CH 8.3

Wondering who would dare knock so hard on the Duke’s door, Lucas’s expression was fierce. But it changed in an instant.

With an incredulous look, he looked down at his nephew, who was gritting his teeth and holding back tears.

“Release the knights.”

“…Why?”

“I can’t find her anywhere, Mom must have done something.”

His tear-filled pink eyes burned fiercely with anger.

“What are you talking about?”

Lucas bent down on one knee to meet his nephew’s gaze.

As Michael stared at his uncle, he remembered the horror of waking up. The sun stung his eyes and he forced himself to sit up, but he couldn’t see Lila, who was supposed to be sleeping beside him.

Wondering when she’d disappeared, he looked at the unused bedding and searched the room, but couldn’t find a single strand of her hair.

Recalling his terrible family, Michael started looking for his uncle. He had no doubt that if it were her uncle, the Duke, he would be able to find her faster than he could.

“…Find Lila, Uncle.”

The tears he’d been holding back began to trickle down his chubby cheeks. Lucas was quite surprised to see his nephew’s tears.

He’d seen his nephew hold back tears before, but he’d never seen him so openly express his feelings.

It took him a moment to realize whose name she was referring to.

“…Lila?”

“Hhnng, Lila, heunng, find her.”

Lucas had mixed feelings as he watched his nephew burst into tears, unable to control his emotions.

What if Michael realized that he was the one who had dragged Lila upstairs to his room, the one he was so desperate to find?

Since when did they start calling each other by their first names?

After managing to calm Michael down by saying, ‘Wait for me in your room.’ Lucas strode back into his bedroom.

He found Lila curled up under the covers.

“Are you awake?”

Lucas can hear Michael sobbing with the door open, which made it all the more strange that she hadn’t heard him.

But it was the look on her face, flushed red and with a fiercely raised eyebrow, that made him panic a little.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He didn’t feel offended, but he did feel a little grumpy. When he crossed his arms and cocked his head slightly, Lila snapped.

“What did you do to Michael, to make him cry so hard?”

He was expecting her to protest or complain about last night’s events, so he looked like he’d been slapped hard on the back of the head.

“…What?”

“I feel sorry for him, the way he’s holding back his tears, I can’t believe you made him cry like that! If you’re thinking about him being your successor, I hope you’ll give some serious thought to his discipline and education!”

Lucas stiffened, unable to wipe the dumbfounded expression off his face.

Lila had gently shattered any notion he had that she would be ashamed or angry at him for their sweet, intense, albeit unfinished, lovemaking last night.

Lucas felt a little prideful that he’d been so stupidly alone in his appreciation of their night of heated passion.

Lila’s complexion hardened as the words poured out of her mouth in a harsh, defiant glare.

“…For now, I will return to my room.”

Lila, who had been talking broadly, changed her voice to a dry voice. She felt that she should go back to her room, put on her clothes, and meet Michael.

She woke up to the sound of Michael’s wailing, and as soon as she realized it, she became uncontrollably angry.

Why are you making a child cry?

She got up to go to him and was horrified to find herself naked.

Unable to get to him, she scrambled to find something to cover herself with, only to discover that her new pajamas from yesterday had been torn to shreds.

She was horrified to see her new clothes, which she had only worn once, reduced to rags. The memories of last night’s intimate scene began to flood back like soap bubbles.

She remained frozen in place, embarrassed. She heard Lucas close the door behind him and move away, and she hurriedly grabbed the clothes lying around and pulled them on.

Then she ducked under the covers.

The thought of last night’s scent wafted into the room as Lucas strode into the room.

As soon as she smelled it, she felt strange. She couldn’t figure out why, and it was frustrating.

Of course, his looks were her ideal, but it didn’t make sense that they should make her feel this erotic and indescribable.

Like he knew what was going on in her head, Lucas straightened his twisted mouth and shrugged.

“Yes, of course.”

She watched him for a moment as he moved to the side and politely extended his arm toward the door before Lila jumped out from under the covers.

She tried to move quickly, but before she knew it, Lucas had her in his arms.

“Haa…”

After holding her and letting out a long sigh, Lucas grabbed Lila’s shoulders and pushed her back for a moment.

Then he took a moment to admire her outfit.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…Wha, what!”

“This is a little… unexpected.”

“What the hell are you talking about…”

Looking at the slow-moving mint-colored eyes, Lila shuddered. Not because she was scared, but because she remembered last night.

Lucas had changed his mind about letting her go.

She was a bit annoyed, but she was grateful for his support and the support of his own nephew.

When she saw his nephew crying so hard, she couldn’t help but fulfill his needs.

However…

Wasn’t this a little too much?

Lucas slowly raised his gaze from Lila’s pure white legs. Her thighs, which were barely covered by her clothes, were covered in a sea of tiny petals.

Every inch of flesh that wasn’t clothed was covered with his marks.

Not that it mattered. There was nothing wrong with his marks on her pure white flesh. If it pleased him, it pleased her.

The problem was the clothing she wore. The shirt, a familiar design, seemed too big for her.

It was missing a few buttons and looked like it was going to fall off unless she held the front with her hands.

Who in the world would want to see her so defenseless?

Lucas whispered, his lips curling upward again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in my shirt before…”

Lila’s expression turned to horror as she looked down at her own shirt.

Or so she thought, as Lucas nibbled on her ear.

“That’s more like it.”

“…!”

Lucas smirked down at her as she pouted in silent protest.

“I am very much looking forward to the first night.”

Frozen in place by the wedge of his words, Lucas sucked lightly on Lila’s bottom lip before shaking his head and plunging his tongue deep inside.

The slurping sound of hot flesh entwined filled the duke’s bedroom.

Raising her drooping arm, Lila grabbed his arm, and his tongue darted out even more, as if pleased.

Lila slowly closed her eyes, taking in the unmistakable scent that enveloped her once more and the sight of those long chocolate lashes.

It was an even sweeter kiss than last night’s.