Chapter 2 (Part 1)

On a night thick with darkness, Ian’s gaze was directed at the window. He had stayed only at the Atheon Temple for a long time, and it had been a while since he left the place and traveled this far.  

Except for the occasional pilgrimage or visits to doctors to cure his insomnia, he rarely ventured out. The reason he came here was because Earl Beaufort had earnestly requested it.  

‘I proposed because she seemed virtuous, but I’m not sure if Lady Bucklew’s true personality is like that. So, I’d like you to see what kind of person she really is.’  

The Earl had involved Ian in choosing a spouse because of a bad experience in the past.  

Ten years ago, Earl Beaufort had proposed to a lady he met at a banquet. She seemed modest and calm, and her polite demeanor and good conversation had appealed to him.  

However, during the marriage discussions, he witnessed her treating her maids harshly. When he realized how different she was from what he had seen, he was deeply shocked.  

At the time, his feelings for her had been growing, so the pure-hearted Earl was deeply hurt by the lady’s two-faced behavior.  

Afterward, even though he had hoped to meet a good woman, he strangely kept getting involved with women who were similarly two-faced. This made Earl Beaufort cautious about marriage. So, for this visit, he deliberately brought Ian along.  

The Earl wanted Ian to uncover things he couldn’t check for himself—whether she was money-driven or if her personality differed from her innocent appearance.  

This time, the Earl intended to propose to Lady Bucklew, who seemed, by all accounts, to be a lady who had grown up receiving much love. That was why Ian accompanied him to the Bucklew family to discreetly confirm whether Rasilia was truly a pure and lovely lady.  

After observing for a day, Ian could tell that Rasilia was an innocent and childlike woman. From what he saw of her, she seemed like a suitable match for his brother.  

However, Viscount Bucklew’s behavior was a bit suspicious. He seemed to be hiding something. Ian couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it kept bothering him.  

That’s why, when Earl Beaufort asked how Lady Rasilia was after finishing the day’s schedule, Ian couldn’t give an answer. All he said was that he wanted to observe for one more day.  

‘Alright, then I’ll hear your opinion tomorrow.’  

After exchanging only the necessary words, the Earl was about to leave Ian’s room but stopped in his tracks. Looking around the room for a moment, he spoke.  

‘It seems my room is darker than this one. A dark room helps you sleep better, so you should use my room. The people of the Viscount’s household won’t mind if we switch rooms.’  

‘I’m fine.’  

Even though Ian declined, Earl Beaufort, considerate of Ian’s insomnia, insisted on switching rooms. He then forced Ian to move to his room.  

After entering the room, Ian kept gazing out the window, recalling the events he had just experienced with his brother.  

After taking his eyes off the window, Ian looked around the room.  

The room Earl Beaufort had given up was darker and cozier than the one Ian had initially been assigned.  

The black curtains and dark bedding created such an atmosphere that anyone could tell it was more conducive to sleep. However, Ian didn’t think he would sleep well just because he had switched rooms with Earl Beaufort.  

Without much expectation, Ian lay down on the bed, but as expected, he couldn’t fall asleep. Staring at the dark ceiling of the room, completely obscured by the curtains blocking the moonlight, Ian sighed deeply, realizing he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight either.  

That was when it happened.  

Suddenly, without a knock, the door opened. Ian felt the presence of someone entering, but the room was so dark that he couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman.  

Ian considered sitting up and asking who it was but decided against it. First, he needed to figure out why this person had sneaked into the room.  

When an unknown hand touched his leg, he was startled but thought it might have been an accident due to the darkness. However, when that hand touched his groin, he realized something was wrong.  

The hand between his legs wasn’t an accident—it was intentional.  

By the time Ian realized someone was trying to do something indecent, the hand was already stimulating his lower body.  

When the lewd hand slipped into his pants and directly grasped his manhood, Ian was utterly shocked. Feeling that he couldn’t let this continue, he hastily grabbed the person’s hand.  

A woman?  

