07

Everyone wore masks, but when meeting outside, it was possible to vaguely guess who each other were.

Whenever that happened, the unspoken rule among those who attended the secret club was not to acknowledge each other in public.

It may have been hypocritical, but the secret club was truly a place where people could release such desires in secret.

If anyone violated the rule even once, they were considered a risk and would never be allowed to attend the secret club again.

Elsia watched Adrian until he left the shop. She was surprised to see him in such an unexpected place, but even more amazed to recognize his face without the mask.

‘No wonder I wanted to go out today…. Is my meeting with him fate?’

Elsia felt her body tremble. A tender feeling for Adrian seemed to be budding in her heart.

“Did you meet someone you know?”

Marie, sensing something suspicious in Elsia’s behavior, tilted her head and came closer. Fortunately, Marie didn’t seem to have noticed Adrian.

“No.”

Elsia immediately denied Marie’s words.

“Suspicious…”

Until they arrived at the Portman mansion, Marie kept sending intense, suspicious looks at Elsia, but Elsia pretended not to notice.

Elsia, who had repeated to herself many times that she would never go to the secret club again, changed her mind after meeting Adrian.

The only place she could meet him was the secret club.

So, as soon as morning broke, Elsia went straight to Richel.

“You said you’d never go to such a strange place again.”

When Elsia asked Richel to take her to the secret club, Richel responded in disbelief.

“I never have nightmares on the days I meet him. And seeing him at the new dessert shop by chance—doesn’t it feel like we’re destined?”

“You met him at the new dessert shop?”

Richel looked quite surprised at Elsia’s words.

“Ah… It’s strange, isn’t it, that I went to a dessert shop even though I rarely go out? Honestly, I think my own behavior is strange, too.”

Elsia thought even she felt unfamiliar with her own changes, so Richel’s surprise made sense.

“It’s not strange, but… I don’t think it’s something someone with a fiancé should say. What if your feelings for that man grow so much you can’t handle them? Wouldn’t you need to break off your engagement first?”

Richel spoke bluntly, and Elsia felt a pang of conscience at her words.

But Elsia couldn’t call her feelings for Adrian love yet. She thought she was just curious about him for now.

“My feelings might suddenly settle down, you know. I don’t really know my heart yet, so I can’t start tidying up everything around me. So please help me, Richel. Please?”

“Sigh. Fine.”

Richel, still being used by Elsia, sighed and agreed to help her again.

That night, they visited the secret club once more.

When Elsia spotted Adrian, she felt as if her breath stopped again.

Clutching her trembling heart, she shook her glass and approached him.

“We meet again. You must come here often?”

“Not really… But it’s nice to see you here. Ah! Since we also met at the dessert shop, maybe I shouldn’t even say it’s nice to see you?”

Adrian smiled at Elsia with crescent-shaped eyes.

Seeing his smile, Elsia felt uncontrollable desire rising again. She still didn’t know why she felt this way every time she met Adrian.

But each time she saw him, her feelings seemed to rise above mere interest.

‘Yes, it’s time I figured out what this feeling means.’

Elsia couldn’t keep asking Richel to bring her to the secret club forever.

So she needed to create a chance to arrange a separate meeting with Adrian herself.

To get a clear answer about her feelings, she had to make the first move.

‘What should I do?’

Adrian said something to Elsia, but his words didn’t reach her ears.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of how to create an opportunity to have this man.

A friend arrived, and Adrian paused his conversation with Elsia to greet them and started to leave.

At that moment, Elsia instinctively grabbed his sleeve. If she let him go, her resolve might falter.

“Is grabbing people by their clothes your hobby?”

At Adrian’s words, Elsia quickly let go of his hand.

Seeing his surprised face, Elsia felt embarrassed and her heart pounded even harder.

“Shall we make a bet? Whoever wins can ask for anything they want—something reasonable, something that can be done in one day.”

Elsia wasn’t sure where she got the courage, but she said something to keep him close.

“Alright.”

Luckily, Adrian seemed interested in her proposal.

“What game should we play?”

“I’m fine with anything. Miss Marie, you decide.”

Elsia had never gambled before. As she hesitated, Adrian told her to decide while he went to his friend, then stepped away for a moment.

Elsia looked around at people playing games.

