Translator: Nox

Chapter 10

When the man, who looked as if he might shake her off and leave at any moment, remained quietly in her grasp, Vanessa poured out even more desperate and elaborate pleas.

“The rumors won’t start until after you’ve left. I won’t ruin your vacation or make things difficult for you. I’ll ensure your safety and Mr. Ross’s safety, no matter what it takes.”

“…….”

“There won’t be any obstacles or… anything that could harm your future. All eyes will be on me, so your name won’t even be mentioned directly. Even if someone suspects something, as long as I keep my mouth shut, no one can be certain….”

Most of Vanessa’s words were born of a naive ignorance of reality or were hollow lies. Nevertheless, she seemed to truly believe she could make it so. Once all those cheap promises were stripped away, her message boiled down to one thing.

She did not want her entire life bound by marriage. She wanted to cause a public scandal, noisily driving down her own market value until she was forgotten like an ugly doll that no one wanted. No matter how much she thought about it, she felt this was the only way to protect herself.

Theodore, who had been listening quietly to her words, asked as if the thought had just occurred to him.

“What about the child you said you needed? Is it for the pension?”

“I can’t say that’s not a reason, but it’s also the most certain way to ruin my reputation. Simply sleeping together isn’t enough to prove my ruined virtue.”

“You’d be better off picking a suitable man and getting married. Or start looking for a man who will run away with you right now. It doesn’t seem like it would be difficult for you.”

“I don’t want marriage.”

“You need a child, but you don’t want marriage?”

“Marriage is nothing more than being subordinate to one person and performing that act periodically. Unless I meet someone I truly love, is such a relationship even necessary?”

Theodore let out a dry laugh. She was a woman who was stubbornly peculiar, had audacious thoughts, and was realistic all at the same time. Perhaps this was why Lady Vanessa hadn’t been annoying from the start. She wasn’t the type to prattle on about marriage as if it were life’s only dream and final destination.

Vanessa was still clutching his hand desperately. The moment he felt that faint trembling, the memory of their satisfying kiss from a few days ago flickered across the woman’s composed face.

The small tongue that had clung to his so softly and smoothly, the flushed lips that had repeatedly swallowed moans she couldn’t control—the memory felt like summer soaking into him. Suddenly, a burning impulse rose in his throat.

Theodore gave a fierce smile and licked his lips. Honestly. He wasn’t some adolescent brat.

“What if, Vanessa,”

Theodore gripped Vanessa’s chin with his long fingers and tilted it up. Her clear gray eyes, looking up at him, fluttered like a pinned butterfly.

“What if no matter what we do, you don’t get pregnant?”

“Then… then I’ll have to find another way….”

Lady Vanessa’s face was, needless to say, top-tier, and her slender, elegant silhouette was perfectly to his taste. Even if her slightly twisted mind was a bit of a nuisance, she was a woman beyond reproach.

He had the power to rescue Vanessa from this filthy mire at any moment. With a reasonable amount of money, he could permanently remove the annoying woman from her life, and he could keep the Earl’s mouth shut for the time being.

Therefore, it was safe to say this relationship depended entirely on his choice. It was a whim, like a play, derived from his decision to spend this summer as a commoner rather than a ‘Duke.’ And Lady Vanessa, poor thing, was a victim caught up in his play.

‘What should I do?’

There were three options. Take the woman as a commoner, save her as a Duke, or ignore her proposal and end this perfect summer vacation right here.

The answer was clear and simple. He still wanted to enjoy his deviation in the south a bit longer, and Lady Vanessa was attractive enough to serve as his first. There was no reason to refuse a woman who was willing to spread her legs for him even if he wasn’t a Duke. He leisurely handed the hilt of the sword back to her.

“I don’t need a child. And I’m not in a physical condition to have one.”

“Is—is that true? Biologically? Or….”

“You can satisfy your curiosity slowly. If you’re okay with that, we can enjoy each other for a while. That might ruin your reputation a bit.”

Vanessa considered his words for a moment before nodding. A faint flush of color had returned to her pale face.

“Fine. I agree.”

It was easy to read that she was simply glad she could dispose of her virtue, regardless of the circumstances. Now, even that transparent ulterior motive seemed a little cute….

“River Ross. I have one condition. At least while we are ‘enjoying’ each other, we must be faithful only to one another.”

She continued, clutching her skirts tightly. Vanessa’s gray eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

“I want you to take this seriously. Not as a joke or a relationship you can easily toss aside after a few encounters, but as if we’ve truly become a proper couple. This is an equal trade.”

Theodore curled his lip into a smirk at her cautious addition.

“It’s already getting difficult.”

“I want us to stay that way at least for this summer. After that, we’ll part ways cleanly.”

Theodore let out a thin laugh.

“What if the summer passes and you don’t get tired of my body?”

“That’s impossible.”

Vanessa frowned slightly, as if the mere suggestion was absurd.

