Escaping the Archduke of the North's Obsession

When she was invited to Prince Victor’s party, Duke Kyar chose all of her dresses from famous fashion boutiques and bullied her into accepting them.

At that time, he bought a lot of long and flowing gowns and gave them to her without anything in exchange.

All of these gorgeous clothes in her closet were brand-new except for the blue dress at the party.

She thought about what to wear, but she ultimately decided on the blue dress.

It had a special place in her heart.

Isabella tried on the blue dress and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

It looked excellent on her because the fabric had the same color as her eyes.

Unfortunately, wearing it will catch too much attention.

Isabella looked troubled as she examined the ruffled ribbons and lace on her skirts.

“Is it too much?”

“That’s too much, Isabella!” Ignis cawed loudly as he flew beside her.

Pouting her lips, Isabella took off the blue gown.

She knew Ignis quite well, and he usually wouldn’t protest so loud this if he weren’t against it.

She wanted to eat something delicious with Duke Kyar, but she guessed that this dress was too much.

Isabella changed into her go-to navy dress from the closet and paired it with a cute bonnet.

The sun rays were too strong these days, so hopefully, this match would be alright.

“I’ll be back, Ignis. Go play in the greenhouse.”

“You must come back before the sun goes down, Isabella! It’s dangerous for men and women to walk around late!”

Leaving Ignis nagging behind, Isabella exited the bedroom and saw Duke Kyar waiting for her outside.

Isabella was surprised to see him in his white shirt and horseback-riding breaches that revealed the strong muscles on his legs.

“Are we riding a horse today, Your Highness?”

He nodded slowly at her question.

At that moment, Isabella was glad that she didn’t choose to wear a dress.

She was grateful for Ignis telling her that it was too much.

“Hav you ridden a horse before, Isabella?”

“Not at all. I’ve never ridden one.”

“That’s a relief.”

“What?”

She couldn’t quite hear him because he was murmuring to himself.

Isabella asked again.

“No, it’s nothing. I’ve got a horse waiting outside. I have given all of the footmen in Rubella Castle a holiday, so we can’t ride any carriages.”

“Oh. ”

Isabella finally understood why she had to ride a horse. But it still made her nervous that she had to do it with him.

The sinewy muscles on his thighs must have been the reason.

She tried her best not to look at those legs, but her roaming gaze couldn’t stop the urge from going there.

She realized that she had been feeling like this lately.

Ah.

She must have been more obsessive than she thought.

“Isabella.”

Startled, Isabella glanced up at the voice calling his name.

Did she get caught peeping at the Duke’s thighs?

“You look cute in that hat.”

He said as he pointed at the bonnet she had worn on her head.

Isabella’s lips curled upward at his seemingly innocent praise.

“Thank you, Your Highness. You look great today as well.”

She almost told him that his thighs were attractive.

Clearing her throat, Isabella did her best not to look at his thighs.

Still, she was glad that Duke Kyar hadn’t discovered her insidious intentions.

She found a prized black stallion when both of them went outside.

He jumped lightly onto the horse, sat down, and extended his arm towards her.

The moment his hand clutched her arm, his other hand had curled around her waist to guide her and keep her safe.

Isabella floated up and settled on the horse’s back at once.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

The reason wasn’t that she had suddenly climbed on the horse’s back but because the muscles in his thighs had touched hers, cradling her lower body snugly.

It felt good to be covered by Duke Kyar’s chest like this.

“If you want to touch it, Isabella, please feel free to do so.”

His unexpected remark made Isabella blush in an instant.

“What do you mean by touching it? I’m not a pervert, Your Highness.”

Isabella replied in a panicked voice.

She couldn’t believe that Duke Kyar had caught her watching his thighs.

“I meant that you touch Lacey, Isabella.” Duke Kyar said.

“Lacey?”

“The horse’s name is Lacey.”

Isabella’s face became turned as red as a tomato.

“Can we ignore our dinner plans, Your Highness? I wanted to get off this horse and return to my room.”

“But Isabella–” Isabella lowered her head when she heard the amusement in his voice.

“What else did you want to touch, then?”

He whispered lazily as he tucked a stray silver strand behind her ear.