Chapter 1.3

The next day, the mansion finally quieted down as the rowdy students departed. Lovell stood before the Earl and Christine, looking sheepish. 

“It was refreshing to have some young people around for a change. It brought life to the mansion.”

The Earl remarked. 

“I hope it wasn’t too disruptive.” 

Lovell replied. 

“You’re at that age; it’s to be expected.” 

Christine glared at Lovell, her lips pressed tightly in disapproval. Her eyes fixated on the faint red mark on his ivory-colored skin… 

‘With that thin mouth of his, he… in this house… with that girl…’ 

She quickly turned her head away and curled up in her armchair, staring out the window at the rose vines climbing the trellis. It was far better to look at those blooms than at him. 

But the sight of the red petals reminded her of the girl’s crimson hair and lips. 

‘How could he do something like that right where I could walk by?’ 

Christine squeezed her eyes shut. 

It was a warm spring weekend. Around that time, Lovell, half-listening to the Earl’s words, stole a glance at the golden-haired girl by the window. 

The young lady of the Bierre Earldom sat in the sunlight streaming through the window, her hair glowing even brighter than the light itself as she gazed absentmindedly at the garden. Her violet eyes blinked a few times, as if fighting off the drowsiness of the afternoon. 

Lovell thought that even the cream-colored armchair suited her beauty perfectly. 

Just then, a deep voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“…and so, with admiration for the young lady of a noble family, I send this proposal of marriage. Please take your time to consider it and think positively about the union. How does that sound, Lovell?” 

“Huh?” 

The Earl’s eyebrow twitched. 

“That’s the draft of the marriage proposal you’re going to send. Were you not listening again?”  

“You’re saying I should send it? But, Earl, it looks like you wrote, no, the butler wrote it……”

“You just need to watch quietly.”

“Hmm… This must be about the fifth letter, who is it for this time?”

“The representative of Gordon Trading Company. One of our business partners.”

“Hmm……”

He pondered so long that the Earl was on the verge of losing patience.

“I don’t think it’s quite right. My heart… almost moved, but not quite.”

“Be honest.”

The Earl’s voice became infinitely low as if it would go underground.

“Do you have feelings for that girl you brought yesterday, Martina Bresford?”

“Come on, Martina is a Baron’s daughter. How could I……”

“Then Gordon Trading Company that I arranged would be appropriate.”

“I want to think about it after graduating from the academy at least.”

“You’re twenty already! Ten years ago, most were married by sixteen!”

“How can I go first when Christine is still here?”

“What does that matter!”

The Earl leaned back heavily in his chair and pressed his forehead.

As he said, Chris was more of a problem. Because she was so picky about suitors, Chris, who was two years older than Lovell, was still stuck at home like that. She herself wouldn’t even talk back when men were mentioned.

“You kissed her.”

Suddenly Christine, who seemed to be dozing off, opened her mouth. Lovell and the Earl blinked their eyes toward her.

“I saw you kissing Martina in the hallway yesterday.”

“What……!”

Lovell shot up. His blue-gray eyes widened in surprise, but Christine didn’t budge. The Earl shook his head saying 

“Ha, Lovell.”

“I’m tattling to Father right now. About your unfaithful attitude.”

“No, that’s……!”

“You’re doing everything while saying you’re not interested, right? You’re going to get into big trouble.”

“I didn’t! Where were your eyes looking!”

“What?”

Christine also stood up and faced him.

The boy her father had brought home. He lived at the estate steward’s house, never adopted by anyone, remaining a commoner.

Even so, her father had treated him as an equal and wished for them to be friends—enough to let him speak so casually to the Earl’s daughter.

“She leaned in first! Nothing even happened—our lips didn’t even touch!”

“Oh, really? That’s a relief. I was secretly worried you might do well.”

“If that’s what you think…! Maybe I should run over and actually kiss her then! If she can change my luck, I can’t possibly let her go!”

“Oh my, will you? Then give me your academy tuition before you go.”

