(109) Unexplained feelings (7)
After dismissing the maids, only Ariana and Cyrus remained in the room.
Cyrus glanced down at the chocolate cake and asked.
“Do you like sweet things?”
"I like it."
Sweet desserts were expensive and out of reach for commoners. However, maids of noble families often had the opportunity to enjoy them, as they could eat the desserts left over from the nobles' meals.
Ariana didn't even have a chance to eat it.
The Bronte sisters' maids struggled to ignore their mistress's mistreated Ariana. After marrying Alfreich, she attended various parties and occasionally had the opportunity to eat, but it wasn't enough. It was impolite to gorge oneself in front of everyone.
The first time she tasted a sweet dessert made exclusively for herself was when she was revived and came to live in the Chase Castle in the East.
The taste of the sweet sherbet she ate without caring about anyone's opinion was still vivid.
“You hate carrots and limes, but you like sweets.”
Ariana blushed at Cyrus' words.
“How did you know that?”
"Because we ate together. You avoided carrots as much as possible and took a deep breath before drinking lime juice."
She tried to hide her picky eating habits because she didn't want to show them, but she didn't know Cyrus would see them. Cyrus said, looking at Ariana's embarrassed expression.
"So what? Everyone has things they dislike. And didn't you leave the Bronte household to live as you pleased?"
She heard this story from Isabelle before.
Suddenly, she wondered if her actions were so frustrating to others.
“Do I look frustrated and pathetic?”
"No way. The Princess looks confident and strong. It's not easy to endure something you don't like. But sometimes, at least when you're with me, you can do whatever you want."
“Then you’ll hate me. You’ll get sick of me and even hate the sight of me.”
Cyrus chuckled softly. He looked at Ariana with narrowed eyes.
“What a great thing you are trying to do.”
Ariana loved it when Cyrus would fold his eyes into crescent moons and smile.
As she gazed into his narrowed eyes, a gentle breeze blew through her chest. Before the wind could carry its sweet scent, Ariana quickly came to her senses and spoke.
“Is that what you came here to talk about?”
“Oh, right. There’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“It seems like the Princess’s younger sister has become Paganus.”
Paganus.
The words she heard unexpectedly ran coldly down her spine. Ariana's eyes widened, and she stared at Cyrus's lips.
Paganus? Victoria?
She knew Victoria would do anything to get revenge on Ariana, but she never dreamed she would become Paganus. Becoming Paganus meant risking the destruction of her family if it was discovered.
“Is that true?”
"I've dealt with many Pagans, so I know their gaze. If you look closely, their eyes change rapidly. But it would be hard for an ordinary person to notice. Judging by Andrei's fascination with the Princess, it's almost certain."
"Victoria is pretty. She hasn't even had her debutante ceremony yet, but she's popular with the guys."
"Andrei is a man of integrity. He knows how to discern the right person to fall for."
“Isn’t it something that cannot be helped by reason when a man and a woman fall in love?”
"If you're conscious, love can be easily controlled with reason. Above all, the Princess Bronte isn't Andrei's type."
"Ah..."
"Andrei likes women with dark hair. All the women he's dated so far have had dark brown or black hair."
Cyrus pointed to the chocolate cake with his chin.
“Aren’t you going to eat it? It’ll taste good if you eat it right away.”
“We’re talking about something important right now.”
"It's not a serious story. It's something you can talk about while eating."
Ariana relaxed at Cyrus' calm words.
I see. It doesn't matter to him whether Victoria is Paganus or something more.
Thinking like that made her heart feel lighter.
Ariana picked up a knife, cut off a slice of chocolate cake, and placed it on a small plate. When she handed it to Cyrus, he shook his head.
“I hate sweets.”
So Ariana picked up a fork and ate the cake by herself. The bread, covered in sweet chocolate, was soft and moist.
As the luxurious sweetness spread through her mouth, her heart felt lighter. Victoria's situation didn't seem like a big deal anymore.
