Chapter 12 - The Next Morning

He had slept with many women before, but he had never stayed with a woman until the next morning. Not only that, this was the first time he had not woken up as the woman left his arms. It would seem that he had taken quite the despicable drug last night. Otherwise, his body would have neutralized it to some extent during the evening since it was already so familiar with drugs and poison.

He really could not remember anything in particular from last night. He only remembered that the woman he had embraced last night had a very sweet taste. The skin that had been under his tongue was best described as soft, pliable, and tender. Her sweet fragrance seemed to linger in his nose, and it didn’t seem like the scent was from her perfume. Nights where he was satisfied were rare. He had lost himself in the chaos of the night.

The problem was that he couldn’t remember her face, probably because the drugs in his system had impaired his ability to do so. However, he vividly remembered her suppressed moans and her sweet body. Perhaps he had never managed to see her face properly because she had been on top of him the entire time. He really should have at least tried to see her face. The memory of her body and the melodious moans that continuously escaped her lips were still fresh in his mind, but no matter how much he tried to recall, no face came to mind.

“Hmm?”

Agares raised his finger, eyes on the long strand of hair wrapped around it. His own hair was long, but he was blond, so it could not have been his. The dark hair appeared both blue and black. When more light reflected against it, the strands turned a vague, bluish-purple.

‘What a pretty hair color.’

“Hmm.”

Who could this Cinderella, who ran away without even leaving a shoe, be? Agares smiled devilishly. Cien subconsciously shuddered at Agares’ aggressive grin.

* * *

His competent secretary brought Agares a new suit. Cien sang praises of admiration to his master as he watched Agares leisurely wash his body and change into the suit he had prepared.

“Beaut—err… Suave, Your Highness.”

‘He did that on purpose.’

Agares stared at him coldly but Cien maintained his usual expression. Though it had been an intentional compliment, it was indeed true that the Grand Duke could pull off anything he wore.

Other nobles would not have tolerated Cien’s impertinence, but Agares hardly minded it. More important than anything was the fact that, of all the other secretaries, Cien was the most attuned to Agares’ needs.

“Are we leaving for the grand duchy now?”

“No. Let’s go to the Imperial Palace.”

As their carriage headed towards the palace instead of the Grand Duke’s residence, Cien regarded Agares as he sat in the front seat. He slowly opened his eyes and leaned against the fluffy seat.

“What are you going to do at the Imperial Palace?” Cien asked.

“Erm, I’m going to see Imperial Brother,” Agares replied drowsily.

“What are you going to see His Majesty for?”

“Why are you so interested? Are you interested in me?”

Cien’s face scrunched up at Agares’ words.

“Please refrain from uttering such a terrible thing, even if it’s a joke. I don’t hold the slightest affection for you, let alone interest.”

“How impudent. I’ll fire you.”

“Please do.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Agares didn’t answer him and instead chuckled. Then, he closed his eyes as if he were irritated. Cien did not continue their conversation any longer. He did not open his mouth until the carriage passed through the gates of the Imperial Palace and reached the central palace where the Emperor’s office was located. Cien kept guard without disturbing his master’s rest and only woke him up after the carriage came to a stop.

 

---

※ IP licensed to WordExcerpt. The rights of this work belong to the copyright holders. No portion of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, copied, duplicated, or modified in any form without written permission from the copyright holders.