Chapter 17
“What do you think?” Braeden asked as he finished fastening the necklace.
Juliana felt a soft tickle at the back of her neck where his breath had touched her skin, and she unintentionally held her breath for a moment.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said quietly. “But… I don’t know if it’s really okay for me to receive so much.”
In all her life, Juliana had never been given such rare and luxurious gifts. The thought that these pieces had been made just for her was something she had never even dreamed of.
Even a single ring would have been more than enough to make her grateful.
She looked at herself in the mirror and gently touched the necklace, her fingers brushing over the carefully crafted jewels.
“The role of a duchess will be difficult,” Braeden said calmly. “This is simply my way of showing sincerity. There’s no need for you to feel pressured.”
What he had given her wasn’t just jewelry. These were fragments of a great demon’s power—something far too valuable to treat lightly.
But Braeden spoke as if it were nothing more than a simple gift, easily found and easily given.
“I’ve never done earrings before,” Braeden said, sounding a bit unsure as he gently touched Juliana’s earlobe.
As soon as his fingers brushed her skin, Juliana’s body tensed. She couldn’t move. She could feel his red eyes focused on the shape of her ear, slowly tracing it.
“Now that I notice… your ears are really small. Not in a bad way,” he added quickly, “I meant they’re cute.”
He said it as if he were trying to explain himself, then lightly touched her ear again. The feeling was oddly warm, and it sent a shiver through her chest. Her heart began to race.
Juliana’s eyelashes trembled, and her breathing became uneven, but she forced herself to stay calm.
These were gifts Braeden had carefully prepared for their marriage.
She didn’t want him to realize that her thoughts were slipping in a different, more confusing direction.
“Don’t move. I might hurt you by accident,” he said softly.
Then Braeden took out a brooch. As he leaned closer toward her chest to fasten it, Juliana’s face flushed before she could stop it.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Braeden’s voice sounded much lower than before.
The air in the drawing room felt tense, almost heavy, and Juliana instinctively gripped the fabric of her dress tightly.
“It seems the height isn’t quite right. Please excuse me,” he said.
Before she could even understand what, he was apologizing for, Braeden gently took hold of her waist with both hands and lifted her to sit on the table.
Sitting on a table wasn’t exactly proper behavior for a lady. Startled, Juliana’s eyes widened, but Braeden spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.
“I just don’t want you to get pricked by the pin,” he said. “I’m not very skilled at this, and I didn’t want to take any chances.”
Hearing that his concern was for her safety, Juliana couldn’t argue.
She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath as she watched his hands carefully.
Sitting on the table did bring her to the right height for him to attach the brooch more easily, but the closeness of his face made it hard for her to stay calm.
If he lifted his head just a little more, their noses might touch.
And if his fingers so much as brushed her collar as Braeden carefully lifted her collar to fasten the brooch, it seemed to take longer than expected.
To Juliana, every second felt like an eternity.
She kept a composed expression, pretending to be calm, but her throat tightened, and she swallowed dryly without realizing it.
At that moment, her eyes met his.
His gaze, brighter than any jewel, instantly captured hers.
There was something strangely contradictory about his eyes.
They looked clear and luminous, like pure crystal—yet at the same time, they burned like molten lava, wild and consuming.
The heat in his gaze was undeniable, and Juliana couldn’t look away.
For a moment, time seemed to stop as they stared into each other’s eyes.
Braeden saw a peaceful, blue forest in hers.
Juliana saw a fire in his that looked ready to devour her whole.
Then, as if pulled by something neither of them could name, their lips met—neither knowing who moved first.
It wasn’t a soft or cautious kiss.
It was filled with raw, tangled desire.
With every brush of wet skin and every moment their lips parted and met again, shallow, uneven breaths escaped.
His kiss reached deep, stirring her without mercy. Both her body and her heart felt as if they were floating.
Overwhelmed by heat, Juliana couldn’t even steady her thoughts. Her mind was clouded, like it was lost in a heavy fog…
Braeden, who had been quietly watching her, finally realized what she meant.
She was gently complaining—that a goodbye kiss felt too soon.
She really is quite endearing.
A soft laugh escaped him.
“Is there a rule that says kisses are only allowed when lovers part ways?”
Juliana, who had just managed to pull herself together, widened her eyes in surprise.
He called them lovers—but were they really?
