Chapter 34
This Man is Dangerous
Startled, Adel pushed against his chest and hastily pulled back her body.
At the same time, her eyes met his deep gaze.
“Ced—”
But before she could say anything, their lips met again. No, they were swallowed.
His lips enveloped hers, drawing both the lower and upper lips in, entering her defenseless mouth.
Should she push him away?
Should she stay still? What should she do…?
Her head was in chaos, dizzy from the confusion.
Her hands trembling on his chest, unsure of what to do, clutched only at his clothes.
Through her blurry vision, all she could see was his beautiful face.
Perfect forehead. Sharp nose bridge. And long lashes casting shadows.
In that moment, he opened his eyes.
The lips that had almost devoured her separated.
Adel finally drew a deep breath.
Watching her, he asked, “……Shall we stop?”
Still with their foreheads pressed together.
Adel stared blankly into Cedric’s eyes, which swirled like waves.
This man is dangerous.
He always had been, but at this moment, especially so.
Her instincts were warning her.
It was frightening, terrifying.
But… could she refuse?
Could she refuse this man?
Just as Adel barely moved her lips, Cedric’s lips engulfed hers again, as if it didn’t matter what her answer might have been.
His pointed, heated tongue stirred inside her mouth. Still not satisfied, it pushed even deeper.
“Ugh…”
Even twisting her body for air, there was no escape. Pushing against his chest did nothing. She could only helplessly accept him.
Her breath grew short, her mind dizzy. She felt as if she were being devoured alive. His fingers undoing her corset felt like they were ransacking her mind.
Thunk.
With a soft sound of something dropping, her mind cleared slightly.
Adel, trembling and letting herself be handled, finally realized she was sitting on the man’s knees.
But as soon as she thought breathing had become easier, her mind was stolen again.
By the lips biting her neck and the hands groping her chest.
“Ah…!”
When the large hand roughly cupped her breast to its peak, her entire body trembled and tears welled up.
She couldn’t understand this strange sensation, this emotion. She just felt embarrassed, scared, and strangely sad. The flood of feelings hit her like a merciless wave.
“Huh…”
Seeing the moisture in Adel’s eyes, Cedric muttered a low curse through his teeth.
At the same time, her body was lifted into the air.
Before Adel could process the situation, her view flipped.
By the time she gathered herself, she was already on the bed.
Cedric pressed his lips to hers again, soothingly. Lips, bridge of the nose, and tear-filled eyes, one after another.
But his hand moving between her legs was anything but gentle.
“Yvonne. Relax your strength.”
With that quiet advice, the large shadow engulfed her completely.
Perfectly, without leaving a gap.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Cedric looked at Yvonne, exhausted and asleep.
The moisture had not yet left her eyes, even as she curled up small.
She was beautiful.
From her chest, which any man would glance at, to the white, soft skin marked red where his lips had touched, to her tearful face and sobbing voice.
That was probably why he couldn’t stop, despite her pleas to go slowly, or cries that she could not continue.
Of course, her wet body, obediently accepting him despite saying she couldn’t go on, also played a part.
Seeing himself relentlessly plunging into her, soothing her while she struggled, he realized he had acted no differently than a beast losing control, and a dry laugh escaped.
The difference between humans and beasts is reason. Humans, lost to desire and reason, were the type he most despised. For example, his father, or his half-sibling.
Was he any different from them now?
Even thinking so, seeing Yvonne asleep and defenseless, the desire to plunge into her again surged. There was no sign of remorse at all.
Suddenly, he longed for the scent of cigars that only came to mind when drunk.
Struggling between human and beast, Cedric got up, leaving the sleeping Yvonne behind.
There was no rush. Yvonne would eventually marry him.
To marry her and receive the duchy.
That thought had come when he saw her anxiously awaiting news of her deceased mother.
With Milena Wood dead, Yvonne had no reason to run. There was no need to abandon her life as a duchess to return to a wretched one.
It was wiser for her to stay by his side as “Yvonne Leroy.”
For her, and for him, who needed the duchy.
Then he would have both. The duchy, and her.
Suppressing the desire stirring within, Cedric entered the bathroom.
He didn’t think he could let Yvonne leave peacefully when she woke, but it would take time for her to awaken after passing out from his repeated attentions.
However, after showering, he realized his assumption had been wrong.
The woman who had slept like the dead was gone.
Along with the summer rain that had stopped.
The rain that had poured all day finally ceased around evening.
Yet Cindy’s worry, who had been anxiously watching outside, did not lessen.
‘Is the lady okay?’
Cindy liked the lady she served.
A servant could not evaluate her mistress, but if she could, this was how she felt.
The reason she rated Yvonne so highly was simple.
When she first went to serve the lady at the estate, she had worried whether the noble lady, raised as a precious duchess, might be difficult.
But the lady she met was kind and gentle.
She always made sure Cindy had her share of snacks, and never forgot to say “thank you” for small errands.
Her naive demeanor, unfamiliar with the capital, felt friendly to Cindy. Like a cousin from the countryside, not a noble lady.
And above all, she was beautiful.
As the maid in charge of her grooming, that pride made Cindy even fonder of her.
So, when the lady went out with her fiancé for the first time in a while, the rain felt intrusive.
Especially since it was her first trip to the outskirts of the capital since arriving.
‘Well, the rain has stopped, and she went with her fiancé. It should be fine.’
Just as Cindy was about to dismiss her worries, a carriage entered the estate. Not the Glaston carriage, but an ordinary hired one.
As she wondered, the door opened, and Yvonne stepped out. Even from a distance, her pale complexion showed she was unwell.
Cindy rushed to the estate entrance.
“My lady?”
As Yvonne staggered into the estate, her legs gave out upon seeing Cindy, and she nearly collapsed forward. Cindy hurried to support her.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. My legs just gave out…”
Yet her voice lacked strength. She seemed thinner and weaker than half a day ago.
“Why did you come back alone? Where is your fiancé?”
“……I got lost. I searched for a long time, but it didn’t work out, so I just came back alone.”
“Your clothes are all wet… You might catch a cold. Take a bath and rest. I’ll help you.”
“Ah, no.”
“Yes?”
“I’m fine, I want to wash myself. Could you just prepare a simple dinner?”
Though Yvonne said she was fine, she didn’t look it. Yet the look in her eyes as she held Cindy’s hand was desperate, impossible to refuse.
“Then I’ll wait nearby. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
Yvonne went upstairs to the bathroom alone, leaving Cindy behind.
With hands too weak, she barely removed her wet dress, letting the loose corset fall.
The reddish marks on her pale body were fully exposed.
“Breathe… Yvonne.”
Seeing the marks, memories of the intense moments from a few hours ago surfaced, bringing a dull ache she had forgotten, and her heart raced like a guilty child.
