Chapter 9.
Sis stared out the carriage window at the gate with its black iron bars blocking the entrance. She sighed, realizing once again that the time she hoped would never come was approaching quickly.
Even though it had been several days since she had spent the night with the Duke of Vegas, she was still in a terrible state. The aftereffects on her body were as long as the aftereffects of the love affair. She still shuddered when she thought about that night.
After standing there for a moment, the heavy gate slowly opened and the guards who had been blocking the way like a shield retreated. The owner of this vast mansion had allowed her to enter. The carriage she was riding quickly passed through the gate and past the wide garden.
As Sis was getting off the carriage, she came face to face with Alexis, who was standing at the entrance of the mansion with his arms crossed. She was so surprised that she stopped in her tracks, not expecting him to come out to greet her in person.
The slanted sunlight was shining brightly on his black hair. Alexis seemed to have been in the mansion the whole time, so she was dressed lightly, unlike when we met at the banquet hall. Perhaps that was why the contrast was so great. It was so different from
the hot night a few days ago when she was just as disheveled. Of course, her current appearance was her usual appearance.
Although I was embarrassed, I avoided eye contact and smiled awkwardly at him, fearing that I might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
“Are you here to pick me up?”
“Because you said you would come here yourself.”
She was quite surprised that he came out to greet her, since she was not such a valuable guest to him. Maybe he had come out to greet other people when they visited, but somehow she felt that it was his personality that would not do that. But it didn’t seem like he was giving her special treatment… … .
While she was confused by his unexpected kindness, he naturally led her into the mansion.
Today was the second time she had set foot in the duke’s mansion. It felt like she was entering a cave where she could not see even an inch ahead, where luxurious jewels were hidden. Sis could not easily guess how many times she would have to experience this feeling in the future.
Alexis led her to the reception room. As soon as Siss sat down on
the luxurious sofa, the servants brought out refreshments. The rich fragrance of the scarlet tea filled the still reception room.
Sis glanced at him as he lifted his teacup and sat down on the single sofa. He took a sip of tea like her and the fragrant smell of cigarette smoke emanated from him. It went well with the scent of the tea and heightened the manly atmosphere. It was an atmosphere that seemed neat but also strangely raw.
“How have you been?”
Suddenly, he opened his mouth. The calm greeting was unexpected, so Sis couldn’t answer right away. After coming to her senses and nodding, Alexis crossed his legs as if he had been waiting for her and got to the main point.
“You said you left something behind.”
“Oh, yes. The earrings… … .”
“Is it precious?”
“It’s my mother’s heirloom.”
It was not a keepsake of her mother’s, but rather a trinket that was on the cheaper side among the things she owned. Nevertheless, she lied to him without even licking her lips to
appeal that it was so precious that she had come all this way.
Alexis nodded and the servant approached and handed her a jewel box. He opened the cover with a clear wood grain pattern and turned the box towards Sis. One of her earrings, which she had hidden under the bed in the past to make an excuse to come back, was still in the box.
Alexis, who had lifted it up, looked at the splendid jewel and held it out as if to receive it. Sis reached out, but could not receive the earring. It was because he had made a gesture that clearly suggested she take it, but then withdrew his hand back towards himself.
Could it be that this guy is joking around right now?
He looked up at me with a bewildered look, and there was a faint smile on his lips.
“Why did you leave this behind?”
He asked, shaking her sparkling earring slightly. Unable to gauge the question’s intention, Sis looked back and forth between him and the earring. Then, thinking that he might be asking about how she lost it, she smiled bashfully.
“I guess that night, without me knowing… … .”
“No.”
His voice cut her off. Alexis leaned towards her. The thick scent of cigarette smoke hit her nose even harder.
“The real reason you left this behind.”
The real reason.
The moment she heard that, a strange goosebump ran through Sis. It was a goosebump that came from the suspicion that he knew that she had left the earring under the bed on purpose.
But soon, the denial that it couldn’t be true came to mind. She was alone in the bedroom, and there was no one else there, so Alexis couldn’t know what happened then. So she could just say no, but it was hard to open her mouth even once, as if all her nerves were tied to the golden eyes facing her. Those eyes sometimes felt sharp, as if they could see right through her.
Alexis, who had been watching her face, smiled and leaned back against the chair.
“As you may know, there are many people in the Empire who would like to cut my throat, whether they are asleep or awake. Whether voluntarily, involuntarily, or for other reasons.”
“… … .”
“That’s why I learned that my life is precious.”
He slowly placed the earrings into the jewelry box and closed the lid with a thud.
