Ian forgot to control his expression, as well as the signal from the idiots hiding behind the bushes, which told him that time was almost up. After bending towards Aisha, he straightened up and moved to pull her hand away. He no longer cared about winning the bet if it meant enduring something so pitiful. What was that worthless watch to him? He could just throw it away and be done with it.

But the moment he tried to push her away, Aisha tiptoed up and wrapped her slender arms around his neck. Her grip wasn’t strong, but the sudden pull left Ian defenceless.

“That’s enough—mmph!”

The faint scent of Aisha, dulled in the open air, suddenly deepened. Ian’s eyes widened at the soft, moist pressure against his lips.

‘What…?’

Prolonged contact with another person had always been unpleasant for him. Yet, for some reason, his lips parted and his hand rose of its own accord. Before he knew it, his arm had encircled her slim waist and his palm had brushed against the thin fabric at her back.

It was like downing several bottles of sweet wine without pause; his head was spinning. Ian didn’t resist as his eyes drifted shut. He savoured the silky feel of her hair between his fingertips, thirsting for this unfamiliar sensation like a man in the desert craving water.

During the long kiss, he remembered Aisha dancing with Prince Jared and became irritated at how easily she had agreed to kiss him.

‘Tch. A little scare, and she acts so lightly…’

She had been the one to bring up the engagement before, but now that she was a noblewoman who was expected to maintain her dignity, what had become of that? If she fell for another man, would she behave in the same way with him?

Although he had intimidated her first, Ian’s mood worsened further. He tightened his grip on her waist. When he sucked harshly at her lower lip, her small body squirmed in his arms.

Her startled, uncertain reaction was both endearing and impertinent. The fact that she had initiated this yet was now trying to back out irritated him. Sliding his hand from her back to her chin, he gripped it firmly and pressed forward with his weight.

Eventually, Aisha stopped struggling and went limp. Supporting her with one arm, Ian took his time, savouring her lips to his heart’s content.

The kiss went on and on until she let out a faint, breathless sound. Deciding to give her at least one chance to breathe, he finally pulled away. The heat and heaviness of their mingled breaths lingered in the small gap between their lips, thicker than the stifling summer air.

“Haa…”

Just one kiss had left Aisha’s face a mess. Tears clung to her lashes, making her pale blue eyes shimmer. Her lips were swollen and fuller than usual.

Ian gazed at her as she struggled to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling. Then he gently wiped away the smudge of lipstick at the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Tilting his head, he slowly began to lower it again.

Aisha’s eyes widened at his approach. She had thought it was over.

Her flushed face showed a mixture of fear and anticipation. Clenching her trembling hands, she stared at Ian’s red lips, now further deepened by the lipstick she had smudged onto them. The way the colour faded towards the edges was almost indecent, and she finally closed her eyes.

Only the thinnest sheet of air remained between them. Just as they were close enough to feel each other’s fine hairs, a burst of applause rang out and an uninvited guest suddenly emerged from behind the nearby bushes.

“Hot, wasn’t it?”

“If we hadn’t stepped in, would you have laid the lady down right here?”

“Thanks for the show, Ian. I enjoyed it.”

At the sound of clapping, four men stepped forward, causing Aisha to freeze. They whistled and wore leering expressions that made it clear they had seen the kiss.

She realised they were running their eyes over her from head to toe, lingering on her lips and chest. Her face drained of all colour. After fluttering her hand in the air a few times, she grabbed Ian, who was standing beside her, as if he were a lifeline.

Without a word, Ian moved to stand behind her. His touch was rough, but with her view blocked, Aisha felt a flicker of relief. The solid wall of his body felt protective.

“Sorry about this. But I kept my promise not to step in. The one who did was Dennis here. I tried to stop him until the very end.”

When Albert made his excuse, Ian’s face twisted. Dennis, the man Albert had targeted, turned pale under Ian’s now threatening gaze. Ian bit down hard on his lip; he didn’t need to see to know what had happened. Albert had undoubtedly coaxed and manipulated things to go just the way he wanted.

‘Damn it…’

Still, the biggest problem in all this was himself. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known those idiots were hiding behind the bushes… He really must have lost his mind.

The men fell silent under Ian’s dark mood, but only briefly. A thin voice came from behind his back.

“I-Ian. What is… all this…?”

Her trembling voice was laced with shock. Ian froze, unable to turn around. Anyone with sense could see there was a connection between him and these fools.

