CH 8

It wasn’t easy for Delia to slip into that council meeting from the start.

Kaiel hadn’t been in a good mood since returning from Tranade. If she thought back to what she had been doing the moment he entered the annex, she might be able to glean a reason for his foul mood. Not that she wanted to think about it.

The first thing Kaiel saw upon entering the annex was Delia and Niol being rather chummy.

Why were those two… in the annex.

Questions arose amidst the unpleasant feelings, but he didn’t want to dwell on them. As he walked straight towards them, a bright face, which had been smiling at Niol, turned to look at him.

Even if it was only for a few days…

Even if it was only for a few days, he hadn’t seen that face for days.

“Grand Duke! You’re back!”

Did she always show that bright smile to everyone?

“Delia. ……Good morning, Your Highness.”

He stepped between Niol and Delia as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A subtly annoyed tone laced his formal greeting. Caught off guard, Delia peeked out from behind him.

Niol’s expression mirrored Kaiel’s curt tone, a smirk playing on his lips. Though less pronounced than usual.

“You said it would take a week. As expected, you work fast, Lord Tranade. So fast it’s almost disappointing.”

Kaiel didn’t bother responding and simply tried to lead Delia further into the annex. Niol spoke casually to his retreating back.

“There’s a meeting tomorrow morning, just so you know.”

A meeting?

Unlike Kaiel, who showed no reaction, Delia’s eyes sparkled slightly.

It must have been the negotiation regarding the trade with Floren.

‘How do I say I want to participate in the meeting?’

In order for the negotiations to proceed smoothly, she needed to act as a buffer between Niol and Kaiel, preventing them from clashing.

It would be best to participate directly and observe the situation.

As if reading her mind, Niol winked.

“Ah, right, Delia too. It would be a pleasure if you could join us.”

It was that simple!

Niol’s quick wit often helped things go Delia’s way.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Delia, her face brightening, turned to Kaiel.

Even if Niol was the Crown Prince, he hadn’t formally invited her, so wouldn’t she need her superior, Kaiel’s, permission to attend the meeting?

But looking at his face, Delia knew it wouldn’t be easy. Kaiel’s expression had turned frosty.

“Kaiel……?”

“Yes.”

Despite his calm reply, he looked ready to object to her attending the meeting at any moment. Delia carefully asked, gauging Niol’s reaction.

“Kaiel, Kaiel. You heard him, right? His Highness invited me to the meeting. Me.”

“……”

Kaiel shot a sharp look at Niol before finally answering after a long pause.

“I heard.”

He had definitely heard her, but his tone wasn’t exactly agreeable. But it wasn’t a no either. Delia quickly spoke up.

“Yes, but, you heard him, so what next?”

“Let’s go.”

As expected, he wasn’t going to give his permission easily. Delia scoffed under her breath as she followed Kaiel, who had started walking with an indifferent air.

‘Hmph!’

She had no intention of backing down so easily, even if he objected.

She had to prevent the story from unfolding as it did in the original.

‘This is all for you, Kaiel. Even if I end up killing you, I don’t want your name to be remembered as a cruel and terrifying monster!’

And so, Delia spent the entire day watching Kaiel’s every move, ready to retort if he showed any sign of forbidding her from attending the meeting.

However, as lunch passed, dinner came and went, and night fell without a word from Kaiel, Delia finally felt relieved.

“Well, it’s not like I’m going to cause a scene at the meeting! I just want to participate, that’s all, just participate.”

She was about to go to bed with a peaceful mind, when…

Knock, knock.

A faint voice slipped through the crack in the door, accompanied by a cautious knock.

“Miss, are you asleep?”

“Why, why?”

Ever since the day Kaiel had broken down her door, Delia couldn’t help but flinch whenever the maid called from outside.

“The Grand Duke requests your presence in his bedchamber.” 

The maid replied, her voice laced with concern and apprehension.

Delia’s jaw dropped, and after a moment of silence, she spoke again.

“Why?”

“I’d like to ask you, Miss. Why are you being summoned to the Grand Duke’s chambers at this late hour?”

Good question. Why?

‘Did he have second thoughts about letting me attend the meeting?’

Lost in thought, Delia unconsciously touched her earlobe, then quickly withdrew her hand in surprise.

