From the founding of the Baluar Empire until now, the Seraph family has never once declined. It has continued to develop endlessly, and its power rivals that of the Baluar royal family.
By the time they reached the imperial family, they had established a relationship through marriage, so the Seraph family had nothing to fear anymore.
Noble, perfect, beautiful.
This time, the Duke of the House of Seraph, Enoch Seraph, was praised as someone born true to the Seraph family.
He was flawless with his brilliant mind, inhumanly beautiful appearance, and noble birth.
But Enoch himself did not think he was perfect.
It was because his eyes were a mixture of blue and gray, unlike his platinum-blonde hair, which was free of any impurities. His mysteriously colored blue-gray eyes were beautiful.
But it was a symbol of imperfection. If Enoch had blue eyes, the symbolic color of the Seraph family, he would have been perfect.
The imperfect blue-gray remained a single flaw in Enoch's mind.
The dirty things could be wiped away, and those who were lacking could be whipped and dragged up or killed. However, there was no way to deal with the innate eyes.
His desire for perfection led to his obsession with the color blue. Enoch knew that his actions were not common sense, but it was okay as long as he didn't show it on the outside.
Enoch Seraph was a Duke of the Baluar Empire who wielded absolute power. Even if Enoch's true identity was discovered, no one could say anything to him. However, even Enoch, who could achieve anything he wanted, had an obstacle.
It was none other than Shan Cirxus, the hero of the Hundred Years' War. He quickly rose to the center of central politics based on his achievements in the war and the trust of Crown Prince Raymond. Enoch considered him to be a man who shared his lofty ideals.
A dirty, ugly, flawed human being... that was Shan Cirxus.
Enoch was horrified when Crown Prince Raymond proposed a marriage to Targayel. It didn't matter that Erzenes Targayel had married Shan for political reasons. After all, Erzenes herself had been a dirty peddler and had tarnished the honor of the nobility, so they were a good match.
There was only one thing that angered Enoch: Shan Cirxus was named Targayel. He was not noble in the least. He was more suited to be a mercenary than a knight, a hound to be used on the battlefield and thrown away.
However, the foolish Crown Prince Raymond tried to use Shan Cirxus by joining the royal faction in some way. It was a sigh to watch.
In any case, Seraph had to be on the royal side, so he played along with Raymond on the outside. But he waited for an opportunity. There was no way a tiger could go under a wolf. Enoch was thinking of raising a rebellion if Raymond continued to act like this.
Everything has to be perfect.
So, everything that wasn't perfect had to be cut out, shaved, and distorted. Enoch would stop at nothing to achieve perfection.
“I heard that Her Highness the Crown Princess has finished lunch.”
Enoch went to the Crown Princess Palace after receiving the servant's report. His younger sister, Crown Princess Iarin, was a doll that Enoch had created to perfection. However, she sometimes forgot her duties, so he would visit her like this to remind her.
In any case, it was a world of uncivilized things. Humans would become dirty if not constantly cared for and managed. Enoch crossed the garden of the Crown Princess's Palace with a cynical smile.
It was then that a woman walking towards him, leading the maids, appeared on the other side. It was obvious that they were the women who frequented the Crown Princess Palace. Enoch, who was looking at her without thinking much, was overcome by a strange emotion.
Strangely, he couldn't take his eyes off her. His steps quickened without him realizing it. It was an action that was driven by instinct rather than reason. The feeling of not being in control of himself was unfamiliar as if he had become a different person. And the moment he spoke to her and made eye contact...
Ah, Enoch has found what he has been searching for.
The blue eyes were perfect. They sparkled like sapphires without a single flaw, and deep inside, there was a sense of coolness. Those blue eyes were like a solid jewel that would never break, while still showing an infinitely delicate color.
Enoch's heart fluttered at the sight of those blue eyes that stabbed his chest like ice picks. He knew he was making a foolish expression, but he couldn't control his emotions. Like a rookie in love for the first time, his excited voice flowed out on its own.
“What a truly... perfect blue. Such noble and beautiful... blue eyes.”
Enoch had a terrible time revealing his true feelings in this first-ever experience. He only came to his senses when he saw the blue eyes shaking slightly in embarrassment. Enoch belatedly put on an elegant smile. However, inside, he was already thinking of dozens of things.
Which family is she from? Judging from the fact that he doesn't know her, she doesn't seem to be from a very high family. The Seraph family's power was enough to suppress that.
It didn't matter if she was married. Of course, it was even better if she was single. It would be easier to handle. At least in Baluar, no family would refuse the Seraph family's proposal. Up until now, he had no interest in marriage, but he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to use marriage to get those blue eyes.
