🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 56
A moment of silence passed.
I could feel Teansis’s entire body stiffen as he held me.
Immediately, my mind was flooded with the thought that I had made a mistake. But before I could even try to explain, Teansis spoke first.
“What did you just say?”
I should have said no, or that I had misspoken.
But my lips wouldn’t move.
Teansis’s violet eyes were too close. The heat reflected in them was so intense that my heart pounded.
I like him. I really, truly like this man.
That was an undeniable truth.
Teansis, who had been staring at me intently, then spoke with a troubled expression.
“Don’t cry. I won’t ask anything if the Lady doesn’t want me to.”
“…sniff.”
I kept telling myself internally that I shouldn’t cry in a situation like this, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
I wanted to be by Teansis’s side too.
I didn’t want to reject his love.
But the circumstances around me were holding me back. He knew very well that I wasn’t someone who could dare to be greedy with him.
Teansis silently wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks and said,
“You cried when I confessed to you, and now again? That’s unfair.”
I looked up at Teansis silently. He didn’t seem to be expecting an answer, but he continued softly.
“I’m going easy on you because you’re the Lady. If I push further, you might cry endlessly. When you cry, it feels like my heart is being torn apart, so I’m backing off—just so you know.”
Teansis always expressed his emotions freely, but he never put me in situations that would truly trouble me.
Could it be that he had been considerate all this time?
Because I cried when he first confessed to me?
Realizing this now filled me with emotion. Without intending to, my tears seemed to flow even more freely than before.
Teansis looked at me with a troubled expression.
“I’m trying not to make you cry. What do I do if you cry even more?”
He wiped my tears with his hand, and perhaps thinking it wasn’t enough, he followed the trail of my endless tears with a kiss.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by such unexpected intimacy.
I looked up at Teansis with wide eyes. Strangely, the rash that had appeared on him earlier had completely disappeared.
“I was completely wrong. So don’t cry.”
His voice, like he was soothing me, sounded comforting. The warmth from his hands, the heat of his lips—it all felt wonderful.
Summoning courage, I spoke.
“…I do.”
Teansis, seemingly not catching my tearful voice, asked with a puzzled expression,
“What did you say?”
“I like you, Duke.”
This time, unlike before, I looked at Teansis with unwavering eyes.
I felt him drawing in a sharp breath. Uncharacteristically, he looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
I knew how presumptuous it was for me to dare to look at him this way.
Even if Teansis scolded me later, I could offer no excuses.
The difference in our social rank, the difference in age—it was immense.
But I could no longer deceive myself. I wanted Teansis more than anyone. I truly loved this man.
“I’ll accept any punishment.”
There were thousands of reasons why Teansis and I couldn’t be together. But I could no longer ignore or reject the man who loved me. I had grown to love him too deeply.
No matter how thorny the path ahead might be, if Teansis was waiting at the end, I had no choice but to walk it.
Teansis looked at me with disbelief and asked,
“Is this… for real?”
For some reason, his voice seemed slightly unsteady. His unusually cautious question made me a little curious.
“You already knew my heart…”
“I did. But knowing in your head and hearing it directly are two different things.”
“You’ve already confessed many times…”
“That’s true. And the moment I responded, you were busy avoiding me.”
Thinking back, Teansis was right. I was the one who first chased after him, but the moment he accepted my feelings, I turned away.
I felt a twinge of guilt, but curiosity came first.
“So you were… anxious?”
“Of course.”
I hadn’t realized before because he never showed it. Teansis had acted as if he knew I liked him.
Seeing my surprised expression, he furrowed his brows and smiled as if he couldn’t resist.
“I’m human too. If the woman I like runs away from me, I get anxious and uneasy, wondering if her feelings changed.”
“Ah…”
Other words barely registered in my ears. The fact that the “woman he likes” was me made my heart flutter.
Suddenly, Teansis stretched out his arms and hugged me tightly, almost suffocating me, but filling me with happiness.
“Now that I’ve got you, I won’t let go.”
My goodness, I was hearing this from Teansis himself.
“Don’t tell me not to call you Belia anymore.”
Ah, it seemed my earlier request to not use my name had stayed in his heart.
Just as I was about to respond, Teansis released his hold, looked me straight in the eyes, and said,
“And call me by my name.”
“That’s…”
“No more stiffly calling me ‘Duke.’”
I had wondered how I could bring myself to call him by his name.
Even if I hesitated now, since I had chosen to stand by Teansis, I wouldn’t back down.
I nodded resolutely and said,
“Te-Teansis.”
A deep smile spread across his eyes.
He bowed slightly and kissed my brow, whispering softly,
“Try again.”
“Teansis.”
His hot lips moved from my eye to my nose.
“Again.”
“…Sian.”
Finally, Teansis pressed his lips against mine before pulling away, a soft smile lingering on his face.
If he were the hunter chasing me, as I had imagined, I would have surrendered before even realizing it.
I had no skill to reject the love Teansis was giving me.
“Du-Du… no, Teansis.”
I almost slipped and called him Duke out of habit, but his gaze changed, so I quickly corrected myself.
