Chapter 20

“I was worried, but I’m glad nothing happened. When I first discovered that man’s cipher, my heart was pounding so hard.”  

“You did well to tell me right away instead of following him.”  

“I value my life, you know.”  

Charlotte chuckled, and Erhen smiled softly in response to her laughter.  

“Still, I had fun today. It’s been a while since I wore a dress, danced, and met so many people.”  

Charlotte summed up her thoughts on the banquet. Having been drinking since the party, she was now cheerfully chatting under the influence of rising intoxication and the warm atmosphere.  

However, Erhen couldn’t laugh along with her on this particular topic.  

The human heart is truly fickle. Seeing Charlotte laugh made him happy, yet her seemingly innocent words caused him to pause.  

As he recalled the source of his discomfort from the terrace earlier, Erhen suppressed a sigh, feeling a growing sense of frustration.  

“…You seemed quite friendly with that young nobleman.”  

This was what he called a question.  

He couldn’t stop replaying the image of that handsome man, his eyes filled with infatuation, and Charlotte smiling back at him. Even though Erhen knew she had only been polite and hadn’t rejected the man’s goodwill, he still felt this way.  

What a pathetic guy I am.

He thought to himself.  

“Who? Who are you talking about?”  

“The eldest son of the Marquis of Münster. Moritz, wasn’t it?”  

“What are you talking about? We just introduced ourselves today; that’s all.”  

Charlotte grumbled, looking incredulous.  

Stupidly, Erhen found himself reassured by her reaction. A slow smile spread across his face, though he felt embarrassed by his own behavior.  

Being around Charlotte constantly made his emotions unpredictable, unlike his usual self.  

“Then that’s a relief.”  

With a quiet sense of relief, he tilted his wine glass. The rich aroma of grapes wafted into his nose.  

Wait, aroma? Had I taken the antidote earlier today?

But there was no need to question further. The fact that he could smell the wine meant he hadn’t taken the antidote.  

As soon as he realized this, the intoxication began to hit him quickly. The wine Charlotte had brought was strong.  

Charlotte, noticing his reaction, playfully shrugged her shoulders.  

“Well, I am pretty, aren’t I? And I put in a lot of effort this morning, so of course, I look amazing.”  

“……”  

But her joke, meant to lighten the mood, fell flat as Erhen remained silent.  

He could at least play along today!

Feeling both disappointed and embarrassed, Charlotte quickly waved her hands to dismiss her own words.  

“Oh, I was just joking! It’s all thanks to makeup, really.”  

“No.”  

Suddenly, Erhen refuted her words firmly.  

Surprised by his unexpected reaction, Charlotte looked at him with wide eyes, only to find him wearing a serious expression.  

As he gazed into her startled emerald eyes, he spoke honestly.  

“You’re beautiful. Especially your bare face—it’s the prettiest.”

Charlotte’s cheeks instantly flushed red.  

Whenever Erhen said something sweet that she wasn’t used to hearing, her heart raced wildly, as if it were broken. Her emotions began to swirl in confusion.  

His casual compliment unraveled the tightly bound emotions she had kept locked away since their divorce. Through that crack, feelings of sorrow she had long hidden began to seep out.  

“You should’ve said things like that when we were married.”  

Her trembling voice echoed softly in the quiet garden.  

But once again, Erhen didn’t respond.  

Her words brought a momentary silence between them.  

A gentle breeze blew, causing the starlight around them to shimmer faintly. Neither Charlotte nor Erhen spoke until the flickering starlight settled.  

*What do I do about this atmosphere…? It’s ruined now…*  

Blaming her alcohol-fueled emotions, Charlotte decided she needed to say something to break the growing tension. Just as she opened her mouth—  

A soft kiss landed on her cheek.  

Startled, Charlotte turned her head to look at Erhen, who quietly gazed at her with lowered eyes.  

Longing, or perhaps desire—his gaze carried an emotion she couldn’t define, and it left her breathless.  

“…Charlotte.”  

His gentle voice called her name.  

