Raymond raised his glass.
Was it because the woman before him was sweetness incarnate?
Strangely, the tea, long cooled, tasted as sweet as if heavily laced with sugar.
The sweetness coating the tip of his tongue felt particularly unfamiliar. He wore a composed mask, despite the intense sweetness flooding his mouth.
“Our talk has gone on too long.”
“No, not at all. Thank you for speaking with me.”
For a moment, she failed to notice the flicker of blue in his eyes.
Currently, Yerpi’s entire attention was fixed on Dante.
Raymond’s story had ended.
Yet, her worries seemed no lighter, her emerald eyes darkening with deep contemplation.
“But it’s strange. The Dante I’ve seen was timid, but exceptionally gentle. He might have rebelled briefly, but I can’t bring myself to believe he’d act so violently.”
They had met only a few times, and each encounter was brief.
But the Dante Yerpi had seen was a timid child who would rather hide than cause trouble.
He wasn’t the type to create chaos without reason.
A vague unease settled in her chest.
Her determination to investigate the matter surrounding Dante grew even stronger.
As if sensing her thoughts, Raymond offered advice.
“Don’t push yourself too hard because of my request. He’s extremely sensitive—he might lash out at you.”
The concern hidden beneath his indifferent words—was it directed at her, or at someone else?
Surprised by the unexpected kindness, Yerpi pondered his words once more.
Then, she smiled, her eyes curving gently.
Her cheeks flushed like ripe fruit. Her green eyes, resembling fresh leaves, contrasted beautifully with her pale skin and deep-colored lips.
Just moments earlier, the fragrant, peach-like smile she had dropped in surprise now etched itself deeply into Raymond’s golden eyes.
It lasted only an instant.
Yet, despite appearances, his voice came out slightly sharp.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because you’re kind.”
He wasn’t merely the man who had abandoned his first wife—there was kindness in him after all.
Seeing this other side of the cold Raymond, the man before her now seemed different.
‘Perhaps, during my stay here, we could maintain a good relationship?’
It was the first time since meeting him that such hope had stirred within her.
Her nightmares were echoes of someone else’s past.
But she had no intention of repeating those mistakes. Perhaps, this time, their relationship wouldn’t be bad at all.
Yerpi now gave the answer to the question Raymond had asked earlier.
“I’ll do that.”
Had the conversation deepened?
Beyond the window, opened just wide enough for a fist to pass through, the sky was tinged with violet.
Yerpi glanced at the setting sun behind Raymond and thought it was time to take her leave.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time. I should retire now.”
Rising from the sofa, Yerpi slightly bent her knees before him.
Just as she turned to leave, Raymond’s voice caught her by the ankle.
“Wait a moment.”
Did he still have more to say about Dante?
When Yerpi turned her head, the twilight outside had deepened, spreading in rich red hues.
Raymond stood with his back to the fading light, his eyes fixed on Yerpi.
“There should still be duties remaining for a wife.”
Ah.
With that brief utterance, Yerpi suddenly remembered what day it was.
‘It’s the day we’re meant to share communion.’
Raymond rose from his seat and stood before Yerpi.
The wind around them was steeped in the colors of sunset.
Facing him, Yerpi mentally counted the days since she had crossed the barrier.
Adding up the long yet short journey and the time spent at the castle, it had already reached the date specified in their marriage contract.
‘He remembered.’
She had nearly forgotten something she told herself to remember, yet Raymond had clearly pointed it out.
Indeed, he was a man who valued contracts above all.
“Should I just hold your hand?”
At Yerpi’s question, he gave a slight nod.
Her outstretched hand was met with a black glove. The opaque, glossy leather resembled that of a dark panther.
Beneath it, his wrist was visible—veins prominent, harmonizing with the lean muscles of his arm.
Suddenly, she recalled the moment when she had tightly shut her eyes to avoid a branch.
The strength that had swept her into an embrace, the very moment he caught her when she opened her eyes.
This chain of memories surfaced unconsciously.
Her bare hand, brushing past the glove, had already grasped his wrist.
His fingers gently curled around hers. Seeing him slightly furrow his brow, Yerpi lowered her gaze.
“To commune, our bare skin must touch.”
“…I know.”
His reply sounded as if it were merely a brief lapse in memory.
He removed one glove and placed it on the side table. The vivid blue veins and bones on the back of his hand appeared both aesthetically beautiful and strong.
“I’m sorry for acting so presumptuously before.”
