Annelie swallowed and lifted the hem of the dress she was holding with more force. It was something she decided to do while mixing bodies, worried that the expensive dress might get ruined. Because of this, Nelie couldn’t pull away or actively resist.

Finding even that aspect lovable, Elroy embraced her as if intoxicated.

“Ah! Hngh……”

“Haa. Miss Heich.”

The necklace he had gifted her clattered and moved on Nelie’s neck following Elroy’s hip movements. As her plump br*asts pushed up over the dress line, small and cute protrusions slightly peeked out. Elroy gently pinched and caressed them before tucking them back into the dress.

“Hngh……”

Trying to keep her hair and dress from getting ruined as much as possible, he had no choice but to push Nelie against the wall and thrust into her. Nelie seemed slightly relieved about that point. Because even if someone came in, they wouldn’t be visible directly from the front.

“N-not here, not here……”

“It seems possible.”

“Haah……”

“You seem to want it too, Miss Heich.”

Her insides tightened more strongly at those words. The fact that she didn’t prattle on suggested he had hit the mark.

“Still, this place……”

“Shh…… It’s alright, Annelie.”

“……”

“No one else will see your body. I promised.”

When he called her name, the woman’s eyelashes trembled finely. Every time the footsteps of people passing outside the guest room echoed in the corridor, Nelie’s inner walls tightened further from the tension.

“Damn it.”

Elroy, who had unconsciously uttered a curse, breathed languidly. Then he kissed Nelie’s nape, her shoulders, and back that were slightly exposed where the dress was cut.

Unfortunately, today he couldn’t escort Annelie Heich in. It was because there was a separate plan for the preliminary passers to enter together. If Elroy appeared escorting only Annelie in such a setting, it was obvious what kind of rumors would spread.

‘Actually, I don’t care.’

Elroy didn’t care at all what others said about their relationship. Rumors about the Duke’s mistress had already circulated through social circles several times. Only newspaper articles were strongly blocked, unlike other times.

Whenever people gathered, they gossiped about who the Duke’s mistress might be. Some overzealous ones even created lists of potential mistresses. Famous opera actresses and occasionally noble ladies topped these lists.

In the midst of this, the moment Elroy appeared escorting Annelie, rumors would spread like wildfire. That the Duke’s mistress had revealed herself. No…

If that haughty Duke of Tevant personally escorted her, perhaps they weren’t just an ordinary relationship. Perhaps not just a mistress, but maybe.

The moment he imagined that assumption, an intense pleasure rose up enough to make his solar plexus throb. Elroy released that pleasure into Nelie’s insides. If he didn’t kill it somehow, he felt he might crush Annelie with this pleasure. The stifled moans he had been hearing were already breaking down his reason.

‘Let them think whatever they want.’

But it probably mattered to Annelie.

Because she was a woman who sometimes saw even his kindness as charity. Moreover, if he brought her in that way, there would definitely be talk about her award. He didn’t want to ruin that.

Rendering his escort’s restraint meaningless, he couldn’t take his eyes off Annelie Heich, who appeared wearing everything he had given her. His stomach churned—a feeling he had never experienced before.

Every time the sapphire he gave her sparkled on her white, pretty neck, it seemed as though her eyes made a clinking sound like crystal glasses touching.

Her clear face was beautiful, the few strands of hair and fine baby hairs that escaped from her upswept hairstyle were beautiful, her frozen smile from nervousness was beautiful, and even her awkward posture and fidgeting hands displaying the etiquette she had hastily learned from him a few days ago were beautiful.

Simply everything about Annelie Heich was beautiful.

Every time other men glanced at her, both irritation and pride struck Elroy’s chest simultaneously. Half of him wanted to show off Annelie adorned lavishly with things he had given her, while the other half wanted to punch the faces of those scoundrels who stared at her exposed shoulders and neck.

Suffering from these mixed feelings while conversing with shareholders, Elroy soon made eye contact with Annelie. She smiled brightly as though she had never been nervous. Like a light turning on in a dark room.

After seeing that, holding back became impossible.

Thoughts about what dignity he should display as the Duke of Tevant in this setting, how professionally he should treat others, and what example he should set flew away cleanly. He only thought about holding Annelie Heich right now, and while others were busy, he secretly brought her here when she was looking for the bathroom.

Though no one could enter this guest room reserved exclusively for the Duke, Annelie, unaware of this, had been fluttering her eyelashes since earlier, afraid someone might come in and discover them.

