Chapter 12 - It’s Not My Fault

His hair was still wet from the bath and droplets of water clung to the strands. His piercing eyes, as cold and chilling as they always seemed to be when he looked at her, were now haltingly serious, glowering at her with palpable heat. His sharp, even nose was pointed high. He kept his lips parted, as if waiting for Anna to make a move.

Looking into his eyes, she finally realized he was being serious. However, if he was planning on striking fear into her heart with this command, he was sorely mistaken. What Anna was actually concerned about was something else.

Her heart suddenly started beating rapidly. A deep feeling began to well up in the bottom of her chest. This was what she truly feared most.

Although she had simply been matching Dylan’s gaze with her own, her breath started coming in quick, shallow puffs. The word yayok began to run through her mind; it was the same word Dylan had claimed suited her back then in the library, and she had since discovered it meant ‘selfish desire’. 

It matched what she felt now to a terrifying degree.

After breathing in heavily a few times, Anna slowly lowered her body, coming closer to him. Although she couldn’t come together on his feelings and desires, this was something she decided he brought upon himself. As she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his, pushing her tongue into his mouth, she kept in mind that she was just obeying his orders. 

‘It’s not my fault,’ she thought to herself. She was just being a diligent employee.

Dylan felt his tongue touch Anna’s as he waited quietly, and for a moment, their tongues became intertwined. They shared each other’s breaths.

Anna swore to herself, over and over, that this wasn’t a kiss. However, Dylan grasped the back of her head and began to envelop her lips with his, leaving her mind completely blank.

It was definitely a kiss. 

His lips pressed roughly against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue felt molten, heatedly invading her mouth and exploring within. He grabbed her chest and Anna moaned, the sound vibrating between their locked lips. His other hand started slipping under her skirt, traveling up her sleek thighs toward her hips. It sought a secret place, edging deeper into forbidden territory.

‘Not there!’ Anna thought, alarmed, but just as she was about to push him away, a knock suddenly came from the door.

“Ah!”

The two opened their eyes at the same time, as if startled from a dream. Anna pushed Dylan away by the chest and quickly hopped off the bed to fix her clothes. Meanwhile, Dylan looked down at his hands as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

‘What have I done?’

Anna adopted a calm, stoic expression, and it churned his insides into another storm. “I’ll be taking my leave,” she said, but he just glared at her, scolding her wordlessly. He waved his hand in the air, dismissing her.

Anna bowed politely and left the room. After her, another girl entered. “Master,” the girl began, “I’ll water the pot for a mome—”

“Don’t. Just come back later.”

After ordering her away, Dylan rubbed a hand across his face in self-recrimination. 

***

As soon as Anna stepped out of the room, she leaned against the wall and slowly slid down onto the floor. “Am I dreaming?” she mumbled to herself.

“I’m sure you’d want to think that,” Casey answered sarcastically. She entered the room only to leave immediately afterwards, so she had heard Anna’s stunned musings. Seeing Anna so breathless and out of her mind hadn’t fazed Casey in the slightest. She believed that Anna completely deserved it.

After all, Anna was probably going to get kicked out of the Kilner household eventually, and when that time comes, she would finally reap what she sowed and pay the price for her impudence.