Chapter 010
“Hah… damn it.”
“Duchess, use polite language.”
“Bullsh—…”
Evgenia roughly swept her hair back and let out a deep sigh.
Yulhan’s light voice popped up.
“Anyone would think you’re being dragged away against your will.”
“It feels no different.”
A long sigh, Haaah, escaped again.
She rose from the chair and slowly untied the robe she was tightly wrapped in.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘Right, if I’m going to do it anyway, today is the perfect time. The incident with Raimund today makes for an ideal excuse, doesn’t it?’
If the Name were erased at this opportune moment, it would be easy to blame the entire reason on Raimund’s infidelity.
Reporting every detail, including Yulhan’s existence and what happened with him, to her father was a choice she would rather die than make.
‘I’d rather bite my tongue. My father wouldn’t be interested in his carefully raised daughter’s escapades either.’
In any case, there was no timing more perfect than today.
Despite this, she had dragged her feet, wanting to refuse until the very end…
‘Since I’ve reached a dead end, there’s no choice. Go big or go home!’
She pulled one end of the ribbon fastened to her chest, and the thin fabric slid down her body, falling to the floor.
After the pitch-black robe disappeared, all that remained was a chemise so thin it overtly revealed the contours of her body.
“…”
Yulhan’s gaze traced down Evgenia’s body.
The gaze flowed like water past her round chest to her flat stomach, paused briefly, and then calmly moved upwards.
The moment it met her golden eyes, which burned like fire along with her hair, a small laugh escaped Yulhan’s lips.
“You looked as determined as a general heading into battle; were you preparing something like this?”
“…”
“It must have been quite a difficult journey to get here… you must have something you truly believe in.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
Yulhan shrugged lightly and slightly bent his upper body to close the distance.
Evgenia flinched and stiffened her body at Yulhan’s slowly approaching face, squeezing her eyes shut.
At her compliant reaction, Yulhan’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Last time you slapped my cheek, but today you look like you’re hoping I’ll kiss you.”
“…So you have a complaint? Should I slap you again today?”
“No, I mean I’m touched. It’s like a stray cat offering its first nose-bump.”
He used an inscrutable metaphor, and he remained at a distance, showing no intention of kissing her or touching her body.
For a man who had boldly brought up the subject of a night together the first day they met, his attitude was surprisingly passive.
Evgenia hesitated briefly and then added in a small voice.
“Perhaps if my eye shape is, well, preventing you from getting aroused, you can cover my eyes…”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“My eyes do look a bit fierce, so I thought that could be the reason. If there’s nothing to cover my eyes, I can use my hands to cover them myself,”
“Wait, wait a minute. I don’t understand what you’ve been saying.”
Yulhan pressed his temples as if he had a headache and let out a small sigh.
He looked down at the floor, then up at the ceiling, organizing his thoughts, and then asked with a face devoid of any humor.
“Duchess, who on earth told you such a… story? A maid of the Dukedom? A nursemaid? Or… Duke Martyre?”
“What? That can’t be. Who else do I know?”
Yulhan’s expression grew even more crooked at the obviously rhetorical question.
“…Ah, Prince Larsen?”
“I know I look pathetic. But even after doing all this, you still…”
Evgenia’s eyes drifted towards Yulhan’s lower body behind the sofa.
She didn’t know what was happening down there, but seeing him so composed, there likely hadn’t been much change.
Having never been intimate with a man in either her past or current life, she could only guess his reaction based on her limited knowledge.
Biting her lower lip slightly, she continued.
“There’s absolutely no, well, no reaction. So, I remembered something Raimund said a long time ago, and I wondered if that was why…”
“…A long time ago?”
“It was back when we were attending the academy. He just… said that my eyes made him feel bad, and that if I wanted to please a man, I should change my eye shape first…”
After that, she intentionally wore makeup to soften her natural eye shape.
But Evgenia’s eyes, which closely resembled her father, known as the Empire’s Red Lion, were not so easily concealed.
In the end, it was just another day spent being swayed by Raimund’s words.
Evgenia, touching her unadorned eyes, whispered like a sigh.
“That, I don’t know what to call you, but—”
“Call me Knox. Feel free.”
“…Right, Knox. Anyway… I’m truly desperate. If you want, I’ll even perform oral sex…”
“Ha.”
His laugh contained various emotions, as if interested, yet simultaneously dumbfounded.
Shame washed over her, but she barely endured it.
She felt she could withstand anything if she believed all this suffering was for a peaceful future.
She looked at him without blinking, desperately concealing her trembling heart.
His slightly darkened green eyes scanned her body again.
Unlike before, the gaze moved down without hesitation, finally settling on her pale feet.
“If you were trying to provoke me, I think this is quite the wrong choice.”
“…That’s my problem to deal with. It has nothing to do with you, does it?”
Yulhan chuckled at Evgenia’s prickly words.
Just that action alone made the air in the room feel instantly cold.
“Alright, then let’s make one thing clear.”
“…What?”
“This is merely an act for a commission, mutually agreed upon.”
His words had an edge to them.
Evgenia slightly raised one eyebrow and said testily.
“You’re not saying this because you’re worried I’ll fall for you and chase after you after just one time, are you?”
“…Well, I can’t say no.”
Yulhan conspicuously shrugged his shoulders.
He lightly rubbed Evgenia’s neck, who was too flustered to speak, brought his head closer, and gently nibbled her soft earlobe.
“Ugh…”
Evgenia let out a small moan and instinctively recoiled her neck.
Yulhan’s low voice flowed into her sensitive ear.
“I’m quite confident in myself, so finding a man after me will be very difficult for you.”
“Wha-What do you mean by that, huff!”
A hot tongue slid up her earlobe.
A wet, squishy sound echoed every time it moved.
Goosebumps prickled all the way from her neck down her spine.
Evgenia’s floundering hand urgently grabbed Yulhan’s shoulder.
Then, suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her waist, and her body was lifted with a whoosh.
“…!”
It was said that when one is too surprised, no sound comes out.
Evgenia was in exactly that situation.
The Duchess of an Empire was being carried like a sack of potatoes.
Blushing fiercely, Evgenia struggled, punching Yulhan’s shoulder repeatedly.
“Put me down! I’ll walk myself, just…!”
“Wow, your hands are quite feisty, Duchess.”
“If you know that, then put me down!”
But Yulhan was completely unfazed, even to the astonishment of Evgenia herself, who was struggling.
She was twisting her whole body, but he neither dropped her nor wavered.
When Yulhan finally put Evgenia down, they had already reached his destination.
Placing his hands on either side of Evgenia’s thighs, he met her eyes and said.
“Tell me if you want to go back right now. I’ll send you away cleanly. How about it?”
“Ah, but we’ll call off the commission, right?”
Yulhan replied with a silent smile.
Irritated, Evgenia dramatically pulled down the strap of her chemise.
“If you back down here, you’re not a man. You know that, right?”
Along with highly provocative words.
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