33. Reunion
“Teacher Claire!”
Stella returned with her husband, smiling brightly from afar. The noise of people bustling about had disappeared, and all she could hear was the waltz that flowed during the festival held on the riverside, where the large maypole had been erected that particularly cool summer. The melody started with a beautiful melody that seemed to caress her and gradually became more exciting and faster, running along...
“I finally found him!”
Chloe saw him. He approached Ricardo, smiling, step by step, and the moment he stopped in front of her, the wind-up completely unwound and the music stopped.
“Let me introduce you to Claire Blink, Sophie’s tutor.”
Chloe's eyes shook as she lowered her head. She closed her eyes deeply and opened them again as she watched his hands wind the clockwork again.
“And this is Mr. Lawrence Taylor, a businessman from far away.”
The music started again, and he, Lawrence Taylor, held out his hand. A man so well-dressed that he caught everyone's attention, he was wearing gloves even in midsummer.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The voice of a man she could never forget flew into her ears and pierced them.
“Teacher Claire!”
Stella returned with her husband, smiling brightly from afar. The noise of people bustling about had disappeared, and all she could hear was the waltz that flowed during the festival held on the riverside, where the large maypole had been erected that particularly cool summer. The melody started with a beautiful melody that seemed to caress her and gradually became more exciting and faster, running along...
“I finally found him!”
Chloe saw him. He approached Ricardo, smiling, step by step, and the moment he stopped in front of her, the wind-up completely unwound and the music stopped.
“Let me introduce you to Claire Blink, Sophie’s tutor.”
Chloe's eyes shook as she lowered her head. She closed her eyes deeply and opened them again as she watched his hands wind the clockwork again.
“And this is Mr. Lawrence Taylor, a businessman from far away.”
The music started again, and he, Lawrence Taylor, held out his hand. A man so well-dressed that he caught everyone's attention, he was wearing gloves even in midsummer.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The voice of a man she could never forget flew into her ears and pierced them.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart raced at a painful pace.
“Everything was finished safely a long time ago, but I’m a little late.”
Chloe suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape her lips and stared at the initials engraved on the man's gloves that did not match his name.
Please finish everything safely and bring it back to you.
A fake letter that she had to write with a trembling hand and press down hard with the pen. It was scary to recall the last letter she had sent to deceive her husband in this way. Stella made a puzzled expression as she looked at Chloe, who seemed frozen in place and unmoving.
“...Claire?”
“Teacher, where does it hurt?”
The moment young Sophie blinked at her, Chloe barely came to her senses and grabbed the hand he extended. The moment they touched, her whole body trembled, and the moment he grabbed the tip of her finger and kissed the back of her hand, their eyes met straight on. In that moment when his eyes, like an ice lake with unknown depth, imprisoned her, her throbbing heart felt like it was falling to her feet.
“We can’t tell you how much help we have received thanks to your generous Mr. Taylor.”
“Help? That’s what I wanted to say.”
Looking at Damien’s smiling face, Chloe desperately wished that this building would collapse right now. The melody of the waltz that had been sped up, the sound of her own breathing, and the sound of her pounding heartbeat were all mixed up in her head.
“Things that don’t sell... can we really keep them?”
Damien nodded as Stella asked cautiously with a face mixed with secret joy.
“Of course.”
Chloe could feel all eyes in the room focused on her. It was natural that envious glances would pour in for the foreign businessman who had spent the most money in the shortest amount of time and for Stella's family to stand beside him as they went around the booths, but Chloe already knew that even if the man in front of her was wearing rags, people would still pay attention.
“How can both your personality and appearance be so perfect at the same time?”
“You flatter me.”
Damien laughed in a low voice, his signature gorgeous smile on his face. His lips were drawn long and wide like a painting, and his eyes, like a lake with unfathomable depth, seemed to have matured and become more elegant over the past two years.
“But if I tell you honestly that I don’t feel bad, will your evaluation of me become a little more realistic?”
“Oh my. Honesty is a virtue in our family. Isn’t it, my dear?”
“Haha. I told you. Mr. Taylor is a very good person.”
Chloe felt dizzy as she saw him, who had instantly won the favor of Stella's family, right in front of her eyes. But what she could clearly see was that the comfortable nest she had barely managed to hide in was about to be smashed to the ground by his hands.
