Chapter 62
“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince, and Her Highness the Crown Princess are entering! All, present your respects!”
At the doorkeeper’s booming voice, the nobles all turned toward the entrance at once. Elaria tried to step slightly away from him, but it was impossible because Lucian had already moved closer than that.
As she bowed deeply from the waist, he suddenly caught her hand. Since she had been holding her dress, Elaria turned her head toward him in surprise.
Their eyes met while both were still bent forward. His red eyes looked like blood. Moving only his lips, he conveyed the words.
‘Are you angry?’
Elaria showed a pout she had never displayed even when they were dating. Instead of answering, she avoided his gaze, and his hand trembled slightly. Then he tightened his grip.
So that she could never pull her hand away.
“Everyone, raise your heads.”
At the Emperor’s command, the nobles straightened their bent waists. The moment they did, Lucian pulled her closer to his side. His heart was pounding violently.
A strange emotion, where anxiety and excitement coexisted, shook him to the core. He wanted to ask her one more time.
‘Are you jealous?’
For the first time since entering the banquet hall, Lucian smiled very deeply. He could not hold back because Elaria, acting in such an unfamiliar way, was simply too lovable.
* * *
After the imperial family withdrew, Lucian quickly pulled her along.
“Are we going back?”
“Yes.”
He had not intended to stay until the end anyway, and showing their faces was enough. He could not hide his impatience. His pace became faster than before, and Elaria had to hurry to keep up with him.
“Your Grace, please wait a moment!”
The marquis’s daughter followed them out into the corridor. Seeing the desperate expression on her face made Elaria’s mood sour again. Anyone might mistake her for someone who had once been involved with him.
For a moment, she remembered the time when she had been separated from Lucian. There had been no scandals, but he might have had an undisclosed lover during that time. Just like how he had dated her in secret.
She had never heard him say that he had not met any other women during that period. Just as she was about to doubt him for the first time, Lucian warned the marquis’s daughter in a cold voice.
“If you come any closer, I will declare a territorial dispute against your family.”
“…Pardon?”
“How dare you behave so vulgarly in front of my wife, Lady.”
“N-No… that’s not what I meant. I was only…”
“I don’t know who would ever propose to someone who cannot even offer a proper greeting, but from now on, our house will have no dealings not only with the Marquisate, or the family of whoever you may be.”
His voice was so cold it felt like being struck with words. Elaria stared at Lucian in shock. At his words, the marquis’s daughter’s legs gave out and she collapsed.
There were not many people in the corridor, but the doors to the banquet hall were open, so quite a few were peeking over. After sweeping a cold glance over them, Lucian resumed walking.
Still holding her hand, she hurried along with him. Her heart pounded as if overflowing with joy. She felt grateful and happy that he had drawn such a clear line for her.
After quickly boarding the carriage, Lucian grabbed her chin the moment it began to move. Pulling her face close to his, he looked at her with eyes like burning flames and asked in a low voice.
“Tell me now.”
“…Tell you what?”
Her mood had improved somewhat, but the lingering feeling from earlier had not completely disappeared. The situation felt strange, that her own heart would not move as she wished, and yet she did not dislike it.
It seemed he felt the same way.
“Were you jealous?”
“……”
“When did you come up with that nickname for me? Have you wanted to call me that for a long time too?”
“…Yes.”
It was a nickname she had come up with back when they were dating. She had always thought she would call him that someday. She had also hoped he would call her by a nickname as well. She had never imagined it would only happen after they were married.
“…Ha.”
At her answer, Lucian let out a short breath. He had wanted to see a new side of her, but something he had never imagined had happened.
Elaria, who had never once shown her own desires or possessiveness, had claimed him for the first time.
He could not contain his joy and began to smile. The corners of his mouth lifted high, revealing his feelings. From a distance close enough that their noses could almost touch, she could not take her eyes off him as he smiled with his teeth showing.
She could feel his emotions more clearly than ever.
His red eyes fixed relentlessly on her lips. Just like when they had watched the opera together, he looked at her as if he might devour her inside the carriage. But he did not move.
Like a seasoned hunter waiting for the right moment, he seemed to be waiting until they arrived at the manor.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.