Chapter 3 – Part 10

“I can put them on.”
 
Startled, Liese stepped away, and a strong hand grabbed her ankle. Liese stared at the wall as if to command her to stay still.
 
Her thin, bony legs were twisted in the man’s grip. The man’s hand was gripped by a thin, bony leg.
 
Marcus lowered his eyes and silently slipped the shoe onto Liese’s foot. He grabbed the heel with his large, callused hand and placed it in his lap. It was an awkward gesture, but Liese had no choice but to accept his touch meekly.
 
She felt somehow embarrassed to have her n*ked feet in front of the duke’s eyes, the heat of his body against the soft flesh of the indentation next to her peach bones, and the man’s stone-hard thighs against her toes.
 
Marcus’s face lifted again as he slipped on the shoes that fit her dainty feet. His expression was bland and unreadable.
 
“What do you think?”
 
Without breaking eye contact, Liese spoke in a slow voice.
 
“It’s pretty… and uncomfortable.”
 
“I know. You’d better get used to it.”
 
He added, nodding lightly in agreement. The body heat was still clutching at her ankle.
 
“I need to ask you something.”
 
“What?”
 
“How about your experience with men?”
 
Liese nearly jumped out of her seat, her senses overwhelmed. If Marcus hadn’t been holding her ankle, she might have done so, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of shame on his face for asking such an unscrupulous question.
 
“I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?”
 
“Exactly as I said. Do you have a current relationship with a man, or have you met someone in the past?”
 
Why would he use such misleading language when she could have just asked in the first place? Liese narrowed her eyes to show her displeasure.
 
“I don’t see why my relationship is important in the first place.”
 
“It should have been the first thing to address.”
 
Marcus tightened his grip on her ankle.
 
“Tell me. Is there someone tangled up in your past or present?”
 
“I’m not in a relationship.”
 
Liese shook her head, scratching at her captor’s leg. The more she did, the more Marcus tugged her toward him. Her toes dragged on his inner thigh.
 
“Are you sure?”
 
“I really am.”
 
“You don’t even have a significant other that you get intimate with on a regular basis?”
 
Liese’s face flushed.
 
“…What the hell, absolutely not!””
 
“How do I know if you’re lying to me because you’re in a hurry to get a bunch of money?”
 
“Believe me, there isn’t a single person I’m seeing now, or even a single person I’ve ever met. I assure you…!”
 
The sound of clinking glasses came from nearby. Liese whipped her head around to stare at it. Marcus didn’t look up from his kneeling position.
 
“Oh… I apologize if I disturbed you. I brought brandy.”
 
Catherine, standing a few feet away, gave him an embarrassed smile. Only her eyes glowed, as if she had just witnessed a secret act of affection.
 
“I’ve also brought more refreshments for you, My Lady, I thought you might enjoy them.”
 
“Thank you.”
 
Liese, who hadn’t forgotten to thank her, looked down at Marcus with uneasy eyes. The inconsiderate man was still glaring at her from below, his hand on her ankle.
 
“Have fun, then.”
 
Catherine gave them a patronizing look, pretending she didn’t see the two lovers squabbling. Liese’s chest heaved rapidly, as if she’d just gotten a good thrashing, and her grip on her ankles loosened like shackles.
 
‘It seems we were playing games here, prying into each other’s pasts.’
 
Rising to his feet, the Duke picked up a necklace of thick diamonds from a display case. The gems glittered and sparkled in the ceiling lights. Liese watched wordlessly, unable to contain herself.
 
Marcus took a handful of her hair and turned it to the other side in a domineering manner, revealing the slender nape of her neck, which had been pulled up and tied back by an employee earlier.
 
He began to arrange a string of necklaces around it. Liese winced at the coolness of the metal against her flesh.
 
“The lounge staff welcoming the noble guests are not known for being discreet. It’s not uncommon for them to receive bribes in exchange for spreading gossip.”
 
Rumors of the Duke’s love affair with his newfound lover would spread like wildfire through the staff’s mouths. It would set the stage for the social season.
 
“Did you ask about my relationship on purpose, knowing Catherine would overhear?”
 
“I had to ask anyway.”
 
He replied nonchalantly, but Liese’s blush deepened.
 
In an era where free relationships were common, shouting that she had never met a man before was somewhat forceful. While it wasn’t a flaw, realizing that she had revealed a not-so-proud past made her cheeks burn.
 
“Wouldn’t it complicate things if you had a man you were hiding from? Think of how ridiculous it would be if you claimed to be taking a woman who was obviously with someone else.”
 
The Duke had a point. But in such matters, Liese was perfectly free.
 
he had never been in a relationship, let alone regularly meeting someone for physical intimacy. It was one of the most absurd stories she had ever heard in her life.
 
“You have nothing to worry about, I promise.”
 
“You better not be lying.”
 
Marcus forced himself to lock eyes with Liese again. Liese glared at him, unable to hide her displeasure as her head whirled. The Duke stood in front of her, seated, making eye contact difficult.
 
“You don’t even want to know what you’re going to have to deal with if our plans go awry.”
 
“No, I don’t think I need to know, and I’ll be more careful not to become a pawn in your plans.”
 
“You’re a good talker.”
 
Marcus smirked, his eyes sizing up Liese’s attire.
 
With her chunky jeweled necklace, sleek silk dress, and white shoes, she was as pretty as a doll. She looked exactly like the part he wanted her to play. Except for the fierce look on her face, as if she were looking at an enemy.
 
