Episode 41. I Feel Like a Pervert
Clink~
Christine flinched as she entered the store.
“This is...?”
“Huh, it’s a pretty dessert shop, right?”
He looked around with an expression that didn’t agree with the word pretty.
The cream-colored interior was decorated entirely with pink furniture. Moreover, most of the customers in the store were young women.
Christine’s presence in such a place felt extremely out of place. Since his appearance had already caught people’s attention, they all stared blankly with their forks in their mouths.
“Women find this pretty.”
“Should I leave if it’s uncomfortable?”
“Not at all.”
Then he advanced into the store.
At that moment, a young clerk in a suit came running.
“Do you have a reservation?”
Adele whispered to the clerk.
“I didn’t make a reservation, but is there a corner seat that’s the least noticeable?”
No matter how comfortable Christine was, it would be tiring to feel people’s gazes.
Then the clerk made a strange expression and said,
“I have the perfect seat.”
He whispered to Adele... She was forcibly dropped by Christine.
“I can hear it well enough here.”
***
“If you don’t like it, should we leave?”
Adele asked Christine again, looking embarrassed.
The clerk led them to the room in the corner of the store. The small room had a very strange atmosphere.
Sparkling beads were hanging from the window, and red heart cushions were placed in a mess on the pink chair and carpeted floor. There were flower-patterned teacups and dolls in fancy dresses on the wall shelves. It seemed like a perfect place for a party room for young girls, but Christine was sitting there, so...
“I feel like a pervert.”
Adele barely held back her laughter at his dry voice.
However, the moment he pulled back his chair to stretch his long legs, the dolls on the shelf spilled out.
When she saw him buried in the lace dolls in an instant, Adele couldn’t hold it back and burst out laughing.
“Phew!”
The clerk who had just come in with the cake and tea that she had ordered also hurriedly left after putting away the dolls with a red face, trying to hold back laughter. But Christine was not offended.
While Adele was holding her stomach and laughing, he poured tea from the teapot into a teacup and placed a piece of cake on a small plate for her to eat. He did not forget to neatly place the teaspoon and fork. The afternoon, when the sunlight streaming in through the window hit the beads and sparkled in rainbow colors. The fragrant scent of tea and the sweet cake. And as he watched Adele cheerfully laughing while shedding tears, he felt somehow drowsy and relaxed.
“Maybe I’m really a pervert...”
Christine was a little taken aback by him for feeling good in a place like this.
“Don’t worry. I’ll still like you, though.”
“Thank you.”
His handsome lips slowly turned up as he sipped his tea with dignity. Adele also stopped laughing and ate the cake and tea. Every time she did, the ring that was faintly shining on her finger revealed its presence. Seeing another pair on Christine’s finger, a strange sense of unity came over her.
“Do you like it that much?”
Christine, who was quick-witted, must have noticed her feelings.
“Yeah, this diamond in particular is really mysterious.”
Adele smiled contentedly as she caressed the ring.
“Of course. It’s hard to get even for a castle.”
Adele’s eyes widened.
“Is it that expensive? I just think the mysterious blue light is similar to your eyes...”
“That’s why I got it with such difficulty. So that you’ll think of me whenever you see it.”
Adele narrowed her eyes as she put a piece of red velvet cake in her mouth.
“After hearing that, I feel like this ring is watching me. I should take it off when I do something bad.”
“Are you planning on cheating on me?”
“Huh!”
When Adele opened her eyes in bewilderment, Christine wiped the cocoa powder from the corner of her mouth and smiled wickedly.
“That’s why you always wear it. It’s a sign that you’re mine.”
“...!”
At that moment, Adele’s face turned pale.
“As long as you have this mark, you will never escape me. It is proof that your soul is mine.”
Perhaps because of the word “mark,” Stone’s cruel voice overlapped. Adele was horrified that his presence had suddenly interrupted this happy moment.
"...Why?”
Even Christine looked at her with a puzzled expression, seeing how hard her expression had become.
“Sorry. I think the cake got stuck in my throat. Gulp!”
When Adele intentionally coughed, Christine quickly brought the teacup to her lips.
“Drink some.”
Adele took a sip of tea and smiled faintly.
“Thank you. That’s enough.”
However, Stone’s presence was now firmly entrenched in her mind and would not leave. She thought she knew why he had carved his mark on her back when he left for his diplomatic post. He had put Adele in a kind of shackle. So that she would never meet another man. To always remind her not to forget him.
The real enemy was not the people who spread bad rumors about her. Maybe it was Stone, whom she could not erase from her mind.
***
As Adele’s expression continued to deteriorate, Christine left the dessert shop.
Zimmer, who had received a call in advance, was waiting in front of the shop with his carriage.
“Sorry. I ruined our first date.”
“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. I guess I pushed you too hard when your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
Christine escorted Adele into the carriage and carefully placed her in it. Still not feeling at ease, she placed a cushion on her back and took off his jacket to cover her.
“I should have been more careful...”
He muttered as if he were blaming himself while treating her with care so that she wouldn’t do anything wrong.
Adele felt like the cake she had eaten was weighing down her throat. She kept thinking about that other horrible man while wearing a ring and having fun dating him.
Adele smiled weakly as she touched Christine’s hand, which had a ring on it.
“I really enjoyed today. The ring, the dessert, and especially the way you were buried in the doll...”
“Forget about that.”
“You matched surprisingly well.”
“That’s okay, close your eyes and rest.”
He sat down next to her and patted her shoulder as if to tell her to lean on him.
