Chapter 7.1

“Phew…”

Kadis downed the bottle of alcohol in one go and threw the empty bottle aside. The transparent glass bottle rolled to the corner with a dull sound. Kadis watched it roll away before averting his gaze.

‘People are not objects that can be owned!’

That was the first time Kadis had ever seen Lyla like that. The moment he met her tear-filled eyes, an indescribable emotion gripped him.

‘Was it really necessary to cry so much?’

Regret over his actions, the impulse to grovel like a dog if it meant stopping her tears, and the cursed desire simmering within him—all of these emotions tangled together, weighing him down.

“You’re the problem too. What am I supposed to do if even your crying makes me feel this way?”

It felt ridiculous to follow her in his current state, especially when Charlier was present. His pride wouldn’t allow him to show such disgrace. So, he waited for his body to calm down, but by the time it did, Lyla had already disappeared.

After ruining the evening banquet, Kadis summoned one of his subordinates to his bedroom and gave an order.

‘Should Lyle leave the territory—’

‘Should we restrain him?’

‘Restrain? Try it if you want to be strangled by me.’

‘Ah, no, Sir! We’ll quietly monitor him instead!’

‘Good. And kill any pests that cling to him. Leave none alive.’

‘Understood!’

This grim order had yet to be carried out. Lyla was still within his domain. She showed no immediate intention of leaving, wandering aimlessly within the ducal residence. As a result, the discovery of unidentified corpses had been indefinitely postponed.

The last report Kadis received was ten minutes ago. Lyla was still circling the same spot like a sick animal. He had no idea what she was thinking. Normally, her emotions were so transparent they were practically written on her face, but she had a peculiar ability to build walls and hide her true feelings when it mattered most.

Within just ten minutes, Kadis had emptied five more bottles of alcohol. When the servants tried to stop him, he barked at them to leave, sending them scurrying away in fear.

‘I’m going to the capital.’

That was the first bottle.

‘No. It doesn’t have to be the capital. Anywhere but here… I’ll go.’

‘Even as your aide, I can’t look after you forever.’

Those words haunted him as he emptied three more bottles in quick succession.

‘I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t do this anymore.’

He couldn’t remember much after that. He just drank whatever he could grab. As he paced his bedroom in frustration, the empty bottles scattered on the floor kept getting in his way, further fueling his anger.

“Don’t look at me like that…”

When you look at me like that, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

Kadis ruffled his hair with one hand, trying to shake off his tangled thoughts. But the more he tried, the more muddled his mind became.

His silver hair fell forward, covering his flushed eyes. Kadis swept his hair back with one hand, exhaling deeply.

“…Phew.”

For some reason, his body felt feverish. It wasn’t just the alcohol. There was a dull tension in the muscles around his lower abdomen.

Kadis rubbed his neck with one hand. The scar running down from his neck was noticeably swollen, and he scratched it irritably.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, his body staggered as if he had tripped over a rock. Kadis quickly leaned against the wall for support.

‘What’s happening to my body all of a sudden?’

He frowned.

‘Is it the alcohol?’

What Kadis didn’t realize was that the last bottle of alcohol he drank had been spiked with an aphrodisiac. Though the amount was small, the mixture of various liquors amplified its effects. Even someone as resilient as Kadis couldn’t help but react.

“Damn it, what’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Kadis scowled as he looked down at his lower body, which was gradually becoming aroused. A normal person would have succumbed to the high alcohol content, but Kadis’s body was unusually robust. His arousal only grew stronger.

“This is insane.”

His groin swelled, making his pants uncomfortably tight. Fearing it might cause damage, he hastily unzipped his pants, and his arousal sprang free.

The sight was almost grotesque. Even Kadis was momentarily taken aback by its size, which seemed larger than he remembered.

“This is ridiculous…”

As he hesitated, he grabbed himself, and a sharp sensation shot up his spine, causing him to let out an involuntary groan.

Was my body always this sensitive? 