How did you find it? How much do you know?
Chloe's mind was filled with incoherent questions. In fact, she had thought that if she was thorough, he could have suspected his wife's death. No, she had been sure of it. There were loopholes everywhere in her faked death.
But as time passed, that certainty faded. It was only a few days ago that she felt relieved that she had completely disappeared from Damien's world.
“Thank you again for your warm hospitality.”
Damien's gaze swept over her as he bowed his head politely to the Stella couple. Chloe felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at his sharp smile. At the same time, Chloe had a gut feeling that he probably knew everything.
Damien's way was to completely block off any escape routes, find out all of the opponent's weaknesses, and then grab them without hesitation at the crucial moment. Chloe, who had experienced his persistent and cruel hunting style, had the most important question on her mind.
Why are you wasting time?
The delicate hands that were held tightly trembled slightly. The Damien that Chloe knew was someone who would burn down this place and reach out to her as if he were saving her. However, contrary to her expectations, Damien’s eyes were filled with something beyond anger... an inexplicable excitement and joy.
“The real party is about to begin. Mr. Taylor, please join us.”
As the orchestra began to play, Stella smiled broadly. The charity bazaar ended with a ball, as was the rule. It was time for the servants to take the children home. Chloe barely opened her lips. A thousand thoughts were tangled in her head, but the most urgent task was to leave this place.
“Then I will go back with Sophie, Madame Stella.”
“Oh my, what are you talking about? That’s so disappointing.”
Stella, who had no idea what was going on, grabbed Chloe's arm tightly as she hurried. She called the servant and ordered him to take Sophie away, then whispered softly in Chloe's ear as she bit her lip in confusion.
“Can’t you see the missionary looking at you with longing eyes?”
Chloe only then realized the existence of Gray, whom she had completely forgotten about, as soon as Damien appeared. In this place, only she and Gray knew Damien’s true identity. The moment she recalled Damien’s reaction to seeing her with Gray, her whole body became cold with a fear of a different level than before. He was not the kind of person who could forgive his wife who ran away to be with a servant. Chloe’s eyes, wide with fear, automatically turned to Damien.
Damien looked at Gray, who was standing far away, and made a strange expression. Chloe felt even more confused as she watched Damien's lips twitch meaningfully, as if he was about to wring Gray's neck at any moment.
Why, why is Damien smiling at Gray?
The light in his beautiful blue eyes was an emotion Chloe knew well. It was arrogance. It was a triumph.
“Look at that burning expression, Claire.”
Contrary to Stella’s whispering words, Gray’s expression when he found Damien seemed close to pain. Was he afraid after all? It was natural, considering what Damien had done to Gray. Chloe thought it would be better not to pretend to know Gray in this situation anyway. She tried to make an excuse about not feeling well and leave the place, but Damien reached out to her again.
“Can you dance the first song with me?”
A look of doubt crossed Stella's eyes. She was certain that the foreign businessman had fallen in love with the pretty tutor at first sight.
“Do I have to wait for my turn?”
In contrast to Damien, who smiled with a relaxed attitude, Chloe's face gradually lost its color. Chloe swallowed dry saliva and opened her mouth in a low voice.
“No. No one has ever asked me to dance. But I’m not a good dancer, so I’m afraid I might step on a gentleman’s toes.”
“I would be happy to be stepped on by you.”
A small exclamation of "Oh my" burst from Stella's lips. As her husband had said, he seemed to be a slave to romance. The reason why the words that seemed to slide on butter did not feel creepy was undoubtedly because of his confident gaze.
“I’m not joking, Miss Claire.”
The moment a dark spark flashed in Damien’s eyes as he stared at her, Chloe read his sincerity. It was impossible to refuse his offer. As the waltz played by the orchestra felt like a funeral march, Chloe grabbed his hand. Chloe’s eyelids fluttered as she felt his body heat as he pulled her in and hugged her back. The hot breath lingering in her ear was a bonus.
"My love."
Damien's eyes, as he whispered with his lips pressed against her earlobe, held a dangerously hot desire, and his voice was so affectionate that it felt scary. Everyone dancing around him was focused on him, but Damien didn't seem to be aware of it. No, rather, it would be more correct to say that he was enjoying watching Chloe's reaction as she was trapped in everyone's gaze and couldn't move.