Enoch smiled beautifully, hiding his feelings. Women loved his looks. Every available means had to be used effectively.
“I am Enoch of Seraph. Could you please tell me the lady’s name?”
A polite question in a well-polished voice. Everything was going perfectly, except for one thing.
“I am Erzenes of Targayel.”
Only after hearing that answer did Enoch remember that Iarin had invited Countess Targayel today.
***
Elze stared blankly at Duke Seraph. He was frozen with a strange expression on his face. Just when she wondered if her own name was that shocking, Duke Seraph narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Would you allow me?”
It wasn't just a suspicious suggestion, it was a completely suspicious suggestion. A red alarm went off in Elze's head.
The maids would watch from afar as they talked, but she was suspicious that he might suddenly pull out a knife and stab her in the stomach.
But since she had no excuse to refuse, and was curious about what kind of nonsense he would be talking about, Elze accepted his offer.
“It is an honor, Your Excellency.”
Elze and the Duke of Seraph moved to a more secluded place. The eyes of the maids and attendants watching them from afar were filled with anxiety. However, no one wanted to offend His Excellency the Duke, who had the power to bring down even birds, so no one dared to step forward.
As soon as she sat down in the secluded place, Elze felt awkward. And it was even more awkward when Duke Seraph complimented her appearance.
“I had no idea that Countess Targayel was so beautiful.”
Elze thought it was a polite compliment and responded politely.
“Your kind words are too kind.”
She wished she could get to the point quickly, but Duke Seraph showed no signs of doing so. He spoke as if he genuinely thought Elze was beautiful.
“I have seen many women in my life, but I have never seen one as beautiful as you.”
“...?”
She couldn't figure out what his intentions were. As she stared blankly at him, Duke Seraph continued speaking softly.
“Did you know that the Seraph family’s symbolic color is blue?”
“Oh, yes... I’ve heard of it.”
“I find beauty in the perfect blue.”
“...”
At this point, Elze was convinced that Duke Seraph was definitely mentally ill. Elze was trying to quickly cut off the conversation and get out of the way, but he said.
“Excuse me... would it be okay if I touched your face?”
He was crazy. He was really crazy.
But before Elze could refuse, Duke Seraph took off his gloves, revealing his bare, white hands.
Elze suddenly remembered the rumors about Duke Seraph. It was said that he was obsessive about cleanliness, always wore gloves, and never touched anything with his bare hands.
But what was the situation right now? He was reaching out his bare hand towards Elze's face. Right towards Elze's eyes. For some reason, the slow gesture was so disgusting that it gave her goosebumps. It was the moment when Elze tried to step back and avoid it.
“Erzenes!!”
A rough cry was heard. Elze reflexively turned around at the familiar voice calling her. Then, she couldn’t avoid the Duke Seraph’s hand reaching out. As soon as she felt the fingers touch her eye, Elze saw familiar purple eyes.
“Shan...?”
***
Shan, who entered the palace, finished work early today.
To be exact, he was moving diligently to finish the work quickly. When he thought about going home where Elze was waiting, he found himself surprisingly focused.
From the moment he heard that she had gone out wearing the dress and accessories that Shan had given him today, Shan's heart had already turned to home. He was curious to see her surrounded by the things he had given her. Just imagining Elze smiling in her pretty dress made his heart flutter.
After finishing his work, harassing the administrators with his fearsome concentration, Shan quickly got up from his seat.
“My lord, Madam's lunch is almost over.”
Liv entered the palace with Shan to assist him. However, instead of doing any work, he was busy scouting the palace and reporting on Elze’s every move. Naturally, Shan’s orders were behind Liv’s actions.
“Really? I guess we should go home together.”
Shan waited in front of the Crown Princess Palace and thought that he should surprise Elze when she came out. A smile spread across his face as he imagined her surprised expression.
Liv made a strange expression when he saw his smiling face, but Shan didn't care. Liv and Shan finished their work and headed to the Crown Princess Palace together.
As he passed the entrance to the palace and entered the garden, something felt strange. A considerable number of maids were gathered together, looking somewhere. There was no reason for the maids to be gathered like that. Shan looked in the direction they were looking. Then, a light blue floral dress caught his eyes. It was a dress from Sophiana's clothing store that Shan had given Elze as a gift.
“Elze...?”
But Elze was not alone. A man stood before her. Shan recognized him as soon as he saw his platinum hair shining dazzlingly in the sunlight. It was Duke Enoch Seraph.
Duke Seraph was holding Elze's face with his hand. His gloved hand was particularly white in her eyes. Shan called her name loudly.
“Erzenes!!”