She needed to find something she had a good chance of winning.

‘I can’t miss this chance!’

Since this was her opportunity to find out if she was truly compatible with him, Elsia didn’t want to lose.

Her desire for Adrian had grown so much she couldn’t suppress it any longer.

This might be the first and last time, and maybe after sleeping with him, her longing would fade.

Elsia looked around at the games, but since she’d never played any before, she didn’t know what was what. And nothing seemed to favor her.

“In that case, maybe I should leave it to luck.”

After thinking, Elsia chose a simple game with an immediate winner.

When Adrian finished his business and came back, Elsia smiled brightly and asked him,

“How about we watch the roulette players and guess—odd or even numbers?”

She pointed to the people playing roulette, who were just about to start betting.

“Alright. You choose first, I’ll take the other.”

“Then I’ll bet on odd.”

“Then I automatically get even.”

Adrian replied with a smile.

Elsia and Adrian watched the roulette spin.

It felt as if time was crawling by, and her mouth went dry.

The metal ball spun quickly, hesitated over several numbers, making everyone anxious, then stopped in front of number 7.

“!”

As soon as Elsia saw she’d won, she shouted for joy.

The cheers from people who won money were so loud that no one looked at her, but after shouting, she blushed, embarrassed.

She wondered if she’d shown her excitement too much.

Elsia checked Adrian’s reaction, but thankfully, he didn’t seem bothered by her behavior.

“I lost. Ask for whatever you want.”

Adrian gave a faint smile, and before he finished speaking, Elsia grabbed his arm, looked straight into his deep blue eyes.

Adrian didn’t avoid her gaze, and Elsia took courage, stood on tiptoe, and brought her face close enough to feel his breath.

She’d never been this close to someone before.

The moment their eyes met, Elsia’s heart began pounding so hard she could barely breathe.

Adrian’s blue eyes seemed to tremble slightly.

‘Now!’

Elsia summoned all the courage left in her body and pulled Adrian’s collar down, brushing her lips lightly against his.

She felt the soft touch and wanted to taste his lips a bit longer, but this was the best she could do—any more and her heart might burst.

Adrian looked briefly surprised by Elsia’s bold move, but then smiled slyly with his eyes.

“Are you claiming my lips as your prize for winning?”

Elsia clenched her fist, trying to calm her flushed face and body. She didn’t want Adrian to see her embarrassment.

So she acted as if nothing was wrong, met his gaze, and came closer until their breaths met, then slowly lowered her gaze to his chest.

“No, that’s not enough! I think our bodies will communicate well… Shall we try matching together?”

* * *

Elsia buried her face in her bed.

‘I must have lost my mind for a moment. How could I make such a suggestion?’

Even though those words came from her mouth, Elsia couldn’t believe it.

It was all because of the necklace.

Since the color changed, she felt sure, and could say such embarrassing things to Adrian.

And to think she was the one who made a bold move toward Adrian… It was unbelievable.

‘Impossible!’

Elsia sat up straight, gently touched her lips, and recalled the warmth of his touch.

The lips that met Adrian’s were moist and soft, so she couldn’t forget the feeling even though it was only a brief brush.

Remembering the heat of that moment, her lips seemed to warm again.

She couldn’t believe she’d done something she’d never do with Mars.

“I must be under a spell.”

Elsia blamed her strange actions on magic. Her mind told her not to, but her body wouldn’t listen.

At least Adrian didn’t reject her.

If he’d refused, she would have been consumed by shame.

When Elsia made her outrageous suggestion, she saw Adrian’s face stiffen.

He couldn’t have imagined such a proposal coming.

―A… Are you serious? We’ve only just met… We still don’t know each other well enough… Maybe you should reconsider…

Adrian stammered, sweated, and tried to persuade her, which Elsia found adorable.

She wanted to capture that moment in a painting and keep it forever.

But faced with Elsia’s firm attitude and gaze, Adrian eventually accepted her proposal.

Elsia opened her drawer and took out a note. It was what Adrian had given her when she made her proposal.

―Will you not regret it?

―No. I never regret my decisions.

―If you truly mean it, come to this place.

Elsia opened the note with her pounding heart. The location of a villa was written on it.

She was the one who made the proposal, but seeing the note made her heart feel as if it might burst.