“Have you been having fun in a world without me?”
Every word he uttered pierced her heart like an arrow.
“...How was it, Your Excellency?”
Damien let out a low laugh as he barely managed to spit it out. Now that he was King, he had no time to correct the fact that he had mistakenly called him by his familiar title.
“I asked the question first, Duchess Chloe von Tisse.”
At the end of his words calling her, the smile disappeared, and a chill spread. The moment the name she had forgotten and tried to forget forever was called, something dead in Chloe's heart flared up. Chloe distanced herself from Damien and looked him in the eye. Words that had not passed through her head flowed through her trembling lips.
“Yes. It was good.”
“I see.”
A small ripple rose in his blue eyes.
“There’s nothing more fun than hiding your identity, right? I guess I can understand Carter’s feelings a little bit, pretending to be a gypsy and deceiving your sister.”
Her pulse throbbed in the hand he was holding. Chloe instinctively tried to let go of his hand, but she couldn't. After all, he knew all of Alice's secrets.
“The heart of a man who hid his past as a stable keeper and became a pastor.”
Damien finally appeared before her after finding out everything and completely blocking her escape. His body moved away and came closer to her in the flowing waltz, making her breath catch in her throat. The hand he was holding was wet, but she couldn't pull it away.
“You asked me how I was?”
Chloe felt her heart pounding so hard it hurt. Damien tilted his head in front of her as if to kiss her. Chloe squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them.
“How do you think I would feel after you set my heart on fire and left, my love?”
She didn't have the confidence to handle the discrepancy between his soft, soothing voice and his eyes that were burning with desire.
“Tell me what you think. I’m dying of curiosity.”
The times she had spent with him came rushing back to her mind in a jumbled manner, making her dizzy. She stepped on his feet messily, but Damien moved on without paying any attention.
“Have you come here to kill me?”
“No. You got it wrong, Chloe.”
Damien continued with a smile on his face.
“If that were true, I wouldn’t have disguised my identity by acting, and I wouldn’t have brought you useless gifts to catch your eye.”
“Wasn’t it your specialty to make people the happiest they can be and then throw them into the abyss?”
Damien narrowed his eyes as Chloe squeaked out her words while looking at him. A dangerous light flickered in his eyes. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was even lower than before.
“The way to make you suffer is not to kill you.”
Chloe realized she had provoked him, but it was too late.
“Wouldn’t it be more painful for you to shoot and kill that stupid family that treats the Queen of a country like a servant?”
Damien's expression didn't change even as he spat out cruel words.
“...Another threat?”
Damien smiled as he watched Chloe's pupils tremble. In his gaze, she felt a familiar light burning. An intense light that could render a person motionless. A terrible light that completely blinded the opponent, making them unable to perceive anything.
“You misunderstand.”
“Then what is it?”
Damien whispered through his still-curled lips as he watched Chloe's brown eyes grow wet.
“What do you think?”
“Don't joke around.”
“Haha. Do you think my being here right now is a joke? You’re not so stupid as to not know what would happen if someone found out who I am, Chloe.”
Chloe bit her lip. Damien was right. Diplomatic relations were at their worst. It was dangerous enough for a King of a country to be alone in the countryside without a knight escort. Who knew what the fiery Carter men would do when drunk? The moment she pushed his strong shoulder, the lights on the ceiling flickered. It seemed like the gas had been turned up to max, and the power was about to go out.
“Yes, yes. Be careful not to step on the person next to you!”
Damien's face appeared and disappeared repeatedly before Chloe's eyes as she faintly heard the cheerful shouts of people accustomed to the blackout. She spoke in a trembling voice toward him, who was holding her in his arms and looking at her with burning eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’ve never known before.”
Blackout. Her voice became a little clearer in the darkness.
“The important thing is, I don’t want you to destroy my world again.”
Blink. The lights came on, and his face was right in front of her nose.
“I didn’t come here to trample on you.”
Demien tilted his head towards her. Chloe tried to step back, but her back was hit by a solid pillar. She realized that she was being led behind a pillar, away from the people.
“Then why did you come?”
“Because I miss you.”
