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Chapter 6 …..
The moment she faced him, Elena felt her whole body freeze over like ice.
Should she scream? Or should she run?
A thousand thoughts burst inside her head like fireworks.
“My lady, to think you’ve come all this way to greet me yourself.”
He knelt down and gently kissed the back of her hand.
“It’s such an honor.”
Elena slowly stepped back, denying his presence with every fiber of her being.
But he smiled as if he was thoroughly enjoying the situation, and took a step closer to her.
“Don’t come any closer…”
“Already acting so distant? That’s a little hurtful.”
Thud— There was nowhere left to retreat.
Her back hit the wall, and her body stiffened like a statue.
His gaze roamed over her face as though dissecting every detail, his eyes burning hot.
“What story should I tell you today, hmm? Just say the word.”
“Move.”
His hand brushed through her flowing hair with a silky, wave-like motion.
Half-lidded crimson eyes looked down at her.
“You smell good.”
His face pressed against her shoulder as if inhaling her scent, and he slowly shook his head.
“Good enough to eat.”
Startled, Elena hunched over, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck.
He looked at her like he’d just discovered something amusing.
“Scared?”
His forehead, cool with the outside air, pressed against hers.
His sharp nose brushed hers lightly, making her flinch.
“Are you afraid I might actually eat you?”
He lazily traced her cheek and lips with his fingers.
The soft touch sent a jolt through her like static electricity.
“I’ve wanted to see you all day, Elena.”
“Get out…”
He cupped her cheeks like one would indulge a child’s tantrum, gently shaking them.
“Didn’t you want to see me too?”
“Get out. Now.”
“I want to stay with you longer.”
He clasped her hand and guided it over his face as if he didn’t care about her protests.
His pale skin was smooth like silk.
“Take your hands off me.”
“Don’t resist.”
He touched his lips and looked at her with drowsy, languid eyes.
“You’ll come to like it soon enough.”
His eyes gleamed under the moonlight, so bright and intense that she couldn’t look away, as if bewitched by a fox spirit.
“You keep staring like that—it’s making me shy.”
His words made her choke on her breath.
It was like being caught watching something indecent by her parents.
“Stop it.”
Elena slapped his hand hard and turned her head away.
His hand fell limply, swinging like a pendulum.
He let out a short, amused snort as he stared at her.
“Look at me.”
“Ah…!”
He grabbed her chin and gently lifted it up.
A small, unconscious sigh escaped her lips.
Her blue eyes, like a lake, quivered pitifully.
“How rude.”
He was a good two handspans taller than her, forcing her to crane her neck to meet his gaze.
The closer his face came, the quicker her breathing became.
“Look properly.”
In his eyes, she looked like a trembling little kitten.
“You’ll be seeing this face every day from now on.”
His sticky, sultry voice slithered into her ears.
The pressure building around her made it hard to breathe.
Her lips trembled with unease, and he smirked knowingly.
“What’s wrong? Do you realize who I am now?”
He spoke like he could see right through her.
The suffocating pressure made it harder and harder to breathe.
“Dekarus de Sculus.”
“……”
“How does it feel? Real yet?”
She couldn’t say anything.
What would happen if she admitted it here?
Would she be forced to marry him on the spot? Or punished by the security bureau for insulting a noble?
“Answer me.”
“……”
Her body trembled under the sheer magnitude of his overwhelming presence.
His expression soured as if her silence displeased him.
“I said, answer me.”
“…Shut up.”
He looked down at her with a condescending smile, like at something beneath him.
A silent pressure: How dare you talk back?
“I’ve told you before.”
His thick thumb yanked her lower lip down forcefully.
Pain flared where his fingers pressed into the tender flesh.
“Ah…!”
“You’ve got a filthy mouth.”
He tilted his head, eyes locking with hers.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You told me to shut up.”
With every blink, the distance between them shrank.
Their lips hovered close enough to share heat.
“So I’ll shut you up.”
“Mm—!”
Before she could react, his cold lips crushed against hers roughly.
She instinctively tried to hide her lips, but he pried them open effortlessly, swallowing them whole.
“You…!”
Her body swayed as she lost balance, but he swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.
Their faces were now dangerously close.
“Your breathing’s getting rough.”
“Let go…! Mm…!”
She tried to escape, but it was hopeless.
Their lips melted together slowly, like hot chocolate.
His thick tongue slipped into her mouth, tasting her softly, and his heated breath filled the space between them.
As her breathing quickened, he noticed and curled his lips into a smile.
“Shall we move to the bed?”
