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chapter 49
I was literally in a state of panic. Frozen stiff, unable to say a word, I heard Teansis whisper in a low voice.
“I like you.”
“…….”
“I said I like you.”
It seemed that what Teansis had just said wasn’t empty words—he looked as if he planned to repeat that he liked me until I believed it.
At that moment, I saw the chef personally bringing a tray with the main course toward our table.
Even so, Teansis didn’t seem to care at all about anyone else’s gaze.
“I like…”
Thud! I quickly reached out and covered Teansis’s mouth with my hand.
It felt like all the heat in my body was converging in my face. My mind was so overwhelmed that fainting wouldn’t have been surprising.
I managed to speak in a trembling voice.
“Ah, I get it. Stop it.”
I was worried someone might overhear. I didn’t want any more strange rumors about Teansis circulating.
I could feel him letting out a soft laugh, like air escaping from a balloon, under my palm.
Thinking he had finally stopped talking, I carefully withdrew my hand. Teansis’s expression softened, and he spoke again.
“Was that an indirect kiss?”
“In…direct…?”
Now that I thought about it, I had been so shocked earlier that I’d covered his mouth, and immediately after, I’d blocked his confession to stop him.
I stared blankly at my palm, my face burning as if it were on fire.
‘Did I just… steal the duke’s lips again?’
Unintentionally, I had shared an indirect kiss with Teansis. The spot where his lips had touched my palm felt scorching, like a burn.
The chef soon approached the table and spoke.
“Today’s dish is…”
“I’ll skip the explanation. Just leave the area around the table clear for the food.”
“Yes, Duke.”
It seemed the chef already knew Teansis’s status, bowing politely before stepping away from our table.
The secluded spot, already quiet with a view of the outdoors, became completely empty after Teansis’s request. Not a single ant could be seen.
It made me realize just how significant Teansis’s status and position were.
He carried many titles:
The youngest duke. Ruler of the North. A noble with the right to succeed the throne. A swordsmanship prodigy who could manipulate aura.
And the ideal man every woman in the Valkanus Empire dreamed of.
There were countless other accolades, too many to list.
And he likes me?
I really couldn’t believe it. Or rather, I couldn’t make sense of it.
‘Why? What part of me…?’
The person Teansis was looking at wasn’t the real me. In reality, I was nearly forty, and I wasn’t a high-ranking marquis’ daughter.
I couldn’t enroll in Kamar Academy, nor could I confidently stand beside him in a glamorous dress.
The version of me now was almost an illusion. I didn’t know what had drawn him to me, but the start of this relationship was certainly based on a lie.
Without realizing it, I gripped my school uniform skirt tightly under the table. It was a dream I had longed for, but one that shouldn’t happen in reality.
It was a sweet dream, yet a poison I should never drink.
Accepting his feelings while I couldn’t reveal the truth about my age or status would be a deceit and a desire I shouldn’t entertain.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
I silently repeated to my wildly beating heart.
‘Stop it.’
Even if just for a fleeting moment, Teansis giving me his heart was a joy. I would never forget this moment until I died.
That alone was enough. No, I had to be satisfied with it.
“Duke, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
Teansis’s violet eyes looked at me intently.
“I’m older than I appear. Much older than you, and as you know, I wasn’t born into the Predov family. I am noble, yes, but my title is far lower than yours…”
“So?”
His question was casual, like asking about the weather.
“I-I’m explaining why I don’t suit you!”
“You’re saying I should give up because I don’t suit you?”
Something was off. I wasn’t saying he didn’t suit me; I was saying I didn’t suit him.
“So what I mean is…”
“Shouldn’t I like you just because you and I supposedly don’t suit each other? Who decides that?”
The conversation was veering into a strange direction. It felt like Teansis was clinging to me while I tried to push him away.
I tried to stay alert, afraid that my emotions might make me make a choice I shouldn’t.
“I have a secret I can’t tell you. You don’t even know which family I belong to or how old I am.”
“Then tell me.”
“I… can’t say that…!”
“I haven’t asked, then. Even if I’m curious, I don’t ask, so you don’t have to worry.”
I was speechless.
Teansis’s violet eyes deepened. They were so serious that I felt his emotions showing, even in fragments. As if he were saying, This feeling is not a joke.
“I know everything you’re saying. I’ve tried to reflect on it countless times.”
“Then…”
“Even so, it didn’t work. I couldn’t suppress it, so I’m here.”
As he spoke, Teansis stood and approached me, gripping the chair with both hands.
Squeak—
He easily turned my chair so we faced each other. Suddenly, we were much closer than across the table.
Teansis’s sculpted face and decadent violet eyes shone right in front of me.
“I imagined this. You confessed first, Lady, but I thought you’d push me away in this situation. I expected it, but I’m still frustrated.”
“Duke…”
“Even if you’re patient enough to give up on someone you like, I’m not.”
Suddenly, Teansis grabbed my hand. His masculine touch made me flinch.