In the darkness, Damien whispered in her ear. Chloe's eyes fluttered.
“Because I miss you. Because I want to meet you.”
It was painful for Chloe to hear only voices while her vision was blocked.
“...because I want to dance with you.”
Memories of him, whom she had forgotten about, suddenly invaded her mind. Her whole body felt hot as she recalled the time when she had felt the warmth of love in his arms with her eyes closed.
“Ha, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do anything.”
Blink. As the lights came on, his blue eyes scanned her lips. As it grew dark again, his sharp nose pressed against the bridge of her nose. Chloe's pale skin turned bright red. Her wish that the lights would come on was not granted.
"This?"
As the lights hanging from the ceiling went out all at once and complete darkness came, Damien's lips engulfed her. Chloe's foot was lifted sharply as he held her tightly in his arms, as if he was going to crush her delicate body. The moan that had burst out on its own had long since disappeared beyond Damien's lips that were pressed against hers.
“Don’t be alarmed, the lights will come on soon.”
Someone shouted loudly, audible from afar, over Damien's heavy breathing. Even in the darkness, the music did not stop. As the music was played more passionately to reassure the commotion, Chloe could clearly feel Damien's breath greedily tearing at her.
Every time the light flickered, Damien’s hot gaze, which had been searching for her until now, pierced her like an arrow, throwing away the composure he had shown so far. As if a flash had gone off, each and every one of his expressions struck Chloe’s mind. Damien didn’t close his eyes when they kissed. As if he were devouring her with his eyes, a moan, like a sob that couldn’t be swallowed, flowed out from her lips that were interlocked with his beastly kiss.
Blink.
The moment the light came on, Chloe pushed him away with all her might. She gasped and turned her head, and through her heat-blinded vision, she saw Stella and Ricardo approaching her happily. She was dizzy and on the verge of collapsing.
“Are you okay?”
As she turned her head to the other side, she saw the owner of the voice. Looking at Gray with dark eyes, Chloe barely managed to gather her senses from her dizzy head.
“I’m not feeling well... so I think I should leave first, missionary.”
As Chloe bowed her head to Gray, a look of concern crossed Stella's face as she quickly approached her. She looked really unwell, with her face completely flushed and her breathing heavy.
“Is there anything going on...?”
Chloe hurriedly opened her mouth, grabbing Stella's arm as she glared at Damien with a suspicious look.
“I am not feeling well, so I have to rely on you to help me. If you would call a carriage for me, I will go home, Madame Stella.”
Damien slowly licked his lips as he watched Chloe struggling to keep herself from getting hurt. His fists clenched and unclenched, veins popping out on his forearms. He suppressed the urge to grab her right away and watched her back as she fled from him.
Damien's leather gloves bulged as if they were going to burst as he watched Chloe staggering on her limping legs. He lost his senses the moment the lights went out, but he had no regrets. With one kiss, he confirmed once again who his soul was subordinate to.
Now it was her turn to realize that he had not come to hunt and trample upon her world. Damien Ernst von Tisse was not a fool who would make the same mistake twice.
I came to wake you up, Chloe.
That I am already included in your world.
“Everything was finished safely a long time ago, but I’m a little late.”
Chloe suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape her lips and stared at the initials engraved on the man's gloves that did not match his name.
Please finish everything safely and bring it back to you.
A fake letter that she had to write with a trembling hand and press down hard with the pen. It was scary to recall the last letter she had sent to deceive her husband in this way. Stella made a puzzled expression as she looked at Chloe, who seemed frozen in place and unmoving.
“...Claire?”
“Teacher, where does it hurt?”
The moment young Sophie blinked at her, Chloe barely came to her senses and grabbed the hand he extended. The moment they touched, her whole body trembled, and the moment he grabbed the tip of her finger and kissed the back of her hand, their eyes met straight on. In that moment when his eyes, like an ice lake with unknown depth, imprisoned her, her throbbing heart felt like it was falling to her feet.
“We can’t tell you how much help we have received thanks to your generous Mr. Taylor.”
“Help? That’s what I wanted to say.”
Looking at Damien’s smiling face, Chloe desperately wished that this building would collapse right now. The melody of the waltz that had been sped up, the sound of her own breathing, and the sound of her pounding heartbeat were all mixed up in her head.
