Duke, Please Stop Because it Hurts

“Really? More than the Duke himself?”

“Well…”

Molitia’s eyes sneaked a glance at Raven. As she looked at him, who was currently talking to the Marquis, she bent herself down.

The longer the whispers had gotten into Robert’s ears, the brighter the child’s face had become. By the time Molitia had straightened her back, the child was already beaming.

“What were you saying?”

Right at Raven’s sudden voice, she turned her head. Raven, who first thought that she might be talking to the Marchioness, was already stroking Robert’s head—before he knew it.

“Well, I can’t really tell you since it’s a secret between the two of us.”

“Yes, it’s a secret—from my sister.”

Robert, who dismissed Raven’s hand, was saying it proudly. He slightly flinched at Raven’s expression at first, but the child soon overcame his fear by holding onto Molitia’s hand.

“It’s the Young Master, who had never followed Young Lady Clemence…”

“Didn’t you say that Duchess Linerio has just arrived here? It’s amazing to see that they’ve already become so close.”

The people around her were busy buzzing about the special relationship between the two of them. Even Arjan, who had already been here for such a long time, still couldn’t win Robert’s favor and was merely hanging around. Meanwhile, the exceptional relationship between Molitia and Robert had unveiled a much more stark contrast.

Arjan clenched her fist tightly until her fingertips that were still holding onto the fan had grown all white. Then, Molitia slowly began to rub her throbbing temple. It was surprisingly tiring to deal with such a large crowd.

She had to be aware of the keen meaning behind those words that intruded monotonously, so she couldn’t help but to get tired from all that tension.

“Are you all right, Molitia?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ve just had a slight headache for a while now.”

“Shall we return to the room?”

Molitia shook her head helplessly. Today was already the final day. It was a party that would come to an end if she were just to hang in there for a little while longer. She didn’t want to leave a party that had been organized carefully by the Marquis only because she was merely a little tired.

“No, I’m sure it’ll be fine once I take some rest at the lounge for a bit.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Raven slowly made her head lean against his shoulder. His eyes that were requesting people’s understanding while moving forward ever so carefully then turned towards Molitia—solely.

The lounge was located a little further away from the party. Was it due to the fact that it was rather far away? Since there was no one else at the lounge. With the help of a maid who guarded the door, air began flowing all through the lounge.

“Whoa.”

A slight puff leaked from her mouth, where she was seated at the corner. Thanks to the fact that she had been nibbling the cold breeze as soon as she arrived, a bit of a clear set of mind had spread through her head.

Even the narrow windows and the terrace itself that was connected to the lounge were not even visible due to the thick windows.

“This reminds me of the first time we met each other.”

“Hmm.”

Raven’s eyes squinted at Molitia’s mysteriously indistinct words.

“Do you remember that it was the first time you ever saw me and how you asked me to make love to you? It was absolutely shocking—in many ways.”

“……Can we not talk about it then?”

Ultimately, Molitia could no longer contain her shame as she covered her cheeks with both of her hands.

“Why? It was amusing.”

Raven nudged her around and laughed.

“When you recklessly asked me to bed you, I really thought you knew—who I was, why I was there.”

“If I had known about it, I would have already run away as soon as I saw you.”

“And look for someone else?”

“No way. I’m sure that I would’ve gone home then. Raven, you were the only one who approached even when I was the only one shivering out there. Everyone else was busy enjoying the banquet.”

No one had ever cared about herself. She was Count Clemence’s daughter, but none of them approached her, who had been infamous merely for her ailing body.

And that was what she had expected. Without Arjan, she was nothing but just a Young Lady of a mere County.

At that exact moment, he came along.

His eyes were fierce but not that cold as he had approached her with a typical remark, which stated that she looked cold. Couldn’t he see that it was already enough?

“Home—ha. Did you really think that I’d let you go?”

Raven then took a seat next to Molitia. Speaking of which, he remembered her again for the first time.

It was a delicate quality to stay hidden behind such a bold and provocative remark. She, who could only stand at that moment, immediately made eye contact. In fact, she confronted him as well as not avoiding him along with those cold, pure eyes. Perhaps it was from that day onwards, he had already been interested in her.