Chapter 53
I hugged him tightly to feel him more.
He repeatedly opened and closed his lips, sucking on mine and tangling our tongues together.
Through the thin fabric of my dress, I could feel the contours of his firm muscles against my skin.
Eventually, Alec lifted me and placed me on the edge of the fountain.
One hand supported the fountain’s ledge while the other cupped my chin.
As he tilted his head slightly, he buried himself deeper inside me.
“Ha.”
What is this?
How can it feel so good?
It was my first kiss.
It was seamless and skillful.
The act with him now was a million times better than all the things I had imagined, fantasized about, and read in novels for vicarious satisfaction.
As he gently wrapped and entangled my tongue, it felt like my soul was soaring.
“Is this your first time doing something so good?”
I tilted my chin a little more to match his angle.
The dance earlier had been exhilarating, but the kiss was even more intense.
Above all, it was astonishing that a man who had never desired me before was now so passionate.
I marveled inwardly with tears in my eyes.
“…Yes. This is exactly what I’ve wanted all along.”
His kiss fit me perfectly, like a well-tailored suit.
The hot temperature and the soft yet tender sensation inside my lips.
In contrast, his strong and skillful movements seemed to constantly stimulate a crucial spot within me.
I had felt sorrow and longing for never having been stimulated this way in all my past and present lives.
Can something be this lovely?
Now, he dominated my mouth as if to encompass my loneliness over two lifetimes.
“Alec?”
“……”
In the end, I couldn’t handle the overwhelming emotion and dizzying stimulation, so I slightly pulled my lips away from him.
I gasped for breath.
If we weren’t wearing masks, I might have fainted from the heated atmosphere between us.
“You’re really amazing.”
Is there anything you can’t do now?
I couldn’t bear to look at him, so I lowered my gaze. My eyelashes trembled.
He was still holding my face firmly, staring intently at me.
I tried hard not to look at his lips and instead gripped his arm tightly.
“I almost fainted because I liked it so much.”
“……”
I caught a glimpse of his lips parting slightly.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would jump out, and I held onto my sanity tightly to avoid fainting.
At that moment, I heard people passing by, laughing in the distance.
He flinched slightly, lifted himself to look in that direction, then bent down toward me again.
His eyes wavered greatly.
“…If you want more, we can move somewhere else.”
‘…Oh my.’
I pressed my cheek with my hand in surprise.
A bold kiss and now saying something like that?
My head spun.
I was dizzy thinking about what would happen if we moved somewhere else.
Eventually, I held onto his arm and managed to stand up.
My legs gave way, and I staggered for a moment, but he was already supporting me well.
Though I wanted to disappear with him somewhere, the ball would soon be over.
I hadn’t forgotten my purpose for attending this masquerade ball.
I looked up at him with disheveled eyes.
“Alec, I feel like my heart is going to burst because of you right now. Can we calm down and continue this later?”
He nodded once without any sign of disappointment.
“The end of the masquerade ball is always the most fun.”
As much as I regretted not continuing our kiss, I couldn’t miss the finale of this ball.
* * *
I returned to the ballroom with Alec escorting me.
I didn’t know how many deep breaths I took to regain my composure after his kiss.
I recalled how people had reacted after Alec and I had danced twice earlier.
Praise and curiosity.
Unexpectedly, Alec’s drastically improved dancing skills made my plan to attract attention even more successful.
Since the two of us had left the ballroom, how curious must people be about our identities by now?
My heart raced.
It wasn’t difficult to predict the reactions of the aristocrats in the social circle.
However, it was my first time pulling off such a stunt against so many nobles, and my heart pounded with excitement.
As I entered the hall, I subtly glanced around.
Although music was playing, hardly anyone was dancing.
Most people were gathered at the numerous small tables, conversing over drinks.
Spotting an empty table, I walked toward it with Alec.
I could feel eyes following us as we walked.
After finding a spot, I stood slightly askew and sipped on whiskey to quench my thirst.
Inevitably, I heard people whispering.
