Chapter 65
Their lips met.
It was a sudden and unexpected kiss.
“….”
Seriniel’s emerald eyes were filled with confusion.
Meanwhile, Lexion’s lips pressed firmly against Seriniel’s without a gap.
Under her slightly closed eyelids, Seriniel could see Lexion’s long eyelashes and his tousled black hair. She could smell his distinctive scent that she had always been able to detect when he was nearby, and she could feel his warmth.
And Lexion’s other hand wrapped around Seriniel’s slender waist.
As she was held in his embrace, she could hear her heart pounding wildly. She couldn’t tell whose heartbeat it was. Was it hers, Lexion’s, or perhaps both…?
It felt like her heart was about to burst.
Seriniel, unable to do anything, reached out her free hand towards Lexion.
And then, without realizing it, she hesitated.
Am I… trying to push the Duke away?
Or… do I want to hold him close?
Just like how the Duke is doing to me right now.
“….”
After a while, Lexion’s lips, which had been relentlessly pressing against hers, slowly withdrew. Then, he opened his eyes slowly.
….His black pupils filled her vision.
“….”
Gradually, a heavy silence, as dense as lead, settled in the room. All that could be heard was the tumultuous beating of their hearts.
Although the kiss had ended, Lexion didn’t let go of Seriniel from his embrace.
“If you’re surprised… I’m sorry.”
Lexion, still gazing at Seriniel with calm eyes, spoke.
“But… I won’t apologize for kissing you.”
Seriniel hesitated.
“I always wanted to do this.”
In a low voice, Lexion’s words fell softly on Seriniel’s ears.
“I wanted to touch you, hold you, and kiss you.”
Yes, it was always like this. Always.
Even though he thought he shouldn’t. Even though he resisted.
He wanted to touch her no matter what. Even if it meant risking his life…
So he couldn’t apologize.
It was inevitable. Lexion had never felt such emotions before in his life.
And just like that, he didn’t know how to endure them either.
Unable to contain the emotions that had been suppressed for a lifetime, they burst forth like a dam breaking.
“….You can think poorly of me if you want.”
“….”
“It’s okay.”
Seriniel didn’t say anything. She just silently gazed back at him.
Maybe she disliked it. Perhaps she did. But she couldn’t just push him away. After all, she was now receiving his help.
He promised to protect her from all dangers even from himself…
It was a moment when Lexion was about to give a bitter smile.
“I told you earlier.”
“….Seriniel?”
“I… won’t think badly of you no matter what happens to you, Duke…”
“….”
“I promised. How many times.”
She thought she couldn’t understand. Whether she wanted to push him away or hold him just like he did to her.
But the moment she faced his eyes, as black as the night sky, Seriniel realized.
…I wanted to hold him.
Because he was so affectionate. Because of the scars that filled his body.
It took Lexion quite some time to fully understand what Seriniel had just said. He looked at her blankly as if in a trance.
Then, he reached out and gently cupped Seriniel’s cheek with his hand.
“….”
From the hand filled with completely different calluses, she could feel warmth.
It would have scared her in the past.Like the day she met Lexion at Paul’s shop. She was so flustered by his touch that even the touch of his hand brushing off the dust from her hair seemed overwhelming.
But now Seriniel knew. She knew that this hand wouldn’t harm her no matter what.
No, it might always protect her.
Lexion’s pupils flickered silently once again. He slowly lowered his head.
It was as if their lips were finding their original positions again, as they almost touched.
“….”
Lexion didn’t approach Seriniel any further. Instead, he stepped back. He let go of the hand that had held her waist and turned his head slightly.
“I… think it’s better to go inside now.”
It was the last remaining bit of reason.
“If we keep staying like this… something might happen…”
“….”
“No, I might… do something.”
…Shall I escort you to the bedroom?
With that, Lexion stood up from his seat. Then, hesitating slightly, he offered his hand to Seriniel.
“I’ll… hold your hand.”
“….”
“If you said it’s okay… I hope it is. And didn’t you say that earlier? That I’m just like a dog.”
“That’s…”
“If it makes you uncomfortable… think of me as a dog. Maybe I’m not much different from one in front of you.”
…But what I said earlier was about a puppy, not a dog.
At Lexion’s unexpectedly clear expression, Seriniel couldn’t help but blush and smile shyly.
“Yes, I’ll take your hand.”
Seriniel, rising to her feet following Lexion, took his hand and said, “But holding hands with you, Duke, doesn’t make me uncomfortable, and I don’t think of you as a dog.”
“….”
“I just… think it’s okay to hold hands with you. Just like you said to me earlier.”
This time, Lexion smiled softly.
The two of them tightly held hands, just like when their lips met, without any gap.
Lexion’s hand was warm and affectionate. Seriniel tried her best not to show any reaction, but their intertwined hands couldn’t help but tremble lightly.
…It felt like her heart had transferred to her palm.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
She didn’t know when she fell asleep.
After returning to the bedroom and lying down on the bed, the sound of her pounding heart only grew louder.
It was an emotion that Seriniel had never felt before. She had loved Calian Helcar, but she had never experienced such excitement because of him.
Continuously tossing and turning while lying down, she eventually fell asleep without even realizing it.
When Seriniel woke up, it was already morning.
And the first person she encountered upon waking up was not Kina, nor Lexion, but Vain.
“Are you awake, miss?”
Carrying a tray with warm tea, Vain kindly asked Seriniel.
“Please have some first. Duke Lexion asked me to give you warm tea when you wake up because you slept late last night.”
Seriniel didn’t say anything. She just blushed quietly.
“Duke Lexion has gone to the palace. He asked me to apologize for not being able to have breakfast together.”
…Palace?
Seriniel hesitated.
As if already anticipating her movements, Vain lowered his voice and continued.
“Miss, Lord Harington passed away yesterday.”
That red blood…
It belonged to Lord Harington.
Seriniel thought to herself.
“The Harington lineage will all be sentenced to death soon. And…”
“….One of the two.”
“….”
“Now that Lord Belles has decided that there’s no time to waste… he’ll either start a rebellion as soon as possible, or he’ll make excuses and temporarily leave the capital.”
Lord Harington’s death was just the beginning. Lord Belles must have realized it. The winds of bloodshed were beginning to blow.
And at the tip of that sword was me.
“Duke Lexion went to the palace because of that. To discuss what happened yesterday… and to discuss the future.”
Seriniel continued speaking.
“Perhaps he’s going to request military authority… to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances…”
“Duke Lexion’s expectations were correct.”
“Expectations?”
“He said that just hearing about Lord Harington’s death, you would understand the rest.”
“….”
“He said that you’re a remarkable person who can understand things without being told.”
Stupid, ignorant girl. A naive, inadequate noblewoman who doesn’t know how to do anything on her own.
Lexion’s gaze was different from Belles, Calian, and Leraie as always.
“….”
Vain looked at Seriniel with an admiring gaze for a moment.
But that gaze didn’t last long.
“….Vain.”
Seriniel, who had suddenly changed her expression to seriousness… surprised Vain with a question he hadn’t anticipated.
