“…rent it?”
To my dazed question, Ian calmly answered.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
My voice came out accusatory.
Ian, on the other hand, looked unbothered. He glanced over the scenery sprawling below us.
“It seems you’ve had your fill of crowded places in the Nomos Empire.”
“…….”
“And didn’t you say you dislike being tired?”
He cast a brief glance at me.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t really had time alone, have we? And this is a trip permitted by His Majesty himself.”
For some reason, his tone seemed laced with subtle mischief.
Unable to meet the gaze I felt lingering on my cheeks, I muttered in a small voice.
“I don’t recall teaching you this kind of consideration…”
“It sounded like you were dissatisfied when I only followed what I was taught.”
Ian lightly retorted, catching my mutter perfectly.
His attitude left me feeling dizzy. Not long ago, he had acted as though emotions were foreign to him—so why was he like this now? Was it the unusually languid atmosphere of this hill, or was it him throwing me off balance?
To avoid letting my gaze drift to him, I deliberately tilted my head up and stared at the innocent sky. But even that didn’t last long. The persistent gaze fixed on me was too much to endure.
In the end, I furtively turned my head to the side, and my eyes met Ian’s, who had been watching me all along.
“…….”
“…….”
The setting sun, leaning at an angle, was especially red. Long, dark shadows flickered across Ian’s face, vivid and distinct.
‘Seriously….’
Was he really trying to seduce me on purpose?
How long had I been staring into Ian’s eyes, which glimmered unusually with a blend of red and blue? Without realizing it, I opened my mouth.
“…Why do you like me?”
Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out. Startled, I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth, but the damage was done.
Unfortunately, even the wind didn’t carry away my voice this time.
“No, that just now…”
Before I could say it was a mistake, Ian furrowed his brows. His expression wasn’t one of displeasure but of slight unease. He tilted his head.
The crimson sunset spilled over his fine silver hair, making it sway in disarray.
“…Why are you asking that now?”
His tone was one of bewilderment, as if he found my question absurd.
I was left speechless, staring blankly at him. How many times did I blink in the silence? Ian let out a low sigh through his parted lips.
“I didn’t think I’d need to explain something like that to you.”
“I thought you found personal feelings unnecessary.”
Ian Claud was supposed to love Diana Lawrence. That was the premise that remained unchanged whether I was merely a reader of this novel or when I suddenly found myself in Eloise’s body.
This was possible only because I had always seen him as the “male protagonist” of the story.
But the Ian in front of me now…
“You’re the one who showed me that’s not the case.”
He felt far too close to be merely a fictional character. So close, it made me greedy enough to want to hold on.
“…….”
My mouth went dry, unable to utter a word.
Even as I hesitated, Ian’s gaze traced a deliberate path from my eyes to my nose, down to the tip of my nose, to my lips, and back up again.
For a moment, his firmly closed lips parted.
His voice was unusually low.
“…If my actions make you uncomfortable or upset, you’re free to refuse me at any time. That was part of the terms of our marriage.”
Breaking through the sinking light of the sunset, he took a step closer to me.
“But the fact that you haven’t refused…”
The distance between us had closed.
“Should I take this to mean that you, too, are swayed by me, my lady?”
The overwhelming closeness of his scent made me dizzy.
Although my mind was scrambling to find a way to escape this situation, my feet felt rooted in place, unable to move an inch. Even though his gaze wasn’t menacing, it felt strangely threatening, like something shadowy.
He reached out, his hand softly cradling my cheek. His breath was so close I could feel it, and just as the crimson sunset lingering on my retinas seemed to be eclipsed by his shadow—
“…Wait a moment.”
As if snapping back to my senses just before our lips could touch, I quickly turned my head. My shoulder, now pressed against his chest, instinctively flinched.
Ian, who had been gazing at me with half-lidded, languid eyes, slowly drew back.
“Sorry,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. His brows knit slightly.
“For what?”
“Just…”
Even I wasn’t sure what my apology was for. Was it for rejecting his kiss, or some other guilt weighing on my conscience?
The only thing I was certain of was that if I let him kiss me in that moment, there would be no turning back.
‘Get a grip. What are you doing letting yourself falter like this? You can’t let this happen.’
My throat felt parched, like water had been poured into it only to cut off my breath, leaving me unable to speak.
For a moment, I could only feel his gaze watching me from above. His voice came a beat later.
“There’s no need to apologize. I told you, didn’t I?”
“That if you don’t want this, I won’t touch you.”
“You remember well.”
His expression remained unreadable, his words seemingly genuine, as he took a step back.
The suffocating warmth and his intoxicating scent disappeared, replaced by the coolness of early evening air filling the space between us.
“…….”
I kept my gaze downward, staring at my feet, before turning away entirely.
“Let’s go back.”
I walked without looking back once. On the way to the carriage, I had to clasp my trembling hands together tightly, lest the fluttering excitement and longing consume the quiet unease that lingered underneath.
❖ ❖ ❖
I thought things would become awkward after rejecting Ian’s kiss, but I was wrong.
He spent the remaining five days as though nothing had happened, which allowed me to act like I’d forgotten about the moment too.
As if time had swept us forward, the schedule passed by in the blink of an eye. By the time we returned to the ducal residence, I was utterly drained.
“Even a leisurely trip is still a trip.”
As soon as we returned using Kyle’s teleportation magic circle, I holed up in my room under the excuse of travel fatigue. Stretching my sore body, I mumbled to myself.
The last five days hadn’t even been particularly taxing, but the moment I stepped foot back into the residence, exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. Long trips were clearly not for me.
“Ah, finally, I can relax.”
I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes.
I never thought I’d miss the ceiling mural here, but here I was.
Home is still home, after all.
‘Now that this trip is over, all that’s left is to meet the Emperor about Ian’s succession rights, send word to Lady Mary of the Marquisate, and wrap up the remaining formalities. Then, I should finally have some breathing room….’
Mumbling to myself, I slowly closed my eyes.
“Now I can finally rest….”
But just as I was about to drift off, Vivi, who had been busy unpacking in the corner of the room, suddenly perked up and scurried over to me.
“My lady, what do you mean by that?”
“…What?”
“What do you mean you can rest? You’re about to get very busy. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten!”
“Huh?”
What was she talking about?
Feeling uneasy, I cracked open one eye to look at her.
“What’s so busy?”
Bibi gasped dramatically, clasping her hands to her chest.
“Oh no, my lady! You’ve had so much on your plate lately…”
Looking at me with overwhelming pity, she clenched her fists with determination.
What she said next made my drowsiness vanish completely.
“Your birthday is coming up soon!”
• • •
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