15. Variations on Wednesday

Wednesday came again.

Like usual, she took an unmarked carriage to Kramer mansion where Royter greeted her.

“Welcome, Miss. The master is in his study. Would you like to go there directly?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. I’ll have tea and refreshments sent there as well. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

With winter approaching, it was getting a bit chilly.

It was a day that called for warm, strong tea.

“Milk tea today. Strong and hot, if you please?”

“Yes. I’ll prepare it.”

Royter took her coat, bowed, and disappeared. Following Saena’s request, the excessive greeting and farewell procedures had been eliminated. She went through a familiar path and stood before the Duke’s study.

Knock knock. She gave a short knock but received no answer.

‘Is he away?’

Normally, entering a study without permission would be extremely rude, but Saena had implicit permission.

Thinking she’d quietly go in and sit, she carefully opened the door.

A cold wind rushed in as she opened it. Startled by the chilly air, she looked inside to find the study’s terrace doors open.

‘What if the wind blows the documents away?’

Wondering if they were left open on purpose but feeling the wind was quite strong, she decided to close them first.

“…Oh, Your Grace?”

She’d thought someone had left the door open and left, but that wasn’t it. The Duke seemed to have stepped out onto the terrace for some air.

He sat in the single armchair on the terrace with his head tilted back and eyes closed.

‘Is he sleeping…?’

His furrowed brow left her uncertain, but the fact that he didn’t open his eyes suggested he might be asleep. Given how sensitive he usually was to the presence of others—yet hadn’t responded to Saena’s call—the theory that he was sleeping seemed all the more plausible.

‘Won’t he catch a cold?’

The problem was that sleeping outside in this temperature was likely to cause a cold. Even with a knight’s sturdy body, you never know.

After much deliberation, she decided to try waking him. She’d try just once, and if it didn’t work, she’d pass that task to Royter.

“Your Grace, you’ll catch a cold. Inside… Ah!”

She barely touched his forearm with her fingertip, but suddenly he opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist. The fierce way he awoke looked like he was encountering an assassin.

Saena froze in surprise.

“Ah, I apologize. I was startled for a moment…”

The Duke spoke while releasing his grip on her wrist.

“No, um… it’s fine. I thought you’d fallen asleep in the cold…”

“Yes, it is cold. Let’s go inside.”

The Duke led her inside and pushed the terrace doors closed.

He sat her on the sofa where they usually had tea in the study, then took her hand and lifted it.

“I think I grabbed too hard unconsciously… Does it hurt?”

He seemed to be checking if she had any bruises. Slightly surprised by this unexpected thoughtfulness, Saena focused on the feeling in her wrist, but it seemed fine.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s good.”

The Duke lowered her hand that he’d lifted to look closer. However…

‘…Why isn’t he letting go of my hand?’

She thought he’d let go after his observation or examination was done, but the Duke was still holding her hand. The hand that had been gripping her wrist had slid down so their palms were pressed together.

Why was she so conscious of the feeling of their palms touching?

Saena tried not to be conscious of it, but trying made her more aware. With her palm feeling ticklish, she stared at their joined hands for a while before raising her head.

To ask him to please let go, that is.

“…Your Grace?”

But he was pressing his eye with his other hand while tilting his head back. Come to think of it, he didn’t look well.

“…Are you unwell?”

“Ah, I haven’t slept well these past few days, so I’m a bit tired.”

“Should I come back another time?”

Even to Saena, he looked like he needed to sleep right away.

“No. If you leave, I won’t be able to sleep at all.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m sorry but… could you stay like this for a moment?”

“…Here, like this?”

“I need… your warmth.”

“……”

The Duke looked at Saena with drooping eyes and asked, almost pleading, in such a low voice that it might not be heard if one moved just slightly away.

Seeing such a large man showing vulnerability with an almost puppy-like expression made her heart twinge a little.

She found herself nodding without realizing it.

“Thank you.”