“Is there any way to prove that Victoria is Paganus?”
“If someone who is not of Paganus’ bloodline performs a ritual and gains the power of Amanthal, the priest of Paganus who presides over the ritual brands the new believer with a red-hot seal somewhere on their body.”
“If Victoria had undergone the ritual, she would have been branded somewhere on her body.”
"There are plenty of ways to find out. Princess, there's chocolate on the side of your lip."
“I don’t fall for that joke anymore.”
“This time it’s real.”
Cyrus reached out, his thumb brushing the corner of Ariana's mouth.
There was chocolate smeared on the tip of her delicate thumb. Before she could even blush, he brought it to his lips.
His red lips parted, and his tongue licked the chocolate off his thumb, a slow, unbelievable sight. Ariana held her breath and watched, dumbfounded, unable to believe what she was seeing.
'What are you doing now...? Why is the Northern Lord...?'
Wiping off something like chocolate from someone else's lips and eating it wasn't something just anyone could do. That kind of thing...
'No, no one would do that!'
Ariana had never seen anything like it in her entire life.
"What shall we do, Princess? If the Princess of Bronte is Paganus, the She Western Lord will have no repercussions even if she is killed right now."
Cyrus, who had committed an act that would have rocked Ariana's world, remained calm as if nothing had happened. Only then did Ariana finally catch her breath.
“Now... what have you done now?”
“Huh? I was being kind to the Princess of Bronte, just as the Princess wanted, and then I found out she was Paganus.”
“No, that’s not it... Just now...”
Her face was flushed. Even the back of her neck felt hot.
“That’s it.”
“That thing just now? Ah.”
Cyrus looked down at his thumb. Ariana's heart pounded painfully as she remembered what he had done with it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She was embarrassed because she thought Cyrus could hear her heartbeat, but the expression on Cyrus' face as he looked at his thumb was annoyingly calm.
“The chocolate was sweet.”
“Sweet things... You said you didn’t like it.”
“I was curious because the Princess was eating it so deliciously.”
“Then you can just cut off a piece and eat it.”
“One piece is too many.”
Hearing Cyrus's monotonous answers throughout, she began to wonder if he was right.
'No, that can't be!'
There's no way wiping off someone else's lips and then eating them is a good thing. That's something that only happens in close, affectionate relationships... No, even in the most intimate and affectionate relationships, would you really do something like that? Even your father wouldn't do something like that?
Her face was still hot and didn't seem to be going down.
“Princess, I understand you’re feeling a bit sorry for wasting the chocolate sauce, but aren’t we having an important conversation right now?”
“It’s not that I don’t like chocolate.”
"Then?"
"Just..."
"Just?"
She didn't know what to say.
There needs to be a good reason to point out that it's something that shouldn't be done, but she couldn't find one.
As Cyrus said, Victoria's work was more important than the chocolate stain on her lips right now. She knew she had to focus on that, but she knew it perfectly well.
The sight of his hand brushing her lips, the chocolate on his thumb, and his lips parting was so vivid that she couldn't think of anything else.
Suddenly, being alone with Cyrus in a confined space felt like a huge deal. Even though they'd been alone together more than once since arriving in the North, or rather since she met him at the Duke of Bronte's mansion, it felt like it.
Her heart was still pounding, and her body felt strangely hot.
“The Northern Lord... Do the Northern Lords usually wipe off the food that others put on their lips before eating?”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why...?”
"I told you. I was curious because the Princess enjoyed the food. But one piece seemed too much. Was I rude?"
Yeah, rude.
An appropriate word came to mind.
It was rude.
“Yes, Your Excellency. That was very rude.”
As she found a suitable reason, her heart, which had been pounding uncontrollably, slowly regained its normal pace. Her flushed face also calmed down.
Cyrus smiled broadly at Ariana's firm words. His smile was sweeter than chocolate cake, and her heart nearly fluttered again, but Ariana controlled her emotions by clutching her skirt tightly with both hands.
