He buried his face in her soft skin, rubbing his nose against her as if trying to leave his scent behind. Then he pressed his lips against her protruding bone.
“Haah.”
The pain seemed to melt away like clouds disappearing in an instant.
Kaien tightened his trembling hands and pulled Philome closer. Her dress was ruthlessly crumpled between his fingers.
Though their bodies were already pressed tightly together, Kaien wanted to burrow even deeper into Philome. Deeper, stronger.
“Philome…”
Kaien called her name in a sweet, desperate voice.
“Philome, Philome.”
As if to confirm that she was really there, he rubbed his forehead against the nape of her neck more vigorously. His hair tangled with hers, rubbing against her neck and shoulders.
When Philome didn’t respond, only panting heavily, Kaien’s temper flared up, and he gently scraped his teeth against her collarbone.
“Ugh.”
Philome flinched and shrank back.
Kaien pressed his lips to the spot he had just scraped, making a soft kissing sound, and then lifted his head.
“Answer me.”
His vision was clearer now.
Although it was still a bit blurry, he could make out the contours of Philome’s face, which was close to him.
Her lower jawline was particularly distinct. Below her smooth nose, her lips were a sight to behold.
They seemed to have lost their color, as if she had bitten them. Kaien wanted to see the original color of Philome’s lips. To do that, he needed to wipe away the lip color.
Kaien stared intently at her lips.
“…Yes.”
As her lips moved to answer, her white, even teeth briefly appeared before disappearing again.
Despite their contact, an odd thirst remained, even intensifying, tormenting Kaien.
“Philome, Philome.”
Kaien called Philome’s name, rubbing his forehead against her shoulder.
“Ugh, yes.”
Philome’s voice trembled slightly.
Did Philome feel the same thirst as I did?
Kaien tilted his head, overwhelmed by curiosity.
Impulsively, he pressed his lips against her jawline.
He could feel Philome’s body flinch at the contact.
“D-Duke wait a moment…”
Philome stammered in surprise, but Kaien continued to kiss down her jaw to her chin.
At that, Philome couldn’t continue speaking and tightly closed her mouth.
The sticky sound of his kisses gradually rose, stopping at her lips. Kaien lowered his gaze and looked at Philome’s lips.
Fixating his gaze, he stared intently and rubbed her lips with his thumb.
Her plump lips were smeared, and her slightly parted lips revealed the teeth he wanted to see.
Kaien’s fingers were smeared with lip color. He wanted to lick her lips, but…
“…!”
He felt Philome flinch in surprise. Kaien didn’t stop and met her gaze. Then he stuck out his tongue and licked the lip color off his thumb.
“…Sweet.”
It was a cosmetic with a sugary taste.
But that didn’t quench his thirst.
Kaien already knew what the only way to satisfy his thirst was. He pulled his gaze away from Philome’s trembling eyes.
As Kaien’s gaze slowly traced down her face, Philome couldn’t even breathe.
Finally, when his gaze reached her lips, Philome let out a deep sigh. Her chest heaved, and their bodies swayed softly against each other.
Kaien let out a low moan, closing his eyes before opening them again.
“I want to feel this sweetness more.”
Kaien pressed his lips against Philome’s.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Their lips touched and then parted.
It was such a brief contact, barely a brush, yet Philome couldn’t exhale, keeping her lips tightly sealed.
Kaien had collapsed, pressing down on Philome’s body. Yet, she felt no real weight.
“What’s happening right now…”
Philome raised her hand, dazed, and touched her own lips.
When Kaien rubbed his forehead or nose against her neck, it was understandable. After all, she was the one who could alleviate his pain, so it was natural for him to want to touch her more.
But a kiss…
‘I want to feel this sweetness more.’
Philome’s face flushed bright red.
She gasped, unsure of what to do.
In the original story, he hadn’t kissed Nadia before realizing his feelings.
Yet here he was, kissing Philome.
With a gaze full of clear desire.
And that confused her.
Philome looked down at Kaien. His usually neatly arranged hair was now tousled, falling messily across his forehead.
Perhaps it was the sight of his forehead fully covered that made his beauty stand out to Philome. The eyelashes beneath his tightly closed eyelids weren’t long but were dense.
His lips, usually flushed, appeared paler than usual. There was a faint trace of Philome’s lip color on them. The realization that they had kissed made her heart race.
Philome tried her best not to focus on Kaien’s lips. As she turned her gaze, she noticed beads of cold sweat trickling down his pale skin.
Since they had already made contact, it would be normal for his condition to improve. Realizing something was wrong, Philome began to shake Kaien’s shoulder.
“Duke, Duke!”
Kaien let out a very soft moan.
Summoning superhuman strength, Philome struggled to push Kaien aside.
Then she noticed her hand and froze in shock.
“…Blood.”
What soaked Philome’s hand was not cold sweat but bright red blood.
She quickly pulled Kaien’s shirt open. A bandage was wrapped around his abdomen, but it too was soaked with blood.
As she unwrapped the bandage, blood gushed from the wound.
The bleeding was so severe that it was worrisome. Philome quickly used her dress to apply pressure to the wound and shouted.
“Gio! How far are we from the mansion?! The Duke’s condition is serious!”
“We’ll arrive soon!”
As Gio said, the carriage came to a sudden stop a short while later, and the door swung open.
Gio rushed in, carrying Kaien.
Philome tried to rise and follow them but quickly stopped. There was a physician in the mansion, so there was nothing she could do.
Yet still…
Philome wanted to be by Kaien’s side. She wanted to know his condition, if he was okay, and when he would wake up.
She dragged her heavy body, as if soaked in water, into the mansion. The place was chaotic, likely due to Kaien being carried in by Gio, bleeding.
“Miss.”
Madonna, approaching Philome, was taken aback by the blood on her.
“Calm down. It’s not my blood.”
Philome glanced around.
“What about the servants?”
“They seem a bit confused. I was trying to keep things quiet…”
“No. Gather everyone together.”
Philome intentionally didn’t change her clothes.
Madonna quickly assembled all the servants in the hall. It was the first time they had all been gathered since her formal introduction.
“The mansion is in disarray right now.”
Philome said, gazing at them.
Her voice was not loud, but her clear and slightly slow enunciation was perfect for getting people’s attention.
“I trust you all. You have been working diligently in the Wintbell household until now.”
The Wintbell Duke’s household was not a particularly open or closed-off place, but it was not a place where strangers came and went easily. Most servants worked in family units, and it was rare for someone to leave their position once they had started.
“The Duke has been injured, and if this becomes known, serious problems will arise. So we need to continue living as usual.”
Philome slowly scanned the faces of the servants.
Her expression was remarkably calm.
If her hands and dress hadn’t been soaked in blood, one could easily mistake it for an ordinary day.
“Be careful with your words and actions, and ensure this information doesn’t leak out. Don’t be careless.”
After finishing her speech, Philome removed her hand from the railing and turned to Madonna.
Madonna, staring blankly at Philome, flinched in surprise.
Though she had never voiced it, she had initially felt shocked by Philome’s sudden appearance. Kaien had brought her without any warning, claiming she would be the Duchess.
Although Philome was not from a powerful family, Madonna had also felt a sense of relief. Since Kaien had never had a partner, she worried about whether he would ever marry, and now she felt fortunate that Philome was there.
After observing her over time, it was clear that Philome had many admirable qualities.
😳