The Duke expressed his gratitude with a brief smile, slowly pulled their joined hands to his chest, leaned his upper body fully against the sofa, and finally, closed his eyes.

His relaxed face looked satisfied.

Though he had been outside, he didn’t seem particularly warm himself, yet he gripped her hand tightly as if he’s holding a blazing heater.

Looking at his calmed breathing and expression, he seemed to have truly fallen asleep in that short time.

‘Why does he keep holding my hand while sleeping?’

Since first holding her hand before, the Duke had requested her hand briefly during their tea time on Wednesdays. Each time, he closed his eyes like this, and what started as five or ten minutes kept getting longer.

‘Today… he seems to be sleeping really deeply…’

What am I, some sleeping pill? Surely he doesn’t mean I’m so boring it makes him sleepy?

Though her thoughts ran wild as she sat there blankly, she couldn’t pull her hand away or wake him.

‘I need to work too…’

Unlike earlier when she thought the wind was cold, after closing the terrace doors, the interior heating was quite strong. Sitting blankly in the warm space made her feel drowsy and sleepy.

Due to the position of her hand on his chest, her upper body was somewhat pulled along, making her posture quite uncomfortable.

Saena turned her body sideways and sat facing him, leaning her shoulder against the sofa.

Thinking he would wake her when he opened his eyes, she slowly closed her eyes. Surprisingly, she fell asleep as soon as she tilted her head against the sofa’s backrest.

How much time had passed?

‘It’s itchy…’

Saena opened her eyes, feeling a strange tickle on her nape.

When she opened her eyes groggily, Saena couldn’t recall her last memory. Where she was, what she had been doing.

It felt like she had slept in a bed that was firm yet soft, bumpy yet comfortable, and cool yet warm (though that made no sense, it really felt that way).

Flinch.

Her nape tickled again. Someone’s breath kept tickling her.

As she lifted her head drowsily, she met a pair of blue eyes.

“……”

The way the pupils dilated in those lake-blue eyes entered her vision slowly it was almost sureal.

“Eyes… blue…”

Pretty…

Saena muttered unconsciously as she gazed into those eyes, her mind still between reality and dreams.

Not yet aware of their position — the Duke half-lying on the long sofa with his upper body propped against the armrest, and herself sprawled on top of him,

A large hand slowly, very slowly, traced up her jawline and cupped her cheek. The tips of his long fingers reached her ear and moved in circles.

A tingling sensation flowed across her skin as his fingers seemed to stroke the fine hairs on her skin.

“Mmh.”

Saena smiled brightly as she felt her nape tickle again. Her smile, showing her neat white teeth, bloomed, perhaps quite inappropriately for the situation.

His gaze darkened and suddenly drew closer.

An unexpected sensation covered her lips.

“…mmn.”

A large hand dug into the back of her scalp and held her. Following that position, he tilted his head and parted her lips.

‘What, what is this?’

It seemed too impossible to be reality, yet too intimate a feeling to be a dream.

“Hnng…”

The bold flesh that invaded through the gap of her mouth that opened in surprise swam carefully inside her mouth. It traced her teeth, wandered along the inside of her lips, wrapped around her tongue, and gently sucked.

Meanwhile, his lips alternately sucked and lightly bit her upper and lower lips. He licked up the saliva that flowed from her inability to close her mouth. Swallowed it. Drank it all.

“Ah…!”

Saena suddenly came to her senses at the tingling sensation.

This isn’t… a dream!

Though she put strength in her hands, both of her hands were trapped between him and her, and her waist was held in a strong grip.

Now conscious, she realized their legs were tangled and she was practically straddling him. Recognizing his sensual tongue play and their position, she felt her head might explode at any moment.

“Mm… mmn. Hah…”

Was a kiss originally like this?

When George Hollander thr*st his lips at her, it was horrible, and even more horrible when they actually touched. It was just him forcefully wedging his tongue in and stirring it around however he pleased. The kiss was nothing more than a dirty and unpleasant act of bursting tender lips and spreading lots of saliva.

But with the Duke…