Chapter 1.5
She had grown tired of learning how to seduce men.
But Jenaire hadn’t taught her how to deal with sudden situations like this.
‘This is strange.’
Ines couldn’t take it anymore and closed her eyes.
The obscene, wet sounds against her ear felt unreal. Her neck was burning hot, and at some point, his thick arms had tightly wrapped around her waist.
Deep inside her stomach, something pricked—then began to boil.
It felt like he was about to swallow her whole. She couldn’t resist.
Was it because the hot tongue, rubbing and scraping so roughly against her, didn’t feel bad…?
The intense kiss finally ended after what felt like an endless amount of time.
The Grand Duke licked the saliva shining under Ines’s lips before fully pulling away.
“Haa…”
Only then did Ines let out a breathless sigh. They were still so close, barely a fist’s distance apart.
The tension in the air pierced her skin like needles. She couldn’t understand why he suddenly kissed her or why he desired her.
But she didn’t want to ask. That way, she could imagine it however she wanted and feel thrilled on her own.
As the heat on her lips faded, a chill crept in. Ines suppressed the feeling rising inside her and barely whispered,
“Are all nobles in Lezan like Your Highness?”
The man’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
But Ines didn’t notice the change in his expression since her eyes were lowered.
She kept talking, saying whatever came to mind to ease the awkwardness.
“Wh-what is the Crown Prince like? I haven’t seen him once since I came here…”
“…”
“I hope he is at least half as kind to me as you are.”
“…”
“Now that I think about it, I heard Your Highness and the Crown Prince are cousins. That you grew up together… I haven’t met him yet, but when I saw his portrait in Jenaire, he had such a gentle impression… Your Highness?”
She struggled to keep the conversation going, but no answer came.
Instead, the emotion that had risen in the man’s eyes slowly began to change.
“Your… Highness?”
He stared silently at Ines’s trembling lips for a moment.
“…So, you’re curious about the Crown Prince.”
His low voice came after a long silence.
He removed his hand from her shoulder and stepped back.
The shadow that had been cast over her disappeared. Ines watched his retreating back in confusion.
“If you’re that curious, why don’t you go outside tomorrow?”
He had returned to formal speech again. His tone was elegant but cold.
“His Highness the Crown Prince resides in the main palace. If you go to the garden around lunchtime, you’ll probably see him.”
“Oh… I see.”
He acted as if nothing had happened.
That alone made it clear how little the kiss meant to him.
He was someone who could do anything, and nothing he did would be strange. That was all.
She must not get the wrong idea.
Ines slowly curved her eyes into a smile.
“Thank you for letting me know, Your Highness.”
“…I hope you enjoy your time.”
Rayan drank the cold tea behind him. The moment he had touched her soft, delicate lips and felt her warmth, his head had heated up—only to now cool off completely.
Right after he kissed her, she had asked all those questions about the Crown Prince. As if mocking him for thinking he didn’t need to bother with her.
As if toying with him.
‘Was I wrong…?’
Realizing he had misunderstood was not a pleasant feeling. The sweetness of her lips and warm mouth was irrelevant.
In fact, that made it worse. He felt like a fool for being momentarily enchanted.
Who did she think she was?
His rationality returned, cold as ice. That illegitimate girl needed to understand something clearly.
In this jungle-like Lezan palace, where was she even remotely safe?
If she just went outside and faced a few cold gazes, that delicate woman would come running back to him in tears.
“After you return, let me know what you thought of Lezan.”
“…Yes. I will.”
She replied easily, and some of his irritation faded.
Seeing those pale blue eyes filled with warmth had been satisfying. Seeing them overflow with tears might not be so bad either.
It was a perfect situation—no effort or even a finger lifted was needed.
The next day, Ines stepped outside her room for the first time in eight days since arriving at the palace.
Berry, her maid, looked at her with slight concern but didn’t follow.
“Please be careful, my lady. Don’t forget to follow the path and come back the same way.”
“Thank you, Berry.”
Ines walked away slowly. The light yellow dress brushed around her ankles, and she liked the feeling of the fabric against her calves.
As she walked down the path, she felt the gaze of many people.
It was something very familiar to her.
