This Life, I Will Save The Duke - Chapter 83

Time passed quickly.

Ariel visited the Pink Rose Garden again with Anna, Ostian, and Victor to meet Ludvian. Kaius instructed dozens of Elbartan knights to surround the place in case of any issues, then attended a regular meeting with the directors of the Tris vault.

Led into the tea room as before, Ariel was startled. It was because of Ludvian’s warm gaze looking at her like in the past.

“Have some tea first.”

His low voice was also gentle.

Sitting across from him, Ariel felt increasingly uneasy. The question from a week ago was so nonsensical that she had dismissed it as gibberish and forgotten about it, but what was this behavior now?

Ariel placed the box containing the oil on the table and picked up the teacup.

“Have you thought about it?”

His affectionate tone gave her goosebumps.

“No. Ludvian, that will never happen.”

Ariel answered immediately without hesitation. It also included her implicit certainty that Ludvian would never give up being the Demon King.

Even if his words were sincere, she would never willingly stay by Ludvian’s side. The terrible deception she had experienced in the past could not be undone by any words or actions, and moreover, how could she trust someone who could change at any moment? And that’s not all. He probably wouldn’t just keep her by his side to look at. The thought alone made her feel like all the blood was draining from her body. She’d rather die than that.

In any case, considering all possibilities, there was only one conclusion.

“…Really? Are you serious?”

Seeing Ludvian ask again with a hardened face, Ariel laughed silently. What kind of expectations did he have to act like that? Then again, he must have considerable self-pride, so his ego might have been bruised.

Looking closely at his appearance again, Ariel had to nod in acknowledgment. It was indeed difficult not to fall for his looks under normal circumstances.

While Kaius was a handsome man with a rather cold, unapproachable aura, Ludvian had the kind of charm that women would like. If Ariel hadn’t known his true nature, she might have given her heart to him like in the past. But he was a demon who would cause the death of everyone she loved.

“Yes, I will never be with you.”

His expression turned cold.

“Why? Kaius von Elbartan is acceptable but I’m not?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Even if you regret it now, past mistakes don’t disappear. Maybe if you had listened to me from the beginning when I said I wouldn’t grow flowers.”

Because regret, no matter how quick, is always too late.

“Can I leave now?”

She asked his intention first, in case he might attack Ostian or Victor again like before.

Ludvian looked at Ariel for a long time with narrowed eyes and chuckled. He hadn’t intended to do so anyway, but hearing such words made him feel pathetic for even briefly having such thoughts.

Moreover, what irritated him more was the fact that quite a few knights were exuding an ominous aura, pressuring him. It reminded him again of the unpleasant current situation.

The unpleasant reality that he was the one who harmed Ariel, and the duke was the one who protected her.

Although she would eventually become his if he waited, Ludvian felt that time was much longer than before.

“Go.”

As Ariel safely exited, the Elbartan knights quietly followed behind. Ostian left separately to report to Kaius, heading towards the Metron Hotel.

***

Kaius arrived at the mansion late at night. It took twice as long as usual due to the snow that had been falling since the afternoon. In Lemon’s hand, who had alighted first, was a box containing gato chocolat that Ariel liked.

As Kaius stepped onto the stairs heading to the third floor, Ariel began to come down.

Did she come out to greet me…?

Ariel had properly kept her promise to be considerate over the past week. During the day, she was a kind and modest duchess, and at night, she was a temptress who drove him crazy. That made him quite satisfied.

“Welcome back.”

As he looked at his wife who was openly welcoming him, she blushed for some reason. Kaius’s hand involuntarily clenched at the sight.

“Kaius, you must be tired, let’s go up quickly.”

On her arm pulling his hand was a bracelet made as a pair with his, which could be seen peeking out. Whenever he saw it, an inexplicable sense of relief welled up.

Just from a single bracelet.

While it was amusing, the fact that he didn’t dislike his own feelings made him chuckle. As he looked at their intertwined hands and adjusted his grip to lock them together, her body flinched. Noticing this, Kaius’s eyes slowly narrowed.

“Tiana is gradually taking shape. It seems we’ll be able to open the store around the middle of next month. Thank you, Kaius.”

