Chapter 16: Greed (3)

Chloe looked at the woman in the mirror with a strange gaze.  

The languidly upturned corners of her eyes, the prominent cheekbones, and the red lips. Unlike half a year ago, the makeup that highlighted a seductive atmosphere stood out.  

It was a look that reflected her request to attract the attention of others while making herself unapproachable.  

‘Does this look mysterious…… or not?’  

It was more like someone who had played around with many men rather than a mage, but it did make her seem hard to approach.  

Well, it should be fine. 

Chloe lightly shook her head and turned around. The thin fabric followed the curves of her body, rippling like waves.  

The layers of blue and purple swayed in several folds, forming a dreamy color. Even someone as lacking in aesthetic sense as her couldn’t help but admire the dress, which was far more three-dimensional and beautiful than it appeared in any drawing.  

With the effort she had put into her appearance, she felt confident that she could become the star of the banquet.  

“Miss Chloe, is there anything else you need?”  

“No, it’s perfect. Thank you for all your hard work.”  

As she turned back with a bright smile, her face was framed by earrings made of magic stones that swayed gently. Beneath them was a sparkling ruby necklace. The shoulders exposed by the dress were covered by a thick shawl, which was further draped with her voluminous hair.  

The head maid’s face lit up with satisfaction at the sight of the enchanting woman who could captivate anyone.  

“Please wear this over yourself when you go outside.”  

“I’ll ask for it again when I leave. How much time do we have left?”  

“There’s enough time for you to have dinner or practice your dance. What would you like to do?”  

Chloe, who had just been handed a warm coat, glanced at the head maid. She looked her up and down as she bowed politely, then asked a question instead of giving an answer.  

“Did Tess tell you to ask me?”  

It was obvious why her schedule was being asked of her instead of her deciding it herself. He must have told her to follow Chloe’s wishes.  

The head maid confirmed her guess with a nod.  

“Yes, Miss Chloe. I will inform the Grand Duke of your wishes.”  

Chloe adjusted the hem of her fluttering dress and let out a sigh.  

‘You sly man, Tehis Escalante.’  

To think he would dump this on me.  

She raised her hand to brush back her hair but stopped. Instead of ruining her carefully combed and styled hair, she cracked her neck to release some tension.  

‘What should I do? Should I just leave?’  

Should I spend more time alone with Tehis now, or head to the imperial palace early and wait?

As she weighed the two options, Chloe leaned toward the latter.  

It was because she had no idea what Tehis might do next.  

She thought it might be nice to visit Helena after a long time, and just as she was about to answer, a knock came at the door.  

“Chloe, I heard you’ve finished dressing. If it’s not rude, may I come in?”  

“……Come in, Tess.”  

Chloe clicked her tongue inwardly. She didn’t have a good excuse to refuse, so she had to face him without a chance to avoid it.  

‘Not that I really need to avoid him.’  

She focused on the mirror rather than the opening door. Fiddling with the ruby hanging around her neck, she addressed the man’s presence without looking at him.  

“What’s the matter?”  

After making the head maid ask for her opinion, now he’s here himself. 

With that thought, she turned to Tehis and saw an unfamiliar appearance.  

The first thing that caught her eye was his neatly slicked-back hair. Beneath his clear forehead, thick eyebrows and deep blue eyes asserted their presence on either side of his high nose bridge.  

Even though he hadn’t applied any makeup, his scar was gone, and his changed hairstyle gave him a completely different impression.  

‘Does this look make him seem more refined?’  

If his previous look had a wild charisma, now he gave off the vibe of a sharp nobleman. He was a handsome man, but of a different kind than the Crown Prince.  

Of course, either way, his good looks remained unchanged.  

While Chloe briefly admired Tehis, he also took in her appearance.  

Whether she had dressed up deliberately or not, her mature charm was on full display, and he momentarily forgot to respond. Although her skin was mostly covered thanks to her shawl, her neckline and the overall atmosphere exuded sensuality.  

‘If we’re not careful, she’ll attract not just the imperial family but all sorts of pests.’  

Tehis quickly reviewed the key figures from the countries invited to the banquet. Most nations would have brought at least one member of their royal family, so the question was how much he could block with the name of Escalante.  

‘Thankfully, my bad reputation might help.’  

He could only hope that his infamous nickname, “The Monster of the North,” would be of some use.  

For the first time, he was grateful for the Emperor’s schemes. With bizarre rumors circulating about him eating human hearts, he figured fewer people would approach her if he stayed by her side.  

That said, he didn’t even consider the common sense that no one would openly approach a woman who was already spoken for. After all, she wasn’t truly in a relationship with him.  

Four months until the end of the contract.  

As Tehis calculated the remaining time, Chloe’s voice suddenly broke his thoughts.  

“Am I that pretty?”  

It was a joke she threw at him after he stared at her without answering her earlier question.  

Tehis recalled words he had said once before. The moment from half a year ago overlapped with the present.  

