“Oh my, Pervin. So it was you?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m talking about another man, Irwen. Because I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“You were the one pretending to be another man.”
“…”
I guess I have nothing to say. Pervin hugged me tightly and looked down. I stared at him, pretending not to notice that he was burning with jealousy.
“So, did you get anything? Our cute kitten?”
Pervin’s ears perked up at my playful tone. He bit his lip several times as if embarrassed.
“What do you mean by cat?”
“You look just like a cat today. You’re innocent but cute, and act cute with people you like.”
He couldn’t deny what I said. His initially modest attire was seen to be completely disheveled. The cat mask he was wearing was swept up, revealing his handsome face, and his neat pink uniform had its buttons undone, one by one. The white nape of her neck, exposed because the button was undone, was panting, unable to hold her breath. There was a lot of strength in his hand on my waist. Now, rather than dancing in sync with each other, our bodies are tightly pressed together. He picked me up and placed my feet on top of his. Placing me on his instep, he tied his arms tightly around my waist and looked at me. His eyes had darkened.
“As expected, you are one step above me. No matter how much I pretend to be another man and try to test you, I can’t beat you. I should have known this a long time ago.”
“Was it worth it? My lovely husband?”
As I smiled mischievously and clung to him, Pervin’s white face turned red. He hugged me and took steps left and right, but he stumbled for a moment, probably embarrassed. Because of this, he was slightly bumped into several couples who were dancing next to him. They turned their heads at the feeling of someone bumping into them, and seemed surprised in many ways when they saw us. First, I was surprised when Pervin lifted his mask over his head to reveal his face, and second, I was wide-eyed when he wrapped his arms around me and placed me on his feet. Thanks to this, people’s attention is focused on us. A couple passing by her followed us, with the man trying to lift his female partner onto his feet, almost causing her to lose her balance. Tap, tap. Pervin hugged me tightly and took the steps. I hugged his body, burying my face in his chest. He stroked my hair and buried his face in it.
“One thing, I definitely realized something.”
“What is it?”
“It hurts so much that you treat me like someone else.”
His hand, which had been in her hair, gradually moved down to her slim waist. With a tap, he placed his forehead against mine. In this situation, dark green eyes are staring only at me. A thick voice enveloped my ears.
“I really want to be special, just for you.”
The melody the orchestra played gradually became slower. We were approaching the end. Pervin blew a strand of hair from his forehead. His red lips were sweet.
“I want your world to be filled with only me. I just want you to look at me.”
I slowly matched the rhythm with him and lifted his feet slightly. I lightly put my arm around his shoulder.
“Of course I think so.”
Pervin lifted my mask slightly. I lightly tapped his cheek. A red blush appeared on his pure white cheeks. Even his dark green eyes seemed to be filled with a rosy blush.
“Then tell me you love me.”
His outspoken sincerity must have been heard by others, as people were seen busily turning their heads here and there. The steps are twisted and people are stepping on each other’s feet one after another. People are listening intently, as if the Duke of Carlisle’s public courtship is more important. At that time, Pervin’s embarrassed voice was heard.
“No, Irwen. I guess I asked too much of you in a public place like this. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to…”
I took my hand off his waist and covered his face with both hands. I lifted my face and kissed him on the lips. This situation makes his face turn red as if it’s about to explode.
“I love you, the one who stole my heart, more than anyone else in the world.”
At this time, the cackling screams of women around me and the envious sighs of men mixed together. Pervin blinked his eyes lazily and bowed his head to me. The deep green eyes stared at me as if they were going to swallow me up. The voice coming from his lips was trembling more than ever.
“Really?”
“Tell me again? You love me…”
“Shh, stop. If I listen any more, I feel like my heart will explode.”
The moment when the eyes of a man in love are fixed on me. His hot lips landed directly on my lips and immediately tickled the inside. The gazes of the nobles who finished dancing around us immediately fell on us. Most people seemed to recognize it was us. They were looking at us as if they were happy for some reason.
‘As expected, He is still the same.’
‘I’m going to be compared to my wife again, for not acting like Lord Carlisle.’
However, there was one person among them who looked at me with a subtle gaze. Ibelin was surrounded by several noble ladies. He bowed his head slightly towards Irwen, who received the kiss. His eyes as he looked at Pervin were somehow determined. If you are the person the young lady likes, then…
* * *
Kisses with him were always passionate. His kiss that penetrated my lips was even hotter than usual. The breath that came gently into his mouth had suddenly become rough to the point that he was delirious. They repeated sucking and pulling, lightly biting and releasing, and swallowed each other’s greedy breath. At the time when a trickle of water was flowing down from the lips wet with the feeling of coveting each other. Only then did Pervin slowly lift her lips from mine. When I tried to wipe my moist lips with the back of my hand, he snatched my hand. With his free hand, he wiped away his own saliva that was sticky on my lips, and put his wet finger in his mouth, then took it out. His uvula vibrated as if he had swallowed saliva. Her puckered red lips shone as if tempting me. As I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he met my languid gaze.