Kadis had often thought of Lyla while relieving himself, but he had never felt this heated before.

Self-gratification always left him feeling unsatisfied. He would think, “If only I could put this inside Lyla’s body, it would be perfect. Why am I doing this with my hand?” But now, things felt different.

“Ugh… Hah…”

Kadis panted heavily as he moved his hand. He felt disgusted with himself for indulging in such an act after being consumed by all these thoughts. Yet, the overwhelming pleasure spreading through his lower body was enough to make him forget his self-loathing.

It felt like his brain was being ruled by his body.

‘I-I can’t… I really can’t drink anymore.’

‘You’re already out? Then again, you’ve always been a lightweight. Remember that time you got drunk just from the smell of liquor bread when you were little?’

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind—of the time he had forced Lyla to drink.

‘Just one more drink. That’s an order.’

He had done it to hide his inexperience. The pent-up frustration from the battlefield had boiled over the moment he met Lyla. For the first month after his return, even the slightest touch from her made his body react uncontrollably.

So, he had kept his distance.

Although his body no longer reacted as strongly, the fact remained that he was still inexperienced. The thought of appearing clumsy in bed was unbearable. Yet, the idea of practicing with another woman never even crossed his mind.

It was all Lyla’s fault for treating him like a child with that understanding expression of hers.

He had planned to take Lyla while she was pleasantly drunk, but she had lost consciousness during a kiss. He had spent the night relieving himself while looking at her sleeping face, unwilling to touch her further.

The reason was simple: he didn’t want her to forget their first time. He wanted to share every memory with her.

‘You appeared in my dream, Lord Kadis’

‘Really? What were we doing?’

‘You called me an idiot.’

But the next morning, his lovely assistant, oblivious to the mood, scratched at his nerves with her innocent remarks.

‘If we really did spend the night together… shouldn’t I be in pain? But I don’t feel anything at all. Could it be…it’s too small?’

‘You’re saying my c*ck is small?’

That comment completely shattered his restraint. His romantic ideals crumbled. He had been the only fool.

Kadis had pinned Lyla down. He worried briefly about whether he could do it well. But after tasting her lips once, he found himself moving without hesitation.

Her body was so soft and pliant that it felt natural to touch her, like a child suckling milk. s*x, after all, was instinctual.

After using her thighs to relieve himself once, his confidence soared. He was ready to push forward.

But seeing Lyla trembling with her hands clasped as if in prayer, his excitement faded. He didn’t want their first time to feel like an assault.

‘If you try to run away while I’m asleep, I swear I’ll take you for real.’

In the end, Kadis found some release by spilling himself onto her soft skin, feeling a bit more at ease afterward.

It felt oddly satisfying, as if he had boldly stamped an invisible mark on her, claiming, ‘This one is mine.’  

At the same time, Lyla’s antics began.  

Whether it was Vivian or Durian—whatever her name was—she tried to pair herself with him, and then she even had the nerve to receive a confession.  

Well, up to that point, he could let it slide as a minor annoyance.  

But Charlier?  

That guy was out of the question.  

Charlier was the first person to make Kadis feel inferior. That easygoing professor felt like an even higher wall than the commanding former Duke.

Sure, that bastard of a father at least had the decency to die quietly.  

During the year Charlier stayed at the Ducal Residence…  

Every time Kadis saw Lyla leaning on him, every time he caught her sparkling gaze directed at Charlier, it felt as though his chest was being ripped apart. And that was just one year.  

He couldn’t endure it any longer. So, under the pretense of funding his research, Kadis sent Charlier away to the capital.  

Yet, while he was on the battlefield, Lyla and Charlier exchanged letters. How could he not be enraged?  

Imagining Lyla’s slender wrist writing letters to Charlier made his stomach churn.  

Even though, in reality, he himself had exchanged far more letters with her than Charlier ever did.  

“Haa, haa… Damn it.”  

Kadis, consumed now by a rage far greater than lust, m*sturbated.