Elze looked back at Shan. But Duke Seraph didn’t stop even though he clearly heard his voice. He placed his hand on Elze's face and slowly wiped away her eyes.
Elze, who couldn't avoid the hand because she was looking back at Shan, belatedly flinched and stepped back. Elze's eyes trembled slightly in embarrassment. Shan's eyes, who witnessed the scene in its entirety, sparkled.
Shan approached with a quick gait, almost like running. Liv became lost in thought as he saw Shan with a fierce expression on his face as if he was about to kill Duke Seraph at any moment.
Shan grabbed Elze's waist and pulled her to him, then placed her behind him. Then he stood in front of Elze as if protecting her. Duke Seraph smiled and called out to Shan.
“Count Targayel.”
That guy knows everything and is still acting like this. Shan looked into his blue-gray eyes with a faint smile on them and answered while gritting his teeth.
“...Your Excellency the Duke of Seraph.”
Those who were watching the ominous atmosphere were so anxious that their hearts sank. However, the people involved had no energy to pay attention to their surroundings.
Duke Seraph slowly put the gloves back on his hands. Shan was known for his obsessive-compulsive disorder. For such a man to take off his gloves and touch Elze... Shan didn’t even want to think about what that might mean.
Duke Seraph replied with a leisurely smile.
“We just happened to meet in front of the palace and chatted for a while.”
"Chance?"
Duke Seraph smiled beautifully at Shan's response of not saying such nonsense. He spoke with a smile that almost seemed holy.
“Your Excellency, right now... you look as if you’ve raided the scene of an affair.”
Is it because only Shan and Elze can hear his voice? Duke Seraph did not hesitate to use crude language. It was hard to believe that he said it with his angelic face.
Shan was so angry that he felt like his head was going to explode. In his head, he had already torn off Duke Seraph's snout a hundred times.
It seemed that he was going crazy because he wanted to die, which had been bothering him since last time. Shan tried hard not to lose the reason he had barely managed to hold onto, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twisting. Shan openly sneered in front of him.
“Your Excellency, when you say such things, you act as if you have developed a dirty hobby of lusting after other people’s women.”
“...”
Duke Seraph smiled again at Shan's words, but it was not as smooth a smile as before.
“That’s interesting.”
He continued speaking slowly.
“I didn’t know Count Targayel would act like this. You're always been so indifferent to everything...”
If he had said one more word there, Shan would not have tolerated it. But Duke Seraph was wise. He slowly stepped back. Like a man who moves slowly, so as not to provoke a beast.
“I will be going now. The Crown Princess is waiting.”
But Duke Seraph did not back down easily. He turned to Elze and added a word.
“It was a pleasure talking to you, Countess Targayel.”
He muttered, looking deep into Elze's eyes.
“I hope we can meet again.”
***
Elze was going crazy.
When did that Seraph Duke ever act so friendly towards her? And on top of that, he even touched her face while saying something about the color blue... He was so rude. It was hard to believe that Crown Princess Iarin was really his sister, and Duke Seraph’s first impression was the worst.
Shan didn't say anything in the carriage on the way home. He had a very angry expression on his face and kept his mouth shut.
It was easy to guess why he was angry. Shan was jealous. Given his personality, it was impossible not to be angry when he saw her talking to the Duke Seraph and even having physical contact with him. Elze didn't try to calm him down but just left him alone.
After arriving at the mansion, Elze and Shan headed to the study together as if they had made a promise. As soon as they were left in the quiet space, the two called out to each other at the same time.
“Shan.”
“Elze.”
And the moment her eyes met Shan's, Elze realized why he had been avoiding her all along.
His eyes were filled with anger. The emotions that were surging because he couldn't suppress them were like sharp knives. They weren't directed at Elze. But Shan was avoiding them so that his emotions wouldn't stab Elze.
Shan turned around, realizing that Elze had read his emotions exactly. He opened his mouth with his back turned away.
“...To Duke Seraph earlier.”
He paused for a moment as if just thinking about it made him angry. Then he spoke slowly again.
“Are you okay?”
His words were choppy and incoherent. But it wasn’t hard to guess what he wanted to say. Elze answered him softly.
“I'm okay.”
“...”
Shan was silent. And after keeping his mouth shut for a long time, he spoke again.
“I wish you could tell me what you talked about.”
Elze tried to speak to him as objectively as possible.
“All Seraph said was that he liked the color blue and tried to touch my face.”
“...”
Shan's shoulder twitched briefly at Elze's words. It seemed that he was trying to suppress his anger. The veins rose from his fist as he slowly clenched his fist. Shan muttered softly.
“It’s better not to get close to the Duke Seraph...”