Looking at his broad, solid shoulders, Adele remembered him sparring with the guards. Now he looked like a neat gentleman, but when he was bare-chested and swinging his sword, he was a completely different person.
With every movement, his tightly-packed muscles bulged and his tendons bulged, and his elastic, smooth skin seemed as if it could even repel a blade. His sleek, dynamic figure looked like a hunting beast.
That’s why he had such a strong spirit.
As they sat in the carriage together, Adele’s face turned red for some reason.
Could he be so mean on the bed as he was on the soldiers...?
“Do you want me to do it?”
“Huh?”
When she looked at him in surprise, Christine gently cupped her cheek and made her lean against his shoulder.
“You can just sleep until we get there.”
His hand had a pleasant, familiar scent. The scent that used to make her sleepless all night after dancing with him, and that often helped make her heart flutter when they got close.
Resembling a forest...
“I think you’re a little hot.”
His hand that had been touching Adele’s cheek moved back to her forehead. Every time his big, warm hand cupped her face, Adele felt her temperature rise even higher.
She wanted to feel his touch a little longer. A little longer, a little more affectionately and secretly...
“That’s okay, close your eyes and rest.”
He sat down next to her and patted her shoulder as if to tell her to lean on him.
Looking at his broad, solid shoulders, Adele remembered him sparring with the guards. Now he looked like a neat gentleman, but when he was bare-chested and swinging his sword, he was a completely different person.
With every movement, his tightly-packed muscles bulged and his tendons bulged, and his elastic, smooth skin seemed as if it could even repel a blade. His sleek, dynamic figure looked like a hunting beast.
That’s why he had such a strong spirit.
As they sat in the carriage together, Adele’s face turned red for some reason.
Could he be so mean on the bed as he was on the soldiers...?
“Do you want me to do it?”
“Huh?”
When she looked at him in surprise, Christine gently cupped her cheek and made her lean against his shoulder.
“You can just sleep until we get there.”
His hand had a pleasant, familiar scent. The scent that used to make her sleepless all night after dancing with him, and that often helped make her heart flutter when they got close.
Resembling a forest...
“I think you’re a little hot.”
His hand that had been touching Adele’s cheek moved back to her forehead. Every time his big, warm hand cupped her face, Adele felt her temperature rise even higher.
She wanted to feel his touch a little longer. A little longer, a little more affectionately and secretly...
“Wait a fortnight, Chris.”
Christine quickly pulled his hand away and coughed, “Ugh,” as if he had been caught doing something bad.
“Of course, Adele. The doctor said it would take about a fortnight for you to fully recover, so I’ll wait until then, no matter what. Of course, it would be difficult to wait even a day longer than that.”
“Yes, that’s enough.”
Adele relaxed her body and rested her head on Christine’s broad shoulder.
Fortnight.
'It’s to remove the Stone’s mark inside. By any means necessary!'
***
"I'll take care of Adele, Tanya."
"Yes, don't worry."
Christine, who arrived at the Marvel Palace, decided to part ways in front of Adele's bedroom.
It was still early evening, so Adele was very sorry. However, she couldn't be responsible for his temper, so she decided to let him go gently.
"You should go in quickly and rest, Chris."
"Of course. I'm a little tired, too."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow."
As Adele opened the door and was about to go in, Christine grabbed her skirt tightly. It was a gesture that sounded a little like throwing a tantrum.
"Why? Do you have something to say?"
"A goodnight kiss?"
Adele laughed at his sullen expression, as if he were upset. At times like this, it felt like he had returned to being the boy Chris from the mining town.
"I was worried that if I kissed you for no reason, you'd treat the guards badly again."
"This isn't enough."
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Adele hugged Christine’s neck and lifted her heels slightly. She gently pressed her lips together and then pulled them apart, staring deeply into his blue-gray eyes.
“See you in your dreams, Chris.”
“I might be a pervert in your dreams.”
He grinned at her in surprise.
“Don’t forget that I said I’d still like you even if you were a pervert.”
Adele looked around awkwardly. Tanya, Zimmer, and Henry were next to her. Of course, they were all pretending not to hear.
“Chris, I told you to talk about that when we’re alone.”
Adele glared at him with a flushed face.
But even that looked strange to him...
“Well.”
He turned around without watching Adele enter the bedroom.
Bang!
After entering the bedroom and closing the door, he groaned and fell onto the sofa.
“It’s getting harder and harder to hold back.”
All the cells in his body were strongly wanting to unite with Adele. He was more easily excited and heated up by her small actions than before.
Zimmer, who was following him, clicked his tongue.
“How about you just stay in the guard quarters for two weeks?”
Christine shook her head firmly.
“You don’t know what sweet pain is.”
“Sweet pain... that really sounds like a pervert.”
Christine didn’t get angry at his joke, but was serious.
“It might really happen after two weeks.”
Zimmer felt chills. It would be better for Adele’s sake if her body recovered quickly. Before his condition became more and more strange and he couldn’t do anything.
Then Zimmer said as if he remembered.
“Oh, and I found it. The maid I saw arguing with Stone on the day that Marquis Oswald died.”
“Really? Where is she now?”
The wolf that had been writhing in desire until a moment ago returned to its sharp appearance.
Zimmer answered with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“You want to meet now?”
“Yes, right away. Show me.”
Christine was re-investigating the death of Marquis Oswald. He had many questions about Stone in particular.
“I think you should know that she had a special relationship with my brother, Stone Oswald.”
She didn’t believe Seira’s story, but there was definitely something between Adele and the guy. That’s why Adele wouldn’t have denied being accused of murder.
He wanted to find out why for sure.
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