Chapter 14
“!”
How could he move so silently, like a ghost?
Karl stood right in front of Aura. It would have been better if it were completely dark. A gaze so cold it seemed frozen and about to shatter pierced Aura.
Aura unconsciously took a step back. And Karl followed her.
Unable to stop retreating, her back eventually hit the wall. Karl casually placed a fist on the wall, as if trapping her.
It was a trivial action. He didn’t use any significant force. But Aura could only stare into those dark eyes, as if bound.
“Amusing?”
Karl asked. Aura suppressed her fear and answered calmly.
“What is?”
“You believe I like you and you’re making a fool of me.”
A direct way of speaking and an undeniable truth. She had no desire to make excuses, but his words left her with nothing to defend.
Aura raised her hand and gently tapped his cheek.
“How charming. Our first conversation on our wedding night.”
And as she tried to slip away from him, Karl grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back against the wall.
“What did you talk about with Ethan?”
She couldn’t tell him. Not as long as the pin was in place, absolutely not.
“Too bad. Suspecting your only remaining brother.”
“Tell me when I ask. You’ll find out anyway.”
“Then you can figure it out.”
“Aura. This is your last warning.”
Aura didn’t like his harsh, commanding tone. She couldn’t understand how such a tone could coexist with affection.
Karl didn’t seem to realize that every time he acted like this, Aura didn’t break but instead grew thorns. Even if all she could do was scratch at his heart.
“Suspect, Karl. Keep suspecting.”
“…”
“I hope you lose your brother because of your suspicions.”
Karl’s eyes flickered for a moment. Aura didn’t stop.
“Just like I lost my parents and brothers, I hope you lose those few people you have left. Ethan, or Tasha.”
She grabbed both of his arms and stood on tiptoe. As she approached his ear, she smelled the scent of cedarwood oil.
“When I do the calculation that you like so much, it seems fair.”
Karl narrowed his eyes and glanced at her. At the white hands that fearlessly gripped his arms.
Just as Aura slowly backed away and tried to release Karl’s arms, Karl grabbed her shoulders and suddenly moved in close.
“!”
As if mocking the startled Aura, Karl said,
“Fine. Go ahead and keep doing that.”
He bit down on Aura’s lips as if swallowing them, then pulled away. Aura tried to calmly swallow her tangled breath.
“However, if you’re being used by them, then I really won’t forgive you.”
“Ugh, that won’t—!”
Karl devoured her lips again. Aura instinctively closed her mouth, but he stubbornly sucked on her lower lip, eventually weakening her. Not missing the opportunity, his tongue entered boldly.
Karl’s tongue greedily explored her mouth. When she pushed her tongue back, he would wind it up and pull it out, and when she tried to turn her head, he would grab her chin and not let go. Aura felt like her legs would give way every time he brushed against her gums and palate.
Aura pushed against his chest and shoulders as much as she could. She couldn’t overcome his strength, but she was able to catch her breath for a moment.
“Stop, please…!”
“No.”
As if proving his firm refusal, Karl roughly wrapped his arms around her waist.
Lips crashed down again. His tongue and breath penetrated deeply, so much so that her head tilted back. He nibbled on her upper lip, tickling her.
“Ugh.”
Aura groaned and turned her head.
He picked her up and walked towards the bed. As if laying a woman down was nothing.
It would have been better if he had been angry. It wasn’t her first time sleeping with him, and she had somewhat prepared herself.
But this was hard to endure. How could this whole process be so indifferent and dry?
Karl’s hand went to her back. The moment he grabbed the ribbon of her chemise, the color drained from Aura’s face.
Then, Karl stopped abruptly. He stared at Aura, who was as white as a plaster statue. She was barely breathing, filled with fear.
“…Damn it.”
He muttered a self-deprecating curse and stepped back. Aura raised her half-stiff body. The candlelight flickered on Karl’s cheek.
“Here. I’m leaving.”
Karl said with a sigh and turned around. Aura finally felt relieved and inadvertently asked.
“…Where are you going?”
“To the banquet hall. I’d rather drink than be here like this.”
In that moment, Ethan’s words flashed through Aura’s mind.
‘So they’re trying to push his niece, Lady Elise, into the position of concubine.’
And Duke Taine and Elise, who remained in the banquet hall.
