Her lips were swallowed in an instant.

Before Ilenia could even comprehend what was happening, her soft lips were seized by his. The selfish man, knowing no restraint, bit and sucked at her lower lip—tugging with dizzying force before soothing the sting with a slow sweep of his tongue.

Like prey caught in a predator’s jaws, she could do nothing but yield.

Her lips were crushed, her nose pressed flat, his hot breath grazing her cheek, raising each fine hair along her skin. The hand gripping the back of her neck dragged her closer still, as though he knew she could no longer think clearly.

There was no space for resistance.

All she could manage was to press her palms against the unyielding wall of his chest.

Ilenia’s breath faltered first—it was inevitable. When Delphius finally released her, it was with reluctance, and she broke into a fit of coughs. Her chest heaved in harsh, uneven gasps that echoed the sound.

“What are you… doing…?”

“You said you’d give me your body. Didn’t you?”

Unlike Ilenia, whose entire face flushed scarlet, Delphius was immaculate, every hair perfectly in place, not a strand disturbed.

“If our interests don’t align, then I’ll stop here.”

To say such words after stealing a kiss of his own accord — he truly had no shame. Ilenia glared at him, her eyes blazing. Seeing that beautiful face speaking like some conniving swindler only made her twice as furious.

“When did I ever say no?”

Her words burst from her lips angrily. Reaching out, she grabbed his face in her hands.

“Take as much as you want.”

Her palms cupped his cheeks, fingers pressing against skin smooth as polished stone.

“But you’d better pay the proper price for it.”

With that, Ilenia pressed her lips to his. Even standing on tiptoe, the reach was precarious, yet Delphius bent willingly, letting himself be drawn down by her hands.

It was a reckless impulse.

He looked down leisurely at the girl beneath him. Unlike when he had first taken her lips, now her body was stiff, her inexperience laid bare.

Bold enough to seize his face, yet trembling like a leaf—at this rate, anyone watching would think he had forced her.

So much for her defiance. The sharpness of her voice had dissolved into ceaseless trembling, and that only made her all the more enticing.

No play of lips, no parting of her mouth, not the faintest trace of skill with her tongue.

She knows nothing of men.

The thought flickered through his mind, followed by a silent laugh.

At the very least, she would not cause trouble once married.

As if she could spend her whole life with lips pressed only to his and nothing more, he brushed his hand across her cheek.

Her shoulders jolted at his touch, as though she had never expected him to respond.

“This isn’t some childish peck. Open your mouth.”

Her lips twitched, still pressed tightly shut. He didn’t need to roll his eyes to know what she was thinking—unsure how to take his words, unsure what to do next, utterly flustered.

Judging by the sudden pressure of the hands cupping his face, perhaps she was even furious at his shameless demand.

Either way, he found it equally delightful.

What followed was a fumbling attempt—lips trembling as they tried to move, an effort so pitiful it was almost heartbreaking. But effort was all it was. By Delphius’s standards, it fell woefully short.

Was she truly still just a child, then? The thought tugged at the corner of his lips. Soon enough, she would feel the firm outline of his own pressed seamlessly to hers, steady and unyielding.

For this naïve country girl, he chose—for once—to grant a rare measure of mercy.

“Try to breathe.”

Her breath gathered against his lips, warm and shallow. Each time she parted them, his mouth drew hers in—tasting, pulling, devouring.

Delphius lowered his face deliberately, as though intent on consuming her whole. Her head tilted back, her neck straining, until her nose was crushed and her breath faltered.

And then—at last—the moment he had been waiting for. Her lips parted. Like an eagle swooping upon its prey, he seized the breath that escaped her.

“Hhh…!”

Ilenia’s back went rigid at the foreign invasion, her body curling against him in startled resistance.

Every reaction was vivid, raw. There was no need to guess her thoughts—her anger, her fear, her confusion—all were written plainly in her trembling body.

Among the lifeless puppets, she alone was alive, moving, breathing and stumbling. She was a clown, ridiculous in every motion, yet it was precisely that which held his gaze captive.

Delphius delighted in it all. Even as his tongue explored her mouth, claiming and violating it, his eyes lingered on her helpless responses.

He had always negotiated to his own advantage. This one would end no differently. He was certain of it.

“Wait—please, wait!”