‘We have to get out of here…’

He didn’t take long to decide. He chose what he thought was the best option in this situation—leave first, explain later. That way, he could hide anything about the bet.

‘I’ll just say I didn’t know anything about it.’

Even if Aisha pressed him, he could deny it, and she wouldn’t be able to do anything. And with time, as always, she would erase the bad memory and look at him again with those puppy-like eyes.

But Albert was faster. With a long, unpleasant grin, he spoke just as Ian turned to go.

“Ian, in this bet, you won. Congratulations.”

Bet?

At the word, Aisha’s face went beyond pale to ashen. It was certain now—Ian had known they were there all along.

She looked up at him, disbelief in her eyes. When their gazes met, Ian ground his teeth audibly and turned sharply away, making it impossible for her to see his expression—only the tremor in her own eyes.

“Lady Aisha. Don’t just hide behind Ian—come on out.”

A grating voice rang in her ears. One of the men craned his face around Ian to look at her. His grin stretched wide enough to split his face, and Aisha’s vision blurred into wavering curves. Yet even as her sight dimmed, his unpleasant voice came through sharp as ever.

“The lady here is the reason for this friend’s victory. My apologies, but we played a little prank among friends. Ian told us that Miss Aisha, no matter what he did, would—”

“Get lost.”

Ian’s voice was low, edged with killing intent. Just those two words were enough to make Albert and the others feel a chill run down their spines, every hair standing on end. Albert, about to run his mouth again, found himself shutting it and edging backward without meaning to.

“E-enough fooling around. It’s late. Any later and your father will notice you’ve slipped away.”

Dennis, the man Albert had pointed out earlier, couldn’t stand Ian’s presence a moment longer and tucked his tail. The others, no less shaken, tugged at Albert, ready to flee.

“Albert. Let’s go—come on.”

“Yeah. Go.”

Albert hesitated, but when his eyes met Ian’s, he lowered his gaze. His pride smarted, yet he knew that pushing any further would be dangerous. Swallowing his resentment, he forced a genial expression onto his face.

“…Fine. Seems the two of you have things to discuss, so we’ll leave you to it.”

His parting words were laced with malice. As he spoke, he glanced at Aisha, whose head was bowed and whose shoulders were trembling. His eyes gleamed with malice as he turned away. He strode off quickly and disappeared; the others followed in hurried retreat.

Silence settled over the spot where only Ian and Aisha remained. It wasn’t the kind of silence that had hung between them during the kiss, which had been light and ephemeral. This one was razor-edged, an icy stillness stretched to its limit.

Struggling to keep her composure, Aisha kept her eyes on Ian, who would not look her way. Her heart pounded so violently that her chest ached and she could barely breathe. The pain was overwhelming, but she finally managed to grasp Ian’s hand and speak.

“I-Ian.”

“…”

“Please explain this to me.”

“…”

“Tell me what’s… what’s going on, and I’ll… hic—”

Her wavering voice sounded pitiful. When he heard Aisha’s tearful words, Ian, who had been silent until then, clenched his fists and suddenly raised his head. He knew beyond doubt that what he had done was wrong. Anyone could see that making such a bet was terrible, almost unforgivable.

However, no sooner had the guilt set in than his mind’s defence mechanism kicked in, justifying his actions.

‘…Wasn’t this the whole point—to see her make that face? No need for pity. She’s a woman meant to suffer in my hands until this is over.’

A voice inside him urged him to apologise, even now. Instead, he let his thoughts drift to the stack of documents in the third drawer of his study. And just like that, the sound of his conscience fell silent. In the quiet that remained, he delivered his cold retort.

“You still don’t get it? Or are you pretending not to?”

His voice was taut, the complete opposite of Aisha’s. Fixing her with a sharp glare, Ian shook her hand off. Then he drove the blade deep into an already open wound.

“You insisted on hearing it, so I’ll tell you. I made a bet with them about you. As you heard, I won. That’s all.”

Aisha was left speechless by the devastation. The strength drained from her fingers, which had been clutching at his sleeve so tightly, and they fell away.

She didn’t want to believe it, but Ian had confirmed it himself. The sudden change in his demeanour, the gentle reminiscences about the past, and even their first real kiss had all been lies made for the sake of a bet.

She tried not to cry, but tears suddenly spilled forth. Beneath her trembling shoulders, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.