Chapter 84

Chapter 84

“Aiden…?”

She heard the butler knocking.

“Come in.”

As soon as Philip entered the office, he frowned at Bug.

“Sir Bug. Are you sitting with Madam again? Aren’t you at work right now?”

“It’s okay. I told him to sit down. Rather, bring me an invitation.”

“An invitation?”

Philip glanced at her with a surprised face.

In the past, she had turned down tea parties and other invitations without exception. Elysia hadn’t appeared in social circles for a few months before breaking up with Revos, and it seemed that all of their guts had just come out of their stomach.

Opened her mouth, she beckoned Bug to give her some tea as well.

“Bug, write down all the names of the Ladies you have seen here.”

“…What?”

“Now.”

As she smiled, she stared at Bug’s face, who did not immediately hold a pen. Philip gave Bug a stinging glance, though the water had already been spilled.

“Then, I’ll bring you the invitation.”

“Please then, for everything. Call Gray, too.”

“Yes.”

After a while, Elysia accepted the paper that Bug had held out. A wide variety of names were seen, including marquisates, counties, and viscounties. In addition to the name, Bug wrote down what he witnessed.

She thought she had done something very petty after a long time.

“Bug, can I give you a vacation?”

Bug’s eyes twinkled at the word vacation, having no idea what was going on.

Strictly speaking, it was Cassian’s authority to decide on Bug’s vacation, though he was not the only one who would say that it was bad to do what she wanted. At the same time, Bug didn’t seem to care who made the decision on the vacation. He may not want to know.

“Take a week off.”

“A week…?”

“Yes. Is paid vacation good? Get off work right now.”

It would be good for Bug to disappear immediately.

“Then, Madam’s escort…”

“You can switch with another knight. Isn’t that better than training?”

Bug nodded his head as if possessed by something.

Elysia leaned leisurely on the sofa, waiting for the invitation Philip would bring and the maid, Gray.

***

When Cassian left the palace and arrived at the mansion, Philip came out to meet him. He quickly caught up with his master.

“Sir, the Madam…”

“Cassian.”

Elysia, who called Cassian, flashed her eyes at Philip with an unspoken pressure to stay in line.

Cassian glanced at the two curiously, then hugged Elysia’s waist before heading to the second floor. She meekly headed to the bedroom with Cassian. Usually, when this happens, they would go into the bathroom together, but not today.

As she entered the bedroom, she reached out and took off his jacket.

“….?”

She then unbuttoned his shirt.

“Your eyes are too bloody to be called seduction.”

“I gave Bug a vacation.”

“Vacation…?”

“A week of paid vacation.”

Cassian had a gut feeling that Bug had slipped something out of his mouth again because there had been several similar situations.

“Elysia.”

“I heard that you got a present.”

He grabbed Elysia’s waist and put her on the bed.

“I threw it away.”

“Yeah?”

“I threw it away in front of the Lady, looks like Bug hasn’t seen it.”

“…Did you openly throw it away?”

Cassian unbuttoned his shirt and nodded his head before continuing his words, “Because they come so often that I get used to the face.”

Elysia answered, lying flat on the bed.

Cassian took off his shirt and walked over to her and opened his mouth again.

“Why do you care when I say this every time? Because you don’t have to worry.”

“I thought it was because I saw what you were getting this time.”

Bug wasn’t the only one to hear that there were a lot of ladies throwing themselves at Cassian these days.

“And, the cufflinks. Did you open the gift and throw it away?”

“Did Bug say it was cufflinks?”

“Ah, I’ll gather all them up and set them together….”

“What?”

“I want to go to a tea party after a long time.”

“I remember an old rumor about you.”

“What rumor?”

Grabbing her wrist, Cassian lifted her up and reached his hand to the button on her dress. Elysia had no idea that her dress was being taken off, and she waited for his next word.

“The Prince’s lover.”

“Me…?”

“Yes.”

When all dress buttons were unbuttoned, he grabbed her and moved her to the bathroom.

“What are the rumors?”

Arriving in front of the bathroom, Cassian began to take off her dress. Seeing that, Elysia raised her eyebrows and she grabbed his wrist. Nevertheless, he moved steadily to her with his uncaught hand.

“It’s nothing. It was just a rumor that you were relentless.”

“How restless?”

“To the ladies who flirt?”

“You were interested in all of that.”

Elysia added that he remembered it well, even before he met her. Cassian looked at her in her slip dress and moved his hand, but he got a slap from a cold hand back.

“I took a bath, so I’ll sleep first.”

“Well, that’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Why the hell are they doing this to a married man?”

Elysia muttered as if she was talking to herself. Seeing that, he raised the corners of his lips and hugged her.

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

“What?”

“Everything you’ve been doing since earlier.”

