~Chapter 105~
The moment their lips met, the whole world fell silent.
Edwin had only meant to steady Elicia so she wouldn’t fall as she lunged at him. But of all things, she had to be wearing a thin silk nightgown—slippery and impossible to grip. He thought he should grab her again, but the warmth seeping through the single layer of fabric and her soft scent washed away any strength he had left.
By the time he regained his senses, their lips were pressed together.
“…!”
Elicia’s blue eyes widened in shock, frozen in place. Edwin, though, couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Self-control was as natural to him as breathing. Even after wandering through countless worlds, he’d never lost his mind to boiling despair or rage—that iron will was what kept him sane.
Edwin’s restraint was second to none.
On any other day, he’d have been just as composed. But right now, his entire world was coming undone.
Holding Elicia’s delicate body and tasting her sweet lips, something deep inside him twisted and snapped.
“I’m sorry! It’s your fault, for teasing me like that…”
Elicia jerked her head up and shouted, but she couldn’t get another word out.
Edwin swallowed the rest.
Their lips met again. Without breaking the kiss, Edwin gently laid Elicia down on the sofa. Their kisses came one after another, so close it was impossible to tell whose breath belonged to whom.
Elicia looked surprised at first, but soon her eyes drifted shut and she pulled Edwin closer by the neck. Her intent was perfectly clear.
That was the moment Edwin’s fragile grip on reason shattered completely.
He couldn’t hold back, breathing hard, just as—
“My lord, you didn’t answer, so I’m coming in. Your meal has—”
The door opened and Gareth stepped in, a servant following with a tray. Both stopped dead in their tracks.
Ever since coming to the imperial palace, Edwin had insisted on poison-testing all of Elicia’s food. With Lady Olden’s past history, everything related to Elicia’s safety was handled personally by Gareth, Edwin’s chief aide. It was just one more thing Elicia never knew about, along with how Edwin secretly quashed every nasty rumor about her.
“…!”
Elicia, dazed and out of focus, blinked herself back to reality. She looked back and forth between Gareth, the servant standing at the door, and Edwin right in front of her.
No wonder she was so quiet—she was simply too shocked for her brain to function.
‘Ah, looks like her mind just rebooted.’
Her face turned even redder than Baron Comte’s love letter after it met the flames.
At the same time, Edwin’s composure finally returned. He clicked his tongue quietly and straightened up, naturally shifting to shield Elicia and her tousled clothing behind his back.
“Gareth, you’re great at everything—except reading the room.”
“Isn’t that why you said you liked me, sir?”
“…”
Yeah. That single-minded bluntness was exactly why he’d made Gareth his right hand.
True to form, Gareth didn’t seem bothered at all by what he’d just witnessed.
But that wasn’t the problem right now.
With Elicia grinding her teeth behind him—Edwin thought his eardrums might not survive once Gareth and the servant left—he ordered them to set down the meal and leave.
The servant, desperate to avoid trouble, hurried over, dropped the tray, and fled. Gareth followed, closing the door behind him.
Edwin, now more nervous than he’d ever been even in front of a legendary monster, spoke very carefully.
“Uh, dinner’s here.”
“I must be losing my mind… What do we do now, they saw everything, what do we do?! Aaaaaaagh!!”
That day, Edwin begged for forgiveness until Elicia’s anger finally burned itself out.
After that day, a few things changed for me.
First, things between Edwin and me became a little awkward. He hadn’t really changed at all, but I was so mortified that I couldn’t even look him in the eye.
‘If you asked me if I hated it… Honestly, I kind of liked it.’
The way he held me as if I was the most precious thing in the world. That wild, heated touch—sensations I’d never felt before.
Maybe that’s why being alone with Edwin now left me even more flustered. After tasting that forbidden fruit, how could I be sure we wouldn’t get into trouble again?
I even found myself thinking ridiculous things, like calling in that miracle acupuncturist Ramon had once mentioned—the one who could supposedly raise the dead.
What on earth am I thinking?!
Anyway, I did my best to keep busy and stay out of Edwin’s way.
But there were limits to how much I could pretend to have a full social calendar. My old connections were shady at best, and the new ones I’d made barely filled a broom closet.
Even Isabella’s literary gathering was still some time off.
So I needed somewhere else to kill time—
“Sister, what shadow puppet are you going to teach me today?!”
“How about a deer?”
“Can I veto that?”
“When did you start talking like me…?”
I ended up spending a lot of time at the Empress’s palace, growing closer to Joseph.
He was probably starved for affection, being likely to end up on the political sidelines in such a cold palace, and he took to me right away.
Naturally, that meant I became close to his mother, Mariana, too.
“Elicia, why does Joseph look so serious every time you mention ‘deer’?”
“Let’s just say it’s a trial of finger flexibility.”
“…?”
Mariana, too, was isolated at court. The Emperor’s mistress, Lady Perez, basically ran things, so outside official events, Mariana had little chance to step into the spotlight.
On one of these quiet days, Katerina dropped by, and, as luck would have it, Isabella joined soon after. Just like that, our little group became a foursome.
It started as a casual get-together, but we all got along surprisingly well, and before long, it turned into a small reading club.
As Isabella read aloud, she glanced out the window.
“It’s especially loud at court today, isn’t it?”
“There’s a jousting match going on.”
“Ah.”
She tried to resume reading, but the roar of the crowd kept drowning her out.
Finally, Isabella closed her book with a smile.
“At this rate, we’ll be following the match more than the story.”
“Looks like the red team is winning. The Emperor must be thrilled.”
Katerina’s smile was wry. In truth, she wasn’t talking about the Emperor, but about Lady Perez, his mistress and a huge fan of the games.
Because of her, Mariana was forced to remain at the palace, even though having both the Empress and the mistress at the same event was a public relations disaster. Not that Lady Perez cared—if anything, the Emperor protected her all the more fiercely.
Isabella, catching the subtext, gave Katerina a discreet look and changed the subject.
“There’s a riding tournament in a few days. Will you all be participating?”
Equestrian skills were basic for any noble, regardless of gender. Even if the riding tournament wasn’t as dangerous as the joust, lady nobles still wanted a chance to show off their training.
Katerina was the first to answer.
“Of course. I can’t pass up a chance to show off Pavia’s riding prowess. What about the rest of you?”
“I think I’ll sit this one out. The sparkling trophies are best left to the younger crowd now.”
“I used to love riding when I was younger, but now that I’m a mother, I can’t help but be cautious. I always have to think of Joseph.”
Mariana said this quietly, then turned to me.
“Shall I guess Elicia’s answer? You’ve loved showing off your riding skills since you were little, so I bet you’ll enter again this time.”
“Oh, then maybe I should come cheer you on!”
“…Huh?”
I’d spent the whole meeting gazing adoringly at Isabella, my hands under my chin, so her comment left me completely at a loss.
‘Of all people, me—who hates any exercise more strenuous than breathing—is about to be volunteered for this?’
Truth is, I could ride a horse. Lombard was all mountains, half the roads impassable by carriage, so every northerner learned to ride. As someone of low birth who did plenty of work outside the city walls, I spent even more time in the saddle.
But “can do” and “want to do” are two very different things.
I was about to gracefully decline when—
“Elze isn’t just a genius with literature—she’s a talented rider, too. The Duke of Lombard is truly lucky to have such a multi-talented wife.”
My idol, Isabella, called me by my nickname—basically my real name in her eyes—and praised me.
Then she added:
“There are quite a few people who’ve wanted to meet you, Elze. That day would be the perfect time for introductions, don’t you think?”
“…”
I gave her a silent thumbs-up.
Just like that, I was officially signed up for the riding tournament.
