Before she knew it, Delia had moved beyond nibbling on his lower lip and was now engaged in a deep, passionate kiss. Her body naturally leaned forward, pressing against Kaiel’s shoulders. Kaiel, in turn, relaxed and allowed himself to be pushed down, surrendering to her pressure.

Delia, who had been keeping her eyes tightly shut, finally pulled away and opened them when she was gasping for breath.

Her eyes met his, staring at her intently. With a shaky breath, Delia spoke.

“Don’t say a word.”

Despite having his lips ravaged just moments ago, Kaiel’s expression remained unchanged, a picture of serenity. However, his ears were flushed crimson, a stark contrast to his composed demeanor. His hot breath and burning gaze landed on Delia’s lips. Stifling his ragged breaths, Kaiel spoke in a low voice.

“The meeting, I……”

Once again, Delia instinctively cut him off, pressing her lips against his. This time, it was quick, light, and repeated.

“I told you not to say a word!”

Kaiel, now lying flat on the bed, gazed up at the woman straddling him. His eyes were filled with a restrained intensity, as if he were on the verge of exploding.

His gaze lingered on every detail: her red hair that had been teasing his chest, her small hands gripping his shoulders, her soft bottom resting on his hips, and her flushed cheeks, a testament to her audacious actions.

His intense gaze, as if dissecting her piece by piece, went on for what felt like an eternity.

Trying her best to ignore his gaze, Delia sat up, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

This should be enough.

She felt like she wouldn’t be able to handle anything more.

“Don’t move.”

It was then that Kaiel suddenly stopped her movements.

“I don’t want to. I’m getting off now.”

As she shifted her weight to get off of him, a sharp intake of breath escaped Kaiel’s tightly clenched teeth.

“Stay still.”

His usually icy voice was laced with an uncharacteristic urgency.

It was then that Delia realized that something was seriously wrong with Kaiel.

“Kaiel……?”

As she tried to move again, about to ask him what was wrong, Delia gasped. Her body froze, rooted to the spot.

Something hard and unyielding was pressing against her.

After a moment, a voice filled with a mixture of emotions broke the silence.

“Ka…… no, Kaie…… could it be……?”

At that moment, Delia’s world turned upside down. Kaiel, who had been clearly beneath her, was now towering above her, as if a predator had captured its prey.

“I told you not to move.”

Delia’s eyes darted around, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

“I’m sorry. I, I didn’t mean to. It’s just that, well……”

Unable to find the right words, she just blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Ah, it’s no one’s fault. I mean, it’s not strange for this to happen, right? And I was worried that you might have been…… you know.”

She had just dug herself a deeper hole.

“Let me up. You’re making me think bad thoughts, Kaiel. I’m not responsible for what happens next.”

Thinking that she needed to get out of this compromising position first, Delia tried to push him away with her knees.

She had no idea she would end up hitting the worst possible spot.

Kaiel winced, a low groan escaping his lips.

“You……”

“I’m s-s-sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Delia quickly lowered her knees and looked up at him with an apologetic expression.

“Why did you have to call me in the middle of the night……? I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“I did.”

“You did? But why did you call me? You didn’t call me because you wanted to…… do this, did you?”

After a moment of contemplation, Kaiel replied simply.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Delia stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

Kaiel, the great and mighty Kaiel, had called her in the middle of the night just because he couldn’t sleep?

Lies.

He must have called her to tell her not to attend tomorrow’s meeting.

“Why are you laughing?”

“What do you expect me to do when you call me because you can’t sleep? I’m not going to tuck you in.”

“I never asked you to.”

“Then what?”

As she giggled, amused by their silly banter, a heavy weight suddenly pressed down on her.

This time, it was a much more intense and aggressive kiss than the one she had initiated. Every time she turned her head to catch her breath, a large hand would pull her back, and whenever she tried to wriggle free, his weight would pin her down.

Delia was taken aback.

Until now, she had been the one initiating and leading their encounters. It was only natural, considering she had always been the one to make the first move.

Thanks to Kaiel’s passive nature, Delia had been able to have her way with him, indulging in her desires and slipping away unscathed. It had led her to believe that she was quite experienced in these matters.

