CH 27

Chapter 27 (Kiss me in a pretty place)

“… Yes?”

Asrazan asked blankly. The end of his voice trembled with embarrassment.

He must have heard it wrong. He muttered in his mind. Even if it was her, there was no way she could suddenly ask him to  wash her.

Bathing meant rubbing her naked body with a soft sponge, rinsing her off with water, and wiping her dry thoroughly. It’s not something they should do, even if they have kissed each other.

However, Lariette answered with a bright smile as if there was not a problem.

“I want you to help me with the bath, Duke Kandel-!”

Lariette’s complexion was pale as if she was still weak, but her voice was only playful. It was funny to him that she dared to serve the Duke, so she deliberately changed the title.

And now, at her words, Asrazan’s complexion became as pale as Lariette’s. He looked so surprised.

He seemed to run away again if she teased him more, so Lariette hurriedly corrected her words.

“I’m not asking you to wash me, I’ll go in with clothes on and you only need to talk to me.”

“… But.”

Thanks to the ambiguous explanation, Asrazan’s face got better. However, no matter how much she wore clothes and went into the bath water, there was no way he could feel at ease.

I had to see Lariette in wet clothes. Even though she may be okay, it was clear that it would be a huge stimulus for Asrazan.

So he tried to spit out the word of refusal. But Lariette hit him before he could speak.

“Ugh, I used too much mana, so it’s very cold and uncomfortable… Aren’t you going to help, Asrazan?”

Lariette lowered her eyebrows and made a pitiful expression on her face. The purple eyes twinkled with love.

She continued to speak as if she were joking, but in reality her body was still cold and drenched with sweat. It was in a state of being seriously ill if I made a mistake.

Besides, the reason Lariette became like this was to purify Asrazan. He felt terribly guilty at the thought that she was sick because of him.

In the end, just like that, Asrazan fell helplessly at the attack of her eyes.

* * *

“Do I have to do this?”

“Yes, you have to.”

Lariette, who went into the bathtub with warm water, said sullenly, as if in pain. But Asrazan only answered firmly.

Lariette had changed into clothes that were very puffy, thick, and transparent because of his strong demands.

Of course, I tried to change my clothes because I couldn’t go into the water wearing a fancy dress, but when I was completely defended like this, I felt like steam was leaking.

“For what?”

“… For me.”

In order not to fall into instinct and harm you. Asrazan muttered in his heart and changed the topic.

“Is the water temperature okay? Should I bring you more hot water?”

“The temperature is fine….”

Things are not going well right now! Lariette bit her lip and swallowed.

“Anytime you need me, tell me.”

Asrazan answered, staring intently at the bathroom wall instead of Lariette’s face.

He sat down on the edge of a large bathtub and turned back from Lariette. He insisted that he didn’t have to look into each other’s eyes as she only asked to talk.

Lariette giggled at that determined look and clicked her tongue. If he stayed like this, she would only see Asrazan’s back the whole time she was taking a bath.

‘Not like that.’

I’ve created an opportunity like this before, but I couldn’t let it go in vain. She made up her mind and tapped Asrazan’s back. As soon as my fingers touched him, my wide back twitched and trembled.

“Asrazan, look at my face and tell me.”

“It’s alright.”

“I’m not okay.”

Lariette grabbed him by the forearm. Then his body flapped like a freshly caught fish. He was on the verge of escaping.

“I warn you, if you run away again this time!”

She shouted in a stern voice. She was holding his arm firmly in her hand.

But for what she said out loud, she didn’t think about the next words. Lariette hurriedly shook her head and immediately spit out what came to her mind.

“I’m going to run away too!”

In an instant, Asrazan’s body hardened like a stone. A silence as cold as midwinter fell between them.

Asrazan slowly turned around and looked down at Lariette. He had a ferocious expression as if he was shy.

“… Are you serious?”

Blue eyes resembling the sea trembled sadly. He seemed to have been hurt. And behind that pitiful look, a terrifyingly deep possessiveness gleamed.

Lariette stuttered her words, thinking that she had chosen the wrong word. The sudden change was disconcerting.

“No, it’s not that….”

“How can you say that?”

It was a face I hadn’t seen in a while. Black energy seemed to be flowing around.

Lariette hastily corrected her words, thinking that doing something wrong would cause serious trouble.

“I was going to run away in this mansion. It’s like playing a tag.”

“… Did you mean that?”

“Of course! Absolutely.”

Lariette laughed awkwardly and made excuses. Then, Asrazan’s face softened in an instant. He smiled softly and continued.

“I misunderstood. I’m sorry, Lariette.”

“You misunderstood. It could happen.”

“Yes. At the very least, I thought that we should be tied.”

