“You seem interested, Jasmine?”
As her gaze met with Elise, Jasmine scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“I… I’ve never done it… Well, I don’t have a fiancé. But Elise has someone she’s considering marrying, and Patricia has a fiancé, so they must have done it, right?”
The kingdom was a very conservative society for women. Women could only kiss if they were engaged, and they could only consummate their marriage if they were married.
This was quite different from men, who could freely fool around with their lovers.
Of course, there were often cases where people secretly kissed.
“I asked you a very personal question, I’m sorry.”
Jasmine tucked her head in.
“No, it’s okay. It’s something we can talk about among friends.”
“Fr, friends?”
Jasmine blinked her big eyes.
“Of course. Sharing good food in the afternoon is something friends do. And friends can certainly talk about their first kiss.”
Elise looked at Patricia and Deboa, seeking their approval.
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, Patricia and Deboa, who had not yet experienced their first kiss, nodded as if they were curious.
“Kissing is… well…”
At that moment, what came to Elise’s mind was not the countless kisses she had shared with Chase in the past, but the first kiss she shared with Karan the previous night.
“I’m so curious.”
As Elise hesitated to speak, Jasmine became impatient.
With a faint smile, Elise recalled her kiss with Karan.
Their breaths mixed before their lips touched. Karan’s lips lightly brushed against Elise’s lower lip and then withdrew.
When Elise opened her eyes, Karan whispered, “Don’t close your eyes.”
Their lips drew close again. At that moment, Karan’s eyelashes trembled.
Just as Elise felt relieved that she wasn’t trembling, Karan urgently pressed his lips against hers.
Karan’s tongue entered between their tightly pressed lips. He thoroughly explored Elise’s mouth.
Karan didn’t take his eyes off Elise. His intense gaze made her eventually close her eyes.
Then Karan’s kiss became more intense. He acted like a voracious predator, devouring and swallowing Elise.
Karan used his tongue to fill Elise with heat. Due to his chaotic teasing, Elise’s body became fervent.
If Karan hadn’t held her waist, Elise would have collapsed from the overwhelming sensation of her body melting from just a kiss.
Breathless, Elise leaned on his shoulder. Her labored breath escaped through their barely parted lips.
Their subsequent kiss was gentle, unlike the previous one.
For Elise, the kiss was a process of taming a hot and fierce beast.
****
“Your Highness, I have found the information you asked for.”
It was late to receive a report, but Karan greeted Haltbin with a nonchalant face.
The owner was actually a person who works day and night. He had to do what he wanted to do right away, and he had to know what he wanted to know right away.
Because he was not a person who worked day and night, Haltbin also lived a life that was like without knowing what was night.
Ordinary people would have run away without looking back at the poor working conditions, but Haltbin, who served Karan more than a simple boss, did his best.
‘The compensation is also generous.’
That’s not to say there are no complaints.
“Can’t you give me a generous deadline in the future?”
“I gave you two days.”
The voice that popped out was sharp.
Two days ago, he was laughing like a madman, but he became depressed from the afternoon.
“Do you think it’s possible to dig up personal and dark secrets about a foreign prince in two days?”
Thud. Karan put down the pen he was rolling in his fingers.
Haltbin flinched reflexively. The gaze that shot him was sharper than the fountain pen nib.
“So you’re saying you couldn’t?”
“Why would I? Who am I? Your Highness’s confidant, Your Highness’s arm, isn’t it Haltbin? I found out.”
At Haltbin’s nagging, Karan, who had taken away the pressure from his eyes, clapped his hands.
At the gesture to report quickly, Haltbin straightened his posture.
“As you guessed, Miss Elise Worton told His Highness Chase to break up. What should we do with the business that was conducted under the pseudonym of His Highness Chase?”
Elise let go of him. Therefore the reason for helping him also disappeared underwater.
“I have to overturn it right away.”
Clang. The ice in the glass melted and slipped.
Karan stopped shaking his wrist and stared at the glass.
The deep pumpkin-colored liquid had become much thinner.
Then it was just like the color of Elise’s hair.
Blonde mixed with orange.
Karan took a deep breath. It seemed as if the scent of her, which he had smelled two days ago, was still lingering at the tip of his nose.
As soon as he thought of her, his body became hot in an instant.
Karan gulped down the cold alcohol at once and stood by the window from his seat.
When he opened the window, the sound of those who were drunk and refreshing shouting was heard.