“That won’t happen. Even if by some miracle it does, I won’t cause any trouble. In fact, by then, no matter how much you cry and cling to me….”

“Then shall we make a bet?”

Theodore smoothly cut off Vanessa’s rambling.

“To see who will be the one crying and clinging when summer ends.”

“I’m confident.”

Vanessa answered with sparkling eyes, the rosy color fully back in her cheeks. Watching her, Theodore broke into another low laugh. He felt a brief moment of regret, wondering if he’d gotten caught up in something ridiculous, but for some reason, he felt certain that it would be fine with this woman.

Perhaps it was the result of respecting Lady Vanessa’s excellent views on marriage.

“I swear to God, I will never be the first to say I love you, even if I die.”

“I look forward to it. Though I don’t believe in God.”

When he replied with a crooked smirk, Vanessa’s eyes went round again. It was as if she couldn’t believe he could utter such blasphemy.

It was amusing to see a woman who didn’t even realize when she was being insulted try to defend the honor of a non-existent God. Intent on silencing her tedious protest, Theodore wrapped his arm around Vanessa’s slender waist and pulled her flush against him. The lips that had been preparing a lecture clamped shut.

Satisfied with the world becoming quiet again, Theodore wore a leisurely smile. The woman’s body was soft and supple. Her flesh, yielding wherever he gripped it, smelled sweet. Like a summer peach.

He slowly brought his lips to Vanessa’s eyelid.

“W—wait a moment.”

Struggling out of his grasp, Vanessa urgently pushed him away. Theodore arched an eyebrow.

“I’m not trying to be difficult, but, h—here, right now… is a bit….”

Her pleading eyes darted repeatedly toward the shed. It was clear she meant that if they were going to do it, they should at least go inside. She seemed to have mistaken that he would demand it right here and now. Just who did she think he was, some beast in heat….

His somewhat sharp irritation softened the moment he saw the woman’s pale face. The hand clutching his clothes was trembling violently. Lady Vanessa was clearly gripped by extreme tension.

“Of course, I’m not refusing, and right now is, of course, of course, fine, but.”

Her excuses followed in a rush. For a woman who said it was fine, she looked as if she were about to be ravished. Theodore thought wryly as he slowly caressed the shell of Vanessa’s ear.

The way she flinched every time his hand brushed her was as cute as a small animal. Theodore slowly stroked from her lips to her soft cheek and earlobe with his thumb. He continued until Vanessa’s face was sufficiently flushed.

“Ri—River. I….”

He silenced her lips, which were bothersome for murmuring another man’s name, with his own. He pushed his tongue between her surprised, parted lips. Everything about this woman was too small. Her mouth opened to its limit, her tiny tongue, her pearl-like teeth.

He stole Vanessa’s breath like a predator, pushing her relentlessly and obsessively. Her pinned tongue fluttered with feverish breaths. Theodore gripped her slender neck with his large hand as if to restrain her. As if she had committed the offense of trying to flee just by twisting her body slightly. Her breasts were softly crushed against his solid frame.

That was the point where the reaction of Vanessa, who had been clumsily but earnestly accepting the kiss, changed. The hand that had been haphazardly rumpling his collar clenched tight.

“Ah….”

The moment their lips parted, a thin thread of saliva stretched and broke. He licked Vanessa’s sweetly panting lips and gave them a light bite.

The irritation he’d felt had been washed clean during the kiss. Once it was gone, only the incomparably beautiful summer garden and the woman remained before him. He quite liked that clear resolution.

“You said we should act like lovers, but jumping straight to sex… isn’t that a bit barbaric?”

“What?”

Vanessa had said summer was short, but in his view, the southern summer was agonizingly long. Long enough to make the immature roses bloom over and over again. Theodore lightly kissed the nape of Vanessa’s white neck.

“No matter how rushed you are, you shouldn’t give up on being a lady, Vanessa.”

“When did I ever….”

Seeing her indignant gaze suddenly cloud over, it seemed she realized how much her own words had sounded like she was begging for it. Her expression instantly became despondent, like a cat looking at spilled milk on a dirt floor.

Eventually coming to her senses, Vanessa flung his hand away as if it were trash. Theodore let out a jovial laugh at the sight of her quick retreat as she turned and fled. His movements as he pulled out a cigar and put it to his lips were leisurely.

Indeed, Vanessa. You shouldn’t have made that bet about losing.

***

Good heavens.

Having returned to her room and locked the door, Vanessa slowly sank to the floor, cradling her cheeks in both hands. Her heart was beating incredibly loudly. It felt as if a steam engine had been installed inside her.

Just how had River Ross grown into such a man? More than the joy of having persuaded him, she felt a ridiculous sense of bewilderment at the fact that he truly desired her. Even though it was exactly what she had hoped for.

To begin with, River Ross was far too large for her. His tall stature that seemed to swallow even her shadow, his hands with their prominent veins, his broad, sturdy shoulders, and even….