84. Hunting Competition (2)

“Just keep criticizing. It’s not even about me.”

“I don’t like hearing it.”

Darius and I were quietly laughing.

“Alright.”

I knew what he wanted.

“Like this?”

In response to his comment about physically stopping him rather than with words, I reached out and covered Darius’s lips with my hand.

“Now you can’t speak.”

“Aed (Anette).”

“I can’t understand what you’re saying. Just keep your mouth shut.”

“Oo muh heo (That’s too much).”

“Ah, I can’t hear you.”

But this position had a disadvantage for me.

“Got you.”

For me, being shorter, to cover Darius’s mouth with my hand meant I had to be very close to him.

Darius was a head taller than me…… no, did this man get even taller? Does everything he eats go straight to his height?

“What, let me go!”

You’re over twenty, are you still growing? We eat the same meals, so why is only my height staying the same! It’s unfair for physical confrontations!

“No. You tormented me, so I’ll torment you too.”

“Is hugging tormenting?”

“I like it, but you hate it.”

I struggled in his embrace. Or rather, I tried to struggle.

But when Darius hugged me with all his strength, I couldn’t move a single limb properly. Unable to overpower Darius physically, I changed tactics.

“I can’t breathe.”

“I like it, so let’s stay like this.”

“Where’s the wonderful Grand Duke who comforted me at the hunting ground? I want to see him.”

“That Grand Duke won’t appear without getting something in return.”

Now I was the one pouting.

“Are you really going to be like this?”

“Give the winner of today his prize, my lady.”

“Is this the result of your character and virtue?”

“Anette.”

Darius pretended to be sulky while watching my reaction. It was infuriating yet cute.

‘Sigh.’

Slowly, my hands grasped Darius’s face. He immediately straightened his posture from holding me and carefully bent his knees.

I could see his red, plump lips waiting for a kiss.

But my lips ended up touching his smooth forehead instead.

“……For now, let’s settle with this.”

“For now?”

Darius’s eyes grew languid.

“Then how long should I wait?”

He caught me as I tried to move away and whispered with our faces touching.

“It’s just a kiss, but if you give it so much meaning……”

He sighed.

“What will happen between us when I can’t hold back anymore?”

That was the moment.

Smooch.

When his lips overlapped with mine and then parted.

“Da, Dar…!”

“The Grand Duke with terrible character and virtue decided to act like himself. I’ve really wanted this all along.”

Darius’s voice was suppressed, clearly showing signs of restraining something.

“You should have given me the prize on time, Anette. Then I might have waited more patiently.”

That hoarse voice sent chills down my spine.

My face reflected in Darius’s black pupils. I felt a tingling sensation pulling at my stomach.

‘I want to.’

His breath drew closer. Even knowing that accepting this would complicate the future I had planned, I finally closed my eyes.

* * *

My shoulders felt stiff, probably from staying in one position too long.

When I rubbed them with a pained expression, Darius immediately turned his attention to me.

“Are you okay? Tell me if you get a fever. It could be body aches.”

Darius’s face was flushed as he asked.

“We were outside, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about you getting cold.”

He had been so rough earlier.

But now that we were back in the carriage, he was fretting as if I were a fragile glass ornament.

“I should have carried you even if you refused.”

“No lady is unable to board a carriage by herself.”

“But you’re different, Anette. You and I just……”

“The Grand Duchess of Inkheart spent the entire day resting in a tent with the Grand Duke instead of participating in the hunt. So there’s absolutely no reason why she can’t move on her own. It’s not like I’m injured.”

“But you said your waist hurt earlier. Is something wrong?”

“It would have been more touching if you had listened when I mentioned it earlier.”

“I……”

Darius said with a reddened face.

“It was my first time, so I couldn’t control myself.”

Creak.

“At that moment, all I could see was you, Anette. All I could think was how beautiful you were……”

I shouldn’t be fooled by that face.

How many times did I beg him in tears to stop earlier? Each time he would lose control again and pounce on me.

And now he’s pretending he didn’t know!

“Having you in my arms felt like a dream. Surely this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Yes. It is a dream.”

“I see. It’s not a dream.”

After sharing deep intimacy, smaller forms of skinship become easier.

“I’m telling you it is a dream. What kind of dream were you having, Grand Duke?”

