Chapter 39
Edith looked as pale as someone who had just fainted and regained consciousness. The Omega pheromones she was unaware of were sending signals to him.
“Uh…”
With a groan, he pressed his forehead against Edith’s shoulder.
Though she couldn’t sense the pheromones by smell or touch, the rich timbre of his voice stirred her. Unable to close the small gap between them, his presence almost overwhelmed Edith’s spirit.
The dizziness she felt might have been due to the Alpha pheromones she couldn’t perceive, or perhaps it was just because of Clyde himself.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew in through the open window.
The lace at her wrist, which had been wandering aimlessly, fluttered like leaves.
In the brief moment when the heated air between them seemed to dissipate, Edith managed to gather her drifting thoughts.
“Stop…”
A dry voice escaped her lips.
“You can keep going.”
“This is far enough.”
Reluctantly, Clyde lifted his forehead. He moistened his dry lips and fell silent for a moment.
Then, with a voice now husky, he whispered, “Try the experiment with a kiss.”
It was a voice that felt insidiously tempting.
Edith felt like her body might move on its own to steal a kiss from him. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his moist lips.
“I don’t want to do it that way.”
She had to use all her strength to shake her head.
“Why?”
Why did Clyde keep putting her in such difficult positions? He didn’t just permit her to use him freely but reassured her under the guise of treatment.
Inside, she was mustering all her patience not to snatch those sexy lips.
She hesitated and stammered, “I don’t want to use my first kiss for such a purpose.”
For a moment, his wide-set eyes opened wide. Then, his brows knitted together, casting a deeper shadow over his eyes.
“How about thinking of it the other way around, as if you’re taking my first kiss?”
“What?”
“It’s not about you losing something; it’s about taking something from me.”
He seemed ready to leap at her at any moment, his broad shoulders swaying. His twitching arms were poised to pull her in, and his powerful thighs looked capable of sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to the bedroom.
Clyde was silently pleading for her to pull the first trigger.
“Clyde…”
She closed her eyes tightly.
Her head spun so much she couldn’t even stand.
Her knees gave way, and her back slid down the wall.
“Haa…”
In the end, he gently helped her up. Though he didn’t fully embrace her, the hand supporting her lower back was laden with an unmistakable primal desire.
“Fine, we’ll take it slow.”
As her back curved gracefully, Clyde tightened his arm around her. Under the pretext of supporting her, his embrace grew increasingly firm.
“I’ll wait until you’re comfortable using me, Edith.”
Though she wasn’t conscious of the Alpha pheromones, she was acutely aware of the thick, muddy swamp of male desire.
Throughout his touch, Edith couldn’t calm her inner turmoil.
Her preferences did consider appearances to a significant extent, but she never easily accepted others’ advances. Even if Clyde showed vague affection or Adrian made very overt advances, she tended to avoid them as much as possible.
But this time, she had the courage to touch Clyde.
Despite the awkwardness and tension, she did it.
Could it be that she was closing the emotional distance with Clyde?
And what about Adrian?
As these thoughts crossed her mind, she felt uneasy, as if walking a tightrope between the two. Conflicted about not wanting to let go of either, she felt disoriented.
—
An unfamiliar face appeared at the state council meeting.
It was a fresh sight to see someone greeting the Crown Prince for the first time.
“It’s an honor to be part of this distinguished assembly. I pledge to dedicate myself entirely to the prosperity of the Empire.”
The man, who was delivering a long-winded speech in formal language not commonly used in daily life, was none other than Peyton.
The same Peyton who had once proposed marriage to Edith.
Wearing a dark blue coat typical of a new noble, he stood confidently among the nobility.
As the meeting began and the topic shifted, he briefly glanced at Edith, standing behind the Crown Prince. When their eyes met, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Edith also nodded quietly in return.
The Crown Prince’s irritated voice cut through the room.
“Someone isn’t paying attention to the meeting.”
Edith pretended to be innocent and looked away. Clyde was unfailingly sharp when it came to her.
The state council meeting was an exclusive gathering for key figures of the Empire. With only about a dozen or so attendees, Edith, who had been observing for a short time, was already familiar with everyone’s backgrounds.
Some expected attendees were notably absent. A prime example was the Graves family, represented by Peyton. His father, the Duke of Jerryburn, was staying abroad.
