Chapter 91

Is this just another dream? A delusion that wears me down? Why are you looking at me? However, Lionel soon realized that this was not an illusion. His dazed mind instantly became clear as his golden eyes trembled with surprise. His once hazy, dark blue eyes sharpened. Adel tried to get up quickly, but she was captivated by Lionel's intense gaze. Lionel, who had been leaning against the back of the sofa, slowly sat up. Adel, despite seeing him approach, could not move. She exhaled a thin, weak breath, and he asked her softly,

“Were you looking at me?”

Adel could not answer. But Lionel, unconcerned, whispered. It seemed as if the devil of desire was reaching out with its crimson paws, unwilling to miss this opportunity.

“Why... were you looking at me?”

“...I, ...”

Adel tried to make an excuse, but in the end, she trailed off. Intense emotions were mixed in his piercing, intense gaze. His eyes, which shimmered in the light, were red. He was intense like a fierce beast, hot like burning flames, and at the same time, delicate like a spring flower. He whispered to Adel with a trembling voice,

“I have always been looking at you.”

His voice, trembling like a flower petal, overwhelmed her like a powerful wave. The shiver that started in her ear spread to her chest, making her feel as if she and he were the only two people in the world.

“Even when I look at you, I am curious about you.”

His sincerity, like a flame, enveloped Adel. She slowly stood up. The eye level that had been tilted suddenly reversed. She stood as if to enclose him, looking down at his dark blue eyes. In the precarious silence, he forgot to breathe. She opened her mouth to look at him,

“Why?”

In response to her question, Lionel slowly opened his mouth but could not answer. Words were too narrow. How could he express this overwhelming emotion that flooded him, this world that revolved entirely around her? Tears that had overflowed the wall before they could fall ran down his cheeks and trickled into the space between his parted lips. He was crying, looking up at her endlessly. The tear that fell from his eyes seeped into Adel's heart. Adel slowly raised her hand and gently swept it across his cheek. When her slender, cool fingers touched his cheek, Lionel froze. All his nerves focused on the point where they touched. He did not even notice his heart racing wildly. Status, situation, honor, and dignity... All the shells that surrounded them were stripped away. In the night when everything disappeared, Adel's fingertips slowly traced the path of the tears, then touched his wet, red lips. When Lionel lightly bit her fingertips, her fingertips also became wet. The soft touch transmitted through her fingertips made her body tingle with a sharp shiver. Her lips, now mashed, and her eyes, now red, made Adel unable to hold back any longer. She slowly leaned towards him. Her black hair, like a canopy, shielded them, and in the enclosed world, only the two of them remained. In this world where only the two of them existed, Adel slowly kissed Lionel's lips.

The soft touch of her lips and the fragrant breath that tickled her nose made her lose her senses. At the spot where all reason shattered like foam, a surge of hot ecstasy and joy rose. Unlike her always cold hands, the lips that touched hers were hot. When the lips that had been touching hers slowly parted, Lionel, without realizing it, had been pushed back and was leaning against the sofa. He urgently pulled her shoulder towards him. In an instant, his posture collapsed, and he embraced Adel's back with a strong force, gently holding her head with one hand and kissed her again. Like the sea swallowing the moon, the suppressed desire erupted violently. When the overlapping shadows finally separated, the pale moonlight reflected a red flush on his cheeks, and his always clear golden eyes were full of heat. Lionel's heart boiled at the sight of Adel, who was usually composed, now disheveled. He wanted to touch her smooth face, and as he slowly extended his hand, a knock came.

Knock, knock, knock. A somewhat urgent knocking sound. Adel's dazed golden eyes tightened, and she quickly distanced herself from Lionel. Despite the obvious situation, Lionel felt a sudden loss of the warmth and weight that had just disappeared, and he was left in a daze. The fragile relationship that required them to distance themselves at the sound of a small knock became painfully real. His eyes were dark and deep. Lionel, hiding his expression, stood up from the sofa and straightened his clothes. Adel, trying to steady her rough breath, walked towards the door. Even as she walked, her heart raced wildly, and all her nerves were focused on his gaze that clung to her back. Adel took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. The person who knocked was none other than the butler of the Duke's residence.

“I apologize for the late hour.”

“There must be a reason for your visit. What is it?”

“Visitors have come to see Her Highness. I tried to turn them away due to the late hour, but they insisted on seeing you today, even if it meant being rude.”

The visitors, even to the butler who had dealt with countless powerful nobles at the Baldur residence, were not ordinary. When the experienced butler asked the visitors for proof of identity, the smaller of the two handed over a round object. The object, intricately engraved with foreign patterns, had a flower carved in the center. The butler carefully took out the object he had hidden and respectfully handed it to Adel.

“This is the proof of identity presented by the visitors.”

Adel's eyes wavered as she instantly recognized the object. It was the symbol of the head of the Gotrop Knox family. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, Dian, who had sat in a daze until the darkness of death enveloped the surroundings, left the Ivory Palace without a clear destination. The bandage given by Renox was buried deep in the wardrobe. Crossing the pitch-black darkness alone, Dian arrived at the Imperial Palace. The attendants guarding the palace were startled by her ghostly appearance and the fierce light in her eyes. At first, they thought they were seeing a hallucination. What had happened to the woman who once moved through the palace like a delicate flower?

“I have come to see His Majesty.”

The attendant guarding the bedroom door bowed respectfully and replied,

“I'm sorry, but it is very late. Perhaps you could come back tomorrow...”

“I need to see His Majesty now!!!”

Dian's sharp cry startled all the attendants. The situation was clearly not normal. Dian was not the type to raise her voice like this. She always maintained a frail but kind and lovely image. Even the rumor that she was pregnant with the emperor's child was widespread. If she were to clutch her stomach and collapse, who would be held responsible? The attendant, after promising to inform His Majesty, carefully opened the door and went in. Fortunately, the emperor was still awake, sitting on the sofa. He seemed to have heard the commotion outside, and before the attendant could speak, he rubbed his forehead roughly and said in a cold voice,

“Bring her in.”

The attendant, relieved, quickly opened the door, and Dian entered the room as if she had been waiting. After the attendant closed the door and left, the two were alone in the spacious bedroom, but the emperor did not look at her.

“What is the commotion about?”

His voice was as cold as ice. After all, when had he ever been affectionate? Despite his cold treatment, her foolish heart was stirred. She always took care of her long, curly hair because he seemed to like it. She blushed her cheeks pink because he liked it, and she always smiled because he disliked seeing her cry. She acted without being told because he found it annoying to repeat himself, and she always prioritized his mood over hers. In her relationship with the emperor, she did not exist. The words of Princess Adelaide, who said she would not adjust herself to others' tastes, echoed in her ears. At the time, she thought it was a very arrogant statement, but now, upon reflection, she realized that the one who was wrong was Dian. Dian slowly sat down opposite the emperor.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly and leave.”

Only now do I see. Foolishly, only now do I see the true face of this man. He had no intention of hiding it, but she had turned a blind eye to it. She had only seen what she wanted to see and believed what she wanted to believe, and now she was paying the price for it.

“Is this child a boy or a girl?”

The emperor's brow twisted savagely. The cold, contemptuous gaze made her shiver. Her lungs constricted, making it hard to breathe, but Dian managed to smile.

“Aren’t you curious, Your Majesty?”