🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 33
“And excuse me, but… um, could I take a few strands of your hair?”
“Did you just say hair?”
“Well, about five or six strands would be enough.”
Before he could even grant permission, she was already on her feet—it seemed like something she had to do without fail.
“Since the imprinting is closely related to werewolves, it’s really important for the Duke. There are many experiments we need to try from various angles…”
Before he could reply, Luciana had already approached the Duke’s side.
“Wait, that’s too close…”
“Should I pluck it?”
Richt murmured in a flustered voice, but Luciana, focused on his thick hair, carefully parted the soft strands.
A slight prick. Then another.
More than the sensation on his scalp, the warm presence next to him distracted him.
This is killing me.
He smelled the soft, comforting scent of soap, as if she had just bathed.
—Ah, Luci’s scent. It’s been so long.
In this situation, the only thing he could do was surrender to his nature and enjoy it.
Richt, whose sense of smell was more sensitive than ordinary people, felt like he was being tortured. Every time Luciana, oblivious, gently rustled his hair, his insides burned with desire.
“Are you done yet?”
“All done now. Did it hurt? Your complexion looks a bit…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh… okay.”
Had plucking a few hairs really put him in a bad mood?
Luciana suddenly felt concerned about Richt’s sour mood, but she carefully stored the collected hair in one place so she wouldn’t lose it and began preparing to leave.
Rustle, rustle.
Finally regaining composure, Richt quietly watched Luciana finish packing her things.
She looks exhausted.
His face twisted with displeasure.
Looking at her droopy eyes and dark circles, it was clear she had been pushing herself hard these past few days.
She looked so drained that a slight touch would make her collapse instantly. Would she faint soon?
Whenever he saw her weak movements, Richt’s concern grew over her small, fragile frame — at least in his subjective opinion.
“You look tired. Have you been overdoing it lately?”
“Huh?”
Luciana widened her eyes at Richt, who suddenly worried about her health.
“Oh… a little.”
“Tsk. Are you eating properly?”
“…?”
Now he’s worrying about my meals too?
Luciana stopped what she was doing and looked at him.
“Don’t tell me you’re skipping meals?”
“No, I eat snacks regularly too…”
Thanks to parents who never tolerated her starving, Luciana made sure to eat dessert even when busy.
“I see.”
But even with that, his expression barely softened.
He must be pushing forward with the research regardless.
Richt clicked his tongue lightly, thinking even a newborn calf would be more energetic than her, then cautiously asked:
“Maybe you should take it slow for your health’s sake.”
“…?”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Is Richt the one who didn’t sleep? He’s saying strange things today.
“We have to release the imprint soon so we can live our own lives… right?”
“…!”
Our own… lives?
Hearing that made her feel as if the world split in two.
“What do you mean by that?”
She flinched.
Did I say something wrong?
His suddenly darkened face lingered in her eyes.
Luciana, confused by his aggressive questioning, avoided his gaze and dodged the question.
“Well, maybe someday there’s a destined partner or something…”
“Destined partner?”
“Well, you know…”
Why was he so sensitive over that lame excuse?
Right. Richt was a man harsh to love before he fell for the heroine.
So it made sense that something like “destined partner” would sound strange to him.
But it’s all true.
She couldn’t tell him about Deborah. How could she explain it? Luciana swallowed a sigh escaping her lips.
“Well, the Duke and I were only connected by an accident…”
“!”
The moment he heard “accident,” Richt’s expression instantly froze like an icy lake.
The imprinting was nothing more or less than a result of unfortunate circumstances.
Hah.
Her throat burned as if scorched by a wildfire.
It wasn’t wrong to say, yet why did it sting to hear?
What annoyed her the most was that she couldn’t even argue against the woman’s words.
“Anyway, even if it’s not a destined partner, there’s no reason to be so relaxed. I’m sure the Duke understands that well.”
“…”
Of course he did. The one who dreaded the imprint curse most was none other than himself.
But instead of being grateful to her who tried the hardest, why did his mouth dry up as if he’d invited his own ruin?
“…Please signal me once the materials are ready. I’ll be going now.”
Still bothered by Richt’s expressionless face, Luciana quietly took out the artifact instead of probing deeper.
As usual, she began channeling mana to return to the mansion.
Drip.
“Ah…?”
Suddenly, a thick, metallic taste spread down her philtrum, stopping her in her tracks.
“Hey!”
A hurried shout followed.
Richt, looking stunned, was shocked when he saw blood drops fall without resistance.
“Stay still.”
“Ugh!”
His face was twisted in pain, obvious to anyone.
Without hesitation, he jumped forward, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, covered Luciana’s nose, and gently pressed her head down to make her look at the floor.
“Do you still want to say you’re overdoing it after this?”
His light scolding wrapped around Luciana’s ears.
“Ugh…”
“Hold it until the bleeding stops, even if it’s uncomfortable.”
Startled by the sudden contact, Luciana squirmed like a bird trapped in a cage, but Richt didn’t let her go free—only clicking his tongue as a reprimand to stay still.
The first aid is good, but isn’t this a bit too close?
With her nose blocked by the handkerchief, she barely managed to breathe through her mouth.
The scent he had imprinted on her brain since his mating season flooded her body like a wave.
His arms holding her were so firm. Each time the awkward warmth pressed against her, strange feelings rose and fell inside her.
When Richt pulled her closer, her small shoulders helplessly shrank.
Realizing his solid body approaching, she hesitated even in the smallest movements.
Ugh.
Luciana barely kept breathing, unable to do anything else.
Let’s say he rushed over because the sudden nosebleed shocked him.
That he covered her face with a handkerchief was understandable as a small help from a flustered self.
But sticking to her like glue and fussing over her? No matter how she thought about it, it was way too much.
I have hands too.
The silently spreading warmth now melted into one with her body.
Even when Luciana struggled to push his arms away as if to say she was done, Richt didn’t budge like a rock. He just kept repeating his parrot-like command to stay still.
After about five minutes—
“Wait here.”
“Huh?”
When the bleeding mostly stopped, Richt seemed to head to the bedroom attached to the office but soon reappeared.
“Hmph!”
Luciana reflexively frowned at the damp sensation covering her face.
So that’s where he went. He wet the handkerchief.
No matter how Luciana rolled her eyes in the awkward silence, Richt silently wiped away the bloodstains with the wet silk.
Even earlier, why is this so hard to get used to? Since he apologized last time, he’s softened a bit, but this is still…
Due to their unavoidable height difference, Richt bent down and held the back of Luciana’s head, rubbing her face like wiping a nosey child.
His uncharacteristically clumsy touch was careful, as if treating a little kid.
That alone was enough to embarrass her. His blood-colored eyes were so cautious and persistent, it seemed like he worried about her.
“I-I’ll do it myself!”
“It’s fine. It’s already done.”
