Chapter 28
“That…”
Was that really something I did? No matter how out of it I was, there’s no way I could’ve been that far gone.
With doubt in myself and a sliver of suspicion toward him, my lips faltered.
“Anyway, I just remembered I have something to—”
“Jen, I know you’re trying to run away.”
The body I had half-raised was pushed right back down into place.
Had I, without realizing it, picked up Axyon’s drunken antics?
The reddish marks on him weren’t just one or two. At least five… no, six… Ugh, my head.
I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to gulp down another of Mileta’s hangover cures.
“Want me to put some ointment on it?”
“Yes. With your own hands.”
He answered as if he’d been waiting for me to offer. I could put on ointment as much as he wanted.
Using it as an excuse, I shot up to go fetch it. This time, Axyon didn’t try to stop me.
There was nowhere in this palace I could escape to anyway.
‘The Grand Duke probably already knows.’
For some reason, I kept running into that woman. Axyon adjusted his hold on Jeneia’s slumping waist, pulling her firmly against him.
Even in that state, she seemed to notice the pink hair and frowned, looking completely out of sorts.
‘I’ll handle it.’
After seating Jeneia in the carriage, Aaria Dolan’s earlier words kept echoing in his head.
Do you really think the Regent loves you?
To me, it looks like nothing more or less than guilt.
It wasn’t pity. Nor was it mockery. That was what got to him.
The woman had been right—at least about the part where he already knew.
He didn’t think Jeneia had feelings for Maxim Dolan. Nor did he believe she liked him, either.
Was this just whimsy?
“Shion, mm…”
The more Jeneia leaned against him, the more the breath grazing his neck sent jolts down his spine.
“Shion.”
When she called his name again, Axyon steadied her so she wouldn’t sway and swept the hair that had fallen forward away from her face.
“Sorry…”
The moment those words left her lips, his hands froze. Then, slowly, his palm traced along her cheek again.
“I know.”
Jeneia, who clearly hadn’t heard him, moved her lips—and by accident, they brushed against his palm.
To her, it was probably nothing. But to Axyon, every tiny spark of contact was unbearably intense.
Suddenly, she tilted her head up and curved her lips in a smile.
Then—nip—with an impish sound, she bit one of his fingers. For someone who’d been draped over him like a ragdoll just moments ago, she now clung stubbornly to that finger.
Every time something inside her mouth grazed his fingertip, his throat went dry.
“Jen, this… wait—”
All the grim thoughts that had been weighing down his mind vanished in an instant.
Every nerve focused in one place. Taking advantage of the brief slack in her bite, Axyon quickly slipped his finger from her mouth—only for her to suddenly headbutt his chest.
Before he could react, something warm and damp touched the side of his neck. Eyes shutting tight, he gripped her shoulders.
“Mmm… whyyy…”
As if displeased at being pushed away, a delicate crease formed between her brows.
“Don’t push me, okay?”
Like a teething young animal, Jeneia began nibbling at his neck again, and Axyon covered his eyelids with the back of his hand.
“Ah…”
It was too sweet to be called pain. Supporting her waist with his free hand, he thought—
Guilt?
Even if guilt was all she felt toward him, Axyon didn’t care. As long as he could keep her by his side, nothing else mattered. What guilt could be sweeter than this?
“Ugh—Jen!”
Almost as if to mock his thoughts, Jeneia bit down hard on his shoulder. And from between her lips came a laugh, like a mischievous child’s.
Like atonement, I carefully applied the ointment, and Axyon quietly accepted my touch.
Each bruise looked painfully vivid to my eyes.
“Next time, just shove me off. Got it?”
“…Are you usually like this when you drink?”
“Mm, I don’t know. I think I’ve always…”
He cut me off before I could finish. Even though I brushed it off, I could see the way his jaw tightened.
When I lifted my gaze, his lips were pressed into a displeased line.
“…I don’t think I was. As far as I remember, this was the first time. Definitely the first.”
He clearly didn’t believe my late correction. Mumbling something else, I scooped out more ointment. Even though I slathered it on thick enough to feel sticky, he didn’t complain.
“…Want more?”
“Keep putting it on until it’s healed.”
“Mm, alright.”
I capped the jar and set it aside. Even while wiping the ointment from my hands, silence heavy enough to choke on lingered between us.
Is he still mad?