“Things that don’t sell... can we really keep them?”
Damien nodded as Stella asked cautiously with a face mixed with secret joy.
“Of course.”
Chloe could feel all eyes in the room focused on her. It was natural that envious glances would pour in for the foreign businessman who had spent the most money in the shortest amount of time and for Stella's family to stand beside him as they went around the booths, but Chloe already knew that even if the man in front of her was wearing rags, people would still pay attention.
“How can both your personality and appearance be so perfect at the same time?”
“You flatter me.”
Damien laughed in a low voice, his signature gorgeous smile on his face. His lips were drawn long and wide like a painting, and his eyes, like a lake with unfathomable depth, seemed to have matured and become more elegant over the past two years.
“But if I tell you honestly that I don’t feel bad, will your evaluation of me become a little more realistic?”
“Oh my. Honesty is a virtue in our family. Isn’t it, my dear?”
“Haha. I told you. Mr. Taylor is a very good person.”
Chloe felt dizzy as she saw him, who had instantly won the favor of Stella's family, right in front of her eyes. But what she could clearly see was that the comfortable nest she had barely managed to hide in was about to be smashed to the ground by his hands.
How did you find it? How much do you know?
Chloe's mind was filled with incoherent questions. In fact, she had thought that if she was thorough, he could have suspected his wife's death. No, she had been sure of it. There were loopholes everywhere in her faked death.
But as time passed, that certainty faded. It was only a few days ago that she felt relieved that she had completely disappeared from Damien's world.
“Thank you again for your warm hospitality.”
Damien's gaze swept over her as he bowed his head politely to the Stella couple. Chloe felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at his sharp smile. At the same time, Chloe had a gut feeling that he probably knew everything.
Damien's way was to completely block off any escape routes, find out all of the opponent's weaknesses, and then grab them without hesitation at the crucial moment. Chloe, who had experienced his persistent and cruel hunting style, had the most important question on her mind.
Why are you wasting time?
The delicate hands that were held tightly trembled slightly. The Damien that Chloe knew was someone who would burn down this place and reach out to her as if he were saving her. However, contrary to her expectations, Damien’s eyes were filled with something beyond anger... an inexplicable excitement and joy.
“The real party is about to begin. Mr. Taylor, please join us.”
As the orchestra began to play, Stella smiled broadly. The charity bazaar ended with a ball, as was the rule. It was time for the servants to take the children home. Chloe barely opened her lips. A thousand thoughts were tangled in her head, but the most urgent task was to leave this place.
“Then I will go back with Sophie, Madame Stella.”
“Oh my, what are you talking about? That’s so disappointing.”
Stella, who had no idea what was going on, grabbed Chloe's arm tightly as she hurried. She called the servant and ordered him to take Sophie away, then whispered softly in Chloe's ear as she bit her lip in confusion.
“Can’t you see the missionary looking at you with longing eyes?”
Chloe only then realized the existence of Gray, whom she had completely forgotten about, as soon as Damien appeared. In this place, only she and Gray knew Damien’s true identity. The moment she recalled Damien’s reaction to seeing her with Gray, her whole body became cold with a fear of a different level than before. He was not the kind of person who could forgive his wife who ran away to be with a servant. Chloe’s eyes, wide with fear, automatically turned to Damien.
Damien looked at Gray, who was standing far away, and made a strange expression. Chloe felt even more confused as she watched Damien's lips twitch meaningfully, as if he was about to wring Gray's neck at any moment.
Why, why is Damien smiling at Gray?
The light in his beautiful blue eyes was an emotion Chloe knew well. It was arrogance. It was a triumph.
“Look at that burning expression, Claire.”
Contrary to Stella’s whispering words, Gray’s expression when he found Damien seemed close to pain. Was he afraid after all? It was natural, considering what Damien had done to Gray. Chloe thought it would be better not to pretend to know Gray in this situation anyway. She tried to make an excuse about not feeling well and leave the place, but Damien reached out to her again.
“Can you dance the first song with me?”
A look of doubt crossed Stella's eyes. She was certain that the foreign businessman had fallen in love with the pretty tutor at first sight.
“Do I have to wait for my turn?”
