Chapter 4 (Part 7)

Bill was a knight whose skills were on par with Patrick’s. Knowing that they were the same age and had joined the knights together, she was aware of their close friendship.

Unlike Patrick, who became the commander of the Royal Third Knights, Bill was still the deputy commander of the Royal Second Knights.

Given their comparable skills, it wouldn’t have been surprising if either had become commander first. Patrick became commander first because he caught the eye of Duke Lennox.

Come to think of it, she had heard that the Second Knights recently achieved a great accomplishment.

“Is he going to receive a title for that recent achievement?”

“Yes, that’s correct. So, there’s no longer a need for me to be engaged to Lady Berkshire.”

“Oh, I see.”

Reina nodded. She thought it was very much like Patrick to willingly sacrifice himself for a friend’s love.

“Then why did you keep that fact hidden all this time?”

“How could I go around talking about Lady Berkshire’s personal circumstances? That’s why I didn’t mention the engagement either. I figured the curious knights would somehow ask about her.”

Indeed, though some were reticent, others were quite talkative. If they had known, rumors would have spread through the social circles long ago.

“To handle things quietly, Lady Berkshire refrained from going out, using her health as an excuse. She didn’t want to cause me any trouble either.”

“Then what happened on the day the knights caught you? You two never showed yourselves together.”

“That day, too, we were returning from meeting Bill when Lady Berkshire suddenly felt unwell. We got out of the carriage to get some fresh air. Given that she was my fiancée in nameggg, it was my duty to escort her.”

“But what if you had developed feelings for another woman during those five years? How could you agree to Sir Bill’s request so readily?”

“I thought it would be fine since there wasn’t anyone I liked. I also thought it didn’t matter when I got married.”

“If you break off the engagement, won’t Baron Berkshire and Viscount Marionus have something to say?”

“My father is aware of the entire situation.”

“He knew and still let it be?”

“He trusts whatever I do, so he doesn’t interfere. Besides, being the second son helps. It’s my brother’s duty to produce heirs.”

Patrick paused and sighed deeply. Then he let out a hollow laugh and continued.

“But I never imagined I would develop feelings for you, who never stirred any romantic feelings in me for five years. I just thought of you as a little sister….”

Hearing his confession felt like the fog that had clouded her heart was lifting, and sunlight was slowly seeping in.

“If you were distancing yourself from me because of my fiancée, I would have revealed everything sooner.”

“You should have said something sooner instead of regretting it now.”

If he had, Reina wouldn’t have been hurt.

“I wanted you to come and ask me. Since you’re usually curious, I thought you would ask. So, I planned to tell you everything.”

“Can you tell me?”

“You’re special to me. And I know you’re not one to gossip, so I didn’t think it necessary to hide it. But instead of asking, you started avoiding me.”

Patrick looked regretful.

In contrast, Reina felt overwhelming joy hearing that she was special to him. Her heart pounded, but she tried to remain calm.

“You have no idea how shocked I was to see you showing interest in other men.”

That was to forget about you because you had a fiancée….

“I know why you acted that way, but I still couldn’t stand it.”

“What about my father? Does he know your situation?”

“Duke Lennox only knows about the engagement.”

“Why didn’t you tell my father the truth?”

“When I didn’t mention the engagement, he kept trying to set me up with suitable young ladies. So, I told him about the engagement but couldn’t bring myself to tell him the whole truth.”

“My father tried to set you up?”

“Yes. Not only him, but many around me kept bringing up marriage, which was a bit bothersome. That’s part of why I helped Bill. I wanted to focus on work rather than marriage. It was a choice for friendship, but also for myself.”

Patrick looked troubled.

Who would have thought that being engaged to Lady Berkshire would be a relief?

While some marry for love, many also marry based on family and conditions.

If Patrick hadn’t entered into a fake engagement with Lady Berkshire, he might have ended up as someone’s husband by now.

Nobles who thought highly of him would have wanted to marry him off to their daughters.

However, it seemed that Duke Lennox was trying to introduce him to young ladies other than his own daughter.

Who would have thought he was a father who would go out of his way to block his daughter’s path…. It was so absurd that Reina almost laughed out loud.

“Since I’ve been honest, it’s now your turn, my lady. Please let me know your true feelings. Seeing how interested you are in my affairs, is it alright for me to have hope?”

Knowing Patrick’s true feelings made her feel both ticklish and shy. She thought she didn’t have such feelings, but standing in front of the man she liked, she felt emotions she had never experienced before.

With a flushed face, Reina nodded in response.

In that moment, joy filled Patrick’s eyes. As if he couldn’t hold back any longer, he pulled Reina’s waist towards him and tried to press his lips against hers.

Reina also lifted her head to kiss him but suddenly stopped.

In that split second, she remembered that the necklace had turned transparent in front of Patrick.

“No!”

Reina hastily blocked his approaching lips with her hand. Patrick, taking his lips away from her palm, looked puzzled.

“Why are you saying no? I thought we had finally understood each other’s feelings. Was I wrong?”

“I want to kiss you too, but….”

“What’s the problem?”

If they kissed now, it felt like things would spiral out of control. Reina’s instincts were telling her that. So, she came up with an absurd excuse.

“Ah, don’t you think it’s still too early?”