“I’m reaching my limit. I want to touch you, Lady.”
His violet eyes held a strange heat, like thirst, and I swallowed nervously.
“Unlike you, I don’t think this will end with light contact.”
He probably meant the lip collision and indirect kiss earlier.
Though I’d never had a boyfriend at nearly forty, I wasn’t completely ignorant about men.
I imagined advancing further with Teansis. Just the thought made my face burn.
He frowned slightly, lowering his voice from before.
“If you show your feelings on your face like that, it makes it harder for me to resist.”
If he couldn’t resist… then I…
I worried my nose might bleed again from nerves.
As I watched my pounding heart, he continued in a low voice.
“So if you keep looking at me like that and running away…”
Snap! Teansis’s large hand grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me toward him.
Before I could react, his lips brushed mine.
“Ah!”
I was wide-eyed with shock.
It was sudden, and intimate.
“I keep wanting to hold you.”
It was too brief to call it a kiss, yet too intense to call it a peck. Like a predator savoring its prey.
My lips tingled and burned where his had touched.
“D-Duke!”
“I won’t apologize like you. This isn’t a mistake. If you feel wronged, we’re even since you stole my lips twice first.”
His words made me feel guilty. I had no right to complain after taking his lips twice without permission.
“Th-then…”
I couldn’t get words out, no matter how many I had.
Teansis looked at me steadily and spoke softly.
“Do you know how your eyes look right now? You’re looking at me like you’re overwhelmed with affection.”
I felt exposed. My emotions were clearly visible in my eyes.
I tried to turn away, but Teansis cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“I also have the urge to devour you from head to toe.”
I don’t know why, but my mind immediately went somewhere naughty. The implication of his words was impossible not to imagine.
Teansis continued.
“I’ve decided to accept my feelings. So don’t run away while looking at me like I’m adorable.”
I didn’t want to nod in response, but too many barriers stood between us. I felt guilty even considering reciprocating him.
“You know nothing, Duke. I’m…”
I was over ten years older than him, of low status, with nothing to give him.
Without listening, Teansis cut me off.
“Yes, I know nothing. And if it inconveniences you, I won’t ask. Your status, identity, age—none of that matters.”
“D-Duke…”
“If your feelings aren’t false, nothing else matters.”
My rational mind screamed no. Teansis could say this because he didn’t know the truth. If he did, he might not choose me.
Yet, my heart wavered. Reason and emotion fought within me. Should I not reach for him, or let this dreamlike chance slip away?
Teansis’s large hand brushed my cheek. The spot he touched burned.
“If you really can’t accept it, you can run. I’ll chase you to the end.”
It sounded like a hunter pursuing prey.
If Teansis was the hunter, I would inevitably be caught. Or maybe I’d collapse before he did.
I still couldn’t believe this.
“Why… why me?”
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Teansis smiled faintly.
“You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to reach out to in my life.”
I noticed his ungloved hand. It seemed significant to him.
“I told you, I’d tell you until you believe me. No matter how much you run, I’ll keep telling you. Thousands of times if needed.”
I couldn’t look away from his steadfast violet eyes.
“I like you, Lady.”
I had imagined this countless times.
But no imagination could have been more touching than reality.
His affectionate gaze, gentle touch, and low voice were real.
He was within reach.
He liked me.
“……Huh.”
Foolishly, tears fell.
Seeing me cry, Teansis looked genuinely flustered.
He wiped my tears with his palm. I’d never seen him so flustered before.
“Lady.”
Even his low call couldn’t make me respond. My tears wouldn’t stop.
As my sobs grew, Teansis spoke warmly.
“……Belia.”
I was so shocked my hiccups mixed with sobs. He had been calling my name all along.
As tears streamed down, he wiped them gently, whispering again.
“Belia.”
It was insanely sweet. I’d never felt a voice so sweet.
“Don’t cry.”
Teansis’s red lips touched near my eye. Where they touched, the warmth lingered like a seal, replacing tears with heat.
Outside the Restaurant
Medina, finishing her meal, couldn’t stop thinking about a silver-haired woman she had glimpsed.
‘She looks just like Belia…’
But it was impossible. At 38, Belia couldn’t look that young.
And she was in Kamar Academy uniform. Belia was far too old to enroll, let alone afford it.
Despite this, Medina tried to go back for a closer look but was blocked by an employee.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you can’t enter this way.”
“Suddenly? It’s still business hours.”
“I’m sorry. It’s under orders from above. I don’t know the exact reason.”
The employee bowed repeatedly, but Medina’s expression didn’t soften.
It was a famous restaurant. She had barely made a reservation under the pretense of a wedding anniversary. To be restricted without explanation felt like an insult.
At that moment, Miles, having finished paying, approached.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you going?”
“I-I’ll go…”
She didn’t want to stir trouble over uncertainty.
Medina gave the staff a last sharp glare and turned away.
‘Right. I must have seen it wrong.’