“Your Grace……”

That call was too lovable.

Annelie Heich, who had always been beautiful, even had beautiful crying sounds. Come to think of it, she always had been—not just particularly beautiful today, but always. Even when she carelessly smelled of pigments or ink, or when she acted like a clueless fool.

‘So it’s your fault.’

Instead of self-deprecating his lack of restraint for embracing a woman even in such a setting, Elroy shifted the blame to Annelie. The moment he thrust strongly, climax closely pursued. His hand, sweaty inside his glove, tightly embraced Annelie. He thought she might suffocate, but he had no desire to let go.

“Ah, hnngh……!”

Annelie trembled, perhaps reaching her own climax at the end. Not wanting to put her in a difficult situation by soiling her clothes, Elroy quickly withdrew his c*ck and took out a handkerchief, spitting the cloudy white liquid into it. While he carefully wiped the fluid and sweat drops that wet Annelie’s thighs and p*ssy, her eyes reddened with embarrassment from having her cl*toris rubbed by the silk handkerchief.

“You can go now, Miss Heich.”

Elroy spoke with a voice dripping with regret while fixing Annelie’s clothes. Soon the secretary and city councilors would come looking for the guest room to ask him to continue tonight’s proceedings. If they were seen together, she would be embarrassed, so it was right to send her out first.

However, despite his words, Annelie hesitated a little. Elroy’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly when she uncertainly grabbed his clothes.

“Will Your Grace… come out too?”

“Of course.”

“Um, perhaps together.”

Upon hearing those words, Elroy almost nodded unconsciously. Hadn’t he already promised to grant whatever she wanted? Secretary, city councilor, scandal, whatever. He had been considering whether to escort her as he couldn’t earlier. Annelie quickly caught her breath and released his sleeve.

“No. I apologize for my rudeness.”

The moment Annelie uttered those words, Elroy impulsively grabbed her hand. And while Annelie gasped in surprise, he bit her finger.

It was the ring finger of her left hand.

“Ah.”

While Annelie cried out in surprise, Elroy applied some force with his teeth. Though he disliked causing her pain, he had to bite hard enough to leave a mark.

Cold.

“……”

Eventually, with a lingering sound of licking her finger, Elroy’s lips separated from Annelie’s hand. The base of her finger, glistening with saliva, and the distinct teeth mark would look like a ring mark from a distance.

“See you later, Annelie.”

After whispering and sending out the dazed Annelie, Elroy repeatedly brushed back his falling bangs. Though he had acted impulsively, seeing the mark on her white finger made him truly want to buy her a ring. And not just a ring.

He recalled his grandmother’s words that bringing in a commoner was not a flaw. She probably meant it wasn’t a flaw to keep them as a mistress, but Elroy himself was uncertain whether his grandmother would permit a duchess of commoner origin.

Duchess.

His mouth dried up at the word he had just thought of. Annelie, Duchess of Tevant. He thought the title he had impulsively attached suited her very well.

At that moment, dozens of reasons to persuade his grandmother pierced his mind. The world would undergo dramatic changes in the future. Social status and class might lose their significance. In such a world, wouldn’t a marriage that erases class boundaries give the Tevant family the image of pioneers?

The more he pondered, the more convincing and sweet the persuasion became. Annelie Tevant. His duchess. Each time he thought of those words, his conviction grew stronger. He knew he was being extremely irrational, yet he couldn’t stop these thoughts.

“You’re done for, Elroy Tevant.”

The words exhaled with hot breath floated around the guest room.

* * *

“…Haah.”

Nelie walked down the corridor, repeatedly fanning her bright red face with her hand. Until just a while ago, the area in front of the guest room had been quite noisy, but at some point, people had disappeared. Fortunately, this allowed her to return without being noticed by others.

No matter how much she fanned herself, her flushed cheeks showed no signs of subsiding. Rather, the movement of her hands made the mark engraved on her ring finger more noticeable, causing Nelie’s heart to pound heavily. She carefully caressed that mark.

When she first entered the hall alone with the preliminary passers, looking around nervously, she had been so tense that even breathing was difficult. She couldn’t properly hear Jerome who carefully approached her.

Everything sparkled and was excessively splendid. Jerome couldn’t stay with her for long since he was with other friends from the Academy who had come together with him.

‘What if I have to make conversation?’

Though the preliminary passers weren’t obligated to mingle with others, Nelie still trembled with fear that someone might approach her or show curiosity.