Chapter 1 - Prologue
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***
‘I did. I bought the whole thing.’
It was a secret that the Grand Duchess of Berg could easily find out that Duke Howard had had a hard time trying to win Alliot over. However, not many people knew the fact that Duke Howard pretended to be arrogant in front of Alliot, but couldn’t sleep peacefully behind the scenes.
“Duke Howard couldn’t take his eyes off Bibi. I’m sure he’ll be in touch soon.”
That could be used as bait to contact the wizards. Lesche listened and asked.
“Did you see all that stuff in the book?”
They didn’t talk about this often. However, perhaps because he knew Seria was unfamiliar with the fact that she turned back time, Lesche also used to describe it as just in the book.
Seria nodded.
“Yes. I read it in the book. Do you want me to tell you some of these stories?”
Seria asked with a businessman’s look on her face, and Lesche glanced at her.
“How high is the price I have to pay?” (Lesche)
“Half of the Berg territory.” (Seria)
Lesche burst into a low laugh and said.
“I can’t do it.”
“Is it too expensive?”
“No. That’s not the problem, I just need you.”
“That’s true. I’m enough.”
Seria said it as a joke, but Lesche didn’t laugh. He just answered in a strange, gentle voice that made Seria squirm.
“It isn’t just enough, it’s overflowing.” (Lesche)
Seria felt like a flower blooming in her chest.
Lesche’s well-toned fingers swept Seria’s cheeks and chin. It was a very wistful touch, perhaps because of its slow speed. They were so modest, so soft that they didn’t match his calloused hands. Lesche moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but that was all.
Instead, he just kissed Seria’s lips and tilted her chin up. The mischievous kiss didn’t last more than ten seconds. Lesche lifted Seria up and placed her on the table. Their bodies were snug together and his hands cupped Seria’s neck and waist, pulling her in tightly against him.
“Hmmm…”
What is it?
Seria wondered. She was pretty sure they weren’t in this kind of mood at first, so why did the short kiss lead to this?
She gasped and pushed Lesche’s chest away. Lesche’s gown loosened, and his solid body revealed halfway. Lesche’s eyes were fixed on Seria’s. His other hand came up to her thigh again and again. Seria shuddered and squeezed Lesche’s shoulders.
“Why didn’t you wear anything underneath?” (Seria)
“I’m going to take it off anyway.” (Lesche)
“Why are you so promiscuous?” (Seria)
“Am I promiscuous?” (Lesche)
“You’re the most promiscuous person I’ve ever seen.” (Seria)
Seria laughed as she said that. She was actually out of breath and said it as it popped into her head, stalling for time, but it was fun to do.
Lesche stared at her as she laughed, and then suddenly sighed lowly.
“You know what it feels like to be a fool?” (Lesche)
Even in the midst of it all, Lesche had his eyes fixed on Seria. Seria felt like she was being possessed. She felt a satisfaction that was difficult to express. Lesche’s hands slowed down as he untied the ribbons on Seria’s dress. And yet, his body was attached tightly to hers. Even though he was doing all these things, he was paying all his attention to Seria…
It didn’t last long before Seria blinked and stared at Lesche. He placed his lips on her forehead, cheeks, and anything else he could find, right up to her eyes and nose.
In the meantime, Seria’s cheeks kept turning red. It was because her hand unexpectedly touched Lesche’s chest. Every time he kissed her, she could vividly feel Lesche’s heart beating much faster. He was like a boy in love at times like this…
It was late that night.
‘Did he fall asleep? He fell asleep.’
She had just experienced that if a person desperately tries not to fall asleep, he can get by with a little sleep.
Exhausted, half-conscious, and proud of herself for waking up, Seria carefully got down the bed. After removing the earrings from her ears, she placed it against Lesche’s ear.
‘Nice, nice, nice. You look good in all colors.’
It was worth the trouble of not even bothering to turn off one of the lights and wearing earrings of various colors. Seria chuckled as she thought of all the jewels she had swept up at the auction house today. She knew that Lesche was not the kind of person who liked jewelry, he would feel good if he received gifts, wouldn’t he?
Lesche’s sleeping face was one of the truly unsightly figures. When she was holding her chin in her hand and appreciating his handsome face, a hand pulled her closer without warning.
Seria blinked in surprise as she collapsed into Lesche’s chest.
“Lesche? Are you awake?”
“Seria.”
Lesche asked in a slightly tired voice.
“Do you still have energy left?”
At the same time, that outrageous thing that touched her skin…. Seria pretended not to know and tried to move away, Lesche held her tightly in his arms. No, she just fell asleep, half passed out earlier… So she just closed her eyes.
“Good night.”
Perhaps she was tired, but less than a minute after she closed her eyes, Seria quickly fell asleep.
***
The next day.
Thanks to her retained physical strength, Seria was able to attend the knitting session in a lighter state.
“Welcome, Grand Duchess Berg, Duchess Polvas.”
The atmosphere at the knitting party was peaceful. The carpet on the floor was soft, and the easy chairs at intervals had no name tags on them, so they could just sit wherever they wanted.
