What I love is your soul inside

“Alright.”
Selene finally had to admit it.
At her answer, Theron had a dazed face for a moment, and then he burst out laughing.
“Just you wait. In a few days, you’ll want to marry me, not just peck at me.”
“Theron Cox.”
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
As Selene’s face turned serious, as if she had never been that way, Theron nonchalantly passed it off and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“But don’t do it often.”
“Do what?”
“Cute things like pecking. I don’t think my heart can take it.”
It was a little surprising.
She had thought Theron would like it, for whatever reason, if she did anything first.
“You mean you don’t like it when I kiss you first?”
“No, Selene. Why do you twist my words? I’m saying my heart hurts when you peck me first.”
Despite Theron’s nonchalance, Selene noticed.
That Theron Cox was trying to hide something with his slick way of talking, just like when he had charmed Evelyn and Rupert.
‘Does he not like pecking?’
Come to think of it, the previous Theron had rarely engaged in light skinship like a short kiss with her.
‘He would kiss, if he kissed.’
Thinking that, it seemed that Theron, who acted like a dog in heat whenever he saw her, was not very interested in everyday acts of affection.
‘No, seeing as he told me not to do it, is it closer to not liking it rather than just not being interested?’
As she thought that, her mood sank.
So much so that she wondered if she should accept this as a part of getting to know each other, or if she should have a deep conversation about light kisses.
But it was too early to draw a conclusion yet.
As Theron had said not to distort his words, everything was just a guess.
“How about you take me to a place with your memories next time?”
Theron asked with an excited face in the car that was taking Selene home.
“…A place with memories?”
Selene, who had been engrossed in the matter of Theron’s refusal of a peck, reacted belatedly.
“Yes. It’s not fair to only go to places with my memories. I’m also curious about your story.”
Selene thought for a moment if she had a place she could call a place with memories.
Since her parents had passed away, she had mostly stayed at the ducal estate, so there was no place that immediately came to mind.
The only place that could be called meaningful was Revental University in Velora, where she had first lived abroad, but that place was too far.
Instead, there was one place she would visit every year without fail.
“Don’t you have a place in mind?”
At Theron’s question, Selene answered without being late.
“No, I do.”
“Where is it?”
“My parents’ grave.”
Theron, who had glanced at Selene, nodded.
“Alright. I’d like to go there too, if you’re okay with it. I want to pay my respects to your late parents.”
After that, the two set a rough appointment time.
At a glance, everything was going smoothly.
So smoothly that it felt as if they were in a delusion that whatever had happened in the past would continue in this ordinary meeting.
But that was only for a moment.
At Theron’s sudden question, Selene had to return to reality.
“By any chance… you haven’t heard anything about your uncle, have you?”
In an instant, she realized that she and Theron were not in a normal relationship where they would just choose their next date spot.
“No.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“Why?”
“Just curious. If your uncle has been quiet lately or something…”
Theron had suspected her uncle even at the picnic.
That he wouldn’t give up the title just like that.
But seeing how quiet Orlando was, Selene wondered if Theron was being unnecessarily wary.
“If you hear even the smallest thing about your uncle, let me know right away.”
In contrast, Theron, as if he were still concerned about her uncle, would become serious on his own whenever the topic came up.
“Alright.”
Selene, after answering, was soon lost in other thoughts.
For example, about what a family is.
It couldn’t be a more annoying existence, making one feel affectionate and at the same time, worse than a stranger.
‘If her uncle and grandmother were like that to her, wouldn’t his biological mother be that kind of existence to Theron?’
‘Considering he had said he wanted to pay off his debt to his biological mother, who had abandoned him when he was young, and be free of her.’
‘However, today, she had felt a faint longing from Theron as he looked up at the tree in the house where he used to live. Although Selene was dull to emotions, for a fleeting moment, she had felt that Theron didn’t just hate his biological mother.’
‘So, if she had the chance, Selene wanted to go see Theron’s biological mother in the hospital with him. She was curious about what kind of person she was, and what kind of face Theron would make when he faced his biological mother.’
‘If he were trapped in a pointless stubbornness, just like when he had turned away from the piano, she might be able to give him a push on the back then.’
‘It was just that today was not the day to bring up that story.’
‘Theron must be tired already. She didn’t want to make him any more tired today.’
“Goodbye, Selene. Dream of me.”
Theron, who had dropped Selene off at the main gate of the ducal estate, kissed the back of her gloved hand as usual.
As she felt the touch of his hot lips through the thin fabric, the thought of pecking him spread in Selene’s mind again.
‘Does Theron really dislike a refreshing kiss that isn’t sticky?’
‘The suspicion and impulse made Selene move in an instant. Selene gently stood on her tiptoes.’
Peck.
Selene’s lips touched Theron’s and then parted.
“Goodbye, Theron.”
As if the sweet act were nothing, Selene gave him a nonchalant farewell.
“…”
Theron, just like before, froze as if he had been hit hard in the solar plexus, not his lips.
Then he soon woke up and curved his eyebrows as if he didn’t like it.
“Why on earth are you suddenly doing something you haven’t done before?”
“A peck?”
“Yes, that.”
“Because I wanted to.”
Selene stared at Theron as if to ask what was wrong with that.
Theron let out a breath, “Hah,” as if he were dumbfounded.
“Is it okay if you just want to? And then you’ll back away as if nothing happened when I peck you.”
“Because you can’t seem to stop.”
At Selene’s retort, Theron seemed to have nothing to say.
On this occasion, Selene decided to voice her complaints about this.
“Theron Cox. You sometimes seem like a person who only thinks about how to sleep with me.”
“…It’s not like that.”
“But you’re annoyed by such trivial skinship.”
“Annoyed…! Of course not.”
“Then why are you being so particular about a single peck?”
“It wasn’t once, it was twice. And I’m not making a fuss over just a peck, but it’s meaningful that you kissed me first.”
Selene’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Don’t tell me you think I’m seducing and tormenting you with this too?”
“…I’ll be on my way now.”
“Really?”
At Selene’s suspicious gaze, the stiffly standing Theron’s lips parted.
“I hate myself for being like this too! But what can I do when my body is like this…! Whenever I see you, my lower body gets erect like a beast in heat!”
It was a good thing there was no one around.
If a maid had been out to throw away the trash, she would have probably been confused whether what she had to throw away was what was in her hand or Theron Cox.
“Try to hold it in. It makes me feel like you’re only meeting me because you like sleeping with me.”
“It’s absolutely not like that.”
“You always make lewd jokes and try to kiss or touch me whenever you have a chance.”
“…No.”
“No?”
‘If he put his hand on his chest and reflected, Theron himself would know that he was lying.’
‘But instead of forcing him to nod his head here, it seemed better to use a different method.’
“Then prove it.”
Theron’s throat bobbed.
“How…?”
“The next time we meet, let’s just talk like a normal couple. Without getting an erection over a single peck.”
“Selene… normal couples don’t just talk.”
“You don’t want to?”
At this point, Selene also became more suspicious.
‘Whether Theron could accomplish this trivial task. Whether a date where they just talked with etiquette, without any lewd atmosphere, was possible.’
‘Furthermore, the affectionate feeling she had felt for Theron a moment ago became meaningless, and she began to doubt if it was right to forgive Theron like this.’
“How could I not want to? It’s not a difficult thing at all.”
Theron answered as if he had forgotten how he had been so sensitive over a single peck just a moment ago.
“Because what I love is your soul inside, not your body.”
However, excessive behavior tends to make one look unconfident.
Selene had no intention of believing Theron’s words and would just watch his actions.
Selene tilted her chin.
“Alright. I’ll be watching, Theron.”