Chapter 10
“Do you think our act of affection is influencing the imprint?” Braeden asked politely, but the heat in his gaze left Juliana feeling flustered.
“I did feel something… but why is that happening?” Juliana, overwhelmed with confusion, couldn’t stop her eyes from trembling.
It was already shocking enough that she had died at the age of twenty-eight and returned to a year before her marriage. But now, the sudden appearance of the Floreseco imprint and the way it reacted so sensitively to physical contact with the Grand Duke left her unsure of how she was supposed to respond.
“That probably means our compatibility is that strong,” Braeden said.
Was that really the case? Juliana didn’t have much knowledge about divine power. She had only ever been taught how to become the perfect lady, and her understanding of theology or holy energy was no more than what the average person knew. That was why, in response to Braeden’s words, she had no choice but to accept it.
But what Braeden said wasn’t true. It wasn’t because they were compatible. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
The power of a high demon and divine energy were completely incompatible. When those forces collided, they stimulated the imprint.
Regardless of the cause, the result was still in Braeden’s favor. The red flower bud had a higher chance of blooming when it was provoked like this, and for him, that was a clear advantage.
“Shall we test it again?” Braeden asked gently.
Juliana, lost in thought, didn’t know how to respond. She stared blankly at Braeden’s face.
Whenever their eyes met, those ruby-red eyes that sparkled like precious stones, she would sometimes freeze for a moment.
Braeden didn’t miss that chance. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
He softly sucked and released her lips, over and over. Each time, the dizzying sensation overwhelmed her, pulling her deeper.
His warm breath and the wet touch of his lips sent chills down her spine. It felt so good it was almost unbearable.
Braeden’s kiss was much deeper and more intense than before.
This wasn’t a kiss of farewell.
Juliana briefly had that thought, but as something hot and wet filled her narrow mouth, she couldn’t think anymore.
The strength drained from her legs, and her body melted into a languid softness. On top of that, the sharp stimulation from the imprint left her with no strength to resist.
“Your Grace…” she whispered in a trembling, pleading voice. Only then did his lips finally part from hers.
Braeden looked at her blurred eyes, hazy with heat, with a satisfied expression. He gently brushed his thumb across her wet lips and spoke in a low, calm voice.
“It’s been clearly proven. The more intense the contact, the stronger the reaction.”
There was a strange note of satisfaction in his voice, but Juliana was too dazed to notice it.
She didn’t know how to face him and felt deeply embarrassed. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked down.
“Today was truly enjoyable and enlightening, Miss Juliana,” Braeden said.
After all, they had discovered something very important—he couldn’t imagine a more productive day.
With a faint smile, Braeden opened the carriage door.
He stepped out first, then turned back to offer his hand to Juliana. Her body, still weak and unsteady, leaned toward him as he helped her down.
Juliana wobbled slightly as she took his hand and stepped down from the carriage.
They had arrived in front of the Barnett estate some time ago, but since the carriage door hadn’t opened, the people waiting outside had started to grow uneasy.
As soon as the door finally opened, everyone’s attention turned to them at once.
The servants who had come out to greet them, the coachman, and even Lochlan, who had arrived alongside them, were all thinking the same thing.
What on earth were they doing in there to take so long?
That question vanished the moment they saw Juliana’s flushed face, and shock spread among them.
Could it be? Are the two of them already that close?
Among the onlookers was Tristan.
He had only just found out that Juliana had gone out on a date with the Grand Duke, and he had been waiting for her return. When he saw the Grand Duke’s carriage entering the estate, he couldn’t stop himself from stepping in among the servants to watch.
He had expected Juliana to glance at the Grand Duke with the same cold expression she always used with other men.
But the expression she wore now told a completely different story.
Anyone could see it—she looked like a woman who had just experienced something intimate and personal.
A wave of heat and anger rose up in Tristan’s chest.
“Well then, take care, Your Grace,” Juliana said politely.
“Call me by my name. Please do that the next time we meet,” Braeden said gently before stepping into the carriage.
Juliana stood still, watching the carriage disappear into the distance. Her body was still warm, and the heat had not yet faded.
Just then, a rough hand grabbed her wrist.
“You. Look at me,” Tristan said, dragging her away without giving her a chance to resist.
“You’re hurting me! Let go and speak properly!” Juliana cried out, trying to pull free.
But Tristan acted as if he didn’t hear her at all.
The image of him from her past life—when he had tried to dominate her with force—flashed through her mind. That memory made her fight back even more fiercely.