Even at first glance, his expression was not good. It seemed that he had to try to appease her somehow. Elze fidgeted and then spoke as soon as her mind was ready.
“Shan, I’m really okay. Nothing happened.”
But it seemed to have been a mistake. Elze's words had cut through Shan's patience. Shan let out a short breath and asked again.
“...Is everything okay?”
He slowly turned around. Elze had to meet his gaze squarely. His purple eyes were seething violently. Shan opened his eyes wide and asked again.
“That means, nothing happened?”
“Shan...”
Elze was both embarrassed and surprised. It was the first time Shan had acted like this. He strode toward Elze, who was speechless.
Shan's hands gripped Elze's shoulders tightly. Elze let out a short cry at the strong grip, but Shan didn't let up.
“Do you know what kind of guy that bastard is to say something like that?”
His eyes were gleaming, and he was already half-mad. Elze panicked, and tried to stop him, but Shan didn't give her a chance to intervene. He quickly snapped.
“You fell into that dangerous bastard’s perverted wallop, and nothing happened?”
“... Shan, just a moment.”
“You don’t know anything. You’re not the type of person to be so naive and innocent.”
“Listen to me for a moment...”
“I think I’m going crazy just thinking about what he must be thinking when he sees you!”
“Shan.”
“How can you say that nothing happened...!”
“Shan!!”
Finally, Elze, who couldn't stand it anymore, clenched her fist and hit him in the stomach with all her might. Shan's body staggered with a slap. This time, Elze grabbed his arms and screamed.
“Shut up and listen to me!!”
“...”
Shan, who had come to his senses after being hit once, looked at Elze with a blank expression.
It was a great choice to yell and hit Shan with a fan. But then she felt bad about it. Elze started by apologizing to him.
“I’m sorry for hitting you. But I thought you wouldn’t come to your senses if I didn’t.”
That was true. Shan had been half-mad earlier. Elze calmly spoke to Shan, who still had a blank expression on her face.
“I said nothing happened. I just said that because I didn’t want to worry you.”
Shan was no longer acting up. Now he was just listening to Elze. Elze explained things to him one by one in the most gentle tone possible.
“I also felt uncomfortable when the Duke Seraph touched me. And I am quite wary of him. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“...”
“Don’t you know what your wife does? She’s Elijah’s Elze. If he does anything stupid, I’ll kill her.”
Elze spoke confidently, pounding her chest with one hand. Shan let out a sigh.
“...Haa. I didn’t mean to do this to you...”
He leaned his head down on Elze's shoulder and muttered in a heavy voice.
“I'm sorry... To think that the Duke of Seraph's arrival card is reaching out to you.......”
Judging from what Shan had said, Duke Seraph was known as a pervert. How angry must he have been to see Duke Seraph talking like that right in front of his eyes? It was brave of him not to rush at him right then and there.
Shan, who had been angry like fire, was now slumped. He was tormented by himself for being angry at Elze. To appease Shan, Elze deliberately brought up a different topic in a cheerful voice.
“I wore the dress you gave me today.”
She gently pushed him away and threw him off, then spun around in front of Shan. As Elze spun around, the dress rose and fell like a flower bud. Elze smiled and asked.
"How is it?"
Shan, who had been staring blankly at Elze, answered slowly.
“...Pretty.”
And then he suddenly hugged Elze.
"Oh...!"
He buried his face in Elze's neck and took a deep breath. Elze squirmed slightly at the ticklish sensation, but Shan didn't let go.
After a while, he licked the nape of her neck with his tongue. Elze was startled by the wet and strange sensation and said to him.
“What are you doing!”
Shan replied with a licking kiss on the spot he licked.
“Mark the area.”
Her back broke as he kept pushing her. Shan naturally pulled Elze towards the sofa. In the blink of an eye, Elze was leaning against the back of the sofa. Elze asked, barely holding on to her elbows.
“What is it, now?”
Shan didn't intend to answer the question but leisurely looked at Elze one by one. From the hair ornament to the earrings, necklace, dress, and shoes. He looked at Elze's appearance, adorned with all the gifts he had given her, without leaving anything out, and said.
“We had a fight as a couple, so we need to make up.”
“Was that a fight? Anyway, we made up now.”
“No way. Isn’t there still more conversation to be had?"
"What...?"
Shan smiled and answered Elze's question with a puzzled look.
“Conversation through the body.”
“...You, really.”
There was nothing to say. Shan remained steadfast even in front of Elze, who was astonished.
“I also sent you underwear as a gift.”
His fingers lightly traced the neckline of her dress. Shan asked, lifting the fabric and rubbing her flesh with his fingers.
“Did you wear that too?”
