Chapter 78. Come Here
—Brother? Are you here?
The moment Deborah realized that the owner of the clearly audible voice was the Cheister Lady, her breath caught in her throat and her mind went completely blank.
‘What should I do, if I get caught, then…’
It was no one else, but his own sister.
If a person like her saw them in this state now… if she saw her brother, Raymond von Chesters, sitting face-to-face with a lower-ranking maid on the outdoor terrace…
Anyone would naturally find it suspicious.
Just imagining the sharp accusations that would immediately be directed at her made her hands tremble uncontrollably.
Hearing the sounds of conversation coming from the entrance, Deborah quickly stood up and looked around frantically.
Fortunately, the Duke had already left, but she still couldn’t feel safe.
She might push her way in regardless, or worse…
She looked around thinking she had to hide, and then she noticed a railing surrounded by stone pillars.
A space so narrow that only one or two people could barely stand there.
It was a dangerously positioned spot where one might tumble down if they missed a step, yet there seemed to be no other place to hide her body.
As if having made a decision, Deborah slowly moved toward it.
Clinging as close as possible to the inside of the railing, Deborah crouched down and prayed earnestly for the Cheister Lady to leave this place quickly.
Then, when she accidentally glanced down, the scenery beneath her feet came rushing into view.
Even though she thought it was only the second floor, the perceived height felt dizzying.
A sensation of blood rushing throughout her body.
Deborah forced her gaze away from the view beneath her feet and tightly gripped the stone railing.
…Her thinking had been too naive.
Even if he controlled access, a sudden situation like this could happen anytime, anywhere.
However, no matter how many times she rethought it, the conclusion was the same.
In her position at the time, she had no choice but to accept the Duke’s proposal.
If she hadn’t, her room would have been moved right next to his bedroom, and it was obvious that strange rumors would have spread throughout the mansion overnight.
And that wasn’t all; this time, it was possible she might genuinely be kicked out.
“…….”
Then, suddenly, her own predicament felt too miserable.
All she did was love someone… she coveted nothing else, only that single feeling, so why did it have to be something that must be hidden and concealed to this extent…?
Despite the situation being one she had brought upon herself, this plight was so painful and wretched that her eyes began to burn with tears.
At that moment when her vision was blurred and she couldn’t see clearly, she suddenly heard the sound of someone’s footsteps approaching her.
As she recognized the owner of the strong, steady footsteps, relief mixed with a surge of sorrow that poured down her cheeks.
The tears that shimmered in her eyes scattered, and through her gradually clearing vision, the man’s figure finally appeared.
He looked somehow surprised, and also somewhat angry.
But the man held his breath, as if suppressing his anger, and extended his hand toward her.
“Come here.”
The moment she heard those low words, the emotion she had barely suppressed swelled up and choked her throat again.
“Quickly.”
As if urging her, the man extended his hand further inward.
Whether it was her imagination or not, his voice sounded slightly anxious, and Deborah ultimately reached out her hand toward the man.
Instantly, her body soared upward, and when she regained her senses, she was already trapped in his firm embrace.
The rich scent that wafted to her nose brought back memories of that night, rushing into her mind like a wave.
The man’s hot breath pouring over her whole body, the gentle touch of his hands holding her all night, and the words he kept whispering to soothe her, enduring the hot fervor.
That night, in his arms, Deborah was able to become the most cherished and respected woman in the world.
Not an orphaned girl with nothing, not a parasite clinging on.
But a woman who was purely loved, free from the biting scorn and criticism directed at her.
As that memory was etched anew in his embrace, his large hand cupped her face.
The moment his hot lips covered hers, every thought she had been having ceased.
All that remained was suffocating longing.
And the affection that she could not possibly cut off herself.
Deborah wrapped her arms around the man’s neck as if responding to the whirlwind of a kiss.
Haa… Leaving behind the hot sigh pouring into her mouth, the heat of that night once again engulfed the two of them.
Raymond lifted her up, her body limp and panting as it slid down the stone column.
Although Deborah knew she was being carried off somewhere in his arms, she couldn’t take any action.
The strength had drained out of her body from the sudden, intense act, making it difficult to move even a fingertip.
But the moment she realized he was moving toward the entrance, past the terrace, the thought, Surely not, overwhelmed her, even in that state.
Deborah managed to lift her head, which felt heavy.
“……Where are you going now?”
It was a question asking where he was taking her while holding her.
Raymond’s eyebrows slightly furrowed at her voice, which had become quite hoarse in the interim.
“The bedroom.”
Just as she suspected. A faint sigh escaped Deborah’s lips.
“……Just put me down.”
“You can’t walk on your own two feet right now.”
Though his words, taken literally, were nothing special, the memory of the immediately preceding, embarrassing scene—which was the cause—flared hotly on Deborah’s face.
Deborah shook her head as if to cool her burning cheeks.
“……If I rest for a bit, I’ll be fine.”
She tried to speak calmly, gently persuading him, but the man seemed unconvinced by her words.
“I don’t want someone to see me like this.”
“…….”
As she carefully persuaded him again to put her down, the man’s gaze slowly dropped to the sight below.
The front of her clothes was gaping where a button had torn off, and her skirt was heavily wrinkled.
And, above all, her cheeks were flushed with heat like a ripened apple…
All of it suggested a base imagination.
Of course, his greatest desire was to take the woman, who could barely stand, to his own bedroom and let her rest—
But, just as the woman said, he also did not want anyone else to see her in this state right now.
Raymond, who was conflicted, eventually carried Deborah back toward the table.
Relieved by his change of direction, Deborah sighed, but it wasn’t long before she was flustered again.
Because, in the same position in which he was holding her, the man sat down in a chair, leaving her suddenly seated on his lap.
Ah, Deborah gasped briefly, quickly trying to use her strength to sit up straight, but Raymond naturally wouldn’t allow that.
By simply leaning back a little, Deborah’s attempt at escape ended pathetically before it even began.
“Umm, just put me—”
“No.”
At his immediate refusal, Deborah’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“Why not?”
Why not, indeed? He briefly considered whether to once again devour those pouting lips that questioned him with wide eyes.
That thought crossed his mind, but unfortunately, he stopped there.
Because once he started, it was clear that it wouldn’t end merely with a kiss, as it had just moments ago.
Instead, Raymond put on a stern expression.
“You can’t even sit up straight and you’re saying that.”
“That is…”
“Just stay put. I’ll put you down when you feel better.”
“……Your legs will get tired.”
That ridiculous statement made him snort involuntarily.
He was already worried about breaking something every time he held her.
“Is that so? Well, then, I guess I’ll have to find out today if that’s true.”
“…….”
Seeing the woman clamp her mouth shut, either because she had no more words to retort with or because she was simply speechless, he was overcome with a teasing thought.
Raymond lowered his head slightly and whispered softly in her ear.
“Something else already hurts plenty right now, though.”
“Something … else?”
Deborah seemed not to understand the intimate whisper.
Seeing her blink like a fool, asking if he was hurt somewhere, Raymond subtly gestured downward with his eyes.
Her eyes blinked for a long time after that, but then, all at once, they started widening more and more.
They widened so much that, if he exaggerated slightly, he worried they might pop right out.
After her face changed into a multitude of colors, Deborah instantly shot Raymond a fierce glare.
‘How on earth could you say such a thing…’
Although she didn’t speak the words aloud, her expression clearly did.
A moment later, Raymond’s laughter rang loudly across the terrace.
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