The Lord Of Sinal (10)

Kaiston, who had escorted Liris to her room with a stern expression, did not return late into the night. Liris, who had barely touched the dinner the maid brought and waited for him, was beginning to get angry. It was well past midnight. Where on earth had this man been and what was keeping him from coming back?

Normally she would have assumed he was late due to work and gone to bed, but tonight she couldn’t just sit and wait. She kept imagining him pinning down that lascivious-looking fellow named Sion.

“I won’t stand for this!”

In the end, resolute, Liris got up, threw a thick cloak over her pajamas, and left the room. As she headed to the duke’s office, part of her still thought he couldn’t possibly be doing such a thing. She was only going to check. It was a sensible choice to dispel her delusions.

So when she stood before the duke’s office and heard voices through the slightly ajar door, Liris froze stiff.

“Why is it only me who can’t?”

It was undoubtedly Sion’s voice she had heard earlier that day.

“I know everything now. Commander Kamel, Commander Haris, and even Commander Ban!”

Liris’s face began to go pale.

“You said they had the fill of it?!”

‘N-no, surely not. Surely not.’

Then she remembered a past conversation with Kaiston. When she had said he seemed experienced with women, he had answered it was her first time, but he hadn’t said she had no experience with men.

“Why are you so cold to me alone?”

“You’re young.”

Kaiston’s voice sounded firm.

“You’re not ready to deal with me yet.”

‘So that’s why he hadn’t touched him yet? For that reason?’

“I’m not young anymore! Can’t you see how much I’ve grown in a year?”

“That’s nothing.”

Sion, silent for a moment, growled.

“Do you think I give up easily?”

Kaiston let out a low laugh.

“We’ll see.”

“I’ll make you want to do it without fail.”

Kaiston, pressing down his anger, nonetheless gave Sion an opening.

“Fine. I’ll look forward to it.”

Then the door flew open. Liris startled and stepped back. Sion, with red-rimmed eyes, stiffened when he saw Liris standing at the doorway.

“…‘Lady’…?”

At Sion’s murmured voice, Kaiston sprang up. Seeing his very shocked expression, Liris felt tears welling up.

Kaiston strode to the doorway and frowned at Sion’s gaze fixed on Liris’s face. Even with the cloak, her pretty face was fully visible.

“Sion. Go now.”

“Ah… yes.”

As he moved to leave, still unable to take his eyes off her, Liris grabbed his arm suddenly.

“Talk to me.”

“Yes?”

“Liris!”

Seeing her grab Sion’s arm right in front of him, Kaiston clenched his teeth.

“Why, Master? I should at least have the freedom to speak to others now, shouldn’t I?”

“Ha.”

Kaiston took a breath, holding back his anger.

“Please, don’t do this.”

“I don’t want to. I said I don’t want to!”

For a moment, Liris’s amber eyes and Kaiston’s violet eyes alike hardened at the other’s hurt expression.

“W-what… Why… Why do you have that face?”

“Liris…”

“Kamel, Haris, Ban. Yes, that’s right. I don’t know how many others are in your past besides those people!”

“…What?”

“I’ll let the past be the past, so stop it now!”

At some point, Kaiston realized he couldn’t follow Liris’s words.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Stop being with men… from now on…!”

“……”

“Aren’t you satisfied with just me? You beast!”

Sion glanced at the frozen Kaiston. He had never seen the duke make that face before. It was interesting.

“Being with men… Surely not…”

Perhaps seated on the office sofa hidden behind the door, Kamel, Haris, and Ban poked their heads out in shock.

“Is that true, Commander?”

Realizing there were more people in the office than she thought, Liris’s face flushed crimson. She had shouted in anger without thinking. Tears surged and she turned abruptly, but Kaiston grabbed her arm desperately.

“Liris. What misunderstanding on earth…”

“Let go…”

Liris wiped her tears with her free hand and said, “What misunderstanding? I heard everything here! You said you did it with those people!”

The knights being pointed at blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Sex, sex… ugh!”

Kaiston abruptly covered her mouth. It was unbearable that others might hear such obscene words from her lovely mouth.

“Huh? When would I have… with them… without even knowing?!”

“I didn’t know either…”

“It’s not that I have no suspicions…”

“Puhahaha!!”

Sion finally burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as if in hysterics. Kaiston glared at him.

“You’d better shut up.”

The desperate-looking Commander made the knights, who had been tempted to rile things up further for fun, quickly fall silent.

“It never happened, Liris. Woman or man, I swear it was just you and no one else.”

Kaiston let go of her and rubbed his forehead. He had no idea how she could have made such a huge misunderstanding. Of course, hearing about Sion’s recruitment might make one feel uneasy, but he had thought the matter had been clearly settled; he hadn’t expected it would anger Liris now.

