Chapter 100
Tessarion locked the door and strode closer, one knee pressing onto the bed. His tall shadow fell over me. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me flat onto the mattress.
“Uhp?”
I didn’t even have time to wipe my tears. His hot tongue forced into my mouth. Tension ran down my neck like fire.
“Mmhh.”
“Mm…”
He kissed me deeply, his low growl vibrating against my throat. Then he pulled back, licking my wet lips. His heavy gaze pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.
I turned my head away, unable to meet his eyes. My mouth was dry, my throat burning. I gripped the sheets tightly.
“> I’ll forgive you this time.”
He smiled darkly, like a demon pretending mercy.
“> But there won’t be a second time like yesterday.”
“….”
Yesterday… which one did he mean? My kiss with Altair? Or the dance with Variette?
Carefully, I asked, “Do you mean when I kissed Altair yesterday? Or… does dancing with Prince Variette also count?”
“Yes.”
“Then… if you forbid both, does that mean you’re taking back your order for me to marry by this year? No more arranged meetings, no duties, no groom training…?”
Tessarion smirked, lips brushing my skin.
“No.”
My pounding heart turned ice cold.
“You… still mean to continue?”
His eyes burned—anger, obsession, jealousy, even murder all tangled together.
“> If you do it with anyone else—I’ll kill them.”
“…?!”
The meaning was clear. If I ever kissed Altair again, Tessarion would kill him.
He pressed kisses down my face and chest, his hands wandering.
“W-wait…” I caught his hand, trembling. My face went red.
And then, like lightning, the truth hit me.
“> Y-you mean… you want to marry me, Duke?!”
“….”
He froze, blinking in surprise, then laughed bitterly.
“Crazy.”
I shook my head, stammering, “Right? Even you must know it doesn’t make sense. From the hut until now… you’ve been strange. You’ve always been a bit too attached to me. Marriage makes no sense—since you hate love and relationships most of all…”
“Is that so?”
He grabbed my trembling hand.
“Yes…”
“> Am I crazy, then?”
He pressed my palm to his lips, then bit softly, licking my fingers one by one while staring down at me.
“All the times I read with you, ate with you, walked with you… gave you tasks worth respect, cared for you when you were sick, dressed you well, danced to music with you… all of that—was madness?”
“…?!”
His words stabbed through me.
“Are you saying… treating only you well is strange?”
“……!”
I was speechless. My heart pounded painfully.
“I just… don’t know your true intentions, Duke.”
If all this meant he wanted me… if it meant he loved me…
Tessarion smirked, forcing my hand down against his body.
“> You know. You just don’t want to admit it.”
“No… it’s not that… I just…”
My breath hitched as his gaze burned into me. My shame, his heat, his desire—there was no escaping any of it.
He whispered hotly in my ear:
“> You say you want me happy, yet you try to hand me off to someone else. That’s your idea of kindness?”
“…!”
“> I hated it.”
He grabbed my ankle, lifting my leg. I yelped as my body twisted.
“I wanted to kill them all. But I endured. I endured, only so you could smile at me. And now you claim you don’t understand me?”
His teeth sank into my ankle, biting like a predator trapping prey. My body shivered, tears running down.
Today… he would consume me.
“> Roy. Open your eyes.”
“Hhh… uhh…”
“> Don’t make me crazier—look at me!”
“…!”
I trembled, forcing my eyes open. His face blurred through my tears.
“Roy.”
He wiped my tears gently. That tender touch made me want to throw my arms around him, to cling to his warmth. My heart was begging, desperate.
I lifted my arms to embrace him. But instead of a kind hug or a proposal, he seized both my wrists and pinned them above my head.
My tears spilled over as fire spread across my face.
“> Look at me. From now on—only me.”
His eyes blazed like an unstoppable flame above me.