Teansis replied in a voice dripping with sweetness,
“Why?”
“I still have many things I haven’t told you. You might be disappointed if you find out later.”
“Did you forget? I said it doesn’t matter as long as the Lady’s heart is true.”
I hadn’t forgotten. But I wanted to hear it again.
Even after Teansis knew everything, I wanted to indulge in the sweet dream that he wouldn’t resent me and would still love me.
When I looked at him and smiled faintly, Teansis traced my lips with his finger and asked,
“Why do you smile so sadly?”
“Because I’m happy. I like being with you…”
His face lit up with a smile at my words. Even without words, I could feel his joy, and it made me happy too.
“Then, what day is it today?”
I was puzzled by the sudden question but thought carefully and answered,
“Today is the Empire’s…”
“No. I mean, how many days have we been dating?”
“Oh!”
I looked at him in surprise. He smiled slyly and answered,
“Today is our first day together.”
I confessed to Teansis, and he said he liked me. Having confirmed our feelings, this progression felt natural.
However, having no experience in romance, I hadn’t anticipated this far.
Hearing Teansis’s words, my jaw dropped in shock.
“I’m dating the Duke? So… we’re… lovers?”
Oh my!
I had always thought Teansis’s lovers had to save the world in a past life.
Realizing I was dating him made my face heat up instantly. Seeing my flushed expression, Teansis smiled faintly.
“I said I won’t let go. You have no right to refuse.”
I never intended to refuse. But Teansis pressed again, as if cementing it.
“What will you say if someone asks what kind of relationship we have?”
“We’re… dating…”
“Good.”
Teansis praised me and pressed a kiss on my forehead.
I felt shy at the unexpected compliment. I wasn’t a child, yet he treated me like one—but I liked it in a way.
I had already decided. No matter how difficult the path, I would stay by Teansis’s side.
I slightly pulled away from him. I could feel his curious gaze.
Bowing my head properly, I formally greeted him.
“It’s my first time dating, so I may be clumsy, but please take care of me. I will do my best to be a good partner.”
The skeptical look on Teansis’s face turned into one of adoration, as if he didn’t know what to do.
He hugged me again, holding me close. I could feel his heartbeat racing through his chest.
“I’m going crazy.”
Had I made a mistake?
Should I have been more proactive since I was older?
As I pondered in his embrace, Teansis whispered in a lower voice, as if he could no longer hold back,
“I love you. I love you so much it almost feels wrong.”
His heartfelt confession left me hesitant for a moment.
Then I cautiously raised my hands to hold his shoulders and whispered softly,
“…I love you too.”
Immediately, Teansis’s embrace tightened. He pressed his face into my shoulder, holding me so firmly I could barely breathe.
“Now I really won’t let go. No, I don’t think I can let go.”
As soon as Penil received Kaleska’s orders to investigate Belia, she left the party. Surprisingly, she headed to the Kamar Academy.
At the prearranged spot, a woman approached Penil cautiously.
“Coming in such a hurry, all the way to Kamar Academy… has something happened?”
Penil looked up and saw the woman approaching.
Emerging from the shadows was Hayley, a maid of the Fredovf Marquis family.
“There’s something you need to do.”
“I was planning to approach the Marquis again anyway…”
“No. You said you were assigned to the young lady of the Fredovf family recently, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You need to investigate Lady Fredovf.”
“Not the Marquis, but the young lady?”
“Yes.”
Hayley looked at Penil with a puzzled expression. Even without asking, she clearly wondered why.
But Penil didn’t know the exact reason either.
Was it really necessary to investigate Belia, even manipulating Hayley, who had been placed carefully in the Fredovf household? Penil wasn’t sure, but Kaleska’s orders had to be followed.
“I don’t know the details myself. This is an order from Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager.”
“Ah…”
Hayley slightly bent her knees in acknowledgment.
“Understood. Should I focus on anything in particular?”
“For now, report everything, even the smallest details. If Her Majesty wants this investigated, there must be something suspicious. Observing every move should reveal something.”
“Understood.”
“Start by summarizing what you’ve learned while staying near Lady Fredovf. We’ll report it to Her Majesty immediately.”
Penil’s work was always precise and clean, which earned her the trust of the meticulous Kaleska.
Hayley quickly picked up a pen and began writing what she knew about Belia on the paper Penil handed her. Then, she suddenly paused, recalling something.
“Now that I think about it… the Marquis makes the young lady drink the same tea every day, three times at set times. It felt a bit strange to check it so thoroughly.”
Even Penil thought that was suspicious.
“You don’t know what kind of tea it is?”
“No. I’ll find out what tea leaves she’s using soon and report back.”
“Good.”
Penil wasn’t particularly interested in Belia. But hearing Hayley’s words, she felt something was off.
Zerre was a meticulous man whose intentions were hard to read. He wouldn’t make Belia drink tea regularly without reason.
“Could there really be something?”
It was too soon to be certain, but Kaleska’s instincts were always accurate.
Penil silently observed Hayley as she recorded all the personal details of Belia.
