KMKS 28

chapter 28

Leo was so consumed by the burning thirst inside him that he didn’t even realize he had become aware of Sara’s gaze.

What he did notice—and what soured his mood instantly—was that Sara, though she clearly knew of his presence, deliberately turned her head away.

He had felt it the last time too.

“Utterly rude.”

Leo could have openly embarrassed Sara, just as he had done in the street before, but this time too many eyes were watching.

Besides, Lady Cordelia, still unable to break free from his hold, was nestled in his arms as if desperately pleading for his love.

Leo hugged her even tighter.

For some reason, though, his thirst only grew stronger. His deep possessiveness wasn’t being sated in the slightest.

Why was that?

Detaching Lady Cordelia from him, Leo downed the entire glass of wine in front of him.

It was useless. The sharp taste only made him crave something else.

What exactly was he craving?

Leo strode forward. Normally, he would never lower himself to do so, but now he tossed out a courteous greeting without hesitation.

At the very least, it would force her to acknowledge him.

“Baroness Spencer.”

At the low tone of his voice, Sara’s shoulders stiffened.

Leo, keenly alert and bristling with hostility toward her, caught the subtle movement instantly.

Had he called her by name, her face would surely have twisted with distaste—something he would have thoroughly enjoyed.

But even now, look—

Just from a polite greeting, her body flinched.

Whatever the case, what mattered was that she reacted to him.

With so many people watching, she should have at least returned the courtesy. Yet Sara only held her expression stiffly and said nothing.

That silence made Leo feel the blood rush violently to his head.

“Is pretending not to know me your hobby?”

“…There’s nothing I know about you well enough to claim we’re acquainted.”

There was no hesitation in her answer.

Leo’s gaze shifted to the table. An empty wineglass sat before her as well.

“So she’s drunk and spouting nonsense.”

But no—her pronunciation was too clear, unlike others whose tongues slurred when intoxicated.

“All we ever did was bump into each other, after all.”

Her tone was flat, but the reply precise.

Leo’s hand curled into a fist. She wasn’t wrong.

Before losing his memories, he had looked into Sara. But from her perspective, he was nothing more than a stranger she had brushed past in the street.

Even Leo himself knew nothing of her.

Perhaps her husband, Baron Aiden Spencer, might—but between Sara and Leo, there was no connection at all.

A crooked smile twisted across Leo’s face.

It was an unusually bold answer from her.

Ah yes, once before—

[It’s a misunderstanding.]

[I’m no lady. I have a husband.]

She had been impertinent to him.

Arrogant, or perhaps fearless.

Whether she claimed she wasn’t a lady or that she already had a husband meant nothing to Leo.

He was a man who lived according to instinct, often forgetting social constraints.

And yet Sara—fragile as though she would break if held too tightly—seemed to carry a conviction rooted so deeply even Leo could not touch it.

Leaving behind the sudden hush that fell over the air, Leo turned his back.

Lady Cordelia’s wide eyes followed them.

At that moment, instinct urged him—at least this woman, he should take her.

“Let’s leave.”

“Oh my, yes, Your Grace!”

As he pulled Lady Cordelia away, murmurs rose behind him.

That the Duke of Winston had left with Lady Cordelia was far more entertaining gossip to them than the notion that he had felt slighted by a mere baroness.

But even as he escorted Lady Cordelia out, he could tell—Sara’s gaze never once turned toward him.

Damnably, he knew it, because her reflection in the glass window showed her resolutely averting her eyes.

“Damn it!”

He felt the urge to smash that glass to pieces.

“Where are we going, Your Grace?”

Lady Cordelia asked brightly, her eyes shining.

Some might call her smile beautiful, but Leo disagreed.

Who would want a flower that bloomed too easily, anywhere and everywhere? A rare blossom perched precariously on a cliff—one that might never bloom—that was far more desirable.

Perhaps, like Sara, who smiled only for her husband.

Once they stepped onto a private terrace, Leo spat roughly into the night air.

He had dragged Lady Cordelia out with the thought of possessing her, but recalling Sara’s smile instantly doused his fleeting desire.

From the beginning, it was never Lady Cordelia he wanted.

“How should I torment her?”

Lighting a cigar, Leo’s mind brimmed with nothing but Sara.

“Your Grace, look at the moon! Doesn’t it seem like it’s shining just for the two of us tonight?”

Lady Cordelia, bouncing with excitement, awaited his response on the balcony. Leo only waved his hand, as if too tired to bother.

“It’s so romantic! Oh, come on now!”

She should have known better to excuse herself by now.

That she needed to be told irritated him.

“Go on home.”

“What?”

“I said, leave.”

“I can’t just leave.”

