When dinner ended, Eloise claimed there was much to clean up and helped Emily.

“It’s fine, miss. This isn’t much work at all.”

As Emily said, adding Ryan to their usual dinner wouldn’t make things difficult for her. After all, she had managed half of Blissbury’s summer banquet this year.

Nevertheless, Eloise headed to the kitchen, saying Emily must still be tired. All the while, her eyes were fixed on the drawing room.

‘Ryan will probably talk about our relationship?’

Eloise recalled their relationship.

***

Since their time in Blissbury, he had frequently asked Eloise when Mr. Surberton would return.

It meant he wanted to tell her father about their relationship and begin courting her properly as soon as possible.

“Then I won’t have to hold you like a scoundrel and pull you into rooms anymore.”

Even as he said this, Ryan’s hands cupped her face again and again. As if to live up to calling himself a scoundrel, his hands moved intimately.

She could have pushed him away at any time. His hands approached slowly, after all. But far from pushing him away, Eloise closed her eyes with a short breath. A sign she willingly accepted him.

Then it was Ryan who became rigid.

“This is troublesome.”

He sighed genuinely, as if truly perplexed.

“I don’t understand why Miss Surberton trusts others so easily. You might find yourself in a difficult situation someday.”

Despite lecturing her like a young student, his voice betrayed an undisguised, excited heat.

How ridiculous that he would say such things while holding her. Strangely, she found this large man adorable when he acted this way.

Eloise slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a man who didn’t know what to do with a woman who unreservedly gave herself to him.

Eloise smiled softly and pressed her face closer to his.

“What exactly is this difficult situation, Sergeant Thornton?”

“Hah…”

It was Ryan who was left speechless at her words.

Despite warning her of danger several times, this bold young lady never knew when to back down. And even…

“If I ever face such danger, I’d like Sergeant to teach me how not to panic.”

Such a bold provocation.

A competitive spirit suddenly rose in Ryan’s heart as he was about to step back.

“Do you truly wish to know?”

Instead of answering, Eloise smiled.

As if she knew that, as always, he would only talk this way before backing down.

Looking at that lovely and mischievous face, Ryan stepped closer to her.

“If that’s what you want, it’s not difficult.”

Then he immediately grasped the back of her head with one hand. She flinched in surprise—he had never gone this far before—but still, she didn’t retreat.

Having received permission, he wanted to show her what dangers such situations could bring, as she had asked.

And above all, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Ryan urgently consumed her lips with his own.

Though they couldn’t have been coated with honey, these soft, warm, tender lips drove him mad from the moment they touched.

The self-restraint he had practiced since childhood evaporated instantly.

The moment their lips met, all that remained was a ravenous beast that knew neither shame nor propriety.

The wet flesh that invaded her lips searched for even deeper places.

“…mmph!”

Though she trembled in surprise, his hands firmly holding her head and waist didn’t allow her to retreat.

If she wanted to know, it wasn’t difficult to show her.

The beast she should beware of stood before her, drooling.

If she wanted, he was always ready to become dangerous.

Perhaps because everything he had been suppressing exploded, his kiss was long and persistent.

In truth, Ryan himself didn’t consider himself adept at this kind of light sensuality.

He had never even imagined doing such things. Naturally, Eloise was his first.

So when he first kissed her, he had no idea what to do or how to do it.

But he was an excellent soldier who quickly became proficient at any physical task. And Eloise was a generous partner who knew how to endure his clumsiness.

Under such favorable conditions, he quickly became skilled at this act.

It was the same now.

At first, he hadn’t known when or how to breathe, but now he repeatedly went deep and withdrew, drawing out Eloise’s breath.

Her breathing continued despite her struggle. Though he knew it was a wicked thought, Ryan was madly fond of the sound of her labored breathing caused by him.

A deep desire whispered.

More. More. Until she finally begged, calling his name.

Under the pretext of education, he indulged his desires fully.

But no matter how much he consumed her, it wasn’t enough. He wanted to make even a fragment of her breath entirely his.

In such moments, his lower body would tense up involuntarily.

Feeling his body becoming excited on its own, he gathered his last remnants of patience and released her lips that he had been devouring.

Then before him would be her face, flushed red from the pleasure they had shared. Each time, Ryan would search for God in his heart.

Otherwise, he himself didn’t know what he might do.

Ryan regretted his past self who had mocked those who succumbed to desire.

It wasn’t that he was particularly noble or patient. He simply hadn’t met the right person. From the moment he met her, his reason and will crumbled easily like a sandcastle against the tide.

The only reason he could stop himself from crossing the line was Eloise’s smile—the way she smiled at him even after enduring such treatment from him.

Ryan had no intention of making his relationship with Eloise into something base. Nor did he want it to be dismissed as a game created by momentary passion.

Ryan wished for everything they shared to continue forever and to be respected.

Yet even with these thoughts, when he received her reproachful gaze, breathing excitedly and asking why he wouldn’t go further, he wanted to throw everything away and behave indecently.

He thought that if the legendary witches truly existed, Eloise must be one of them. How else could she so instantly capture a person’s body and soul, making them cling to her?

So Ryan would hold Eloise’s hand, press a heated kiss into her palm, and ask:

“When exactly is Mr. Surberton returning?”

She remembered how desperately he had asked that question. And now, finally, today her father had returned, and Ryan had headed to the drawing room with him as soon as dinner ended.

While clearing dishes in the kitchen, all of Eloise’s attention was directed toward the drawing room.

He would politely inquire about her father’s affairs and express condolences about his godmother.

And then he would carefully mention his relationship with her.

Eloise waited with clean hands, expecting to be called.

She wondered how her parents would react when Ryan spoke of their relationship.

Surely her mother would be surprised and delighted. Her father would be the same.

Of course, there would be mild reproach about how their relationship had developed secretly, but that couldn’t be helped.

Still, their relationship would ultimately be acknowledged, and from tonight onward, they would no longer need to hold hands away from others’ eyes.

Just imagining this made her heart pound loudly. Her mind began to paint the future.

He was the person who had appeared like a miracle in her most difficult moment and saved her. And he had stayed by her side, helping her and Feltham rise again.

Ryan had already settled deep into her life.

The vivid thread of Ryan that had suddenly entered the fabric of her life was now so deeply interwoven that it could no longer be removed, creating her future together with her.

Eloise carefully pressed her chest, feeling an overwhelming emotion she had never experienced before.

They had shared the most dangerous moment of her life. The reason that time remained not a nightmare but a memory and reminiscence was because there was someone with whom she could talk about and share it.

Someone who could prove they had both existed in that moment, even after a long time had passed when they recalled it.

She had finally met such a person.

Just as Eloise was about to dream of a more distant future, there was a knock at the door, and Richard entered.

He soon went outside with Ryan.

From the moment he left, Eloise’s heart began pounding again.

It wasn’t the same expectation as before. It was anxiety about something bad approaching, which she could sense instinctively.

And when Ryan returned to the house, he spoke words Eloise had never wanted to hear.

“It seems I need to visit the capital for a while.”

Without promising anything, he was preparing to leave her side.