Deep, clear eyes were filled with nothing but Rishi.
I felt as if I would get lost in his gaze.
Hot breath reached the tip of Rishi’s nose.
Afraid that her own breath might reach his, she held her breath and stared at him.
A ripple stirred near her heart, spreading softly and quickening her pulse.
In her past life, a man’s gaze meant nothing but fear and disgust to Rishi.
That was why she felt bewildered by the strange emotions stirring as she met his ash-gray gaze.
“Haa.”
She let out a breath without realizing it.
The air that escaped her red, moist lips seemed to tickle his, and his thin lips moved slightly.
They were close enough that his warmth reached her even without contact.
Rishi wanted to pull away from his blood-red lips, which seemed as if they might pounce on her at any moment, but she stood straight, met his gaze steadily, and said:
“Am I not too big to swallow in one gulp?”
His eyes narrowed.
“That remains to be seen.”
The breath accompanying his low voice brushed against her lips.
Rishi slowly closed her eyes and opened them again.
She had resolved to do anything for this new life—this second chance.
Sleeping with Kay Brant Green, who presented a perfect opportunity, was a small price to pay.
Beyond her thick eyelashes, she saw his face, which seemed to be waiting for an answer.
His straight forehead and dark, slightly arched eyebrows.
His deeply set eyes shone quietly, as if testing her.
Finally, Rishi opened her mouth.
“Then, as you wish.”
As soon as she spoke, his thick arm wrapped around her slim waist and pulled her in.
Rishi’s body pressed against his.
His intense body heat seeped through her thin gown.
With his arm firmly around her waist, he laid her down on the bed.
Her long, reddish-tinted silver hair scattered over the linens like petals.
Rishi felt the soft bed beneath her back and his solid frame against her.
The large gown wrapping her body parted, revealing her rounded, slender shoulders.
He bowed his head and kissed her shoulder.
Rishi flinched in tension at the searing, brand-like touch of his lips.
Kay gently caught the wrist she had instinctively raised.
His large hand gripped her slender wrist and pressed it firmly beside her head.
His lips, which had been teasing her shoulder, moved up the slope and stopped at the nape of her neck.
The moment his hot breath flowed down her neck like shackles, Rishi’s thoughts drifted to her past life.
She remembered the suffocating weight of Alford that had once crushed her.
Rishi swallowed a scream.
*I must endure it.*
She squeezed her eyes shut and snapped them open again.
She had to accept this situation completely.
Closing her eyes and cowering was for the stupid, weak Iris Hutchis of the past.
The Iris Green of this life must not close her eyes in the face of fear.
Suppressing her terror, she gritted her teeth and glared at the ceiling.
She didn’t even realize that his breath, which had been scorching her neck, had drifted away.
“You are like a wooden statue, Rishi.”
Only when his low voice sounded could she focus her eyes again.
His face, which had been near her neck, had risen to meet hers.
“Isn’t it up to the man whether a woman becomes a wooden statue on the bed or a flower that unfolds its petals?”
Kay looked down at her silently.
Perhaps he was angry. Blaming a man on the bed was a direct insult to his pride.
But Rishi had no intention of retracting her words.
There were only two ways a man with wounded pride would react:
He would either take her by force in a fit of pique, or be so offended that he would never touch her again.
Either outcome was fine by her.
Kay gently wiped the corner of her eye with his thumb.
The touch was so surprisingly tender that she blinked.
She had expected him to be angry.
After carefully tidying the hair that was scattered on the bed, Kay lay down quietly beside her.
Rishi turned her head toward him.
“Is this the end?”
At her question, Kay turned to face her.
“I like to eat while it’s hot.”
“Oh, you are quite picky. But what shall we do? I don’t get heated up easily.”
“Well. That remains to be seen, Rishi.”
His voice was pleasant, sounding as steady as always.
Tension drained from her shoulders. As soon as she closed her eyes, exhaustion washed over her.
A lot had happened today.
She felt him pulling her gown to cover her more securely, but a heavy drowsiness settled in, making it hard to move even a finger.
“Sleep, Rishi.”
As she drifted into slumber, she heard his voice.
“You will have a good dream.”
*Would she, really?*
Rishi had never had a good dream in her life.
Still, she thought it was nice to hear his gentle voice before falling asleep.
+++
Listening to the rhythm of her steady breathing, Kay quietly slipped out of the bed.
