Chapter 38
“I’m truly glad to see you happy.”
Trisha spoke in a bright voice as she discreetly wiped away another wave of tears.
But she couldn’t fully conceal the tremor in her voice, betraying the raw emotions behind her words.
Caesar Maes watched her reflection in the window, his gaze lingering on her tear-streaked face.
As he confirmed the way she continuously wiped at her eyes, his voice softened.
“Before it’s too late, Your Highness should also decide on a fiancé.”
“I suppose I should.”
Caesar turned to face her, his movements smooth and deliberate.
“I have another favor to ask. Please stand as my fiancée’s attendant at the engagement ceremony.”
“M-Me?”
“Yes. And I would also like you to introduce her to His Majesty.”
That night, Caesar Maes returned to Earl Anderson’s estate just before dawn, carrying a diamond the size of his fist.
As the early morning light cast a pale blue glow through the window, he found a delicate figure lying on the bed.
His body reacted instinctively to her divine energy. Whenever she was near, his heart pounded uncontrollably.
Caesar controlled his breathing, worried that she might hear the wild thudding of his heart, before silently approaching her.
Odette, deep in sleep, looked utterly peaceful.
As he propped himself up on one arm, his gaze landed on a book resting on the nightstand.
“A travel guide?”
A bookmark was tucked inside the section about the southern port city of Napolitan.
Without hesitation, Caesar picked up the book and flung it out the window. A servant would find it in the morning and dispose of it.
He entered the bathroom, letting cold water run over his body.
Then, suddenly, he recalled the way Odette had once looked at him with hazy eyes, teasing, “You’ve got a great body.”
She must have thought it was just a dream, a fleeting vision from her subconscious.
It was nice. It made my heart race.
Whenever he so much as leaned toward her, she would tremble in fear, but deep down—her feelings had been different.
Well, I do have a good body.
Finishing his shower hastily, Caesar didn’t bother drying himself. He simply wrapped a towel around his waist and returned to Odette’s side.
Leaning down, he brought his lips dangerously close to hers.
Without actually touching her, he hovered over her, slowly absorbing her divine energy. Then, he transformed it into his own dark magic and released it back toward her.
“Haa…”
As she breathed in, his magic seeped into her completely.
Didn’t you say you wanted to stay by my side?
Then that’s exactly what will happen.
Soon, she wouldn’t even spare a glance at that worthless second son of Viscount Saxen.
She wouldn’t be able to leave, wouldn’t be able to meet any other men.
She would stay beside him—because that was the safest place she could be.
Again and again, he absorbed her divine energy and infused her with his magic.
“Mmm…!”
In her sleep, Odette instinctively curled into his embrace.
“Say you want me to hold you.”
He whispered into her ear.
“Hold me…”
Odette murmured in her sleep.
“With pleasure.”
Caesar slid his arm beneath her head, supporting it, and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist.
With no space left between them, he gazed out the window at the approaching dawn.
“Ha… Looks like sleep is out of the question.”
His heart pounded furiously, as if it were about to burst through his ribcage.
The night was long, and his body burned hotter than ever.
It was a serious problem.
“Mmm.”
Odette woke up feeling oddly refreshed, blinking rapidly as her vision was blocked by sculpted muscles.
When she lifted her gaze slightly, she saw the sharp curve of Caesar’s jawline.
Sensing her stare, Caesar’s eyes slowly opened, his piercing blue gaze locking onto hers.
His long, fox-like eyes curved upward in a lazy, mesmerizing smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
“My nose….”
“Your nose?”
Confused, Caesar leaned in to examine her face closely.
“I’m not having a nosebleed, am I?”
“What would you have done to get a nosebleed?”
Caesar let out a deep chuckle as Odette glared at him and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.
“Well, there’s no blood….”
But it felt as if she had spent the night bleeding from the nose.
Her entire body felt strange.
As if something warm had been flowing in and out of her all night.
“I-It felt like something was going in and out of me…”
“What exactly was going in and out? Hmm?”
“I-I mean….”
Unable to explain, Odette trailed off, her face heating up.
More importantly, why was he holding her so tightly?
She wiggled and squirmed in an attempt to free herself from his embrace.