“Really… is that so?”

At Kaiston’s firm words, Liris’s expression softened a little.

“Yes.”

“Then what about what that man said to Master earlier…!”

Haris spoke to Kaiston as he tried to recall what had been said before Sion left the room.

“It sounded like he was talking about a real-sword duel.”

It was Liris who reacted to Haris’s words.

“A real-sword… duel?”

“The Commander does train the knights, but he rarely leads real-sword duels himself.”

Blinking as she mulled over his words, Liris’s face flared up.

“Then why didn’t you do it with me and make all this trouble?”

Sion, having finally stopped laughing and wiping tears from his eyes, added another comment.

“Pfft!”

Liris stamped on Sion’s foot.

“Ugh! Wh-what is this?! Why are you at me for no reason…!”

“It’s because you stick to Master’s side with that pretty face that I can’t stand it!”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

Sion, about to snap back at Liris’s absurd outburst, paused for a moment.

“Pretty… face…?”

What man would dislike a charming woman complimenting his looks? His mouth twitched into a grin.

“Well, I am somewhat good-looking, I suppose.”

Seeing Sion’s reaction, Kaiston frowned at the realization. Not only Sion, but Kamel, Haris, and Ban had all seen Liris’s face. It was late, but Kaiston pulled Liris into his arms.

“Ugh, Master!”

Burying her struggling face in his chest, Kaiston issued orders to the knights with an icy expression.

“Erase what you saw from your memories at once. Any disclosure will be severely punished.”

Even Sion, who had been smirking, stiffened and snapped to attention.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“We will obey the order.”

Kaiston clicked his tongue, giving them, especially Sion, a hard stare.

“Let’s end today’s meeting here.”

No sooner had he said that than the commanders, except for Sion, hurried through the office to gather their belongings and leave.

“Then have a good night, Commander!”

“See you tomorrow, Your Grace!”

Only after his subordinates’ farewells disappeared down the corridor did Kaiston let go of Liris.

“Ha, really!”

Liris, who had been nearly suffocated by the tight embrace, looked up at him with reproachful eyes, then flinched and turned away at his gaze that seemed to burn her instead.

“Uh… Master…”

When Kaiston turned his back and entered the office, Liris hurriedly followed him in. After firmly closing the office door, she scurried over to Kaiston, who was sorting papers on the desk.

“Are you angry?”

“……”

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. But still, that Sion fellow gives off a dangerous vibe…”

“……”

“Are you listening to me?”

Kaiston bit his lower lip. Knowing that Liris had no interest in Sion warmed his heart instantly. He was even jealous. He was restraining the urge to smile with pleasure.

“How are you going to get over your anger? Hm?”

Liris, trailing behind him like a little dog and at a loss, decided to hell with it and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“It’s all because I like you so much!”

At last, Kaiston set the stack of documents back on the desk and turned to her.

“Liris.”

Kaiston smoothed her fully visible platinum hair.

“It’s dangerous for your face to be revealed before our plan begins. I trust the commanders, but I’m not yet certain about Sion.”

“Th-that’s truly… I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful…”

“No. It’s also my fault for not giving you my trust.”

He lifted the short Liris up onto the desk. Only then did it become a bit easier to meet her eyes. Taking her hand that rested on the desk, Kaiston spoke while maintaining eye contact.

“You were the first person I wanted to make mine. At twenty-nine, I had never felt this way for a single person in my life.”

As if under a spell, Liris felt his voice sink deep into her very soul.

“You are indeed very beautiful, but it’s not that I hadn’t met more beautiful ones. Among them were humans and non-humans alike. But of all those beings, the only one who made my heart race was you alone.”

In his violet eyes, only her image shone.

“You, the Crown Princess of the Aikadum Empire, may think differently of me, but in my old kingdom one takes a single partner and loves only that one for life. Now that we are bound as husband and wife, I intend to do the same for you. So you may trust me. I will never betray you.”

“I… I…”

Kaiston gently stroked her cheek.

“Liris, you are still young. You don’t have to answer yet. I won’t force you. I just hope you won’t be uneasy because of me.”

His fingertips slid down her cheek to lift her chin slightly. From almost nose-to-nose distance, he whispered, “I will be yours alone from now on.”

His violet eyes, fixed on Liris’s wide amber pupils, softened and closed. A warm breath covered her small, full red lips.

Though it was only a soft kiss, brief contact of lips without deepening, Liris felt a tingling throughout her body.

The cloak slipped from Liris’s shoulders. She untied its knot herself and, removing it, wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I somehow…”

Liris tilted her head back to meet her lips on his throat and closed her eyes.

“I think… I’ve fallen in love with you…”

His body paused for a moment, but Liris did not stop speaking.