Glancing over to gauge his mood, I saw his eyes lowered, lost in thought.
His lashes were long for a man. Before I knew it, I was blankly admiring how ridiculously handsome he was.
Then he suddenly turned to meet my eyes.
“Is there something on my face?”
“…Huh? No, nothing.”
“Jen.”
Now, whenever Axyon called my name, I immediately feared I’d done something wrong.
“What?”
He looked like he had something to say—but in the end, he didn’t open his mouth. He only shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“….”
His expression looked far too sad to press the question a second time.
It must have been my fault for not looking after him at the party; it had been so long since I’d been to one that I’d been careless.
When he forced a smile at me, my chest ached.
Just wait, Shion.
My plan wasn’t over yet. I promised myself—there would come a day when Shion would thank me with tears in his eyes.
…Probably?
From early morning, a heavy gloom hung over the Grand Duke’s estate.
Servants, knights, even the household’s only young lady, Cheryl, were all watching Axyon’s mood.
Normally, he was a good lord and an affectionate brother, but sometimes, he showed his emotions without restraint.
Vice-commander Douglas Mateo would’ve bet his entire fortune that the Regent was involved in this.
“You don’t even have savings, yet you talk big.”
At that moment, someone interrupted their conversation. The knights all turned at once, bowing to their commander.
“Commander, you agree with me, don’t you?”
Leaving the aggrieved-looking Douglas behind, Tessa Beverick, commander of the Dierik Knights, sighed.
“So, you disagree?”
The other knights, curious, looked to Tessa.
Her brows knit slightly before she exhaled another long sigh.
She knew they were right. Axyon Dierik’s mood depended on the Regent.
“Think about it, Commander. Just a few days ago, he insisted on attending the ball, and in the process of practicing, ruined my foot like this.”
Douglas pointed to his bandaged right foot with deep dissatisfaction.
The last time Axyon had attended a ball had been only his second time ever. Naturally, his dancing was far from good.
But with the sole purpose of dancing with Jeneia, he had perfected five dances.
That was fine. No problem there.
The problem, as always, was the Regent.
“That’s when it happened. I’m sure of it.”
“When?”
“You know—when the Regent suddenly left our lord in the middle of a pack of noble ladies like throwing him to the wolves.”
“That’s a bit much.”
Tessa frowned. Comparing their lord to prey? Even Douglas admitted it was inappropriate, though he didn’t stop talking.
“Fine, I take that back. But anyway, that’s when it happened! Our lord kept looking at the Regent, but the Regent didn’t look at him even once.”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, obviously, I didn’t take my eyes off the Regent for even a—”
“You did what?”
The sudden voice made Douglas close his mouth.
When Axyon’s shadow fell over them, everyone went silent.
Douglas couldn’t even chatter like usual when faced with that expression. He could tell the difference between fake and real anger—and this was real.
“Come with me.”
“L-lord, I mean, sir, I—”
Before he could finish, Axyon had already turned and started walking. Douglas cast a pleading glance back.
“Go on. He’s waiting.”
Waving her hand dismissively, Tessa watched him go, expression unreadable.
Only after they were gone did the remaining knights exhale in relief.
They hadn’t noticed their lord approaching because their backs had been turned.
Then they realized something.
If Tessa had been facing them, she must’ve seen him coming.
They stared at her in horror. She smiled brightly.
“Our lord only calms down after venting his temper once.”
The knights swallowed hard. Maybe the commander was scarier than the lord himself.
They quickly dispersed, muttering about finishing training.
Tessa, pale herself, looked toward Douglas, now dealing with their lord.
Douglas wasn’t wrong. She didn’t say it aloud, but she believed his guess was partially correct—Axyon’s mood had soured from that point.
But she was certain the exact trigger hadn’t been what Douglas thought.
Even if those noble ladies had said something nasty, their lord wouldn’t have cared. He probably hadn’t even listened.
What had happened after that?
Their lord had supported the drunken Regent into a carriage. And then…
Someone had spoken to him.
Who was it?
Reaching back into her memory, she pictured it clearly—bright pink hair.
It was a shade that immediately brought to mind the Regent’s pet, Maxim Dolan.
Then she recalled the woman’s exact face.
She was Maxim Dolan’s twin sister. But how had she gotten into Sezan Beautaine’s party?
And what had she and their lord talked about?
The questions kept coming, but there were no answers—at least, not yet.