In contrast to Damien, who smiled with a relaxed attitude, Chloe's face gradually lost its color. Chloe swallowed dry saliva and opened her mouth in a low voice.
“No. No one has ever asked me to dance. But I’m not a good dancer, so I’m afraid I might step on a gentleman’s toes.”
“I would be happy to be stepped on by you.”
A small exclamation of "Oh my" burst from Stella's lips. As her husband had said, he seemed to be a slave to romance. The reason why the words that seemed to slide on butter did not feel creepy was undoubtedly because of his confident gaze.
“I’m not joking, Miss Claire.”
The moment a dark spark flashed in Damien’s eyes as he stared at her, Chloe read his sincerity. It was impossible to refuse his offer. As the waltz played by the orchestra felt like a funeral march, Chloe grabbed his hand. Chloe’s eyelids fluttered as she felt his body heat as he pulled her in and hugged her back. The hot breath lingering in her ear was a bonus.
"My love."
Damien's eyes, as he whispered with his lips pressed against her earlobe, held a dangerously hot desire, and his voice was so affectionate that it felt scary. Everyone dancing around him was focused on him, but Damien didn't seem to be aware of it. No, rather, it would be more correct to say that he was enjoying watching Chloe's reaction as she was trapped in everyone's gaze and couldn't move.
“Have you been having fun in a world without me?”
Every word he uttered pierced her heart like an arrow.
“...How was it, Your Excellency?”
Damien let out a low laugh as he barely managed to spit it out. Now that he was King, he had no time to correct the fact that he had mistakenly called him by his familiar title.
“I asked the question first, Duchess Chloe von Tisse.”
At the end of his words calling her, the smile disappeared, and a chill spread. The moment the name she had forgotten and tried to forget forever was called, something dead in Chloe's heart flared up. Chloe distanced herself from Damien and looked him in the eye. Words that had not passed through her head flowed through her trembling lips.
“Yes. It was good.”
“I see.”
A small ripple rose in his blue eyes.
“There’s nothing more fun than hiding your identity, right? I guess I can understand Carter’s feelings a little bit, pretending to be a gypsy and deceiving your sister.”
Her pulse throbbed in the hand he was holding. Chloe instinctively tried to let go of his hand, but she couldn't. After all, he knew all of Alice's secrets.
“The heart of a man who hid his past as a stable keeper and became a pastor.”
Damien finally appeared before her after finding out everything and completely blocking her escape. His body moved away and came closer to her in the flowing waltz, making her breath catch in her throat. The hand he was holding was wet, but she couldn't pull it away.
“You asked me how I was?”
Chloe felt her heart pounding so hard it hurt. Damien tilted his head in front of her as if to kiss her. Chloe squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them.
“How do you think I would feel after you set my heart on fire and left, my love?”
She didn't have the confidence to handle the discrepancy between his soft, soothing voice and his eyes that were burning with desire.
“Tell me what you think. I’m dying of curiosity.”
The times she had spent with him came rushing back to her mind in a jumbled manner, making her dizzy. She stepped on his feet messily, but Damien moved on without paying any attention.
“Have you come here to kill me?”
“No. You got it wrong, Chloe.”
Damien continued with a smile on his face.
“If that were true, I wouldn’t have disguised my identity by acting, and I wouldn’t have brought you useless gifts to catch your eye.”
“Wasn’t it your specialty to make people the happiest they can be and then throw them into the abyss?”
Damien narrowed his eyes as Chloe squeaked out her words while looking at him. A dangerous light flickered in his eyes. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was even lower than before.
“The way to make you suffer is not to kill you.”
Chloe realized she had provoked him, but it was too late.
“Wouldn’t it be more painful for you to shoot and kill that stupid family that treats the Queen of a country like a servant?”
Damien's expression didn't change even as he spat out cruel words.
“...Another threat?”
Damien smiled as he watched Chloe's pupils tremble. In his gaze, she felt a familiar light burning. An intense light that could render a person motionless. A terrible light that completely blinded the opponent, making them unable to perceive anything.
“You misunderstand.”
“Then what is it?”
Damien whispered through his still-curled lips as he watched Chloe's brown eyes grow wet.
“What do you think?”
“Don't joke around.”
