"Ugh, it seems the laziness is in your bloodline," Evelyn commented. Crossing her arms, she then inquired while looking at me: "so, what about you? What have you been doing? I don't think I heard any news of you for months."
"Just the usual," leaning back, I continued in a neutral tone—"eating, training, cultivating, sleeping, repeat. I reached Upper Expert in the Swiftthorn Needlepoint Art a month ago after locking myself in a rift."
"Hah, I didn't expect anything else. Still the same old training maniac…" Her voice slightly nostalgic. Then, her tone shifted to a bitter, resentful one when saying "yet the people keep calling you lazy, good-for-nothing trash."
"Don't worry, you know it doesn't bother me. I just find it amusing," I said in a nonchalant tone, attempting to ease her. I understood why she felt this way though, even if I didn't mind the rumors.
"It bothers ME, though," Evelyn shot back. "Knowing how you train yourself to the bone for the public to slander and insult you pisses me off. And I know that if you ever show off some of your actual strength, the public will just dismiss it as possessing lots of resources from being the heir to a dukedom. It just makes my blood boil, knowing the overwhelming majority of them would work nowhere near as hard as you," she rambled sourly.
"Hehe—oh, I didn't know you cared this much about me," I teased with a sweet, uncharacteristic smile on my face. "Such passion."
'Man, she really is so cute…'
"That's just because… you'll be my fiancée soon! I just… would like for you to have a good image, that's all," she said embarrassedly, looking away with a slightly red face.
Inwardly, her thoughts flared. 'Huh?? What's with him? When did he begin acting like this—what happened in the time I was gone?'
My sister also eyed me with a surprised, entertained look. 'When did you start to tease people?' her gaze seemed to say. I pretended to be clueless and returned a confused expression.
"What made you change in the past couple months, I wonder?" Anastasia pondered out loud.
Then, the servant returned with a steaming tea kettle and three cups on a coaster. Placing it on the table, they retreated and elegantly bowed before leaving the room.
Moments after they left, Evelyn spoke up.
"...Actually, Ana—can you leave too? Let me talk alone with my fiancée for a bit, it's… something important." She said politely, her face returned to its normal elegance.
"Hmm… alright. I sure wonder what you'll be talking about that needs me out of the room."
My sister playfully eyed her suspiciously as she got up and left with a hum.Evelyn ignored her words and poured a cup of tea for herself and me.
A few moments after Anastasia left, Evelyn coughed, clearing her throat—preparing to start the discussion.
I moved my chair closer to the table and her as well.
When my gaze returned to her, our eyes locked. Warmly smiling, I made her slightly blush and avert her gaze.
'She's not gonna start now…? Weak to my smile huh? I guess it's because I never really smiled in the past,' pondering to myself, I took a sip of my tea.
"Sip—ssst!" A pained grimace flashed across my face briefly due to the boiling hot tea. Hearing an unstifled laugh at the other side, I glared at her. "So, when are you going to begin?"
'Ah, he's changed. He's smiling a lot these days, it's pretty hot… Some things never change though, he's just as unexpectedly silly sometimes,' Evelyn thought to herself, clearing her throat again.
"So… what are your thoughts on the engagement? I know it kinda came out of left field for you. Are you unhappy? Do you care at all?" She inquired anxiously.
"Ugh… Don't ask this many questions at once, how am I supposed to answer?" I replied annoyedly, then continued. "I am fine with the engagement, but I want to know more. Why did you propose to me, and why now?"
Though I was pretty confident with my conjecture, I wanted to hear the reason from Evelyn herself.
After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she spoke.
"Well, there are a few reasons," Evelyn paused before listing, "first—I'm getting extremely annoyed by the number of guys flirting and trying to get close to me at the institute. It's especially irritating when the ducal heirs refuse to back off just because they have a higher status."
Although I already knew this from the novel, this still irritated me. An unpleasant expression must've adorn my face as I mentally noted all the bastards from the novel who flirted with Evelyn.
"So, getting engaged would cut down the number of people trying to court me. Your status alone would scare off most of the lower nobles."
"Next, my parents have been nagging me to get married soon. They're ambitious, eager to expand our power. And with my talent and beauty, they want me to marry into a dukedom. Still, they're giving me some freedom by letting me choose who."
