Chapter 23
A deserted alley. Eric, who had brought the employee, immediately tightened his grip on their throat.
“It seems you made the medicine.”
“Kekek…! Ah, no! I, I am an employee. The one who manufactured the medicine is the boss. Gasp!
“Boss? Where is that guy?
“Pl-please let go of my hand…Cough!
When he released his grip, the employee sank helplessly to the floor. He, who had been clutching his throat and coughing incessantly, barely managed to lift his head.
“Are you curious about the medicine? Or are you curious about the relationship between Miss Aria and the boss…?Ah, were you perhaps someone who worked at the Reynolds household…?
The Reynolds family. Eric’s brow furrowed slightly at the unfamiliar family name he had never heard before.
“Reynolds family? What kind of family is that?
“Then, aren’t you related to the Reynolds family? Oh, you big mouth! Kid, you little chatterbox!”
The employee hurriedly slapped his mouth with his hand. Eric’s menacing gaze settled coldly upon him.
“Stop messing around and get up. Reynolds Garden, whether it’s medicine or not, you’ll find out if you ask your boss directly.
“Are you going to meet the boss right now!?
The pensive employee stood in front of Eric.
“Please, save me! If the boss finds out that I talked about the Reynolds family, I’ll be fired on the spot! Please, just this once, forgive me!
“Step forward right now. If you don’t want to die.”
Eric’s gaze barely landed on the sword at his waist. The employee knelt down and begged again.
“Even if you meet him, the boss won’t say anything about the medicine! Especially if it’s related to Miss Aria. I heard that she was a maid who worked in that house since the time the boss was the butler at the Reynolds’ house!
“Butler…?A butler opening a pharmacy? Then, I can already tell that their meager skills are nothing to write home about.
At the absurd remark, Eric couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
According to the author’s story, it seems that Aria worked at the Reynolds house before coming to the Bailey house.
Aria had asked the quack for medicine to treat herself because of the connection she had made there.
Of all people, why does his medicine have to work? Eric’s laughter was only to be expected.
Eric felt like grabbing the boss by the collar right away, but he stopped in his tracks because of one person who suddenly came to mind.
Whether it works or not, it seemed that Aria intended to keep treating herself with that medicine.
I don’t know the exact reason why she does that to me, but Eric didn’t mind the attention. No, rather, it was good.
I didn’t want to miss the warm gaze from Aria that I hadn’t received in a long time since childhood.
Since she had become my maid, I wanted her to look only at me by my side. Even if it’s a small desire.
Eric glanced at the employee, intending to keep it hidden for a while.
“To beg like this, I’ll let it slide for now.”
“R-Really?!Th-thank you! Thank you!
The employee, who seemed much brighter, stood up from their seat and kept bowing their head repeatedly.
“The next time you lay a hand on that woman, I’ll have your head.”
At the chilling voice, the employee hurriedly clutched his neck with his hand. Eric’s sharp gaze was directed at him for a while before moving away.
The employee, who was watching his back as he leisurely walked down the alley, staggered and sat down.
“Who on earth is that person…?”
His eyes, which had been quietly gazing at Eric, were filled with a fear he had never known before.
In the pitch-black dawn shrouded in darkness, the only faint light seeping out from the Bailey household, where everyone else is asleep, comes from Eric’s bedroom.
‘Gasp!’
As Aria’s touch met his skin, Eric squeezed his eyes shut tightly. His tightly clenched lips tried their best not to make a sound.
But every time her cold touch met his already heated flesh, Eric’s nerves kept directing their attention there.
Bailey’s. A cold space that harshly abandoned oneself. A place that felt like the biting winter wind, where I couldn’t even breathe properly.
The Aria I met here was my everything. Even the refreshing smile and warm touch that felt like the gentle sunlight shining down.
The current Aria’s skin was rougher and colder than before, but to his already hot skin, it felt rather refreshing.
Everything about Aria fit her perfectly.
A maid who is not like a maid, calmly waiting instead of trying to pry into my deeply hidden thoughts.
The only person who knows how to help themselves well.
The area being applied was extremely hot and stinging, but Eric’s lips were full of a smile. If I succumbed to that touch, the accumulated sleep quietly came over me.
It had been a long time since I felt my whole body falling apart like this.
Aria wiped Eric’s wet hair with a handkerchief. The fragrant scent of flowers that had seeped into the collar brushed past his nose.
It had been a long time since I fell asleep with someone watching over me, not since my mother.
In front of this woman, I felt like I had become a child again.
Eric kept falling into a deep sleep and waking up repeatedly.
When I opened my eyes again, Aria was asleep with her head resting at the end of the bed. It seemed that the fatigue from the past had finally caught up with her.
When Aria’s hand, which she had unconsciously stretched out in her sleep, touched Eric’s fingertips, her whole body tingled.
Thanks to that, my previously calm heart started to flutter inexplicably.
One of Eric’s thick fingers lightly tapped Aria’s hand.
Aria withdrew her hand again towards herself from the persistent touch that kept bothering her.
Eric, who had been quietly watching this, broke into a long smile.
Eric slowly propped himself up and looked down at her. Seeing her breathing softly, it seemed she was in a deep sleep for quite a long time.
Soon, his gaze turned to Aria’s chapped lips.
But to Eric, it was a red and luscious peach. The desire to bite into it hard kept rising.
The sinister thoughts kept urging him on.
Bite and chew this woman in front of you as much as you want. Pour everything you have into her, unleash it all.
So that you can’t escape anywhere, break your wings.
He took a deep breath to suppress the instinct that gnawed at him. Barely regaining his composure, Eric whispered softly.
“Still not listening to a single word from the master.”
He lightly touched her lips. He added meaningfully, as if watching over a fragile deer caught in a trap.
“I would have warned you. Don’t come into this room…I don’t know what’s going to happen to me either.
Eric, with a faint smile, lightly bent his upper body. Soon, their lips met.
The soft feeling I had never experienced before. It was just a fleeting touch, but it was enough to make Eric’s body burn with heat.
I might just kiss that white nape and bury my face in the hidden flesh.
Or should I keep her lips in my mouth and stir all night long?
My tightly clenched fist went numb to prevent my desire to covet her even more.
Aria was lost in a sweet dream, unaware that Eric had woken up. Not wanting to wake up from the deep sleep she hadn’t had in a long time, she buried her head even deeper into the soft bed.
As her brown hair covered her face, Eric brushed it aside. In the meantime, Aria’s beautiful features were perfectly revealed. Eric’s lips kept curling up as he quietly gazed at her.
Looking at her was so fascinating and enjoyable that I lost track of time. No, it was a thrilling experience.
Eric, who had been watching Aria like that, could only finally fall asleep in the early hours of the morning.
