“No way.”
Iska laughed softly.
“I just thought it was wrong to sleep today.”
It was a joke with a clear intention and meaning. Lavella, who rolled her eyes lightly at Iska, raised herself.
‘When you look at it like this, it really does seem like he’s a flirt.’
She felt this from the first time she met him, but the level of slyness was very different.
Lavella looked into the purple eyes that had become filled with passion.
It was as blatant as a teenage boy in a fever of love. She could clearly feel the agony of not being able to do anything about the woman in front of him.
‘If you look at it that way, he’s not a man who’s been with a lot of women.’
Lavella wrinkled her nose.
‘I’m going to die of confusion.’
Usually, if you poke it a few times, you can figure it out, but that wasn’t the case with Iska.
It seemed as if everything was visible, but at times it was like a foggy mist.
‘At least the rumor that he has a beautiful face is true.’
As Lavella tilted her head sourly, Iska leaned back and met her eyes.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I wonder if my prince is lonely at night.”
“Huh?”
Iska raised his eyebrows as if he was dumbfounded.
“…I keep telling you, you’re the only one who makes me hungry.”
‘Look at me, look at me.’
Whether he’s innocent or not. Lavella clicked her tongue inwardly.
His eyes were fierce as if he would eat her right away, but his tone and expression were soft. There was a light touch of kindness.
“Anyway. What were you curious about, my lady?”
Iska asked Lavella with a grin as she looked somewhat displeased. In fact, it was clear that Lavella had come to visit him in the middle of the night, with a purpose.
“What kind of herbs did they take?”
“They wiped out almost everything because it was a trick, but what they were aiming for was condensed into a few things.”
Sharp. Iska reported a short conclusion as if he knew she would ask for it.
“They are mainly medicinal herbs used for anesthesia, among them…”
When Iska laughed bitterly, Lavella’s eyes cooled down.
“Choi Eum, the one with a hallucination effect. Right?”
“… How did you know that?”
“When I went to the farm, I saw some of the varieties planted. I’m learning a lot from Dabel.”
It was a fact that was inferred by comparing the kind that was in the herbalist market with the kind left on the farm.
“That’s amazing. That’s right. It’s what you expected.”
“Hmm. Their purpose is obvious.”
Lavella, who took her hand off the bed, sat with her legs stretched out.
“Right. I’m going to look inside the village tomorrow.”
“Which side are you going to go first?”
“Why?”
“I’m going to the village with the young lord tomorrow, too. If possible, wouldn’t it be faster for each of us to go to different areas?”
“…Did you enjoy your date with the young lord?”
“What?”
Lavella twisted one eyebrow at the absurd remark.
“Ha, why? Are you jealous?”
“No. You’re not the kind of a woman to be swayed by a man like that.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“Aren’t you going to the village tomorrow? Then you’re going to ride a horse.”
“…….”
Lavella bit her lips for a moment.
What’s wrong with riding a horse? What does that matter?
“That guy is surely going to ride his horse with you.”
Because he’s a guy with manners. Iska murmured in displeasure.
“I hate the idea of you riding in the front or behind. No, I don’t like it when someone else touches your body.”
“…….”
“Hmm, should I tell them to prepare a carriage?”
Lavella, speechless, blinked slowly.
It was strange for Iska to speak nonsense, but even more absurd that he looked serious now.
“How possessive.”
“I didn’t know I would be like this either.”
“But I’m not yours yet?”
“Can’t I be jealous?”
Iska, who stretched out his hand behind her, asked sternly.
Lavella, who looked at Iska quietly, sighed softly and shook her head.
“…Iska, don’t change the subject. If you’re trying to keep me from coming to the village, I’ve noticed everything.”
“Oops, I was caught. Ah, but the jealousy was sincere.”
“Are you going to exclude me from this matter?”
“In the current situation, if you step in, you will stand out. Besides, the young lord won’t take you to such a dangerous place.”
How dare you. Iska shrugged his shoulders in response to Lavella, who lowered her gaze as if asking a question.
“What do you see me as?”
Lavella snorted. Even though he was a nobleman, it wasn’t a matter of being able to make it go her way.
“Lavella.”
Iska’s voice became even lower.