Of course, he had no intention of keeping her by his side to boast about such trivial matters.
 
Marcus grabbed her chin tightly. His hostile demeanor became even stronger. Liese, not knowing how to endure the discomfort, glared at him fiercely. Seated in front of the Duke, the height difference was particularly overwhelming.
 
“Your abysmal acting skills have made it clear that I need to elicit a reaction from you.”
 
“No, please don’t.”
 
Liese flailed urgently. The intricately set diamonds jiggled against her white flesh.
 
“Then I’ll send for Catherine, and you can go beg me to buy you jewelry in front of her.”
 
It wasn’t an act. It was so far out of character for Liese to beg someone to buy something.
 
“It’s….”
 
“You can’t do that, can you?”
 
Marcus sneered, as if he knew she would.
 
“On the other hand, what if I kissed you on the cheek?”
 
He could easily imagine it. A woman who had never felt a man’s touch before, in front of strangers, received his kiss and panicked like a headless chicken.
 
“You’ll probably turn red and become completely flustered. Rather than fumbling like a puppet, it would make you seem more like a woman in love, don’t you think?”
 
“I apologize, Your Grace. I’ll do my best, so please don’t kiss me.”
 
Liese pleaded, paling at the mere thought of the Duke kissing her face.
 
“I told you to call me by my first name outside, and now you’re drawing lines here.”
 
Smirking, Marcus slipped his finger into the necklace she wore. He grabbed the chain near her abdomen. The chain, reinforced with force, left a faint mark on her delicate skin.
 
Liese looked up at the duke, her eyes no different from the day she’d knelt before him.
 
“You’ll have to behave better than you are now when the social season rolls around. You may be a scarecrow, but you still need to be a convincing scarecrow.”
 
“…I’ll do my best.”
 
“Stop running your mouth and fix the way you look at me.”
 
He clenched the necklace around his finger. The expensive diamond trinket felt like a dog’s collar to Liese, who couldn’t fathom its price. She was being dragged inexorably in the direction the duke was pulling.
 
“I will try.”
 
As long as she was paid, she had no choice but to follow his orders. Marcus glanced down at her, then released his grip on her collar.
 
The Duke sent for Catherine and insisted that she continue her unfinished shopping. She dreaded the thought of having to change in front of him, but as he pulled on his coat with one hand, he seemed ready to leave.
 
“I have an appointment to attend to,” he said, “so finish your shopping, and when you’re done, an attendant will escort you home.”
 
She was glad to hear that. Breathing a secret sigh of relief, Liese rubbed her fingertips across her flushed nape and rose to her feet. It was time to bid him goodbye.
 
“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule, and I’ll see you around. …Marcus.”

Marcus glanced down at her.
 
“Is that all you have to say?”
 
Indeed, that was all. It was even a fabricated statement. Blinking her eyes, Liese briefly glanced at Catherine nearby, then focused her gaze back on Marcus.
 
His eyes, reminiscent of a cool dawn, exerted an unspoken pressure. Eyes that could see, which meant acting accordingly.
 
Liese barely moved her lips to keep them from falling apart.
 
“You bought me a beautiful dress and accessories, and I couldn’t be more… well, happy, thank you.”
 
“You won’t repay me? ”
 
Marcus tilted his chin playfully. There was a gleam of expectation in his flat face. A kiss, perhaps.
 
Liese gritted her teeth. The staff watched, their eyes twinkling.
 
“How can I repay you when there are so many eyes watching? ”
 
The Duke raised his eyebrows in a mischievous expression, and Liese quickly intervened.
 
“I’ll do it when we’re alone, just the two of us.”
 
There was an eerie silence in the spacious lounge. Liese mulled over her words a beat too late, wondering if she’d said something wrong.
 
No matter how she thought about it, there was nothing wrong with it. She’d avoided kissing the Duke, and her acting  wasn’t too bad.
 
But Marcus’s mood didn’t look good, with his mouth closed and his face sunken. Somehow, the alien look in his eyes made it even harder to read his intentions.
 
“Not this again.”
 
Marcus muttered quietly and blinked his eyelashes slowly. Liese faked a smile, thinking she’d better send him on his way.
 
“Didn’t you say you had another appointment? Go ahead. I don’t want to be a distraction.”
 
“Aren’t you trying to get rid of me because you don’t want to see me? ”
 
“…No, I’m sorry, I was hoping you’d stay longer, but you’re already leaving.”
 
“Oh, well, maybe we can have dinner this weekend.”
 
Liese’s expression, which had barely lifted the corner of her mouth, froze. Marcus, who had the appointment at his disposal, smirked.
 
“You don’t mind, do you?”
 
“…Of course not; I’m really happy, and I’m looking forward to it.”
 
“So am I. I have somewhere I’d like to take you.”
 
The Duke stroked Liese’s cheek with his fingertips. The feigned affection made all the fur tickle.
 
“There will be a celebration at the end of the week to honor the opening of the exhibition, and I would like you to come with me. My lover should not be absent from a gathering of only those who know me.”
 
“Of course. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
 
The Duke, smiling with satisfaction at the mechanical response, looked back at Catherine.
 
“Give Lady Brennan everything she wants, pick out a suitable evening gown for her, and send the bill to me.”
 
“I will do as you ask, just leave it to me.”
 
“I’ll see you at the weekend, Lieselotte.”
 
Leaning over, Marcus lifted Liese’s hand and kissed the back of it. His soft breath drifted over their skin. The man’s dark eyes held a smile as he turned to face her. Liese forced a stiff smile.