The Crown Prince’s Courtesan - Chapter 43

Her cheeks blushed bright red.

“Is it… unsightly?”

“It’s curious, that’s all.”

There was a faint trace of amusement in his voice, as if to say this wasn’t a misunderstanding. Somehow, Marie found that sharing something she loved with another person brought her a happiness far greater than she’d imagined. A smile tugged uncontrollably at her lips.

“And… Your Highness, what did you think?”

“Speak up.”

“Did Your Highness enjoy it too?”

At her question, the man who had one leg crossed over the other paused for a moment. Marie grew anxious. What if he says he was bored? Of course, he’d said he wasn’t really into music, so he probably had been bored.

“It wasn’t bad.”

“…!”

Ah. Marie’s face lit up with joy. Why did that make her so happy — just the simple fact that he hadn’t been bored while sharing a space with her?

“To the point I’d consider coming again.”

“R–Really?”

“Yes. Though I found you more entertaining than the music.”

“……”

“We’ll come again.”

Meanwhile, the Alpha’s gaze, which had been relentlessly studying the changes in Marie’s expression, began to take on a faint hint of amusement.

‘Is she falling for me?’

She was such an infuriatingly guarded woman that even the line between like and dislike was blurred.

But Russell — having been, unintentionally or not, something of her stalker for several years — knew a few of Marie’s absolute favorites. He also knew today was her birthday.

As expected, she hadn’t told a soul it was her birthday.

Even if their relationship was strained, her maids would have at least prepared a cake. Other nobles, who loved to flaunt their attention, would surely have brought gifts to present to her, a courtesan.

But Marie had done nothing.

‘Damn it. She’s hopelessly bad at this.’

Just thinking about those pale cheeks flushed red made his mood turn foul again — and yet.

He hadn’t expected her to enjoy it that much, but the childlike excitement on her face hadn’t been unpleasant at all.

Thanks to that, the nightmare that had clung to him after dancing with Arwena, and the taut, prickling nerves that had left him strangely on edge, had started to settle.

For years, the root of his chains and nightmares had been that very woman before him, so why was it that now, he found comfort in the refreshing scent of grapefruit wafting from her?

‘Hah.’

Russell fixed his gaze obsessively on the nape of her neck, clean and neatly made-up. A long, elegant line adorned with a white pearl necklace — deer-like in its grace. And yet, he had the strange urge to sink his teeth into it.

He wanted to bury his nose in that grapefruit-scented skin, tenderly bleeding where he’d bitten, and leave it covered in so many marks that any lust-crazed Alpha pup sniffing around would be driven off.

‘I sound jealous.’

Russell buried his face in his hand.

Darkness fell again, and the music resumed.

Marie Alphrose’s attention returned to the orchestra pit. The gaze that had been lingering on him disappeared.

‘Marie.’

That rising surge of instinct was suddenly sliced clean by reason.

‘You should be looking at me.’

Russell reached out and took her wrist — a wrist always so soft in his grasp it left him uncertain what to do with it. She turned to him with startled eyes. Her cheeks were deeply flushed. He lowered his lips to them.

“Y–Your Highness?”

“Don’t look anywhere else.”

“Pardon?”

She barely managed the question, more stunned than anything. Her lips looked like sweet red fruit.

Damn it. Cursing himself inwardly, he swallowed that brightly blushing fruit whole.

“……!”

He swallowed even the faint, trembling breaths that sounded like quiet sobs. As she tried to push him away, he blocked her movements and released his pheromones. He licked and sucked her lips deeply, parting them with his tongue and pressing into her warm depths.

“Uh…!”

“Hah.”

He pinned down her trembling tongue with his own, entwining and drawing it in. As their saliva mixed and he scraped her palate, teasing her, the woman in his arms began to flush with heat.

He liked that too. The gently blooming scent of grapefruit was intoxicating.

‘I want this woman.’

Russell’s possessiveness ignited. He stared obsessively at her flushed ear, then finally gave in, taking it into his mouth and biting it.

It tasted obscenely sweet.

Did she know? How fiercely he’d wanted to overcome his guilt, to greedily suck, bite, and devour every part of her body again and again? She couldn’t possibly know. She wasn’t supposed to.

Today…this was a mistake, but just for today…