Lily was not young enough to misunderstand what Herald said he couldn’t stand. Rather, she knew it too well and was perplexed, but strangely, she did not feel ashamed.

Ironically, she was grateful that he spoke honestly. Her green eyes wavered in the strange situation where she could not understand her own feelings. Herald, who misinterpreted her reaction, smiled awkwardly.

“If you do not allow it, I will not lay a single finger on you, so you need not worry.”

“…It sounds like you’re saying you will if I allow it.”

“Well, I am a man after all.”

Herald said somewhat playfully that how could he resist when the woman he likes seduces him. Even amidst this, she could see him being considerate so she wouldn’t be nervous. Lily clenched her hands hidden inside her soft silk sleeves and asked.

“Why… do you like me?”

She had been curious all along but couldn’t bring herself to ask for various reasons. As if not expecting Lily to ask directly, Herald looked at her with slight surprise. Lily met his gaze straight on without averting her eyes.

A quiet yet awkward silence flowed in the bedroom. As much as it was a difficult question to answer, she wanted to wait patiently, but unfortunately, Lily did not have much patience left.

“If it’s hard to answer, you don’t have to…”

“At first, it was a casual interest.”

As soon as Herald opened his mouth, Lily immediately swallowed her words. Herald chuckled at how cute she looked, perking her ears up and intently listening to his words.

The reason Herald couldn’t answer Lily’s question right away and remained silent was because he was contemplating how much of the truth he should reveal.

If he had his way, he wanted to spill everything truthfully, but that was impossible since it was related to Austin, the crown prince. In the first place, it was also Austin who requested him to investigate why the 2nd Prince was digging into the Benjamin family.

But not answering at all felt like kicking away the opportunity that had finally come, so Herald spoke while strategically omitting the parts related to the 2nd Prince.

“I became interested in a woman named Liliana Benjamin who got drunk on just 3 mugs of beer and rambled drunkenly.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. Until then, his interest was in the “Benjamin family,” not “Liliana Benjamin.” Herald’s interest in Lily began after hearing her drunken ramblings.

“You were also the first person to boldly demand that I become your husband.”

“……”

Lily’s face, which had gradually reddened since the mention of her drunken behavior, flushed bright red at the mention of husband. Her face looked so attractive, as if it would burst at the slightest touch. Forcibly suppressing his unconsciously reaching hand, wanting to touch her face, Herald continued.

“Once my interest was piqued, you kept catching my eye. Your smiling face, your crying face, even your struggling face… Paying attention to everything, my interest eventually turned into affection, and that’s how I came to like you.”

Since he had to tell the story while excluding the 2nd Prince and the Benjamin family matters, this was all he could say for now. Herald regretted not being able to explain in more detail, but he spoke sincerely so that Lily wouldn’t sense that regret.

“……”

Her face, which had been red like a beet, gradually regained its color and even turned slightly pale. She seemed startled by his honest confession. He was pleased that his sincerity was properly conveyed, but he couldn’t be completely happy because Lily’s reaction was unclear.

“I suppose my answer was not to your liking.”

Herald spoke somewhat playfully with a smile, trying to lighten Lily’s mood. Only then did Lily come to her senses and slowly parted her lips.

“That’s not it. It’s just… It sounded so much like a novel that it didn’t feel realistic.”

“Are you saying it’s unrealistic that I came to like you?”

“Isn’t it? I’m already married, and I’m not noticeably pretty or have any charms to captivate men, but you…”

“Not you, but Herald.”

When Herald corrected the way she addressed him, Lily paused for a moment before speaking again.

“…I don’t understand why you like me. It’s something that could never happen in reality.”

Even her stubborn refusal to call his name until the end was endearing, so he was truly in deep. Herald asked with a slight smile.

“So will you deny my feelings for you?”

Lily couldn’t bring herself to say no and remained still.

“Do you also plan to deny your feelings for me?”

“That’s…”

Lily opened her mouth as if she had to answer this, but that was it. Not knowing what to say, she closed her mouth again. If she answered no, it felt like she would become even more entangled with him. But answering yes made her afraid that her connection with him would be severed.

…Yes, I admit it. I don’t want my connection with this man to end.

Her wavering heart finally settled, but it wasn’t the least bit refreshing. Rather, knowing that she should let him go for Herald’s sake but being unable to do so made her feel pathetic and foolish.