Aura impulsively reached out and grabbed Karl’s sleeve. Karl paused and turned to look at Aura.
Aura was just as surprised. Why did she do that? Why did she grab him again after being so relieved that he had stepped back?
The answer came quickly.
‘A concubine… not yet. The more Karl distances himself from me, the harder it becomes to approach the pin.’
“What are you doing?”
Karl asked, looking at her hand.
Her heart was still pounding painfully because she had been pushed relentlessly. Still, she mustered her courage. She couldn’t afford to be afraid and back down in the first place.
From now on, she had to focus on this. How could she keep him from returning to the banquet hall?
“You’re still the same, Karl. You left like this even on our wedding night.”
“…”
“And then you gave me a bouquet of flowers in the morning. I’m a little curious. Why did you have such a change of heart?”
Aura playfully tugged on his sleeve.
“Because I grabbed you like this?”
“…”
“What did I say back then? Right, did I say this?”
“…”
“My name is… Aura.”
With those words, Aura stared up at Karl.
Karl slowly blinked once, then lunged at Aura as if collapsing.
Thud.
Her body fell back onto the bed. The weight of the man and the pressure pressing down on her entire body. And the force with which he embraced her. As she suffocated from those things, she heard a low murmur.
“Damn it… I must be crazy.”
Karl’s hand groped Aura’s back. When he pulled the ribbon, the chemise loosened like a discarded skin. Karl pressed his lips to her exposed shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Aura twisted her legs at the mere touch of his lips on her shoulder. The feeling of something boiling inside her was still unfamiliar. Karl lifted his lips and looked down at her.
He chuckled as if he himself couldn’t believe the situation.
“Aura.”
“…What.”
“Did I mention it at the coronation? I don’t think I did, since I was distracted by your ankles.”
He grabbed Aura’s injured leg and lifted it. And kissed the bandage once.
“You looked really beautiful at the coronation today.”
“…Ah.”
“You don’t need my compliments, but listen anyway. The dress was perfect, and you danced well. When you were dealing with the protesters, I wanted to drag you back to the room right away.”
Karl slipped his hand inside the chemise and squeezed Aura’s breast. A soft moan escaped Aura’s lips at the gentle touch.
“From the moment you started talking to Ethan until now. I really can’t stand it.”
At that moment, he squeezed her breast a little harder. Aura stopped breathing at the stronger stimulation. Aura shook her head at the touch that blatantly teased the tip. Pleasure was unmistakably invading her body.
He wrapped his arms around the back of her neck and lifted her up. With a rustle, the chemise slipped down. Karl firmly held her back, facing him.
“And yet, I can’t leave this room.”
His hands roamed freely over Aura’s upper body. His lips landed on her shoulders, chin, and neck. And finally, he whispered.
“I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
His dark eyes appeared before Aura. He smiled faintly and said,
“Kiss me. Since you’re the one who grabbed me.”
Aura’s face flushed. It was ridiculous to deny it, so she cupped his face and kissed him.
He patiently accepted her slightly clumsy kiss. Aura trembled at the touch of his hands caressing her hips and waist.
Her body felt like it was melting. Especially her tongue and lips, which were constantly touching.
When his hand came back to her breast, Aura finally broke the kiss.
“Haa…”
The moment she exhaled the breath she had been holding in, Karl pushed her down. Aura’s hazy eyes met Karl’s desire-filled eyes. It was strange. Just looking at those eyes made it feel like time was moving very slowly.
As if intoxicated by that flow, Aura asked.
“…You don’t know what I’m doing to you?”
Unlike Karl, Aura knew the answer well. She reached out and pulled Karl down, embracing his back. His face, which was close to her, was flushed.
“Even though I know it’s the wrong path… you keep making me walk it.”
And those words were also directed at Aura herself.
It was unclear whether Karl fully understood her words. However, he smiled coldly and raised his body.
When Aura’s arms fell weakly, he spread her legs.
“Agh…”
Aura squeezed her eyes shut at the sensation of her lower body splitting apart. Karl leaned down and kissed her, but she was too distracted to feel it. She wondered if there would ever come a day when she would get used to this. This pain, this pleasure.
Soon, pleasure surged intermittently within her body. Aura bit her lower lip. Her mind went blank.
