Chapter 5 – Issen (Part 16)

The afternoon drawing room was so peaceful. The servants were still working throughout the townhouse. The realization that even a slightly raised voice could be heard was almost frightening enough to seal Evelyn’s lips.

Their lips and tongues intertwined again. She was completely trapped between the couch and the man’s body. Evelyn had neither the strength to push him away nor to stop him. All she could do was breathe in, swallow her sounds, and helplessly feel the pleasure rising even in this situation.

“Do you like it?”

The man asked right in front of her. Evelyn kept her eyes closed and her lips tightly shut, not answering. Or rather, she couldn’t answer. She feared embarrassing sounds would escape if she opened her mouth.

“Do you like it?”

He asked again. At his blunt tone, she opened her eyes. Their noses almost touched. His darkened eyes demanded an answer.

“……Yes.”

Perhaps that was why. It was why she could give such an answer without shame.

“……I like it.”

Where did she find such courage? It was surprising, but Evelyn also knew. That it was her honest feeling. And that hearing this answer would please him. That was why she answered like a promiscuous woman, swallowing her excited sounds. Because she liked it. Because she really liked it.

Bryant indeed seemed pleased. He rewarded her with even stronger pleasure. And just as Evelyn approached the peak of ecstasy, he suddenly stopped and asked again.

“What about me?”

Panting quietly, she opened her eyes. Her body and mind were melting, dripping like wax. She looked at him with a face that said she didn’t understand. Unlike the disheveled woman, he was utterly composed.

“Me. Do you like me?”

His voice was low, almost a whisper. That slightly roughened voice pierced Evelyn’s heart. ‘Do you like me?’ There was no hesitation in that question.

“Yes.”

So she answered.

“I like you.”

Almost without hesitation.

The man gazed at her quietly. Evelyn saw her face reflected in his eyes. The two of them stopped all movement and only looked into each other’s eyes. Excited breaths. Flushed face. Damp fingers. It all seemed to vanish at once.

“So do I.”

After a moment, Bryant whispered.

“I like you.”

With eyes so earnest, she couldn’t dare doubt his sincerity.

“Evelyn.”

Her heart raced as if it would burst again.

Their lips tangled. Evelyn closed her eyes. She raised her arms to wrap around his neck. The pleasure that had momentarily paused surged back in. Struggling to swallow her sounds, she eventually buried her face in his shoulder. She crushed her lips against the gentleman’s frock coat. It felt like a big ball of fire was blazing in her chest. Something inside her was screaming to be released, to explode.

“Ah.”

A short cry finally escaped at the last moment. Evelyn hoped no one heard that sharp sound. No one except the person in her arms. The one who held her. She didn’t want anyone else to hear.

She didn’t want anyone to discover this blissful time.

*

The car sent by the Duke arrived at 7 PM, exactly 30 minutes before the dinner.

At that time, Evelyn was in her room, preparing to go out. After much deliberation, she chose a formal silver-gray dress. It was one of the outfits Bryant had bought from Rosenfield’s boutique. Back then, she wondered if she’d ever have the chance to wear all three evening dresses, but looking back now, the man’s insistence was indeed remarkable foresight.

“I thought you’d wear that dress today.”

The first words Bryant said while waiting in the first-floor hall were those. Having changed for dinner, he was dressed much more conservatively than usual. He wore a black frock coat and vest, adding a bit of liveliness with a silk tie in mixed colors. Evelyn, seeing the dark green and silver tie, smiled a bit awkwardly.

“A fine-looking couple.”

Saying it as if speaking about someone else, Bryant politely escorted the lady.

The driver waiting in front of the townhouse nodded respectfully to the two of them. The young man who introduced himself as Dean Willis had a decent appearance and was a man of few words with a northern accent. He was undoubtedly someone who closely assisted the Duke, not just someone hired temporarily in Issen.

That’s why Evelyn felt uneasy from the moment she got into the car. She was bothered by the man who skillfully drove the car with two guests. As they crossed the darkened Sophia River to the right bank, she felt her stomach slowly tighten with tension.

Truly, Evelyn wanted to go back. She wanted to board the ship with the nearest departure date and head to Kingston. She wished to dismiss the Duke’s invitation and the Empress’s invitation as if they never happened. What did it matter about the Artist Village or the Sun Festival banquet? If she were alone, she might have really done so. She would have left, making some flimsy excuse. But as long as she was with this man, she couldn’t do that.