What they had was a mutual agreement, a marriage formed out of necessity.
A two-year contract. A relationship built on shared goals, not love.
And yet, when he said it like that, it almost felt real.
“Ah…”
Juliana let out a quiet breath, struggling to find the right words. Braeden smiled and gently placed a tiara on top of her head.
“It looks beautiful on you.”
Dressed in jewels made from the essence of a great demon, Juliana gave off a powerful and possessive presence—dark, alluring, and unmistakably claimed.
No one else would notice the demonic energy that clung to her like a second skin.
But Braeden did.
And he liked it more than he cared to admit.
Her holy energy had been completely concealed, so much so that not a trace of it could be felt. That meant nothing troublesome would be drawn to her.
If Juliana ever found herself in danger, the crystallized essence would serve as a direct link between her and Braeden.
“Would you be willing to wear at least one piece of the jewelry every day?” Braeden asked.
He meant it as a safety measure, something to protect her in emergencies. But to Juliana, it sounded different.
Almost as if he were asking her to think of him constantly, to always keep a part of him close.
No, that couldn’t be it. She was just overthinking. She quickly brushed away the hopeful thought that she might be special to him.
She had lived far too harsh a life to fall into dreams of love like a foolish girl. This was already her second life.
“I will. Thank you for preparing such generous gifts. They’re more than I deserve.”
She spoke with polite sincerity, but Braeden’s brow twitched slightly, as if something about her response bothered him.
Perhaps it was the formality. After all, they had just shared an intimate kiss, and now she was speaking as if they were strangers again.
“But… there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“A request?” Braeden replied, slightly surprised. The discomfort he had felt just moments ago quickly faded, as if it had never been there.
“Would it be possible for Your Grace to gift me the dress for the engagement ceremony? I think it would be better if the Floreseco crest wasn’t visible.”
Countess Barnett was eagerly looking forward to the attention Juliana’s engagement to the Duke of Ortis would bring to high society.
There was no way she would miss the chance to raise the Barnett family’s status. She would do everything she could to make a strong impression.
The engagement dress would be part of that effort.
Even though there wasn’t enough time to have a new dress made from scratch, the countess would likely call in a well-known designer and do whatever it took to create a gown that would impress others.
And in the process, there was a high risk the Floreseco crest would be revealed.
Up until now, Juliana had worn a corset whenever she stood before the countess or her maids, which helped conceal it. But there was no guarantee she could keep hiding it during the engagement ceremony.
No, it was possible that the engagement dress itself might have a daring design with an open back.
The only person who could stop Countess Barnett from doing something like that was Braeden. If he were the one to gift Juliana the dress—especially given the short time before the ceremony—the countess wouldn’t be able to object.
That was exactly what Juliana had calculated when she decided to visit the duke’s townhouse.
She hadn’t expected so many unexpected things to unfold just from bringing it up, though.
“I suppose we’ll need a very modest dress then, if your back must remain covered,” Braeden said, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I was hoping for,” Juliana replied.
“Alright. That’s not difficult at all.”
With that, Braeden suddenly snapped his fingers. A sharp click echoed in the room.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door, and Lochlan entered, bowing respectfully.
His response was so fast that Juliana flinched in surprise.
On the other hand, Lochlan was the one caught off guard when he stepped into the drawing room and saw Juliana sitting on the table, draped in luxurious jewelry.
But because Lochlan was a highly capable aide, not even a flicker of emotion showed on his face.
“We’ll need an engagement dress,” Braeden said.
“Of course. That means we’ll need a tailor and a seamstress,” Lochlan replied calmly.
“It should be a modest dress, one that doesn’t reveal the Floreseco crest,” Braeden added.
“I’ll arrange for the best designers available.”
Juliana, who had been quietly listening, spoke up in a careful voice.
“There isn’t much time. I don’t mind wearing something off-the-rack and just having it altered.”
Lochlan gave Braeden a brief glance before answering her.
“This is your engagement dress. We can’t settle for anything less than perfect. I’ll take care of the schedule, so please don’t worry.”
The jewelers who had crafted the crystallized essence had worked day and night, their eyes turning red from exhaustion.
This time, it would be the tailors instead, but the process would be the same.
In this world, money could solve almost anything.
With that thought in mind, Lochlan spoke again with polite reassurance.
“There’s no need for you to worry, my lady.”