“You……”

Lovell was about to raise his voice louder but barely remembered that this was his patron’s presence and his daughter.

He closed his eyes that had been glaring and swallowed the rude words that almost spilled out.

“As the Earl said, you should stay home, Christine, what academy are you talking about?”

That tone is unpleasant. Christine immediately hardened her face and took a step toward him.

“How dare you…… Call me Lady Christine properly……”

As she approached threateningly in a low voice, it seemed like the physical fights they had stopped since age twelve might start again.

“Be quiet!”

If the Earl hadn’t let out a resounding shout, hands and feet might have really flown.

“Both of you get out right now! Christine to the study! Lovell to your house! Christine, don’t come out until dinner!”

“That kind of punishment is only for when we were twelve……”

“Christine, shut your mouth and get out.”

Shortly after, two people with their lower lips protruding came out of the reception room.

A pretty blonde woman and a dark-haired boy-like man. But regardless of how their faces looked, both seemed fed up and didn’t even look at each other, and only the two sets of footsteps walking in opposite directions echoed through the cold corridor.

About 30 minutes passed when the closed entrance of the hall quietly opened and Lovell’s black head peered inside.

After confirming no one was coming and going, he stepped on the stairs going to the second floor. And without making a single shoe sole sound, he crept through the corridor and reached a door.

From inside the door he carefully opened quietly came a subtle floral fragrance, and Lovell boldly stepped into Christine’s empty room.

White curtains, white vanity, white bed, white…….

He didn’t know how long it had been since he last entered this place.

Lovell first picked up a sparkling hairpin placed on the vanity and kissed it.

His reflection in the mirror was making kissing sounds against her beloved item that smelled of soap. Seeing this, a smile appeared on Lovell’s smooth lips.

The hairpin slipped into his pants pocket. Looking around, he also sat in the chair and lay on the bed. He buried his face in the pillow and breathed in deeply, then rubbed his whole body against the sheets.

Rolling around as if leaving his scent, he flinched when there was a reaction in his lower abdomen. He let out a breath and lay straight.

Lovell quickly undid his buckle.

He opened his front and put his hand through the gap in his underwear, boldly taking out the pale thing that was inside. His aroused member was grasped.

He lay comfortably on the bed in the ownerless room and caressed the pillar that stood as it was.

Imagining the woman who would have slept here yesterday and today, picturing scenes of violating that woman from morning, he began self-pleasure.

“Haah……”

Christine often sprayed floral perfume in this room. It would seep into her body and spread fragrance whenever she passed by.

‘If I lie here like this, that smell will stick to my body too……?’

As his hand movements gradually quickened and his imagination spread wide, white fluid shot out from his reddened opening.

What would have been enough to thoroughly wet both hands was scattered in all directions. It fell on the sheets and a few drops on the bed post.

“Ah, Chris.”

Moaning while calling her name, Lovell finally raised his body.

With his lower half hanging loose, he walked to the vanity, grabbed anything, and wiped his soaked member.

The handkerchief that unluckily caught his eye went back and forth while he continued “Chris, Chris.” Then he released again…….

Lovell panted and looked down at the cloth soaked with bodily fluids.

‘This…… what should I do?’

‘If I left it in the room like this…… would she be happy?’

Having such ridiculous fantasies, he decided to take the handkerchief with him.

Soon he looked around once, concealed and organized his traces without leaving any behind, then left the room.

He decided not to worry about the few drops that splattered on the sheets. The window would be open too, so if he left it to the gentle breeze flowing through, it would dry somehow, he thought as he stepped softly through the corridor again and quietly went down the stairs.

The mansion was large and there weren’t many servants. He entered the first-floor bathroom, washed the wet cloth while handling it, folded it small and properly gripped it in his hand.

Lovell slowly crossed the hall and opened the front door as if nothing had happened. Now he just needed to return to the village.

A subtle smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the garden spread out beautifully in a straight line.

A perfect crime.