The Crazy Prologue Never Ends

47. I can only snatch

 

“What’s going on?”

 

I was staring at her in a daze when Deon’s voice came from behind.

 

It felt like I had just woken up from a short dream. I turned my eyes away from her.

 

“Isella, greet the Duke.”

 

Elisabeth separated her from the embrace, sticking to her.

 

“Oh, you must be the Duke.”

 

Isella wiped away the tears in her eyes.

 

“Nice to meet you, Your Grace. I am Isella Snow.”

 

“Ah, the noble lady of the Snow family.”

 

Their eyes met in the air.

 

I couldn’t help but casually observe their interactions.

 

Their first meeting was intense. Isella drew her sword and pointed it at his neck.

 

Uncharacteristically skilled with a sword, Isella stood upright, and her momentum was strong. With her old sword, she left a small scratch on his neck as she pleased.

 

For the first time in my life, experiencing a wound that I had not even seen in war, Deon was bewildered when Isella spoke.

 

How could he not endure such a wound while sucking my niece’s blood?

 

With determined eyes and the belief that she would save her niece from the monster, she had invaded the Duke’s castle. She was nothing like a fragile woman.

 

The protagonists of the novel greeted each other, bowing their heads. There were slightly different emotions on their faces compared to their first meeting.

 

Instead of fierceness on Isella’s face, there was arrogance, and on Deon’s face, there was a calmness instead of a sense of urgency.

 

“I’ve heard enough. Thank you for taking care of my sister.”

 

Isella threw a question with her cheerful voice.

 

“I heard that you contacted our family earlier than the Arin family. If you had sent a letter to our family, it wouldn’t have caused trouble for you like this. It’s a shame.”

 

Isella criticized the Arin Count’s family for their inadequate protection of the lady and their one-sided communication about the situation.

 

Isella’s eyes narrowed prettily, showing no signs of offense at the words just spoken.

 

“Thank you for taking care of the lady. From now on, I will escort her myself.”

 

Isella nudged Elisabeth’s arm.

 

“That’s impossible. We have to take responsibility until the end.”

 

He firmly intervened with a decisive tone.

 

“I heard that Lady Snow was present when the lady was kidnapped. How can we entrust the lady to you when we don’t know if such an incident will happen again? The Arin family is part of my jurisdiction. I cannot easily hand it over to an unverified outsider.”

 

Sharper than a sword, words more cutting than the blade clashed in the air. The tension was palpable.

 

“Fine. Your Grace is right. Isella, return to the Count’s mansion. I will also return to the Snow estate soon.”

 

“Go there? You haven’t assumed the position of the Count yet. My sister should go where there is a protector.”

 

“No one is there, so I must go further. I must take over the vacant castle where the Count is absent. I have to go back and fulfill my duties. And it’s not proper etiquette to part ways here without expressing my gratitude to the Duke who took care of us.”

 

“But…”

 

Isella, who had pursed her lips, eventually lowered her tail.

 

“I apologize. Your Grace, I humbly acknowledge your entrance to the capital. I will formally greet you later.”

 

Isella pulled one side of her dress, bowed her knees, and then turned away without hesitation.

 

Isella ran towards the carriage with the Snow family emblem. Watching her, Viter spoke.

 

“That lady… she strangely smells.”

 

A smell? I took a breath. In the place where she had stayed, there was only a faint scent of flowers.

 

“She resembles. Strangely, like the lady.”

 

“Me?”

 

It was an unexpected statement. To be compared to the flower of high society.

 

“Is it because of the red hair?”

 

“That’s part of it, but especially her actions.”

 

“I felt the same way. The atmosphere is similar.”

 

Ethan chimed in.

 

“Oh, it’s not entirely the same. Of course, she’s more beautiful, elegant, and has better blood than the lady.”

 

Just say she’s better in every way.

 

With the intention of not stopping him, Isella’s merits, which he had not revealed unless asked, were about to be listed one after another.

 

“And her origin… Even the young lady has some bloodline from a minority ethnic group among her ancestors, right? The bloodline from the maternal side. Even if it’s a direct bloodline, if various lineages are mixed, the blood of the tribe tends to thin out. Nevertheless, she has red hair. Red hair is uncommon within the Empire, and it appears that her bloodline is quite pure.”

 

“Is red hair that rare?”

 

“Indeed. Minorities rarely intermingle with the nobility. Lady Leonie’s mother was a direct descendant, but it takes three generations to trace back to the Count’s family. Probably, red-haired individuals are few even within the Empire. Among noble young ladies, there might be around five?”

 

I ran my fingers through my hair. Come to think of it, besides the people buried in the northern tombs, I had never seen someone with red hair. The encounters were limited to a few managers and maids.

 

Having been confined to the north without meeting diverse people, I didn’t know that the color of my hair might be considered rare.

 

Suren’s white hair was also unusual. More rare than that, it seemed.

 

“It’s to the extent of considering her as a candidate for the throne.”

 

His gaze sharpened like a hawk about to start hunting. It seemed like he had regained his appetite.

 

Harsh. My loyalty really only swayed in one direction all day. It was truly a tearful devotion.

