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Chapter 16
Between our touching lips, a few breaths went back and forth.
I was losing myself in the slowly rising pleasure, when the moment his hand slid under the hem of my dress, I suddenly came to my senses.
What on earth was I trying to do?
Once was a mistake… no, twice was enough.
I couldn’t make such a disgraceful mistake a third time.
And I definitely didn’t want to live through the same regret again.
I hastily pushed him off me and straightened my disheveled nightgown.
“Yulia.”
“I’m not interested in learning what ‘improper’ means, thank you very much.”
“……”
“But I do know exactly what ‘impure intentions’ are.”
Even if I didn’t want to know, I couldn’t help it.
It was obvious—he was obsessed with my body.
I could already guess why he wanted to get married.
Probably to sleep with me, and then keep chasing after that other woman he so desperately wanted.
He was too good at kissing. It made me lose control without realizing it. I needed to keep my head straight.
“This conversation ends with that kiss.”
“Sigh… Yulia.”
“You understand?”
“This feels like a very unfair deal.”
“Unfair? I’m the one losing out here!”
“……”
“And I can’t marry you. I have my reasons.”
“If that reason is that bastard you’ve been keeping in your heart, then it doesn’t count.”
“No.”
I had already decided to let him go.
“It’s not about him. I just plan to live with my father and brother for the rest of my life.”
“I see.”
Why?
Why did I get such a bad feeling when he said that?
His eyes—it felt like they were amplifying my unease, feeding it.
Please, let it just be my imagination.
“When my father and brother die, I’ll live alone, missing them forever.”
“……”
“And I’ll live in seclusion.”
As I thought.
Was he already imagining cutting off their heads?
“Yulia. You didn’t bring up that contract just to silence me, did you? Is there something else you want from me?”
“…If you could just pretend you never knew me—for the rest of your life?”
He laughed, as if asking if I really expected that kind of answer. It had to be an act.
Even with that smile, I could tell—he wasn’t really smiling.
“Yulia, you know that’s not possible, right?”
“I just thought I’d ask, just in case.”
Tch. What a shame.
“Yulia. I can postpone the marriage for now.”
“…Can’t we just not get married at all?”
“For the person who took my first time to say that—honestly, what am I supposed to do?”
“…I was also a first, you know.”
“I know.”
He knew!
If he knew, he shouldn’t be acting like this!
“I’ll be generous. Let’s just get engaged for now.”
“…That doesn’t sound generous at all.”
“It is! I want to marry you tomorrow if possible.”
“……”
No matter how I looked at it, this man was absolutely insane.
No—how could anyone call this sane?
“Duke, I have no plans to get married right now.”
“……”
“As I said before, if I ever marry, it’ll be because I love someone.”
“Oh? So to you, I was just a one-night mistake?”
“Why would you twist my words like that?”
“It’s fine. I suppose that’s understandable for Your Highness.”
He was definitely mocking me.
And no, it wasn’t just in my head—he really was.
“It might have been a one-night fling for you, but not for me.”
“……”
“I have no intention of letting Your Highness go.”
His voice dripped with obsession.
“Especially not when you were my first.”
“…If there’s some other form of compensation you want besides marriage, I’ll give it to you.”
“Do I look like a man who’s lacking anything?”
“Ah… no. But you don’t look like you need me, either.”
“So I don’t look like I need you, huh…”
His expression darkened with visible irritation.
Did I say something wrong? I had no idea what.
“For me, Your Highness is something I need very much.”
“…But I don’t need you, Duke.”
“I, on the other hand, need you desperately.”
I tried to think of an excuse—something that sounded reasonable but would make marriage impossible.
Then it hit me.
“My health is weak… I might not be able to have children. And the ducal family needs an heir—”
“I don’t need an heir. If necessary, I can adopt one.”
“But I have a conscience. How could I—”
“You don’t seem to have one, considering you’re trying to run away from responsibility. And now you bring up conscience?”
Tch. He wouldn’t let me win a single exchange.
If I claimed I had a conscience, he’d say I should marry him responsibly.
If I said I didn’t, he’d say I owed him marriage anyway.
Either way, there was no escape.
Ah… I’d dug my own grave.
“Is marriage really the only way?”
“Yes.”
So firm.
“The only thing I want—the only thing I lack—is you.”
“……”
The way he looked at me… like a predator savoring the anticipation of devouring its prey.
If only he weren’t the villain.
If only I weren’t a princess.
If only I didn’t know the original story… maybe I could have fallen for that look.
But I did know the original story.
I was the extra princess doomed to die a tragic death at his hands.
I couldn’t fall for his words. They were all lies—every bit of it.
“You might not need love, Duke. But I do.”
“……”
“Why would I, of all people, settle for a loveless marriage?”
“I really don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t see how there could be a more suitable husband for you than me.”
There couldn’t be anyone less suitable than you.
Sure, let’s imagine I did marry you.
Would you, who later became Emperor in the original story, ever be content being just the husband of a princess?
No. You’d seize control of the palace through me, then kill my entire family and take the throne yourself.
“So you’re refusing to marry me just to wait for that useless man?”
“…I already told you, I’m not getting married.”
“What if I find that vermin you’re waiting for and bring him to you—dead?”
“Don’t.”
Of course, if anyone could do it, it would be him—the dark schemer himself.
He’d find that man before I ever could, kill him, and drag his corpse before me.
“…Don’t do it.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“……”
“Yulia. What do you want me to do?”
He was too close. I pushed lightly at his shoulder.
“First of all, could you please move away?”
“I don’t want to.”
If it wasn’t my imagination, he actually leaned in closer.
I pushed him back harder this time.
“…You said you want to marry me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I’ll agree—but on one condition.”
At this point, all I could do was play my last card.
He wasn’t the type to back down.
Even if I refused, he’d find some way to force a marriage… or torment me until I gave in.
If I had to marry him anyway, then I’d set an impossible condition.
“You know the Empire is preparing for war, right?”
“Yes.”
“Join that war. Win it. And if you return victorious… I’ll marry you.”
If he died, that would be best.
And even if he didn’t—well, it was a war the Empire was destined to lose, according to the original story.
It was the perfect way to avoid marrying the villain.
If he died, the threat disappeared.
If he lived, he’d come back defeated, his power crushed—and I’d be free.
He smiled lazily and gently stroked my cheek.
“Very well. I accept.”
I’d been ready to argue if he refused.
I hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
“But I have one condition too.”
“What is it?”
“If I come back victorious, then you must keep your word and marry me—without any excuses.”
“…Fine.”
I started to write it down, but he stopped me.
“There’s no need to put it on paper.”
The next thing I knew, my back hit the bed.
The soft mattress pressed against me, and a wave of dread washed over me.
Maybe letting him into my room in the first place had been a terrible mistake.
His knee slid between my legs.
I could already guess what was about to happen.
My instincts screamed that the events of that night were about to repeat.
“Yulia. Words written on paper can fade—but if I carve it into your body, you won’t ever deny it.”
“…What?”
“It’s not our first time, after all.”
He kissed my hair, a faint, smug smile playing at his lips—the smile of a man certain of victory.
He clasped both my wrists.
There was no escaping him now.
His lips met mine once more, and I closed my eyes.
Tonight… was going to be a long night.
