Chapter 25

“Miss Selinger, where did you learn your table manners?”

“My late mother taught me. I also watched and learned from the Young Duke…”

“Ah, our Norton. He was the perfect nobleman…”

Only then did the Dowager Duchess seem to realize the secret behind Astrid’s flawless table manners, and she was deeply impressed.

Though Astrid had only said it to make her understand, the Dowager Duchess’s emotions quickly became stirred.

With a sorrowful heart, the Dowager Duchess began recounting to Kaiden various stories of Norton’s genius.

Kaiden, listening to the endless repetition, simply let it go in one ear and out the other as he continued eating. When he showed little interest, the Dowager Duchess turned her head toward Astrid.

“Miss Selinger, if you just do as you have here at Her Majesty the Queen’s tea party, you’ll be fine.”

“Yes, I will always be careful.”

“And who knows? Some noble lady might take special notice of you.”

The words carried a subtle meaning, causing Astrid to look up.

The Dowager Duchess’s lips curved into a gentle arc, but her eyes remained dry.

Could that event be a kind of showcase for Brielle Selinger?

If it was not just to promote the benevolence of the Raselles Duchy, but to present Brielle as a product before the nobles, it would be a different matter entirely.

The Dowager Duchess gave a sly smile as she watched Astrid, who had stiffened awkwardly.

After a while, when the Dowager Duchess disappeared, holding the hand of a maid, Kaiden placed the crumpled napkin he’d been holding onto the table.

“Did you receive the items the guild master ordered for you?”

“Yes, I received them gratefully.”

“I heard there’s tea as well.”

｢If you want me, just signal at any time.｣

Suddenly, Kaiden’s words came to mind.

Perhaps he knew that Declan had given her painkillers along with tea, for Kaiden’s gaze deepened.

There was no l*st to be found in those golden eyes, but for some reason, his look reminded her of his bare body. The continued silence felt as if it were tightening around her neck.

Astrid smiled as kindly as she could and shook her head. She didn’t want to become a shameless woman who slept with a man about to be married.

“I plan to drink it later.”

“I see.”

Surprisingly, his answer was simple.

Astrid nodded quietly and drank her tea.

The now-cold tea tasted terribly bitter.

* * *

Kaiden looked down at the woman on the bed with an incredulous expression.

He already knew from Declan that she had to take painkillers every two weeks.

｢I plan to drink it later.｣

Astrid had indirectly warned Kaiden not to visit her room. Yet, perhaps still anxious, she had lined up chairs in front of the bookshelf.

She might have wanted to move the table as well, but perhaps she didn’t have the strength. Her complexion had not been good for several days.

Although Astrid did her best to avoid Kaiden, he continued to receive reports about her through the eyes he had stationed throughout the house.

The maid who cared for Astrid was under the Dowager Duchess’s orders, but had been bought by Kaiden.

The maid, loyal but greedy for money, reported Astrid’s every move.

Kaiden had told Declan to bring staff with him when he came to the duke’s residence, but he hadn’t complied.

As Declan had even met privately with his mother, perhaps some deal had been made between the two.

Kaiden wanted to hide Astrid away from everyone, but because of the painkillers, there was nothing he could do.

Declan knew this well, which was why he acted as he pleased.

Had Astrid been in much pain all this time?

He had told the head chef to prepare food that would restore her strength, and all sorts of delicacies had been made.

He hoped she would eat well, but Astrid only emptied her plate with a gloomy face.

And yet, this was how things ended up.

Late at night, Kaiden visited her through the secret passage.

When he pushed aside the curtains of the bed, Astrid was drenched in sweat. Her thin nightgown clung to her body, revealing every curve, and short, rough breaths escaped from between her moist lips.

Would she call my name again? 

He listened intently for any small sound, but couldn’t make out what she was mumbling.

If only she called, he would have come right away.

With a tender touch, Kaiden brushed the golden hair from her cheek and pulled up the collar that had slipped down her shoulder. Up close, her white skin could be seen through the nightgown.

He saw the round curves of her chest, the prettily sized pink areolae, and the prominent tips. Seeing the br*asts he had once kissed and sucked made his throat involuntarily tighten.

She doesn’t want me.

He had hoped she would call his name as she did that day, but Astrid only clung to the blanket and moaned in her sleep. Whether from pain or fever, she drew in hot, labored breaths, her brow tightly furrowed.

As his large hand brushed her forehead, her long lashes trembled.

At last, Astrid opened her eyes, dazed, and looked up at him as if in a trance, then suddenly grabbed his collar.

“It’s hot.”

“Would you like me to help you change?”

Astrid nodded lightly.

Kaiden stood and brought over a towel soaked in water and a nightgown.

As he peeled off the damp clothes, she instinctively raised her arms to cover her chest.

Kaiden slowly wiped away her sweat with the towel. Astrid let out a soft hum, seeming to enjoy it.

“Kaiden…”

She called him again.

He gripped the towel so tightly that the veins stood out on his hand. He hadn’t known that hearing his own name could drive him so mad.

Yet, despite his efforts, Astrid looked up at him with languid eyes.

She seemed to be walking through a time where dream and reality blurred together.

Kaiden slowly lowered his head and buried his face in her nape.

Sucking gently on her tender skin, he felt as if he had bitten into a ripe fruit. He held her tighter, leaving a deep mark.

“Haa.”

As he continued to caress her, Astrid rubbed her thighs together. The memories of their previous intimacy seemed to stir her desires.

When Kaiden kissed her br*ast, she twisted her waist. With one hand he kneaded her br*ast, biting and licking the taut n*pple.

“Hn.”

Her m*ans, like sighs, urged him on.

Kaiden buried his head between her white legs. Excited, he pushed his tongue into her quivering entrance, sucking up the wetness and stirring her inside.

Lost in pleasure, Astrid’s hips moved on their own.

The pain in her brow eased, and a smile spread across her lips.

Waves of ecstasy crashed over them both. Astrid’s hips lifted off the bed, her toes trembling. Her hands, flailing in the air, grabbed Kaiden’s hair, but he persistently sucked on her swollen cl*toris.

Holding her twisting body, he licked from her ankle to the curve of her hip. Her mound was fully exposed in his large hand, but Astrid only let out ragged breaths.

Looking down at her, Kaiden stroked her wet entrance with his fingers. He parted the folds and slid a finger in and out. Adding another finger, she whimpered and moaned.

The faster his fingers searched her inner walls, the rougher Astrid’s breathing became.

Kaiden himself was overcome with a strange heat, biting his lip. If possible, he wanted to avoid taking her fully tonight, only helping her reach cl*max.

But her hot insides seemed to be trying to devour his fingers.

“Kaiden, please…”

A sobbing voice slipped from Astrid’s lips.

Her desperate call made Kaiden’s desire flare up like fire.

He stirred her inside with his fingers, stimulating her now-red cl*toris as well.

A tear slid down Astrid’s flushed cheek.

“I can’t… I can’t take it anymore…”

“Then tell me. Tell me what you want me to do.”

Astrid, trembling, clung tightly to Kaiden’s arm. Her body was burning up, but she could only move her lips, unable to speak.

Kaiden cupped her cheeks with both hands and met her gaze.

Her dreamy eyes wavered. At last, she murmured in a small voice.

“Put… it in.”