And they were all quiet ladies. That was a relief. They had heard of Seria’s misdeeds, but no one in this knitting group had experienced them firsthand. Of course, they were all scared of her and avoided looking at her….
The music of the small orchestra that they invited echoed calmly in the air. Perhaps it was their personalities, or perhaps it was the thread and needle they were holding, but everyone was talking quietly. It was more like coming to a library than a social gathering.
Some of the people were of higher status than others, but the atmosphere was not one of standing up to greet each other and exchange introductions. Seria had never been to a social gathering like this before, so it was really refreshing.
‘Is it a sorority?’
After taking a sip of iced tea with ice floating on it, Seria opened the box with a handle that she had brought from the mansion in earnest.
‘I still think embroidery is the way to go.’
Since this morning, the weather had become rapidly hot, so it had been hot just looking at the knitting room. The moment she took out the design.
“Oh my God, Seria?”
Marlesana asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Isn’t that the pattern of Stern?”
“Yes. I’m going to embroider it in the middle with this.”
“Seria will be the first and last to embroider the pattern of Stern at this knitting meeting. I think it’s the first time in the capital…..”
A mischievous smile appeared on Marlesana’s face as she continued to speak.
“By the way, why do you look so tired already?”
“It’s too big….”
It would take a full week, she thought.
***
“His Highness is waiting for her again today.”
Linon thought, looking at Lesche from a distance in the opposite corridor.
For over a week, Lesche had been waiting for Seria. In front of the library door.
Seria had locked herself in the Grand Duchess’s study and had not come out, saying she had something to do privately.
She didn’t even tell him what she was doing. And no one could enter.
This left Lesche standing with his back to the door, waiting for her for days.
Linon suddenly didn’t understand.
‘Can’t he wait somewhere else?’
The fact that the wait wasn’t going to be short became apparent just by looking at the stack of papers in Lesche’s hands. So Lesche waited in front of the locked door without saying a word for as long as it took to process the papers.
Linon frankly felt sorry for his master. He had no doubt that the aides who passed quietly were probably all thinking the same thing.
But pretending not to know was the virtue of being an aide.
And even after all that, half of what he said today was about the Grand Duchess….
Lesche, who had been reading the documents with his arms folded, looked up. He handed the papers he was holding to the aide next to him and turned around.
Almost at the same time, the well-locked study door suddenly opened.
“Lesche?”
Seria looked stunned.
“Have you finished all your work?”
“I just finished.”
It was the same time of day for days. Seria asked with a frown.
“You weren’t waiting for me, were you?”
“I just got here, so I didn’t wait for you.”
“Really?”
The aide who had received the documents was already walking far away. There was absolutely no room for doubt in Seria’s mind.
“You’re not going to tell me today what you have been doing?”
She hadn’t told him in over a week, so she wouldn’t this time either. Lesche asked without any expectation, and got a surprising answer.
“No, I finished it today.”
“Finished?”
“I was going to call for you.”
Seria grabbed Lesche’s hand and smiled. Lesche couldn’t take his eyes off her eyes, which were filled with joy. Seria held Lesche tightly like this. He was rather used to focusing on her, not her eyes, not her mouth.
So it didn’t matter that he was waiting. Nothing was a problem when he thought about Seria’s smiling face.
“Close your eyes.”
At Seria’s words, Lesche closed his eyes honestly. He wasn’t used to following someone with his eyes closed, but Seria was holding his hand tightly, so it was fine. Lesche followed Seria’s hand movements and sat down on the couch.
Bang! and the sound of something being placed on the table. Lesche opened his eyes. There was a large box on the table.
“What’s this?”
“Open it, it’s a gift.”
“A gift?”
Lesche opened the box, a little puzzled.
The box was filled with all kinds of jewels. He wondered which jeweler she stole it from…. Lesche lifted his head after looking at the feast of sparkling jewels from various angles.
“What day is it today?”
“It’s not a big day… If I have to pick, it’s the day I finished the wrapping paper.”
“…Wrapping paper?”
Lesche finally looked at the cloth that wrapped the box tightly.
“So this is what you have been doing in your locked office for over a week?”
“That’s right. It was bigger than I thought, so it took a while.”
He could see Seria had done the embroidery herself. Stern’s pattern could only be skillfully used by Stern. Without Stern, even the Emperor of the Glick Empire couldn’t use the Stern crest without permission.
That was the discipline and unspoken rule of the Great Temple. And Stern, free from that strict discipline, was his own wife….
Seria asked with a thrilled expression.
“What do you think? Do you like your present?”
Lesche lifted his head and laughed.
“I love it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever received.”
“Really?”
“Seriously, Seria.” said Lesche, grabbed Seria’s hand and sat her down next to him.
“I really love it.”
***
* Seria thought he loved the jewelry 😂. She could just give him the wrapping cloth and he’ll be happy. Obviously he’s too rich to care for a box of jewelry , plus he only needs her in his life, lol.