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Chapter 15
“Lies.”
I couldn’t trust him at all.
“Do my words sound like lies to you?”
“…I don’t know where the truth starts and ends. Or maybe everything, from start to finish, is just a lie.”
“It’s the truth. From beginning to end.”
“No. I will never believe you, Duke.”
“…Have I failed to earn your trust?”
Wasn’t he the one who said himself that he wasn’t someone to be trusted?
He was the one who told me that all his kindness toward me had been an act.
He was the one who said it—so why was he trying to take it back now?
There had never been trust between us to begin with.
We had just made a one-night mistake, that was all.
“If you were in my position, would you believe it was sincere?”
“Yulia…”
“All you’ve ever shown me are lies and contradictions.”
“I’ll try. From now on, I’ll speak only the truth before you and make sure you can trust me—”
“Try? You don’t have to try, Your Grace.”
“Yulia…”
“We can just end this here. Honestly, I don’t even understand why you’re doing this to me.”
“I’ve become someone who can’t live without you.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Why did it sound so double-edged?
Was it me who was twisted?
So many thoughts crossed my mind. When I looked at him with trembling eyes, my head—and even my heart—became a tangled mess.
He looked so fragile.
As if a single touch would make him crumble to pieces.
Why was he making that expression?
Or was even that expression nothing but another performance?
I couldn’t understand him.
Couldn’t even begin to guess what his “truth” was—if such a thing even existed for him.
“Yulia. Please, don’t abandon me.”
“…”
Was he begging me now? Or just pretending to beg?
“Yulia. What can I do to build trust between us?”
“Was there ever a time when trust existed between us?”
It was laughable.
There had never been even the faintest trace of faith or trust between us.
Ours was a relationship so fragile it wouldn’t be strange if we became strangers at any moment.
That was what we were.
“So there’s no need to build a trust that never existed.”
We weren’t fated. We weren’t destined.
If I thought about the original story, we were enemies—nothing more.
You were the reason I died, the cause of my tragedy.
So even if you act sincere now, I know that once the person you truly want appears, you’ll turn your back on me without hesitation.
“Yulia. Truly, I can’t live without you.”
“Why? You’re the Duke of Zikberth—young, a war hero, and you already have everything.”
He, the man behind everything, had it all.
“What could you possibly lack that makes you want to marry me?”
If there was anything he didn’t have, it was perhaps emotion.
And maybe one other thing—the royal bloodline.
Aside from those two, he possessed everything.
“I just can’t find any reason for your obsession with marrying me.”
“Yulia, you said it first.”
He took my hand and kissed my palm.
I startled and quickly pulled my hand back.
My heart pounded violently as I tried to calm it.
In his crimson eyes, there was a heavy, burning desire—like a predator ready to devour me.
“You said I was the first man more handsome than your brother.”
That’s absurd! I don’t remember ever saying that!
Wait—why does he call my brother “hyung-nim” so naturally?
“Don’t call my brother that!”
“But he’s my future brother-in-law—what else should I call him?”
“We’re not married.”
“We will be soon.”
Who said that? Absolutely not.
Fine… it’s better to just ignore him. That’s healthier for my sanity.
There’s no point arguing—it’ll just hurt my throat.
“And when did I ever say you were more handsome than my brother…?”
Well, okay, it’s not exactly wrong—but I never said it out loud!
“Yulia. When do you think you said it?”
“Don’t tell me… that night?”
“Yes. You remember well.”
“Let’s just pretend that never happened!”
“How could I? You were my first for everything.”
My pupils must have dilated like an earthquake.
“My first kiss, my first ti—”
“Ahhh! Stop!”
I shouted and covered his mouth with my hands.
He really didn’t know when to stop!
I just prayed no one was around to hear any of this.
This was something to take to the grave.
Neither my father nor my brother could ever know.
And he had promised not to talk about that night—so why was he bringing it up now?
“You’re breaking our promise!”
He tilted his head, feigning confusion, as if he didn’t understand.
He was doing this on purpose.
I was sure of it.
I’d begged him not to tell anyone—especially my brother or father!
He gently took my wrist and pulled my hand away from his mouth.
“Yulia. That promise is already void.”
“What?”
“The other party clearly had no intention of keeping it, so I see no reason I should.”
Finally, his true nature showed.
I bit my lower lip without realizing it.
