Chapter 66
“Just… I was wondering if this is really right.”
My sulky attitude drew a puzzled expression from Alferen.
“What?”
He looked genuinely clueless, which somehow made me feel aggrieved, so I shot him a glare.
“You said we should practice, so why aren’t you doing anything?”
His eyes widened at my blunt question.
A moment later, the tips of his ears flushed red. Then came his low, murmured voice.
“Can I?”
“You said you would.”
“I did, but…”
He touched his lips thoughtfully for a second before speaking gently.
“I don’t want to force it. We can take our time; it’s not too late.”
It’s not like I’m forcing it, though.
At some point, I had started enjoying this fake relationship.
I liked seeing him fret and fuss while playing the role of my boyfriend.
‘And I’m a little curious what kind of face he’d make if we kissed.’
But saying it out loud myself felt embarrassing.
Plus, taking it slow?
Who knows what’ll happen once Summer shows up soon…
Is it okay for me to act however I want like this?
I was biting my lower lip, delaying my answer, when he grasped my chin, preventing me from doing so.
“Why no response?”
He must have noticed my reaction was different from usual, because his expression turned quite serious.
“Can I kiss you?”
His cheeks were flushed like a shy boy’s, but his gaze carried the intensity of a grown man.
It started as a question, but even before I could answer, his face slowly drew closer.
“Hm? Delly.”
His low voice was as sweet as candy melting in my mouth.
The tickle of his words in my ear, the dizzying blue of his eyes—everything was so stimulating.
When I didn’t reply, his lips pressed down right beside mine.
A soft peck.
The barrage of kisses wandering around the edges of my lips, like a bird pecking at seeds, made my body tremble involuntarily.
When our eyes met, even the beautiful scenery around us faded from view.
It felt like walking a precarious tightrope.
Maybe I should just allow it.
We’re going to break up next week anyway.
As his fake ex-girlfriend, keeping at least that much as a memory seemed fine.
After all, it was just the two of us here.
I’d suffered an unexpected heartbreak from my arrogant plan, so this much should be okay, right?
If we’re going to end it anyway, I figured I might as well do everything I can with him and have no regrets.
All the dates we hadn’t gotten to do came to mind.
And kissing, too.
With my resolve hardened, I turned my head slightly.
Another peck.
Thanks to that, Alferen—who had been playfully rubbing his lips against mine—froze.
Our lips had touched without warning.
I could pull away now and pass it off as an accident.
But I didn’t. Instead, I tried to deepen the overlap of our lips.
“Delly.”
Alferen called my name in a husky voice. His gaze seemed to ask, “What does this mean when you already know?”
He wanted to hear the permission from my own lips, huh.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and said,
“Kiss me.”
The moment my consent fell.
Alferen pulled me by the waist into his embrace.
* * *
Lately, Alferen had sensed a change in Rodellia’s feelings.
It had been about a month since they’d started the fake relationship.
Before they knew it, the two were acting like real lovers.
They went on dates, held hands, and now even shared kisses.
Honestly, a fake relationship known only to the two of them was no different from the real thing.
All the nobles in the capital knew they were a couple.
He’d deliberately not stopped the rumors from spreading, which played a part.
For a proposal that had started simply to keep Rodellia close, the results were exceptionally good.
Her diligent personality, throwing herself into everything, probably contributed too.
If he could just confirm that Rodellia had fully opened her heart to him.
‘Then I’ll ask her to make it real, not fake.’
Thinking that made every day enjoyable.
He was confident, having already cleared away all the obstacles.
He’d expected it to take a long time, planning to open her heart little by little.
But luck came knocking before he could even properly begin.
“Kiss me.”
At her bold declaration, lips pressed to his, Alferen lost control.
He pulled her close, the one he’d always handled so carefully for fear of breaking her.
His fingers raked like claws through her silken hair.
Once her lips, that forbidden territory, were permitted, Alferen fell into utter ecstasy.
It was because she’d been subtly emphasizing the “fake” part of their relationship, yet this was the first time she’d taken the initiative.
He was so overjoyed that it scared him on some level—the fear of gaining someone this lovable only to lose her suddenly.
If he could, he’d tuck her away in his arms right now and show her to no one else.
Now, jealousy surged even when she just talked to other people.
It was a clingy emotion that would make Rodellia bolt in shock if she knew.
Barely suppressing his feelings, Alferen gently swept over the soft flesh inside her mouth.
Her petite tongue, as dainty as her lips, awkwardly welcomed him.
Her panting breaths, the stubborn way she kept her arms locked around his neck despite trembling with tension, the eyes squeezed shut in what seemed like fear.
Everything was so endearing it drove him mad.
“Rodellia.”
A predator’s satisfaction curved Alferen’s lips after tasting that sweetness.
In truth, he had not a shred of composure left.
He wanted to cling to her desperately right now.
But feigning nonchalance to avoid startling her into fleeing had long been his habit.
Just then, hiding her flushed cheeks, Rodellia whispered.
“It’s better than I thought.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. Why hold back on something this nice?”
Rodellia murmured seriously, as if she’d gained some profound insight.
Her scholarly gaze showed she had no idea how risqué her words really sounded.
“Hahaha.”
Facing his innocent lover, who had dispelled all the tension in an instant, laughter bubbled up naturally.
Emboldened by her saying it was good, Alferen subtly pressed his lips back to hers and whispered low.
“Then from now on, I won’t hold back.”
“Ah.”
“Feel free to use me however you want.”
I’m yours, after all.
At Alferen’s whisper, Rodellia’s face turned as red as an apple.
As if embarrassed, she squeezed her eyes shut, and he brushed his thumb over them before kissing her again.
The fortune of tasting a perfectly ripened fruit would belong only to her fake boyfriend.
* * *
The first time is hard, but the second is easy.
That day, we were like people who’d just learned to kiss—our lips met every time our eyes did.
Using practice as an excuse to indulge my selfish desires to the fullest.
But who could possibly refuse him?
My heart felt like it would burst, and in those moments, it was as if Alferen was completely mine.
‘I wonder if Alferen liked it too?’
He hadn’t said one way or the other, but the way he kept rubbing his lips against mine suggested he didn’t hate it.
He only let go with a face full of regret after I raised both hands and feet in surrender, saying my lips were too numb to continue.
They say a thief who learns late stays up all night.
As soon as I returned to the mansion, Mei spotted me and whisked me away to my room as if hiding me.
Realizing my lips’ condition belatedly, I thanked Mei.
They were swollen like a goldfish’s.
A little later, Mei handed me an ice pack and grumbled.
“Good grief. It’s a good thing I saw you first, miss. If the duke or the young master had seen you like this, the roof would be gone from the mansion today.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“So, was it good? That’s what I’m most curious about, actually. That’s why I hid you, you know?”
Mei shot me a sly look.
Was it good?
“How can you even ask that?”
“I’ve never done it, so I wouldn’t know. It’d be great if you could describe it in as much detail, specificity, and minuteness as possible.”
As if ready to listen, Mei waited politely.