She bit her lip. There were tangled feelings in her eyes, but Leo dismissed them as nothing more than petulance.

Not that he cared either way. He only wanted her gone.

Her insistence that she couldn’t leave drew a heavy sigh from him.

The more he dealt with her, the more tiresome she became. Yet somehow he had been ensnared.

“Surely you don’t mean to send me away empty-handed? That’s absurd!”

If only she had kept quiet.

Instead, she argued her case, attempting logic.

“At least a small gift for me, or a bouquet—if nothing else, a kiss on the hand! After all, I publicly gave my time to you before everyone. There must be an event worthy of that!”

“Gave your time? An event worthy?”

Leo’s brow arched high. Lady Cordelia brushed away the cigar smoke drifting toward her face.

“Something surprising, you know—something that would astonish everyone.”

“You really are exhausting.”

He meant it. Her endless chatter, her ceaseless demands—it was truly exhausting.

His frown deepened.

“You saw how everyone envied me, didn’t you?”

The aftertaste of the cigar turned bitter on his tongue.

Much as he hated to admit it—

“Everyone except one.”

“You mean Baroness Spencer?”

“You know well.”

Lady Cordelia pouted. Some might call it cute. Leo only shook his head. A dull headache pressed behind his eyes.

As he rubbed his throbbing temple, Lady Cordelia puffed out her cheeks, displeased with his indifference.

No unmarried gentleman ever ignored her—not even married ones.

Leo knew well enough.

Lady Cordelia was hardly unsuitable as a bride.

But whether from the cigar or something else, a bitter taste filled his mouth.

“You still haven’t answered me.”

“…Perhaps you were raised so gently that you’ve never learned how to give up. Sometimes you must—otherwise, grave misfortune will follow.”

It was a warning, but such words would never reach Lady Cordelia.

“Are you toying with me?”

It was then—

Leo’s eyes gleamed darkly.

Not at her sharp question.

But because, across the terrace, he spotted Sara with her husband, Aiden Spencer.

Her husband stood with his back to Leo. Which meant, if he were lucky, Sara’s gaze might fall upon him.

The image of Sara turning from his reflection in the glass still lingered vividly in Leo’s mind.

Like a child starved for attention, he craved her eyes desperately.

He had to make her look. Make it impossible for her not to.

A chilling smile crossed his lips at the thought of shocking her.

“You said you wanted a surprise—an event worthy, did you not?”

Lady Cordelia nodded eagerly.

“Fine. A kiss, then. I’ll give you that much.”

Had she known his eyes were fixed not on her but on Sara, what would her reaction have been?

“Truly?”

Unaware, Lady Cordelia shut her eyes and puckered her lips.

Even her lively spirit was helpless before the idea of love.

Her cheeks flushed red at the thought of carrying tonight’s memory forever.

But Leo cared nothing for her.

Nor for the so-called romantic moon she claimed had risen for them.

Only for Sara.

All his attention was fixed on her.

He waited—drawing out the moment—until her gaze fell upon him.

Until the prey wandered willingly into range.

“Your Grace, isn’t it time yet?”

Impatient, Lady Cordelia urged him.

And then, at last—he locked eyes with Sara.

Seizing the moment, Leo tilted Lady Cordelia’s chin up and, deliberately, pressed his lips to hers.

The sensation was no different from any other woman’s kiss, though he had no memory to compare.

Yet perhaps driven by instinct, the kiss that began lightly deepened with ragged breaths into something far more heated.

He devoured Lady Cordelia’s lips, but his crimson eyes clung hungrily only to Sara.

She was still watching.

As he felt blood stirring hotly below, he froze.

…!

Her gaze was empty, utterly devoid of emotion.

His tongue faltered, aimless, while beside him Lady Cordelia gasped in delight, lost in bliss.

If only Sara had looked away as before, his fire might not have died.

Instead, seeing her detached, unyielding eyes left him more stung than when she had ignored him.

He had finally wrested her gaze away from her husband and onto himself—yet what he swallowed now was a kiss that tasted bitter, not sweet.

It was his defeat.

“Your Grace?”

Breaking away from her lips, Leo turned abruptly, teeth clenched.

Disgust roiled inside him, no matter how roughly he spat it out.

“Then… does this mean we’re together now? Yes?”

Now Leo had to face the truth.

What he had wanted from Sara was never just her eyes.

He had longed for some small flicker of feeling directed toward him.

His goal was singular—

Better she fear him than gaze upon him like an emotionless doll.

“Where are you going, Your Grace? W–wait! Take me with you! You haven’t answered me yet!”

Only Lady Cordelia trailed after him, while a twisted smile curled at Leo’s lips.