 

“But she seems to suit the role of a Duchess better. Now she’ll be a Princess Consort, but still.”

 

Viter, with his high standards, mentioned her as a woman worthy of a lord.

 

I looked again at her receding figure. She still looked cute as she bounced towards the Count’s carriage. Her hair, tied into a half-bun, was as voluminous as cotton candy.

 

“Do I not suit the seat next to you? So, for the position of the nation’s consort, someone bold, strong, and authoritative should sit…”

 

“Not at all.”

 

Viter drew a firm line at the joking words.

 

“You’re the type to ruin the country. I imagine Lady Leonie would stamp a deed handing over the country to the enemy if it benefited her.”

 

It was difficult to refute. Indeed, if it brought in money, what did I care about the security of a nation?

 

* * *

 

Jingling.

 

Deon dropped a bag in front of me. The plate on the table shuddered at the considerable weight.

 

“We’ll arrange any necessary dresses or jewelry separately. We’ve decided to visit the dessert shop when touring the capital. For the time being, this should be enough for you.”

 

The pocket bulged with money. The pocket couldn’t bear the weight of the coins and slumped downward.

 

“Is there anything else you need?”

 

I set the teacup down and casually tossed it.

 

“A floor plan with the internal structure of the castle.”

 

“What?”

 

He flinched. His gaze turned ominous again.

 

I understood what he was thinking. I sighed deeply.

 

“It’s not for the reason you’re thinking, Your Grace. Are you expecting me to demand a map outright to plan an escape?”

 

“And?”

 

“I’m choosing a room. This castle is too vast, and most of it is empty. I don’t know which room would be suitable.”

 

My livelihood. Sipping my tea slowly, I awaited his response.

 

“How about slowly exploring the castle and picking one?”

 

“I’ll just go with this one.”

 

After all, it wouldn’t be a place where I’d live permanently. I had no time to leisurely browse through the dozens of rooms in the grand mansion.

 

“Or, this place is fine too. I looked around four places, and this one appealed to me the most. It’s spacious, closest to the greenhouse and garden.”

 

Even the wallpaper, bedding, and the chandelier hanging from the ceiling had a white hue close to an ivory color. The color scheme was very elegant.

 

Lying on the bed, turning to the left, the trees planted in the garden were visible at a glance. Although there was a low fence, being on the first floor meant that one could walk on the grass barefoot after crossing it. The terrace had a transparent awning, making it seem like a delightful experience to sit there on snowy days with a cup of coffee.

 

Although I might not live until it snows…

 

I lay down on the bed. It was much larger than the bedroom in the north. The spring duvet was thin but soft.

 

As I lay on the bed, I could see the dust accumulated on the canopy stretching to the ceiling.

 

He must not have cleaned up to there even after having it empty for so long.

 

The thick layer of dust vividly reminded him of the time he spent in the north, putting down his imperial duties.

 

“The bed is wide too.”

 

I stretched my arms. The bed was long enough for three people to lie down.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But what should I do? This is my bedroom.”

 

“There’s nothing we can do.”

 

I responded calmly.

 

“I can only take what’s available.”

 

He let out a low laugh.

 

“I can’t yield this room either. It’s the closest to the study.”

 

“How about sharing it then?”

 

I patted the space next to me on the bed, just like when I first called him.

 

He looked momentarily surprised, frozen in place, then burst into a dry laugh.

 

“As expected, Young Lady has no shame. I must have mentioned it in the mountain. To provoke, you have to look at your opponent and go…”

 

“When did that happen? My memory is a bit fuzzy. Oh… when I went for a walk?”

 

“Yeah. Back then…”

 

He was about to say something but closed his mouth, taking a step towards me.

 

Now, his sudden movements didn’t startle or prompt me to rise, as they used to.

 

He won’t harm me. At least, not as long as I’m by his side, worn out.

 

I was tired. Lying on the bed made sleepiness wash over me. I managed to open my stiff eyes and looked at him as he approached the bed. The bed swayed.

 

“Do you do this with others?”

 

He asked.

 

“Well, I haven’t been blood bag for anyone else before.”

 

He chuckled softly at my response.

 

“Try lying on another man’s bed, and you’ll understand.”

 

This bed is too soft, you know. I wonder if other beds are like this too.

 

I didn’t want to get up from the soft bed. The sensation of cold against my body felt nice.

 

Suddenly, the laughter stopped. The air in the room became chilling, as if it had frozen.

 

I raised my head. His face, which had smiled a moment ago, now lacked even a hint of a smile, seeming cool.

 

“Deon?”

 

Even the regularly heard breathing seemed to disappear. I looked up. His lips were subtly twisted.

 

His gaze touched my wrist, then my hair, and finally, my neck. He gently swept the hair aside and slowly bent his waist to envelop my body.

 

His breath became so close that it touched my skin. His face lowered, lower, and finally, his lips touched my neck.

 

While my neck was wet with his lips, he suddenly and unexpectedly bit into the tender flesh.

T/N Thank god Some action I swear if they dont kiss in the next chap ill beat Deon myself its too much