Chapter 2
In the original novel, when she was firmly held by her chin, Princess Cowett responded:
“Ugh. You are so Shameless…….”
She shuddered in disgust from his scandalous act.
Nevertheless, the Archduke continued to lean forward. But just before their lips met, he stopped and left the room. He was a kind-hearted man; he would not associate himself with atrocious things. Moreover, his “villainous” performance fell short, as if he wore a suit that didn’t complement him.
In fact, readers wanted to experience such vicarious satisfaction even from a forced kiss. But on the other hand, they were happy that the Archduke’s lips remained uncorrupted.
Before, I was definitely in favor of the latter.
But not this time.
At this moment, I wholeheartedly support that a “forced” kiss should happen.
It was only natural. After all, I have always dreamed of kissing Raymond Russlo. In my mind, I have long wanted to kiss those soft yet firm and warm lips of his, desiring them thousands of times in my dreams.
I really wanted to do it!
Screaming inside, I waited impatiently for his face to come closer.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind: Should I act like I don’t like it?
But in the first place, I couldn’t do that.
Because my earnest desire for him refused to do so.
Subconsciously, I started to pucker my lips. It was a bit of a struggle to reach him somehow.
However, I could feel his hesitation. According to the original, he should already be leaning forward now.
Was my expression of closing my eyes and sticking out my lips burdensome?
No matter how long I waited, I couldn’t even feel his breath on my face.
I peeked at him with one eye.
I saw the embarrassed look on the Archduke’s face. He was cautiously staring at my lips, seemingly pondering what to do.
Oh, I’m doomed. I should’ve held it in and controlled myself.
But it would be a waste to give up just like that.
If I blew up this golden opportunity, I would smack myself to the ground and regret it.
Driven by my desire to make it happen somehow, I struggled to move with my upper body. Then, the Archduke momentarily lost his balance and tilted forward.
His lips were now pressing on me, but not where I wanted. It was on my right cheek instead.
jjok!
[ T/l: “쪽!” It is a sfx to discribe the direction, if I TL this it would be “way”, So I am leaving it like this.]
What a shame. I missed.
But it wasn’t a complete loss. We didn’t tumble down the bed anyway, so what was the big deal?
Archduke Russlo – not seeing my half-satisfied expression – backed away in surprise.
“This… Oh my.”
Mortified, he hurriedly straightened himself.
Unexpectedly, his voice was strangely trembling, and his cheeks were flushed red.
It wasn’t because he was feeling flustered about that, right?
Well, come to think of it. Eileen Cowett was also a beautiful lady.
Although she didn’t have an illustration of her own, the author wrote a line about her, saying:
Her hair was like the petals of a Cherry Blossom. Her lustrous eyes were the color of the verdant forest. She was majestic and regal like a swan, exhibiting an appearance of a highborn with her sharp tongue and lofty look.
Perhaps he was feeling ashamed since he had brazenly touched a self-respectful woman.
What a gentleman our Raymond was, right?
Oh, dear. He looked so adorable!
I was smiling like a pleased mother.
I wanted to rub my nose but forgot I was still tied up.
“I should leave now. I’ll call the maids to have you cleaned up. It’s also best for you to have something to eat.”
I guess my reactions were beyond his expectations. Archduke Russlo leaped out from his bed; he seemed like he wanted to escape from this embarrassing encounter.
“Ah……no!”
I unknowingly shouted my innermost thoughts.
What was I supposed to do if he left me here?
I finally got to meet my man, and I barely had the time to know him properly. But now, he would leave just like that?!
I wanted to be with him at all times!
This overzealous soul of mine was acting up again.
“No? Why?”
“Excuse me, Archduke…”
Staring at me, the Archduke patiently waited for me to continue.
“Where will I eat?”
“I will have them bring it here. It will be more comfortable for you if you can eat in private.”
“But I want to eat with you!”
“…..”
I replied in desperation. The fervent desire to be with him could be seen in my eyes.
I want to eat with you. I want to eat with you!
His gaze quivered at how hell-bent I was. But after a while, he started to calm down as if he had found his ground.
“Very well. I’ll tell the maids to help you get ready, and then you can come out.”
I just nodded back at him when he said that. He hesitated for a bit and eventually left the room.
Oh, yes! Yes!
This was insane! I couldn’t believe I was about to share a meal with my long-time crush! I was about to have a date with Raymond Russlo!
Everyone, I finally did it! This fan finally succeeded!
I screamed at the top of my lungs while I tried to suppress the urge to brag.
Instead, I rolled all over the soft bed.
***
The place where Archduke Raymond Russlo brought me was a small mansion in the countryside.
