Since this was an office without mirrors, the Duke had a maid bring a small mirror. And a cold towel and ice. Saena cooled her lips with these. Checking in the mirror, they really were noticeably swollen.

When Saena glanced at the Duke, his lips looked fine. Though their color seemed a bit darker than before, they didn’t appear swollen.

‘But why only mine…’

Perhaps noticing her glancing at his lips, the Duke narrowed his eyes at her.

“When you look at me like that… I can only take it as asking for more.”

Listening to his words while his thumb quickly came up to stroke her lower lip, she shook her head frantically.

“No, that’s not it!”

“You’re being too serious about it.”

The Duke smiled and removed his hand. The area his finger had stroked felt hot, but she wasn’t sure if that was from being too conscious of it or if it was swollen as he said.

“By the way, what is this?”

The Duke pointed at an unfamiliar item on his desk.

It was the gift Saena had prepared. The leather gloves she had commissioned were fortunately completed on time, and she had brought them.

There was also a letter.

Recently, she had written thank you letters to everyone who had visited her when she was ill, and there was one for the Duke.

The only difference was that she brought his directly instead of sending it through a messenger, but the contents didn’t exceed formalities.

However, in just half a day, they had moved far beyond formal relations.

Now she wanted to take that letter back. Imagining him reading a letter full of formulaic phrases made her feel strangely embarrassed and shy.

Saena quickly stood up. Thinking she should sneak the letter away while pretending to give the gift.

“Ah, it’s a gift. To thank you for visiting before.”

“But I definitely received a gift when I left.”

“I personally prepared this. I was also grateful for the excellent medicine you gave…”

Saena quickly picked up the gift box and slipped the envelope from under the box behind her back while extending the gift with her other hand.

“My… Did the wound actually leave a mark? You must have used the medicine after returning?”

“…What? No, that’s…”

This person has unnecessarily sharp intuition.

“I’m glad no marks were left on your fair skin.”

And as if he needed to touch that ‘fair skin’ to know if it was fair, he stroked her neck with his fingers. Saena hunched her shoulders as a tingling sensation ran down her spine.

“Ah, hng. Um, the gift! Won’t you open it?”

This man, how should I put it… His hands are incredibly quick. If you let your guard down for just a moment, he’s touching you before you know it.

“I was thinking of expressing my gratitude first.”

“What? W-wait– mmng! Mmph!”

Before she knew it, his large arm wrapped around her waist, sat her on the desk, and claimed her lips.

While saying he’s expressing gratitude, why is he devouring someone else’s lips?

The man stroked her back while filling her mouth until breathing became difficult. The hand stroking her back traced her shoulder blade, then followed her shoulder to caress down her arm.

And his hand reaching her wrist instantly snatched away the letter she was holding.

“This too, isn’t it mine.”

“……”

“Thank you.”

He smiled with their noses touching.

Her face heated up at the feeling of having put on a solo show in front of someone who had clearly noticed everything.

True to his quick hands, he was already opening and reading the letter.

“Your handwriting is pretty.”

“……”

“But the content is too stiff. Next time, please write something more intimate and affectionate.”

But we weren’t that kind of relationship when I wrote that letter!

“A love letter full of affection would be good.”

Why does he drawl like that while speaking with such a serious yet warm expression? Saena kept being surprised by the unexpected sides the Duke showed.

As she looked at him with round eyes, this time, he opened the box.

When bringing this gift, Saena hadn’t thought at all about him opening and checking these things right in front of her.

But the Duke was doing exactly that now. She hadn’t known it would be this embarrassing to immediately see the recipient’s reaction to a gift, whether they liked it or not.

“O-open it later!”

She quickly tried to close the box again, but he was much faster.

The contents were already in his hands.

“……”

He looked at what he held with strangely subdued eyes, then began trying it on.

White leather gloves. Though they might lack practicality being easily soiled, since gifts aren’t just about practicality anyway, she had chosen them but suddenly felt regretful.

‘Did I pick something too common?’

Still, white leather doesn’t seem that common… And it suits him too…

The Duke started putting them on without comment. After pushing his hands all the way into the gloves, he spread his fingers wide. The gloves that stretched taut before settling fortunately seemed to fit his hands well.

She had given the workshop a rough size since she had observed his gloves before, but since it wasn’t made with exact measurements, she had been worried.

“They fit well.”

He smiled with satisfaction, lifting both hands to examine them.

“Hmm. How should I express this gratitude?”

He asked in a low voice while looking at her with darkened eyes.

“You already– already did!”

Saena answered hastily.

“I did? When?”

“Earlier when you sat me here… anyway, you did!”

“That was…”

He leaned in, bracing both gloved hands on either side of her.

“Expressing gratitude for the letter.”

“No…”

Her heart pounded at his gradually approaching upper body.

Reflexively trying to stop him, Saena raised her hands to brace against his chest.

The Duke covered her hand on his chest with his own, interlacing their fingers. It felt strange how the area where they intertwined seemed to heat up, separate from the cool sensation of the gloves she felt on the back of her hand.

“I’ll say it again, if you don’t like it…”

His hand covering Saena’s pressed toward his chest, as if he was demonstrating how to push. The firm muscles of his chest were clearly felt under her pressed palm.

“Push me away.”

His voice, lowered to almost nothing, entered her mouth on his breath before it could disperse in the air.

Her eyelashes and lower lip trembled.

Though his lips barely touched like a feather,

Though there was no hand gripping her neck,

Saena couldn’t push him away.

“Ah…”

Her brain seemed to stop functioning every time his lips touched hers. Saena simply closed her eyes. At her eye-closing that seemed like silent permission, he traced between her lips before parting them and entering.

His other hand that had been bracing the desk grabbed her waist and traveled up her spine. Soon, it gripped the back of her neck. The newly worn leather that hadn’t yet been broken in felt quite cold and rough against her skin.

Though her nape hunched at the unfamiliar sensation, she soon forgot that feeling.

Because another sensation began to dominate her.

* * *

Her lips that had settled down swelled up again.

Perhaps that’s why. When going to the dining room, inside it, she felt like everyone they met was only looking at her lips.

It was especially embarrassing to face Royter, whom she somewhat knew.

Since he had offered to bring tea when they arrived at the Duke’s mansion, he must have come to the office, which means he would have seen them sleeping entangled at an odd angle. And seeing her staying much later than usual, what thoughts would he have.

“I should go now.”

She quickly stood up after dinner, saying she would leave now. It was already late. Since she hadn’t mentioned staying for dinner when she left, her nanny would surely be waiting.

She would definitely ask various questions, and just thinking about meeting her with these swollen lips made her head ache already.

“Um… can you still tell?”

“Tell what?”

“H-here, if it’s noticeable that it’s swollen.”

She quickly pointed at her mouth area while speaking softly.

His eyes curved slightly at her question.

“Yes. It looks quite luscious from being swollen.”

Saena quickly jumped away from him.

“Y-Your Grace, this kind of… this…”

She wanted to say she didn’t know he was this kind of person, but couldn’t quite get the words out.

“You mean you didn’t know I was this kind of bastard. Is that what you want to say?”

“……”

Though she hadn’t used the word ‘bastard’, his expression said she might as well have. But as if he didn’t mind that at all, he smiled languidly and changed the subject.

“More than that, isn’t calling me ‘Your Grace’ a bit much?”

“…What? Then…”

“I have a name too. Saena.”

Of course he would have a name, but Saena found it hard to imagine herself calling his name.

“No, Saya.”

“……”

Why did hearing the nickname Saya make her heart feel ticklish inside? Saena blushed.