Overwhelmed by the pounding in her chest, Charlotte avoided his gaze instead of answering. But Erhen didn’t allow her to look away.  

He cupped her chin, guiding her to meet his eyes. As he stared into her emerald irises, he whispered,  

“I want to kiss you.”  

No answer was needed.  

Erhen leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.  

The kiss was bold yet cautious, and Charlotte tensed up in response.  

She could feel him smiling against her lips, and despite the lightness of the kiss, her heart felt like it was being squeezed.  

Gripping his collar with both hands, Charlotte clung to him as the kiss deepened.  

Eventually, Erhen pulled back.  

“……”  

“……”  

Their gazes remained locked, filled with an unspoken thirst for each other.  

Charlotte could no longer deny it.  

The feelings she had buried after their marriage, believing them to be one-sided, had resurfaced.  

That was why she had ended their marriage—she couldn’t continue living with unrequited love.  

“Charlotte.”  

It had been a year since their divorce when she met Erhen again, bloodied, outside her home in Heringen.  

Though she tried to deny it, she had always suspected the reason he had come here.  

Unfulfilled love leaves behind regrets.  

That was why she couldn’t sever ties with this man who had appeared before her, injured.  

She had concocted a plan, using the flimsy excuse of a royal order and the need for both of them to survive.  

But it was futile.  

She was once again swayed by her feelings for Erhen.  

“I want to kiss you.” 

He whispered again.  

Erhen, who had been silently watching her, now sought her consent with heated eyes.  

Charlotte’s hands trembled slightly as they clung to his collar.  

Was it because of the alcohol? Yes, it must be the alcohol.  

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.  

That must be why their lips met once more.  

Their breaths intertwined, and the bitter taste of wine passed between them.  

The faint scent of alcohol in their shared breaths made them feel even more intoxicated.  

Erhen held Charlotte’s soft lips as if savoring a sweet candy, pleading silently as he kissed her.  

Despite the cold air, the passionate kiss made Charlotte press herself closer to him.  

He lifted her into his arms, and though she trembled slightly, she didn’t let go of his shoulders.  

The chiffon dress Lida had painstakingly crafted crumpled easily in his embrace.  

The door to the annex opened, the stairs creaked underfoot, and the door to his room swung open.  

A trail of starlight followed them, illuminating the dark room with a gentle glow.  

Even then, Erhen didn’t stop stealing her breath.  

“Ah…”  

Charlotte gasped as her breathing grew heavier.  

When he finally pulled away, her hair, now undone, brushed against his neck.  

Her eyes sparkled faintly under the starlight, and her lips glistened with a trace of moisture.  

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Erhen’s uncontrollable feelings for Charlotte pushed him forward.  

As he kissed her again, his voice, slightly hoarse, broke the silence.  

“Charlotte.”  

Allow me.

To become yours.

“……”  

Hearing him call her name softly, Charlotte met his gaze, filled with a melancholic longing.  

Blaming the alcohol, she realized she couldn’t resist his allure.  

She cupped his cheeks with her hands—a silent permission.  

As soon as she gave her consent, Erhen, desperate for her lips, kissed her with unrestrained hunger.  

A ticklish sensation kept creeping over her, causing Charlotte to shiver slightly.

In truth, whatever he wanted, at least for this moment, permission might not have been necessary.

Charlotte realized she was clinging to Erhen without even noticing and thought to herself.

Soon, Erhen carefully laid Charlotte down on the soft mattress of the bed.

Looking up at him, she barely managed to whisper his name.

“Erhen.”

Her voice brought him joy.

Tasting her lips again, they were as soft as ever.

The scent of her white neck intoxicated Erhen with euphoria. His Adam’s apple quivered slightly.

He was thirsty. He was parched.

As his lips continued to descend over her fair face without pause, his longing only grew.

He needed to be filled with her. Erhen endlessly craved Charlotte.

“Ah…!”

The heat he carried merged with hers, soon enveloping both their bodies.

It was an incredibly sweet night.