Chapter 37

After Rachel collapsed, the entire estate was thrown into chaos. Lucian, Pedro and Camilla had already been frantic by the fact that she had disappeared, but now that she suddenly collapsed on top of that, they became even more panicked.

The doctor arrived, practically dragged there, to check on Rachel’s condition while the three members of the Ducal family trembled in anxiety.

“She just fainted due to lack of energy. The Young Lady will get better soon once she’s taken some medicine and food that would be good for recovering stamina.”

The three sighed in relief when it was confirmed that Rachel didn’t have any particular chronic disease.

But they weren’t entirely relieved just yet.

“Amber. I need to talk to you,” Camilla said, beating her husband to the punch when he also wanted to interrogate Amber.

She still felt bitter that her husband was taking care of Liam’s daughter better than the son he had with her, but underneath it all, she felt indebted to both the Duke and Liam.

And she was quite fond of Rachel.

Her persistent visits and letters were enough to open the door to her heart, even if only slightly.

“Wife, I’d like to talk to her first,” Pedro said as he glared at Amber, but Camilla politely refused.

“It’s up to me to deal with the Duchy’s internal affairs. I deeply regret that I have not been attending my duties responsibly as of late, but please entrust this matter to me, Duke.”

Astonished, Pedro was rendered speechless. When his wife, who had always been detached, came forward voluntarily like this, it felt like the tip of his tongue had gone numb.

Camilla glanced at her son as he hovered by Rachel’s bed, then spoke to Pedro again.

“If you would like, then why don’t you come with us, Duke? If you have something to ask.”

“…Hmm.”

Pedro didn’t want to leave his son alone with Rachel in her room, but he couldn’t refuse his wife’s suggestion.

He felt remorse for the woman who should have lived happily and loved by her husband. If only the previous Duke had not drawn her in.

Pedro looked back at Lucian before he followed Camilla out the door.

“It would be best to rest as well, Duke,” Camilla said, at which Pedro was forced to turn forward again.

Even after the two left, Lucian stood motionless and simply stared at Rachel.

He looked at her pale face with cold sweat and held her hand. His own fingertips were sweating, and he recalled Enzo’s words.

”What do you want to do…?

He didn’t know. He just wanted to be by her side.

Whenever he saw Rachel, all he wanted was for her to look at him as well.

He wished she would follow him around everywhere like before, just as naturally as the wind blew, and just as the sun rose when morning came.

It was no exaggeration that his memories began at the age of fifteen.

It had been a long time since he had forgotten the memories he had before he met Rachel, and even now, he didn’t want anything to do with his parents.

He didn’t want anything or anyone else. Only Rachel.

That’s why he didn’t quite understand what Enzo was asking him.

As he was in deep thought, he kept moving his hands.

He brushed his fingertips over her forehead that was damp with sweat, touching his palm over it to feel her temperature.

Then, his gentle hand swept down to her temples, then down her cheeks in a caress.

As he did this, with one knee on the bed, he gradually leaned down.

They were the only two people in the room, so no one could stop him.

His other hand, with veins protruding slightly, was on the bed next to her face.

While he approached closer, the bed creaked under his weight.

The tips of their noses touched slightly but soon came apart. Lucian’s golden eyes had only her face in his sight.

Then, Rachel exhaled a prolonged breath. In her deep sleep, her hot breath blew over his face and dispersed.

Blink.

His rich black eyelashes moved slowly, then he tilted his head to the side.

When he was younger, he had tilted his head to the side and blinked slowly just like this when Rachel had fed him grapes.

“Uugh…”

He leaned back and watched her toss and turn, then sigh.

As he sat on the bed next to her, Rachel was still the only one in his eyes.

His hand, which was on her cheek, went down and touched the scorching base of her neck—then he could feel a prickly sensation.

It was an unfamiliar sensation that he also felt when she first fed him food.

For the first time in his life, he wondered what something would taste like as he stared at her nape.

As his calloused hand moved away from the soft skin of her nape, even as it was clammy, her neck looked like the flesh of a ripened peach.

His lips opened slightly, and out came his tongue that licked his red lips and disappeared.

Gulp.

His throat felt indescribably dry.

Even as he didn’t want his touch to be separated from her, he slowly moved his hand away and stared at his open palm.