“Seeing you talk like this, I know it’s reality.”

“Where’s your remorse? You’re heavy. Get off.”

“Our child would be very beautiful. Since you’re beautiful, Anette.”

“The Grand Duke is ugly.”

“If they take after me, they’d be strong.”

Darius giggled as he talked. He went on about how soft my lips were when they touched his, how good my skin smelled, and how he lost his mind.

“Such a fuss.”

“I kissed you trying to hold back, but it made me even less able to control myself.”

He narrowed his eyes seductively at me.

“A beast that has tasted meat is truly dangerous.”

“Become a vegetarian from now on.”

“I really can’t hold back. My character and virtue are terrible……”

I blocked his mouth with two fingers.

“Enough about character and virtue.”

His lips trembled. The white teeth peeking between his red lips tickled my fingers. I now knew what was hidden between those parting lips and how smoothly it moved.

We had kissed again and again until I understood everything, hidden from others’ eyes while we packed our belongings to return. My back stung from being pressed against a tree by Darius, who came at me as if he meant to devour me.

We had quite a height difference. To achieve a sweet kiss, we both had to adjust by lifting and lowering our heads, but Darius, who lost his mind after the first kiss, simply picked me up to match our eye levels.

My waist was sore from being gripped in his strong hands.

“If you stick out your tongue, I’ll really get angry.”

Instead of playfully touching my fingers with his tongue, Darius smiled.

“What child?”

We hadn’t done anything that could lead to a child. There were too many people around, and we needed to return soon. If the grand ducal couple suddenly disappeared, everyone would urgently search for us. What more could we do in that situation?

And I have romance too, if we were to do it, not outside but…… wait, what am I saying?

Flush. My face turned red though I hadn’t done anything wrong. My hand-fanning quickened.

“The beginning was veeeery…… ouch!”

“I told you I’d really get angry!”

Unable to hold back, I pushed Darius over.

“Anette, by the way.”

The talkative Darius continued without pause.

“How would it look to others if the carriage started rocking here?”

He narrowed his eyes and snickered.

Come to think of it, the carriage had stopped even though it wasn’t time to stop yet. After kicking Darius away, I opened the door wondering what was happening, and found Alexander standing there with a dejected face.

“I apologize. My godfather isn’t usually such an inconsiderate person.”

The Eastern Count’s heir, the boy who was recently courting Rose.

“It was meant to be a light hunting competition for enjoyment, but my godfather went too far.”

“How mature of you. Don’t worry about it. Since when does a godson apologize for his godfather? Adults should protect children.”

“He’s always been competitive, but he wasn’t usually this rude. Recently, my godfather seems on edge somehow……”

Alexander’s apology covered not just today’s hunting competition but all of Alexei’s behavior.

It was inevitable that Alexander, preparing for his engagement with Rose, would hear about Alexei’s constant mockery of the North.

“By the way, how are things going with Rose?”

“Pardon?”

Darius mischievously answered my question instead.

“Very well. I saw Alexander with Rose at today’s hunting competition.”

“That…… Rose was scared of my godfather’s gun. And since it was a hunting ground, I was worried something dangerous might happen.”

Oh my, “Rose”! Not “Miss Rose” but “Rose”!

I held back the urge to tease him by asking, ‘Are you already on a first-name basis with Rose?’ I couldn’t be a childish adult too.

‘Indeed, unlike someone else, Alexander is kind. How cute.’

Even though I covered my rising smile with my hand, Alexander seemed to notice the teasing atmosphere.

The good teenager Alexander quickly escaped, saying he had finished apologizing.

“They don’t seem to be dating yet.”

Darius leisurely added.

“How could they be? They just met. It’s fortunate enough that they’re getting along well now.”

“As you know, Rose has high standards.”

“Oh, are you praising yourself?”

The man Rose used to chase after was Darius himself. Darius laughed as if wondering how I made that connection, then immediately responded.

“Of course, she deserves someone like me. I’ve known her since she was a child.”

“He seems more than good enough to me.”

While we were playfully bantering with Darius after so long, the carriage that should have departed long ago was still not moving.

‘What’s going on? Is there a traffic jam because so many people are returning to the castle?’

I glanced out the window. The knights were arguing with someone.