She managed to free herself, gasping out a protest. But Delphius offered her no respite. The gap she had fought so hard to create closed instantly and his mouth pressed against hers more firmly than before.

Their tongues collided in a clumsy tangle — an awkward, heavy knot that offered little pleasure. Yet even that discomfort was drowned beneath the sheer force of his focus; he was wholly consumed by the kiss.

Then, without warning, he stopped.

Was this truly himself? Him, of all people? The thought was absurd. His acquaintances, who had often mocked his supposed fastidiousness, would have been shocked to see him now.

“…”

As he paused, her eyelashes fluttered open to reveal her pink eyes. He had half-expected them to be bloodshot from how tightly she had squeezed them shut, but they weren’t. They were clear — clear enough to let everything through — before shame sealed them again, trembling shut.

He read it all as if it were etched across her skin.

In that fleeting instant, her hands, which had once strained desperately to push him away, slackened. Perhaps she wondered what would happen if she stopped resisting. This reminded Delphius of a dog he had once owned. When curiosity was piqued, a reward was due to follow. He was a master well-versed in both discipline and reward.

His grip on her nape tightened. What had been a mere taste before now plunged deeper, his tongue driving forcefully inside her.

“…!”

She writhed against his chest in shock for a moment, then stopped. Soon, her body began to shiver, not from fear, but from an overwhelming sense of heat. Her grip on his collar became more frantic.

His hand slid down the curve of her slender neck to her waist, tracing the hollowed line as though it could fit entirely within his palm. When his hand moved lower and brushed her thigh, Ilenia pushed him away forcefully.

“Haa… haa…”

Ragged breaths escaped from his chest. Even after pushing him away, she could not comprehend what had just happened.

What had he done? What had she just experienced? The realization that his hand had touched her seared her cheeks crimson, burning hot as fire.

These were things she had never experienced before, like diving into a vast, unknown sea. Even Bena’s bawdy jokes had never gone this far before.

How could a kiss this consuming, this ruinous, be the same as she had once thought, just the brushing of lips?

“The ending was a touch lacking, but when a lady goes so far as to show me with her own body, how could I not believe her?”

Ilenia stared up at him, dazed.

How infuriating! Perverse. Shameless. Yet, infuriatingly, he was still unbearably handsome.

This made it all the harder to understand.

“…Why me?”

“What?”

“Marriage?” Why me? I’m too much of a catch. With your looks and social standing, you could marry anyone. Why would you choose me?”

“Ah, that. There isn’t anyone else.”

“…What?”

“At first, it was arranged only as engagements. But one after another, they ended quickly. Each of them chose to walk away.”

“…”

“They said they weren’t suited for this place.”

Why? With a face like that, wouldn’t anyone at least give it a try? Even Tom, hailed as the handsomest man in the village, looked like nothing more than a faded scrap of paper compared to this man.

Could it be because of his personality? That didn’t seem an unreasonable guess.

“As I’ve told you more than once, there isn’t much you need to do. All you have to do is bear the name of House Lukehardt — a name that everyone covets — and enjoy the wealth and power that comes with it. I ask nothing more.”

“And you’d be happy with just the appearance of it?”

“Appearance? Lady Hildebalt.”

He leaned in suddenly, and Ilenia clapped her hands over her mouth without thinking.

“I want a perfect family. All I require is your agreement and for you to bear me as many children as possible. Beyond that, Lady Hildebalt, you may live as you please.”

“…And the term? How long is this to last?”

“Term? Since when did marriage have an expiration date?”

He met her eyes with a smile touched by self-mockery.

“There is none, Ilenia Hildebalt. My condition is that we remain together until the very end of our lives.”

“…No matter how I think of it, this contract feels one-sided.”

“What grounds for complaint can there be when we’re merely exchanging what the other lacks? If I may put it plainly, think of it this way: I’m buying you for life with nothing more than pocket change. So there’s no need for you to worry.”

He was extremely arrogant. He spoke unnecessary words, and yet he did so anyway.

But had she ever had a choice? From the moment she arrived at the Hildebalt estate, there had only ever been one path ahead of her.

And so it remained, even now.

Her red eyes flared dangerously before she bit down on her lip. It was a step towards an uncertain future.

“…Alright. I’ll accept. I’ll make that contract.”