Chapter 37
His expression grew even stiffer. The corridor lined with private resting spaces—at the very end was the large, ornate lounge reserved for the Princess. Viern’s steps quickened as he headed there. The thought of the two of them alone in that enclosed space made his mind go blank. Surely, she wasn’t planning to repeat that disgraceful business of calling street hustlers under the pretext of “gaining experience”…
Bang!
He shoved the door open without knocking and stiffened, breath catching in his throat at the sight before him.
Diana, looking utterly relaxed, was sprawled inelegantly on a massive couch that seemed several times her size. The young man from the Argel house was kneeling at her feet, massaging… her bare, soft feet.
“Duke?”
At his rude intrusion, Diana frowned and called to him, but Viern couldn’t respond. The moment he saw that small, pale ankle and white instep cradled in another man’s hand, his vision swam.
“Your Highness’s… bare feet…”
Though both were fully dressed, the sight of her small, delicate bare feet peeking out from beneath the lavish folds of her dress felt obscenely provocative… A sensation as if his windpipe were being crushed made Viern’s mouth twist and his fist clench.
“Ah, Y-Your Grace, it’s, well, w-w-was because Her Highness said her feet hurt, I, I was just trying to h-help…”
Sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Viern, the man began stammering excuses without even being asked. Watching him, Viern became certain. This wretch definitely had ulterior thoughts towards the Princess.
“You wretched, insignificant little man, just barely of age. I ordered you to escort Her Highness.”
Viern grabbed the man’s collar roughly, hauling him up, and pressed in with a voice that seemed to grind the words between his teeth.
“Did you dare harbor filthy intentions?”
“Wh-What? No, Your Grace. Her Highness commanded me to massage her feet…”
“Get out. Now.”
“G-Gasp! Y-Yes, sir! I’ll leave immediately!”
The Argel heir, terrified by Viern’s ferocity, fled without even a proper bow. The sight of him cowering and running off was utterly pathetic. It was infuriating that a pathetic worm like that even dared to set his sights on his Princess.
Struggling to contain his fury, Viern turned a terrifying glare on Diana, one of the architects of this situation.
“Do you have any sense at all, or none whatsoever?”
“This is overstepping. Why are you chasing off my partner without my permission?”
But Diana, showing no awareness of wrongdoing, looked at him with a sulky, defiant face.
“Your Highness, do you truly not understand the implications of being alone in a closed space with an unrelated man?”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Yeah. So what? I’m not a child.”
“Hah…?”
Viern let out a bitter, incredulous laugh.
“‘Not a child,’ you say. Were you perhaps thinking of doing the kinds of things adults do with that man?”
“Yes.”
Her immediate, brazen answer left Viern momentarily speechless.
“As it happens, even Aisen is absent today. I thought I’d seize this chance to quickly gain some ‘experience’.”
“…Hadn’t you given up on that sort of thing?”
Viern’s voice came out slightly dazed as he parroted back that damned ‘experience’ she’d started again.
“Why would I give up? I just said I wouldn’t ask you for that favor anymore.”
“……”
For a moment, his mind went blank.
“I was planning to look for someone else besides you. Since Haley seemed to have feelings for me, I was going to reel him in. I asked, and he has no lover or fiancée. Besides, he’s smart and seems to know everything, so he’d be perfect for gaining experience, right? But you made me lose him. What is this?”
The horrifying fact that she had called that man by his first name didn’t even register. That wasn’t the important part.
So, Diana had genuinely, truly intended—if he hadn’t come—to do that kind of thing right here, in this shabby place (of course, this space, originally the King’s lounge, was anything but shabby; it was opulent to an extreme) with that young brat… Damn it all.
“Fine. I’ll just go back and find someone else.”
Diana bent down to put her discarded shoes back on.
Whoosh—
In the spot where the man had been just moments before, Viern knelt on one knee and seized her arms. The distance between them vanished in an instant.
“Your Grace…?”
“……”
Viern silently stared into Diana’s wide, startled eyes. He had to admit it. Diana had no intention of backing down; she was determined to do it, no matter what he said. And he had no authority to force his will on her, an adult woman, regarding this…
Therefore, if she was absolutely set on doing it… if she would somehow slip away like an eel no matter how much he interfered, searching for a partner for the night and repeating today’s events… then it might as well be him.
“I will.”
His lips, which had been pressed tightly together, parted. The hands gripping her arms tightened.
“Tonight. I will come to you. I will assist Your Highness so you can gain that damn ‘experience.’”
Viern ground his teeth and spoke, forcing out each syllable as if chewing on glass.
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