TVWBT | Chapter 005

Chapter 005

“What in the world are you doing…”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Knox’s lips stopped at a precarious distance.

However, just because their lips didn’t touch didn’t mean their breath didn’t.

The hand that had lightly held her chin slowly moved down and settled on the nape of her neck.

Her shoulder instinctively hunched at the hand that gently rubbed her smooth skin.

“Duchess, you don’t like it when I do this, do you?”

“…That’s the most obvious thing to say…!”

Evgenia’s face was already flushed to its limit from the intimate contact she had never experienced in either her past or current life.

Knox, who had been quietly looking down at her, backed away without a moment’s hesitation.

As she rubbed her burning cheeks and looked up at him in confusion, he spoke, wearing a smile that seemed somehow colder.

“In that case, erasing the ‘Name’ will be difficult. What will you do?”

She was utterly speechless.

So, he was saying…

‘Is he saying he won’t erase the Name unless I do certain things with him?’

He was utterly insane.

She was just gaping in shock, but Knox merely deepened his smile, as if this was the reaction he wanted.

Evgenia bit the inside of her cheek where no one could see and asked.

“…How far do you intend to go?”

“I wonder. To the point you can’t handle?”

“That’s something we’ll only know if we try, isn’t it?”

It wouldn’t work, since the exposed skin of the Duchess was already red as a tomato just from him closing the distance, yet she was bluffing as if she were used to such things.

Knox scoffed softly and closed the distance again.

This time, grabbing and pulling her closer by both her neck and her waist simultaneously.

“W-wait, mmph…”

As soon as a flustered Evgenia opened her mouth to say something, a slippery tongue invaded the gap.

The tongue lightly brushed her front teeth and scraped the bumpy roof of her mouth.

Feeling a tickling sensation in her throat, she instinctively grabbed the lapel of Knox’s clothes.

He caressed the gums surrounding her teeth and traced the squishy part under her tongue.

The sensation of someone else’s tongue touching parts of her mouth she wasn’t even aware of!

She frowned and shook her head slightly.

“S-stop, mmph, stop, ahh…”

A wet, slurping sound echoed in her head.

It felt as though his tongue wasn’t just in her mouth but poking through her entire body.

Her hands, heating up, moved past Knox’s clothes to grasp his arm and shoulder.

She felt the hardness of his body filling her palms.

The sensation of being robbed of her breath with every exhale sent shivers down her spine.

Knox didn’t miss the moment her hands slightly lost their strength and lightly bit her lower lip.

“Agh…!”

He broke away with a short flash of pain, wiping his soiled lips with the back of his hand.

The red lipstick smeared around his mouth, creating a strange atmosphere.

Evgenia, who was panting lightly, urgently rubbed her lips.

“Do you still think we’ll only know if we try?”

“Th-that is…”

With Evgenia unable to speak, Knox lowered his body slightly, completely blocking her, and implicitly ran his hand along her waist.

Because of the reduced distance, their chests brushed with every breath she took.

A sharp tension mounted every time her chest was slightly pressed against his hard body.

Her thighs instinctively squeezed together as his knee gently pressed against the hem of her dress.

He cupped Evgenia’s cheek with one hand and whispered softly.

“How about it? Is it okay to go further? I truly intend to go all the way.”

“…Y-y-y-you crazy bastard…!”

Evgenia, completely flushed, pushed him away with all her strength.

But somehow, it felt less like she had pushed him away and more like he had allowed himself to be pushed.

She quickly smoothed out her dress and stood up, glaring at him until her eyes hurt.

“Why, why the hell are you going… all the way… like that? Is this really to erase the Name?”

“Oh, what if it’s not? Are you going to slap my cheek?”

“Depending on your answer.”

Her voice was laced with complex emotions like anger and embarrassment.

Knox stared intently at Evgenia, then tilted his head slightly and replied with an air of utter nonchalance.

“It might not be, and it might be.”

“…”

“Well… Even if it’s not strictly necessary, a night with a beautiful woman like you is too good to pass up. Ah, is that an answer that warrants a slap too?”

SMACK—!

He was hit so hard that Knox’s cheek instantly flushed red.

It made her blood boil to see him burst into laughter as he gently rubbed his cheek.

“…You maniac. That someone like you is a real member of the Imperial Family means the Atrox Empire is nearing its end.”

He looked more insane now than in any previous moment she had witnessed.

‘A night? Let him spend a hundred, a thousand nights alone!’

Knox must have calculated in that brief moment that as long as she was the ‘Duchess Martyre,’ there was no way she could expose his true identity.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have adopted such an attitude toward someone who knew his secret.

What was even more infuriating was the reality that his calculation was perfectly correct.

‘Damn these Imperial Family bastards!’

With a look of disgust, Evgenia turned away, panting.

The sound of Knox’s laughter seemed to follow her, making her feel even worse.

“A lunatic, to have even considered getting help from a bastard like him…”

It was a past so naive that she felt sick of herself.

There had to be a way to break the engagement without erasing the Name.

If she couldn’t break the engagement, she could act before Raimund and send him to the abyss.

If all else failed, she would meet another man and create a ‘true’ heir herself.

Either way, it would be better than getting help from that madman.

‘If I ever go back to him, I’m not Evgenia Martyre, I’m Evgenia Larsen!’

* * *

‘…Should I just ruin Raimund now and become a Larsen?’

A month had passed since she slapped Knox and walked out.

Evgenia was seriously ready to change her name to Larsen.

She was willing to do anything, kiss or otherwise, if it would just let her break the engagement.

And for good reason.

“Prince Larsen, are you serious?”

“…Yes. But… what is with that tone? It’s been bothering me since last time.”

“It’s expressing the psychological distance between me, who wants to break the engagement, and Prince Larsen, who cannot understand it.”

