Karan chuckled. It was because Elise had said the same thing when they met here before.
So he replied,
“It’s not a suitable place for a young lady to stay.”
“Is that a rejection?”
“Of course not.”
Karan pulled out the chair.
“You’ll be fine with me.”
“That’s not what you said before.”
Elise sat down, giving Karan a playful glare. Though the words were different, the feelings were the same as back then.
He would tightly hold onto this stroke of luck that had rolled his way.
“Karan, let me buy the next round.”
Karan nodded.
“Did you have a good time, Elise?”
Elise had dinner with Deboa and Jasmine. Elise’s friends had kindly suggested that Karan join them for dinner, but he had stepped back for the sake of the three.
He had then killed time on the streets before entering the pub where he was supposed to meet Elise.
“Yes. It was a very enjoyable time. Excuse me! Can we have two whiskeys please?”
As Elise ordered drinks, the staff gave an awkward smile.
“I’m sorry, miss. There are many drinks reserved for this gentleman. If you order a drink, you’ll be the tenth in line. Is that alright?”
Elise’s cherry-like lips parted slightly. She nodded vaguely and looked at Karan.
“Did you order ten drinks?”
“I didn’t order them myself.”
Karan glanced around. Elise let out a deflated laugh.
“I thought I only had to be wary of women, but you’re quite popular with men too.”
“Hmm, that’s not it.”
Karan guessed that these drinks might contain apologies for the times when Bedrokka people oppressed Tetris people.
“Whatever it is. It would be troublesome if you get drunk here, Karan.”
“Do you have other plans? Even if I get drunk, we have the carriage and driver His Majesty David sent for us, so what’s there to worry about?”
Getting back to the palace wouldn’t be a problem. He wouldn’t even get drunk from this amount of alcohol.
“I sent that carriage and driver back.”
“Huh?”
Elise, who spoke nonchalantly, placed one of the two drinks the staff brought in front of Karan.
“Let’s drink and then move somewhere else.”
Karan leisurely crossed his arms. His gaze was trying to gauge what Elise wanted to do.
Elise didn’t avoid that gaze. She now enjoyed his penetrating look that seemed to peel back her skin, delve inside, and thoroughly examine her innermost thoughts.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
Karan held the wine glass. It was a normal-sized glass, but it looked small in his hand.
“I have something I want to ask,” Elise provoked.
Karan looked her up and down, as if licking her with his eyes.
Now that he looked closely, her outfit was similar to when they first met.
The difference was that back then she seemed like she was being chased by someone, but now she exuded confidence as if she was the one doing the chasing.
That made her even more lovable and drove people crazy.
“Hey, bring me all the drinks that were ordered for me at once.”
“A-all at once?”
“I’m in a hurry.”
The employee, with a doubtful expression, lined up the glasses of alcohol. Karan emptied them one after another as if he was in a drinking contest.
The various types of alcohol differed in strength and taste, but to Karan, they were colorless and flavorless.
Right now, all his senses were captivated by Elise in front of him.
Karan lifted the last glass.
“If you drink that, we’re moving to another place, Karan.”
“Do you know what that means?”
Elise chuckled softly. It reminded her of a time in the past. A time when she was trembling inside but pretending to be tough, tensing her eyes.
Elise grabbed Karan’s wrist and leaned her upper body forward slightly.
“I won’t pretend to be innocent. Let’s go upstairs. I have the key right here.”
Elise raised her hand. Dangling from her index finger was the key to a room on the third floor of the pub.
“When did you…?”
Karan furrowed his brow. Unable to hold back any longer, he downed the drink in one go and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up.
“I’ll pay for all the drinks on this table.”
Karan put down a heavy pouch filled with gold coins and strode upwards.
It wasn’t their first time, but why was he so nervous?
Under Karan’s palm, Elise’s pulse was beating so hard it felt like it would burst through her skin.
“S-slow down.”
“You sent the coachman away, rented a room, and now you’re saying ‘slow down’? Be careful what you wish for, Elise.”
Karan’s voice was suppressed. No, he was suppressing it. Not his voice, but his desire.
If he let it loose, he might have pounced on her right there in the hallway, forgetting where they were.
“The key.”