However, now that she was on the receiving end of Kaiel’s advances, she was caught off guard by the stark difference in intensity and persistence.

‘Is this what he’s really like……?’

Overwhelmed by his relentless assault, Delia clung to her fading senses and cried out.

“Ka, Kaiel……! W-wait, wait a minute! Just, just a moment!”

She managed to push him away with both arms, and he finally pulled back, his chest heaving as he spoke in a frigid tone.

“Why.”

Knowing that he would resume his attack if she didn’t say something, Delia blurted out the first thing that came to mind: the meeting.

“No, we have that meeting tomorrow, the meeting! That’s what I was trying to say! Hahaha, I’m sorry for cutting you off earlier. It was my fault.”

Desperate to stop the kissing, Delia rambled on.

“So please let me go so I can attend too! You haven’t answered me yet. That’s what I came here to ask. Can I go?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kaiel replied.

“You can go.”

Then, he added curtly.

“That’s what I was trying to say earlier.”

Before Delia could utter another word, Kaiel captured her lips once more. His kisses grew fiercer and wilder with each passing moment, yet he never stopped holding himself back.

In the end, Delia was thoroughly exhausted from Kaiel’s relentless attention and drifted off to sleep as dawn approached.

***

When Delia opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

Looking around the empty bedchamber, Delia realized Kaiel’s true intentions and smacked her forehead in belated realization.

‘Kaiel……! You left me here all alone and went to the meeting by yourself?’

No wonder he agreed so readily!

But it wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t realized Kaiel’s intentions sooner.

‘How could I think straight when Kaiel was kissing me……!’

He had truly kissed her for hours, until she fell asleep. Only kissing, I swear!

Even that alone was overwhelming enough. Her whole body had been tense and relaxed repeatedly, so even though she had slept soundly and woken up, she still felt stiff.

Thus, her plan had failed once again.

However, Delia wasn’t one to give up just because she was a little late.

The meeting must still be in progress.

There was still time to change the course of the negotiations.

So what? She had to go.

“Miss, you’re awake? The Grand Duke told me to look after you…… Miss! Miss, where are you going?!”

“Miss……! Your neck, your neck……!”

As Delia hastily fixed her appearance and ran towards the conference room, quite a few maids tried to stop her. They all failed, of course.

Delia didn’t have time to listen to them. She pushed past the servants and headed straight for the conference room, flinging the doors open.

“……”

The room, which had been filled with murmurs, fell silent in an instant.

Niol, who had been seated at the end of the long table in the conference room, smiled and called out to her.

“Miss Averbit, you’ve come.”

The gazes of all the ministers seated around the long table turned to her. The most intense of them all belonged to Kaiel.

Why. Me, why. What. What is it.

Delia avoided his gaze.

She had been granted permission to come, so there was no need to be intimidated by him.

Delia bowed to Niol and stepped into the conference room. Her footsteps echoed through the spacious room.

Dr. Lambert and even Ashlene were present. Dr. Lambert’s eyes lit up when he saw her, and Ashlene greeted her with a bright smile. The familiar faces made the unfamiliar conference room feel a little more comfortable.

Delia naturally made her way to the extra chairs placed behind the table. She had come to observe the meeting, not to participate.

Just then, Niol cleared his throat.

“Come here. Miss Averbit’s seat is here.”

Delia’s eyes widened as she saw the seat Niol was pointing to.

‘There?’

Niol nodded.

Delia couldn’t help but glance at Kaiel. His face was as impassive as ever, but she could sense a hint of displeasure. Of course, only she would be able to pick up on such a subtle nuance.

Delia awkwardly made her way to the seat Niol had indicated. It was an incredibly awkward position to be in. It was right next to Niol.

If she remembered correctly, the seat next to the Crown Prince was always empty. It was a seat reserved for those deeply involved in the meeting’s agenda.

‘But why make me sit here?’

Just then, Niol began speaking in a low, solemn voice.

“Lord Tranade. I heard you have a proposal. What is it?”

Kaiel, who had been intently staring at Delia, turned his head nonchalantly. He addressed Niol and the Foreign Minister with a measured amount of courtesy.