Chapter 47

Contract. Transaction.

Etching such words into her mind, Clarette approached the Duke without hesitation.

Since he had complied with her request tonight, she intended to do the same for him. For as long as she could endure, just as he wished….

“You’re coming quickly for once. Were you waiting?”

“I tried it once, after all. I’ll have to get used to it going forward anyway.”

“Right, you’ll get used to it, little by little.”

Standing in the middle of the studio, the Duke was the first to seat her on the sofa. Looking up at his figure from her seat, Clarette felt his presence was even larger, and she awkwardly turned her gaze away.

Though he was wearing trousers and a shirt this time, it was still embarrassing for her to look at him directly. Through the unfastened collar, his broad chest and firm abs were clearly visible.

“Your Grace, aren’t you going to button up?”

“No, I just want to set the mood.”

“What kind of mood?”

Clarette asked, but Lionel didn’t answer and instead sat beside her.

Their eyes met only briefly before his lips lightly brushed her cheek. At Clarette’s startled reaction, Lionel wrapped his arm around her shoulders, making it impossible for her to escape.

“Your Grace, wait….”

“Why? I haven’t done anything yet.”

She heard his laughter, soft and close to her ear.

It felt as if he was about to kiss her again. The moment she sensed it, Lionel’s lips touched her earlobe, almost as if it had been promised.

“Clarette.”

“Y-yes….”

As she stammered, he gently pulled away and asked,

“Are your ears still sensitive?”

His breath, so close, tickled her, and Clarette could only nod in response. As she instinctively tried to pull away, he soothed her by softly patting her shoulder.

“Then, would somewhere else be better? Where would you like?”

Even when asked, she had no idea. Lips were too much to imagine, and her cheeks felt too soon. The only place she could tolerate….

“Um, my hands would be nice.”

When she finally answered, Lionel chuckled as if he’d expected it.

Was she too predictable? Clarette tried to think of a better answer, but before she could, he took both her hands and gently pinned them to her sides. As soon as she was subdued, an unfamiliar sensation touched the nape of her neck.

The first thing that approached was Lionel’s prominent nose. He shook his head lightly to brush aside her stray hairs, then slowly pressed his lips to the exposed skin.

“Ah, mm….”

Clarette barely managed to stifle her voice escaping between her lips. Her whole body stiffened with tension, but Lionel continued, kissing her neck slowly, unbothered.

His lips trailed leisurely down her neck, reaching her collarbone, and Clarette could no longer endure—she slipped out from under Lionel’s hands, pushing his shoulder away with both hands.

But tonight, Lionel did not yield at all. Like a rock, he didn’t budge, and Clarette was flustered, not knowing what to do.

As she began to struggle a little, Lionel finally spoke.

“Clarette, do you know?”

His breath on her neck was warm. Lionel nuzzled his soft, golden hair against her cheek as he murmured,

“Every time I touch you like this, I realize my patience is getting stronger.”

He laughed at himself, and Clarette, still holding his shoulder, asked,

“Isn’t this unusual for you?”

“Of course. Who would hold back like this?”

At his words, Clarette paused. He had been keeping the promise he made to her at the beginning.

To approach slowly, at a pace she could handle.

Realizing this, Clarette felt a pang of guilt. She realized she had been inconsiderate.

‘Up until now, His Grace probably hasn’t been satisfied even once. I did as I pleased tonight, but he kept considering me….’

Had she been tormenting him all along? She had demanded hours of n*de modeling, yet never truly fulfilled his wishes.

Suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of duty, Clarette spoke.

“Your Grace.”

“Hmm?”

At her determined tone, the Duke raised his head and met her gaze. Clarette looked straight into his languid eyes.

“Earlier, you told me to do as I wished, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then, since I followed your words, you should do as you wish too. That way, our contract will truly be equal.”

Her sudden declaration left the Duke speechless for a moment. He blinked, then let out a faint laugh.

“Clarette, are you serious? You want me to do as I wish?”

He had spent six hours as a n*de model tonight. Thinking of that, Clarette nodded.

Lionel gazed quietly at her flushed cheeks and green eyes, then asked again,

“But, if I do that, can you accept it? If I kiss you, undress you, and take you—without you wanting it….”

As if to test her sincerity, his hand moved lower. Lionel gently grasped the hem of Clarette’s skirt and whispered,

“Could you forgive me for that?”

Clarette didn’t understand why the Duke used the word ‘forgive.’ This was a transaction according to their contract, and what he wanted was simply compensation for his effort.

He had willingly undressed and posed for her art, and deserved something in return.

Just as she thought that—

Suddenly, as if to break her train of thought, the world was plunged into darkness.

Having left the lamp on too long, the oil had run out, and the only light in the studio was extinguished. The windows were covered with curtains, so not even a sliver of moonlight entered their space.

In the pitch black, only their shallow breaths tickled each other’s ears. Lionel’s hand, still holding her skirt, slowly moved down to caress the edge.

It felt as if he wanted to go further. At that touch, Clarette unconsciously reached out and grasped his hand. As she nervously swallowed, Lionel spoke quietly from the darkness.

“Clarette, I could be rough with you. As much as I want.”

His low voice sounded unfamiliar.

What kind of expression did the Duke have as he said those words? Clarette lifted her head, but couldn’t see a thing. Only his soft voice reached her.

“But if I did, you might reject me forever. You’d be shocked, maybe even come to hate me. If that happened… I’d regret it deeply.”

At last, the Duke let go of her skirt and withdrew his hand. Clarette felt both relief and disappointment.

She couldn’t give him much yet, but she still wanted him to stay by her side. She was starting to like his touch more and more. She didn’t dislike the tension.

But contrary to her wish, the Duke rose from the sofa.

She heard the sound of him picking up his shoes from the floor and walking barefoot. He headed to the table by the door where the lamp had been.

“Clarette, there’s so much I want to do with you. That’s an undeniable fact.”

As he finished speaking, the light came on.

Clarette stared blankly at the Duke, who had rekindled the lamp. He smiled gently at her and said,

“I’m not going to rush. I never want to lose you.”

* * *

Around 10 o’clock the next morning.

Melanie Bouvier found five craftsmen as the Duke had requested and brought them to the ducal residence. Butler Oliver was extremely wary of five unfamiliar commoner men entering the noble mansion.

But Duke Valentin greeted the guests with a relaxed smile.

“You all arrived on time. I heard you live in different places—did you stay in Moerven last night?”

At the Duke’s question, Melanie answered with a broad smile.

“Yes, Your Grace. The conditions you set were so clear, it was easy to recruit them all. I’d like to introduce them one by one, but is Ms. Sollier around?”

“Clarette? Why are you looking for her?”

When the Duke asked, an elderly man with white hair stepped forward and spoke.

“I have an item that Arno Sollier ordered long ago but never picked up. I’d like to deliver it to his daughter. I heard she’s here, so I hurried to make a new one.”

It was a touching story, but Lionel shook his head regretfully.

“Sorry, but if you leave it here, I’ll make sure it gets to her. Clarette can’t be called right now.”

“Oh, is she out?”

“No, she’s probably sleeping in.”

Lionel glanced toward the annex, smiling.

“She worked too hard last night, so she must be very tired.”