“Look over there. Those two are back.”
“Who could they be?”
“……”
Do they really not recognize us?
We’re the Duke and Duchess of Brent, whom you all disregarded.
I chuckled to myself.
Having lost our noble status, they probably never expected us to appear at such a high-class ball.
It would have been strange for us to show up here after being stripped of our titles so disgracefully.
People didn’t approach us directly but whispered loudly as if wanting us to hear.
“Look at that woman’s back. Her skin seems to glow. How can it be so beautiful?”
“If there’s a secret to her skin care, I’d love to hear it.”
“Could they be a married couple?”
People blatantly stared and murmured about us.
Most of their comments were about our beauty and dancing skills.
I pulled the glass away from my lips slightly and spoke.
“How do you feel, Alec?”
“Sorry?”
“People don’t realize it’s you and are admiring you.”
“…”
“Imagine their faces when they find out that the gentleman they are so smitten with is the very person they have been ignoring all this time.”
“I see…”
He responded briefly, looking around as if he wasn’t particularly affected by my words.
While I felt a thrill like being hit by a refreshing waterfall, he didn’t seem to care whether people recognized his transformation or not.
I was already trembling with excitement at the thought of surprising them.
However, it felt like I needed to witness their dumbfounded faces with my own eyes to truly feel that my presence here was worth it.
At that moment, someone in a red dress staggered toward us.
“Don’t be fooled by them, everyone.”
It was Julia’s voice.
She seemed a bit unsteady, as if she was drunk.
People, who had been watching us, turned their attention to her.
“What do you mean, Julia?”
When someone asked her, she smirked and replied.
“Those people have no right to be here.”
“What?”
People quickly started murmuring again at Julia’s words.
Then Julia raised her voice, making sure we could hear her.
“How dare you come here? Aren’t you afraid of His Majesty the Emperor? You might fool others, but you can’t fool my eyes.”
“……”
I leisurely sipped my drink, savoring the sweet taste of the liquor.
Julia’s alluring voice might have been threatening, but it had no impact on me.
As I lowered my glass, I glanced at the crowd. The atmosphere was quite a sight.
Julia’s appearance was like pouring cold water over everyone.
People murmured in confusion.
“So, who are they?”
“Julia, do you know them?”
“Of course, I do. Is there anything I don’t know?”
Julia’s demeanor was sweet yet overbearing. Then she glared at me sharply and spoke.
“Those people are the fallen Duke and Duchess of Brent.”
“What?”
“The Duke and Duchess of Brent…”
People were puzzled and hesitant to accept Julia’s words.
I could hear them speaking in disbelief.
“There’s no way. They wouldn’t have been invited.”
“Was the Duchess always this beautiful?”
“And even if the Duchess was, there’s no way the Duke could dance that well.”
“Unbelievable.”
Julia’s smirk widened, and she raised her voice triumphantly.
“I’m telling you, they’re not to be trusted. We can’t let ourselves be swayed by commoners who are no longer nobles, can we?”
“…”
The crowd now stood in an awkward, ambiguous silence.
They had been praising us so fervently, but the thought that we might be the Duke and Duchess of Brent left a bitter taste in their mouths.
Most of them seemed utterly stunned, which was exactly the reaction I had hoped for.
Julia chuckled and placed her drink on a nearby table.
“I don’t recall inviting you. Uninvited guests should leave. Or should I say, you need to pay for deceiving the nobles of the Rilt Empire?”
It was clear that Julia had no intention of letting us leave peacefully.
Scarlett and Rose quickly approached Julia and egged her on.
“Julia, make them take off their masks. If they really are the Duke and Duchess of Brent, they deserve to be humiliated.”
“How dare they come here? They can’t hide behind masks.”
“That’s right. Make them take off their masks, Julia.”
“…”
Those two still put on quite a show.
I smirked at the thought and then looked up at Alec, holding his arm. I smiled smoothly and said,
“Alec, shall we take off our masks? It seems people don’t believe that we are the Duke and Duchess of Brent.”
TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories