𖹭 Chapter 1 𖹭
Alice stopped breathing as Theodore suddenly pressed his lips against hers.
Her mind went completely blank.
Just moments ago, they had been exchanging ordinary conversation—talking about what they wanted to do and eat once they successfully escaped the jungle and returned to the capital.
Filled with hope that they were almost out, Alice had simply looked at him and smiled sincerely.
Count Parhan had returned her smile as well, a faint curve lingering on his lips.
Then, just as she began to wonder why he was staring at her so intently, he moved toward her, cutting through the water that reached up to his waist.
Before she could react, he pulled her firmly into his arms in the water—and unexpectedly pressed his lips to hers.
Startled, Alice froze completely.
As if asking for permission, he gently nipped at her lips.
Then, slowly, Theodore parted them and slipped in.
Thump.
Between their tightly pressed chests, a heartbeat—she couldn’t tell whose—echoed loudly, making her dizzy.
Something hot and soft invaded her, exploring her interior with a hint of roughness, stealing away her breath entirely.
Even so, the arms wrapped around her seemed unsatisfied, pulling her even closer against his chest so she couldn’t push him away.
Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss further.
Alice, helplessly accepting it, felt her heart drop.
This shouldn’t be happening.
The Count… isn’t he about to get engaged…?
Once they survived and returned to the world, he would have to go back to his predetermined duties and promises.
No.
Clinging to the last thread of reason, Alice managed to regain a bit of breath and spoke.
“C-Count… this… this isn’t…!”
But her weak protest was swallowed again by his lips.
As if starved, he lifted her in the water and demanded even more of her breath.
Amid that fervor and slight forcefulness, Alice’s fragile resistance—reminding herself that he was her lady’s fiancé—slipped away.
All she could feel was the intimate thread of emotion connecting just the two of them.
When their lips briefly parted, Theodore exhaled roughly, then pleaded—yet spoke as if he already understood her feelings.
“Don’t think about anything else, Alice. Just think about me.”
Those weren’t words a noble of such high standing should say.
Alice’s pupils trembled.
But even that expression looked unbearably lovely in Theo’s eyes.
Her flushed cheeks, her trembling light-green eyes.
And within those clear eyes—he filled them completely.
Without even having the time to ask for her understanding of the situation, Theodore poured out emotions he could no longer contain.
Unlike himself, he could no longer suppress what he had wanted to reveal for days.
He had planned to confess after escaping the jungle, after sorting out the complications surrounding him…
But those feelings spilled out now, untimely.
Because to him, meeting Alice had felt like destiny.
“Ah! Thief! Someone help—kyaa!”
On the day of the Queen’s coronation, a noblewoman’s scream rang out across the crowded plaza.
At the same time, someone grabbed Alice’s wrist roughly.
“Ugh—let go!”
Alice struggled to free her wrist, while also trying not to drop what she had finally managed to secure.
A cold, contemptuous gaze fell precisely on what she was clutching.
“Please let go! I didn’t steal that purse!”
Alice pointed at the wallet another thief had thrown at her, but the man seemed convinced the necklace she held was stolen goods.
“Is that stolen too?”
His gaze looked down on her as if she were nothing more than a bug.
And his grip was terrifyingly strong.
With a build like that, could she really break free no matter how hard she tried?
“I’ll take you to the guards.”
Easily subduing her struggle with one hand, the man began dragging her away.
“Let me go! I told you, I didn’t steal that purse!”
No matter how seriously she protested, all she received was a cold sneer.
“Then that’s yours?”
He sharply pointed out the large sapphire necklace in her hand as he continued forward without hesitation.
The guards, already lined up in the plaza for the coronation parade, were right ahead.
If she were arrested red-handed in a foreign country, she might rot in prison for years.
Cold sweat ran down Alice’s back.
Even though she was innocent!
“My lord! I’m telling you the truth! That pickpocket threw the purse at me! And this—this was originally mine. I just got it back!”
The man merely raised an eyebrow as if to say, Is that so?
Irritation bubbled up inside her, but she forced herself to stay calm.
Clutching the sapphire necklace—something that clearly looked like it belonged in a noble’s jewelry box—she added,
“You suspect me because of this, but I was in the process of retrieving what that guy stole and returning it to its owner.”
Even after her long explanation, the man showed no reaction.
“It’s true!”
As he continued walking without slowing down, Alice felt like she might cry.
She had been just about to complete a high-paying job—and now this disaster!
Seriously, what terrible luck!
Before she could even properly explain that she was a detective, she was about to be handed over to foreign guards.
No choice. My ship’s about to leave anyway.
Without hesitation, Alice pulled a jackknife from her ankle, hidden beneath her skirt, and swung it.
She had only meant to scare him—but the man caught it effortlessly.
Clicking his tongue as if amused, he said,
“Possession of a weapon. Add assault to the charges.”
He kicked the knife across the ground and dragged her even more forcefully.
…Oh no!
Alice’s face turned pale as she was helplessly pulled along.
If charges of theft, disrupting the coronation, and assaulting a noble were added…
What would happen to her?
The man clearly looked like a high-ranking noble.
No matter how much she claimed innocence, as a commoner with no backing, she would likely be imprisoned.
She couldn’t even afford bail.
She might even be sentenced to life.
After reaching that conclusion, Alice let out a final sigh and spoke in a lower tone.
“Excuse me.”
Perhaps sensing the shift in her voice, the man paused and turned.
Alice didn’t miss that moment.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Her knee drove mercilessly into his groin.
As the large man collapsed with a strangled cry, fireworks and fanfare exploded in the center of the plaza, marking the start of the royal parade.
Bang—! Pop! Pop!
Freed from his grip, Alice quickly secured the necklace and disappeared into the crowd.
When she glanced back, the man was staring at her with bloodshot eyes.
His face seemed strangely familiar, but only one thought crossed her mind.
Wow… terrifying.
Shuddering, Alice stuck out her tongue at him before vanishing into the crowd.
The sky was clear, and the sunlight was warm.
Alice felt good.
A gentle spring breeze drifted through the air.
She had almost run into trouble during her mission, but she handled it cleverly—and now all she had to do was board the ship back to her homeland, the Iterion Empire.
Hooooonk—!
The loud horn of a ship and the cries of seagulls echoed in the distance.
“Hehe, la la la.”
Humming to herself, Alice finished stuffing a large fake belly inside her maternity dress.
It had taken a while to glue the edges perfectly in place.
Wearing a pink lace bonnet, she stepped outside, holding her swollen belly like a real pregnant woman.
