Chapter 104 - How sweet

"Isn't it a striking blemish?!" He could hear the slight undertone of mockery in his voice. "Have you ever heard of the Habsburg lower lip?" He got behind her.

"No." She shook her head.

"Take a good look at them. The Count would never show these ancestors to his distinguished guests." He put his arms around her shoulders and supported his chin on her head. Her hair was soft, like silk, but smelled like a sea of flowers. Alexandre enjoyed having her near him. Sometimes he was afraid to let her get too close. But every now and then, he would seek that closeness.

"And what's so bad about this lip, except it's not very pretty?" Her voice is nothing more than a gentle breeze. He knew that she was uncomfortable around him. But she would have to get used to it. Of course, he wouldn't force her to do anything. He wasn't that kind of man. Besides, it was more entertaining when both parties could enjoy it.

He wanted to touch her everywhere. If he had his way, he would have peeled her out of her lovely nightgowns weeks ago and caressed her all over with his mouth. He wanted to finally find out what she tasted like. But she wasn't ready. He could accept that... for now, at least.

Alexandre raised his head and kissed her on the top of her head.

"I would describe these portraits as portraits of fornication. They show the consequences of the marriage policy between the European Habsburg dynasties. The faces of most of the Habsburgs had prominent lower lips and jaws, the tip of the famous hooked nose was slightly drooping". Alexandre reached for her hand and lifted it up, pointing to the characteristic features in the portraits.

"Although contemporary court painters were required to portray their rulers as beautifully as possible, they could hardly conceal these literally outstanding features. Without losing the resemblance to the real model. In many cases the Habsburgs were not considered to be beautiful people. The Count's family also belonged to a branch of the Habsburgs. That is why they hid these beautiful portraits. Isn't it amusing considering how proud the Count was of his family history?"

"Can't it just be a dominant family trait?" She asked curiously. How sweet, she was interested in that silly excuse. She was so faithful. He wanted her all to himself. It suited him.

"The incest was to blame. According to research, these facial features are not due to dominant gene variants, but probably to recessive genes which only appeared when both parents carried and inherited these traits." He gently squeezed her hand, leaned against her. The fabric of her dress rustled slightly. He urged himself not to proceed too quickly. In order to sweet-talk his cute wife, he had to act with caution. He couldn't scare her like he did last week. This had ruined all his work of the last weeks, and he had to start from scratch again. He desired her so much that sometimes it drove him crazy. So patience was all the more important.

Alexandre kissed her on the shoulder before continuing. "But in the Rochou family, these typical traits are not so extreme. When we get to Vienna, I'd like to show you the gallery of the Habsburg ruling family. There you can see the proper extent of generations of inbreeding." He turned her over in one fell swoop. The dress fluttered as if a delicate rose was about to bloom. He caught her and pulled her into his arms.

"May I kiss you?" he whispered against her lips. Only a breath separated them. He could even feel her breathing against his skin.

She stared at him with big eyes. Her pupils were wavering while she stared at him with slightly opened lips and cherry-red cheeks. He had surprised her completely with his bluntness. His lips twitched in amusement. She was so cute!

But then he felt Lily trying to get away from him.

"Just one quick kiss?" He couldn't believe that he had to beg for only one kiss. He quickly pulled her back to him, brushed a strand behind her ear. "You've been acting so strangely since you were in Zurich. Tell me what was in the safe-deposit box." Curiosity seized him again. She kept her head down, no matter how deep he dug. She never told. Whenever the subject came up, she seemed to shut herself off and just stared at him.

Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen.

"Time is up, Love." He whispered against her lips, took her little hand in his and pulled her along.

Then he turned around on his heels once more. Looked her in the eyes for a second. Before he started to loosen some strands from her hairdo with his long fingers.

He grinned. Wished he could have hugged her once more.