Chapter 1.6

The food was absolutely delicious.

She had never eaten such delicious food in her entire life.

Apparently, her face showed it, because Feroza asked with a hint of laughter in his voice,

“Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s amazing. I think it’s the best I’ve ever had.”

She thought the food at the mansion was good, but the chef here was on another level.

As Feroza cut his steak, he spoke.

“The chef here used to work at the Imperial Palace. If he could satisfy the tastes of the Imperial Family, of course it’s good.”

“Really? That’s incredible.”

No wonder it tasted so good.

She felt sorry to see the steak disappearing so quickly.

It was small, so just one wasn’t enough to fill her up.

So at the end, she cut it into tiny pieces and ate it slowly, but then Feroza suddenly called the manager.

“You called for me?”

“The same again, please.”

“Understood.”

Her ears perked up at that.

Could it be for me?

She glanced at Feroza’s plate—he still had plenty left.

She looked at him, and he chuckled and said,

“It’s for you, Ellie. It’s good to see you eat well.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

Without hesitation, she popped the last piece of steak into her mouth.

Not long after, a new steak was placed before her.

She swallowed, then quickly cut into the steak and took a bite.

“It’s even better…”

“If you want more, I’ll order more.”

“It’s okay! I’ll be really full after this.”

Even for her, three plates of steak would be too much.

When she shook her head, Feroza nodded and let it go.

She finished the steak in no time, finally feeling full.

The refreshing sorbet for dessert was the perfect finish.

After the meal, they left the restaurant and immediately got into the carriage.

“I’ll take you back to your mansion, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

As expected, Feroza sat beside her, and she gave up on protesting.

The carriage jolted as it started moving.

A few minutes later, she began to nod off.

After all that exercise earlier, and now with a full stomach, sleepiness hit her hard.

‘So sleepy…’

Her head lolled from side to side, but at some point, she suddenly felt very comfortable.

She was so tired, she didn’t even think about what she was leaning on.

She moved her head a bit to get more comfortable, then fell into a sweet nap.

She didn’t know how long she slept, but someone gently shook her awake.

She startled awake, sitting up straight.

She reflexively wiped her mouth and turned her head—Feroza was staring at her.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I’m sorry…”

She was 99.9% sure she’d slept leaning on Feroza’s shoulder.

She apologized with a tearful face, and he suddenly leaned in close.

Before she could flinch away, a brief sensation brushed her lips.

It was a light kiss, like a spring breeze.

“You must be tired. I kept you too long.”

“No, you bought me delicious food and it was nice.”

Feeling embarrassed, she fiddled with her hands as she spoke, and Feroza gently took her hand.

“Ellie.”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll come visit again soon.”

“What does that…?”

Feroza didn’t say any more.

He smiled, then opened the carriage door and got out, offering her his hand.

She hesitated, then took his hand and carefully stepped down from the carriage.

At that moment, a voice—unfamiliar but somewhat familiar—called out from a distance.

“G-Grand Duke Calliet, Your Grace!”

She turned her head to see her father and mother rushing over.

Her mother’s eyes widened as if they might pop out upon seeing her and Feroza together.

Her father stammered as he spoke.

“What brings you all the way here, Your Grace?”

“Because I’ve formed a connection with Ellie.”

At hearing him call her so familiarly, she screamed inwardly.

No, don’t do that…!

He didn’t call her ‘Young Lady Archenna, but outright called her ‘Ellie.’

She squeezed her eyes shut, imagining herself smacking her forehead.

Feroza turned to look at her, then pressed a kiss to the back of her hand with a gentle smile.

“Then, I’ll see you later, Ellie.”

She didn’t even have to look to know that everyone outside had their mouths hanging open at his affectionate gesture.

And she was no exception.

* * *

On his way back to the Grand Duke’s residence, Feroza chuckled to himself.

“Ellie…”

Just saying her name brought a deep sense of satisfaction from within.

Every time he called her name and saw her flinch and open her eyes wide like a startled squirrel, he found it unbearably cute.

Their physical compatibility was also excellent. He hadn’t been with many women, but Ellie was the first who fit him so perfectly.

He had just parted from her, but already wanted to see her again.

He wanted to run his hands through her soft, pink hair, bury his face in her neck, and inhale her scent as much as he liked.

Whenever those moist green eyes looked at him, he wanted to tease her even more.