Ariel quickly changed the subject to hide her awkwardness, which Kaius silently observed.

“Observing the baby dragons every day, it seems they’re growing little by little even while sleeping. Isn’t it amazing?”

“……”

“Today, I made snowmen with Anna. Four of them. If you have time tomorrow, they’re in the garden, so go take a look. If you’re curious, that is.”

Arriving in front of his bedroom door, Ariel, who had been babbling incoherently, stopped walking.

“I’ll be going now.”

As she tried to pull her hand away from his grip, he pulled Ariel into his arms.

“Come in.”

“…It’s not time for that yet.”

He entered the bedroom, not letting go of Ariel who was wriggling trying to escape his embrace. At the sound of the heavy mahogany door closing, Ariel’s shoulders flinched again.

“You should help me undress, wife.”

“Ah.”

Seeing her anxiously trembling eyes suddenly come to life, he couldn’t help but laugh. She would show a satisfactory appearance soon anyway, so there was no need to be hasty.

The coat, with each button undone, was quietly draped over the back of the sofa. Next, as she began to unbutton his jacket, his Adam’s apple visibly quivered, unable to calm down.

“I’ve been curious about something.”

He took her small hand and examined it closely.

“How are your hands so soft when you do so much work in the greenhouse?”

He suddenly bit the tip of her finger gently. Startled, Ariel floundered trying to pull her hand away, but she was no match for his strength. Resigned, she turned her head and glared at the innocent fire in the fireplace. She must have been as red as that fire.

“Answer me.”

The sight of her beautifully flushed appearance deepened the smile on his lips.

“Well, I usually wear gloves, but… Hey, stop with my hand.”

As he kept gently nibbling each of her fingers, the warm and moist sensation in his mouth made her mind grow hazy.

“But?”

“More than that, I think it has to do with using my life force. I’m not really sure myself.”

She spoke rapidly without even taking a breath, and Kaius seemed to understand to some extent as he nodded slowly. After thoroughly ravaging all five fingers as he pleased, he took out a handkerchief from his jacket and wiped her hand that was glistening with his saliva. Only then did he release her hand and begin to loosen his tie.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Tell me about meeting Ludvian today.”

Putting together what Ostian had reported, Ariel had refused to do something with Ludvian, and Kaius’s own name had been mentioned. They were already working together to kill him, so it was unlikely that was brought up again. That meant he had made a different proposal.

A week had passed since Ludvian visited the mansion, but Ariel hadn’t said a word to him about it. Then it was his turn to find out. He had waited long enough.

“I just gave him the oil and we parted. Fortunately, nothing happened.”

“In detail.”

He looked directly at Ariel as he unfastened his golden cufflinks.

“…It’s not something you need to know about.”

Ariel swallowed dryly at his cool gaze. She hadn’t told him because it wasn’t something good for him to know about.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Tell me.”

His lowered voice increased in pressure.

“Well… Ludvian had something he wanted to ask my opinion on.”

Kaius continued to stare at her as he unbuttoned his shirt, silently urging her to continue.

“He asked if I would leave you and go to him if he stopped growing the underworld flowers and no longer threatened my parents.”

His leisurely moving hands stopped as his eyes looking at her grew distant. Suddenly, Ariel realized she had only thought of herself. Kaius might want that. It was a way for him to easily survive.

“I refused because I don’t want to go to him, but… do you want that?”

Want it?

“Would you go if I told you to?”

Ariel’s body trembled finely at Kaius’s voice that had turned icy cold.

“I don’t want to go, but if you want me to, I’ll do it. Thinking about it now, your life is at stake, and I only thought of myself. I can’t be certain Ludvian will keep his promise, but if he does, your life would also…”

Ariel couldn’t finish her sentence. It was because Kaius had picked her up and thrown her onto the bed.

Go to a demon? She’d go if he told her to? How could she so easily say she’d hand herself over to a demon? Kaius’s already twisted heart couldn’t hear Ariel’s words purely. Only her words about leaving him were clear in his mind.

“How easy. Now you’d throw yourself into another man’s arms to save me.”

“That’s not it! Don’t insult me!”