From the captured arms to the sturdy embrace, every point of contact with him was filled with new sensations and exhilarating tremors.
No matter how haughty one tries to act, it takes just a moment to break.
Before laying myself over Laila, Franz wore a sinister smile. Regrettably, naive Laila, with her eyes tightly closed and trembling, couldn’t see that smile.
If she had seen that smile, devoid of any sign of love, she might not have crumbled so effortlessly.
“Your Grace…”
She surrendered to the trembling, and everything passed like a storm. Laila regained her senses when she leaned her face against Franz’s bare chest. Everything flowed naturally as if it were water.
The carriage swayed, and she nearly fell into Franz’s arms. From that moment, in a flurry, they kissed as he held her tightly, and amidst the chaos of the carriage rushing somewhere, they embraced each other until they finally arrived at some refuge.
“I want to stay with you like this.”
I feel the same. Pulling the blanket over her face to hide her flushed cheeks, Laila muttered.
At some point, Franz easily dropped the formalities, and although only his tone had changed, the entire atmosphere felt different, causing Laila to blush again.
Laila, who felt uncomfortable with Franz addressing her formally, instead felt a sense of intimacy seeing him drop the honorifics and call her by her name.
The formality and etiquette seemed to create a barrier, making them feel distant. It truly felt like the grand duke, whom she had longed for, was now genuinely hers.
“How are you? Are you okay?”
“Yes, Your Grace. I’m fine.”
“Don’t call me that; just use my name.”
“B-but I can’t…”
“Call me. It’s fine.”
“I-I’m not okay, Your Grace.”
“Isn’t it too formal for how close we are right now?”
Franz pulled Laila tightly into his arms. As she felt the firm muscles of his chest against her skin, Laila didn’t know how to react.
But soon, she accepted even that embarrassment as excitement and closed her eyes tightly in Franz’s embrace.
“Call me Franz.”
“But…”
“Just my name.”
“I-I can’t.”
“Try it. Franz.”
“Franz…”
Laila, unable to call out the Grand Duke’s name without hesitation, finally buried her face in the blanket. Seeing her like this, Franz let out a hearty laugh and kissed the back of her neck, finding her adorable.
It was just one piece of clothing that had been removed, yet it felt as if all barriers between them had vanished.
In her softened state, Laila began to chatter away, sharing thoughts unbidden. When Franz asked about palace life, she gave a lengthy recount of her experiences, and when he inquired about her hobbies, she explained how Madame Pulcheria had been such a benefactor to her.
Laila’s casual mention of Madame Pulcheria, before Franz had a chance to, filled him with warmth. How lovely it was that this small, delicate woman walked right into the trap he had laid.
As he thought of the word “lovely”, a smirk crossed Franz’s face, and with the arm he wasn’t using to embrace her, he began to stroke her hair.
Gently, he combed his fingers through her golden locks like a brush, choosing his next words carefully in his mind.
He was ready. Now, all he had to do was avoid any mistakes.
“Being with you truly brings me peace.”
“I feel the same, I… no, Franz.”
“I’ve never experienced such serenity in my life. I want to continue living in this peace.”
He was an attractive man with numerous affairs, someone who seemed to have it all. How could there be a woman who wouldn’t be thrilled to hear him say that their time together was special?
Laila’s heart raced with the sensation that she alone was special in Franz’s veiled confession, unaware it might be false.
“Will you be with me, Laila?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
Just hours after their first kiss, to be proposed to while lying together felt surreal. Was she perhaps dreaming? A sudden fear gripped her.
She quietly pinched her palm, realizing this situation was real.
“I want to share my life with you, have children who look like you, and build a happy family of my own….”
So sweet it felt unbearable, Laila couldn’t think rationally in the face of his tender tone.
Her ears were now burning hot.
“If you accept my proposal, there’s no reason to hesitate. I’ll announce our news to the palace immediately and start preparing for our life together.”
If only Laila could listen to Franz’s words a bit more rationally and objectively, she might have understood they were vague.
Unfortunately, her burgeoning feelings clouded her judgment completely.
“Are you suggesting… marriage?”
She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Her heart swelled, and she struggled to breathe. The Grand Duke and her? Me, the Grand Duke’s wife?
“Will you really do it, Laila?”
“Of course… I will, Your Grace, no, Franz.”
One might find Laila’s trembling voice filled with emotion lovely, yet the face of Franz resting his chin on her head was surprisingly indifferent. It was hard to believe it belonged to a man who whispered love so sweetly.
“Thank you, Laila. Really, thank you.”
“It’s nothing…”
“If I could, I’d hurry to announce our engagement to the palace and hold the ceremony tomorrow.”
“You want to…?”
“But that can’t happen, sadly.”
“Why…?”
With every word from Franz, Laila fluctuated between heaven and hell, worrying his feelings might change within just a few seconds.
“Because we need to wait for Karl to hold the ceremony first.”
“Are you referring to His Highness, Duke Albrecht?”
“I heard he only had a simple engagement ceremony. It seems they couldn’t hold a grand one due to the national mourning.”
“Oh, right. Yes, I heard that.”
“Even though the mourning period has ended, they likely couldn’t hold an official wedding out of ethical considerations. Even if a ceremony can be held, they will be ahead of us, so I wouldn’t be able to have you by my side immediately. It’s disappointing.”
Fortunately, Franz’s feelings hadn’t changed. Laila let out a breath of relief and gently placed her hand over Franz’s arm that held her.
The firm yet soft and warm arm of this man sent shivers down her spine.
“I want to start a day with you and go to bed together, Laila.”
“I… I want that too…”
Their whispered breaths felt ticklish. As Laila giggled and shrugged her shoulders, Franz turned her body towards him.
“You are truly beautiful.”
“You too, Franz. You are really beautiful.”
So close that their breaths touched and vanished, they gazed into each other’s eyes.
As Franz brushed his fingers down Laila’s smooth skin, he softly kissed the bridge of her nose. Like splashes of paint, every place his hand and lips touched turned red.
“If only I could meet Karl to discuss about you and properly set a date for the ceremony… but I can’t see him at all. Of course, he must be busy.”
“Ah… it seems His Highness Albrecht is indeed very busy.”
“I want to stay like this with you. My heart is restless.”
How could one maintain their rationality in the face of such sweet words from a lover? Laila’s lingering logic was now entirely overshadowed by her warm feelings.
“You are a beautiful couple. His Highness Archduke Albrecht and Her Highness the Archduchess.”
With a soft touch, Franz stroked Laila’s hair without responding. Even though he was pretending to be in love, discussing Celeste at this moment felt awkward.
“It would be great if the Archduke and Archduchess could hurry back and hold a proper ceremony. To do that, they should return to LaHart first, right? They should come back quickly, hold the ceremony, and then…”
“Return to LaHart? That sounds as if the Archduke and his wife have left the capital.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that the Archduchess is away from LaHart for health reasons.”
“…And the child too?”
“Yes. The young lady went with the Archduchess… Oh, I heard that Minister Linke is also going to visit her.”
“Linke? The Minister of Magic?”
“Yes.”
Franz felt trapped. He couldn’t be more grateful to Laila for mentioning Celeste and the child’s whereabouts. She was, indeed, far easier than he had anticipated.
“I heard that His Highness Archduke Albrecht received Minister Linke’s deployment orders today.”
Today. That meant Minister Linke would soon head to wherever Celeste was. Franz’s mind began racing.
He needed to figure out what to do first and how to prepare for everything.
