Chapter 52

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 52

Lucian languidly raised his gaze at the sound of Rachel’s call. When he looked at her, her emerald irises shook.

He felt better knowing that Rachel reacted to him in this way.

He’d been feeling horrible since he met those eyesores—the prince, Noah and the two shapeshifters. But he felt better now.

As he folded his long legs onto the sofa, he turned around and saw her stomach rising and falling steadily as she breathed.

He put his arms around her slender waist just as she did to him earlier.

Hugging her tightly, he rubbed his face on her lower abdomen.

“B-Brother?”

There was a tug on the corners of his lips when he heard the jolt in her voice.

It was so good to see her be flustered by him. It was lovely.

So lovely that he wanted to eat her up.

At some point, he became more curious about the taste of her fingers rather than the taste of the grapes that she would feed him.

If he put her fingers in her mouth to taste her, they would likely be much sweeter than the grapes.

She might avoid him in embarrassment or shock, but just her fingers weren’t enough for him.

Her pale fingers, her thin wrists, her forearms.

He had always wanted to trace every part of her skin, leaving red patches as he sucked on her white flesh, until he would reach her soft, supple nape.

He wanted to bite it and leave his mark on her.

She was like warm water.

When a bathtub is filled with warm water, it was only warm for a certain period, then it would cool down after a while.

But he hoped that she would think of him like lava that was boiling, its temperature far higher than the degree needed to be scorching.

Rather than that proud expression she reserved for him, he wished he could change this to a look of abashment.

Don’t make eye contact naturally. Be more embarrassed because you don’t know what to do when you make eye contact.

If her cheeks would bloom red due to tension, if she were to be left hot and panting.

That would be ideal…

“Brother, do you feel sick?”

Rachel became worried about Lucian’s unusual behavior.

His heart fluttered as though he were a child, but what he was worried about was more than that.

“No.”

The short answer was firm, and Rachel looked down at Lucian with a curious stare, her hand carefully stroking his soft black hair.

His face was so close to her stomach that he couldn’t breathe, but he was happy that she was stroking his hair like this.

As his hair grew more ruffled as she combed her fingers through, it felt like the clouds in his night sky were slowly being cleared up.

Concentrating on the feel of her touch, Lucian drew a drowsy breath. Just her touch eased all the tension he felt.

He took her other hand. As he stared at her pale wrist, he soon closed his eyes and gently brought it to his lips.

Her pulse could be felt as his lips touched her skin.

He brushed his lips over her wrist left and right, feeling the pulse that revealed her heart beats.

“Heup—Bro, ther…?”

Her flustered voice that was far from the usual calm, gentle tone gave him satisfaction.

He gently pressed her palm with his fingertips, his lips still lightly clinging to her wrist.

But as he moved away for just a moment, Lucian stared at the wrist, not liking how pale it was. Soon, he gathered his lips together and suckled her skin, making it red.

“Ah, it tickles!”

As she exclaimed in surprise, red petals became engraved on her wrist.

Lucian smiled satisfactorily as he looked at it. Then, pretending not to know, he hugged her waist again and closed his eyes.

“Brother, are you going to sleep? What’s wrong with you today? Are you tired?”

He didn’t answer her questions.

There’s no way he could fall asleep here.

How could he fall asleep when in his arms was her soft body, her sweet scent permeating his senses fully?

That would be a waste…

Right then, in the middle of these dangerous thoughts, Enzo piped up.

—Goodness, like a fox… Keke, well, I don’t hate it…

Hearing Enzo’s words, Lucian opened his previously closed eyes.

Come to think of it, among Rachel’s servants, the fox shapeshifter had glared fiercely at the prince.

He had always been arrogant, but even more so today, he was behaving unusually.

On top of that, Rachel wasn’t someone who would stay still. Lucian often witnessed her scolding the fox.

But throughout teatime earlier, she allowed the fox to show such a rude attitude.

There must be a reason.

Lucian buried his face into her waist, which he embraced tighter as he thought to secretly visit Rachel’s shapeshifters.

Right then, he heard a sharp breath of surprise.

Lucian felt that this was because she was nervous, finally taking notice of him. He was happy.

