‘There was no reason for me to pry any deeper.’

They had started this with nothing more than a lighthearted mindset, and theirs was a relationship that would only briefly cross paths before fading away.

So Amel didn’t think too deeply about it.

‘The deeper we look into this relationship, the more troublesome it becomes.’

Amel slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again.

She looked up at Cervel.

He had only just returned from going out and was still dressed in his neat traveling clothes. As Cervel removed his gloves, he seemed to notice her gaze and looked down at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Amel stared blankly at him for a moment before shaking her head.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Did everything go well?”

“Yeah.”

“You must be tired. You should get some rest, Your Grace.”

Just then, Lilline returned.

“Your Grace, the kitchen says it will take a little while to prepare your meal. We’ll bring it up as soon as it’s ready.”

“I’ll take a bath while I wait.”

“Yes. Then I’ll have the bath prepared for you.”

***

Cervel shook his hair dry while wearing a robe.

Water dripped from it.

By the time he had finished bathing and returned to his room, his meal had already been brought in.

He ate it in the sitting room adjoining his bedroom, still wearing the robe.

It consisted of roasted quail and warm soup. He carved the meat from the whole roasted quail with a knife, dipping each piece into the sauce before eating it.

After eating, he left the room.

Cervel recalled the secret order he had received from the Imperial Family a month earlier.

“Resolve the Second Prince’s affair without allowing it to leak to the outside.”

The Second Prince, born to a secondary consort, was exposed when an informant within his own ranks revealed his plan to distribute narcotics to secure political funding.

The Imperial Family had banned the distribution of drugs ever since countless citizens lost their lives to opium addiction. Yet the Second Prince had dared to violate that taboo to fund his political ambitions.

To resolve the matter quietly, the Imperial Family summoned Cervel.

They felt more comfortable entrusting the task to him, given his political neutrality.

Cervel had just finished cleaning up the entire affair.

He had not only dismantled the prince’s distribution network, but also the political foundation supporting him.

Ultimately, the Second Prince was forced to withdraw from public duties under the pretext of poor health.

The prince had built a factory deep in the mountains, so dealing with everything discreetly took a month.

Cervel left the final arrangements to his subordinates before taking shelter at the inn when it started to rain.

It was there that he met Amel Monterio.

While changing out of his wet clothes, he felt a dull ache in his lower abdomen. While relieving himself, he noticed a woman peeking through the crack in the door like a curious little mouse.

The moment their eyes met, she licked up the s*men with her clear, innocent eyes.

She stared at the milky-white fl*id and swallowed, looking as though she might drool.

Even though he had already *jaculated, he felt himself harden again, and the back of his neck grew tense.

Cervel had instinctively understood what was happening.

‘Ah. I’m going to sleep with her.’

He wondered why a woman who was supposed to be getting married the following month had ended up there. However, he decided it wasn’t worth investigating further.

She had either called off her engagement or been left at the altar. Either way, he assumed that something had changed in her personal life. He had heard snippets of the scandal himself.

At first, he had dismissed it as nothing more than a childish dispute between a man and a woman.

Yet within a month, the woman at the center of those rumors was standing before him, her engagement already broken.

He could easily piece together what had happened, but he chose not to let on that he knew.

He had first seen her at her debutante ball ten years earlier.

Since then, he had occasionally encountered her at official Imperial Family functions. Even when he wasn’t looking for her, she always seemed to be there whenever his gaze happened to wander.

Whenever he saw her, he would experience a dull ache in his lower abdomen. Sometimes he would even wake up in the middle of the night to find his underwear wet.

However, when he heard that she was engaged, he stopped paying her any attention.

In the meantime, he had dated other women. He had even been engaged once, but that relationship also ended.

‘And now she’s appeared again.’

It had been a long time, but she hadn’t changed at all.

Her snow-white face, clear eyes, and ash-gray hair that looked as though it had been woven from silver thread.

Those limpid, slightly moist eyes of hers were, in crude terms, a real turn-on.

‘Could it be because I never got to touch her, even after ten years?’

He had thought that his interest might fade after sleeping with her.