Her dazed mind suddenly snapped back.
She cursed herself for momentarily falling for his devilish whispers.
“You…!”
His relentless kisses gave her no chance to speak.
Every time he moved his head, the rich scent of blackberries enveloped her.
“I like this. Don’t you?”
“Let me go!”
“Shh, you’ll wake the servants.”
He entwined his fingers with hers and pressed them to her lips.
“Elena, my precious bride. My angel.”
“I’m not your bride.”
Her defiant words were nothing but a child’s tantrum to him.
Dekarus lifted her slender body and carried her toward the bed.
She struggled wildly, but it was useless.
His gaze softened like whipped cream as he laid her down gently, almost as if handling a baby. The sheets embraced her with a soft whump.
His fingers trailed along her skin, raising goosebumps everywhere they touched.
Through the gaps of his half-unbuttoned shirt, his sculpted muscles were exposed.
Slap!
“Haa… haa…”
It happened in an instant.
His head snapped to the side, completely still.
Elena’s small hand trembled like a leaf as she panted heavily.
“You disgusting bastard…”
“Ha.”
His sigh curved into a devil’s smile.
He snorted softly, exuding the oppressive aura of a tyrant.
He touched his reddened cheek and turned his head back to her.
In his blazing red eyes, her blue ones trembled pitifully.
“Getting hit isn’t really my thing.”
“Get out.”
He adjusted his posture and looked down at her from above.
Elena, trapped with nowhere to go, stared up at him with trembling eyes.
“How long do you think I’ll keep letting this slide?”
“I said GET OUT!!!”
She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her voice echoed through the quiet room like a resounding bell.
“You’re so cruel to me.”
“Hah…”
His ridiculous words made her burst out laughing.
She laughed like someone on the verge of tears.
“I’m not some toy for you to play with.”
She ground her teeth and glared at him with a murderous look.
“Oh, really?”
He sneered at her rebellious attitude, then cracked his neck a couple of times.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to move the wedding up.”
“…What?”
The room fell silent as if time itself had stopped.
Elena blinked rapidly, her mouth slightly open in shock.
“Our wedding. Yours and mine.”
He said it without a hint of hesitation.
“Ha…!”
People say that when something is so absurd, you’re left speechless.
This was exactly that.
All she could do was let out a hollow laugh.
Even his threats were absurd.
“Do you really think I’d ever marry you?”
“Seems like you’ve forgotten.”
He yanked her up in one motion, locking eyes with her.
“You should keep the words you’ve spoken, don’t you think?”
“What are you talking about…!”
“The bet.”
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment.
“……”
She furrowed her brow, not understanding at first.
Then it hit her—he was talking about that bet.
‘What if that noble Grand Duke turns out to be me?’
‘That’s impossible.’
‘You sure about that?’
‘Fine. If it is, I’ll personally marry that damned Grand Duke myself.’
She couldn’t believe it.
Who actually takes that kind of childish bet seriously?
“You lost. Didn’t you?”
Apparently, he did.
Someone who believed in such a stupid bet.
Her head ached so much she needed medicine.
Now she understood why people in dramas always faint.
“You have to take responsibility.”
“Hah, that was just a joke…”
“I’m not joking.”
His unwavering eyes stared straight into hers.
Elena let out a long, helpless sigh.
“Haa… Listen carefully, because I’ll only say this once. I have absolutely no intention of marrying you. And honestly, just sitting here talking to you like this makes me sick to my stomach. So please, stop saying such ridiculous things…!”
“Good night.”
He pressed a goodnight kiss to her lips as if unwilling to hear another word, and then disappeared without a trace.
Bang—
“Ha… hahaha…”
Elena sat on the bed, completely dazed.
She rubbed her lips frantically, trying to erase every trace of him.
“Marriage? No… no.”
She couldn’t process the word marriage at all.
It was like trying to comprehend a foreign word her brain refused to accept.
This was like being sold off as a child bride in the Joseon era.
“That’s ridiculous.”
She laughed—not out of joy or sadness, but sheer disbelief.
This was the bride he spoke of?
Tears welled up in her eyes before she even realized it.
They trickled down her cheeks and soaked into the sheets.
“A bride he bought with money…”
She’d known he was insane, but she hadn’t realized the extent of it.
How could someone like that be a Grand Duke?
Everyone had been fooled by his handsome façade.
“Haa…”
No matter how strong she tried to act, she crumbled completely in front of him.
Elena Helios… how did things end up this broken?
Was she really going to spend the rest of her life trapped in his arms?
“This can’t go on…”
