie—”
“You can’t come in without permission.”
“No, Unnie said it’s okay.”
Before I could shout, the door burst open, and Rin cheerfully entered the room.
“Unnie… huh?”
Then she noticed me—or rather, us.
Rin’s eyes widened in shock.
She had expected me to be alone, but there was someone else—and that someone was a naked Lixion Luhanes.
Only I was completely covered by the blanket. He lay almost entirely exposed.
“You can’t just come in like this…”
Rowan, who had come to stop Rin, also noticed us.
I was just as shocked as when I first saw Lixion.
This situation was so ridiculous and embarrassing that my brain froze.
First despair came from exposing such a scene to the children, and second despair hit when I realized it wasn’t a dream—it was reality.
The pressure of his arms around me vanished silently.
His hand moved like issuing a command, and the children were lifted into the air and expelled from the room.
Before I could even confirm the children’s shocked expressions, the door slammed shut with a thud. I heard the lock click into place.
I stared in disbelief at what I had just witnessed. Then his hand naturally returned to wrap around my waist.
“Liz, sleep more.”
He buried his face in my neck and pressed his lips against me again.
Frozen from his every movement, I suddenly snapped to full awareness.
With all my strength, I pushed Lixion’s body away and leaned back.
As I pulled the blanket around myself, his nudity was fully exposed. I tried my best not to look at his lower body, staring only at his face.
“Liz? Why…”
Lixion’s face showed confusion. Half-awake, he blinked sleepily and looked at me with a puzzled gaze.
I was even more bewildered. Was that really the right reaction for this situation?
“What… what is this?”
My lips trembled as I asked. His puzzled expression deepened.
“What do you mean?”
Suddenly, it felt like we couldn’t communicate at all, making me anxious.
I spoke carefully, trying not to sound accusatory.
“What… what is this situation right now?”
Lixion’s eyes softened slightly, almost crumpling.
“You… don’t remember?”