But even after the fire at the casino hotel in which he had invested, and after returning from cutting off the Second Prince’s influence and eliminating his supporters at Haska Mine, his desire for her remained undiminished.

‘I must have really wanted her.’

“Your Grace?”

Cervel came out of his thoughts.

He had just stepped out of his room when he encountered Amel. She had been looking out the window, but when she sensed his gaze, she turned toward him.

“What are you doing, just standing there?”

Amel tilted her head and stared at him.

Cervel shrugged and approached her.

“You’re going to fall if you keep that up.”

He wrapped an arm around Amel’s waist.

“Pardon me? Oh, yes.”

Amel had been leaning her body toward the window as she looked outside.

“What were you looking at?”

When Cervel asked, Amel pointed out the window.

“That white horse over there… Doesn’t it look familiar? Isn’t it the one you rode back on today, Your Grace?”

Cervel looked out the window.

The horse had wandered out of the stable on its own and was leisurely grazing on the lawn. Even from a distance, its coat gleamed from meticulous grooming.

Cervel replied casually.

“Looks like it got out of the stable.”

“I’m sorry. It seems our stable keeper must have left without locking the door. I’ll call someone to bring it back.”

“It’ll go back inside once it’s eaten its fill.”

“Shouldn’t we have someone lead it back to the stable?”

“It’ll head back on its own. It’s been handled by people for so long that it knows how to open the latch.”

“What?”

Cervel wound a strand of Amel’s hair around his finger as he looked out of the window.

Amel glanced at her hair, then stole a look at Cervel before turning her gaze back to the window.

The pure white horse was pawing at the lawn with its hind legs, tearing up the grass. The grass, already faded by the early winter, was torn up with every kick.

“But if it ruins the lawn like that, the gardener is going to cry.”

Cervel rested his arm on the windowsill and looked down.

“Would you like to go outside with me?”

Amel came outside wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown.

As soon as she stepped outside, she felt the sea breeze blowing in from the west. Since the villa was located right on the coast, the wind was particularly strong.

Cervel accompanied Amel as she explored the garden.

“Over there.”

Cervel pointed to one side of the garden.

A pure white horse was standing there, tossing its mane as though showing off its glossy, silvery coat with pride. It seemed to know just how impressive it was.

Cervel casually stroked its head, then scolded it.

“Who told you to run out on your own?”

As though it understood that it was being reprimanded, the white horse rubbed its muzzle against Cervel’s chest.

“I think it likes you, Your Grace.”

“What makes you think that?”

“It keeps rubbing its head against your chest.”

When the horse extended its long muzzle, Cervel reached out to stroke it. He took hold of the reins and gestured toward Amel.

“Come over and try touching it.”

“Is it all right if I touch it?”

“Don’t approach from behind. Just come around to the front.”

Amel glanced around.

The estate was quiet. A gentle sea breeze blew through the garden and blew her hair back.

As she approached the horse cautiously, it extended its muzzle towards her. Up close, the horse was much larger than she had expected.

Cervel placed his hand over hers.

Amel shrugged and looked up at him. He guided her hand towards the horse’s mane and encouraged her to stroke it.

The mane looked as soft as silk, but the strands were thicker and more resilient than they appeared. A moderate sheen of oil gave the mane a glossy lustre and it slipped pleasantly between her fingers.

The horse rubbed its muzzle against her hand and snorted.

Amel tensed and tried to pull her hand away, but Cervel’s hand was still covering hers, preventing her from moving it.

“Doesn’t that mean it doesn’t want me to touch it?”

“It wants you to scratch it. Curl your fingers and scratch it with your knuckles.”

When she scratched the horse’s muzzle with her knuckles, it pressed its nose against her palm and rubbed against it.

Unable to tell whether it wanted her to stop or continue, Amel fidgeted anxiously, glancing at Cervel for guidance.

“Let’s take it back to the stable now.”

Cervel tugged on the reins, and the horse followed him.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The steady sound of its hooves echoed through the garden.

“It’s gentle. I suppose it’s a mare.”

“It’s a stallion. He’s got a worse temper than you’d expect, but for some reason, he’s being quiet today.”

Cervel explained in a low voice that, despite his calm appearance, the horse would snort and become unmanageable when he was in a bad mood.