“Those words shouldn’t come from someone who has already touched both the front and back of my lower body.”

“T-that was an accident. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Even if it was an accidental incident, do you know how hard it was for me to hold back? No matter how much I tried to maintain my composure, it was difficult when it involved you. Just being near you was distracting, so how am I supposed to hold back at this moment? You’re cruel, my lady.”

Patrick chuckled and added.

“Especially when you’re being so provocative.”

Only then did Reina realize that the inside of her body, which had been covered by Patrick’s clothes, was once again exposed. It seemed she had unconsciously let go of the hand that had been holding tightly during their conversation.

Reina hurriedly tried to cover her chest, but Patrick grabbed her wrist, preventing her from doing so. She had to show him her exposed chest once again.

As Reina hesitated with her face flushed red, Patrick gave a gentle smile.

“There’s no need to hesitate. Just speak freely.”

“Ah, well. Will you believe me even if I say something strange?”

“Of course.”

If it was Commander Patrick, he would surely believe her and wouldn’t spread it around, so it might be better to tell him.

Should I tell him?

After some contemplation, Reina lowered her gaze with a flushed face.

“Well…. Our s*xual compatibility doesn’t match….”

“What do you mean?”

Patrick looked puzzled. It was understandable since he didn’t know about the enchanted necklace.

The very existence of a necklace that could determine s*xual compatibility was absurd. Even though it was made to curb her brother’s promiscuity, who would believe such a bizarre thing existed?

Should I tell him or not?

After some hesitation, Reina cautiously explained about the necklace. Patrick listened with disbelief, but when he heard about Louis, he nodded as if he understood.

He seemed to have been curious about Louis’s sudden change in behavior. After finishing her story, Reina cautiously asked while watching Patrick’s reaction.

“What do you think?”

“….”

Patrick seemed to be lost in thought. An awkward silence hung between them.

Does he think the same as me?

It seemed best to end things today with just confirming each other’s feelings and discuss what to do next.

Just as she was about to wrap up her thoughts, Patrick spoke.

“Do you really believe in the magic of the necklace?”

“Ah, um. I’m not sure. I don’t want to believe it, but seeing Louis and Richelle, it’s hard to ignore….”

“I see.”

Patrick fell silent again. He seemed deep in thought, and then he said something surprising.

“It’s actually a good thing.”

“What do you mean by a good thing?”

“We can check right now whether the necklace’s magic is real or not.”

“What?”

Reina’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. The fact that the color hadn’t changed seemed to pique his curiosity.

“What if we really aren’t compatible?”

“We won’t know if it’s true or not until we try. I’m curious about what it means for our compatibility to not match.”

At that moment, she wanted to say, “How would you know if you’re a virgin?” but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

While she hesitated, Patrick took a step closer. Close enough for their breaths to mix, he whispered softly in her ear.

“Aren’t you usually curious about things? So, you must be curious about this too.”

Knowing her personality so well, Patrick was clearly trying to provoke her.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious, but what if they really weren’t compatible?

Now that they had confirmed each other’s feelings, did it make sense to know the outcome already?

If their s*xual compatibility didn’t match and it only led to hurt feelings, it seemed like it would drive a wedge between her and Patrick.

They had just realized their mutual feelings, so how could they part ways now?

Why did Father give me something that caused such confusion? If he hadn’t given me the necklace, I wouldn’t be having these worries. Why did he have to give it to me last month? Couldn’t it have been next year?

For a moment, she resented Duke Lennox for causing her such turmoil.

She could ignore it, but the expression on Duke Lennox’s face when he handed her the necklace, and the happy faces of her brother and Richelle when they found their match, made it impossible to do so.

Thinking about it, Reina herself had no s*xual experience, so it wouldn’t be easy to judge whether they were compatible.

“T-that’s true, but there’s no need to do it right now….”

Before she could finish her sentence, Patrick cupped her chin and pressed his lips against hers.

“Mmph!”

Startled, she tried to push him away, but as his scent enveloped her, she couldn’t.

Softly and slowly, their lips brushed against each other, as if savoring the taste, gently pulling and enveloping the lips repeatedly.

The taste of a soft first kiss, accompanied by a refreshing scent that made her feel good.

As he nibbled on her lips, Patrick wrapped his arms around her waist and slipped his soft tongue between her parted lips.

“Mm, hmm.”

His tongue slowly explored her inner cheeks, then licked and sucked as if to devour everything. As the kiss became more intense, Reina struggled, but Patrick held her head firmly, not letting go.

He seemed to want to take all of her breath away, absorbing everything. As their saliva mixed and their tongues intertwined, her mind grew hazy.

She had no sense left to distinguish whether it was gentle or rough. Reina could only follow Patrick’s lead. Just as she was gasping for breath, their lips parted.

“How do my lips taste? For someone who’s supposedly not compatible, you seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.”

Patrick’s eyes curved into crescent shapes.

Soft breaths escaped from her slightly parted lips. Reina could only look at him, unable to say anything. Instead of replying, she carefully cupped his cheeks and pressed her lips to his again.

The second kiss was just as enchanting, making it impossible to end with just one. She wanted to feel him a little more. Reina wrapped her hands around Patrick’s neck, drawing even closer to him.