I didn’t know earlier since I got distracted by Archduke Russlo. But after he left the room, I finally took notice of the place I was in. The room, hallway, and temporary dining room I was in were not gaudy but more vintage and neat.
Clatter
The light sound of a fork hitting the plate echoed.
The room was small and had a table in it.
The Archduke was considerate to have a table prepared for us to eat.
More importantly, the rope around my wrists was removed.
How nice of him.
My man was a ten out of ten. No part of him was unsatisfactory.
My admiration for him grew exponentially.
The Archduke didn’t lift his head, as if there was something on his face that would give away what he was thinking.
Acting as if he wasn’t aware of how shameless I was staring at him, he continued to eat his food.
It was a pity that I could not see his ocean-blue eyes. However, I could still watch his glorious image to my heart’s content.
Wow! Such long, thick lashes he has. They were like curtains shrouding his eyes. Being with him and having a free pass to stare at him, I already felt full without even tasting the food.
“Lady Eileen.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Archduke Russlo called my attention.
However, this abrupt change in addressing me had me confuse.
Why the sudden change in attitude? Were you intimidated by what I did and wanted to quit already?
“Are you not going to eat it?”
Seeing that I wasn’t eating and was only staring at him, he couldn’t help but ask. Perhaps he was starting to get conscious of my burning gaze.
“I’m eating… This mushroom dish is very delicious.”
I forked the small plump mushroom and put it into my mouth. I felt a bit bad because I was staring at him too much. While chewing, Archduke Russlo was now looking at me this time.
“Do you like mushrooms?”
“Yes, I like it. What is the name of this mushroom?”
“Malkan mushrooms.”
“Oh, just like it’s name, it’s soft. It’s really good.”
When he noticed how I kept eating the mushrooms, the Archduke called a maid and said,
“Bring me another plate of mushrooms.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After a while, a plate with a lot of mushrooms appeared.
It was impossible for me to find this dish unpalatable. It was deep-fried and coated with a savory sauce.
While I happily enjoyed my meal, I could feel the gentle look he was giving me. I looked up and asked him.
“Does the Archduke like mushrooms too?”
“I tend to enjoy it.”
“Then have another one.”
When I discovered that there were no longer fried mushrooms left on his plate, I took some of mine and held them out to him. It was obvious I was using my own fork.
“….”
Archduke Russlo quietly stared at the offered mushrooms then shook his head.
“It’s alright. I’ll eat it myself.”
It was so close. But it didn’t work.
When my wish for an indirect kiss failed, my eyebrows drooped down in disappointment.
So an indirect kiss was too much from the start. A kiss on the lips was extreme too. Then, looking at him should be enough.
Resting my chin on my hand, I went back to staring at his face.
It must be because of my reaction, but somehow, the pace of his eating became a little faster.
Once done eating, we moved to the terrace for dessert.
This was the result of my desperate act to hold on to him, inviting him to have dessert when he was about to leave.
Luckily, the Archduke yielded after a moment of hesitation.
Yes! Time extended!
We sat face to face at the terrace table with the rustic scenery as our backdrop. The warm sun and cold wind reminded me of Spring. On days like this, I would always feel sleepy after a good meal. But right now, I was wide awake.
It wasn’t because of the delectable chocolate cake the maid brought out or its wonderful addicting scent. It was because of the man sitting opposite me, Raymond Russlo, who made everything a dream come true, adding beauty to the mood and the dessert.
After a sip of tea, the Archduke gazed at the distant view. Those blue eyes of his were a bottomless ocean that I wanted to immerse myself into.
He put down his cup and turned his head toward me.
Since I was staring at him, my eyes immediately met his. But I didn’t mind. On the other hand, his earlobes turned slightly red, perhaps because he was bothered.
“You look calm even though you’ve been kidnapped.”
“That’s because Archduke Russlo is taking good care of me.”
“….”
I was only telling the truth. But his expression, however, looked complicated.
It was like he wanted to say: I didn’t bring you here to be nice, but I also don’t want to bully a young lady.
After reading the original web novel [I Tamed the Mad Emperor], I was certain of the Archduke’s thought process that I knew what he was thinking right now.
Archduke Raymond Russlo seemed to have already given up halfway.
Just like in the original.
The Archduke, who was originally not a bad person, did not do anything sinister to the arrogant Eileen.
Of course, Archduke Russlo only kidnapped Eileen to torment the Emperor. In spite of that, he wasn’t planning to do anything to her.
That was how it was in the original story. He kept her captive for a while and sent her back afterward.
When the wind became strong, the temperature suddenly dropped. And the sun hid behind the clouds. It started to get chilly as if it was going to rain soon.
“It’s starting to get colder.”
Muttering to himself, Archduke Russlo went inside for a moment and brought back a shawl with him. Soon after, he handed it to me.