It was glistening with beads of Rachel’s sweat, and on impulse, he brought a fingertip to his lips and licked it.

The salty taste bloomed inside his mouth.

He licked the rest of his fingers slowly, from the base of his hand to the very end of his fingertips.

—Sooo!

After feeling a surge of emotions, Enzo returned to the forefront of Lucian’s mind.

—So, what do you want to do?

It was the same question that he already asked, and Lucian’s gaze grew heavy.

There was only one thought that flashed like gold.

“…I want her.”

—Yeah, well, you don’t have to tell me what you want. How do you want her? Kehehe.

His gaze meandered back to Rachel, then he murmured—

“I want to devour her.*”

It wasn’t enough just to have her. He wanted to eat every single part of her.

He wanted to lick everything and stop her tears from going to any other place.

But, more… he needed more than that… deeper… more…

His red lips glistened, both his saliva and her bodily fluids fusing together.

“Not a sister. I want her to be my lover.”

Lucian now had a definite answer. He realized what relationship he wanted with her.

—From head to toe, make all of her yours. Otherwise, you’ll lose everything. Ensure that only you are the one who could see her.

But Lucian couldn’t hear any of Enzo’s unusual mutterings, but he instead murmured to himself, engraving the words in his mind.

“My Ray…”

His shining gold eyes were dyed pitch black for one second, like a drop of black paint, but it dissolved in an instant.

Only then did the black magic’s energy, which was fluttering underneath the bed, disappear.

It felt like I was in a deep sleep. I definitely thought of something before I fell asleep, but I couldn’t remember it.

“Haaa…”

I stretched out while I was still lying down, then burrowed underneath the quilts more while enjoying in lethargy.

“Milady!”

But then I heard Amber’s trembling voice, so I had no choice but to open my eyes because of the unease laced in the maid’s tone.

And at the same moment, I remembered what happened to me before I went to sleep.

I tried to sit up immediately.

“Huh?”

“You can’t, Milady.”

Amber rushed to my side and quickly stopped me from sitting up. Strangely, I felt limp as though I didn’t have any strength left in my body.

“Milady woke up after three days.”

“…What?”

“You’re not allowed to sneak out anymore. Not ever. I will never help you from now on, Milady.”

I was startled by Amber’s firm tone, but I soon relented.

“If this happens again, I won’t just end up getting fired. Not only me, but my entire family would be held in contempt.”

Ah, you must have been berated a lot.

Amber was still trembling, and I held her hand in reassurance.

“I’m sorry, Amber…”

“I’m just glad Milady is alright. Please wait a moment, I’ll call the doctor and—”

Slam!

But before Amber could finish her sentence, the door burst open.

“My daughter!”

The Duke was practically running as he approached my bedside. His voice roared throughout the whole room.

“Your Grace…”

The Duke sat on the bed and held my hand tightly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… I’m fine.”

“Yes, yes, it’s good that you’re safe.”

As he held my hand and patted it repeatedly, my nose felt stuffy all of a sudden as I watched him.

Come to think of it, his face seemed to have aged.

When I first met the Duke, he didn’t look like he had a son of Lucian’s age, but now there were traces of time on his face.

“If there’s somewhere you want to go, just tell this Dad of yours. Ask me anything if you’re curious. I won’t lie to you anymore.”

Seeing him speak with a serious look on his face, I contemplated.

As expected, he really was hiding something.

What was it that he was hiding from me? I could only think of one thing—the Count of Elrand.

I was wondering if he was really going to tell me, but the door opened with a violent force once more.

“Rachel.”

The calm voice contrasted the sound of the roughly opened door.

I watched as the Duchess entered in a graceful manner.

“You should have sent for me if you found out that Rachel’s awake. How could you just cling to a child who’s just woken up?”

“…I didn’t think of it,” the Duke replied.

I stared blankly between the two as they spoke to each other.

I knew that they were acting more like a couple than before, but it was such a different experience seeing it with my own eyes.

While I was in a daze, the door was opened forcefully once again. Of course, I knew who had come last.

I faced the doorway with a bright smile on my face.

——

tl/n:
* I translated this as “I want to devour her,” but the literal translation is actually “I want her inside my stomach,” and I was just aslkjdfljglalsj im blushing and this is kinda disturbing but also kinda hot?? ok Lucian, i see you but oh my gosh—

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