“Yes, I’m sorry if I took that as rude.”
“I forgive you.”
“I will be grateful for the Princess’s generosity.”
“That’s what it should be.”
Ariana, her lips pursed, was so lovely, like a small, fluffy creature, that Cyrus couldn't take his eyes off her.
When she saw the chocolate on her lips, the first impulse that came to mind was.
After dismissing the maids, only Ariana and Cyrus remained in the room.
Cyrus glanced down at the chocolate cake and asked.
“Do you like sweet things?”
"I like it."
Sweet desserts were expensive and out of reach for commoners. However, maids of noble families often had the opportunity to enjoy them, as they could eat the desserts left over from the nobles' meals.
Ariana didn't even have a chance to eat it.
The Bronte sisters' maids struggled to ignore their mistress's mistreated Ariana. After marrying Alfreich, she attended various parties and occasionally had the opportunity to eat, but it wasn't enough. It was impolite to gorge oneself in front of everyone.
The first time she tasted a sweet dessert made exclusively for herself was when she was revived and came to live in the Chase Castle in the East.
The taste of the sweet sherbet she ate without caring about anyone's opinion was still vivid.
“You hate carrots and limes, but you like sweets.”
Ariana blushed at Cyrus' words.
“How did you know that?”
"Because we ate together. You avoided carrots as much as possible and took a deep breath before drinking lime juice."
She tried to hide her picky eating habits because she didn't want to show them, but she didn't know Cyrus would see them. Cyrus said, looking at Ariana's embarrassed expression.
"So what? Everyone has things they dislike. And didn't you leave the Bronte household to live as you pleased?"
She heard this story from Isabelle before.
Suddenly, she wondered if her actions were so frustrating to others.
“Do I look frustrated and pathetic?”
"No way. The Princess looks confident and strong. It's not easy to endure something you don't like. But sometimes, at least when you're with me, you can do whatever you want."
“Then you’ll hate me. You’ll get sick of me and even hate the sight of me.”
Cyrus chuckled softly. He looked at Ariana with narrowed eyes.
“What a great thing you are trying to do.”
Ariana loved it when Cyrus would fold his eyes into crescent moons and smile.
As she gazed into his narrowed eyes, a gentle breeze blew through her chest. Before the wind could carry its sweet scent, Ariana quickly came to her senses and spoke.
“Is that what you came here to talk about?”
“Oh, right. There’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“It seems like the Princess’s younger sister has become Paganus.”
Paganus.
The words she heard unexpectedly ran coldly down her spine. Ariana's eyes widened, and she stared at Cyrus's lips.
Paganus? Victoria?
She knew Victoria would do anything to get revenge on Ariana, but she never dreamed she would become Paganus. Becoming Paganus meant risking the destruction of her family if it was discovered.
“Is that true?”
"I've dealt with many Pagans, so I know their gaze. If you look closely, their eyes change rapidly. But it would be hard for an ordinary person to notice. Judging by Andrei's fascination with the Princess, it's almost certain."
"Victoria is pretty. She hasn't even had her debutante ceremony yet, but she's popular with the guys."
"Andrei is a man of integrity. He knows how to discern the right person to fall for."
“Isn’t it something that cannot be helped by reason when a man and a woman fall in love?”
"If you're conscious, love can be easily controlled with reason. Above all, the Princess Bronte isn't Andrei's type."
"Ah..."
"Andrei likes women with dark hair. All the women he's dated so far have had dark brown or black hair."
Cyrus pointed to the chocolate cake with his chin.
“Aren’t you going to eat it? It’ll taste good if you eat it right away.”
“We’re talking about something important right now.”
"It's not a serious story. It's something you can talk about while eating."
Ariana relaxed at Cyrus' calm words.
I see. It doesn't matter to him whether Victoria is Paganus or something more.
Thinking like that made her heart feel lighter.