The Duke had been reported missing long ago. Peyton had explained the situation to her in detail when discussing the terms of their marriage proposal. At the time, he had lamented his circumstances with a sad expression.
“I respect my parents’ ambitions, but they were too reckless. To go to the New World, which is a complete lawless land…”
“Peyton, stay strong. They might come back someday.”
“Do you really think they can?”
“Let’s try to think positively.”
“The time for filing a death report is approaching. While I hope they’re alive, I can’t keep the business and the family’s headship vacant forever.”
“Oh dear, it sounds like a serious situation.”
She offered her condolences out of pure sincerity, not considering it part of any marriage negotiations. It pained her to see Peyton’s previously positive demeanor momentarily darken.
Upon reflecting on the dates, she realized the time for filing a death report had passed. Peyton had officially acknowledged his parents as deceased. As a result, the title of Duke and the family’s assets became entirely his.
Edith thought it would have been better if his parents had been alive. Losing family is a sad thing, and she imagined that even if Peyton appeared calm, he must be feeling down inside.
Additionally, she felt sympathy for him, having to step into the demanding role of participating in the state council meetings in place of his father.
Peyton must be under considerable burden. How challenging must it be to conduct external affairs without the support of elders? Watching him actively engage in his first meeting without showing any signs of difficulty made her feel sorry for him.
Perhaps she should arrange a private meeting to offer him some comfort.
From time to time, Edith and Peyton exchanged glances across the large room.
Clyde seemed particularly irritable today, displaying annoyance at each issue brought up.
“When I asked for a proposal to aid the poor in time for the festival, why has no suggestion been submitted yet?”
“There have been many other preparations, which delayed us. We will definitely submit something by the next meeting.”
“Shouldn’t aiding the poor come before other events? The royal banquet is well taken care of, but feeding the poor is delayed?”
He expressed his frustration with the officials, scolding them harshly.
Edith took notes on this topic from her position behind the Crown Prince. She had a habit of jotting down important points she needed to remember. Standing behind the Crown Prince, she scribbled down a few key notes on a small notepad.
At that moment, several gazes shifted quickly.
Because she had her head down, she missed the subtle changes sweeping through the room.
However, Peyton noticed the actions of the person beside him by chance. That person’s eyes quickly darted to Edith and then back.
There were several others displaying similar behavior. They were all keenly interested in her and the notepad.
Edith had not spoken a word from the beginning to the end. The person assisting the Crown Prince was the chief attendant, and she only occasionally jotted down notes without doing anything else.
But those notes seemed to be the key.
‘It makes sense that both the nobles and officials are wary of Edith.’
Having influence over the Crown Prince is quite a powerful position.
‘Could that power be of use to me?’
Peyton’s gaze darted around, considering the potential benefits and drawbacks if he married Edith.
Being in a position to influence the Crown Prince could make many enemies. Without a solid foundation, wielding influence through mere words might later bring great trouble.
But it was too valuable a card to discard. After all, she was a close confidante of the Crown Prince.
Peyton pondered the conditions of marriage with Edith.
He still couldn’t decide if continuing with the marriage negotiations was the right move.
If his influence were solid enough to support Edith and use her to steer the Crown Prince, it would be ideal. However, as a newly appointed young Duke, Peyton’s power was limited compared to established noble leaders.
There was a risk of turning many groups into enemies, from various levels of nobility to officials serving the royal family.
An attendant with a weak background could be easily dismissed.
But Edith was the Crown Prince’s most favored attendant…
It was a card too valuable to throw away.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince continued to sternly admonish the noble faction.
“It won’t do to neglect other areas while focusing only on the martial tournament, festival, and banquet. I’ve heard about the water management project between Sir Victor’s and Sir Detrien’s territories. Let me know how that’s progressing.”
“Yes, Your Highness. We will compile the information and report to you soon.”
“It would be problematic if the report takes too long. I expect it at the next meeting.”
“If you could specify what you’ve heard, I can bring the most recent data.”
The Crown Prince received a document from the chief attendant and read it.
“March 11th: They broke ground to construct a large-scale levee across the river between the two territories, boasting of the great work that would move heaven and raise the prestige of the two families. But there has been no news since the groundbreaking.”
From where he stood, the faint outline of the opposite side of the paper was visible. It was clearly written in a woman’s handwriting. It seemed that Edith had checked the progress of the water management project.
