Should she take courage first?

She didn’t have confidence to seduce him while sober. So Diana called Edwin to the estate and entered the drawing room first to savor some wine.

When Edwin entered the drawing room, she could see him hesitate momentarily upon seeing Diana’s appearance. It was natural for him to be flustered since she was drinking wine when they had arranged to meet.

She felt ashamed, but whether due to the alcohol, such emotions quickly disappeared. Rather, she found courage to voice the words she had only kept in her heart until now.

“You came?”

She tried to speak calmly, but her tongue twisted and she made a slurred sound.

She had only sipped one glass, yet she was already drunk. Normally this amount wouldn’t affect her at all, but today she felt extremely tense, so the intoxication seemed to come faster than usual.

When she tried to stand up and staggered, Edwin approached and supported her.

“Are you alright? It seems it would be better for you to rest today.”

Edwin carefully seated Diana on the sofa and tried to bid farewell. How could he leave right after arriving?

Diana urgently grabbed hold of the man trying to distance himself from her.

“I know you respect me as your fiancée, but you can come closer. If it’s you, then I can…”

Embarrassed feelings arose and she gently bit her lips.

“What did you just say?”

Edwin’s expression hardened like he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

Did she misspeak? Edwin’s flustered appearance was confusing, so Diana didn’t have confidence to look at him directly.

“Th, that is. You don’t need to cherish me as a fiancée.”

Her confident attitude quickly subsided. Diana bowed her head deeply with restless eyes.

Edwin couldn’t comfortably watch her like that either. Since he felt his mind becoming distant, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

Since it was words he had never expected, it didn’t feel real. Was it a dream? If it was a dream, it was truly cruel. How could he endure such temptation?

‘No. I must have heard wrong.’

Since such words couldn’t come from Diana’s mouth, Edwin denied what he had heard. How could she say such things with those clear eyes?

But seeing Diana’s face redden like it was ripe, it didn’t seem like a mistake either. He thought she had become well-behaved after that incident, but perhaps that wasn’t the case.

“We’re engaged… aren’t we? So I want you.”

The voice flowing from Diana’s mouth afterward reminded him that he hadn’t heard wrong. So it wasn’t a dream.

Oh no. What should he do?

Edwin had thought Diana disliked him all this time. When their engagement was decided, she wouldn’t make eye contact, and whenever they dated, her face was always completely stiff.

Even during their engagement ceremony, she had kept her head bowed without making eye contact. He thought she was subtly revealing that this was an unwanted engagement, but had all of that been a misunderstanding?

Then what did those words about wanting him mean? Did she like him, or did she want his body?

No, that couldn’t be.

She must think it was something that needed to be done ceremonially since they were engaged. Edwin didn’t think such bold words would come from an innocent young lady’s mouth.

Did she even know what she was saying? Did she know what kind of stimulation her appearance gave him? She couldn’t know that her disheveled appearance with flushed cheeks drove him even more crazy.

Though he thought this way, her languidly relaxed eyes seemed to be seducing Edwin. She probably didn’t know how to stimulate a man’s desires. It was surely unconscious behavior.

Since many couples had physical contact before marriage, Diana might be misunderstanding that she should do the same. So he needed to keep his wits about him.

“This doesn’t seem right.”

Edwin shook his head and chewed his lower lip. He had to somehow endure this situation that was like the devil’s sweet temptation.

“You know these aren’t words I spoke easily. Do you know how many times I hesitated before saying this? There’s been no progress since we got engaged…”

“We’re dating. Isn’t that enough?”

“No. It’s not enough.”

Even drunk, Diana’s eyes shone clearly. Please, she hoped Edwin wouldn’t keep his distance anymore.

Finding it difficult to look at her like that, Edwin pressed his forehead with his hand in apparent distress. His gaze toward Diana felt sharp.

‘Did I speak unnecessarily? Was he upset because I spoke so bluntly?’

Though she had finally gathered courage, her heart sank thinking she might be rejected. But she didn’t regret it.

“It’s fine, so don’t hold back and touch me.”

She didn’t have confidence to look at Edwin’s face, so she averted her gaze. With her completely flushed face.

At that moment his eyes flickered with desire, but so quickly that she thought it was a mistake, his deep black eyes immediately settled coldly.

“It won’t be too late to do so after we marry.”

Edwin was so busy that they hadn’t been able to set a wedding date. Diana was leisurely, but he was bound to the imperial palace and his schedule was already packed for the entire year.

So they would marry next year at the earliest. She heard that Duke Winchester was currently coordinating his wedding date through the imperial palace.

Though the wedding date was late, wasn’t their marriage confirmed at this point? Then she could freely touch his body here and there. But why was he being so cold?

“Sir, Sir Lauderdale.”

After hesitating, Diana grabbed Edwin’s collar and first pressed her lips to his cheek briefly.

“…”

Perhaps unexpected, Edwin’s black eyes widened and his body froze completely.

‘Did I come on too strong?’

Was a kiss on the cheek shocking to a man who viewed women like stones?

Did he dislike receiving kisses from a woman he didn’t even like? Well, even if she was his fiancée, Diana didn’t have the right to freely touch Edwin’s body.

When she thought he might have felt displeased, her heart burned intensely.

As expected, she was just a formal fiancée…

Tears welled up, but she held them back. What need was there to rush?

She resolved to propose again next time and thought to step back for today. It was then that unexpected words flowed from Edwin’s mouth.

“Then I won’t decline.”

“Pardon?”

Edwin’s gaze changed in an instant. It flashed so fiercely that she had the illusion she would be devoured by him immediately. Before she could even feel that, their lips met.

“Mmph!”

Though his eyes suggested he would be rough, he wasn’t. They shared a sweet kiss she had never felt before. Like handling precious treasure, he delicately explored her lips.

She knew his swordsmanship style was delicate, but even his kisses were like that.

His hot breath and refreshing scent made Diana’s mind hazy. It felt like she was dreaming.

Perhaps because she was tipsy, her body was more sensitive than usual. So just Edwin’s lips touching hers made her heart feel like it would burst.

Hoping this dream would never end, Diana gripped Edwin’s shirt with her hands.

Damn it!

Edwin cursed inwardly. This was the first time he was alone with her in a room. Hadn’t they always dated in places where others’ gazes could be felt?

So such dangerous situations hadn’t occurred until now, but what was this?

Who knew her drunken appearance would look so sensual? What was he supposed to do when she acted so adorably? When she seduced him with such a defenseless appearance, what man could resist lust?

He tried to maintain an appropriate distance like usual. He thought he should.

It must be behavior due to being drunk. So Edwin tried to maintain reason. That’s why he gritted his teeth and tried to refuse, but the moment Diana pressed her lips to his cheek, he couldn’t.

That fragile, weak woman had instantly crumbled the line he had drawn…

His anguished eyes shook minutely, but the time for contemplation wasn’t long. Once their lips touched, the desire he had suppressed all this time instantly boiled over.

Edwin kissed Diana following his instincts. While doing so, he tried to maintain reason. He had to be as gentle as possible so she wouldn’t be startled.

Their lips separated when they were completely breathless.

“Hah, hah.”

Thin saliva connected them as they panted. Even though their lips had separated, Diana still couldn’t come to her senses, intoxicated by the ecstasy of the kiss. Though the alcohol had completely worn off, she felt drunk.

Who knew a first kiss could be so sweet and soft? It was regrettable to end it so briefly.

“J, just a little more.”

Diana grabbed Edwin’s collar and pressed her lips to his again. Their soft lips touched and another ecstatic kiss continued.

However, the difference from before was that Edwin rubbed along the texture of her lips and then inserted his tongue between her parted lips.