Chapter 8

With a wet sound, Damon pushed inside her. The damp walls slowly parted, and she let out a breathless gasp. Knowing they didn’t have much time, Damon immediately began to move his hips.

“Hngh, hngh, ah, ah…”

“Lilia.”

“Hngh…!”

At his low whisper in her ear, Lilia shivered. Her insides, wrapped around him, also trembled. Damon frowned slightly and murmured,

“You’re going to break me. Relax a little.”

“Ah, b-but, ah, hngh…”

Her helpless whimpers were so cute that he suddenly thrust harder. Lilia gasped and threw her head back. He pressed his lips to her exposed white neck and kept moving.

“Damon, don’t finish inside.”

“What?”

“I’ll take it with my mouth.”

Her bright red, plump tongue flickered between her slightly parted lips. Soon, her mouth was filled with white fluid. It could have tasted unpleasant, but Lilia swallowed it all without spitting out a drop. Damon, shocked, scolded her for eating it, but Lilia answered with a bright smile.

“It’s delicious.”

“……”

“I think I’ll skip dinner since I’ve had so much.”

“Haa…”

He wondered where she learned such cheeky and bold words. When he checked the time, exactly thirty minutes had passed. Fulfilling his original purpose, Damon helped her into her dress and cleared his throat as he left the room. Meanwhile, Lilia fanned herself and muttered,

“I moved too much, it’s hot. Aren’t you hot?”

“…Hurry and finish getting ready and come down.”

Before she could tease him again, Damon quickly left the room. As his footsteps echoed down the stairs, Lilia chuckled.

“Madam, there isn’t much time left.”

“Oh, right. Yes, let’s hurry.”

She twisted her hair up and fixed it in place with a diamond rose pin. After light makeup and a final touch of red rouge on her lips, Lilia opened her eyes.

‘Wow… I’m intoxicated by my own looks.’

Her reflection in the mirror was stunning. She’d been pretty even without much effort, but now, she looked more beautiful than the most popular celebrities in Korea. Afraid she might become narcissistic, she quickly pulled herself together and went outside.

As she went down the stairs to the first floor, Damon was already waiting for her. His previously messy hair was now neatly styled. Seeing his handsome face, Lilia almost smiled uncontrollably and quickly opened her fan to cover her mouth, not wanting to look foolish.

“If we leave now, we’ll be right on time.”

“That’s a relief.”

Damon extended his hand to Lilia. Not used to such an escort, she hesitated for a moment, then tried to take his hand as naturally as possible and got into the carriage. Sitting down, she secretly pressed the cushions. They were so soft, it seemed she wouldn’t get hurt even if she fell. She wanted to stand up and explore the carriage, but worried that would look suspicious, so she only shifted her eyes around.

The carriage started to move with a jolt, and Lilia’s heart began to pound with excitement. The Aichent Earldom wasn’t far, so the ride didn’t take long. In fact, she was so busy looking outside that she didn’t notice the time pass. Since this was her first outing since being possessed, everything was fascinating.

Lilia pressed herself against the window, watching the scenery like a child. Damon, amused by her behavior, turned his gaze away to hide his smile. The carriage gradually came to a stop, and soon the door opened.

He, sitting across from her, immediately stood up, got out first, and offered his hand. Lilia clutched her fan tightly, took a few deep breaths, and carefully took Damon’s hand. Seeing her nervous face, Damon tilted his head.

“Why are you so nervous? It’s not your first time.”

“Well… I don’t remember. I thought maybe seeing other people would help me remember, so I wanted to come…”

“There’s no need to push yourself. Should we go back to the mansion?”

Damon’s voice was unusually gentle. Lilia hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. I need to recover my memory soon.”

She felt a bit guilty for lying, but most people have told a white lie at least once. Thinking of it as a harmless fib, Lilia linked her arm with his. Damon didn’t seem to mind.

As she leaned closer to him, Damon flinched and cleared his throat. Surprised by his reaction, Lilia tilted her head.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

“…No, nothing.”

Lilia was probably just being affectionate as his escort, but he found himself overly conscious of her. Plus, her ample chest pressed against his arm, which was a bit troublesome. Unable to shake her off, Damon tried to distract himself with sad thoughts. Led by the butler, they entered the ballroom, where people turned in surprise.