Reaching the door, Karan held out his hand. Impatient, he snatched the key before Elise could offer it and opened the door.
True to a typical pub that rarely reinvests its profits in facilities, the room was just as it had been when Karan and Elise spent their first night together.
The old bed, the table marked by strangers’ hands, and even the tacky curtains were all the same.
Striding into the room, Karan locked the door and faced Elise.
“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”
Her eyes curved mischievously.
“You know too. What I’m going to say.”
Elise lowered her head, resting her forehead on Karan’s chest.
Though they had spent countless nights together, nights with him were still unfamiliar, hot, and exciting.
And it wasn’t just Elise who felt this way.
From the loud thumping of his heart, Elise could feel Karan’s sincerity.
“We don’t need words. I’ll take full responsibility, so let’s do it.”
Karan whispered in Elise’s ear.
To do ‘those messy things’ like before.
Elise looked up. Karan’s throat went dry at the sight of her knowing eyes.
He lifted Elise up. Her thighs naturally parted, settling on Karan’s hips.
Karan couldn’t even wait for the short moment it took to guide her to the bed. He showered her face and neck with bird kisses incessantly.
Heat rose from Elise’s body. She willingly accepted his kisses as she lay down on the creaking bed.
His large body climbed over Elise. The heat radiating from him enveloped her.
Despite the fireplace being unlit, Elise’s cheeks flushed red with warmth rather than cold.
“You see, Elise, I’ve had a lot to drink,” Karan said as he skillfully delved into Elise.
“I can’t control myself.”
“You’re talking too much,” Elise said, running her fingers through Karan’s short hair.
Karan chuckled and caressed Elise’s soft skin. Elise also placed her hand on his smooth, firm, muscular abdomen.
Karan flinched, grabbing Elise’s wrist and pushing it above her head.
Elise’s eyes widened at his slightly rougher demeanor.
“I just remembered something,” Karan frowned.
“You can’t disappear again tomorrow morning, Elise.”
“Ah… back then…”
She recalled the time she had run away after spending the night with Karan.
“Or should I make it so you can’t move at all?”
He was certainly capable of doing so. If this wasn’t Bedrokka, Elise might not have entirely refused such a proposal.
But this was Bedrokka, and it was during the New Year’s festival.
While the time spent with him in bed was sweet enough, she wanted to do more.
Elise cupped Karan’s cheek with her free hand.
“Go easy on me. I promise I won’t let you wake up alone.”
Karan melted at her beautiful smile.
The old bed creaked, straining under their weight.
As the night deepened, the temperature in the room rose accordingly.
****
“Good morning, Karan.”
Karan let out a sigh of relief as soon as he opened his eyes.
The memory of waking up alone in bed in the past must have been quite a deep wound for him.
Elise was sitting in the once-empty space beside him, reading a newspaper. Karan clung to her waist as if hanging on.
Elise stroked his soft hair.
“What should we have for breakfast?”
“What did Elise eat back then?”
Elise thought for a moment, then shook her head. She hadn’t eaten anything. She wasn’t in the right state of mind to eat.
The night with Karan had been so different from any other night she had known between a man and a woman.
It had been quite a shock.
“What did you eat?”
Karan also shook his head. He had been too preoccupied with finding Elise who had disappeared, trying to understand why she had just left.
“We were both foolish. And we had no composure.”
“Indeed.”
Karan was about to say that even now, he had no composure when it came to Elise, but he stopped himself.
“Shall we go out to eat?” Elise asked.
Karan, who had been looking up at her, froze.
Light poured through the translucent window, illuminating Elise. She looked down at him with clear, transparent eyes, her body marked with traces of him.
Her eyes were full of affection.
His chest swelled so much it almost hurt his ribs. An indescribable happiness overwhelmed him.
At this moment, if I crave something other than food, I must be a beast.
‘Well, I am a beast originally.’
After all, his roots were that of a wolf. But he couldn’t turn Elise into a beast too.
Karan took several deep breaths to cool the burning desire rising within him.
He buried his face in Elise’s stomach and mumbled,
“We need to go out right now, Elise.”
Elise’s light laughter scattered over his head.
“You must be very hungry, Karan.”
Though his hunger was for something else, Karan nodded.