Raimund shook his head, looking exasperated at Evgenia’s genuine answer.

Knox had definitely made a similar gesture, so why did it look so different now?

Why did the face that looked like the most handsome in the world before she realized her past life, now look like a buttered gorilla…?

“Haa, Evgenia. Get a hold of yourself. The moment the Name manifested, our marriage was already a done deal.”

“…Let’s concede that point a hundred times over. Then shouldn’t you be the one to get a hold of yourself?”

“Why me?”

It was absolutely not due to Evgenia’s lack of patience that she nearly swore aloud.

Her cold gaze moved to the woman next to Raimund and in front of her.

Pink, cotton candy-like hair that seemed to envelop the darkness, pairing strangely well with Raimund’s black hair.

Round, large eyes, a gaze dripping with innocence, and delicate lips.

An appearance truly fitting for the ‘Heroine’…

“Lady Stella Ael.”

“…Ah, yes, yes, Duchess Martyre!”

“Do you, my Lady, feel anything about this?”

“Uh… Me? What, what are you referring to? I don’t quite…”

‘The fact that you’re riding in the same carriage as people about to be engaged? The fact that you matched your dress color with my fiancé? The fact that your color is completely opposite to my dress as the future fiancée?’

These were obvious points that didn’t require long thought.

Unlike Evgenia’s cream-colored dress, the outfits of the two lovers were a somewhat darker shade.

However, the luxurious fabric used was such that the shimmering light reflected off the crimson cloth made their clothes look even more brilliant.

It was a meticulously prepared couple look, seemingly intended to wear a color opposite to Evgenia’s but perfectly preventing her from complaining, ‘Aren’t you wearing colors too dull for a banquet?’

And what about the cuff links and necklaces matched to the color of each other’s eyes?

Was it a common situation to ride in a carriage with one’s future fiancée while dressed to publicly declare, ‘We’re dating~’?

‘Since when did our Empire become such an open society?’

Evgenia pressed her forehead, forcing herself to turn her head away from Stella and glare at Raimund.

Raimund then lightly pulled Stella closer by the shoulder and said.

“Evgenia, don’t bully Stella. To persecute such a frail woman…”

“…Anyone would think I’m a strong man.”

“Then you should act as feminine as Stella.”

“Hah?”

Heavens, how could he utter such an old-fashioned remark?

Raimund, who looked somewhat triumphant, having somehow interpreted Evgenia’s shocked expression, shrugged his shoulders and said.

“You never know. If you wait obediently, I might pay attention to you someday.”

It wasn’t Evgenia who reacted first to that repulsive confidence.

If not Evgenia, and not Raimund who spoke the words, there was only one person left, right?

“…Oh my. My Ray, will you really do that? Stella, such… sob!”

“Oh, Stella. How could you think that? For that one to become as virtuous a woman as you is impossible, even if the Goddess herself descended.”

“Ray…”

‘Seriously, this is a harvest of lunacy…’

The problem was that this infuriating spectacle was not the first time today.

A month ago, a strict command came down from the Duke Martyre, Evgenia’s father.

‘Before the engagement ceremony, show your faces together with Raimund at banquets and tea parties.’

She initially thought they would only need to attend one or two places, but no.

‘The more, the better. And expose the Name as much as possible.’

Her father’s intentions were fully understandable.

Holding the engagement ceremony without any preparatory work would inevitably bring disgrace upon the Martyre Dukedom.

Although Evgenia’s bad reputation had already tarnished it somewhat, obstructing a respectable Prince’s path was another story.

However, revealing the existence of the ‘Name’ would clearly turn public opinion in favor of the Martyre Dukedom and Evgenia.

A mythical existence held that much power.

‘I’ve been keeping it covered because I thought it would become troublesome later if I broke the engagement…’

In the beginning, Raimund was still somewhat discreet, rushing off to meet Stella only once they were at the banquet hall.

But as Evgenia remained silent, he started openly bringing Stella with him on the way to escort her.

He seemed to think that Evgenia had finally accepted and succumbed to his insane plan—Evgenia as the main wife, Stella as the concubine.

Seeing this spectacle made her want to tear her dress and expose the Name to the entire world.

In that instant, Raimund would truly become a fool for not recognizing his destined partner, and Stella would become a tactless person hindering fate.

‘…However, I would then have to rush into marriage with Raimund. It’s better to suffer a little now than to throw my future into hell. Just endure a little longer.’

She didn’t know whether to call Stella great or astonishing, watching her fawn over Raimund, practically leaning into his arms with lifeless eyes.

Evgenia forcibly suppressed a sigh, resting her chin on her hand and casting her gaze out the window.

Then, at the sight of the mansion slowly approaching beyond the window, she quickly composed her expression.

Soon after, a polite voice came from the driver’s seat.

Knock-knock—

“Duchess, Prince. We have arrived at Marquess Nagelsman’s estate.”

Raimund, who got out as soon as the carriage door opened, held out his hand to escort her.

Just as Evgenia was about to place her hand on it naturally, Raimund quickly withdrew his hand.

“…What are you doing?”

“Hah. Evgenia. Why are you so inconsiderate?”

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

Her inner thought slipped out, but she didn’t feel sorry.

The same words would have come out even if she had filtered them through her brain.

As if he hadn’t realized the utter nonsense he was spouting, Raimund gave her a look of pity and clicked his tongue, saying.

“You should let Stella down first. She’s a frail person, and riding in the same carriage as you must have been very hard on her.”

As a dumbfounded Evgenia stood frozen, Stella, her cheeks flushed red, carefully stepped past Evgenia.

Raimund, who demonstrated a more courteous escort than ever, placed Stella’s hand on his arm and headed straight for the mansion.

“…Hah?”