Chapter 13

Elina, lost in pleasure, let herself be shaken by his movements. With their lovemaking continuing through the night, her mind was filled only with lustful thoughts.

Her conflict with him faded for a moment, and she was overwhelmed by the fulfillment and pleasure of being with Terence.

“Do you like a promiscuous man’s c*ck, Elina? You can’t even think straight.”

“Ah, hngh, ngh! Ngh, aaah!”

“Hm? Say you like it, haah, do you?”

“Hngh, I like… aaah! Aaah! I like it, hngh!”

She sobbed, defeated by pleasure, tears streaming down her face. Countless climaxes made her brain go soft.

Her pale, smooth skin was covered in red marks, and her lips and n*pples, bitten and sucked, were swollen and flushed.

The sound of their bodies meeting and Elina’s moans filled the spacious bedroom.

She reached another climax as he rubbed her cl*t and thrust inside her.

“Aaah! Hngh!”

“Haah, Elina, Elina…”

Terence shuddered, releasing deep inside her. He supported her trembling waist and kissed her lightly, savoring the afterglow.

Seeing her panting beneath him, marked everywhere by him, made his arousal rise again.

His night was far from over. His tensed muscles began to move with renewed vigor.

Between Elina’s sharp cries, Terence’s heavy panting mixed in. Even the creaking bed couldn’t hide the sounds of their lovemaking.

* * *

She couldn’t tell how many days had passed. With their lovemaking continuing day and night, even guessing the time by looking out the window was difficult.

He would push Elina to the brink of exhaustion, then tenderly wash and feed her as if nothing had happened.

Whenever Elina recovered enough to try talking to him, her lips were silenced without fail.

After that, she could only moan under his forced pleasure, repeating lewd words and joining their bodies as he wished.

She told herself she had to end things today, she had to refuse him, but once he started caressing her with a sweet smile, knowing all her sensitive spots, she melted helplessly.

Elina was secretly happy to be with him, but hated herself for thinking that way.

After inevitably passing out from exhaustion, Elina woke to the sound of birds chirping. Looking around, she saw Terence, who always lay beside her, was nowhere to be seen.

She thought she was finally free, but couldn’t hide the emptiness she felt, rising from bed with a lonely expression.

She couldn’t stay trapped like this forever. She wanted to know his feelings, but Terence only repeated that he couldn’t let her go, refusing to listen.

Apparently, her declaration that she would leave had shocked him deeply. But why…?

Now was her chance to go outside. Looking around for something to wear, she realized Terence had hidden her clothes, determined not to let her leave.

Elina put on Terence’s robe hanging by the bed. Her sensitive spots, swollen and red from his bites and kisses, reacted even to the robe’s touch. She winced and sighed, clutching the robe tightly as she approached the door.

The distance from the bed to the door was long, and she realized Terence was speaking with someone near the door. Pressing her ear close, she could finally make out the words.

“…Yes, Your Grace, you can’t stay here forever. Now…”

“Preparations for the engagement ceremony.”

“They’re proceeding without a hitch… but, Your Grace, you know that’s not the real issue!”

The voice of his attendant, Jerome, rang out as if he was frustrated. Listening a bit closer, Elina could hear Jerome muttering to himself in despair.

“Heavens, keeping Miss Harris locked up like this and calling it an engagement… If the previous Grand Duke finds out, I’ll be in serious trouble…”

“Hurry up with the engagement preparations.”

“Yes, Sir.”

With Terence’s firm command, Jerome answered reluctantly as if he had given up. His footsteps faded into the distance, but Elina, still in shock, was rooted to the spot.

When Terence opened the door and found her, big tears were already falling from her reddened eyes.

“Hngh…”

“Elina? Elina, what’s wrong? Hm?”

Seeing her sorrowful crying for the first time in his life, Terence panicked and hugged her. But Elina struggled to escape his arms, sobbing even more bitterly.

Terence, who had never faced such stubborn rejection before, was so shocked that his face stiffened. He nearly knelt as he gazed at Elina with desperate eyes.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong. Hm? Elina.”

“Hngh, you… trash… hngh…”

He was stunned for a moment by her sudden curse, but quickly managed to catch Elina, who looked ready to storm out the door, and led her to the bed.

He sat her down on the sheets and wiped her streaming tears with a clean handkerchief. Elina’s tearful voice echoed in his ears.

“Are you planning to make me your mistress?”

“What are you talking about?”

His handsome face was filled with disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Seeing that expression, Elina began to cry even harder.

As Terence reached out to wipe her tears, Elina turned her head away, rejecting him. Her light green eyes, once like lush greenery, were now filled with misery.

“I heard everything outside. Did you lock me up here behind your fiancée’s back? Are you trying to hide me until the engagement ceremony?”

Only then did Terence seem to realize what was going on, and the tension in his shoulders eased.

As if even a single tear from her was precious, he frowned and gently wiped both her cheeks with his thumb.

“What are you saying? There’s no way I’d ever have feelings for anyone but you.”

“Hngh, what do you mean?”

Elina was just as bewildered. She couldn’t make sense of what was happening. He’d never said he liked her, yet claimed to have feelings for her. What was this engagement ceremony?