“Damn Tetris guys are staying here? Ptew ptew. No wonder the taste of alcohol was so dirty.”
“Shh, be quiet. Don’t you know that the guys who picked a fight here last time were found half dead in the forest?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
The men lowered their voices and whispered.
Tetris, words of revenge, etc. were heard intermittently.
Karan clicked his tongue and closed the window.
“Haltbin, I told you not to leave a trace.”
The men who were making a fuss were afraid of retaliation from somewhere, but they didn’t need to worry.
First of all, what they said was true, and Karan didn’t punish them for insulting the Tetris people.
It was because the person did not listen to Elise’s command to apologize.
There was no one in this world who didn’t have to listen to Elise’s words.
If there was someone who ignored her words, Karan intended to punish him as far as his power could reach.
To do so, he even started a business under a pseudonym in Bedrokka.
The companies he invested in under a pseudonym were doing quite well. Among them, there was a company that Chase was enthusiastic about the contract.
However, the investment contract will be nullified.
‘If he finds out that he has withdrawn his investment, he will be upset.’
If Karan pulls out, others will obviously pull out as they see it.
Karan was known as a genius of investment to that extent.
‘Of course. Because I only invested in the business Elise does.’
It wasn’t that Karan knew the business well.
Karan just blindly invested in what Elise was doing, and it was a hit.
Elise was a great person.
She was the only person who made Karan’s heart beat.
At the same time, she was also the person who hurt him.
‘Didn’t know she would have a romantic relationship with Chase before I knew it. That too, at just 15 years old.’
The year Karan took the warrior’s test in Tetris, Elise officially declared a romantic relationship with Chase.
Then Karan’s innocence was shattered. But Karan picked up his shattered innocence one by one.
Karan kept that innocence secretly from Elise. The affection that could not be put out in front of her grew darkly.
Therefore his affection for Elise was eerily damp.
She wouldn’t know.
“Why don’t you come?”
Karan muttered, looking out the window.
Thinking that he was once connected with her, even two days of waiting felt too long.
“What are you going to do if I have an accident while doing this?”
For a moment, Karan’s pupils shone ominously.
If Elise doesn’t come, Karan might climb over her room window.
If he does such a thing, the decent Elise will be disappointed in him.
“Can’t hide the blood of a barbarian after all.”
He shouldn’t show his colors in front of Elise.
Elise believes it’s not, but Tetris people were barbarians.
Until a few years ago, they thought it was natural to kill their brothers to choose a king.
Power represented everything, and there was no hesitation in wielding violence to show off power.
In the eyes of the Bedrokka nobles who worshiped the pen, the Tetris people were beasts.
In fact, due to their physical development, the Tetris people’s vision was clear like a hawk, their eyes were bright like an owl at night, and their hearing and strength were superior to ordinary people.
They didn’t eat people, but they could tear people apart with their strength.
Until he spent the night with Elise, Karan hated the fact that he was born of Tetris blood.
But now that he knew Elise’s inner thoughts, he was grateful to be a Tetris.
‘She must have needed a place to escape to avoid Chase. The countries that have a relationship with Bedrokka would be burdensome, so Tetris would have been perfect for her.’
Still, he had doubts about her actions.
How she was able to find him, the process, and such.
But Karan gave up on reasoning logically.
Even if he found something strange, he had no intention of letting go of her, who was already taken.
“So I really wish you would come.”
Then, as if waiting for a long time, the door opened.
And Elise, whom Karan had been waiting for, revealed herself.
“Have you been well, Your Highness? Have you been waiting for me?”
“No. More importantly, is your body okay? I was quite worried because you left like that that day.”
Karan took Elise’s robe and hung it on a chair.
“Body…is okay.”
Elise pressed her heated cheeks with the back of her hand.
Karan pretended not to see and offered her a seat.
As Elise sat down, Karan, who was about to sit down, stood up as if he remembered something and brought out a teacup.
“I have prepared tea.”
Karan skillfully poured the tea.
“Have you also enjoyed tea while in Tetris?”
“No, I haven’t. Tea is something enjoyed by leisurely people. As you know, there’s not much leisure in Tetris.”
Everyone moved quickly to make a living.
And above all, the time the sun was up was short.
Especially in winter, after breakfast, people would joke that it was already evening.
As a result, there was no time to enjoy tea or mental leisure.
“But you seem quite skilled.”
“I was told that I have to learn.”
“By whom?”
Karan’s hand paused. The stream of water from the kettle shook for a moment.