“Let’s leave this to us, and can’t you wait and see like now?”
“Why?”
Just last night, he was the one who said to do whatever you want.
“…….”
It was because he didn’t want her existence known to the Crown Prince yet.
Iska couldn’t get the words out.
He must have already started paying attention to Kirah because of Kuzne. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Lavella’s existence was revealed to the surface.
Until he established himself in Lavella’s heart, he never wanted her to see his only brother.
If possible, he wanted to put it on hold as long as possible.
‘I’m so pathetic right now.’
Iska smiled bitterly at the sudden feeling of being childish and shabby.
The emotions he felt for the first time because of Lavella were terribly unfamiliar.
“You are very easy going sometimes. Don’t forget, Imperia is still a strange place to you.”
Iska, who hid his innermost thoughts, looked serious.
“Hmh, so will you teach me more then?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being careful, right?”
“Be honest. Do you have any guesses behind this incident?”
Iska’s red lips closed. Lavella realized that he was thinking of the same person as her now.
The prince who hid because he was sick and the prince who was kind. However, the Crown Prince was raising illegal funds by selling his younger brother’s name.
What is the truth and who to trust.
Maybe she wanted to believe in the man she had known in person.
Lavella pulled Iska’s arm.
“!”
In an unexpected attack, his body tilted and collapsed on the bed.
Lavella, who climbed on Iska’s body, began undoing his shirt buttons one by one without saying a word.
“…Lavella?”
There was no expression on Lavella’s face indicating if it was meant to be seduction or a mischievous joke. Iska quietly let her do as she pleased.
When she unbuttoned all the buttons and unfolded the front of the shirt, his solid chest was exposed.
Lavella’s golden eyes slowly scanned Iska’s hard body.
“The more I look at it, the more it becomes a masterpiece, right?”
“That’s not a bad compliment.”
Lavella, who smiled, quietly placed her hand to the middle of his chest.
Her fingertips pressed against the hard surface of his skin. This was where the scar of the cut began.
“By the way.”
Lavella slowly moved her finger along the scar, as if drawing a picture.
With each movement, she could feel Iska’s body growing tenser.
Iska, who was staring at her thick lips, gathered patience and closed his eyes. The driving force of madness stopped only near his navel.
“Who did that to this pretty body?”
“…….”
“Hmm? Who the hell was it?”
The tightly closed eyelids lifted, and purple eyes slowly appeared.
A still silence passed.
“Why are you curious about that?”
Iska silently kept his sight on Lavella who looked down at him as if dominating over his body.
“If I say I want to know more about you, will you be satisfied?”
“It’s sweet, so it’s good to hear. Though, it’s not enough to get me to open my mouth.”
“Hmm.”
Iska endured as Lavella leaned over him slowly.
The hair that flowed down the side of Iska’s face hung like a curtain.
Even looking at the golden eyes in front of him, Iska’s relaxed smile did not disappear.
It was as if her breath would reach his lips at any moment, but Iska did not waver.
‘Is he seriously going to be like this?’
It was when Lavella was about to kiss the red lips that were tightly shut like prey that lay quietly in front of her.
A large hand quickly blocked her.
“Not a chance.”
“!”
Flick.
Woah, what?
Seeing Lavella’s narrowed brow, Iska continued to speak calmly.
“I hate it when you use it as a weapon.”
“…….”
She was ready to use even the smallest hairs of her body as a weapon if necessary.
Just as she did for him, thinking that this might be the case with other men as well made his blood boil.
“Don’t you want it, too?”
“That’s true, but I don’t want to. Unless you really want it.”
“…….”
“See? I can tell just by looking at your face.”
“If you don’t like it even after doing this, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Lavella, who was immediately bored, removed the hand that was on Iska’s face and raised her body.
‘Are you mad?’
Iska questioned Lavella, who accepted and retreated faster than expected.
When Iska, nervous, followed Lavella on the bed with his elbows and tried to raise his upper body a little.
Lavella, who put her flowing hair behind one ear, suddenly bowed her head.
“!”
It was in an instant when something moist and soft touched his chest.
It slowly slipped down from the middle of his chest as if something soft was sweeping.
