Chapter 6

“Yes, I did.”

Aneta straightened her back, making his question more affirmative. His complexion turned disappointed at her indifferent response.

“To what?”

She hadn’t expected him to ask why, but she said something else.

“Why do you want to know that?”

Taking a sip of her tea, Aneta asked with curiosity, showing interest in her new perfume.

“To spray it on my  bedding.”

“What?”

The words were unexpected. Aneta furrowed her brow. It was something she couldn’t understand.

“Why would you spray it there?”

“Because I’ve gotten used to cuddling with you, and I can’t do that anymore.”

Was this in the original story? Aneta habitually compares her current situation to the original.

While Carlos occasionally showed signs of missing Aneta in the early stages, there was no mention of spraying her perfume on the bedding anywhere.

If I put your perfume on it, it’ll make me feel like you’re with me.”

“Have you been doing that all this time?”

“Yes.That’s why I want you to tell me.”

Now she realized that this man knew how to make shameless demands.  Aneta smirked, then shook her head in one swift motion.

“No.”

“…Alright.”

She expected him to push back with the same brazenness she’d just seen. But he gave in neatly with a single question.

“It’s surprisingly easy for you to back off.”

“I can find out on my own. I don’t need to bother you with such things.”

It wasn’t impossible, given his heightened sense of smell due to his powers.

Aneta clicked her tongue.

“Pervert.”

“Guilty as charged.”

Carlos half rose with an unapologetic affirmation. With one hand gripping the table, he leaned toward her, and a subtle yet captivating scent wafted in the air.

The harmony of iris and rosebud shook his heart relentlessly. Even the tips of his toes standing on the ground tingled.

“But I’m only doing this to you.”

Unable to define the inexplicable sensation,  Carlos surrendered himself to it. Without waiting for Aneta’s reaction, he pressed his lips against hers.

His tongue, revealed between their hot lips, licked her lips, which were moistened with tea.

As silence enveloped the surroundings, the wet sound resonated in their ears, and a dizzying sensation rose along their spines.

Savoring the subtle taste on the tip of his tongue, Carlos felt that the Ibicos tea tasted even better than before.

But he couldn’t probe any deeper than that; he knew how sweet her lips tinged with redness could be, but he couldn’t breach the tightly sealed gap.

Carlos tenderly licked Aneta’s lips one last time. She still didn’t push him away or respond to the kiss.

Carlos realized the long road ahead, where his actions were followed only by the deep blue gaze of the abyss, had a long way to go.

It wasn’t long before their lips parted. Carlos leaned back and straightened himself.

As the distance widened, the scent that had filled the room dissipated with his exhaled breath, leaving a sense of emptiness.

Though it was regrettable and disappointing, the current scent suited her better than before.

Carlos acknowledged the undeniable fact and abandoned his regrets about his gift.

“Didn’t you suggest we start over as friends?”

“I did.”

“Is this something friends do?”

“It’s certainly not something friends usually do, but I want to be a friend who wants to be your lover.”

Carlos reached out his long arm and brushed Aneta’s hair behind her ear.

“I told you. I won’t stay still.”

But once again, Aneta didn’t bat an eye.

“So was that just a temptation?”

Her demeanor was more relaxed as she leaned against the back of the couch.

“If that’s how you felt.”

“Then it must not have been. You just seemed like Tyr.”

“Tyr…”

Carlos couldn’t help but be shocked by Aneta’s analogy, for Tyr was the dog he kept at the ducal residence.

His bold seduction was equated with the playfulness of a pet dog.

Carlos was at a loss for words.

“I’d better get back to my work.”

Whether he said it or not, Aneta delivered a harsh judgment and turned away without a trace of regret. She ignored the resentful gaze that clung to her back.

Her attitude towards him wouldn’t be different today or in the future. Accepting him but not accepting his advances. Aneta was confident in her resolve, hoping he would give up on his advances.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. Her hand, which had pulled over the pile of documents on the desk, began to move busily again.

There was no time left for contemplation.

***
A visitor arrived at the offices of the two people when Aneta was about to finish today’s workload.
 
The sound of paper and pen rubbing against each other echoed in the space, where a stranger’s shadow suddenly loomed.
 
“Duke of Baltimor and the Duchess Adenauer, I have come by the Emperor’s command to deliver a message to you both. May I come in for a moment?”
 
As someone stood at the door with a polite knock, Aneta’s gaze shifted to the opposite side. Meeting her gaze as if expected, Aneta put down her quill.
 
“Carlos. Do you know who that is?”
 
“I have an idea.”
 
With a vague response, Carlos allowed his entry.
 
“You may come in.”
 
With permission, the visitor, wearing a brooch symbolizing affiliation with the imperial palace, stepped inside. Since he was someone Carlos had seen coming and going, there was no need for him to say anything.
 
“It’s an honor to see you both.”
 
“It must have been exhausting to attend to His Majesty. But what is it that you need to convey?”
 
“This.”
 
