Chapter 72

“Rezette. Just a moment, please…” Elise pleaded, and Ivetsa felt a sudden surge of apprehension.

In the recesses of her mind, echoes of Genovia’s countless warnings resounded. They spoke of the dragon hybrid’s ruthlessness. Elise had assured everyone, including herself, that she was ready to handle it, but in truth, she was not. Ivetsa firmly believed that if something troubled her, it needed to be voiced. Even in the context of a predetermined contractual relationship, enduring everything that brought discomfort or distaste made no sense. It shouldn’t have to be this way!

Struggling to gather the strength, Ivetsa hesitated to close the door, biting her lip as she observed the couple through the narrow gap. Their proximity was uncomfortably close. I should have talked to her about those things, Ivetsa lamented internally.

Elise clung to the man’s hand, a hand that inched toward the front of her loosely draped dress. At first glance, it might have appeared as if she were pushing him away, but Ivetsa detected the wavering uncertainty in her eyes.

The flicker of hope that had gleamed in her golden eyes just moments before now quivered. As the man whispered something into her ear, Elise’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

She grappled with a conflict, caught between neither pushing him away nor pulling him closer. She understood it all too well – that this night would alter something indelibly, and there was no turning back from it.

Elise, who had been wrestling with indecision, turned her head slowly. Her gaze held steady on the man’s straight nose, nuzzled against her neck, and the eyes that met her own. Without uttering a single word, they locked their gaze.

Yet, there was an unspoken longing and torment evident in their eyes. The question remained: who would succumb to it?

Elise appeared as though she were ensnared under a spell, her attention solely on Rezette. Ivetsa, a silent observer through the door’s crack, felt her heart plummet.

Elise’s hand, which had been striving to hold him back, gradually relented. In the instant when the woman became deeply entranced by the man, Ivetsa sensed that she had already discerned Elise’s answer.

Even a servant of her station couldn’t help but see that the duke would understand Elise’s intentions. 

His lips met her throat, producing faint, tantalizing sounds that even the most discreet eavesdropper could detect.

Yet, almost simultaneously, his icy, keen blue eyes shot in her direction like an arrow. As a final warning to the prying ear, Ivetsa was startled and hastily retreated, releasing the door handle, which slammed shut behind her. She gazed at the closed door, her mind a swirl of confusion.

“It’ll be… alright,” she whispered to herself, clinging to the hope that when morning arrived, the door would swing open as though nothing had occurred.

Despite Ivetsa’s fervent wish, however, the princess remained hidden in the bedroom for some time.

***

Elise found herself perplexed by the swiftly unfolding situation. It had all happened so suddenly. Caught between the surge of joy at having a place to call home and the tangled threads of conflicting emotions, she was thrust into the embrace of Rezette without a moment to untangle her feelings.

The sole words Rezette breathed into her ear consisted of only one phrase, “You must accept what you’ve longed for from me.” At that very moment, a flush of warmth swept across her face. When she raised her gaze to meet his, Elise realized she could not possibly deny him.

Rezette’s blue eyes held an even deeper desire than ever before. The man who often appeared indifferent and unfeeling now radiated an enticing rawness in his desires. His touch was gentle, his kisses soft as they landed on her ears and cheeks. There was no forceful demand in his actions.

But doubt still lingered within her. As the fabric of her dress slipped away from her skin, Elise grappled with uncertainty. 

Is this what I should do…? Is it right to have this relationship? Should I push him away even now?

Though swept away by the moment, Elise remained uncertain about what she should do. This day had been one she had approached with a clear determination.

July was looming on the horizon. It had been two months since her arrival in Rotiara, and when considering the day they signed the contract, nearly seven months had passed, marking the halfway point of their agreement. The one who would grow anxious if things continued to drag on was her, and she was acutely aware of it.

Rezette gently lifted her disheveled dress, fingers trailing over the fabric that clung between Elise’s waist and hips. Confused, Elise looked down and noticed the dress’s hem, damp and stained with earth. Her heart sank heavily.

Similarly, Rezette, his gaze lowered to examine the soiled dress and shoes, spoke softly, “I told you I’d wake you up.”

Elise’s words stumbled as she responded, “This, this is…”

Rezette, still holding Elise from behind, avoided showing his face to her. It felt as though they had rewound time to a few hours earlier when she had hidden inside the carriage, only hearing his voice.