“…Now, what are you doing…”
“Stay still.”
Lavella lightly pressed her hand to Iska’s chest.
Her lips touched and fell repeatedly as if leaving a trace on his chest which collapsed helplessly.
Everywhere she touched, his skin felt like it was burning, and his muscles and nerve cells reacted excitedly.
It was not until Iska, who couldn’t stand, let out a light groan that Lavella’s lips felt.
“What is this?”
“Isn’t it okay if I did it because I wanted to?”
“…You did it because you wanted to?”
“Yeah, think of it as comforting for this scar.”
Lavella, who tilted her head slightly and smiled, tapped Iska’s cheek.
Then she gently lowered her feet off the bed, got up, and stretched her neck and body.
“…….”
It was time for Iska to get up again and look at her in dismay.
“Good night.”
With only her head turned back, Lavella smiled and slowly opened the door and disappeared.
“Ha.”
Iska let out a sigh he had been holding back and collapsed onto the bed.
The place where Lavella was lying was filled with her scent and the sweet smell of her body.
The touch of her lips still remained on his skin exposed to the air.
The burning heat of his body lost its place to go and focused on one place.
“Ah….”
Iska, who made a sound in pain, grabbed the bed sheet as if he was going to tear it apart.
“Aaaah, really! How am I supposed to sleep?”
Lavella. Lavella. Lavella.
Iska muttered out the resentful name as if chewing on it.
All he could do now was spit out a lamented sigh.
* * *
“It’s such a peaceful place.”
“You think so?”
The young lord smiled, satisfied with Lavella’s compliment.
Lavella and the young lord were walking alone in a residential area of the village.
As Iska predicted, the young lord chose only safe places to take Lavella.
‘There’s a separate place I want to go.’
She wanted to get away from him and move freely. It was time for Lavella to sigh inwardly as she saw the rows of identical-looking houses.
“Lo- young lord!”
A woman covered in tears suddenly fell to her knees in front of the two of them.
“My daughter is missing. Please find my daughter.”
When the woman recognized the Young Lord, she desperately bowed her head and pleaded.
“…Where was the last place you saw her?”
The young lord’s face quickly darkened. Even with the woman’s jumbled words, the young lord seemed to understand her.
Hmm.
The young lord, who asked a few questions to the woman, showed signs of embarrassment when he saw Lavella as he was trying to climb the horse immediately.
It was a mistake that only two of them came out without an escort to move comfortably.
“If you’re in a hurry, it’s okay I can go back to the castle alone.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
That way she could move around comfortably by herself. Lavella threw the bait but the young lord was determined.
“…Let’s go together for now.”
The young lord agonized for a moment and reached out to Lavella.
‘I see.’
Seeing where she had arrived with the young lord, Lavella tried not to laugh.
The young lord brought her to the red light district. An area lined with places where her subordinates would be diligently investigating.
‘Ha, so this is how it ends up.’
If Iska was next to her, she wanted to tease him at least. What kind of expression would he make if she saw him here?
“I’m sorry for getting you involved.”
The young lord, who helped Lavella dismount from his horse, looked apologetic.
“No, don’t say that.”
“You must never leave from my side.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The young lord, who checked with Lavella once more, opened the door to the pub. It was said that the woman’s daughter was last seen in this place.
It was still bright outside, but dark inside like it was night. There were no tables to sit at, so most of them were in a unique form of walking around freely with their own glasses.
It was when the young lord, who had completed a simple inquiry to the owner, came out again.
“Hey, get a hold of yourself.”
Lavella and the young lord glanced at the voice heard right behind them.
A man was holding a woman who was so drunk that she couldn’t control herself.
“Be careful not to fall.”
It was a particularly loud voice as if he was conscious of the people in front of him. The man moved by supporting her steps as if he were her sweet lover.
However, it was suspicious if you looked around.
Lavella gently raised her head and looked at the young lord. Judging from the expression on his face, it seemed that the young lord’s thoughts were not much different.
“Maybe we should follow along?”
“…I think that would be a good idea.”
When asked, the young lord quickly took the bait.
Lavella exclaimed inwardly.
Without knowing what consequences this choice would bring.
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Neverland Translations 