Seeing him cry for the first time, Chloe couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Why…”

“It’s because I’m happy. I thought you had no feelings for me and that I could never make you mine. So I was ready to be satisfied just being near you…”

Lucius covered his face with the back of his hand, trying to hide his tears.

The man who always appeared composed could shed such vulnerable tears. And for no other reason than me.

In that moment, feeling something indescribable, Chloe threw herself into his arms as he cried.

“Now that I know how much you love me, how could I be content with just staying by your side?”

“Then will you marry me?”

“Yes. I accept your proposal.”

It was now Chloe’s turn to trust Lucius, and she no longer wanted to refuse him.

Before, she had thought being with him would make her unhappy, but not anymore. Just as her brother had said, staying by his side might fill the scars of the past with happiness.

Finally caught her.

Only after Chloe accepted his proposal could Lucius breathe a sigh of relief.

He had been prepared for the possibility that he might never win her heart, but truthfully, he wasn’t confident. He didn’t have the strong heart needed to endure unrequited love.

So now that he had captured her heart, he had no intention of letting it go. He planned to keep her by his side and love her for the rest of his life.

He stopped crying and smiled.

“Whenever you want to run away from me, go ahead. I’ll always come to catch you.”

“After leaving this time, I realized something. Leaving home is hard work. Besides, no matter where I go, you’ll come to catch me again. But you know what?”

Chloe also smiled in response and whispered in a small voice near Lucius’s ear.

“This time I wasn’t running away, I was kidnapped.”

“What?”

Anger filled Lucius’s eyes, which had been full of happiness just moments ago. Chloe linked her arm with his and pointed toward the door.

“So let’s hurry and catch the culprit with the knights waiting outside. If we don’t catch him, I’ll take back my acceptance of your proposal.”

“Don’t worry. I have a good idea who the culprit is. I plan to completely destroy that family soon. I’ll show them exactly what punishment awaits those who ignore my warnings.”

Chloe had thought it strange that Lucius and his knights appeared so suddenly, but it seemed they had already suspected Duke Granard’s involvement and were tracking his movements.

It appeared she would have been rescued even if she hadn’t escaped.

Her husband was indeed capable.

Looking at Lucius’s reliable figure, Chloe smiled happily.

When they went outside, they saw knights standing in formation.

“From now on, capture everyone from the Granard family and take them to the imperial palace to be imprisoned.”

“Understood.”

The knights divided into groups and dispersed. Lucius, who had been watching them, turned his gaze to Chloe.

“We’ll be able to catch Duke Granard by today at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest. What punishment do you want for him?”

“Hmm, I’ll leave that to you. But please listen to my story and judge accordingly.”

After being lost in thought for a moment, Chloe smiled brightly and answered.

“What story?”

“Remember when I unilaterally didn’t attend some events in the past? How did that make you feel?”

“I thought you were arrogant and selfish.”

“And that’s why you didn’t want to give me your heart?”

Lucius made a troubled expression, finding it difficult to answer. Chloe smiled at him.

“I guess that’s right.”

“After you secretly entered my bedroom, I realized I had misunderstood you.”

“That’s the same thing. But you know what? What I know is different from what you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“After I had prepared to attend an event, I received a letter from His Highness the Crown Prince. It said I shouldn’t attend.”

“What?”

One of Lucius’s eyebrows twitched.

“So I thought Your Highness was trying to make a fool of me. But it turns out all of this was Duke Granard’s scheme. To drive a wedge between us.”

“…You should have told me sooner.”

“Every time I tried to tell you, you interrupted me.”

“Ah… I have nothing to say about that. I’m truly sorry.”

Lucius’s face slightly contorted as he bowed his head deeply. Seeing his genuinely apologetic demeanor, Chloe knew he was sincere, but she wasn’t ready to accept his apology so easily.

“Do you really feel sorry?”

“Of course.”

“Then let me see just how sorry you are.”

“How should I do that? …To be honest, there’s still only one way I can directly show you my heart.”

Lucius slowly raised his head and gazed at Chloe with calm eyes.

“Then show me again this time.”

She approached him and smiled brightly.

“With your body.”

* * *

Without time to go to the imperial palace, they entered a nearby villa belonging to the Limerick family. Then they frantically explored each other’s lips.

“I love you, Chloe.”

“Me too.”

There was no need to hold back anymore. They rushed to each other and shared kisses.

Their tongues intertwined, saliva mixed, and their breaths mingled wildly. The relentless movement stole even their breath.

Lucius carefully wrapped his arms around Chloe’s back, simultaneously untying the strings and lowering her dress below her shoulders. The dress fell to the floor in an instant.

Chloe also tore off Lucius’s clothes and threw them on the floor. Soon, their n*ked bodies were entangled on the bed, becoming one.

They should have done this sooner. Much sooner.

She regretted only now sharing her heart. Otherwise, they could have enjoyed this ecstatic act much earlier. The years gone by felt wasteful, and their hunger for each other was that much greater. Because of this, there was no composure in their movements.

They touched, licked, and rubbed each other’s bodies however they could. It might have looked like animal mating, but they were beyond caring about such things. They gave their bodies to each other and explored each other multiple times.

“Ahh!”

“Ugh.”

Lying together on the bed, Chloe moaned at Lucius’s devoted touch and caress on her intimate area. Lucius also exhaled roughly as Chloe’s hand rubbed his hardened manhood.

When they were ready to intertwine their bodies, Lucius raised his upper body and pressed the tip of his gl*ns against the narrow opening.

“Ah! Hah!”

Finding his place, he pushed himself into the crevice. Her lower part opened endlessly. The dull pain was still there, but perhaps because her heart was full, it was less painful than before.

Inside, she seemed to welcome the intruder, trying to s*ck in the entire length. When he was completely inside, her body felt filled with him. Intense flames rose from where they connected.

“Hah! Too deep…”

The flesh that had barely swallowed the pillar of flesh tightened around the intruder.

“Now you’re swallowing me well.”

Lucius looked at her with appreciative eyes and lowered his lips to Chloe’s eyes and cheeks.

“Ah, please.”

“This is just the beginning.”

After catching his breath briefly, Lucius began to move slowly. With each entry and exit, he stirred her inner flesh, and a burning sensation gradually spread throughout her body.

The faint pleasure gradually became a huge wave that enveloped her entire body. Her inner juices flowed abundantly, making a squelching sound, and as movement became smoother, Lucius’s hip movements began to roughen.

“Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!”

With each thr*st as Lucius pushed himself inside, Chloe writhed in unbearable pleasure. M*ans and rough breathing intertwined.

No matter how roughly he pushed in, everything became pleasure, creating a great storm inside her body.

Like an unbridled colt, Lucius persistently explored and craved Chloe. She couldn’t express how lovely he looked with his eyes filled with passion directed at her.

In the midst of her pleasure-induced daze, Chloe reached out and cupped Lucius’s cheek.

“Lucius, I love you.”

“I… too. I’ll never let you go now.”

“You must keep that promise.”

“Of course.”

Even as her body shook uncontrollably, Chloe smiled brightly. Just seeing his excited appearance made her feel happiness seeping inside.