Chapter 62
Unlike Felice, Claude seemed perfectly at ease. His lopsided smile and the steady rhythm of his tapping fingers made it clear just how relaxed he was.
“…Miss Felice?”
Claude tilted his head, and with that motion, a strand of golden hair fell across his forehead.
The breeze played with his hair, momentarily throwing Felice off balance. His blue eyes, bright as a summer sky, locked onto hers. Why did they look so impossibly blue, as if someone had tried to capture the sky itself in his eyes?
Felice did her best to steady her wavering heart.
“Yes, um…”
“Should I come over?”
But her resolve melted in a single blink.
“Felice.”
Whenever he said her name, she was helpless. There was no doubt—he was doing something to her.
“Don’t overthink it. Do you not want to kiss me?”
The fingers that had been idly tapping suddenly touched her chin. Even that light touch left Felice frozen, looking up at him, her heart pounding as she realized how powerless she felt in his grasp.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”
Claude’s nose brushed against hers.
“You don’t have to force yourself. Just tell me, Felice.”
Everything felt dizzy. Her mind was racing, but all she could see was Claude—his alluring presence, the way he called her by name and ‘Miss Felice’ in turn, making her unsure of where the boundary between the two even lay.
To Claude, she was both Felice and his teacher, but for Felice, those were two very different people. A small voice inside her wondered—maybe, after this, there would be no more teacher left.
Whenever she tried to retreat from that fear, Claude would smile so beautifully and touch her so gently she couldn’t move away.
“Shh… It’s okay. You don’t have to push yourself. This is my first time, too.”
His first time? But… Felice the romance tutor wasn’t allowed to be new at this. She couldn’t let herself be overwhelmed by something so simple.
Not that she was afraid of kissing itself—she was afraid of what Claude would do after.
Felice parted her lips slightly.
“I’ve never… done this outdoors before.”
She tried to maintain her teacherly composure so he wouldn’t suspect.
“So, I’m the one who’s supposed to submit, right?”
Her eyelids fluttered. Then, her hand dropped to rest on Claude’s thigh as she leaned in closer.
Finally, she brushed her lips lightly across his.
* * *
After a few soft, fleeting kisses, Claude sat there, fists clenched in his lap, letting Felice do as she pleased. Just her hand pressing into his thigh was nearly unbearable, but the way her lips barely grazed his felt like the sweetest torture.
If she were his interrogator, Claude was certain he’d confess every secret within minutes—his status as a prince, every stain on the Burford royal line, all of it.
“…Ha.”
A sigh, half-groan, slipped from Felice as she closed her eyes.
He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, kiss her deeply, and see her beautiful and disheveled in the sunlight.
Felice’s lashes fluttered, her green eyes lifting to meet his. Claude had to fight the urge to pin her right then and there.
“Claude… Should we… keep going?”
God, she was going to drive him crazy.
He forced himself to smile, clenching his jaw as he took a deep breath.
No, tonight he’d see her again for their lesson. This was just the garden—he could wait.
“No. Well then, today’s lesson…”
“I suppose that’s the end of today’s lesson.”
Felice cut in, already pulling back and wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
Sitting up straight, she offered him a polite smile.
“Then, I’ll see you at our next lesson.”
She got to her feet and bowed.
“I should get going—I have some things to prepare for our next class. I’ll need extra time for this new curriculum.”
Left alone beneath the garden canopy, Claude squeezed his eyes shut.
“…God. Seriously…”
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