“This is just business.”

Then, I gently caressed his lips with my finger, signaling a kiss.

Fortunately, there was no sign of reluctance from Cedric. He just gazed down at me intently.

His eyes shone like a deep blue sea, his Adam’s apple bobbed gently, and the tip of his tongue cautiously brushed over his dry lips.

As I was captivated by these subtle movements, my heartbeat grew stronger.

Suppressing the flutter in my heart, I carefully pressed my lips to his, feeling his shoulder tense slightly.

But soon, he too began to move in harmony with my actions.

The reason for our kiss, and the many gazes around us, all seemed to dissipate at the edge of our lips, like an illusion.

It was dangerously sweet and tempting, enough to make my heart throb painfully.

And an inexplicable warmth spread across my skin, making it burn hotter.

I should stop. No, I didn’t want to stop.

In the midst of this intense and alluring struggle, I murmured.

“We should stop now…”
Murmuring to myself as if to break free from the intoxication, I managed to pull away from our kiss.

I felt dazed, almost as if my mind was clouded.

Looking up at Cedric with a dazed gaze, our eyes met.

He, too, looked down at me, as if just waking from a dream.

Our eyes locked again, stirring another tumultuous wave in my heart.

‘I… can’t calm down.’

As I turned my head away, a cool breeze brushed across my damp lips.

Finally regaining my composure, I glanced around.

Everywhere I looked, there were numerous eyes fixed on Cedric and me.

Their emotions were mostly superficial and shallow, such as admiration, jealousy, and envy.

Except for one deep, lingering gaze.

‘…Adrian, when did you arrive?’

His usually gentle lavender eyes seemed sadder, almost carrying a sense of defeat.

While I couldn’t avert my gaze from the whirlpool of emotions in his eyes, Cedric’s blue eyes followed mine and slowly moved.

Finally resting on Adrian, his gaze lingered there for a long time.

‘Adrian’s presence means… Bianca must have seen us too.’

Trying to hide my sudden embarrassment, I turned back to the ladies.

“…This should be enough to convince you all, right?”

The women, still fixated on Cedric, nodded blankly, as if in a trance.

‘There should be no more talk about our separation now.’

I glanced at Camilla, who had now turned red. She was incessantly biting her lower lip.

When our eyes met, she struggled to force a smile.

“It seems like things have improved between you two… That’s really fortunate, Your Grace…”

Camilla’s lips trembled slightly, betraying her emotions.

Just then, Cedric, having withdrawn his gaze from Adrian, spoke to Camilla in a recitative manner.

“It seems, Countess, that there was a need to prove our relationship to you.”

Camilla couldn’t hide her confusion, taking his words as a reproach.

“How could that be, Your Grace! How could I dare not believe Your Grace’s words!”

Her excuses became increasingly desperate.

But Cedric’s gaze showed no emotion as he continued his silent observation.

As her lips flapped meaninglessly in her growing anxiety, Cedric casually added,

“There’s no need to be so flustered. In fact, I feel like giving the Countess a reward.”

His gaze returned to Adrian, who started to look troubled again.

While Adrian’s face hardened, Cedric’s lips curled leisurely.

“Indeed, as Rebecca said, there’s been a tremendous development in our relationship lately.”

“…”

“We’ve reached a point where we can hardly bear to be apart from each other.”

Cedric gently lifted my chin with his fingers.

“Just now, being apart from each other for even a moment…”

He paused, a soft curve forming on his lips.

“…left me longing and thirsty.”

With those words, Cedric’s lips tenderly descended onto mine once again.