Chapter 17
Yulikian wrapped his arms around Maddy’s waist and pulled her toward him as if he had been waiting for the chance.
A spy is watching. We can’t kiss half-heartedly.
That was what he was telling himself, but the truth was—it was just hard to pull away from her lips.
Maddy’s body in his arms was firmer than he expected, but her lips were soft.
Their lips met and parted repeatedly. Each brief separation was merely to catch a breath.
The sound of his mother’s coughing, the fear of death, even the rage toward the emperor—all those things dulled little by little behind the intense kiss.
[I’m fine.]
[From now on, anyone who tries to kill you—I’ll take them out without anyone even knowing.]
[If you want to survive, trust me.]
Yulikian’s once-empty mind gradually filled with the words Maddy had said to him over time.
He recalled her modest appearance the day he proposed, and her flamboyant outfit from earlier that day when she met with the Count.
Riding the horse together, proposing in that cramped office—memories came flooding back.
Suddenly, the fact that they were pressed together without a sliver of space began to bother him.
He grew anxious, wondering if Maddy had noticed his heartbeat speeding up.
Yulikian slightly opened his eyes to read her expression.
Maddy had one eye half-open, quietly watching outside the window.
She didn’t look affected at all.
It was like she was just pressing her lips to his without any emotion.
Even now, when he had almost let his emotions get the better of him, Maddy was still doing her “job.”
Yulikian snapped back to his senses.
It was as if someone had dumped cold water on his chest. His heart quickly returned to its normal rhythm.
Without fully separating their lips, Yulikian calmly asked:
“…Still there?”
Each time he moved his lips, he could feel Maddy’s calm and unaffected breath.
“Yeah.”
Maddy turned her head and murmured into his earlobe:
“Show him more.”
Yulikian twined her long hair around his fingers and, wrapping both arms around her waist, lifted her onto the windowsill.
He then began unbuttoning the row of buttons running down her spine.
He kissed along her ear, from the top down to the lobe.
His lips then traveled lower—to her nape, and to her protruding collarbone.
They began to speak in tones only they could hear—at an angle where the spy outside couldn’t see their lips.
“Maddy. What did you do with the coat you wore earlier?”
“Gave it to the coachman.”
“Why?”
“His eyes were dirty. I’ll be seeing him for three years, I don’t want to live awkwardly avoiding his gaze.”
“You’re that sure you’ll survive three years?”
He looked up after speaking and met her gaze.
Her green eyes gleamed confidently, as if fear had never touched her.
“You just do what I tell you. Shut up and get the ten billion ready. Is that so hard? Or don’t you get it, Your Grace?”
The words he had hurled at her in anger just minutes ago were now being thrown back at him.
Yulikian widened his eyes but laughed softly, pressing his lips to her shoulder as he whispered:
“…Sorry. For yelling earlier.”
“Don’t get cocky, babe. Sometimes I seriously want to kill you.”
They both laughed, almost like they were joking around.
Hearing Maddy’s light tone made the high-stakes nature of their “contract” feel like nothing at all.
“But I’m facing away from the window now. You still feel it? That guy’s still there?”
Maddy tilted her head back like she was being aroused and answered softly:
“There’s a presence. But no killing intent. He’s probably just here to confirm something. You say you’ve been chased your whole life, but you can’t even tell?”
“Yeah, weirdly, I can’t.”
Yulikian’s hands twitched.
He had been taking his time unbuttoning her dress while chatting, but now he had made it all the way to the edge of her tailbone.
But he couldn’t actually take the dress off.
Especially not with some stranger watching.
…He didn’t want to show her like that.
Grinding his teeth, Yulikian growled in a low voice like a beast.
“When the hell is that bastard leaving?”
“Seriously. Is he a voyeur or something? We don’t need to cater to that.”
Maddy wrapped her arms around his neck and buried his face between her breasts. Then she tightly wrapped her legs around his thick waist.
Yulikian instinctively followed, grabbing her thighs and lifting her up.
She smiled approvingly.
“Good job, Your Grace. Now rip off my dress.”
“In front of that guy? You want me to actually tear it off?”
Yulikian looked up at her with wide eyes.
They’d kissed over and over, breathing in each other, but Maddy’s face hadn’t changed at all. Only her slightly wet lips showed any sign of their passion.
Maddy raised and lowered her brows and replied calmly, just as always.
“I’ve got another white underdress on anyway. It’s not even bare skin. What’s the problem? Or just slip your hand inside the dress.”
“Ah, no… that’s…”
“He’s still there.”
“…I’ll just draw the curtain. No need to actually take off clothes.”
“We have to be convincing enough to make him leave.”
“I think we’ve done enough.”