“Haha, don’t joke around.”

She slapped Asrazan on the shoulder, saying that he was joking around.

Asrazan smiled softly but didn’t answer anything. Lariette seemed to feel an unknown chill on the back of her back, but dismissed it as an illusion.

Anyway, although the atmosphere became chilly for a while, she achieved what she wanted. Lariette fueled this momentum and secretly added a demand.

“Asrazan, you’re sorry for the misunderstanding, right? I was scared.”

“Are you scared? I’m sorry, Lariette.”

“Then I will forgive you, if you wash my hair.”

Asrazan remained silent for a while, then nodded as if he had made up his mind. He reached out her hand carefully and began to wash Lariette’s soft hair.

I felt strange when his hard fingertips touched my head. Compared to Anne’s hand, it was too crude and awkward to serve, but even that seemed cute to Lariette.

“… What is this scar?”

Asrazan felt the convex touch on the nape of Lariette’s neck and asked a question. It was a scar that was not normally seen because it was too small and was covered by the head.

“Oh, that’s it. When I was young, Raon accidentally pushed me and I rolled on the stairs.”

Lariette answered in a calm voice. As I recalled the memories of that time, I smiled bitterly. At the time, I thought it was a mistake, but now that I think about it, I wonder if it really was a mistake.

“But my parents scolded me. I became a princess who rolled down the stairs.”

At that time, Raon lied to the Duke couple that Lariette rushed in first and I got pushed by mistake, and they naturally sided with Raon. She had to be punished for daring to be the heir to the Duke and oppose her brother.

Lariette spoke in the lightest tone possible, as if talking about the cute old days. But even that alone, Asrazan’s hands were already hardened with anger.

‘I will destroy them with my hand.’

Asrazan bit his molars tightly and regretted it.

It was him who crushed Raon face because he didn’t get Lariett’s permission. But if I had known that it had happened, I would have cut off both hands without hesitation.

Barely holding back his anger, he soaped his pink hair. Lariette continued to speak slowly with her eyes closed.

“I was locked up in a room with that punishment… I remember staring at the door endlessly. And begging “Open, come on, open-”

“… Have you been imprisoned for a long time?”

“No, just. Moderate.”

Lariette frowned and smiled clumsily to avoid the soapy water. I told Asrazan in the most abbreviated way, but the time when I was punished as a child was the most terrifying memory for her.

Because Lariette was a princess, she was not directly punished. However, she was locked up in a room for several days, starving, and could not do anything other than sit still.

All she could do was wait for the door to open and the punishment to end. The Duchess described it as a punishment to teach patience, but for Lariette, it was a time to learn resignation and lethargy.

Asrazan washed her hair with water and looked down at Lariette’s face. He was smiling, but his face looked sad.

“By the way, doesn’t Asrazan hate my hair color? Someone said it hurts their eyes and it’s not good.”

Lariette quickly changed the topic, thinking that it had made the atmosphere bad for nothing. After rinsing off the soapy water, I could now open my eyes.

She raised her upper body to face Asrazan. Water dripped from her wet hair.

“What kind of guy said that? If he say so, I will cut off his tongue right away.”

“Haha, that’s it. Answer me! You don’t like it, don’t you?”

Lariette smiled a little at Asrazan’s consistent reaction.

However, I was a little scared when I thought that he was a person who could really do that. If I had told him the name, he would have cut off Marquis Segreb hands and even his tongue.

“How can I not like it?”

“Well then?”

Lariette asked with a smirk on her lips. Asrazan’s answer was concise.

“Yes.”

“Is my hair pretty?”

“Yes.”

“Only the head?”

“… Everything is beautiful.”

Asrazan hesitated and answered whether he was shy. But Lariette began to tease him with a mischievous voice.

“How can I believe you?”

“Yes?”

“How can I believe if Asrazan is telling the truth or not?”

“… How can you believe it?”

As the expected words came out, Lariette’s mischievous smile deepened. She slipped her hand over his. It was a seductive gesture.

“Please kiss me in a pretty place.”

Underneath the long eyelashes that had fallen down, the cunning purple eyes were revealed. When he met her gaze, Asrazan’s whole body heated up with tension.

Even so, it was a difficult situation for Asrazan to handle.

He was alone in the bathroom with the woman he liked, and no matter how thick the clothes were, Lariette was wet from head to toe.

His hands were hot as if they were on fire. As the water drops running down her fingers ran across her skin, he felt like his whole body was heating up.

Just as when he lost his temper and hugged Lariette, the worries that had been cluttering his mind disappeared in an instant. And hot desire took its place.

Asrazan slowly but without hesitation reached out and grabbed Lariette’s hair. Then he pressed his lips to her hair.