Feeling the slender bones of the hand, Ian realized that the person doing this to him was a woman. Judging by her skilled movements, he thought she might even be a courtesan.  

Even though her hand was caught, the woman showed no intention of stopping. Feeling that he needed to stop this outrageous act before it went any further, Ian pulled the woman’s hand away.  

He intended to disrupt her balance and stop her actions. However, he couldn’t.  

Every time the woman’s hand stroked his manhood, sensations he thought didn’t exist began to awaken. Something unknown stirred within him, heating his body in a way he had never experienced before.  

The more ecstasy he felt, the more it seemed his firmly held beliefs were crumbling. Ian gritted his teeth, trying to endure, but he couldn’t.  

Even when he shouted, ‘Who are you? Please stop,’ the woman showed no signs of stopping. Instead, her skilled hand movements stimulated his lower body even more intensely.  

Caught between pleasure and abstinence, Ian felt as though something inside him would explode with each surge of guilt. Unable to resist the indescribable sensations, he eventually succumbed to the sweet temptation.  

It was the first time Ian had ever felt so powerless over himself. Thus, he had no choice but to surrender to the sensations the woman was giving him, experiencing this absurd pleasure.  

The hand that had led him down the path of corruption finally stopped after he released his seed. When reason returned to Ian, he hurriedly turned on the light in the room.  

Who on earth could have done such a thing?  

Filled with a mix of emotions, Ian looked at the woman who had humiliated him. And at that moment, a flicker of confusion appeared in Ian’s eyes.  

“Who… are you?”  

It was a woman he had never seen before. Who could she be, to have done something so outrageous?  

“Ah, I am….”  

Despite sneaking into someone else’s room, the woman seemed quite flustered. Anyone watching might even mistake her for the victim.  

“Answer me properly. Who are you?”  

Grabbing the wrist of the woman, who seemed too stunned to even think of running away, Ian demanded an answer.  

“Ah….”  

Noticing her trembling voice, Ian realized that the woman had missed her chance to escape.  

A crazy woman, no doubt.  

Thinking this, Ian resolved not to let go of her hand until he found out who she was.  

At that moment, Cecilia thought she must have mistaken the person. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was a dream.  

The sight of Priest Ian in the light was captivating. His flushed cheeks, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, and the hot breaths escaping his slightly parted lips made the air in the room thick.  

She thought she could see faint tears welling up in his eyes. He looked so pitiful that she even wanted to wipe away those tears.  

Lost in thought for a moment, Cecilia snapped back to reality at Ian’s cold voice. Confirming that the man before her was real, she realized this wasn’t a dream.  

“Why on earth would you do something like this?”  

Even his resentful gaze looked seductive. Cecilia almost reached for his manhood again but barely restrained herself.  

As Ian’s gaze grew sharper due to her lack of response, Cecilia suddenly realized something.  

Ah. I didn’t introduce myself earlier, so he doesn’t know who I am.  

Now that her plan had gone awry, Cecilia hesitated about whether or not to reveal her identity.  

I should’ve worn a mask…. Now that everything’s ruined, all I can do is regret.  

“I… I am Cecilia Bucklew.”  

After hesitating, Cecilia finally introduced herself. She figured there was no point in lying since she would be found out by tomorrow anyway.  

“Bucklew? Are you from the Viscount’s family?”  

“Yes. I am the eldest daughter of Viscount Bucklew and Rasilia’s sister.”  

“Sister, huh. Haah.”  

Ian’s gaze grew colder and colder. Just from his expression, Cecilia could tell how angry he was.  

Although she understood why he was angry, Cecilia still had lingering questions in her mind.  

Why is he here? This was definitely supposed to be Earl Beaufort’s room.  

“Why are you staying in this room, Priest?”  

Unable to hold back, Cecilia looked around and asked. She was suddenly worried that the Earl might also be here. If he was, it would be an even bigger problem.  

“My brother and I switched rooms.”  

Ian answered with a wary look in his eyes.