Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 168

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story, Part 1, Episode 6
I had no choice but to take his outstretched hand. The moment our fingers touched, my body was pulled back toward him. Yet Auredhian was fundamentally a man who listened well to me. I found myself repositioned from the edge of the sofa to his immediate side.
“Is this better?”
“…Yes.”
I looked up at his face, now mere inches from mine, and steadied my breathing. His usual clean, pristine scent was mingled with the sharp aroma of strong alcohol—a strangely intoxicating fragrance that was both sweet and bitter, like the liquor I’d tasted earlier. Yet Auredhian appeared perfectly composed. His gaze was steady, his complexion unchanged.
I asked with an exasperated expression.
“How strong is this alcohol?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never tested my tolerance before.”
Auredhian answered while slowly caressing the back of my hand. Without thinking, I bit my lip. A dark night. The bedroom. The only light came from a candle flickering on the table before the sofa. His cravat hung loosely undone. His white shirt had several buttons unfastened, exposing the line of his neck. His red eyes, usually swept back with austere precision, now hung loose and disheveled.
I had never seen Auredhian like this before. My mind felt strangely hazy. As I stared at him blankly, he tilted his head slightly and murmured.
“What is it you wish to say to me?”
“I…”
“Have I done something to upset you? I can’t recall it.”
He seemed to be genuinely searching his memory. But there was no way he could guess. No one—not even Auredhian—knew that I had discovered “it” in his office.
“…You see.”
I swallowed back a hiccup that threatened to escape and opened my mouth.
“Am I truly enough for you?”
“What?”
Auredhian’s brow furrowed. As he seemed to consider the meaning of my question, he released a small sigh.
“You saw it?”
“…”
“You did see it.”
Auredhian’s terrifyingly accurate intuition remained undiminished by a few glasses of wine. He exhaled and attempted to pull me into his embrace.
“No contact…!”
I quickly leaned back and hardened my gaze. If I allowed myself to be drawn in and held again, our conversation would surely dissolve once more. Before I could press him further, I would melt into this dangerous atmosphere. Auredhian looked at me with slightly anxious eyes.
“I’m sorry. Are you angry?”
“Angry…”
I wasn’t, but hearing those words somehow kindled a petulant resentment. I clutched my aching head and glared at him. Finally, a sullen voice escaped me.
“You think about things alone without saying a word to me.”
Now that I thought about it, it truly was something to be angry over. As my eyes sharpened, Auredhian spoke urgently.
“I’m sorry for deciding without consulting you. I wasn’t planning to summon him immediately… I thought it wouldn’t hurt to prepare in advance… Is that an excuse?”
“It is an excuse!”
What I had discovered in Auredhian’s office was a draft of a letter being sent to someone. A draft of a letter he had sent to one of the few members of the Imperial Family who had left the palace. The recipient was currently first in the line of succession to the throne.
Auredhian’s closest cousin. …And perhaps the one he intended to make his heir to the next throne. Auredhian seemed to be trying desperately to appease me.
“He’s a trustworthy cousin. It wasn’t a thoughtless choice…”
“Even so. You choose an heir without telling me? How does that make sense?”
“…I’m sorry.”
The loosely composed predator of a man vanished, replaced by a large dog with its tail drooping, offering his excuse dejectedly.
“I didn’t want to burden you with the matter of succession…”
Now that I thought about it, it was strangely unusual that no one had pressed me about an heir. Not the palace servants, nor any of the nobility of Belgot had even mentioned the word succession to me.
If the officials who had relentlessly tormented Auredhian about marriage and succession during my two years away in Lebovni hadn’t suddenly gone mute en masse, then surely some sort of agreement must have been reached between this man and the nobility!
But I couldn’t simply blame Auredhian for it… because as Empress, I hadn’t spared a thought for succession, so I couldn’t claim to be entirely blameless either.
I took a measured breath and opened my mouth.
“You see—”
“No. You don’t need to.”
And Auredhian uncannily anticipated what I was about to say.
“I didn’t mention it for this reason. I didn’t want to—”
His hurried words trailed off abruptly. I completed the unfinished thought with a shallow sigh.
“—make me feel guilty?”
“…You know there’s no need for that, don’t you?”
Now he was even reading my emotions. His grip on my hand tightened. I held back the tears threatening to spill and deliberately grumbled instead.
“You absolutely adored Brizni.”
“That’s… just because she’s your niece.”
“You sang about missing Alexio.”
“I didn’t sing about it.”
“You’re really frustrating, you know that?”
Eventually, tears welled up in my eyes. It had been so long since I’d cried in front of Auredhian. He panicked and forcibly pulled me close.
“I made a mistake. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”
“You don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“Right. I’m sorry for not knowing.”
It seemed alcohol made one’s emotions run a bit high. And amusingly, it appeared to be me whose emotions had escalated from drinking, not my husband who’d downed an entire bottle of liquor alone.
“To be honest! It’s true I hadn’t thought about it at all until now.”
My lips finally loosened. I spoke through a voice thick with tears.
“I don’t even feel prepared yet. I’ve never given it serious thought.”
“I know. It’s fine. That’s not what I meant to—”
“But you… even though you pretend otherwise, it seems like you really want children.”
I rubbed my eyes and murmured softly.
“Tezebia told me something. When love overflows… that’s when you’ll understand.”
“…”
“It sounded like a difficult concept. So I thought about it for a while, and what I’m trying to say is…”
But once again, I couldn’t finish my sentence. Something soft pressed gently against my lips, then withdrew. My eyes widened. The man who had drawn close whispered softly.
“You don’t need to say it. I don’t think I need to hear it.”
“What—what are you…? Wait. Just wait…”
“I don’t want to hear any words right now, Yeni. Okay?”
Our lips met once more. That sweet and bitter fragrance that had made me dizzy before began to numb my thoughts again.
“Is it really not allowed tonight?”
“W-what?”
His attempt to change the subject was painfully obvious. Far too obvious…
“After getting me drunk like this.”
“…”
Was it not? Was it real? The closer he drew to me, the more my body tilted backward. I tried to catch myself with my hands, but firm hands held me fast.
“Ah, wait…!”
Fearing I would truly fall backward, I grasped at him. Yet Auredhian seemed to misinterpret my intention.
“Hmm?”
Strong arms wrapped around my waist as I braced against the backward fall. Thump. My body surrendered completely to the momentum. Whoosh. Auredhian hastily pulled down the cravat that was already half-undone. In the same breath, our lips met again. This kiss was consuming, devouring. My breath came in gasps, filling my chest until oxygen grew scarce and my head spun. Only when darkness threatened did our lips finally part.
“Hah…”
“Is it alright?”
Pop, pop. The sound of something coming undone. His fingers tore at his own shirt buttons with urgency. Then I felt the smooth, thin slip I wore slide down past my shoulders. Auredhian’s voice grew impatient as he pressed me.
“Quickly, Yeni. Answer me.”
“Y-yes?”
“It seems like now is the only moment we can stop… Is it alright? Or not?”
“I…”
“I’ll be careful.”
I gazed up at him in a daze. The man who always deferred to me first. My beloved, who respected me so deeply.
“…”
Somehow, I began to understand what Tezebia had said. Ah, I see now. Love overflowing. Because I love this man so very much… I reached out. My fingertips touched his firm chest. A small murmur escaped my lips unbidden.
“You don’t need to be careful.”
“What?”
“You can do as you wish…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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