“Why is everything about you so sweet? I want to taste it one more time.”
Ah, why did I only realize it now? Pervin Carlyle was an elegant predator himself. He can’t help but love, and it’s so fatal that you feel like he could be taken over on the spot. At that time, loud voices were heard from the side, breaking the atmosphere.
“His Royal Highness the Duke of Carlisle. Congratulations. In the history of the masquerade, you were the fastest, boldest, most blatant, and first person to be discovered.”
In response to his external interference, Pervin quickly hid me in his arms.
“As a penalty for being caught for the first time, here we go!”
The emperor was most excited and poured a bottle of champagne over his head. Pervin hurried to avoid him, but it was already too late. Pure white foam splashed over his head. It was because he hurriedly covered my head as the bubbles started to splash towards me. A deep, growling voice rang out.
“You ignorant people, you interfere with a couple saying they love each other.”
Beside him, the emperor twitched his mouth.
“Now you are revealing your identity very openly.”
Beside him, Marquis Celestine was holding his stomach and laughing until he died.
“Oh my god, Carlisle. A pink uniform! You, who always wears black, now have pink!”
“What about the cat mask?”
“But it also suits me well. Oh my, now I see it looks like a couple look with the duchess. Blue and pink. What an ideal couple look would this be?”
“Lady Carlisle, this is against the law. Even when you came to the masquerade ball, you were only with your husband. Then what becomes of me, who rejected her husband and danced with Lord Dobre?”
As Countess Honorine spoke to me playfully, Lord Dobre looked at me with some resentment. I was embarrassed and hid behind Pervin, but Pervin confidently faced Lord Dobre.
“What’s wrong with dancing as a couple?”
“But Your Majesty the Duke, do you not know the purpose of the masquerade ball? To share the joy of dancing with various men other than my husband, that is the purpose of the dance that has been passed down from generation to generation.”
“I have no intention of following those rules.”
Pervin wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Why should I lose my woman to another man?”
Sir Dobre lowered his head hastily, as if at a loss for words. He saw many noble ladies patting his back and comforting him. There were countless nobles gathered around us after the dance. Before I knew it, the ballroom was divided into two halves. Sibelom scallion, and Carlisle scallion. As servants holding glasses filled with clear wine approached, people around them naturally accepted the glasses. Marquis Celestine happily handed me a drink.
“I really wanted to give the beautiful Duchess a drink.”
“Lance, that’s…”
“Pervin, no matter how jealous you are, you won’t criticize me for giving my wife a drink, right?”
“I guess so. In return, you will receive my kiss.”
When I kissed the back of Pervin’s hand, Pervin, who had been licking her lips, instantly quieted down. Marquis Celestine held back her giggles and handed me a glass. Naturally, I took the wine he handed me, and Pervin also took the wine. He raised his glass while looking at me.
“For you, cheers.”
The sweet wine went down well. I didn’t know. The fact that Sibel Rome was staring at that figure, her eyes sparkling in the corner.
* * *
In one corner of the ballroom, numerous people are sitting and having serious conversations while wearing masks. They were sitting with drinks on one side and refreshments on the other. Three people who cannot hide their majestic beards even if they hide them with masks. They were Sullebar Carlyle, Bocelli Carlyle, and Count Daiolos Belno. They had known each other since the Duke of Carlisle was alive. The Carlisle relatives and Count Belleno knew each other well. So now, from Pervin approaching Irwen while wearing a mask to openly kissing Irwen. They were watching like happy fathers.
“There is nothing more surprising. Oh my god, you put your wife on top of your feet. Who did you learn that kind of cuteness from?”
“Didn’t you study on your own? I once saw a study full of love writing books.”
“Where is the man who studies cuteness? That’s innate nature. I just didn’t show it all this time.”
“The two of you have definitely gotten better.”
“It is a pleasure to see the Duchess handling Lord Carlisle so expertly.”
The three people finished their review while drinking wine at the same time.
“It looks like everyone recognizes you even if you wear a mask. Look at our Royal Highness the Duke.”
“Over there, Marquis Celestine recognized his wife right away.”
“They shared all the clothes they were going to wear this morning. It seems like His Royal Highness recognized her just by instinct.”
“His Majesty the Emperor recognized Her Majesty the Empress and embraced her.”
Sulevar, a distant relative of the Carlisle family, said with a dignified smile. In the very center of the ballroom, the emperor and his wife were seen dancing and hugging each other. They slowly move their steps to the slow sound of the violin. It was clearly shown that it was not a formal relationship, but a sincere relationship.