“Haha. Do you think my being here right now is a joke? You’re not so stupid as to not know what would happen if someone found out who I am, Chloe.”
Chloe bit her lip. Damien was right. Diplomatic relations were at their worst. It was dangerous enough for a King of a country to be alone in the countryside without a knight escort. Who knew what the fiery Carter men would do when drunk? The moment she pushed his strong shoulder, the lights on the ceiling flickered. It seemed like the gas had been turned up to max, and the power was about to go out.
“Yes, yes. Be careful not to step on the person next to you!”
Damien's face appeared and disappeared repeatedly before Chloe's eyes as she faintly heard the cheerful shouts of people accustomed to the blackout. She spoke in a trembling voice toward him, who was holding her in his arms and looking at her with burning eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’ve never known before.”
Blackout. Her voice became a little clearer in the darkness.
“The important thing is, I don’t want you to destroy my world again.”
Blink. The lights came on, and his face was right in front of her nose.
“I didn’t come here to trample on you.”
Demien tilted his head towards her. Chloe tried to step back, but her back was hit by a solid pillar. She realized that she was being led behind a pillar, away from the people.
“Then why did you come?”
“Because I miss you.”
In the darkness, Damien whispered in her ear. Chloe's eyes fluttered.
“Because I miss you. Because I want to meet you.”
It was painful for Chloe to hear only voices while her vision was blocked.
“...because I want to dance with you.”
Memories of him, whom she had forgotten about, suddenly invaded her mind. Her whole body felt hot as she recalled the time when she had felt the warmth of love in his arms with her eyes closed.
“Ha, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do anything.”
Blink. As the lights came on, his blue eyes scanned her lips. As it grew dark again, his sharp nose pressed against the bridge of her nose. Chloe's pale skin turned bright red. Her wish that the lights would come on was not granted.
"This?"
As the lights hanging from the ceiling went out all at once and complete darkness came, Damien's lips engulfed her. Chloe's foot was lifted sharply as he held her tightly in his arms, as if he was going to crush her delicate body. The moan that had burst out on its own had long since disappeared beyond Damien's lips that were pressed against hers.
“Don’t be alarmed, the lights will come on soon.”
Someone shouted loudly, audible from afar, over Damien's heavy breathing. Even in the darkness, the music did not stop. As the music was played more passionately to reassure the commotion, Chloe could clearly feel Damien's breath greedily tearing at her.
Every time the light flickered, Damien’s hot gaze, which had been searching for her until now, pierced her like an arrow, throwing away the composure he had shown so far. As if a flash had gone off, each and every one of his expressions struck Chloe’s mind. Damien didn’t close his eyes when they kissed. As if he were devouring her with his eyes, a moan, like a sob that couldn’t be swallowed, flowed out from her lips that were interlocked with his beastly kiss.
Blink.
The moment the light came on, Chloe pushed him away with all her might. She gasped and turned her head, and through her heat-blinded vision, she saw Stella and Ricardo approaching her happily. She was dizzy and on the verge of collapsing.
“Are you okay?”
As she turned her head to the other side, she saw the owner of the voice. Looking at Gray with dark eyes, Chloe barely managed to gather her senses from her dizzy head.
“I’m not feeling well... so I think I should leave first, missionary.”
As Chloe bowed her head to Gray, a look of concern crossed Stella's face as she quickly approached her. She looked really unwell, with her face completely flushed and her breathing heavy.
“Is there anything going on...?”
Chloe hurriedly opened her mouth, grabbing Stella's arm as she glared at Damien with a suspicious look.
“I am not feeling well, so I have to rely on you to help me. If you would call a carriage for me, I will go home, Madame Stella.”
Damien slowly licked his lips as he watched Chloe struggling to keep herself from getting hurt. His fists clenched and unclenched, veins popping out on his forearms. He suppressed the urge to grab her right away and watched her back as she fled from him.
Damien's leather gloves bulged as if they were going to burst as he watched Chloe staggering on her limping legs. He lost his senses the moment the lights went out, but he had no regrets. With one kiss, he confirmed once again who his soul was subordinate to.
Now it was her turn to realize that he had not come to hunt and trample upon her world. Damien Ernst von Tisse was not a fool who would make the same mistake twice.
I came to wake you up, Chloe.
That I am already included in your world.
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