“Were you even listening to what I just said?”

“You mean to say we should have a son and a daughter right now?”

“No!”

Ilenia cut him off firmly. Until now, she had only imagined the children who might one day run through these halls. But in the blink of an eye, he had twisted her innocent vision into something shameful, prompting her to give him a resentful look.

“Is that so?”

Even under her unmistakable gaze, Delphius remained unbothered, replying with composure as he lowered her to the edge of the desk.

It was only then that Ilenia realized where she had been placed — on the same desk that Delphius had used as a child.

“Even if that wasn’t your intention, it doesn’t matter. All I need to do is make it true.”

Before she could react, his sharp jaw grazed her br*ast. His golden eyes, glittering even more brightly in the sunlight, bore down on her.

“It would be better if we had a son first.”

His arm slipped between Ilenia’s elbows and came to rest atop her thigh, hidden beneath her skirts. Even through her thin indoor garments, his warmth seeped directly into her.

“But more than gender, isn’t the most important thing simply that we have a child of our own?”

Through the flimsy fabric, his hand began to move. Laden with intent, it wandered until it reached the border of her tightly pressed thighs. He didn’t force them apart, but stroked his fingers repeatedly across the seam she held so firmly shut.

“Del…phius…”

Her voice escaped, tight and trembling, before she could catch it.

It was such a simple touch, yet her lashes quivered as though she had been undone. Was it because of his piercing gaze fixed solely on her? Or because her body already knew where his hand would eventually end up?

Whatever the reason, she could hardly believe that such a slight caress could affect her so much. And yet, beneath her black hair, his eyes gleamed with a bewitching light, as though he alone understood the confusion consuming her.

“Sometimes I wonder, will the child born from your womb be a child of House Lukehardt? Or of Hildebalt?”

“Hildebalt… no.”

“Why not?”

“What?”

As though she hadn’t expected him to demand an answer so quickly, Ilenia’s eyes widened. Instead of pressing her, Delphius asked again.

“Why not?”

“Because…”

She could not bring herself to speak of her parents. Nor of the horrors within the Hildebalt estate. Her lips faltered, but at last she found another excuse.

“…Because it would be a waste. With the bloodline of House Lukehardt, why would we want anything less?”

“I’d prefer it that way.”

“…”

“To be precise, I’d want the child to look like you.”

The hand that had been resting on the desk lifted and gently brushed aside the golden strands that had fallen across her face. His eyes emerged from beneath the veil of hair.

“I want our child to take after you—in the way they act, in the way they speak. Not to mimic the detestable blood of House Lukehardt.”

His hand slid slowly along her soft skin beneath her eye. His touch was so gentle that it was as if he could hold her gaze in the palm of his hand. He closed his fingers delicately yet firmly around her cheek.

“No matter the time or the moment, I want to see you clearly.”

“Delphi—ah…”

Caught off guard, she felt his hand drift downwards. It pressed against the fabric of her skirt and cupped the hollow of her lower abdomen. His blunt fingers teased and probed, moving slowly towards the parted seam. Moisture welled beneath the friction.

“De… Delphius.”

A sharp pain bloomed in her abdomen, causing Ilenia to cling desperately to his collar. She could not allow his fingers to penetrate her dress. She could feel the shame of how quickly his touch had made her wet, but she was already surrendering.

“Let’s… go back to the bedchamber. Not here.”

“Why? This is a room too.”

“Delphius…”

Her plea trembled weakly. Yet he knew it was not truly the place that made her voice falter.

“You of all people know no one ever comes here.”

Ilenia could not bring herself to answer. Her eyes flickered, restless with both fear and desire.

“The sun is already sinking. You can hardly claim it’s too bright anymore.”

“But still… still…”

“Ilenia. Stop searching for excuses. There are only the two of us here. That’s all you need to think about.”

He slid his knee between her thighs and pried them apart, preventing her from closing them. When he pressed his palm against her most intimate parts, her shoulders jerked. She tried to turn her gaze away and not feel anything, but it was no use.

His touch was irresistible.

It was as inevitable as nature itself. Like a predator devouring its prey. No matter how much she struggled, her body surrendered to his touch.

Ilenia lowered her head against his shoulder. She bit down on her lip, trying to dull the sensation, but no matter how much she twisted away, she could not escape his long fingers.

If only his fingers had slipped fully beneath her skirts, such worries would have been unnecessary. But if she dared to ask him at that moment, there would be no turning back. And that—she could not allow.

She forced her tightly shut eyes open, her lids heavy. In the corner, a chair had been pushed aside, looking as though a young Delphius still sat there, wide-eyed and watching. The thought of defiling that memory, of defiling the place where his boyish innocence had once burned with scholarly zeal, filled her with shame too heavy to swallow.

“Ilenia. Open your legs a little more so I can go deeper.”

His voice reverberated inside her head like an indoctrination chant. Despite being breathless, Ilenia obeyed, parting her thighs further.

A quiet laugh brushed her ear, and then he pushed his fingers deeper still. His raised knee pressed against her thigh, pinning it down. The moment his hand slipped under her skirts and touched her bare flesh, Ilenia’s hips gave a sharp tremor. No matter how thin the fabric, the difference between cloth and bare flesh was like heaven and earth.

He swept her undergarments aside with ease. When his fingers pressed against her slick folds, Ilenia’s chest rose and fell hurriedly. His touch glided along her thighs, teasing and unhurried. Slipping through the tangled fabric, his hand caught hold of her ankle.

Delphius lifted her leg. His fingers caressed the delicate bone of her ankle before he rested it upon his shoulder. The airy fabric of her skirt slid down, baring the pale line of her calf.

With each playful tug, she bent deeper until her hips, perched precariously, tilted back and exposed what had been hidden beneath her skirts.

“Ahh…!”

Her slender shoulders quivered violently.

The moment he inserted a finger inside her, her upper body jerked. Lying almost horizontal across the desk, her head pressed against the bookshelf behind her, she shook with each of his thr*sts. Papers and pens scattered across the desk fell into disarray.

“Ahh, nn… Delphi…”

The flutter of falling sheets was drowned beneath the obscene sound of his fingers plunging into her. As he drove relentlessly into the tight heat, her head knocked again and again against the bookshelf.

“Ah!”

Ilenia clutched her forehead. Something sharp had hit her — a gleaming object that had fallen from the shelf, bounced once, and hit the floor.

The voice that escaped her was different — startlingly so. At the sound, Delphius froze instantly.

“Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine…”

Thankfully, the fallen object was small. Ilenia rubbed her reddened forehead, feeling the swelling rise beneath her fingertips.

When it was over, Delphius lowered her leg. She quickly pulled her knees together and smoothed her skirt down.

“Ah… I didn’t know this was here.”

Bending at the waist, Delphius picked up the thing that had struck her brow.

“What is it?”

“…”

“Delphius?”

“Ah, nothing of importance.”

He held it out for her to see. The glittering object that had fallen from the bookshelf was a small key. Its intricate metalwork gleamed faintly, a blue gemstone set in its center.

“A key?”

“Yes. To this room.”

Delphius curled his fingers, and the key vanished easily within his fist.

“It’s a useless thing now.”

With that, he tossed it into the waste bin. His eyes lingered on it for a long, cold moment before he turned away.

“Shall we have supper first?”

By now, it was dusk outside. Looking up at the deepening blue sky, she nodded faintly. Just before they left the room, Delphius’s gaze flickered towards the discarded key once more, but only for a moment. He closed the door firmly behind them and never opened it again.