“Oh my. If you fall asleep like this… How will I breathe… Huu…”

He was happy just hearing her soft murmurs falling over his ears.

Ah…

Someone once said that the wait was bitter, but the fruits of your labor will be sweet.

“Huu, but what do I do if all I can do is wait?”

I muttered as I looked down at Lucian, who fell asleep on my lap.

I didn’t know why he was suddenly acting like a kid. What’s wrong with him today?

I was worried that he would wake up because of me, so I stroked his hair slowly.

Now that I’m looking down at him like this, it reminded me of when we were young. He was bigger and taller now, but back then, I was sad that he was so skinny.

At his child-like appearance, my heart was touched.

“How can I get married like this?”

Even if it wasn’t the trash booger king, I had no intention of getting married yet.

I was going to live happily with my bias for just a little while longer. Then, when my bias brings in his lover, I’d congratulate them both, then move out and live somewhere else.

In the first place, could I even get married?

I wasn’t someone who knew what a family was, so I don’t even know how I could meet a lover and start loving him.

Just as I studied theories by reading textbooks, I only learned about love through books or movies.

Lucian was the only person I was devoted to.

This place where he was in was the best world for me, so I would like it if I could stay at the Duchy.

Wherever he was is like heaven to me.

Forgetting the burdensome situation earlier, I hummed a lullaby and continued to stroke his hair.

I repeated only short verses.

“Good night, our Lucian. In the front yard, in the rear garden, the birds and sheep have slept. Good night, my dear Lucian.”

It was awkward to my ears because I had never heard a lullaby sung to me, nor have I ever tried singing one, but this phrase was all I could think of, and so I sang, hoping that he’d get a good night’s sleep.

I could feel my back aching already, but I kept singing the lullaby like that.

Before I knew it, I also fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, it was already morning, and I was lying on my bed.

“Milady, are you up?”

“Huh? When did I fall asleep?”

“You fell asleep without even having dinner. Were you very tired…?”

I thought she would nag at me because of yesterday’s incident, but Amber was busy just looking at my complexion.

“Really?”

But as I listened to Amber, I felt that it was still the same. I got up and stretched.

“I want meat for breakfast today. And I’ll take Doggy and Damian to the mountain out back later.”

“I did wonder why you weren’t doing what you used to do everyday in the south…”

Amber scolded me, but even so, she prepared some rose water for me to wash comfortably.

This is why I like Amber.

I’m sure she knew that I acted very differently compared to other aristocrats, but it’s still good not to show my emotions.

I washed quickly and changed my clothes. Then, I got up from my seat after only eating four sausages.

After changing into horseback riding clothes, I went to the place where Doggy and Damian resided.

“Doggy, Damian, are you guys still sleeping?”

These two were usually up before I did. Perhaps because they’re shapeshifters, but their physical conditions were amazing.

After I knocked on the door, I opened it to see that Doggy and Damian were already up.

Um, what should I say?

They’re up, but it seems like they’re kind of exhausted.

Sitting on the bed, it seemed as if they had trained their swordsmanship at the training grounds or something.

“What’s wrong?”

Only then did the two raise their heads.

“Master, you’re here?”

Damian rose from his seat and greeted me. And as soon as Doggy saw me, he teared up.

“Master! I hate your brother so much!”

“Doggy!”

Damian tried to stop him, but I already heard everything.

Doggy got into trouble yet again.

“Hm, you can say that you don’t like him, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s my brother.”

“…Master really hates me.”

“When did I feel that way? If someone really hates you, don’t you know they would do?”

At what I said, Doggy lifted his head, which he had previously bowed timidly.

“If humans hate me, what will they do?”

“Humans bully others when they hate someone. But if the level of hatred goes beyond the surface level, there would be no reaction.

They won’t pay attention to you.”

He tilted his head to the side as though he couldn’t understand what I was saying. His white hair cascaded down gently.

After carefully sweeping up Doggy’s hair as he was still seated, I continued explaining.

“It takes a lot of energy to hate someone. That’s why if it goes beyond hatred, they wouldn’t pay attention anymore. They would ignore it as if it never even existed.”

As he nuzzled his cheek into my hand, Doggy muttered.

“Humans are more complex than I thought. Master, is it complicated for you, too?”

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────