Laurencia furrowed her brow and was about to step back when a large hand yanked her slender waist forward.

Whether angry or displeased about something, Ashar glared at her with a completely rigid face and spat out unexpected words.

“Yes, I’m jealous. I was shaken too. And I sulked like a child, ha… yes. So right now, I’m extremely angry.”

Laurencia was so shocked she couldn’t even point out his increasingly disrespectful tone. To hide the sound of her increasingly pounding heart, she deliberately grated on his nerves.

“Why? Does it hurt your pride to be shaken by the daughter of the enemy you must kill?”

“Yes.”

Ashar answered without hesitation.

Yet that answer didn’t feel bad—instead, it shook her heart even more.

Seeing his eyes blazing with what seemed like genuine anger, an inexplicable thrill wrapped around her entire body.

For a moment, she wondered if she’d always had this wicked side.

His coolly sunken blue eyes flashed sharply. Nevertheless, undeniable l*st rippled in the black pupils within.

The more she confirmed that fact, the more her mood soared endlessly high.

The more Ashar’s face contorted, the clearer those emotions seemed, and it strangely felt good.

Unable to suppress her surging excitement, Laurencia grabbed the man’s cheek without warning, pulled it down, and devoured his lips.

As expected, far from refusing, he swallowed the flesh pressing in like he’d been waiting for it, his whole body trembling.

She relished the stimulation of the brazen tongue stirring greedily inside her mouth while persistently staring into the eyes of the man who’d confessed to being shaken by her.

Even in this moment, rather than avoiding her gaze, he met it head-on, and her pounding heart felt like it would burst from fullness.

She couldn’t understand what this emotion was or why she felt such exhilaration.

Only one thing was certain—it was an emotion she felt because of Ashar.

These acts with him weren’t bad. She didn’t dislike seeing him desperate for her.

She quite liked those eyes gleaming with the desire to pounce like a beast.

Yes, that was all it was.

‘But why does something like that make me feel this way—’

Her golden eyes, arrogantly defining her emotions, suddenly widened greatly.

Her pounding heart, mocking her ignorance and arrogance, squeezed tight then instantly pumped out blood.

At the same time, emotions she hadn’t recognized—or perhaps deliberately ignored—came rushing in.

‘This can’t be.’

It wasn’t just “not bad,” not just “not disliking,” not just “liking”… she liked it.

Everything about touching Ashar made her heart flutter—she liked it.

Yet her mind, refusing to acknowledge that fact, kept throwing negative questions like nagging her to reconsider.

What exactly did she like?

Distinguish clearly whether she liked the man before her or the fulfillment he gave her.

See clearly who he is and escape this delusion quickly.

In the sudden confusion, her wildly tangled tongue movements gradually slowed.

Soon the passionate kiss stopped, and their now-moistened lips slowly parted.

But having realized this absurd emotion, Laurencia froze from the unexpected shock.

“What’s wrong?”

At her suddenly strange behavior, Ashar grew serious too and asked in a cool voice.

Only then snapping to her senses, Laurencia hurriedly escaped from his embrace.

Then, to hide her flustered state, she unnecessarily raised her voice.

“Wh-what if someone sees us…!”

Her burst of shouting trembled finely and died down.

At Laurencia’s out-of-nowhere reaction, Ashar’s brow furrowed even deeper.

He was dumbfounded—she’d kissed him first, yet now she was blaming him.

About to say something, he just closed his mouth at her unsettled appearance.

Her expression showed she didn’t know what to do, her gaze wandering through empty air like it had nowhere to go—she looked extremely anxious.

Keenly observing such a Laurencia, Ashar exhaled a short sigh and asked as usual.

“What is it, suddenly?”

She flinched again and looked at him, her face clearly showing disappointment.

He couldn’t understand at all why she was suddenly acting this way in the middle of a kiss.

Then a ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to him.

“What, right now. Are you acting like this because you didn’t like kissing me?”

The moment she heard Ashar’s misunderstanding, her golden eyes sparkled briefly.

‘Right. It’s because I heard that confession. Jedrian said it. Emotions are contagious. So because this man said something unnecessary, I got confused.’

Actually, being confused wasn’t unreasonable.