After the former Count Green had handed everything over to him and retired, there was much work to be done.
Naturally, he had no time to focus on women, and he had expected it to stay that way.
But…
*‘A curious woman.’*
Kay stood by the bed and watched her for a moment.
The rumors about Iris, the “flower” of the Witlow Duchy, had reached his ears, even though he had no interest in women.
It was said she was so delicate and beautiful that the Duke of Witlow kept her hidden away, protecting her from the world.
They said that if she even suffered a scratch on her finger, the Duke would be distraught.
But there were other rumors, too.
They whispered that Iris was born of a maid and treated worse than one within the Witlow household.
He had always dismissed those as nonsense spread by people who enjoyed belittling others.
*‘Now that I see her, it seems those rumors weren’t nonsense after all.’*
Rishi was a peculiar woman.
She seemed arrogant and strong, yet she appeared as fragile as if she might crumble at any moment. At times, she had the eyes of a weed that had struggled and survived the flames of hell, just as she had said.
There was something in her that a well-bred noble lady could never possess. Those differences kept catching his interest.
He had laid her on the bed because he wanted to see how she would react, what it would feel like to hold her.
She had reacted differently than he expected.
She had maintained an aloof expression, but Kay, sensitive to the emotions of others, could tell she had been terrified.
“What is it that frightens you, Iris?”
Kay pulled the blanket up to cover her.
“Surely the Duke of Witlow didn’t do something terrible to you, did he?”
The face of the greedy Duke Glovern Witlow came to mind.
“If that is the case, I will show that man hell.”
He didn’t have the loyalty to go that far for her. She was just an ally who had seized his weakness and made a deal.
This marriage, too, was purely for mutual gain.
However, he liked her.
He liked the arrogant strength that flowed through her, and the desperate vulnerability that occasionally leaked out.
He liked the shyness she showed without realizing it, and the fleeting, joyful smiles she flashed.
Affection wasn’t limited to the romance between a man and a woman; it could also grow from an alliance.
Just because this was a political marriage didn’t mean he would treat her carelessly.
Whatever the reason for their union, she was Countess Green.
“Now you are the flower of the House Green, Iris. So…”
*You can bloom in peace.*
Everything in the Green household will move for your sake.
As Kay stepped out of the room and walked down the hallway, someone followed him.
It was Gillette Merdi, his maid.
Gillette was the daughter of a Viscount and had been serving him for three years.
“Count, shall I bring some tea?”
“No.”
1. Chapter 1
“It’s unnecessary. Go and rest.”
Kay said coldly and walked toward the study.
His subordinates would be waiting for him.
Gillette followed behind him.
Kay stopped and turned to look at her.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Yes, well……”
Gillette hesitated before looking up at him.
“Are you… truly getting married?”
“I’m not getting married; I already am.”
“The ceremony……”
“Is that necessary?”
“Ah……”
For some reason, Gillette’s expression brightened.
“So it’s a political marriage. It was so sudden that I was wondering what was going on……”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Um… the Madam is from the Witlow family……”
“If you are going to talk about my marriage, stop.”
Kay turned on his heel and walked toward the study.
Gillette did not follow him any further.
She stared at his broad back until he disappeared, then let out a deep sigh.
Cavebrandt Green.
Ever since she first saw him as a child, she had admired him. She had pestered her father to get her a position as a maid in his service, desperate to set foot in the Green estate.
It wasn’t uncommon for a maid serving an unmarried nobleman to catch his eye and eventually marry into the family.
Gillette had been certain he would eventually show interest in her. She had been told she was pretty since she was young, and she had never lacked for suitors.
However, three years had passed.
He hadn’t shown the slightest bit of interest in her.
But since he didn’t seem to have another woman, she had assumed he was simply too busy for romance, and that one day, his gaze would finally turn toward her.
Then came the news that he was marrying Iris, the “flower” of the Witlow Duchy.
Iris, who was rumored to be as beautiful as an elf.
She had heard stories that countless men were dying to marry her, but she had never dreamed he would be one of them.
*‘But it wasn’t true. It’s just a political marriage.’*
As proof, he hadn’t even held a wedding ceremony.
No matter how political a marriage was, a grand ceremony was standard, but it seemed he had no intention of doing even that much for her.
The dark clouds that had hung over her since she heard the news cleared away.
Gillette smiled and turned around.