CHAPTER 53….
Birdsong filled the morning air, and a faint chime rang from far away.
Life at the Great Temple had, before she knew it, seeped deep into her bones.
If she didn’t hurry and put on her apron, Priestess Rebecca would be out for her blood.
She had to throw off the blankets immediately, or Rebecca would—
Huh? Her lips?
“No!”
Adele shot upright. There was no Rebecca tearing the covers away, but when she touched her lips with her fingertips, they stung.
Well, no wonder—last night Killian had been… relentless.
Far more relentless than even Priestess Rebecca could ever be.
“You’re impulsive, Captain.”
When their lips parted and she met his hazy gaze, she had nothing else to say.
If a person could plan things out to this extent in advance, that would make them terrifying in its own way.
So, just as Killian himself had said, he could only be called impulsive.
“No.”
“…But still.”
“Never in my life have I been so rational as I was then.”
Killian’s lips grazed her earlobe in a playful bite.
His voice, sliding in like it was tickling the fine hairs on her skin, deepened her burning thirst.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Oh, what am I going to do…”
Adele buried her flushed face against her drawn-up knees.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it had stopped at a kiss—but it hadn’t been just a kiss.
That searing gaze, sliding over her body as he caressed her cheek, still felt like it was tracing her even now. The more their skin touched, the more heat prickled all the way to her fingertips.
“…No, that’s not it.”
Thinking about it, since they were soon to be married, such intimacy was only natural.
Hadn’t she made it clear she hated affairs and divorce? Marriage inevitably came with physical relations.
The reason Adele still felt so unsettled despite knowing that fact was simple.
Wasn’t there supposed to be… a problem?
They hadn’t gone all the way last night, so she still didn’t know for sure. In fact, that only made her more suspicious.
No matter how strong a man’s willpower was—was that even possible?
Even I had almost fallen for him completely.
With a bitter sigh, Adele rang the bell.
She had a habit of keeping herself busy whenever she sensed her mood would sour.
It annoyed her that even though he had only been in this room for one night, she could already feel the emptiness in his absence.
“You’re awake, my lady?”
“Yes. Where’s Father?”
“He went hunting at dawn with the Captain.”
“…Already?”
She had asked about her father’s whereabouts and had almost, without thinking, asked where Killian was too.
Both men were the closest to her—and should be—but having them together made her uneasy.
And the fact that Killian had gone out with her father without saying a word to her didn’t sit well either.
“The Captain said not to wake you, my lady. He thought you might be tired.”
“…I didn’t ask.”
“Oh, I thought you’d be curious.”
Being quick on the uptake wasn’t always a virtue.
And from the way Jacqueline avoided her eyes with a sly smile, it was clear her little head was already running away with the wrong idea.
“Jackie, sorry to disappoint, but nothing happened last night.”
“Why?”
“…That’s what I’m saying.”
Standing before the mirror, Adele examined her body beneath her gown.
It wasn’t just because it was her own body—objectively speaking, it was perfection.
Her curves were smooth and flawless, her figure lean where it should be and full where it should be.
Thanks to her memories from her past life, Adele could even evaluate her own body and face from a third person’s perspective.
…Then that means it’s true.
Her self-satisfied expression darkened quickly. If it wasn’t that, she couldn’t think of any other reason.
If he hadn’t stopped halfway, she couldn’t guarantee what would have happened… because in that moment, she had seen no one but him.
“My lady, should I bring the jewelry box again today? And we can prepare a new dress?”
“No. I’ll just do things as usual.”
“But you looked so beautiful yesterday.”
“And so what… forget it.”
Why dress up for his sake?
Adele opened the wardrobe and pulled out one of her usual, comfortable dresses.
Jacqueline looked disappointed, but Adele’s hands were firm in their choice.
“He’s probably off meditating somewhere in all his lofty dignity anyway.”