“This rascal!”
Of course, Elze repaid Shan's wicked hand with a slap. Shan snickered as if he was happy about being hit on the back of his hand. He hugged Elze's waist tightly and whispered.
“I think meeting you was the greatest miracle of my life.”
Shan met my gaze. I could hear a soft whisper as we met each other's gazes.
"I love you."
It was a confession that came when she was letting her guard down. She felt like she was falling apart at the confession that came so suddenly. She was embarrassed and a faint excitement came over her.
“Shan...”
Shan kissed Elze's lips, which were unable to speak. Their lips, which had touched lightly, moved slowly, creating a tingling sensation. When Elze opened her mouth slightly, he dug inside. Hot heat surged in.
She only took a breath of his hot breath, but her body instantly became hot. It felt like a hot flame was passing through her from head to toe.
“Ugh...”
As Elze let out a low voice, Shan became impatient. She could feel him getting excited. A chilling yet thrilling sensation ran through her body. Shan was about to rush in. Elze slowly opened her mouth.
“But, Shan...”
Shan was busy moving his hands while listening to Elze's words with one ear. However, he had no choice but to stop his hands when he heard what she said next.
“Lady Cecilia came to lunch today.”
“..."
“She’s picking on me again, why is she doing that?”
Shan remained silent at Elze's question. Elze lightly kissed Shan's forehead. Then she took his frozen hand away. Elze smiled seductively. Her whispering voice tickled Shan's ear sweetly.
“Not today.”
...This was definitely a trial.
Shan felt sorry for his wife, who was pushing him away while wagging her tail right in front of him. Shan felt the urge to pounce on her right away.
But since he had committed a sin, he had to listen to his wife. Shan sighed deeply and hugged Elze tightly. Then, he let out a strange noise and became frustrated.
Elze giggled and patted Shan's head, finding it cute how he tried to hold back.
***
Iarin thought. It seems that God has no intention of leaving her alone to be happy. Otherwise, he would not have given her a brief taste of happiness and then brought her endless misery.
“Did you have a nice lunch, Your Highness?”
Iarin looked at her brother who was speaking to her in a friendly manner. A beautiful man with facial features that were so similar that anyone who saw him would think they were siblings. However, he was completely different from her, and the blood flowing through his body seemed to be cold blue.
Iarin tried not to tremble and answered Enochs.
“Your Excellency the Duke Seraph... Why are you here...”
“Is there any reason to worry about the well-being of your only sister?”
“..”
Worry? It was such a ridiculous thing to say. Iarin grabbed the hem of her dress to keep herself from shivering. Enoch's cold gaze cut deep into her entire body. The cold air made her shiver already.
Iarin was a puppet controlled by Enoch. He had trained Iarin to be the Crown Princess since she was young. Iarin, who grew up trapped in the frame he had created, could not dream of anything other than becoming the Crown Princess.
So in the end, she became the Crown Princess as he had wished. Iarin was trapped in the palace with no one to rely on and became dry and twisted in her loveless married life.
But even while watching all of this, Enoch remained cynical. To begin with, Enoch had never treated Iarin as a human. To him, Iarin was merely a bond that would tie the Baluar royal family and the Seraph family together.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
At Enoch's call, Iarin looked at him with a start.
“Countess Targayel had truly beautiful blue eyes.”
“...”
“I would like to talk to her more, could you please give me a chance?”
The color drained from Iarin's face. She couldn't give her to that man. Iarin squeezed out her voice with all her might.
“Do not touch Countess Targayel.”
It was a voice that seemed to be crawling, but it was clearly a rebellion. Enoch’s expression sank coldly. However, Iarin continued to speak, trembling.
“She is... my close friend.”
Enochs chuckled at Iarin's words.
“We are friends.”
Enoch's fingers slowly tapped the table.
“Recently...”
He asked with a cold smile.
“Don’t you ever have nightmares?”
“!!”
Iarin let out a silent scream. She hurriedly felt around her neck with her small hands. Iarin, who confirmed that the collar of the dress that was pulled up completely covered her neck, tightly closed her eyes. Enoch said while looking at her face, she was pale and tired.
“Your Highness, you need not worry too much. I too am particularly mindful of Countess Targayel.”
“...Heh, sob...”
Iarin knew what it meant to think of him as special. Tears finally began to fall from Iarin's eyes, uncontrollably.
But Enoch didn't feel even a little bit of sympathy at the sight of Iarin sobbing pitifully. He continued speaking coldly.
“Your Highness, just listen to what I say, as you have done so far.”
Enoch added with a deep smile.
“Speaking politely..."
Can't he challenge the duke for a duel?
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