Tristan, clearly irritated, pushed her behind a pillar. Since they hadn’t fully reached the porch yet, he didn’t drag her into the mansion. Instead, he led her toward a quieter, more isolated area outside.
“You shameless woman. Always throwing yourself at any man you see, aren’t you?” he snapped.
“I don’t understand why you even care,” Juliana replied coldly, her eyes burning with anger as she rubbed her aching wrist.
“Did you already sleep with the Grand Duke? Did you open your legs for that bastard because you wanted to?”
Tristan shouted without hesitation, spewing vulgar words with no regard for decency.
Juliana’s expression tightened in disgust, as if his words had physically dirtied the air around her.
Tristan, his eyes already half-crazed, reached out to grab her again with force.
“If you’ve already given yourself to him, then it shouldn’t matter what I do to you,” he snarled.
She was stunned by how his thoughts could sink so low.
In her previous life, she might have frozen in fear. But this time, Juliana had no intention of letting him take control. Not again.
“Atlante!” she called, followed by a sharp whistle.
From somewhere above, a black crow came swooping down.
“What the… what is that?”
Tristan panicked as the dark bird flew at him, flapping its wings aggressively. He swung his arms in a panic, trying to ward it off.
But Tristan had never cared for strength or discipline. No matter how much he flailed, he couldn’t stop Atlante from attacking.
“Damn bird! Get away from me!” he shouted, stumbling backward in fear and confusion.
Tristan turned red in the face as he tried to catch Atlante, who was pecking furiously at his forehead. But his desperate swatting only made him look ridiculous.
Tch. Why don’t you get lost instead, you worthless bastard!
Atlante hurled curses while continuing to attack him.
Weren’t you supposed to be a Tear of God?
Juliana couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as she watched Atlante curse so fluently. It was hard not to think of the bird as some kind of demonic servant when he acted like this.
Still, if she didn’t stop him, he really might put a hole in Tristan’s head.
Juliana reached out and called him back.
“Enough. You’ll kill him at this rate.”
Hmph. Lucky scum, Atlante muttered, sounding like a villain in a play as he lightly landed on Juliana’s arm.
“Ahh! Blood! I’m bleeding!”
Tristan cried out in horror as he pointed at the blood dripping down from his forehead.
“You! Where the hell did you get this cursed bird? It pecked me with its filthy beak! What if it’s carrying some kind of infection?!”
Atlante watched Tristan, who was thrashing around in a rage, with cold, expressionless eyes. Then he asked in a low, serious tone,
Can I kill him?
Weren’t you supposed to be a Tear of God?
Juliana pushed down the question that rose in her mind again and shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Hmm. So that means I can later?
“Yes. When the time comes.”
Tristan, watching the exchange, slowly backed away in fear.
“You… are you possessed by a demon?”
He couldn’t understand what the bird was saying, but just seeing Juliana talk to it so calmly sent a chill down his spine.
Now that he looked closer, the crow’s black eyes were dark and intense, as if they could see straight through him. It felt eerie.
“And what’s your excuse?” Juliana asked coldly. “You’re not even possessed, and yet you act completely insane.”
It was the first time Tristan had ever seen Juliana with that kind of expression. And did she just speak to him so casually? Was she really possessed by something evil?
If that were true, what was he supposed to do? His eyes shook as if the ground beneath him were trembling.
“Use your head, Tristan. I’m going to be the Grand Duchess soon. Do you know what that means? Crushing someone like a low-ranking count will be as easy as lifting a finger.”
A cold, mocking smile spread across Juliana’s lips.
Tristan blinked in disbelief. He couldn’t reconcile the image of Juliana, the noble lady who had always been graceful, obedient, and modest with the woman standing in front of him now.
He didn’t know any more if the problem was with her or with himself.
“You actually think the Grand Duke is going to marry you?” he asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
“So, you think he won’t? Or is that just what you want to believe?”
Juliana, who used to lower her gaze and quietly follow along, was gone.
And to make it worse, the crow lifted its jet-black eyes and stared straight at Tristan. The look it gave him was dark and unsettling, like something rising from the depths of a nightmare.
A sudden chill ran through him, and his thoughts started to spin.
“I… I… Damn it!”
Tristan, stumbling and backing away, eventually chose to flee.
He had always been the same. He acted tough toward the weak and bowed down to anyone stronger. A coward through and through.
In her previous life, Juliana hadn’t prepared for that.
It’s fine. He hasn’t changed… but I have.
Juliana slowly closed her eyes, holding back the wave of hatred and thirst for revenge, then opened them again with quiet resolve.
Now that her relationship with the Grand Duke was clear, it was time to sharpen the blade of revenge.