Unlike Evelyn, Bryant was a person who belonged to the aristocratic social circle. His reputation was directly linked to the honor of his family. Now, imagining undoing everything was unthinkable.

Therefore, she had no choice.

“Have you ever been to Glanz Court when you lived here?”

Bryant asked as the noticeably large houses of the wealthy district began to appear.

“Of course. It’s where the oldest and most beautiful buildings in Issen are gathered.”

“I thought so.”

“Actually, I’ve been to the Duke’s townhouse as well.”

“Really?”

He turned to her, raising his voice in apparent surprise. Evelyn briefly explained the circumstances.

“The former Duke opened the reception room and exhibition room to the public. I’m not sure about now, though.”

The Windberg Duke’s townhouse was one of the renowned buildings in Issen. Its exterior was quaint and had a long history, attracting many visitors just to see the building itself. When the Duke wasn’t present, some areas were open to the public, and Evelyn had visited as a spectator. This was before she met Jared. It was during the time when his father, Philip Glenn, held the dukedom.

Her heart pounded as they finally reached the townhouse. It was not out of excitement or anticipation but rather fear. She feared that Butler Klaus might be standing beyond those large doors. Although he should be at the grand mansion in Maxville now, she worried nonetheless.

The townhouse was so large that it was hard to believe it was located in the city center. The building occupied an entire block, surrounded by high wrought-iron fences in a dark blue hue. Two guards stood in front of the fence like at the entrance of a royal palace, indicating that the Duke was present inside. Dressed in uniforms and carrying rifles, they immediately opened the gate when the car appeared.

Despite its large size, being a townhouse meant it couldn’t compare to Maxville, and the car soon reached the front of the building after entering the garden.

“Welcome, Mr. Clifton. Miss Dale.”

The person who greeted them at the entrance was an elderly man with white hair. His face was lined with wrinkles that made him look close to seventy, but he was a butler with impeccable attire and posture.

“I will escort you to the dining room. His Grace is waiting.”

Evelyn followed the butler with Bryant’s escort. She took a quiet deep breath as they entered the first-floor hall. The pressure was heavy and cool, pressing on her chest, unlike when she had visited as a spectator years ago.

It was a house with an unusual sense of space due to its high ceilings.

The place seemed unchanged from then to now. The first-floor hall was a space where time seemed to have stopped, like a museum. A central staircase led to the second floor, with two massive artworks symmetrically hung on either side. A tapestry that seemed centuries old and an equally ancient group portrait. The tapestry on the left depicted a scene from northern folklore, and the oil painting on the right showed an armored king leading his army in triumph. Evelyn knew that the king was Sheldon Glenn, the founder of the Glenn family. She had listened attentively to the guide’s explanation back then.

The dining room was on the left of the mansion’s first floor, almost at the end.

“Your Grace, the guests have arrived.”

Steeling herself, Evelyn slowly looked up.

A large dining table was placed in the center of the spacious room. A man sat at the end of the massive dining table. Alone at the empty table for eight.

“You’ve arrived.”

Jared said, rising from his seat. It was an especially courteous welcome because it wasn’t necessary.

The dining room was decorated in the ducal family’s colors of dark blue and platinum. The walls were adorned with velvet, mirrors, and ornate frames in feudal style. The reflective surfaces of the mirrors appeared darkened, indicating they were undoubtedly antiques. Evelyn fixed her gaze on Jared’s reflection in the mirror. She wanted to avoid meeting his eyes, even in such a way.

“Mr. Clifton. Was your journey comfortable?”

“Thanks to your consideration, it was pleasant.”

“That’s a relief.”

The Duke, having first exchanged greetings with the man, turned his eyes to the woman. Evelyn couldn’t avoid that.

“Miss Dale. Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for the invitation.”

She curtsied and raised her head. Her eyes met Jared’s, who was still looking at her, with a faint smile.

“It is my pleasure, indeed.”

Even after completing the necessary greetings, he did not avert his gaze. It was Evelyn who looked away first. The same situation, the same words of greeting. A distant sense of déjà vu made her chest ache.