Under Jedrian’s pressure, she had to keep her nerves on edge every moment, and though she’d returned to the home where she’d lived her whole life, the isolated situation felt more unfamiliar and difficult than Asram where she’d only spent three years.

When caught in such helplessness, who wouldn’t lean on someone approaching them as an ally?

She’d felt protected by a man who treated her like a sturdy fence, even if briefly. She’d definitely mistaken that comfort for a different emotion.

That’s how Laurencia soothed her own heart.

It was because things were hard.

She’d gotten excited by Ashar’s lies and had a delusion.

“Princess—”

“Let’s go. Unless it’s an attic, even the smallest rooms in the imperial palace are quite spacious. It’ll take quite a while to clean.”

At her appearance, already returned to normal, Ashar’s face contorted until there was nowhere left to crumple.

“What the h*ll.”

Watching Laurencia’s back as she took the lead after all that, with incredulous eyes, he suddenly hurried after her.

And just as she was about to climb the stairs, he quickly lifted her slender body.

“Ah…! Wh-what?”

“There’s more dust than I thought. At this rate, I’ll have to clean you before the room.”

At the man’s action shaking her again, this time her brow furrowed sharply.

Even as she glared fiercely, Ashar climbed the stairs regardless. Still, his face wasn’t angry like before.

At the man’s expression, seemingly softened, Laurencia finally let out a small laugh too.

If nothing else, it seemed she’d definitely developed a grudging affection.

Given how they’d fought constantly yet her mood lifted along with just one softened expression of his.

Or maybe, as Jedrian said, she’d developed physical attachment.

“Why are you laughing again this time?”

“Just, our relationship is funny.”

“What kind of relationship are we?”

At the man’s casual question as he walked looking only forward, Laurencia naturally leaned her cheek against his broad shoulder, like she’d never denied him.

Then, recalling the corridor scenery of Adel Palace—now a mess of cobwebs and dust but once incomparably beautiful—she answered whatever came to mind.

“Between a princess and her lover.”

“Again with that.”

“Allies who formed a temporary alliance.”

“And?”

“People who’ve developed unnecessary attachment.”

As he walked listening to her languid voice like sweet music, Ashar’s eyes flinched.

Quickly composing his expression, he walked slowly without showing it and asked again.

“What kind of attachment?”

“Grudging affection.”

“Cough! Ahem. And?”

“Mm… physical attachment.”

At that moment, his leisurely walking steps finally stopped.

Slowly lowering his gaze, she stared blankly at him.

The moment he saw that clear face, his heart suddenly began pounding.

Ashar, who’d been looking at her with a deliberately calm face, asked with a serious expression.

“Have you never, not even once?”

“Never what?”

“Been shaken by me.”

At the unexpected question, Laurencia paused briefly then answered coldly.

“No.”

“Then, you just like my body?”

She should say yes, but the words that had come out so easily got stuck this time like a fishbone caught in her throat.

Her heart, unaccustomed to saying harsh things, ached instead, seemingly worried about the hurt the other would receive.

Nevertheless, Laurencia gave an answer contrary to her heart this time too.

“…You asked me to buy you, so I bought you. That was our promise.”

He was someone she’d part with soon anyway.

And she’d learned that hasty emotions only endangered herself and her allies.

So exchanging unnecessary feelings with a man who would soon become an enemy was nothing but poison.

“…Hah, I see.”

Ashar let out a small laugh and tore his gaze away without lingering.

Then he walked looking only forward again.

The atmosphere had sunk again.

It was always like this.

Fighting over nothing, engaging in psychological warfare, hurting each other.

Yet neither had any intention of stopping here.

Neither the man whose steps quickened nor the woman docilely held in his arms had changed their minds about having each other.

Before long, Ashar opened any random door and carefully set her down.

Then after quickly looking around, he shrugged.

“Inside is cleaner than expected. Still, cover your mouth and hold your breath.”

Then he moved quickly, removing the dust-covered white cloths draped over each piece of furniture. After hurriedly taking them out to the terrace and quickly returning, he suddenly stripped off his top.

When she widened her eyes in surprise, Ashar, who’d been about to unbuckle his pants, tilted his head and said something ridiculous.

“What are you doing, not undressing? Don’t tell me you’re waiting for me, the merchandise, to undress you while caressing you?”

‘Petty b*stard.’

Laurencia’s face contorted with displeasure.