From now on, when someone comes to me, I would just swear at them. She scolded Cassian, saying what he was talking about. In the end, Elysia, who surrendered, soaked in the bathtub with him.

One kiss after another, her stiff expression relaxed as he stroked her hair slowly.

“Now, I think you treat me too well.”

“It’s an illusion. Oh, there will be a banquet at the Imperial Palace soon.”

“In the Imperial Palace? His Majesty is unconscious.”

When the Emperor was bedridden, other parties or proms were prohibited except for small tea parties. Though in the imperial court? In addition, it was a mess these days because of the black magic.

“He’s awake.”

“Really?”

“The High Priest was having a hard time. In fact, he was on medication that made the condition worse.”

“Maybe, the Empress…?”

Cassian nodded his head and turned her around so she could face him before lowering her waist.

“Uhh…”

Since she was soaking in the bathtub, there was no pain because of his diligent hands. A slight tightness was still there, and her posture was too heavy so Elysia bit her lip.

“So, you don’t need to go to the tea party on purpose.”

“What is the banquet for…?”

“They said that he was planning to abdicate to the Crown Prince.”

Elysia buried her face in his shoulder and picked up her breath. It was a slow and not strong movement today.

“What else is that…”

“He never knows when he will fall again.”

“Ah…!”

“If you care that much, you can definitely do it at the banquet.”

“Uhng—From looking at you…”

Even though Cassian was moving slowly, she couldn’t finish her words because the places he touched were all sensitive. Elysia was openly trying to tell him if she should warn the Ladies.

“Do you care?”

“No… Well, that doesn’t matter…”

“Even if you care, I’m going to take care of cleaning up the ladies. You stay still.”

…How would Cassian put the ladies down?

Either way, it was a good thing.

Elysia bowed her head again rather than squinting her face. When she set her teeth on the nape of his neck, his hand gripped her waist stronger.

“Huu…”

She had heard it a while ago, but after imprinting, the degree to which her body heated up while sucking blood seemed to have changed. Was the intensity getting stronger…?

That was why she was held in his hands, immobilized, when she bit him on the nape in bed.

Cassian hugged her tightly.

“You haven’t eaten in a while.”

Elysia lifted her head and licked his lips with her tongue. As their eyes met, she could see the slack disappear from Cassian’s face.

“I just want to eat.”

“You’re already eating. It hurts from biting so hard.”

Elysia stroked Cassian’s lips with her finger. He met her gaze and wet her finger.

“Ah…! These days, my mouth… seems to want it.”

The words, the actions…

Elysia’s head tilted back, and Cassian spat out her finger, engraving a mark on the pristine nape of her neck.

***

At Lloyd’s words, Elysia was furious and had to try to suppress what was coming up.

“It was exactly what Madam was expecting. Lady Aiden’s escort deliberately approached a maid named Rosa. He even flirted with gifts, while most of the gifts were purchased through Lady Aiden.”

“Then, it was Lady Aiden who poisoned Lumiere. What about the two of them?”

“They have been to the same party, though they have never spoken to each other.”

“And, the Lady is working on Cassian.”

“Yes…?”

Lloyd suddenly made a face as though he didn’t understand why the conversation was going that way. As Elysia glanced at the report, Cassian, who was sitting in the office working together, raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd looked between them and opened his mouth in a cold sweat.

“That…”

“What is that?”

“That…?”

Following her voice, Cassian’s question also flew to Lloyd.

“Madam… Would you like to see the third chapter first?”

In the third chapter, the contents of the secret harassment of the girls who entered Revos’ bedroom were written.

“Are you interested in the Crown Prince?”

“That’s what I expect.”

Elysia put the report down and lifted her head. As she gazed at Cassian’s face, her feelings about whether it was Aiden only grew stronger.

“But, why was she flirting with Cassian?”

“I’m not sure about that either…”

“Lloyd.”

Elysia gave a seductive smile and supported her chin with the back of her hand.

“The investigation is not over.”

“…Yes.”

When Lloyd later asked Philip which one was more frightening, His Excellency or the Madam, Philip said that he was more afraid of the Madam.

“Thank you for the report.”

She added that there should be more investigation before skimming at the report again.

Lady Aiden was originally weak, though before the imperial banquet last winter, she suddenly began to be active in social circles. She seemed to be quite adept as well.

How could an inexperienced Lady do that…?

It would not be an exaggeration to say that when she summarized the contents of the note from the maid’s house, Lumiere was utterly at the hands of Lady Aiden. Of course, that didn’t mean Lumiere was an unconditional victim.

Although the Lady poked the side a bit and acted as a catalyst, it was Lumiere who actually took action.

“…You should have been dead, so why are you alive?”

Lloyd, who was approaching Cassian, stiffened at the words.

“If you were alive, you should live quietly. Don’t you want to live like that?”

At those words, Cassian and Lloyd, who were talking, kept their mouths shut.

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