“Drink it before it gets cold.”

At Herald’s urging, Lily silently picked up the mug. The warmth spread throughout her palm. Drinking the warm and sweet hot chocolate, the worries and anxieties that had cluttered her mind gradually cleared.

Lily, who had been sorting out her thoughts while sipping the hot chocolate, set the empty mug on her lap and looked at Herald.

“I like you.”

Her long lashes trembled, but the green eyes that held Herald’s face were resolute.

“I also… like you. With the same feelings as you, I like you.”

This was an undeniable fact. It wasn’t something she could deny even if she wanted to. Rather, it only made things more confusing.

“But as I said before, I have no intention of becoming someone’s concubine. I’ve already had enough of being the subject of people’s gossip, constantly mentioned, and pointed at… I don’t want to add more to that.”

At first, she looked at him boldly, but the more she spoke, the more her gaze lowered. The fingers gripping the mug fidgeted.

“So I cannot accept your feelings. I’m sorry. Asking you for this and that and then saying this… I’m truly sorry. I have no words even if I had ten mouths.”

After spilling out her words incoherently, her gaze eventually fell to the mug in her hands. Lily waited for Herald’s response, prepared to humbly accept it even if he accused her of playing with people’s hearts.

But no matter how long she waited, Herald did not utter a word. She couldn’t even hear his breathing, so Lily, growing doubtful, was about to raise her head when she heard someone sit beside her. It was Herald, no need to confirm. Her heart, startled by the suddenly closer proximity, swelled largely.

“I think there’s some misunderstanding, but I have no intention of forcing you to accept my feelings. I’ve never desired that either.”

She thought he would make a biting remark like Fredrick, even if he didn’t sarcastically scratch at her insides. But instead, he spoke in a gentle tone as if fully understanding her feelings, leaving Lily a bit dumbfounded as she looked at Herald. A deep smile settled in the golden eyes that met hers.

“There’s only one thing I want from you.”

Herald gently placed his hand over Lily’s, which was tightly gripping the mug that had not yet lost its warmth as if it were a lifeline.

“Not pushing me away.”

“……”

“That’s enough. That’s all I want from you.”

If he had demanded that she accept him, saying why she wouldn’t accept him when she liked him too, she would have bowed her head and apologized… But when he said that, she didn’t know what to say. Not knowing what face to make while looking at him, Lily stared at him blankly.

The golden eyes that held her were smiling, but there was not a hint of playfulness. They were extremely serious and deep. That meant he was sincere, so Lily was puzzled. Even after being rejected twice, she couldn’t understand him still putting her first and being considerate.

“…You’re not a greedy person.”

It was the conclusion Lily reached after a brief contemplation. Although saying he wasn’t greedy seemed to lack explanation, she couldn’t find any other suitable reason.

At the rather generous assessment, Herald let out a smile close to a sneer.

“On the contrary. I’m so greedy that it’s a problem.”

Yes. All of it stemmed from excessive greed. Herald chose to remain in this ambiguous relationship because he couldn’t give up returning to Cardin or letting go of Lily’s hand.

Anyway, if he returned to Cardin and their bodies grew distant, naturally their hearts would grow distant too, so it should be fine to be greedy for a moment.

Lily, who had no way of knowing Herald’s dark inner thoughts, also tilted her head at an angle. Her alluring long hair flowed down like a curtain, tickling Herald’s arm and the back of his hand.

“From what I see, you don’t seem greedy at all.”

The innocent and fresh green eyes that stared straight at him tickled Herald’s heart. Herald brightly smiled to hide his increasingly wicked thoughts.

“No. I’m holding back right now. Because I want to remain a gentleman, not a beast, in front of the person I like, I’m desperately holding back.”

Another name for greed was desire. Not wanting to make an irreversible mistake, Herald warned Lily in hopes that she would no longer provoke his desire.

But as if the warning had no effect, Lily was still looking at him with those innocent eyes.

Goodness, she’s a woman who makes things difficult in many ways. Herald’s lips smiled as if troubled, but infatuation ignited in the eyes that held Lily. The infatuation that flared up, fueled by desire, quickly devoured his reason.

“If you don’t like it… you can bite.”

Leaving a short warning, his lips slid over and covered her lips.