Before he knew it, a dull ache throbbed below, and he glanced down.

“Damn…”

He hadn’t done anything, just imagined, but his front was already bulging.

Still, Feroza didn’t bother trying to calm himself down.

After all, he was alone in the carriage and no one was watching.

He did have a conscience, though, so he didn’t take care of his urges right there.

‘If Ellie had been here, it would have been different.’

If he pressed her, she would have been at a loss, shaking her head and saying no.

But she was honest with her desires, so if he touched her just a little, she’d quickly heat up, looking at him with flushed cheeks.

Then, she’d be wet below, and if he took her chest into his mouth and slipped his fingers inside her…

“Ah, damn.”

Feroza cursed under his breath.

His arousal was so intense it was painful.

Just then, the carriage arrived at the mansion, and he immediately flung open the carriage door.

He jumped out and strode quickly inside.

The butler, Jikel, approached Feroza.

“You’ve returned?”

“Don’t let anyone near me until I call for you.”

“Understood.”

Jikel was briefly flustered by his curt tone, but quickly bowed his head in response.

Without looking back, Feroza headed straight for his room.

He stripped off his clothes and went into the bathroom, turning on the water.

The cold water seemed to cool the heat in his body, but his arousal remained.

“Haa…”

His member, standing tall and twitching, was already leaking clear fluid, as if about to finish.

It had been a very long time since he’d pleasured himself.

He had never been this excited before, and he wasn’t the type with an especially strong s*x drive.

But now, it was different.

He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside Ellie right now, but since she wasn’t here, he had no choice but to use his hand.

Feroza gripped himself and moved without hesitation.

“Ugh…”

Ellie was tight and warm inside, fitting him perfectly like a lock and key.

Her neck, arms, legs, chest, and hips—there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t soft.

Her unique scent, which excited him, lingered around her, and her pink hair and green eyes reminded him of cherry blossoms.

His hand moved faster.

Soon, a cloudy liquid spilled onto the bathroom floor.

Feroza decided that when he saw Ellie again, he’d tell her he’d touched himself while thinking of her.

She would surely blush bright red and pretend not to hear.

Troublesomely, just thinking of Ellie made him hard again.

In the end, Feroza had to imagine having s*x with her and finish twice more before he could leave the bathroom.

* * *

“Ellie, what on earth happened?”

“What happened between you and His Grace the Grand Duke?”

As expected, as soon as Feroza left, her mother and father pounced on her, bombarding her with questions.

She wore an awkward smile, gave no particular answer, and quietly slipped into the mansion.

“Ellie, can’t you at least tell us something?”

“Mother, I’m really tired right now… I’ll tell you everything later.”

It wasn’t an excuse—she truly was exhausted.

She’d been on edge the entire time with Feroza, and now she just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep.

But her parents wouldn’t let her go so easily, and honestly, she wanted to shake them off and run away.

At that moment, Rahil spoke up in a calm voice, though she hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

“Mother, Father. I think it would be best to hear from Sister later. If she’s tired, she might forget to mention something important.”

“That’s right! I’m so, so tired right now my head isn’t working properly. I’ll tell you later.”

Seizing the opportunity, she pushed her case, and her parents finally let her go, albeit with dissatisfied expressions.

She gave Rahil a grateful smile and hurried up to her room.

“Phew.”

“Shall I prepare your bath?”

“Ah, yes.”

She nodded, and Roni went into the bathroom.

She’d washed at the Imperial Palace earlier, but wanted to bathe once more.

She relaxed her body in warm water and changed into soft, fresh clothes.

“Haa…”

She was unbelievably tired.

She buried her face in the pillow, and Roni told her to rest well before leaving the room.

“If I drink again next time, I’m not a person—I’m a dog, a dog.”

Alcohol really was her enemy.

Thankfully, she thought, there would be no reason to meet Feroza again.

He seemed interested in her, but it was just a one-night thing—nothing more, nothing less.

‘I’ll just think of it as having slept with a handsome man.’

Honestly, when would she ever get the chance to sleep with someone that good-looking again? She decided to look on the bright side.

She did feel a bit uneasy, but since she rarely left the mansion and Feroza never came looking for her, she felt safe.

But that was only the calm before the storm.

If she’d known Feroza was plotting something so crazy, she would have grabbed his trouser leg and begged him to stop.