“Yulia.”
“…”
“Don’t bite your lip. You’ll make it bleed.”
“…What do you want from me?”
“Isn’t it funny that you, of all people, ask that when you know exactly what I want?”
His hand cupped my cheek.
In his eyes burned an intense, consuming desire.
That alone told me what he wanted.
“D-Don’t tell me… you want me?”
“Yes. I want you.”
“…”
“From the ends of your hair—”
He took a handful of my hair, kissed it, and looked at me with that dark, smoldering gaze.
“—to the tips of your toes. I want to possess all of you. Didn’t I say that before?”
“I’m not an object. I’m a person.”
“Of course you are.”
“…”
“That’s why I can’t let any other man have even a single breath of yours.”
He was absolutely insane.
“I want even the breath you exhale to belong to me.”
So my judgment was right—this wasn’t love.
It was obsession.
Because I had been his first.
I took a step back from him.
“Don’t come see me anymore. I’ll accept your apology, but don’t ever come again.”
“…What must I do for you to allow me to approach you?”
“…”
“Yulia.”
Chester took my hand and kissed the back of it.
“I’ll come to see you tonight.”
“No, you won’t.”
“There’s still so much left unsaid between us.”
“…”
“Things we must talk about—just the two of us, away from your father and brother’s eyes.”
Well… there were things that had to be said secretly—but still!
Why did he have to call them that?
I didn’t want to be tangled with him any further.
“But we’re not married—and we’re not going to be married.”
“So please stop calling my father and brother that.”
“No matter what, we will marry.”
“Who decided that?”
“I did.”
“…Well, I don’t want to!”
I turned and ran inside as fast as I could.
No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t officially enter my room without permission.
The problem was, he didn’t always use official means.
If he ever sneaked in again, and anyone found out, there’s no telling what that smooth-tongued villain would say!
As soon as the sun set, darkness spread, and a shadow appeared on the terrace.
I’d already made sure no one could approach my room, so at least I didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing.
“This is the only time I’ll allow this.”
“Yes, Yulia.”
“Don’t ever come this way again. Next time, I won’t let you.”
“…”
I brought out a sheet of white paper and a pen I’d prepared earlier.
No verbal agreements—only written contracts would prevent him from twisting my words later.
“Come here.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you dare tell anyone what happened that night!”
“…”
Why isn’t he answering?
“In exchange for that, marry me.”
“What? No… why are you so obsessed with marriage?”
“Because marriage is the most proper and pure way to declare that you’re mine.”
He sat beside me.
No—right beside me, so close our shoulders touched.
Why? The bed wasn’t even that small. There was plenty of space elsewhere.
It annoyed me to no end.
“It’s the only official way to make sure no one else even brushes against a single strand of your hair.”
He cupped my cheek again and leaned in.
His face—so terrifyingly beautiful—was close enough to steal my breath.
I couldn’t tell if my heart was racing from fear or from his nearness.
I pushed at his shoulder to make some distance.
“Then what’s the unofficial, improper, and impure way?”
“Actions speak louder than words.”
Before I could react, his lips covered mine.
I tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.
Instead, he pulled me closer by the waist, trapping me completely.
So this was what “no escape” felt like.
His tongue slipped between my lips, invading every inch.
No matter how I turned my head, he followed, dizzying my senses.
My mind went completely blank—white like a blank canvas, then drenched in black, leaving room for no other thought.
He consumed me whole.
“Haa… hah…”
Just before I choked from lack of air, he finally let go.
It wasn’t painful like before—when his kisses had left my lips raw.
If anything, this one was… gentle.
Still, how pathetic that a single kiss could leave me so breathless.
At least my back was against the soft bed now—that was some comfort.
But in his red eyes still burned a feverish hunger.
“Yulia. That was merely impure.”
What? That was just impure?
“Now I’ll show you what improper really means.”
No thanks! I didn’t want to experience that firsthand!
“N-no! There’s no need to show me!”
“You said you liked gentle men, didn’t you? Don’t worry—this time, I’ll be gentle.”
He grabbed both my wrists, pinning them down.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t escape.
As his lips descended again, all I could do was stare at the smiling face of the beautiful beast hovering over me—and think about the bleak future awaiting me.
Once again, his lips swallowed mine.
And my body—traitorously—remembered him all too well.
