TKEP 33

Chapter 33

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Yeon rose on her toes, as if she were about to bump her lips against his at any moment.

Seojun’s brows furrowed.

“Say that again.”

“I said, let’s kiss.”

Yeon demanded confidently, without so much as a twitch of an eyebrow. She even smiled sweetly.

Seojun let out a disbelieving breath.

“Right now, here, with me, you want to kiss?”

The tone implied that he disliked the place, the timing, and even the partner. Yeon tilted her head.

“What’s the problem? Those old geezers at the clan council are so old-fashioned they think if you kiss, you have to get married.”

It was an exaggeration, but not entirely wrong.

If someone took a picture of them kissing, the elders would clutch their necks in shock and at the very least, start seriously considering Seojun as Yeon’s potential husband.

One kiss, and she could shove a giant middle finger to the council of old men. Could there be a better plan?

“Miss Lee. No, Your Highness. This is an open park. There aren’t people around… but I told you there are paparazzi behind that vending machine. And we’re not really dating—we’re in a contract relationship. You’re aware of that, right?”

“Yes. I know very well. We’re in a contract relationship, and we’re planning a contract marriage. But the clan council’s opposition is dragging our marriage into delay. Today, we’re meeting to find a way to shut those geezers up. And I just found the perfect way.”

Seojun felt a tingling ache at the back of his neck at Yeon’s neat and logical summary of the situation.

He shook his head lightly to regain his senses, then finally realized what Yeon’s brilliant idea was.

“A scandal?”

He cast his gaze toward the vending machine.

“Yes. We’ll show the entire empire that we’re lovers—deeply in love.”

Realizing the meaning behind her talk of a kiss, Seojun chuckled dryly.

And now that he thought about it, she wasn’t wrong.

Yeon narrowed her eyes and jutted out her lips.

Seojun’s eyes landed on her lips. Yeon, unaware of his increasingly heated gaze, kept chattering.

“Don’t forget our contract. We agreed to act like it’s real. And when we made the contract, we even implied we’d do more than kissing, so why are you suddenly acting distant?”

“Just… be quiet for a moment. Let me think.”

“What’s there to think about when kissing? Do you not want to kiss me?”

Seojun frowned.

Seeing his stiff expression, Yeon clamped her mouth shut.

Maybe she’d asked for too much.

She thought this was the surest way to get the conservative elders to approve their marriage…

But if he hated it that much, there was nothing she could do.

“If you don’t want to, then we don’t have to—”

Just as Yeon was about to withdraw her suggestion—

“Who said I didn’t want to?”

Seojun, who had been half-turned away, now faced her directly. He grasped her slender shoulders and closed the distance between them.

Startled, Yeon stepped back, but his large hand pressed against her back, blocking her retreat.

She lifted her head to look at him. Their gazes tangled like chains.

His eyes were deep and dark—dangerously so.

Flustered, Yeon raised her hands to push at his chest. But the firm chest didn’t budge; instead, it pressed even closer.

“Um, wait, hold on…”

Yeon’s desperate plea was like a boxer asking for a time-out, but it failed to stop him.

Seojun brushed his lips lightly over hers.

Yeon’s eyes widened in shock.

“If you think it ends with that, you’re mistaken.”

His voice was deeper than usual as he gave the warning—and then kissed her again.

This time, he didn’t immediately pull away.

Yeon squeezed her eyes shut.

He gave a brief chuckle, then gently licked at her frozen lips.

Like a cat grooming, he tasted her lips several times before pulling back slightly to whisper:

“Yeon-ah, open your mouth. Or should I stop now?”

Yeon slowly opened her eyes. He was looking at her like she was a mischievous child.

Something in her eyes ignited.

“Who said stop? I was about to fall asleep from boredom.”

Yeon grabbed his collar roughly—

—and slammed her lips against his, licking as he had done.

At that, his lips parted.

She mirrored him, opening her mouth too, and his breath—like a sigh—rushed into her.