Eyes full of lust poured down on Lariette.

“There is no place that is not beautiful.”

Chuu. The sound of wet hair and lips falling out resounded particularly loudly.

Asrazan let go of the hair he was holding, this time gently wrapping Lariette’s fingers.

“Then, should I kiss you everywhere?”

He kissed the woman’s slender fingers in turn. Lariette trembled at the tickling touch. But he had no intention of stopping like this.

“From where you want to fit the most.”

Lariette replied with a smile. And as soon as she finished speaking, a hard hand pressed her shoulder.

When she closed her eyes and opened her eyes, Lariette was leaning her back against the wall next to the bathtub.

And in front of her was the smooth face of Asrazan. It was as if their lips were about to touch.

‘You have to be patient.’

Asrazan thought, giving a lot of strength to the hand that was holding the bathtub.

‘I have to be patient, but….’

It was so hard. He couldn’t stand it when she was so close and so seductive.

A deep wrinkle formed between Asrazan’s forehead. Still, his sharp eyes became sharper.

Eventually, he bowed his head as if giving up. And at the same time, their lips met.

Illustration 

When the rough lips touched her mouth, Lariette’s eyes widened. As she leaned back, she felt a pounding heartbeat in her chest.

Asrazan’s lips pressed hard against Lariette’s lips as if to endure something. The action that didn’t seem to happen was heartbreaking.

“Haah.”

As his lips parted with a wet sound, he let out a low breath into Lariette’s ear. Her body trembled slightly.

Lariette opened her closed eyes and looked carefully at Asrazan’s face. His heartless eyes were overflowing with sincerity towards her, and his ears were burning red.

The blue pupil faintly trembled. It wasn’t a brief kiss, it was a good kiss, but the face looked like it had done something terrible. This seemed to be the limit for today.

Lariette suddenly found him very cute. She wasn’t satisfied yet, but it was a huge improvement compared to the time when he ran away.

“Well done.”

Lariette smiled condescendingly and touched his cheek with her thumb as if congratulating him.

And what followed were words enough to make Asrazan’s face even hotter.

“Are you going to open your lips next time?”

To Asrazan, it was a naughty word, but Lariette’s face was only bright.

In the end, Asrazan nodded at the constant prompting. It was a moment I was very much looking forward to.

* * *

From the next day, Lariette started looking for the timing to go to the next progress.

The level was so blatant that Asrazan noticed and tried not to create an atmosphere like that.

Lariette pouted her lips and expressed her regret. But no matter what, the iron walls of Asrazan were still strong.

Even during the city date, their fierce fight continued.

“Shall we have a drink together in the evening?”

“Didn’t you decide to go to the boutique today? We must buy your clothes.”

“I already have enough clothes… Will you help me get dressed?”

“Madam Charbet will help you.”

Asrazan quickly evaded the temptation of Lariette, whose intentions were obvious. Because I thought it was too early to kiss.

Angry at that decisive attitude, Lariette couldn’t stand it anymore and poured out her anger.

“Ah really! You’re so mean

She threw away the princess’ face and slapped him on the forearm. But what’s coming back was the pain in my hands.

“Ouch! Why are you so hard!”

“Did you give me a massage? thank you.”

Asrazan replied leisurely and shrugged. Lariette snorted out of injustice.

However, Lariette was still proud of the fact that Asrazan was playing pranks on her now. He was still blunt, but considering the cold attitude he had when we first met, the change was improved.

“… Lariette, can you leave for a moment?”

Arriving in front of the boutique, Asrazan made a sudden request. It was very sudden for Lariette, but Asrazan had his own reasons.

Gerard, hiding from Lariette’s eyes, had sent him a kind of signal that he had something to say.

When he was with her, he was told not to interfere, but seeing the signal, it seemed like a serious matter.

The boutique was right in front of them anyway, so Lariette nodded. Asrazan only left after seeing her enter the building.

“Madame Charbet, long time no see.”

Lariette found Madame Charbet inside the door and greeted her with a bright smile.

But strangely, the moment she met her gaze, Madame Charbet’s face hardened visibly.

“I… That, for a moment.”

“Oh, are there guests already? Excuse me.”

Madame Charbet continued hesitating and looking back. Although it was not hidden from her, it seemed that the figure of the first guest was there.

Even so, it was strange to see her like that. She wouldn’t have many guests at the same time, but it was only possible if it’s someone with high rank.

“… Lariette?”

But soon Lariette understood Madame Charbet’s embarrassment.

The guest was someone Lariette knew as well. At the familiar voice ringing in her ears, Lariette’s heart sank.

She slowly turned her head to look at the owner of the voice.

“… Mother?”

She saw the shocked face of the Duchess Blanche.