Ariana picked up a knife, cut off a slice of chocolate cake, and placed it on a small plate. When she handed it to Cyrus, he shook his head.
“I hate sweets.”
So Ariana picked up a fork and ate the cake by herself. The bread, covered in sweet chocolate, was soft and moist.
As the luxurious sweetness spread through her mouth, her heart felt lighter. Victoria's situation didn't seem like a big deal anymore.
“Is there any way to prove that Victoria is Paganus?”
“If someone who is not of Paganus’ bloodline performs a ritual and gains the power of Amanthal, the priest of Paganus who presides over the ritual brands the new believer with a red-hot seal somewhere on their body.”
“If Victoria had undergone the ritual, she would have been branded somewhere on her body.”
"There are plenty of ways to find out. Princess, there's chocolate on the side of your lip."
“I don’t fall for that joke anymore.”
“This time it’s real.”
Cyrus reached out, his thumb brushing the corner of Ariana's mouth.
There was chocolate smeared on the tip of her delicate thumb. Before she could even blush, he brought it to his lips.
His red lips parted, and his tongue licked the chocolate off his thumb, a slow, unbelievable sight. Ariana held her breath and watched, dumbfounded, unable to believe what she was seeing.
'What are you doing now...? Why is the Northern Lord...?'
Wiping off something like chocolate from someone else's lips and eating it wasn't something just anyone could do. That kind of thing...
'No, no one would do that!'
Ariana had never seen anything like it in her entire life.
"What shall we do, Princess? If the Princess of Bronte is Paganus, the She Western Lord will have no repercussions even if she is killed right now."
Cyrus, who had committed an act that would have rocked Ariana's world, remained calm as if nothing had happened. Only then did Ariana finally catch her breath.
“Now... what have you done now?”
“Huh? I was being kind to the Princess of Bronte, just as the Princess wanted, and then I found out she was Paganus.”
“No, that’s not it... Just now...”
Her face was flushed. Even the back of her neck felt hot.
“That’s it.”
“That thing just now? Ah.”
Cyrus looked down at his thumb. Ariana's heart pounded painfully as she remembered what he had done with it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She was embarrassed because she thought Cyrus could hear her heartbeat, but the expression on Cyrus' face as he looked at his thumb was annoyingly calm.
“The chocolate was sweet.”
“Sweet things... You said you didn’t like it.”
“I was curious because the Princess was eating it so deliciously.”
“Then you can just cut off a piece and eat it.”
“One piece is too many.”
Hearing Cyrus's monotonous answers throughout, she began to wonder if he was right.
'No, that can't be!'
There's no way wiping off someone else's lips and then eating them is a good thing. That's something that only happens in close, affectionate relationships... No, even in the most intimate and affectionate relationships, would you really do something like that? Even your father wouldn't do something like that?
Her face was still hot and didn't seem to be going down.
“Princess, I understand you’re feeling a bit sorry for wasting the chocolate sauce, but aren’t we having an important conversation right now?”
“It’s not that I don’t like chocolate.”
"Then?"
"Just..."
"Just?"
She didn't know what to say.
There needs to be a good reason to point out that it's something that shouldn't be done, but she couldn't find one.
As Cyrus said, Victoria's work was more important than the chocolate stain on her lips right now. She knew she had to focus on that, but she knew it perfectly well.
The sight of his hand brushing her lips, the chocolate on his thumb, and his lips parting was so vivid that she couldn't think of anything else.
Suddenly, being alone with Cyrus in a confined space felt like a huge deal. Even though they'd been alone together more than once since arriving in the North, or rather since she met him at the Duke of Bronte's mansion, it felt like it.
Her heart was still pounding, and her body felt strangely hot.
“The Northern Lord... Do the Northern Lords usually wipe off the food that others put on their lips before eating?”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why...?”
"I told you. I was curious because the Princess enjoyed the food. But one piece seemed too much. Was I rude?"
Yeah, rude.
An appropriate word came to mind.
It was rude.