Before Raymond could even respond, a small, soft hand slid down his wrist and covered his.
To increase the contact area, her delicate, slender index and middle fingers carefully slipped between his slightly parted fingers.
Through the point of contact, Yerpi could glimpse into his inner self.
If she had to describe it with an image—
‘A small universe.’
Raymond’s body resembled a world, a cosmos teeming with countless living stars.
In this beautiful world, all Yerpi could do was help ensure the glittering stars continued to shine brightly.
Compared to their first communion, handling the power felt less unfamiliar.
“He’s in better condition than before.”
That was her assessment after observing his inner state.
The more one wielded dragon blood’s power, the higher the contamination. But contamination could also intensify from severe psychological trauma, beyond mere use of power.
How long had she been holding Raymond’s hand?
Her hand, warmed by his radiating heat, was now completely unlike its usual perpetually cold state.
‘His mind seems to have stabilized now.’
Raymond’s inner self had grown clearer, glowing brighter.
Yet, the grip on Yerpi’s hand showed no sign of loosening.
‘Strange.’
She had been the one to initiate the handhold, yet now Raymond was firmly holding her hand.
In the tense silence, where even breathing felt cautious, the gradually rising temperature was the only thing embracing the still air.
She expected him to let go any moment.
Or perhaps he would subtly signal it was too much and gently push her away.
But he was moving in a direction entirely different from her expectations.
“A little longer.”
It was Raymond who grabbed her hand as she began to pull back.
Her hand was drawn forward, and Yerpi leaned toward him.
What she ended up touching was the embrace of dragon blood.
The sudden burst of mint fragrance jolted every nerve in her mind.
Her wide eyes and stiffened shoulders within this unfamiliar embrace lasted only a moment.
As communion deepened, a sweet honeyed scent began to tint the surroundings in gold.
It was a thick, intoxicating fragrance—so strong it nearly numbed the tip of Yerpi’s nose, the very source of the scent.
Yet, the fragrance of the one offering his embrace was cool, like mint, blending with the intense sweetness to create an entirely new aroma.
As if she had never been tense at all, her entire body relaxed.
Yerpi sank into a hazy, dreamlike trance within his arms.
‘Is it because dragon blood experiences communion more intensely?’
His heartbeat was different from an ordinary person’s—larger, faster.
It throbbed so strongly it resonated in Yerpi’s ears like a steady drumbeat.
Just as spice users gained new sensations through communion, so too would dragon blood.
At this moment, with their bodies touching, Raymond seemed as gentle as a lamb.
No—more like a fierce predator concealing its true nature, feigning docility.
Of course, this was only when she wasn’t clinging to him out of affection. Still.
Yerpi grew curious about the man named Raymond.
Had their gazes met once more?
Raymond flinched, startled by the emerald eyes silently gazing at him.
He seemed unaccustomed to such closeness, as if only now realizing he was still holding her.
The man who had first requested communion abruptly pulled away.
Cold Male Lead Became My Clingy Husband (Female-Dominant)
Feng Bai Su transmigrated into a matriarchal novel, becoming the sister of the female protagonist and the Seventh Princess of the Feng Ling Kingdom.
After working herself to death in her previous life, finally reincarnating as a princess, she only wanted to be a lazy fish who could eat, sleep, and play.
Until she met the male protagonist from the book, Wei Jing Mo, and he took a liking to her!
Wei Jing Mo is the top young man in Feng Ling City, talented in both appearance and ability, from a prestigious family, with a cold and otherworldly appearance, a figure like the bright moon in the hearts of noble ladies. It was thought that only the most powerful and talented noble lady in Feng Ling City would be worthy of such a brilliant young man. Who knew that this young gentleman would secretly admire the infamous Seventh Princess?
Short scene 1:
Feng Bai Su looked at the young man crying like a pear blossom in the rain before her, and couldn’t help but doubt her life.
Wasn’t the male lead described as a cold and otherworldly figure in the book?
Then who was this poor little thing crying with swollen red eyes and tear-stained face?
Short scene 2:
Wei Jing Mo stared intently at Feng Bai Su who was about to go out, wanting to say, “Be careful on the road.”
Before he could speak, Feng Bai Su suddenly bent down and bit his cheek.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of disdain: “Tsk! You’re so clingy!”
Wei Jing Mo: “…”
A talented fox spirit female lead with a flirtatious appearance but actually abstinent VS A cold-looking but actually naive and clingy little jealous male lead
