Chapter 13

After Dion, who was always by her side but whom they saw as nothing more than a plaything, ran away of his own accord, they kept whispering into Lisbeth’s ear.

That’s how lowborns are. Did you really expect something like the divine from Dion? Surely you didn’t think you could be with him forever. It’s understandable when you’re young. But you’re the daughter of a Marquis. Surely you know you have duties.

For a long time, Lisbeth denied it. She insisted Dion would come back, that she had promised to be with Dion forever. She said so, over and over.

But one year, two years passed, and even after making her debut and entering society, Dion did not return. There was not a single word of news about Dion.

As time passed, Lisbeth had no choice but to accept it. Dion had given up on her and disappeared.

Lisbeth left all decisions to her family. Her heartbreak was that deep. She thought the rest of her life was meaningless without Dion and stopped thinking altogether. She believed her family would take care of everything for her, do everything for her sake. It was a foolish thing to do.

“After that, everything fell apart. Isn’t it funny? I handed my life over to others and just let things happen.”

Lisbeth laughed self-deprecatingly. She glanced around her room. It was neat, but there was nothing in it that wasn’t expensive.

“It was only long after my father and brother practically sold me off as that man’s wife that I realized what I had done. That now, I might have to live my whole life as the wife of a man who didn’t love me. And it wasn’t just that he didn’t love me. He was a man ruined by women and drugs. On top of that, my family kept asking me for money…”

“…It was your father and the Young Viscount who did wrong. How could they give you to such a man?”

“No. If I had just kept my head on straight, I would have found out about my late husband’s reputation and refused. I just… had no will of my own. It’s my fault. The only relief is that the man never laid a hand on me and died early, I suppose?”

Lisbeth let out a weak laugh. At the end of that powerless laughter, there was a hint of tears.

She rubbed her face with both hands and let out a deep sigh. Then she looked at Dion. Seeing the sadness on his face made her heart ache.

“Dion, you know, I don’t blame you.”

“…It all started because of my foolishness.”

“I loved you, and I don’t regret it. The things that happened afterward… I just think they were inevitable. Now, you and I are fin… fine… It’s okay.”

Lisbeth tried to say it was okay, but bit her lip hard.

What about this is okay?

Ever since the two had met again, both of their hearts had been in turmoil. Lisbeth sat by the window every day, anxiously waiting in case Dion might come to see her. Dion broke all the temple’s rules just to come see Lisbeth.

No, the two of them had already done something utterly shameless in the palace lounge.

Lisbeth bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. Tears kept falling embarrassingly. She hadn’t cried even when her husband died, yet after meeting Dion again, it was as if her tear ducts were broken.

“Dion, I’m fine. I have no intention of blaming you for the past. Don’t ruin your life because of me. That day, let’s just… both of us pretend it never happened.”

“……”

“You’re going to be the High Priest. You can become a noble, respected by everyone. So…”

“That doesn’t matter at all, Miss.”

Dion’s voice trembled. He held Lisbeth’s hand and spoke with a quiver in his voice.

“I don’t want to be the High Priest.”

“Dion, you can’t do this. If we really do this…”

“The only thing I want is you, Miss.”

“I’m not a ‘Miss’ anymore. I’m a widow, a widow! My husband died early, and now I’m just a woman people pity.”

“What does that matter? Just because such a man passed through your life, it doesn’t mean you’re not the Lisbeth I knew.”

“No, don’t ruin everything you’ve built because of me.”

“I don’t want that either.”

A single tear rolled down from his eye.

“If I have a God, it’s only you, Miss Lisbeth. I want to serve you forever, for my whole life.”

“…Dion, please.”

“I can’t deny that if I have a God, it’s only you, Miss Lisbeth.”

Dion kept shaking Lisbeth. Or was it Lisbeth who was shaking? Even as she kept voicing her refusals, she didn’t shake off the hand he held. Instead, their fingers laced together tightly.

Her heart, racing madly, was all for Dion. Lisbeth knew it too. From the moment she met him again, her heart had started beating once more.

She had thought her love for Dion had turned to ashes, but there were still embers alive inside.

And that fire began to burn bigger and bigger.

Lisbeth let out a sob.

“What do I do, this is a sin. You’re a priest. If I corrupt a priest who should remain pure, I’ll really…!”

“You didn’t corrupt me, Miss.”

Dion pressed his forehead to the back of Lisbeth’s hand. He smiled brightly, his face wet with tears.

“I’m the one corrupting you, Miss.”

“Ah, Dion…”

“Please, let me defile you. This time, I won’t ever leave your side again.”

“Hic…”

Lisbeth threw herself into Dion’s arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing as she mumbled.

“Fine, fine. I love you so much, Dion. Even if you ruin me, even if you make everything a mess, it’s all fine. Dion, I missed you. Dion…”

“I missed you so much too, Miss.”

Their eyes met. Without knowing who started it, they sought each other’s lips. Gasping, their lips met again and again as they undressed each other. Lisbeth’s nightgown and slip were quickly stripped and fell to the floor. Lisbeth fumbled several times with Dion’s shirt buttons. Dion took her hands, undid the buttons himself as if tearing them off, and tossed the shirt away.

The sensation of her ample chest pressing against Dion’s firm chest was strange and thrilling. Her lower belly tensed up. She hugged Dion’s back tightly. When her now-hardened n*pples were pressed, a tingling sensation shot between her legs.

“Ha, Dion…”

“Miss…”

Dion’s large hand stroked her bare back, making Lisbeth shudder. His hand gently grasped her bottom, covered only by a small undergarment. For Lisbeth, whose body had never been touched by a man, such stimulation was so unfamiliar. She kept flinching in surprise.