He bent slightly to meet her gaze. Memorizing her vivid orange eyes, he spoke slowly.  

“You’re dazzlingly beautiful, Chloe.”  

Even back then, it hadn’t been a lie, even if he had said it reluctantly. So how about now, when he said it willingly?  

Tehis noticed Chloe’s eyes waver slightly but chose not to mention it. He both hoped she would respond shamelessly and hoped she wouldn’t. He wished she would treat him casually as before, but he also wanted her to see him as a man.  

It was a jumble of contradictions. That’s how he always felt when dealing with her.  

“……You’re much more natural than before. I guess you’ve gotten used to it after trying it once?”  

So when Chloe retreated one step again, Tehis felt a mix of conflicting emotions. He wanted to respect her wishes and stop, yet he also wanted to push her until she had nowhere to run.  

For instance, like when she had done it to him so many times—burying his lips in her neck, grasping her soft skin tightly, biting her, holding her so she couldn’t move, and falling asleep with her warm body pressed against his.  

‘This is madness.’  

Tehis harshly criticized himself inwardly. Chloe had warned him just this morning not to cross the line. Though he hadn’t been able to answer, he had resolved to behave for a while, afraid she might push him away completely.  

And yet, here he was, thinking such things already.  

Of course, he had his excuses. 

Wasn’t it Chloe who had declared she would enjoy all the pleasures of being in a relationship during their contract? If so, wouldn’t this count as cooperation?  

Blatant self-justification. Even though Tehis recalled that exact term, he did not resist his instincts. It wasn’t mere impulse but the eruption of long-suppressed desires.

“From now on, it will be even more natural. I learn quickly.”

“What…….”

“So, Chloe.”

Tehis took a step closer to her. She flinched but didn’t back away as he whispered in a low voice near her ear.

“You, too, must not run away.”

It was something she had said just last month.

The scale, which had been precariously tilted toward Chloe, reversed.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence filled the carriage as it raced toward the imperial palace. Chloe stared out the window, showing no desire to talk, while Tehis gave her time to think.

Ever since they’d left early instead of practicing their final dance, things had been like this.

‘It would be troublesome if this continues in the banquet hall.’

Tehis silently observed Chloe. While he didn’t think she would fail to distinguish between public and private matters, he felt things could be more awkward than before.

‘Did I go too far?’

How should I resolve this?

Tehis, who was inexperienced in relationships, held back a sigh. Regret quietly crept in—he should have stopped immediately when she told him to. Using the still-active contract as an excuse to approach her forcefully had been a mistake.

After all, unlike him, she……

‘Unlike me?’

What exactly was different?

As Tehis unconsciously questioned himself, Chloe called out to him.

“Tess.”

“Yes, Chloe.”

“Stop the carriage.”

Finally, she seemed ready to talk, but instead, an entirely unexpected request came out. Since skipping the banquet at this point wasn’t an option, Tehis opened his mouth to persuade her.

“At the very least, you must attend this banquet……”

“Stop it immediately before we lose them. Or should I break out of here?”

The oddly firm tone of her words was strange. It was only then that Tehis realized Chloe was staring out the window with a hardened expression, looking at something behind them.

A place the carriage had already passed.

Acting quickly, he ordered the coachman to stop, and as soon as the carriage halted, she grabbed his hand.

“Hold on tight; we’re flying.”

“What is going on?”

“Someone is transporting a large quantity of magic stones.”

Chloe answered as she cast an invisibility spell. Opening the carriage door, she conjured a gust of wind and took off into the air with Tehis.

‘Is Lucas back, drawing another magic circle?’

Most mages couldn’t use a large number of magic stones at once. That’s why she assumed they were being used for artifacts or a magic circle.

The fact that it was near the herbal shop where Lucas had previously drawn a magic circle made her even more suspicious. Back then, his magic had overturned the ground, preventing her from identifying the type of magic circle it was, which still bothered her.

‘As if I weren’t already stressed enough because of Tess, now this happens.’

Chloe glanced at Tehis out of the corner of her eye, trying not to make it obvious.

Even though she hadn’t explicitly mentioned him, his actions—ignoring her request to not come too close—had been unsettling. Normally, he was a man who would always respond with “Yes, Chloe” and respect her wishes, so it was even more surprising.

When she’d tried to redirect the conversation by asking why he had come to see her, his response—that he wanted to know if she liked his new hairstyle—had left her speechless.

While she was busy grappling with his blind devotion, her senses had picked up the presence of compressed mana. On a day like the Emperor’s birthday, there was no way she could just let it go, knowing Lucas might be up to something.

‘Honestly, I don’t want to care about this…….’

But wasn’t Tehis also one of Lucas’s targets? If something major happened in the capital, Helena would be in trouble too.

Suppressing a sigh, Chloe entered a narrow alleyway and witnessed an unexpected scene.

Two groups were confronting each other, with what appeared to be pouches of magic stones between them.