Chapter 16

“…Pardon?”  

“I know it’s a bit inappropriate to say this during a marriage meeting… but I’m already seeing someone.”  

Raphael’s expression, which had stiffened momentarily, suddenly brightened.  

“Haha, if that’s the case, you don’t need to worry. I already knew.”  

“You knew?”  

“That’s why I came here personally. I don’t want to give up on you so easily, Lady Rivera.”  

Raphael glanced at the ring on Rivera’s left ring finger and smirked mockingly.  

“This won’t be a bad opportunity for you either. I guarantee it.”  

Rivera was so taken aback that she was at a loss for words.  

“You’ll surely end up falling head over heels for me.”  

* * *  

“Ahng…! Your Highness, it’s too deep… Hngh!”  

The woman’s moans grew louder with his rough movements. Her body lost all control under his relentless pace, sweat dripping from his muscular figure. Her fingers dug into the headboard of the bed, gripping it tightly.  

Whenever she begged him, saying she was going crazy and that it was too hot, Raphael would thrust even harder. Gripping her slender waist, he mounted her, his breath ragged, and felt blood rushing to his lower half.  

He plunged his length deep into her overflowing core.  

“Haaaahng!”  

The woman screamed as she reached her climax, her face flushed as she panted heavily. Raphael pulled out his manhood and muttered filthy words.  

Spit.  

“You filthy wench.”  

Raphael spat on the woman’s body. Yet, she didn’t seem to mind at all. Catching her breath, she spread her legs and inserted her hand into her entrance, which was dripping with his seed.  

She brought her fingers, coated in the fluid, to her mouth.  

Lick.  

Her expression, as if savoring a delicacy, and her exquisite figure were enough to stir his desires once more.  

“To call a lowly woman like me lewd… there’s no greater compliment.”  

She smiled contentedly, wrapping her body in fine cloth.  

“Tsk, this is why I like women like you. You know your place.”  

Her vulgar words only ignited Raphael’s lust again.  

After meeting Rivera, Raphael had been with another woman. From the beginning, he had no intention of having a genuine relationship with Rivera.  

This was only the second time he had seen her.  

‘I learned of her by chance.’  

Raphael, who loved tea, had been visiting a famous tea shop when he saw Rivera arguing with a man. At the time, he thought she was a shameless woman. But after hearing the words of those around him, his thoughts changed.  

‘Adrian Bartman’s only friend, huh.’  

The Crown Prince of Lenin had come to this country to build a support base for himself.  

Even though he was the Crown Prince, it didn’t guarantee he would become King. His brothers were already gathering their own forces, eyeing his position.  

Thus, he sought to form ties with a more powerful figure, and the easiest way to do so was through a political marriage. While looking into noble daughters from influential families, Rivera caught his attention.  

‘If I can use her to get close to Duke Bartman, my position will be secure.’  

Therefore, everything written in the letter was a lie. He had merely forged someone else’s words as his own.  

‘What I want is Duke Bartman, nothing more.’  

Interestingly, Duke Bartman had no acquaintances apart from Rivera Iaron. A young man and woman always being together—it was enough to make one believe they were romantically involved. Yet, no one suspected it for a few reasons.  

One reason was their difference in status. Not all nobles were equal. Even within the same rank, there were prestigious families and those on the brink of collapse. A Duke and an Earl’s daughter?  

That wasn’t all. Their appearances, reputations, and everything else about them were vastly different.  

Duke Bartman avoided women and had never been in a proper relationship. Rivera Iaron, on the other hand, was different.  

– Explain in detail. Rivera Iaron changes men every week?  

– To be precise, the men are the ones who break up with her. After each breakup, Lady Iaron would seek out another man, and this cycle repeated so often that rumors spread she was cursed by the goddess.  

– Cursed by the goddess? Nonsense… Isn’t it just that? Those women who are so promiscuous they drain men dry.  

– I wouldn’t know about that…  

– Well, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the case, once she’s in my arms, she won’t be able to leave. Send the letter first. Once I use Rivera Iaron to establish ties with Duke Bartman, I’ll discard her appropriately.  

That was his true goal.  

Having heard that she had dated many men, he had expected extraordinary beauty, but she was merely average. Her appearance was exactly as depicted in the portrait he had obtained beforehand.  

“Why does Duke Bartman associate with a woman like her?”  

“…Duke Bartman?”  

The woman lying in bed, hearing the familiar name, instinctively asked, but the Crown Prince of Lenin had no intention of answering.  

“You don’t need to know.”  