“Yes, Your Excellency. That was very rude.”
As she found a suitable reason, her heart, which had been pounding uncontrollably, slowly regained its normal pace. Her flushed face also calmed down.
Cyrus smiled broadly at Ariana's firm words. His smile was sweeter than chocolate cake, and her heart nearly fluttered again, but Ariana controlled her emotions by clutching her skirt tightly with both hands.
“Yes, I’m sorry if I took that as rude.”
“I forgive you.”
“I will be grateful for the Princess’s generosity.”
“That’s what it should be.”
Ariana, her lips pursed, was so lovely, like a small, fluffy creature, that Cyrus couldn't take his eyes off her.
When she saw the chocolate on her lips, the first impulse that came to mind was.
She wants to lick it.
Instead of wiping it off with her fingers, she wanted to go up to her and lick the sweetness off her lips.
Embarrassed by the impulse that surged through his body, his body moved uncontrollably, leaving him no time to restrain himself. Barely restraining himself, his hands moved to wipe away the chocolate, and his lips, unbidden, explored the chocolate, imbued with her scent.
Any thoughts of 'Am I out of my mind?' vanished the moment he saw her reaction.
A flushed face, wide eyes, and red lips that reveal an embarrassed look that makes it difficult to breathe.
Because everything was so perfect, so flawless, it was the first time in Cyrus's life that he had seen anything so complete.
This action was right.
It was an impulse to see this very sight.
He likes to see her again, but he can't. She said it was rude, so he'll have to endure it.
Cyrus watched with pleasure as the blush faded from her face.
Ariana finally said, her expression darkening.
"What does the Northern Lord want to do with the Western Lord? Do you want to kill him? Or do you want to force him to lose everything and step down from his position?"
“I want to make him taste the despair that makes him want to die.”
“Yes. Then...”
As Ariana lowered her head, her sky-blue hair flowed down. Cyrus barely suppressed the urge to tangle the ends of her hair between his fingers.
Every time he saw Ariana, a sudden surge of desire would arise. Such diverse and sudden emotions.
The feelings that were annoying but not unpleasant increased in number and intensity the longer he spent with Ariana.
It was almost too much effort to reach out to Ariana, keeping his hands planted on his knees. He was wondering if Ariana was using some strange magic when Ariana raised her head and spoke.
“Let’s leave Victoria alone for now.”
Instead of wiping it off with her fingers, she wanted to go up to her and lick the sweetness off her lips.
Embarrassed by the impulse that surged through his body, his body moved uncontrollably, leaving him no time to restrain himself. Barely restraining himself, his hands moved to wipe away the chocolate, and his lips, unbidden, explored the chocolate, imbued with her scent.
Any thoughts of 'Am I out of my mind?' vanished the moment he saw her reaction.
A flushed face, wide eyes, and red lips that reveal an embarrassed look that makes it difficult to breathe.
Because everything was so perfect, so flawless, it was the first time in Cyrus's life that he had seen anything so complete.
This action was right.
It was an impulse to see this very sight.
He likes to see her again, but he can't. She said it was rude, so he'll have to endure it.
Cyrus watched with pleasure as the blush faded from her face.
Ariana finally said, her expression darkening.
"What does the Northern Lord want to do with the Western Lord? Do you want to kill him? Or do you want to force him to lose everything and step down from his position?"
“I want to make him taste the despair that makes him want to die.”
“Yes. Then...”
As Ariana lowered her head, her sky-blue hair flowed down. Cyrus barely suppressed the urge to tangle the ends of her hair between his fingers.
Every time he saw Ariana, a sudden surge of desire would arise. Such diverse and sudden emotions.
The feelings that were annoying but not unpleasant increased in number and intensity the longer he spent with Ariana.
It was almost too much effort to reach out to Ariana, keeping his hands planted on his knees. He was wondering if Ariana was using some strange magic when Ariana raised her head and spoke.
“Let’s leave Victoria alone for now.”
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