She inhaled the breath he exhaled, and he swallowed the breath she let out.

They repeated this several times before Yeon finally let go of him.

She lifted her chin triumphantly, her cheeks flushed pink.

“At least this much is required.”

Seojun smiled faintly, then ran his tongue over his wet lips. The saliva tasted sweet.

This wasn’t enough. And Yeon needed to be taught properly—

A kiss wasn’t supposed to be something playful and ticklish.

He needed to make sure she wouldn’t recklessly provoke someone like this again.

Seojun placed his hand on the back of her head.

With a gentle tug, he drew her easily into his embrace and whispered into her ear:

“Our Highness has very low standards. But here’s the problem—I can’t be satisfied with just this.”

As Yeon opened her mouth to retort, Seojun slipped his tongue inside.

His tongue delved deeply, exploring every corner of her mouth.

It was relentless, rough, and insistent. Wet sounds spilled continuously between their lips.

Wherever he touched, heat flared. Eventually, even her lower belly trembled.

His kiss was lewd, intoxicating—shaking Yeon to her very core.

Then, from beyond the vending machine, the bushes rustled, followed by the click of a camera shutter.

Only then did Seojun finally withdraw his invading tongue.

Still, he lingered on her lower lip, sucking on it for a long moment before slowly releasing her.

Even then, their faces were close.

Her eyes were glazed, her expression hazy. The sight made his chest ache.

He pulled her limp body into his arms.

Yeon, stiff with shock, was dragged along like a broken doll.

Seeing her like that, Seojun’s mouth tightened.

Maybe he’d gone too far.

He admitted to himself—he had been angry.

Angry that Yeon treated a kiss with him as nothing more than a ploy to sway the clan council.

But that wasn’t how it should be.

Like Yeon, he should have regarded this as just an extension of their contract.

…But it’s not working out that way.

Petty spite had driven him to push her mercilessly.

She was still young…

Though calling a 26-year-old woman “young” was unfair, to Seojun, that’s how it felt.

Softening, he spoke gently:

“Things will turn out just as you want, Your Highness. So tonight, don’t worry about anything—just rest.”

He rubbed her back tenderly.

As his hand touched her, her tension eased, and the haze in her mind lifted.

She had just shared such a deep kiss with Seojun.

It had felt like they were truly in love.

Yeon brushed her lips—they still burned.

She slowly raised her head. He bent his down at the same time.

With a kind smile, he tucked her messy hair back into place.

“Are you all right?”

Yeon couldn’t answer.

Her heart was pounding so wildly it felt like it would leap out if she opened her mouth.

“Can you walk? Should I carry you?”

She shook her head immediately.

After such an indecent kiss, he was still treating her like a child.

Her cheeks puffed in annoyance.

Seojun let out a soft laugh, brushing her cheek with his finger.

“I’m curious how those council elders will react.”

He wiped the dampness from her lips with his thumb.

It had been a month since Yeon returned to the empire, and two weeks since they promised marriage—

This was their first kiss.

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***

All of Yeon’s expectations were wrong.

First, even though the paparazzi had clearly taken pictures of their kiss, the clan council stayed silent.

Which led to a question.

Was the paparazzi not sent by the council? Then who sent them?

It wasn’t the newspapers. If it were, they would have either contacted the palace already to negotiate using the photos, or simply published them on the front page without warning.

If it wasn’t the council or the press, then who’s following me…?

She had a vague idea, but it was too early to jump to conclusions.

Second, things with Seojun were unexpectedly natural afterward. Of course, not exactly the same as before, but…

“Miss Lee, what are you thinking about?”

Seojun tapped her forehead lightly.

Yeon blinked back to her senses and looked at him. More precisely—at his lips.

Moderately plump, tinged red with life.

Now she understood why people compared lips to rubies or cherries.

They looked full, ripe—delicious.

Have I lost my mind?!

Yeon swallowed a sigh inwardly.