Chapter 38

“It would not be any fun if she gave in easily.”

Even after reading the letter that plainly contained rejection, Abil showed no sign of disappointment. If anything, he was enjoying himself.

“Even her handwriting resembles her face. How lovely.”

From the first moment he saw Kina, Abil had known it was fate. It was enough to make him lament why, after being so active in high society, he had never known of her.

Then again, since Kina herself was not particularly the sort to enjoy parties, perhaps it was only natural.

That was surely why no one had touched her, nor even discovered her.

And on top of that, she ran a poorhouse. Even that felt like fate.

He liked children. More than simply finding them cute, he cherished them.

He liked the fresh scent unique to children. At the imperial event held at the poorhouse, even her soft hand had carried that fresh scent he liked.

Moreover, unlike the women he had met until now, she was at the very boundary between girlhood and womanhood, just before blooming into one or the other.

And yet now, the bud he had seen again after a long time, when she was with Duke Graize, was on the verge of flowering. It was the sort of thing only he, who liked discovering pearls buried in the dirt, could recognize.

The Duke of Graize standing beside her did not recognize that value. A jewel shines all the more in the eyes of someone who knows its worth. So before he realized it, Abil had to claim it for himself. It was a jewel he had discovered first.

When Abil lightly thr*st his hips, a muffled sound came from beneath the blanket.

He stroked the head rising beneath the blanket. As if that had been some sort of signal flare, the blanket began to move violently. It was a desperate struggle to survive.

The wet sounds from under the blanket grew louder as well.

“She will be in my hands soon enough.”

Abil, who had not taken his eyes off the handwriting that resembled Kina’s, soon let out a long, rough breath with an expression somewhere between pleasure and a frown.

* * *

The next time Kina met Abil was at a ball she attended together with Raon.

“I received the gift you sent very well.”

Raon conveyed his thanks for the fur gift.

“You preserved my dignity, so of course I had to give it. I had expected Madame to wear it this time, but unfortunately, I suppose it is not yet the season.”

As he answered, Abil naturally opened the way for conversation with Kina.

“Yes…….”

But since Kina had not opened it even once after receiving the gift, she only smiled vaguely and indirectly declined the conversation with him.

“It is not used only in winter. It is often used for decoration as well. It can also be fashioned into any shape you desire, so you need only say the word.”

“That does sound like someone who owns several shops.”

Everyone laughed it off, saying his eager recommendation sounded like he was reciting an advertisement. Kina, too, merely let it pass with a smile just enough not to spoil the mood.

A little while after the ball began, the men started gathering one by one.

Seeing them talk among themselves while shaking small cases they had taken from their pockets, it seemed they intended to smoke cigars.

Since Raon did not smoke cigars, under ordinary circumstances he might have remained at the ball with Kina.

“How about joining us as well, Your Grace?”

However, seeing the interest shining in the others behind the man who asked him that, Raon thought that a cigar after so long might not be bad either.

“I will be back shortly.”

Once Raon left the hall, Kina had no choice but to grow tense. Thankfully, however, as some of the others also said they would step out for a short rest, the hall became relatively sparse.

“It seems the Duke has stepped away for a moment.”

But before Kina could even feel relieved, Abil approached. It seemed he had not gone with the men.

“Fortunately, I had a spare item in the carriage, so I brought it.”

Before she could even make the excuse that she would step away for a moment, he spoke first. In his hand was the fur.

“If the fur is made this small, it can be used as an accent regardless of the season.”

Saying so, he slipped onto Kina’s wrist a piece of fur tied with a round cord.

Only a very small portion of the bracelet was made of fur, so it did not look hot or excessive.

“This is something I had made in the form of an accessory.”

Then he handed her a ring, the fur lined on the inside and joined together with a small metal fitting. Since he had apparently gone to the trouble of bringing it, she thought it might be rude to refuse, and just as she reached out to try the ring on,

Abil closed the hand on which the ring was resting.

“If it is all right with you, I will put it on for you.”

And then he took hold of Kina’s hand, which had stopped in midair.

Kina stayed still, thinking it would be better to put the ring on quickly and end it rather than pull her hand away and cause a commotion. But perhaps it was just her imagination, the ring seemed to go on slowly.

And though it had fit her hand perfectly, he did not let go of her hand under the excuse of making it look nice.

“This is my gift to you.”

The hand that had put on the ring fell away, but the hand holding Kina’s remained as it was. Without asking her intention, he pressed his lips down. Yet by strange coincidence, it was on top of the ring.

Then the eyes that met hers for a moment gleamed.

At the intention in that gaze, Kina tried at once to pull away, but Abil did not release the hand he held. No matter how much she tried, his strength was greater.

From a distance, it might only have looked as though he was holding her hand, but because Kina refused to give up, the contest of strength between the two continued.

That persistence irritated Abil a little as well. And with that feeling, more strength went into his hand.

Just as Kina’s body, which had barely been holding out, was about to be dragged along by that force,

“Ah, I have been looking for you for quite a while.”

Then a familiar voice came from behind.

“Madame.”

Seorin’s voice was clearly pleased, yet his gaze never left Abil. Because of the eerie feeling created by that dissonance, the moment Abil’s strength slackened, Kina quickly pulled her hand free.

“Ah…….”

“Where did the Commander go?”

Seorin stepped in front of Abil, blocking his gaze as he belatedly tried to call out to Kina, and his expression was cold.

Following Seorin’s escort, Kina had already turned away, so she did not see it.

“He went to smoke a cigar.”

“Ah, I see.”

When the gaze that had been directed at Abil turned toward Kina, it changed as warmly as if it had never been cold at all, and he continued the conversation with complete ease.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“There is something I needed to report.”

Seorin slightly lifted the envelope containing documents.

“That is a relief. Ah, I do not mean it is a relief that you are still working at this hour.”

What she meant was that it was fortunate he had helped her in an awkward moment. Fearing he might misunderstand, Kina hurriedly added that.

“I know. I also thought it was fortunate.”

Seorin answered with a light smile.

“Then until the Commander returns, I should try enjoying the ball a little too.”

Seorin, his face playful once more, picked up some finger food placed nearby.

*

“Your Grace, you should have seen it too. Haha.”

Raon was listening to the conversation of those trying to tell him entertaining stories when he returned to the ballroom. Kina was talking with a man in a familiar uniform.

It was the uniform of the knight order he knew well.

Though the man had his back turned to him, Raon knew at once from the eased expression on Kina’s face.

That it was Seorin.

Even as Raon slowly descended toward the hall, he did not take his eyes off the two of them.