“……”

A dark night, a carbon copy of that day, Kaiel’s bedchamber.

Just those things were enough to vividly conjure up the memory of that moment. Her face flushing instantly, Delia fanned herself with her hand and jumped to her feet.

“No, no, this is not the time to be thinking about such things!”

Trying to deny the warmth blossoming in her heart, Delia slapped her own cheeks.

‘It’s not like me to hesitate over something like this, time to face it head-on!’

She planned to distract him first if he showed any sign of bringing up the meeting and objecting.

‘I just need to divert his attention with something else.’

A moment later, the bedchamber door swung open, and Delia walked out, her expression a mixture of strange determination. The maid, who had been clinging to the door, jumped back in surprise.

“Are you really going?”

“Was it optional?”

“Well…… if you didn’t want to, I was going to tell him you were fast asleep and I couldn’t wake you.”

Delia shook her head inwardly.

If she did that, Kaiel would come looking for her himself. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling he would.

Delia took a confident step forward.

“Let’s go!”

As she opened the door, she was met with the sight of Kaiel leaning back against the headboard, a languid expression on his face. It was a breathtaking scene that made her heart pound.

“Good evening, Kaiel. Why did you call me?”

She asked casually, mentally preparing herself for the right moment to make her move. Without answering, Kaiel simply gazed at her and patted the empty space beside him on the bed. It wasn’t intentional, but his gesture was strangely provocative, and Delia found herself swallowing nervously.

What, what was this?

Was he asking her to come closer?

This was the first time he had called her to him like this, and Delia stood frozen, unable to move. Kaiel kindly broke the silence.

“Here, by my side.”

Delia was caught off guard but tried to appear nonchalant. Her heart was racing at his simple words. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself.

‘Sorry, but……’

With a sly smile, she approached the bed and, in a flash, climbed on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

‘Taking the initiative is my specialty!’

“You shouldn’t just call anyone to your bedchamber, Kaiel. Do you know how long I’ve been holding back?”

What she was holding back didn’t even matter. Her goal was simply to straddle him and spout suggestive nonsense. Kaiel would be so flustered that he would either be speechless or clam up entirely.

Once she diverted his attention like this, he would surely forget about the meeting, right?

Even though he seemed to have developed a tolerance for her bold and shameless antics lately, even Kaiel wouldn’t be able to handle it if she pushed it too far.

If he was disgusted enough to push her away, that would be a welcome outcome.

‘Whatever it takes, I just need to keep him from bringing up the meeting!’

But Kaiel’s reaction was unexpected.

‘Why isn’t he moving?’

Sensing something was off, Delia lifted her head slightly to look at him.

He wasn’t flustered, disgusted, or pushing her away. He was simply gazing at her.

“……”

The short silence that followed made Delia the one who was flustered.

‘Was I too tame?’

She tightened her arms around him. She could feel the bridge of his nose lightly brushing against her chest.

“Can you hear it? This is what it sounds like every time I’m with you, Kaiel. Thump-thump.”

“I can’t hear it.”

Embarrassed, Delia hugged him a little tighter.

“Listen closely. You can hear it. If you can’t, my heart must have stopped.”

“I can’t hear it.”

Delia, who had pulled him close enough to hug his neck, suddenly wondered why it was so important for him to hear her heartbeat. She loosened her grip and leaned back.

His long eyelashes fluttered open, revealing his deep blue-gray eyes, which met hers.

Delia, almost losing herself in their depths, barely managed to collect herself.

‘Take control!’

Just then, Kaiel parted his lips as if to speak.

“Delia.”

“Yes!”

It couldn’t be about the meeting, could it?

It would be a little ridiculous if it was.

‘In this situation, in this position? Surely not.’

But as they say, never tempt fate. Kaiel’s lips eventually uttered those dreaded words.

“The meeting tomorrow……”

Before he could finish his sentence, his words were swallowed whole. As soon as Kaiel’s mouth formed the word ‘tomorrow,’ Delia, who had been holding him tightly, captured his lips the moment he uttered ‘meeting.’

Throughout this absurd act, only one thought filled her mind.

‘What am I doing?! Get off him right now……!’

But contrary to her rational mind, her body and heart moved in a completely different direction.

Was it because she felt the need to stop him before he could utter a word of opposition, knowing there would be no turning back?