Adeline chose to bathe alone as always.

Perhaps because she had gone into the lake during the day, Adeline fell asleep in the bathtub while trying to close her eyes for a moment.

The warm water temperature made her drowsy.

When she turned her gaze, the view outside the window had already turned pitch black.

Adeline hurriedly dried off her body and changed into a chemise.

She was surprised to see her reflection in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

She thought she was used to thin clothes, as she usually wore outfits with some degree of exposure.

However, her appearance in the chemise reflected in the mirror looked quite seductive.

The chemise, nothing more than a scrap of cloth, was so thin it seemed almost transparent.

The remaining moisture on her body seeped through, faintly revealing Adeline’s white skin underneath.

“How am I supposed to wear something like this…”

She tried to change into something else but soon gave up.

Before leaving, the maids had worn mischievous expressions as if plotting something among themselves. It seemed they had packed only this type of nightwear.

In the end, she came out wearing a thin silk cardigan over it.

The bedroom was quiet, as the duke had not yet returned.

Adeline was scanning the empty bedroom when she turned at the sound of the door opening.

The duke who had returned at some point was walking into the bedroom.

‘W-what?’

It seemed as if he was approaching the bed where Adeline was.

She hurriedly got into bed.

Then she carefully lifted the blanket to observe him.

The duke, whom Adeline thought was coming towards her, turned and approached the bookshelf instead.

Even the gesture of taking out a book was elegant without any unnecessary movement.

Confirming that he was not coming to the bed, Adeline finally swallowed a sigh.

‘Why am I acting like this?’

Her face flushed belatedly, feeling she had overreacted for no reason.

The memories from earlier in the day kept overlapping on his face.

Those eyes burning as if swallowing desire.

It wasn’t just him who felt that way. Adeline too felt something irresistible while looking at the duke.

Adeline felt heat radiating from her entire body bit by bit.

Perhaps because she was fully covered by the blanket, that heat couldn’t escape and circulated inside.

Before she knew it, the chemise clung to the curves of her body.

Even Adeline’s breath was growing hot from the warmth.

“You must be hot like that. If you can’t sleep, why don’t you come out?”

The duke’s voice, which had approached without her noticing, seeped into her ear.

It sounded like he had sat down in the chair next to the bed with a book, as a creaking noise was heard.

“I’m sleeping.”

A chuckling laugh was heard, as if he had heard Adeline’s mumbled reply.

“It seems you talk while sleeping.”

The sound of the duke closing the book he was reading resonated.

Then footsteps approached, and soon one side of the bed sank down.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he carefully lowered the blanket that Adeline had pulled up.

Then he placed his hand on Adeline’s forehead.

A cool sensation seeped through the tip of his hand.

The hand that had lingered on her forehead for a moment as if checking for a fever moved away.

“Do you have a slight fever? We’ll return to the duchy early in the morning just in case. You fell into water on an autumn day after all.”

Adeline was about to refute but stopped herself.

Because she knew that fever wasn’t from catching a cold after falling into the water during the day.

She couldn’t possibly say it was because of him that she was burning up.

She had been intentionally avoiding eye contact with the duke since he approached. Fearing her face would flush if their eyes met.

She just hoped he would return to where he was sitting and read his book.

“If you’re going to sleep, it would be better to turn off the lights.”

With those words, he blew out the candle at the far end of the opposite bed.

A small darkness fell over the bedroom. And just as he was leaning in to put out the remaining light on Adeline’s side—

Adeline had been suffering from the breath tickling her nose.

Even though she tried to endure it, she felt like her whole body was boiling with heat again.

“The light is fine. You don’t have to put it out. You need it to read your book anyway…”

Adeline ended up meeting his gaze as she spoke.

His red eyes reflecting the candlelight were flickering right in front of her.

“You finally meet my gaze.”

He was already straddling Adeline.

The duke didn’t know how to avoid eye contact. Adeline’s face flushed hot at such an embarrassing gaze.

“Why can’t you meet my eyes?”

He slowly stretched his lips into a smile.

It was a mischievous smile, as if he knew exactly what was going on in Adeline’s head.

“That’s…”

“Shall I tell you the reason?”

As Adeline hesitated, unable to continue speaking, Casius opened his mouth instead.

“Because you don’t have confidence to resist. You must hate it so much. But you’re attracted, aren’t you?”

He pulled back the blanket that was covering her body halfway.

His gaze fell on the damp chemise clinging between the open front of her cardigan.

Even though she was wearing clothes, Adeline felt embarrassed as if she were naked.

“To the point where your whole body is burning up like this.”

Adeline bit her lower lip.

The duke looking at her with knowing eyes was insufferably arrogant.

But she couldn’t find any words to refute. Because it was true.