“That’s the girl. The one from Jenaire…”
“She’s not as plain as I thought, but still, no match for our Crown Prince.”
They were all the same kind of comments. Ines passed by a group of maids without any reaction.
Rayan didn’t know this, but Ines knew her place better than anyone.
She was used to being looked down on.
After growing up under such stares, she could now read the emotions in people’s eyes.
This one dislikes me, that one pities her, and that one sees me as just a plaything.
Only with Grand Duke Eleanor did she feel confused. He was a man who could hide his emotions perfectly.
He had survived battlefields where one slip could mean death—of course she couldn’t read his mind.
But hiding his emotions also meant what he showed wasn’t genuine.
So Ines didn’t trust him.
It had nothing to do with the way her heart beat faster when she saw him.
Nor did it relate to the sweet dreams she had during her days in this lavish place.
If she thought about it clearly, he had no real reason to treat her so well. He was kind, yes, but that wasn’t all.
From the perspective of Lezan and the loyal Eleanor, the answer was obvious.
They couldn’t let an illegitimate child become crown princess, so offering her the title of duchess was a second-best option.
In the end, his approach was all out of necessity.
There was no good in falling for someone she couldn’t trust.
“…That’s a relief.”
Ines murmured softly with a faint smile.
“I’m glad I didn’t completely get used to this…”
A dull ache filled her heart, but she forced herself to be strong.
“It was never mine to begin with. It’s okay.”
Now, even Lucifer was no longer watching her. If she wanted to run, now was the chance.
She had never tried to escape before, not even in Jenaire, because of her fear that doing so would shorten her life.
But she couldn’t delay any longer. This was something she had to face eventually. After the Grand Duke left yesterday, she made up her mind.
Even if there was a price, she would run. Ines stopped in the middle of the path. No one was around.
“…Kian.”
At her call, a black mist responded. It was faint at first, only enough to cover her wrist, but it began to grow.
Eventually, something stepped out—an unrecognizable black beast.
Ines lifted her head and looked at it. This mysterious being had lived inside her near her heart since birth. It leaned toward her as if seeking comfort.
Her dress began to change. The soft yellow silk turned into rough, dirt-stained fabric that clung to her body.
Her heart beat unevenly. Kian whispered gently,
[Shall we go?]
Ines nodded with determination.
This was definitely not what Rayan Eleanor had hoped for.
But in truth, no one in Lezan wanted the illegitimate child from Jenaire to suddenly vanish.
She was a symbol of peace between Lezan and Jenaire. And even without that reason… there was someone who wished she would stay.
Edgar stood like a statue, staring down the empty path.
The woman had stood there for over ten minutes. Then, the black beast appeared.
When the dark mist that flowed from it wrapped around her fragile body and scattered, she vanished without a trace.
Her black hair and wet blue eyes shattered like a dream.
She had given herself willingly to the beast. It was clearly her own decision.
“…Ines.”
Edgar barely managed to say her name. He had only spoken it once, eight years ago.
Ines, somehow I feel we’ll meet again someday.
Until then, don’t break, lovely girl.
A girl who had remained like a thorn in his heart, bringing strange longing and sorrow. That girl made it to Lezan without breaking—only to choose escape.
He clenched his fist in the air. He was the only one who had seen her disappear.
After a short moment of thought, Edgar turned around without hesitation. The knight waiting behind him bowed.
“Your command, Your Highness.”
“Strengthen the border patrol. If an unidentified person with black hair and blue eyes crosses the border, report to me immediately.”
“Shall we bring her back?”
“…No.”
His voice was heavy.
“Make sure she crosses safely.”
Was this the right decision?
It may not have been appropriate for the Crown Prince of Lezan.
Perhaps it would lead to war again. Letting Ines escape was the same as rejecting the truce that Jenaire had offered.
So he would bear the consequences of that decision.
His nails dug into his palm, leaving deep marks.
A rough voice slipped out.
“Soon, I’ll need to go to Jenaire myself. Prepare for it.”
The girl who had desperately protected her fragile wings—it was time for her to fly.
That evening, word reached the Eleanor estate in the capital.
“…She disappeared?”
Rayan couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
