C135
"Oh, I'm so tired."
Those were the words of the Fifth Princess, not mine.
She appeared with champagne in both hands and quickly emptied the glass as if in a race. She also drank a lot while telling Isidor to decide the victory or defeat right here.
Isidor also drank quite a bit with the Fifth Princess, but it's annoying that he's more carefree than usual.
"Deborah. I hope you can call me Vivian comfortably in private," the princess said with a slightly flushed face from alcohol.
"Alright."
"Don't be so stiff and say my name. Hmph! I'm sad."
"Princess Vivian."
Her moist eyes became even more teary at my call.
"...Once again."
"It's the fifth time already."
Vivian is the type of person who repeats the same words when she's drunk.
"I'll take this drunkard with me," the Crown Prince, who couldn't bear the situation, lifted her over his shoulder with a heavy sigh, and the Princess snorted.
"Let me go! She hasn't said my name yet."
"You've heard enough. Please stop embarrassing the royal family and go back. Oh, and Deborah."
The Crown Prince looked at me with a charming smile.
"Yes?"
"Dance with me once next time."
Looking at the mischievous tone mixed in his voice, it was clear that the Crown Prince wanted to tease Isidor.
"You can't."
When Isidor took the joke seriously, the Crown Prince chuckled.
"What a surprise. Let me know later how you got close to Isidor, Deborah. We'll leave first."
The crown prince left quietly while carrying the fifth princess who had the hiccups.
"Finally, they're gone."
Isidor took off the tie that was choking him as he muttered irritably.
"Why...? Why are you taking it off so dangerously?"
"Well, it's hot."
He looked good but loosened his shirt a bit, maybe because he felt hot due to the alcohol, and the muscles of his long neck came into view.
"I want to get some fresh air, so let's go out together."
I followed him to the terrace behind the Imperial Palace Hall, where there was a garden with a small fountain behind the woods.
"How does he know such a secret place?"
"I've been visiting the main palace since I was young because of the Crown Prince, so I know the layout around here," Isidor explained.
Isidor sat on the fountain, and I sat beside him.
"At last, it's just the two of us."
Isidor sat close to me and smiled like a puppy, as if he were in a good mood.
"Is he drunk?"
"I think I'm a little drunk."
He gently touched the tips of my hair and lowered his long eyelashes.
"I'm still fine, so don't worry. Are you cold?"
"Yes."
Azutea has had a cool climate for a long time, so spring and autumn are long, while summer and winter are short. But she didn't have time to feel cold because their arms touched.
He lightly pulled my head, and I leaned on his shoulder.
I felt quite nervous at the sound of Isidor's breathing, and he played with my purple hair that reached my waist for a while.
"Don't dance with other people," he suddenly said.
"Is there anyone who wants to dance with me?"
"Someone asked you a moment ago."
"The Crown Prince's words were to tease you."
It was clearly established in the novel. The Crown Prince likes pure and naive girls like Mia.
"You really lack conscience," Isidor muttered quietly and brushed my bangs slowly.
His warm lips touched my forehead once and fell.
"Beautiful."
He laughed as he lowered his eyes again.
Isidor seems to laugh a lot when he's drunk.
"I think... for some reason, I keep laughing like a fool."
Then he frowned slightly and rubbed the corner of my lips with his hand.
"Maybe you know how to read minds when you're drunk?"
"You're the one who made me bring out the words I kept hidden inside me."
"Me?"
"Yes. If you keep looking at me with such beautiful eyes, I'll become honest unintentionally."
He slowly intertwined our fingers together while blaming me.
"I want to kiss you. Since that day, I've been thinking about it."
His unfiltered words made me feel a tingling sensation in my chest. In fact, I also thought about it from time to time.
When I recalled the tension that spread from my heart to my neck as if floating in the air, Isidor's beautiful face approached slowly.
"I'm sure he can read minds."
I squeezed the hand that was entwined with his fingers and closed my eyes. Then, he put his lips on my chin while laughing.
He kissed the end of my chin several times, then quickly bit my lips.
His arms wrapped around my waist like a snack, and he hugged me tightly, then pulled my lips while softly biting me.
The sweet taste of the champagne he drank lingered on my tongue. The deeper our tongues fought each other, the more my mind blurred, as if I were drunk.
He continued sucking and devouring my lips and tongue repeatedly. He seemed desperate, like a person dying of thirst.
At some point, I unintentionally separated my lips because I felt like I might break due to these overwhelming feelings.
When I faced him, his drowsy face left me breathless.
His attractive lips were stained with my lipstick, and his neat bangs were tousled.
The collar of his shirt, without his tie, was more open than usual, so I felt like I was looking at something naughty for some reason.
I could see his collarbone, and his chest rose and fell sharply.
A red alarm sounded in my mind, so I took out my handkerchief while quickly looking away.
He wiped the corner of his mouth slowly and stood up.
"I'll take you to the carriage."
Isidor said, restraining his voice, and stood me up.
I certainly felt the impressive tension in the air, but it seemed to step back a pace with patience.
When I felt regret, he held my cheeks and kissed me once again while suppressing a slight curse.
The rough and unrefined kiss passed quickly. I even thought he might devour me completely.
"You should make that expression only in front of me."
He said with a pleading voice.
"What kind of expression...?"
"That expression from a moment ago. Now that I think about it, I think I want to monopolize you for the whole day."
Isidor lightly bit the lobe of her ear as if marking it. There must have been a red mark, as she felt a slight sting.
"I like you so much."
However, he confessed, and she couldn't do anything. On the other hand, he had such a sweet and desperate expression.
I couldn't move an inch when he, who is meticulous in everything, awkwardly showed his raw emotions.
"I feel the same way."
Before parting, she kissed his cheeks lightly in front of the carriage.
He was surprised despite what they did a moment ago.
She quickly got into the carriage without looking back because she felt embarrassed by his reaction.
---------------------------
Isidor was left speechless for a moment, holding his cheek because she left quickly after giving a sudden kiss.
A deep excitement remained in his heart.
Deborah not only played with his feelings but also with his emotions, as if pulling a leash.
"I already miss her even though we separated a short while ago."
In reality, he didn't want to send her back so quickly.
If they weren't in the imperial palace, their lips would be intertwined all night. It was so good to the point of driving him crazy.
"I should develop the next plan immediately."
He had forgotten the important thing because he felt impatient about the obstacles.
"It's more annoying since it's from the royal family."
Isidor frowned when he remembered how the eyes of the third prince reminded him of Philap's, and he held the handkerchief stained with her lipstick before mounting his horse to return to the mansion.
Upon arriving home, the servants hurriedly greeted Isidor, who officially became a duke. Miguel quickly approached to greet him.
"What's happening?"
"Madame Agatha is here."
"My aunt?"
He raised his eyebrows.
Agatha Baslein was Isidor's aunt. She is the only bloodline left.
The Marquise of Baslein did not get along with her foolish brother to the point of breaking their relationship, but she truly appreciated her intelligent nephew.
She even went to the extent of having no intentions to commemorate the bastard and didn't even show up at the funeral of the late Duke Visconti.
Marquise Baslein visited the estate and passed through the mansion to congratulate her nephew on his title.
"She is resting due to the long journey at the moment and said that she would be tired due to the title ceremony, so she decided to meet His Grace tomorrow morning."
Marquise Baslein and the late empress knew each other, so the crown prince and Isidor have been close since childhood.
"Pay close attention so that she doesn't feel any discomfort during her stay here."
Isidor felt affection for his aunt unlike his father, then went to his room after instructing Miguel.