Effortlessly, he removed the soiled dress. With each piece of clothing slipping from her form, it felt as though one more layer of protection had vanished.

In due course, only a delicate chemise remained on Elise’s body. With a delay, unease began to tighten within her chest. Her shoulders trembled visibly as the persistent scent of blood continued to assail her senses.

Despite having just left behind a grim act, the man still exuded his customary air of cleanliness and composure. However, beneath the surface, an unmistakable hint of blood lingered in the air, casting disorienting illusions before her eyes.

Elise had only glimpsed a fraction of the lifeless figure sprawled upon the grassy expanse, yet her fear had pieced together the gruesome tableau she had not directly witnessed. The lifeless head of the individual, laid out on the verdant field, and the man, impassive as he wiped blood from his blade.

He was someone who had remained silent about the affairs in the southern reaches of Grandel for months, despite being informed. A queasiness stirred within Elise’s stomach.

Rezette embraced Elise’s vulnerable form, her attire reduced to the slender chemise. “Were you startled?” he asked. His words carried a depth of significance, though they were not intended as an interrogation. He seemed to grasp the extent of what she had encountered outside the castle.

Elise bit her inner lip and lowered her head. “I’ve heard about your methods,” she admitted.

Rezette inquired, “From whom?”

“From Lady Pettison and Alfred… Sobeul,” Elise replied.

“You’ve said enough,” Rezette cut her off.

Elise murmured, “Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing.” Her concern wasn’t for the deceased; punishing the guilty was also a master’s duty. Eradicating the impure elements early and decisively was necessary.

However…

Rezette noticed that Elise’s response was different from her usual willingness to be close to him. She felt as rigid as a log, a noticeable contrast to her demeanor earlier in the day. The reason behind this change wasn’t difficult to surmise.

A short while ago, he had taken several lives and engaged in a discussion about the survival of Genovia Irrien and Argan’s troops. She might have even witnessed the moment when his hands had been wrapped around her throat. Therefore, Elise’s final decision was something he had personally heard only moments earlier.

“I must heed the call, no matter when, no matter how…”

Ultimately, Rezette couldn’t deny that he had fallen into the snare of Genovia Irrien, that cunning woman. She hadn’t drawn Elise in with mere falsehoods but with stark truths.

His teeth clenched involuntarily. If he had only discerned her true intentions, he would have rebuffed her earlier, refusing to provide her with any leeway. His efforts to handle the situation discreetly, shielding Elise from any knowledge, had crumbled.

“It’s…just a matter of letting go of this misguided attachment. It’s not that complicated.”

Rezette couldn’t fathom what she needed to let go. Was it about severing emotions linked to their contractual arrangement? It seemed to align with her goal of setting things right upon hearing the news of Argan’s survivors. If she believed she could sever it easily, it was a grave miscalculation.

“Rezette, actually, I have something to say…” Elise began, but Rezette wasn’t inclined to listen, and he didn’t afford her the opportunity to begin speaking.

As she lowered her head, delicately nibbling on her earlobe, Elise had to stifle her breath. The peculiar sensation and the moist touch teasing her ear sent a momentary haze over her judgment.

“Today, we agreed to do it—ah,” Elise attempted to continue speaking, but she struggled to find the right words. Rezette’s hand, which had been encircling her waist from behind, began to wander upwards. Elise hastily closed her mouth to prevent any untimely sounds.

Clad only in the slender chemise, the warmth of Rezette’s body, pressed against her back and buttocks, felt vivid and demanding. As soon as Elise sensed his desire, she bit her lip.

She needed time to gather her thoughts. She had just discovered her path, and she wanted to carefully examine her plans for the future, perhaps even ask Rezette the questions she longed to ask.

Was he truly not on her side? How should she navigate their relationship?

However, only brief, fragmented moans managed to escape her lips.

A searing pain shot through the area where the large palm clenched her tightly. Yet, it wasn’t solely pain; an unfamiliar sensation she had never encountered before rapidly coursed through her entire body.

Elise instinctively cast a quick glance downward, her breath held. Her mind emptied.

“Rezette, Rezette…” Elise repeatedly called out his name. Her voice wasn’t just perplexed but also laced with astonishment. Rezette, with his other arm securely around her waist, whispered, “As you said, Elise.”

“Ah, ah.”

“There was something we decided to do today.”

The smoldering embers of anticipation that had been kindling beneath the castle blazed anew.