“Oh my, isn’t that the Fortein Duke and Duchess?”

“Right? I thought Countess Aichent was lying when she said they’d come…”

Most people were clearly shocked. It was natural. Since their marriage, Lilia and Damon had never attended a party together. They’d received many invitations to partner-attending parties, but since they hadn’t married for love and she had disliked him intensely, they always refused.

Lilia looked around, feeling a bit uncomfortable as people whispered about them. She wondered if she should approach someone first, but someone came up to them instead. As it was a new face, she hesitated, but Damon spoke first.

“Thank you for inviting us, Countess Aichent.”

“Not at all. I’m the one who should thank you for coming.”

Countess Aichent replied with a gentle smile. When she looked at Lilia, Lilia smiled brightly.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. And you, Duchess Fortein? I was worried since you’ve been out of sight for days.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

She’d copied this line straight from a book, but thankfully it worked.

“I honestly thought you’d refuse again, so I was surprised when you accepted.”

“Haha… Is that so?”

“Did something change your mind? You two seem much closer than before.”

Everyone pretended not to care, but they were all listening for Lilia’s answer. After a brief hesitation, she smiled and replied.

“Well, we’re married, so I thought it was time to stop being so distant. We’ll be together until death, so we can’t keep living like that, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“There’s no special reason.”

It seemed she’d made it through again. Lilia breathed a sigh of relief at their neutral response.

At that moment, music filled the hall. As the dance music played, couples gathered in the center. Damon bowed slightly and extended his hand to Lilia. Cold sweat trickled down her back.

‘What do I do? I’ve never danced before…’

The only dance she could do was the kind done at clubs. Here, they would probably dance a waltz or something similar, so she couldn’t just break out club moves. As Lilia didn’t take his hand, people’s gazes gradually focused on them, and eventually, she squeezed her eyes shut and took his hand. She glanced around, roughly adjusting her posture.

She wondered if she should tell Damon that she couldn’t dance, but suddenly her body spun. And, to her surprise, her body started moving on its own. Lilia’s eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly. She wondered if this was one of the perks of being a possessor—how fascinating.

When the music ended, she was a little out of breath, feeling somewhat tired. Noticing Lilia’s fatigue, Damon quickly supported her.

“It looks like you’re tired. How about taking a break on the terrace?”

“Um… yes, I think I should.”

“I’ll bring some drinks and follow you, so go ahead first.”

She nodded slightly and entered the terrace, which wasn’t covered by curtains. Damon checked the location of the terrace she’d entered, then moved to get drinks. Meanwhile, a stranger entered the terrace.

* * *

Lilia, who had taken off her shoes and was resting on a chair set up on the terrace, jumped up at the sound of footsteps approaching. She thought it was Damon, but it was a man she’d never seen before. When Lilia tilted her head, the man grinned slyly and came closer. She frowned and took a slight step back.

“Lilia, it’s been a while.”

“Who are you?”

“Why are you joking? I already apologized for what happened back then, didn’t I?”

Lilia stared at the man’s face, lost in thought.

‘Hmm… Silver hair, blue eyes, even a scar on his eye. He looks familiar…?’

Without saying a word, Lilia just blinked, then suddenly her mouth dropped open and she shot up.

“No way… Are you Eiran Levelox?”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“Are you really Eiran Levelox?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He nodded at her question, and she silently screamed.

‘Oh my god, Eiran Levelox knew Lilia? There was no mention of that in the book!’

She wondered how they’d ended up knowing each other. From the way he spoke, they seemed quite close.

“But why are you speaking so formally? Are you still mad?”

“……”

“Kissing that young lady was just an accident. But to cut off contact without even hearing my explanation, that really hurt me.”

Eiran glanced at Lilia’s expression, pretending to look sullen. She used to like that look on him. Even when she was angry, she’d often forgive him as soon as he made a pitiful face.

But today was different. The way Lilia looked at Eiran was as if she was seeing a stranger. Eiran, who always grinned cheekily, looked genuinely flustered for once.

“Lilia, what’s wrong? It’s me, Eiran. Your lover, Eiran.”