The woman, unsure, tilted her head before falling silent.  

‘If she truly is close to Duke Bartman, that’s fortunate.’  

If not, he planned to play with her for a night and discard her.  

How many of the Crown Princess candidates in history actually became Queens? And how many of them lived to see their children ascend the throne?  

Even the daughters of the most powerful noble families, considered the best of their time, often met tragic ends. If a woman from a powerless, penniless family were to die in an “accident,” people would forget her within days.  

* * *  

Rivera offered Adrian sweet desserts to soothe his mood. She hadn’t expected the Crown Prince of Lenin to be so indifferent to the fact that she already had a boyfriend.  

“Try this. It’s really good.”  

“I don’t like sweet things.”  

“…If you don’t like sweets, then no one in the world does.”  

Despite his intimidating appearance, Adrian had a surprisingly strong love for sweet treats.  

“If you’re upset, just say you’re upset.”  

That way, she could try to cheer him up with some playful seduction or something.  

Rivera thought back to a movie she had seen in her previous life.  

The two protagonists had a petty argument, and because of the woman’s slip of the tongue, the man became deeply upset. After days of silence, the woman tried to win him back by wearing his crisp white shirt and seducing him.  

‘That scene where she straddled him, smeared whipped cream all over her body, and begged him to clean it off….’  

Thud.  

Adrian, who had been sulking and avoiding eye contact, suddenly stood up.  

“I’ll eat it.”  

She thought his anger had subsided. But judging by the fiery look in his eyes, hotter than the desert sun, it didn’t seem that way.  

“Where are you going?”  

Adrian grabbed Rivera’s wrist and led her to the bed.  

“I can eat it however I want, right?”  

Adrian took a bite of a cake topped with white whipped cream, then kissed her with his lips still smeared with it. The cream, melted by his warmth, tasted sweet and smooth.  

“Mm….”  

His thick tongue slipped between her parted lips. As his hand slid through her hair, holding her firmly, Rivera’s eyes fluttered closed.  

Every time his tongue brushed against hers, it sent shivers down her spine. The sensation was electrifying, making her body tingle all over.  

As Adrian gently massaged her chest and laid her down on the bed, he smiled softly at Rivera, who looked entranced.  

“You taste sweet. Delicious, even.”  

Just as he was about to kiss her again, Rivera’s thoughts wandered.  

[I need to tell him about meeting the Crown Prince in two days… but I don’t want to think about anything right now.]  

The Crown Prince of Lenin kept bothering her.  

“Can’t we just tell him we’re dating?”  

“We agreed to keep it a secret.”  

“But we’ve already broken the one-week breakup curse.”  

“That’s true, but…”  

Rivera hesitated. Since the Crown Prince was from another country, it didn’t seem necessary to keep it a secret. Besides, she didn’t want people gossiping that she couldn’t even last a week in a relationship if she broke up with Adrian.  

“Fine. I’ll tell him we’re dating, but you have to make sure he doesn’t spread rumors.”  

Revealing her relationship with her childhood friend made her nervous.  

“That much, I can do.”  

“Thanks.”  

Rivera chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him first.  

“Are you feeling better now?”  

“A little.”  

“Are you going to keep acting like a child?”  

“I’ll stop if you do one thing for me.”  

“What is it?”  

Adrian whispered into Rivera’s ear.  

“Suck me off. With whipped cream—it’ll be sweet.”  

Boom!  

Rivera’s face turned bright red as she punched Adrian’s chest repeatedly, yelling,  

“You pervert!”  

Adrian endured her blows, feeling more wronged than hurt. He couldn’t understand why she could think such things but wouldn’t let him say them.  

* * *  

A few days later, Raphael adjusted his belt as he arrived at the shop where he was supposed to meet Rivera.  

Last time, he had kept the conversation light to avoid overwhelming her. This time, he planned to ask about her close acquaintances to gather information about Duke Bartman.  

“Oh, right.”  

Before entering, Raphael noticed his reflection in the glass window and wiped off the lipstick stain on his lips. 

That had been close.  

There was no need to give her any reason to hold something against him—not until his goal was achieved.  

‘I wonder if she’s waiting inside.’  

Raphael thought of Rivera waiting for him.  

‘Am I an hour late?’  

Being late for their second meeting didn’t bother him. He was often late, and most women understood.  

As the Crown Prince, he was busy, and women usually appreciated his effort to meet them at all. For those who didn’t understand, he simply gifted them expensive jewelry, which always calmed their anger. He wasn’t worried this time either.