I listened closely. Everything she said was reasonable, within my expectation.
Then, after taking a sip of my now cooled tea, I gave her a playful expression as I asked in a teasing tone "so—why me? You've got over a dozen choices, don't you?"
***
'Tsk—what happened to him? Even though it's been over half a year since I last saw him, I didn't think he would behave this differently… How dare he tease me? Heh, I will show him who's really in control!'
I thought to myself before reaching forward, cupping his pretty face in my hands, forcing myself to keep my expression steady. He slightly jolted at my sudden action, presenting me with his rare, precious shocked expression that I'll engrave in my memory.
"Ah~ this is why," I said, voice bold and enchanting while a blush threatened to creep into my cheeks. "Your hair—these dark violet strands, the way they frame your face—you realize how stupidly good you look, right? No… knowing you, you definitely don't."
He looked at me with widened eyes and slightly pink cheeks as I firmly held his gaze and brushed my fingers across his smooth, unblemished skin. My breathing was slightly uneven now.
"And your eyes… one gold, one amethyst—honestly, it's unfair how mesmerizing they are up close. Why wouldn't I want to make them mine? Make them look only at me" as I continued, I couldn't hide my blush anymore—scrutinizing and caressing that heavenly face up close while disclosing all my bottled inner thoughts.
'Gods… what am I doing? Have I lost all shame?'
My thoughts were quickly drowned out though when I noticed his face, turned away with a bright shade of pink coloring his cheeks, his hand failing to cover it.
I swallowed hard at the sight, I didn't think he could even be capable of making that expression.
'MY GOD! That face… I need to hold myself back… especially looking at those luscious, moist lips…' I licked my own at the thought.
***
This woman… When did she get so bold? I didn't expect her to do that, I only wanted to push her a little with my teasing…
Now I'm blushing like a virgin when I have seven years of experience on her.
Returning my gaze back to her, I noticed she was sipping her tea with practiced elegance—though there was a faint trembling in her hands and shoulders.
She's still kinda shaken, huh? Hehe, it's time to return the favor. I'll ramp it up as well, I was just caught off guard last time by how bold and breathtaking she was up close.
I'm also really starting to like her now…
What she just did… I don't know how to exactly describe it besides 'bold,' 'hot,' and 'I like it.'
"So," I began, keeping my tone casual, "we should discuss the openness of the relationship."
Among nobles, it was a standard engagement topic—most didn't love each other and kept secret lovers. Of course, my intentions were nothing like that.
"W-what? You're interested in someone else? O-or seeing someone?" Evelyn stammered, visibly startled at my words.
"No." I calmly replied, lifting a brow. "Are you?" I questioned.
"N-no?" She responded, confused at what I was doing.
Not hesitating, I hooked my fingers onto the collar of her inner shirt, my other hand sliding behind her neck, gently pulling her toward me until our noses were barely a breath apart.
Pulling her slightly to the left now and moving my head to the right, I softly murmured into her ear "good".
During my actions, she widened her eyes, her breathing hitched, and her previous trembling became much more visible.
I continued, whispering into her ear, soft yet possessive, "remember—starting tonight, you'll be mine. This isn't just some in-the-moment teasing. You're mine~, got it?."
Although I couldn't see her face clearly from this angle, I had no doubt she was much redder than I'd been moments ago as my hot breath tickled her ear. Thinking about how her face must look right now, I smiled deviously.
And just like I said, I wasn't teasing her here, I meant it. She was too adorable, and when she got daring… I like that…
A brief moment later, she seemed to have regained a sliver of her composure. Her face was still bright pink as she pulled her face back, not as close, but not far enough to break the tension.
"O-oh? I'm all y-yours huh? Then why don't you c-claim me?" She stuttered, attempting to return the teases, unwilling to back down.
Tsk—she's really making me not want to hold back… She… She likes me, right? Ughh, fuck it.
"Alright," I responded with a seductive smile as I leaned in, locking my eyes with hers and licked my lips slowly and alluringly, causing her to audibly gulp.
I lifted both my hands to delicately cradle her tender neck, stopping her in place as I moved my face closer, until my lips brushed hers—claiming them in a soft, gentle kiss.