Chapter 8 – Danger Quietly Under Happiness (Part 2)

“Ria!”

Having finished his work, Cherta headed straight to the Astina mansion, and as soon as he entered, he lifted Ria, who came out to greet him, into his arms. Surprised by the sudden elevation, Ria let out a short scream and widened her eyes.

“You scared me!”

Her small fists lightly hit his shoulder in reproach, but Cherta, finding even that endearing, buried his head in her embrace with a silly grin.

“Cherta, put me down.”

Unlike him, Ria, aware of the servants around them, blushed slightly and kept tapping his shoulder. Eventually, he reluctantly put her down but kept his arms around her waist.

“Isn’t there something you can do for me since it’s been a while?”

At his expectant question, Ria tilted her head and thought.

“Hmm, did you have a good trip?”

“That’s nice, but not that.”

“Hmm… I missed you?”

“Ah, that’s also very nice. But something more intense.”

He lifted one arm that was around her waist and tapped his lips with his fingers. Ria’s mouth slightly opened, and her eyes blinked as she realized the meaning. 

‘Could it be what I’m thinking?

Her thoughts were written all over her face, and Cherta nodded with a smile.

“Yes, what you’re thinking, Ria.”

Then he looked at her red lips and licked his lower lip. He wanted to capture her slightly parted lips and take all her breath away.

As his gaze turned intense, warning bells rang loudly in Ria’s head. 

‘This is dangerous.’ 

Although her body had recovered quickly, they hadn’t been intimate for a while for safety reasons, making it even more dangerous now.

Ria racked her brain to find a way out of the situation. The problem was that her thoughts were visible on her face, and they could easily read her.

Seeing her looking for an escape, Cherta tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer. It was a silent action indicating he wouldn’t let go unless she kissed him.

Of course, if Ria firmly said no, he would let her go, but she had never refused them before. She didn’t dislike them, nor did she dislike their touch. But there were too many people around…

After hesitating for a moment, Ria made up her mind and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

“…!”

Cherta’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected a cheek kiss. He had imagined something deeper and more passionate, so it took him a moment to process the innocent gesture.

“Kissing on the lips here is embarrassing.”

Blushing as much as her face, Ria buried her head in his chest. Realizing this, Cherta hugged her tighter and kissed her head.

‘Oh, I’m going crazy.’

He felt like he was going to lose his mind. His heart was pounding so hard. Even though it was a short kiss that didn’t satisfy his desires, it felt so good. What drove him crazier was the fact that even such a simple gesture made blood rush downwards.

‘Is it okay to be intimate now? What did the doctor say? Damn, I should have asked the royal physician before coming.’

He wanted to hold her warmth close. He wanted to touch her soft skin directly. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings to her all night while listening to her lovely cries.

“Ria, did the doctor say…”

“Your Highness, please step back.”

Just as Cherta’s uncontrollable desire made him speak, Rune and Eden appeared, glaring at his arms around Ria. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had finished his work early today.

Feeling deflated, Cherta narrowed his eyes and thought. He would have to send these guys on a distant mission soon. Sparks flew between their eyes as they glared at each other.

Unaware of this, Ria slipped out of Cherta’s arms as soon as she heard Rune’s voice. She had something to ask.

“Rune, I’ve been invited to a tea party. Can I go?”

All their gazes turned to Ria. Seeing their stiff expressions, Ria tilted her head in confusion.

“…Tea party? By whom? Where? Why?”

“Serena invited me to her mansion. She’s hosting a tea party with a few other ladies and asked if I wanted to join.”

“So… not just the two of you, but other nobles as well?”

“Yes.”

Rune tried to suppress his frown at her innocent question.

‘What’s her intention?’

He couldn’t understand what the Marchioness was thinking. Seeing her visit the mansion daily, he thought she had no ill intentions, but he wasn’t sure if that was not the case. 

‘No, if she wanted to harm Ria, she would have used other methods, not this.’

‘But considering Ria’s hair and eye color, she must know how others would react and show interest. Why invite her to a tea party with other noble ladies? Why? It seemed too dangerous to think it was just a good intention.’

‘Come to think of it, why didn’t the Marchioness say anything about Ria’s appearance?’

“Maybe it’s not a good idea, right? If it would cause trouble for you, I don’t have to go.”

Seeing no response to her question, Ria smiled slightly and withdrew her request. She hadn’t expected much anyway.

She still vividly remembered the attention she received at the imperial banquet and what almost happened. If Cherta hadn’t been there, she might not be here now.

So, she had become cautious about doing anything that seemed dangerous. This world was similar yet so different from her own that she didn’t know when something bad might happen if she acted carelessly.

Moreover, without the magic potion to change her appearance, she stood out even more. People’s interest would only increase, not decrease.

“I don’t want to cause any worry. I’ll explain it well to Serena.”

Most importantly, she didn’t want to make these already busy people even busier with her matters. So, she decided to be as careful as possible. Refusing Serena’s invitation didn’t bother her at all.

“…”

Ironically, it was they who felt uncomfortable. Even though it was the answer they wanted, hearing it directly from her made them feel strange.

They had hoped she wouldn’t go out and would only think about them inside the mansion. They only needed to nod their heads, but somehow they hesitated.

They kept recalling how happy she had been talking about the Marchioness every day.