She felt dizzy and wanted to give up and run away. Sensing her turmoil, Terence knelt by the bed and gently held both her hands.

After spending days together with her, his rationality was finally starting to return. He regretted losing control and focusing only on possessing her, instead of talking to her when she said she would leave.

He’d been so obsessed with the idea of her leaving that he hadn’t thought of anything else. Even telling Jerome to prepare the engagement was out of selfishness, wanting to keep her by his side.

He hadn’t realized that his selfishness would end up hurting her like this, and he felt pathetic.

“Ever since that day, not a single moment has passed when I haven’t had feelings for you. I love you, Elina.”

“Hngh, that day…?”

What day? Terence let out a hollow laugh and ran his hand through his black hair, seeing the question in her light green eyes.

“The day they talked about your adoption. Didn’t you say you overheard my conversation with my parents?”

Strictly speaking, she hadn’t heard the whole conversation, but since his opposition to her adoption was the main point, she’d basically heard everything, right? Terence, suspicious of her hesitation, asked again.

“I said I liked you, and that I didn’t want you to become my little sister. Didn’t you hear that part?”

Her lips, red from biting back tears, parted slightly. Seeing Elina so flustered, Terence let out a dazed laugh. Where had things gone wrong? He’d thought she knew his feelings and was avoiding him on purpose.

He’d expected things to be awkward after blocking her adoption, but he hadn’t realized they’d grown distant without knowing the real reason.

“That day… I was wrong. It was all because of my selfishness.”

It was too late to apologize now, but guilt was written all over his quietly murmuring face.

Elina, staring blankly at him, recalled his confession and took a sharp breath. Her cheeks grew hotter and hotter.

“But what about the marriage proposal with Lady Rowen? I heard you’re having an engagement ceremony soon.”

“So that rumor reached your ears too?”

A crease appeared between Terence’s handsome brows. He thought he’d dismissed the rumor quickly.

It was true that the Rowen Dukedom had once proposed a marriage. Their terms were generous, but he had no reason to seek the Dukedom’s influence, and he had no feelings for Lady Rowen.

He’d always refused, his hesitation only about Elina. But Lady Rowen, unable to accept his rejection, spread false rumors that the Grand Duke Callium was getting married soon and that the engagement ceremony was being prepared.

He thought he’d cleared up the rumors quickly, but apparently he was too late. The timing of the rumors matched when Elina was away, making the misunderstanding even worse.

Terence gently wiped her tear-stained cheeks as he explained how the rumors started.

After hearing the full story, Elina’s face showed a brief moment of relief. But what about what she’d just heard? Confused, Elina asked,

“Then what was all that talk about the engagement ceremony just now?”

This time, Terence’s ears turned red. Realizing what he’d done, he hesitated, then cautiously revealed his plan.

As he explained, Elina’s tears dried up in disbelief. He’d secretly prepared the engagement and planned to take her on the day of the ceremony.

And he’d already gotten permission from the previous Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess, and her own parents? When she looked at him with a reproachful gaze, Terence glanced away, embarrassed.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll cancel everything. I won’t ask for anything, just stay by my side. Please…”

He rested his forehead on Elina’s knees and pleaded. The strong, dependable Terence looked so small today, just like when he was a child.

Elina absentmindedly stroked his smooth hair, organizing her thoughts. So, Terence had liked her all along, and she’d misunderstood, avoided him, and suffered alone in her one-sided love.

All the time she’d spent aching over her feelings felt meaningless. With both cheeks flushed, Elina hesitantly spoke.

“I like you too.”

Her voice was barely audible, but to Terence, it was clearer than anything.

He lifted his head with a start and looked at her with trembling eyes. Seeing his doubtful gaze, as if checking if he’d heard right, Elina smiled bashfully.

“I’ve liked you for a long time, Terence.”

“…Say it one more time. This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“I like you. I love you.”

His violet eyes, once wavering, now shone with joy. A bright smile spread across his handsome face at her confession. Terence jumped up and hugged her, capturing her cherry lips in a deep kiss.

Their kiss grew deeper as they confessed their feelings. Neither wanted to miss a single breath, and after a long while, they finally parted.

Elina’s heart fluttered at this dreamlike moment. She still couldn’t believe she could finally imagine a future with him.

But there was one thing that always troubled her: her background. She looked at Terence with anxious eyes and hesitated.

“But I’m a commoner, an orphan… I’m not a good match for you, Terence.”

“If your background was a problem, my parents wouldn’t have tried to adopt you in the first place.”

When he’d expressed his intention to marry her, the previous Grand Duke and Duchess had been happier than anyone. If they knew he’d locked her up and done all this, swords would have flown. But he reassured her again that her origins didn’t matter at all.

Even the elders’ opposition was no longer an issue. Since becoming Grand Duke, Terence had steadily built his foundation, and the elders’ influence had faded long ago.

Looking at her sparkling light green eyes filled with relief, he leaned in again. Her lips, swollen from his kisses, parted prettily as if welcoming him.

Their wet kiss grew more intense. With the deepening spring, their love blossomed richly.

〈End.〉