“I heard you chose her love, not her matchmaking. When I look at that, it really reminds me of the old days.”
“Back then, he was really happy every day… You don’t seem happy right now.”
“It would have been nice if I had just had a son. Since he gave birth to two princesses, his successor naturally became Duke Sibelom.”
“Isn’t there still a possibility of conception?”
“Well, I heard that Her Majesty has been diagnosed with one more pregnancy that could literally cost her her life. That’s how weak her body is.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
Their eyes turned to a group in the corner. In the center of the place where many nobles gathered, there was, without fail, Sibelom. Sibelom is next to Rosamund, who is wearing clothes that expose her breasts. He led the conversation like the leader of the place. The fluttering bar clicked his tongue.
“Don’t say it, don’t say it.”
“Uh huh, what if I say something like that here! This is not the duke’s residence, but the imperial palace.”
“Look at me. Even though it’s a masquerade ball, what’s with that vulgar attire? If you want to show off your breasts, go to the bedroom, don’t show up at the venue like this!”
“Originally, Rassendyll, those writers were trying to impress His Majesty the Duke of Sibelom and get a big deal.”
“I don’t understand why on earth His Highness the Duke hangs around with such bastards.”
“Our matriarch is also one of the heirs to the throne.”
Sullebar and Bocelli agreed in one word.
“If there had been a successor, I would have been more powerful.”
For a while they just drank wine. Bocelli said, taking a drink.
“What about a successor? All we have to do is merge once, so something has to happen.”
“That’s right. Besides, there are no good days for Hapbang these days. I’m so nervous. It seems like the imperial family is buying up all of the annexation work.”
“I’m nervous, even more so here. Half a year has already passed.”
“Don’t make me fuss again, Bocelli. I was so upset with your wife last time.”
“How is that my fault? Sullebar, your wife must have been heartbroken because you got so excited and made such a fuss.”
“What… what! It’s your fault!”
“Anyway, it’s not something we need to worry about. I believe that our matriarch will take care of everything. He was so full of masculine charm since he was young, it reminds me of the time when he became the head of the family after losing his father. The sight of him summoning all of Carlisle’s relatives and proudly declaring that he would now go. You are so proud, I thought you would have a child soon…”
Count Belno pretended to wave his hand.
“Stop, that’s all I’ve heard since five years ago. As soon as the baby is born, I will get tired of your nagging and disappear.”
“Then let’s change the subject. Would it be sooner for them to get married and have children, or would it be sooner for my wife to have twins?”
Sullebar pointed to Stella and Montague’s young master who were dancing.
“Suddenly you’re getting married, what are you talking about… Oh, Montague’s young master and Lady Belle? How can we know the minds of young people?”
Bocelli, who was next to Sullebar, laughed.
“No matter how much Lady Belle has feelings for that brat, will that young man be able to withstand the power of the old count?”
“Once upon a time, Count Noh coveted our matriarch so much.”
“I think he was eyeing you as his son-in-law.”
“That’s what I said. It was absolutely ridiculous.”
“I couldn’t send our matriarch to that stubborn old man. Oh, whatever.”
“We can’t send our matriarch to a young lady who has the exact same stubborn personality.”
Count Noh looked at the two people openly gossiping in front of him with a strange smile.
“I don’t understand what it means to talk behind someone’s back when the person involved is here.”
“Ha ha ha!”
“It doesn’t feel bad to hear it anyway, Daiolos.”
“It’s something I’ve been hearing for a long time.”
“That’s right. Ha ha ha!”
The three men burst out laughing as if it was fun. Sullebar and Bocelli nodded with strange smiles.
“Still, will Daiolos be as good as Duke Lillias?”
“Well, that’s right. No craftsman can endure Duke Lilia’s terrible love.”
“Imagine that your father-in-law is Duke Lilia. Oh my gosh, how much he cares for his only little sister.”
“Didn’t he come directly to the duke and teach me the secret when he said he couldn’t have a baby?”
“Really?”
Count Noh listened curiously.
“Yes, he stayed at the duke’s residence for about a week and taught the secret to our Duke Carlisle. But there’s no news about the baby yet.”
“Be the successor…”
“I heard it through my rumor.”
Bocelli looked around as if he was worried.
“They say that’s why Count Rune, who is said to control diplomacy with his three-inch tongue, came this time. He told me not to stay here and worry about the baby, but to return to Verma. It is said that Duke Lilias made such a suggestion because he cared for his sister.”
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
Since I don’t have much time now due to my new job I decided not to continue this story. To be sincee I didn’t like it as much as when I started and my translation is not the best. A person with much more love with this story should pick it up so you can really enjoy it. Sorry if this desition made you mad but I prefer to stop here before leting you read such a bad work on my part.See you in another story.
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