Chapter 3

“Then what about you, Lynette? Why are you still in Ortia? Don’t tell me… you stayed because you were waiting for me?”

Lynette Aterne’s beautiful face twisted instantly.

As though even that reaction delighted him, Carlisle Preston wore a deeply satisfied smile.

“You lunatic.”

At Lynette’s final remark, Carlisle laughed, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Lynette quickly forced her expression back into neutrality and steadied herself.

Carlisle had always been like this.

He tore down her carefully crafted mask with ease and crossed every boundary without hesitation.

No matter what side of herself she showed him, he never cared.

If anything, he seemed to like it.

He always drew out emotions and sensations within her that even she herself had never realized existed.

And she did not want things to become like that again this time.

She no longer wanted to leave anyone by her side.

Because the sense of loss she felt after pushing away the only thing she had ever believed belonged to her with her own hands—

—it had been unbearably painful.

Lynette looked straight at Carlisle and added,

“Then you quit. Tell them to send another researcher instead. I have no choice but to do this assignment. And as you already know, my goal is to leave Ortia.”

At her words, the laughter vanished from Carlisle’s face.

He fixed his gaze on her once more.

The playful smile from moments ago had disappeared without a trace, and instead, he slowly looked her over as though carefully measuring something.

“Are you asking me for a favor right now?”

“Yes. If that’s what you want, then I’ll ask. So you leave instead. When you meet His Highness the Crown Prince tomorrow, tell him yourself.”

With his legs crossed, Carlisle Preston tapped the armrest at a steady rhythm before slowly dragging his tongue across his lips.

Then, wearing a lazy, curling smile, he spoke.

“Lynette, if you’re asking me for a favor, shouldn’t you be a little more polite?”

“What?”

As the carriage continued moving, Carlisle rose from his seat and closed the distance between them in an instant, sitting down right beside her.

The familiar scent that suddenly swept over her made Lynette Aterne lower her eyes.

It was frighteningly familiar.

His body, his scent, that unique sense of weight he carried, even those damp, reddened lips.

Lynette knew him well.

She knew how relentlessly he pushed to draw reactions out of her.

She knew the expressions in his eyes whenever he wanted her.

She remembered how firm his body was, the way his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed every time her hands touched him, and even the rough breaths that slipped through those lips.

She remembered just how sweet his breathing had been.

Lynette’s gaze, which had lingered on Carlisle’s lips, slowly lifted upward.

The moment she met those deeply sunken pale green eyes, she realized it.

Carlisle was remembering the exact same moments she was.

As if proving it, his breath brushed close against her as his low voice slipped out softly.

“Why? Do you still think you own me?”

The memories she had desperately tried not to recall came rushing back in an instant.

“Carlisle Preston, remember this.”

“……”

“I’m the one who’s going to have you.”

Not the other way around.

Even without her saying the rest aloud, Carlisle seemed to understand.

A beautiful smile spread across his face as he closed the last remaining distance between them and pressed his lips against Lynette Aterne’s.

That had been the beginning of their disastrous first love.

The memory that surfaced between their briefly mingling breaths made her heart ache sharply.

So did the gaze she could feel from painfully close by.

But Lynette did not avoid his eyes.

If she looked away now, he would notice her wavering.

She was fine.

She had to be.

She would not cling to the past any longer.

Lynette slowly parted the lips she had pressed tightly together.

Thankfully, her voice came out as calm as ever.

“Even if you offered yourself to me now, I wouldn’t take you. So back off.”

Another low chuckle fell from above her head.

A moment later, Carlisle obediently pulled away.

Returning to his seat across from her with effortless ease, he answered in an unconcerned tone.

“Really? I’ve spent all this time waiting for the day I’d see you again, so that’s a little disappointing to hear. And unfortunately, I can’t grant your request. Sorry, but I also applied for this dispatch because there’s something I absolutely need to do for the royal family.”

“…You applied for this dispatch yourself?”

“Yeah. Lynette, if you hate me that much, should I speak to His Highness the Crown Prince tomorrow? From what I know, the Crown Prince has gone to extraordinary lengths to rebuild ties with the Magic Tower. He also knows perfectly well that no Magic Tower researcher would volunteer for a royal dispatch unless it were me. So I’m a little curious what he’d say if he found out that you, his aide, tried to send me back.”

Lynette Aterne had forgotten.

Forgotten what kind of person Carlisle Preston truly was.

He had always been like this—provoking her relentlessly and delighting in every reaction she gave him.

Really, not a single thing about him had changed.

At Carlisle’s response, Lynette unconsciously bit down on her lower lip.

The moment she did, his hand reached out and brushed against her lips.

Smack.

Lynette sharply slapped his hand away and glared at him.

Watching the faint crease form between her smooth brows, Carlisle smiled lazily.

“What exactly are you doing?”

“Well…”

His voice dragged out softly.

“But who knows. If this time you say you want to become mine instead, I might feel just a little more willing to grant your request.”

“You’re insane.”

“Yeah. I’m insane, and you’re the noble duke’s daughter who got bitten by that madman. And I still enjoy seeing reactions like that from you.”

His pale green eyes curved slowly.

“So unless you want to provoke me even more, how about stopping here? You know my tastes better than anyone. If you keep acting like this, I might start misunderstanding and think you still want me.”

A hollow laugh escaped Lynette’s lips at the absurd answer.

The best response to words like his was silence.

Lynette withdrew her gaze from him and turned it out the carriage window instead.

Fortunately, Carlisle also fell silent.

Soon, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and the door opened.

Standing by the carriage entrance without looking at him, Lynette finally spoke.

“Carlisle Preston. The moment we step out of this carriage, we are nothing to each other.”

“Ah… again?”

“Then answer me properly. Say that you’ll finish your work and return to the Magic Tower. If you do, then I’ll also fulfill my duties properly as the person assigned to you.”

“Sure, whatever you want. It makes no difference to me. Because I already know you’ll be the one coming back to me first anyway.”

Without even listening to the rest of Carlisle Preston’s words, Lynette Aterne stepped out of the carriage.

The small house visible the moment she got down was her home.

It had been provided by the royal family under her position as Elaine’s aide.

And the house directly beside hers had become Carlisle’s residence.

“It’s the house right next to mine. Please settle in, and even if you need something, don’t come looking for me. I don’t particularly enjoy working outside official hours. So if there’s anything you need, speak to me formally within the royal palace. Then… have a restful evening.”

“Thank you. I hope Miss Aterne has a pleasant evening as well.”

Lynette quickly turned on her heel and disappeared into her house almost instantly.

And because of that, she failed to see the way Carlisle’s eyes darkened as he stared after her home.

***

Early the next morning, as Lynette stepped outside, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Lynette!”

“Louis Napier.”

Louis Napier strode over to her side and reached out, trying to take her bag.

Lynette tightened her grip on it and spoke firmly.

“I told you not to do this.”

“I do it because I want to.”

“It makes me uncomfortable. So stop doing it now.”

With obvious reluctance, Louis let go of her bag.

Since childhood, Louis had grown up alongside her.

When Lynette once got lost during a charitable visit to an orphanage with the duke, it had been Louis who found her.

The duke had greatly praised the young boy for finding his daughter and promised to sponsor him.

From that day onward, Louis acted as though Lynette were the entirety of his life.

But now, that side of him made her somewhat uncomfortable.

She did not want affection she could never return.

Keeping her gaze stubbornly fixed ahead, Lynette continued walking.

Matching his steps to hers while glancing at her cautiously, Louis slowly opened his mouth to speak.