Chapter 97
Chapter 97. The Night Won’t Be Long
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, well…”
Elena desperately searched for an excuse, rolling her golden eyes around to avoid the current situation.
But when no thoughts came to mind, she bit her lower lip and added,
“It’s a… nice night, isn’t it?”
‘Nice night, my foot…’
Elena knew well that the current situation was far from desirable.
She was just trying not to show it, fearing that acknowledging it would plunge them into a strange atmosphere.
Quietly watching the water droplets falling to the floor, drip, drip, she slowly raised her head.
‘Gulp—’
As her gaze once again entangled with his blue eyes tinged with a blue glow, Elena took a deep breath.
The man wearing only a robe was still leaning against the door, staring at her.
Lupeon’s lips slowly loosened, and a deep, low voice flowed out.
“It is indeed a nice night, but what brings you here?”
“Well… you see…”
Elena glanced at her fiancé, feeling the distance between them had suddenly shortened.
But her gaze kept drifting to his chest, causing her trouble.
‘His body is as beautiful as his face…’
Lupeon was breathtakingly beautiful, to the point where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a meticulously sculpted work of art.
Elena worried that he might hear the loud thumping of her heart.
‘Think pure thoughts, pure thoughts!’
She wanted to snap out of it and return to her bedroom quickly.
Lupeon, who had been quietly observing her, parted his lips.
“Are you leaving like this?”
“I think it would be better if I came back tomorrow.”
As Elena couldn’t even make proper eye contact with her flushed face, he looked over his attire curiously.
Lupeon seemed to realize the reason then, letting out a languid chuckle, and straightened his body leaning against the door.
As a strange light flickered in the man’s eyes that had somehow reached her feet, she pretended to stiffen her body.
Just as Elena was swallowing hard at his hot breath reaching her fully,
“Well, the night won’t be long, will it?”
“…?”
Lupeon, raising the corners of his mouth loosely, murmured softly.
“I’d like to get closer at this opportunity.”
“What do you mean…”
His large, firm hand slowly caressed her lips, then began to stare intently.
“As much as possible without running out of patience.”
‘W-what is he saying now…!’
At his ambiguous statement, Elena’s heart pounded loudly, and all her nerves began to go wild.
Surely this man, no, her fiancé, must be terribly mistaken about something.
She was about to say she would leave now, barely holding onto her reason.
Lupeon chuckled and began in a low voice.
“However, given the late hour, you should return.”
As he gave his characteristic languid smile, Elena stared blankly before snapping back to reality and replied,
“T-that’s what I was going to do…!”
Covering her flushed cheeks with her hands, she turned her head to return to her room.
“…Elena?”
At that moment, at Lupeon’s somewhat surprised voice, she tilted her head.
‘Why suddenly?’
His blue eyes, which seemed somewhat perplexed, were trembling finely.
As Elena stared at him in puzzlement, Lupeon gently pointed to his nose.
“You’re bleeding.”
“What…? Blood?”
Hurriedly touching her philtrum, she saw the blood on her hand and became dumbfounded.
‘No, what is this?’
Now, of all things, to have a nosebleed in front of the man she likes…
Elena’s face burning hot, her bewildered eyes trembled.
Seeing her clearly embarrassed state, Lupeon calmly tried to help.
“Could you tilt your head forward for a moment?”
“L-like this?”
As Elena tilted her head forward, he naturally used his robe sleeve to block her nose.
Taking a sharp breath as the distance closed again, Elena trembled slightly from tension.
Lupeon, thinking she was startled by the nosebleed, patted her back.
‘Well, I guess it’s natural as the cause…’
Just as Elena was swallowing hard, her eyes met her fiancé’s again.
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he soon whispered softly in her ear.
“It seems difficult today, so let’s do it next time.”
“…!”
As Lupeon’s low voice tickled her ear, Elena looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
‘Difficult, what…?’
Whether he meant to be considerate, he showed a slightly regretful look before soon wearing an elegant smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be properly dressed then.”
“This… I’m perfectly normal, you know?”
Covering her nose with both hands, she pretended to answer nonchalantly.
It was just a tiny accident caused by an unexpected visual feast.
She felt certain that concluding it that way would be better for her mental health.
‘Of course, it would be a lie to say there was no self-interest involved.’
Lupeon, who chuckled at her through his lips, soon lightly asked back.
“Is that so?”
Elena, her eyes trembling uncontrollably, nodded slightly before hurriedly fleeing.
With a vow not to go near where he was staying for a while.
* * *
Breakfast at the marquis’ mansion usually proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere.
Contrary to her concerns that Lupeon might feel awkward, he seemed to get along well with the Rohenbach father and son.
As Elena was glancing at him while lightly wetting her throat with the water glass in front of her,
“Elena, your birthday is coming up soon.”
At the Marquis of Rohenbach’s gentle question, she swallowed a short sigh and blinked.
‘Come to think of it, it’s not far off.’
Lisette, sitting across from her, threw a rather bewildered look at his sister’s lukewarm reaction.
“What, sister. Don’t tell me you forgot?”
At that question, Elena gave an awkward smile instead of answering.
She had been so busy helping prepare for Lupeon’s restoration that she had completely forgotten her own birthday.
Moreover, with autumn in full swing, Lupeon’s birthday wasn’t far off either. Their birthdays were only a week apart.
“If there’s anything you want, just tell me.”
It seemed the marquis wanted to congratulate his daughter on her birthday in person while she was staying in the capital.
“Hmm, then will you give me the right of succession?”
Cough—
“S-sister…?”
“I’m joking, Lisette. I have no desire for that position.”
Lupeon, who had been quietly listening to the three’s conversation, had a more serious face than ever.
Though Elena didn’t notice this.
* * *
Late in the afternoon, as Elena was passing through the corridor of the marquis’ mansion, she spotted Lupeon and the Marquis of Rohenbach coming out of the secret room together.
Seeing her fiancé, who hadn’t been seen all afternoon, coming out of there, a puzzled look spread across her face.
“Why are you two coming out of the secret room together?”
As if just noticing his daughter, the visibly flustered Marquis of Rohenbach cleared his throat a couple of times.
“There was an urgent matter to deal with.”
At the marquis’ somewhat clumsy answer, Elena soon threw a glance at her fiancé.
Lupeon averted his eyes slightly.
‘What? Something’s suspicious…’
Just as Elena was narrowing her eyes in doubt, he asked in a low voice with an awkward smile.
“May we move to the indoor terrace for a moment?”
Though she didn’t know the reason, she decided to accept her fiancé’s suggestion for now.
“Alright, Lupeon.”
So the two headed to the indoor terrace together, and Lupeon just silently looked at his fiancée.
‘What on earth could it be?’
Elena was about to ask him, worried that something might have happened in the secret room,