Just as Adeline was tightly gripping the blanket with her hand—

“If you’re going to torment your innocent lips. Submit.”

His index finger brushed Adeline’s lips. Then he inserted his hand to open her mouth.

The saliva that emerged from where his finger had invaded stretched into a long silver thread.

It was sensual.

The man must have felt it too, as the desire welling up in Casius’s eyes instantly deepened.

He impatiently tilted his head and approached.

Their joined lips showed no sign of parting.

Only the obscene sounds of soft flesh entangling filled the bedroom.

When she was out of breath, Adeline pushed against his chest.

His lips separated for a moment, then this time he bit into Adeline’s nape. Sticky, as if she were a fruit.

“Ah.”

With one hand, he began to undo the dress shirt he was wearing.

Between the loosening shirt, taut, well-defined muscles rose and fell repeatedly.

The reality of what she had imagined earlier in the day, seeing his body through the wet shirt, was now revealed.

Even though it wasn’t her first time seeing it, Adeline’s face flushed.

The man who had already removed his top straddled her again, then grabbed Adeline’s hips and pulled her down.

He buried his lips in Adeline’s nape that had been suddenly pulled down.

His lips gradually moved down, sliding along her neckline and tracing her cleavage.

He grasped one of her breasts with his hand. Casius let out an exclamation at the fullness that overflowed even when he gripped it fully.

“Ha.”

He buried his face in the round mounds.

Casius’s touch stroked down her stomach and went lower.

“Hng.”

A touch extending towards the round cave. Just as Adeline was helplessly squirming and raising her hand to stop his—

“Don’t worry. I won’t go further than this.”

Casius too seemed to hastily stop as he realized she was pregnant.

But the passion filling his eyes did not easily subside.

After seeming to endure for a while, he straightened his body that had been on top of Adeline.

Only then did Adeline exhale a rough breath.

From the moment their lips met, her thought circuits had become a mess.

Adeline stared blankly at Casius’s back as he stood up from the bed and fixed his clothes.

“Is it Duke Torpeo, or…”

Perhaps intoxicated by the atmosphere and flushed, her lips moved on their own before she knew it.

“Is it Mel?”

Adeline wasn’t actually asking whether the person in front of her was Mel or the duke.

She just asked because the person she encountered while staying at the villa was so similar to Mel. So that’s why she asked. It was a half-impulsive question, but.

The duke turned at Adeline’s question.

His eyes looking down at her had already returned to their original state.

“Is that important to you? They’re both me.”

With those final words, the duke left the bedroom.

As she watched his back leaving the bedroom, a part of Adeline’s heart tingled once again.

Even though it was an ambiguous statement where nothing could be certain.

They returned to the duchy after riding in a carriage that came early in the morning for several hours.

The two of them had packed up and returned right away, as if still bothered by Adeline falling into the lake.

The duke headed to his office, saying he had work piled up.

Adeline walked towards the second floor of the mansion, which had now become as familiar as her own home.

The atmosphere in the mansion had subtly changed. The servants who usually treated Adeline like an outsider and whispered about her were gone.

Strange. Had things really changed?

And finally, when she reached the bedroom.

Becky immediately approached to greet Adeline.

“Lady Del! Welcome back. You must be very tired from the long journey? Please, have a seat here.”

Adeline sat down at the table as Becky led her.

She was about to undo Adeline’s hair to brush it when she spoke up.

“Oh my, Lady Del. Your aura has changed a lot? It seems the recuperation at the villa was effective!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Your expression has brightened up. The duke must really cherish you, that’s for sure.”

Becky spoke excitedly like someone overjoyed.

“I’m not so sure. It doesn’t seem like he cherishes me.”

“Oh my, what are you saying? The duke made so much effort to recuperate together with you!”

She paused her brushing and met Adeline’s eyes through the mirror.

“He called the butler separately every night to receive reports. He was originally supposed to receive reports in the afternoon, but considering the lady’s rest, he received them late at night.”

“…”

“Our butler’s back is aching from going back and forth every night.”

Adeline remained silent for a while as she looked at Becky ranting through the mirror.

She was somewhat dazed. The Duke Torpeo she knew wasn’t the type to be so delicately considerate of her.

Then she snapped out of it at the calling voice.

“Lady Del? Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening.”

“You must be happy, right? To be loved so much!”

Unable to agree outright, Adeline responded with an awkward smile.

Unlike her outward appearance that she tried to maintain as if nothing was wrong, she was confused inside.

‘Why?’

Why is he suddenly doing things he didn’t do before? Is he really trying to go back to how things were?

She was full of questions, but soon Adeline’s lips curved gracefully.

It may be an act for others to see, but.

Still, it didn’t feel bad.