Maddy looked completely fine, but Yulikian couldn’t take it anymore.
He couldn’t stand having his face buried in her chest any longer.
Psychologically, and physically.
Every time he moved his lips to speak or she breathed, her chest moved—and it kept brushing his nose.
Just as he turned his head, he suddenly realized something.
There was no scent on Maddy.
He had assumed that faint floral fragrance from the day he proposed near the slums was her natural scent.
But it must have just been from the flowers she had in her hair.
Yulikian chuckled unintentionally.
You really are a completely manufactured person. Nothing about you is real, is it?
He lifted his lips from her skin and asked:
“Is your name even real?”
“What?”
“Your name. Is it really Maddy?”
Maddy’s legs around his waist tightened. It felt like she might crush his hips.
“Ugh!”
Yulikian grimaced.
Maddy tilted her head and smirked.
“Hey babe. If you want a nickname, ask nicely. Don’t pick a fight.”
From her reaction, her name seemed to be real.
Maybe.
Maddy used her weight to push Yulikian backward.
Or more accurately, she collapsed onto the desk, pulling him down on top of her.
Yulikian managed to brace himself with his arms, narrowly avoiding smashing his forehead into hers.
“Good thing you cleared off the desk earlier, babe. If I start thrusting now, would that be overkill?”
“…I don’t want to show him that.”
“Why? Afraid you’ll look like an animal?”
Maddy laughed softly and added:
“Your Grace. All humans are just beasts. Some just pretend better than others.”
Her long, catlike eyes curved gently.
But her green irises remained as cold as ever.
Like they’d never seen sunlight.
Yulikian instinctively bent down and kissed her.
His life hadn’t been perfect either—but he had some happy memories.
When his mother and father were alive, every day had felt warm.
He wondered if Maddy had ever known days like that.
Just as he was cupping her face with both hands, Maddy abruptly pushed him away.
“He’s gone.”
“…Yeah.”
Yulikian awkwardly stood up.
Maddy calmly wiped her lips with the back of her hand and walked to the window to draw the curtain.
“Damn bastard. Was staring for ages. I kept wondering how long we’d have to keep kissing.”
She adjusted her hiked-up skirt and threw out a joke.
Yulikian flinched at the impact of her words, as if he had been struck by a stone.
Right. That kiss was worth ten billion.
Oblivious to his sinking mood, Maddy spoke breezily:
“Come on, babe. Time to push the desk for 30 minutes and sleep.”
“He’s gone. Why push the desk again?”
He grumbled, but Maddy was still meticulous.
“You can’t ignore the gossip from the servants. They’ll be questioned too. We need the squeaky timing to match.”
While explaining, she started shaking the desk herself, then suddenly shouted:
“Why do I always have to explain every damn thing?! I’m serious, can’t you just shut up and follow me? Huh? Duke? You said you wanted to live!”
“…Got it. Just shut up now. Someone might hear. I’ll push the desk. You…”
His words trailed off.
His gaze had inadvertently landed on her exposed chest, left open by his earlier fumbling.
“…You just go over there and fix your clothes.”
Yulikian gently nudged her aside and grabbed the desk.
He started rocking it, mimicking the creaking sound of its legs against the wooden floor.
Maddy sprawled in a chair, limbs thrown out loosely.
“Can’t see the buttons. Can’t close it.”
“Don’t joke. You can handle guns and knives blindfolded but can’t button a dress? Don’t lie.”
“Ooh~ look at you, babe. Sharp today.”
She laughed as she reached behind to fasten the buttons, then suddenly exploded again. Her mood swings were impossible to track.
“Ugh! Now I can’t go back to my room tonight! How am I supposed to sleep in a corset all night? Can I just take it off? I’m taking it off.”
“Wait—no!”
Yulikian, mid-rock, froze like a broken clock.
“Y-you can’t take that off. That’s, that’s your underwear.”
“Your Grace. Have you ever worn a corset? It’s torture. How do you expect me to sleep in this?”
“Still, it’s…”
“Oh! How about this. I’ll take everything off except the corset. Roll up my sleeves and everything. Then you wrap me in a coat, carry me bridal style to your room, limbs all exposed like I’m naked. How’s that?”
“Forget it.”
“Ah.”
“I may be pretending to be obsessed with you, but I’m not letting anyone get the wrong idea about my future wife.”
“Ugh. So annoying. Next time a spy shows up, I’ll just bury the bastard. Then I won’t have to wear this corset overnight.”
“What nonsense… ugh, forget it.”
A stunned laugh escaped his lips.
Maddy laughed along, like it was no big deal.
Yulikian ended up pushing the desk longer than the 30 minutes she had dictated.
It was a matter of pride.
