Chapter 45
The door burst open from outside. A jet-black man, as if shadows were clumped together, appeared. It was David.
“Ah, Lady Cecilia.”
The earrings studded thickly on him sparkled in the sunlight. Grinning broadly and extending his hand in a leather glove, he looked, as always, like the victor of a vulgar back alley.
“Take it, quickly.”
Anyone would think nothing had happened.
Though not unexpected, his composed face was detestable. Despite having threatened her by grasping her weakness, he acted like a quite polite suitor in front of others.
“…Thank you.”
Cecilia swallowed her distaste, took his hand, and stepped down.
“Watch your step, this way.”
Today, too, his appearance, dressed in all black and heavily adorned with dangling accessories, was maximally delinquent, yet his attitude toward looking after Cecilia was delicate. Seeing him pay attention to every small pebble made her laugh hollowly.
The fortunate thing was that no strange thoughts came to mind even when her hand rested on him. Even though his attire today was no less provocative.
God knows what he’d been doing, but he wasn’t wearing his long jacket, exposing his firmly raised b******s beneath a taut leather vest. Between his slightly rolled-up shirt and his leather gloves, his forearm, with its clearly defined muscle, peeked out.
A body that couldn’t help but attract the attention of both men and women.
But that was all. There was no surge of uncontrollable lust like that day.
‘The reward of enthusiastically f*****g Rogerick was worth it. It really was just unsatisfied desire…… huh?’
The unexpected sight unfolding before her kept Cecilia’s thought from reaching its conclusion.
“…What is this situation, Grand Duke?”
“I prepared it specially for you. How is it?”
David’s shooting range was usually a desolate plain with only targets sparsely standing. But today was different.
No wonder it was noisy. Nobles on vacation in Erdel were chattering cheerfully in glamorous attire. Tables had been set up behind the shooting line with various foods, and an orchestra was playing on one side.
Cecilia sent David an interrogative look. He just smiled brightly, pretending to be oblivious.
“A sudden social party, what are you scheming?”
“Isn’t it nice that it’s crowded?”
Like hell it is.
Cecilia barely suppressed the urge to kick his shins.
“Let’s introduce you first. Everyone here seems to be dying of curiosity about Lady Cecilia.”
David glanced at Rogerick, who had already attached himself to Cecilia’s opposite side.
“Of course, the same goes for you as well, my lord.”
She had already felt the fervent gaze that had been fixed on Cecilia’s carriage earlier, pretending not to look. Sure enough, people flocked to them as if they had been waiting, even though David’s group had only approached a little.
“Oh my, Lord Rogerick Montieux and… what an astonishing beauty!”
“Your Grace, Grand Duke Raphaeli, may we ask for an introduction?”
They said only the most hardened rogues who visited Erdel every year gathered during the off-season of this resort, and they all looked quite intimate with each other.
The surprising thing was that David also seemed quite close to them. He smiled back at the nobles, then introduced Cecilia with a somewhat theatrical demeanor.
“This is Lady Cecilia Cissil, the noble daughter of the Cissil viscounty. And this gentleman, as you all know, is Lord Rogerick Montieux.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m Cecilia Cissil.”
Cecilia offered a smooth smile. At her beauty, reminiscent of a single lily of the valley, some were left speechless.
The two men’s reactions were completely opposite. Rogerick’s face hardened, and David grinned foolishly. He looked almost proud.
Taking advantage of the silence, the ladies rushed toward Rogerick.
“Lord Rogerick is famous for not often attending such gatherings… You must have come because you’re interested in shooting, right?”
“That’s right, it’s too hard to see your face, Lord!”
“Ah, well…….”
Flustered, he hesitated and tried to back away, but he was surrounded by people and couldn’t move.
Rogerick, trapped between the voluminous dresses, frantically searched for Cecilia with his eyes. When their eyes met, Cecilia flinched. The moment she was about to approach him, her hand was tightly grasped.
“Why, going to try to intervene?”
David bent down and whispered.
He was still holding the hand he had been using to escort her.
“If you jump in there now, you’ll go back without firing a single shot, just laughing awkwardly. Do you want that?”
“Surely you didn’t deliberately create this party just to separate Rogerick from me?”
“Ah, darn it, I got caught again.”
He clucked his tongue as if disappointed, then nudged Cecilia with his elbow.
“I knew you two would come, so I couldn’t just stand by, could I? Don’t you agree?”
“…Why are you going to such lengths?”
“I won’t answer.”
“What?”
“Because you won’t believe it anyway.”
He chuckled and gestured with his chin.
“Let’s give up on that side and do our business. Lord Rogerick is no help for shooting anyway.”
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