But Caesar refused to let go, his arm locked around her waist like iron chains.
“Why does he have so much muscle? His arm is so heavy it feels like my waist is about to break.”
Muttering under her breath, Odette gritted her teeth and pushed against his arm.
“My head feels foggy. This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Are you sure?”
Desperate for confirmation, Odette’s eyes darted around the room, searching for shadows.
The curtains fluttered in the breeze, casting shadows against the wall.
Odette was about to sigh in relief—until she fully registered the situation.
“Ahhh! What is going on?!”
The fog clouding her mind instantly lifted, bringing her to full awareness.
She was dressed in a thin nightgown, and Caesar Maes was lying beside her, bare-chested.
Had they really spent the entire night like this?
Without doing anything?
What the hell? Why is this so… chaste?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a male lead in an adult-rated novel?
Odette shot a glare at Caesar.
“Why are you holding me like this?”
“Because I need to act like I’m utterly infatuated with you.”
“You don’t need to act. They already believe it.”
Odette squirmed, trying to pull away, but her struggle was utterly meaningless.
“Shh.”
Caesar tightened his hold around her, his gaze shifting toward the door.
A moment later, there was a knock.
“My lady, it’s Nancy.”
It was Nancy, Katarina’s personal maid.
The fact that she had come so early in the morning meant only one thing—she was here to spy.
Katarina must have sent her to confirm whether Odette had truly spent the night with Caesar.
“Ah… Come in.”
Odette instinctively burrowed further into Caesar’s arms, causing her lips to press firmly against his bare chest.
The sensation was overwhelming.
His smooth, firm skin sent a jolt of heat through her lips.
She turned her head to escape the tingling sensation—only for her cheek to brush against his chest instead.
Ugh, this feels weird too.
The only things she could move freely were her fingers and toes.
But even those were dangerously close to places she really shouldn’t touch, so it was safest to remain still.
In the end, the only thing she could do was wiggle her toes slightly.
“Stop that. Unless you want to take responsibility.”
Her toes had brushed against something rough—definitely not the blanket.
A deep flush crept all the way up to the tips of her ears.
Odette squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Nancy stepped inside.
“Hah!”
Nancy froze in place, eyes wide in shock.
There, inside the canopied bed, lay Caesar Maes, completely shirtless, with Odette in his arms, clad only in a thin nightgown.
Nancy hesitated, clearly unsure whether to approach.
“What is it?”
Caesar asked, still holding Odette tightly.
“M-My lady… M-Madam requests that you join her for breakfast.”
“Do you really think food is my priority right now?”
Caesar’s voice was low and commanding, making Nancy flinch.
“I-I… I apologize! I didn’t mean to disturb you!”
Nancy practically ran out of the room, leaving Odette completely dumbfounded.
“What do you mean ‘disturb’?! We didn’t do anything! Huh?! Nothing happened!”
“So… are you disappointed?”
Caesar casually draped a leg over her waist.
“D-Disappointed? Of course not! I’m perfectly fine with this! I— I fully understand now!”
“Understand what?”
“Y-Your… y-your leg… It’s really heavy.”
“My leg?”
Caesar narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
His smirk clearly suggested that whatever she was imagining, she was probably right.
Her face burned hotter at his smug expression.
Her voice trembled as she pleaded desperately.
“Please, just let me go.”
“I should be the one saying that. You’re the real menace here.”
Caesar finally rolled away, groaning as he sat up.
He felt like his body was on the verge of breaking down from all the restraint.
“Starting the morning like this… not easy at all.”
Shaking off his frustration, Caesar stepped out onto the terrace, letting the cool air clear his head.
From the training grounds, the sounds of knights sparring echoed through the estate.
“A scholar gathering mercenaries and training them… Definitely suspicious.”
Following Odette’s suggestion, he had relocated his knights to the outskirts of the Hohan District.
It was a good decision—a direct clash between his knights and the mercenaries would have only put him at a disadvantage.
“Does Odette have some sort of foresight?”
Turning his head, Caesar glanced back inside the room.
Odette, now wearing a silver robe over her nightgown, flinched when she noticed his gaze.
In response, she hastily tightened the sash around her waist.
That only provoked him further.
After all… knots were meant to be untied.