The person first approached Carlos and handed him something, then it was her turn.
 
A red envelope with a golden seal.
 
As the familiar object landed on her desk, Aneta did her best to hide her displeasure.
 
From the moment she received it, changes began to unfold, and from her perspective, it was understandable why she might feel apprehensive.
 
Receiving a handwritten letter not once but twice, and only a few days apart, was suffocating her under the weight of imperial favor.
 
“Then I will take my leave.”
 
Even after the messenger left,Aneta didn’t touch the envelope. With an expression of reluctance, she simply stared at it, feeling like she couldn’t bring herself to open it.
 
“…… His Majesty is hosting a reception for Erez Bauter.”
 
As he read the familiar handwriting, he peeled his luck off with a strange expression.
 
“The date is in three days. It’s been moved up from what you told me.”
 
“And the place?”
 
“The imperial palace. Apparently only the Masters of Glory will be called. There doesn’t seem to be any choice in attendance for anyone.”
 
Aneta belatedly reached for the envelope. The content was all the same, and there was nothing other than what he said.
 
“Summoning all the Masters of Glory. It’s an unusual event.”
 
Sending formal letters, even those not related to ceremonies, to the masters of honor. There had to be a significant reason behind it.
 
The purpose of the unprecedented treatment was obvious. Folding the letter back neatly, Aneta asked,
 
“Is it because of what happened after the ceremony?”
 
“Exactly.”
 
Carlos nodded in affirmation.
 
“The welcome ceremony will be a test disguised as special treatment. As it is a matter of importance, His Majesty is paying close attention.”
 
Erez’s welcoming ceremony was a common occurrence in the original story, but the context was different this time.
 
In the original, Russell had arranged for a reception to welcome promising talents, but noticing Erez’s affection for Carlos, he allowed them time alone.
 
But Russell, on the other hand, didn’t like Erez. There was even a suspicious look on his face, and there was no way he, like no one else, would have opened the ceremony in the pure sense of the word.
 
If it were Russell, who was born with the temperament of a ruler to the bone, he would have scrutinized Erez thoroughly.
 
Having concluded the obvious speculation, Aneta repeatedly rubbed the envelope’s sharp edges with her fingertips.
 
In the meaningless movement, her busy mind recalled the closing scene of the first chapter.
 
Carlos is intoxicated with alcohol, and Erez impulsively kisses him.
 
Until then, the only one he had kissed was Aneta, and he didn’t mistake Erez for her. Instead, he embraced Erez, longing like a thirsty person.
 
Recalling the kiss that disappointed readers and caused an uproar, Aneta unconsciously stared at his lips.
 
“Do you still have lingering feelings for my lips?”
 
Perhaps it was too obvious where her gaze was directed. He quickly noticed where her gaze was directed.
Under the furrowed brows, a gleam of expectation sparkled in his eyes.
 
“If that’s really the case, don’t just stare at them. Tell me honestly. I’ll act on it.”
 
“If I see lingering feelings, it seems like they’re yours.”
 
It wasn’t difficult to strike back. Aneta leaned her chin on her hand, meeting his gaze. She decided to openly stare at him, knowing she was caught.
 
The moment he affirmed, showing a demeanor as if he might rush forward at any moment, he didn’t seem unfamiliar. With a face like that, she was the only one he’d ever kissed.
 
Aneta asked in disbelief.
 
“Have you ever kissed anyone other than me?”
 
She wondered how he would react.
 
“No. So please don’t doubt my sincerity, Aneta.”
 
She didn’t think he would be flustered, but this was also not what she had expected.
 
Integrity. She didn’t think their relationship still required such restraint, but apparently he did.
 
“That seems like going too far.”
 
“Not at all.”
 
His response was firm.
 
“To be honest, I don’t know what you’re upset about by doing this to me.”
 
Even if she was considered one of the richest families in the Empire as Duchess Adenauer, he had no reason to be dissatisfied.
 
Baltimor is one of only two remaining Dukes that are part of the emperilal family since the Duke of Tempur was destroyed more than 100 years ago when he plotted treason with the Second Prince.
 
As a founding meritorious family that produced an Empress and possessed glory, their authority and prestige were beyond measure.
 
Carlos was the only one who could enjoy all of that, so Aneta couldn’t understand him.
 
“There is. Why wouldn’t there be? I want you so badly that I can’t describe it.”
 
“…….”
 
“Aneta, I hope you’ve experienced love. Of course, I hope that person is me.”
 
Carlos knew that Aneta had never fallen in love. He could tell from her eyes.
 
He saw his past self in her, facing emotions she had never experienced.
 
“I don’t ask for much. I won’t even ask you to understand this feeling right now.”
 
Love must seem like an unknown world to her. Before she realized her feelings for him, the love reflected in his eyes was like that.
 
“I have to prove my love to you, and I hope you’ll love me in return. So just stay by my side as you are now.”
 
Carlos spoke as if that was the right thing to do.
 
“To win you over, of course, I have to make that much effort, right?”