“There are five hidden magical tools in my bedroom, three of which are for surveillance.”
It seems that what she had been denying and claiming was actually not a coincidence.
“I said I saw it just in case. And then… … .”
Alexis caressed the black jewel box, one corner of his mouth curling. She swallowed dryly as if she was caught in a noose around her neck.
“You dropped these earrings yourself under the bed.”
Alexis finally held out the jewelry box in front of her, but her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her mouth that she didn’t have the energy to grab it.
“If it was something as precious as your mother’s heirloom, you wouldn’t be treating it so carelessly… … .”
The thought that her scheme had been completely exposed filled her vision with darkness. Since she had come here again today, he had been waiting for an opportunity to ask to see the mansion. However, before she could even say that, suspicion had begun to arise, and she felt as if she had already lost her chance.
When I was with Alexis, nothing ever went as planned. Even the first encounter that I tried to approach him as a passing coincidence ended up with me being threatened at gunpoint, and my intention to put him to sleep and sneak away ended up being useless because he wouldn’t let me go all night.
And even now… … .
Sis quickly came to her senses. Right now, there was an opponent in front of her that she had to somehow cover her eyes with. She couldn’t just back down without getting anything out of it.
“I wish you would tell me why.”
He met my gaze. But today was different from the first time we met, when he just pointed a gun at me. At least he was giving me a chance to explain myself by sitting face to face like this.
Sis lowered her trembling eyelids and moistened her dry lips with her tongue.
“In fact.”
He waited for her to open her mouth like a surprisingly polite gentleman. Feeling a little choked up, Sis took a sip of tea first. Meanwhile, Alexis’s eyes were persistently fixed on her.
He always looked at her with such a persistent gaze that at first she had the absurd suspicion that he knew her.
Sis put down his teacup and took a deep breath, as if showing signs of thought.
“… …I did it because I wanted to see you again.”
Alexis, who had been staring at her lips with his chin resting on his hand, blinked as if wondering what he had just heard. It was the same expression he had when he had heard her say that she had fallen in love at first sight in the banquet hallway where no one was passing by. A face that made it seem like he had heard a story that was completely different from what he had expected. Even then, he stayed there for a while and soon… … .
Ah, today too, he frowned deeply as if he couldn’t believe her confession.
“What?”
“I want to see you again. The Duke is very busy, and if we want to meet again, I have to come find you… … In order to do that, I had to come up with at least one reason.”
The lie that had once been told had become fleshed out without hesitation. He tried to maintain his composure, but shame welled up inside him as he was saying things he would never say with his own mouth. Still, he held onto a handful of tension, so it seemed like it wasn’t showing on the outside.
Alexis burst into laughter as soon as she finished her excuse.
“You wanted to see me? Why?”
“That, that’s it.”
I didn’t know he would dig in like this. Anyway, he was a man who didn’t even give me a chance to catch my breath. Sis glanced at him and pretended to be shy for no reason.
“Last night… was so good.”
“… … .”
“I kept thinking about it.”
“So, did you enjoy rolling around in bed with me all night?”
At his sudden question, Sis made a surprised expression, but soon jumped up as if she had been burned and waved her hand.
“No, don’t say it like that… …!”
Sis, who had been hastily denying it, flinched when she realized that she had become too excited. She coughed slightly and returned to her mature womanly posture, placing her clasped hands on her knees.
“I just wanted to see you one more time, Your Highness. I had absolutely no other intentions.”
While she tried to keep her voice as straight as possible, Alexis slowly rubbed his temples. Even then, his sharp eyes, like a snake stalking its prey, were fixed on her.
“So.”
For some reason, his voice, deeply suppressed, came across as the growling of a beast.
“What on earth do you want to do with me?”
His expression was so serious that Sis also had to straighten her back. This time, she really thought hard about her answer. At this moment, she wasn’t even aware of his staring gaze.
Sis returned to his mansion after a night that was almost like a war, and was very worried. How could she enter and exit his mansion naturally and let his guard down?
So she came up with a plan. Even though this was an irrational number with a probability close to zero, she had no time to hesitate since she had succeeded in her absurd plan to spend the night with him.
“I want to be the Duke’s lover.”
Alexis seemed to have gotten used to her bombshell remarks by now, so this time he probably just raised an eyebrow.
“Of course, Your Highness, you have to feel for me so that we can become lovers… … I hope you give me a chance.”
“What?”
“It’s a chance to spend time with the Duke.”
He understood Sis’s words without difficulty.
“Are you asking me to go on a date?”
Sis smiled brightly, as if she was possessed. Alexis couldn’t take his eyes off her face.
