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For several days leading up to his weekend meeting with Selene, Theron had been coming home drunk.
The day before yesterday, there was a party in the ballroom to celebrate the completion of the Imperial family’s annex, and yesterday, there was a party for the anniversary of his client, Fairfax Bank’s, establishment.
Party, party, party.
The tireless nights of this Empire, as if never growing weary, created parties with new pretexts every day.
Even for Theron, who willingly enjoyed alcohol and smoking, it was sometimes so tedious it felt nauseating.
As if the exhausting work wasn’t enough, the banker’s daughter who was eagerly trying to touch him at every opportunity last night made Theron even more tired.
Usually, he might have enjoyed it moderately since her face was pretty enough and her figure wasn’t bad, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like it and avoided her.
More precisely, it was because that woman, with no reason or connection to him, suddenly came to mind.
Selene Ashcombe, staring at him with wide-open eyes.
He wasn’t even drunk yet, but his throat felt dry and his body grew hot.
It was a symptom similar to when he had imagined kissing her.
It didn’t stop there; the red lips shimmered before his eyes, and heat instantly pooled in his lower body.
Theron was quite flustered.
‘What’s wrong with me? Am I some dog in heat?’
If that were the case, he could just take care of the urge, but he didn’t feel like handling it himself or finding someone to replace her, which made his mood even more ambiguous.
He had to ponder whether he could get this excited just by remembering a woman he had seen once, simply because her lips were red.
Of course not.
If a man could get this hard just from red lips, who would suffer from erectile dysfunction, and who would become impotent?
His mood gradually soured due to the incomprehensible physical symptoms.
He didn’t know if he was bewitched by her pretty face or if desire stirred at her large breasts, but after just one, very brief conversation, it wounded his pride to act like a crazy person tormented by sexual frustration.
Especially considering her gaze, which had looked at him as if he were a rolling stone.
‘Hmph.’
Nevertheless, as the promised Saturday with Selene approached like a tightening noose, Theron had no choice but to get into his car.
The hangover pounding in his head and the inexplicable physical reaction led to a series of irritable honks.
Honk, honk!
Damn it, where are their eyes?
Theron rested the hand not on the steering wheel crookedly on the car door and, lighting one of the strong cigarettes he occasionally smoked, sped up.
He put on the mask of a polite and well-mannered gentleman again only when the huge mansion slowly came into view after a long drive.
A man in courtship must be thoroughly polite, considerate, gentle, and soft.
Regardless of how he felt, whether he was suffering from sexual frustration, he must absolutely never show this side of himself in front of Selene Ashcombe.
He had to make her believe he was a man with nothing but pure intentions who had fallen in love at first sight.
That could be said to be the most important part of this damn play.
In movies and advertisements, they blabber on about how women love diamonds, but in the end, what they love is a man who will willingly kneel and treat them like a princess.
It means that even if they react to material things, what ultimately moves their hearts is attitude.
The reason he was rehashing this shallow philosophy was because of the sense of crisis brought on by the bland report his secretary had given him yesterday morning.
“What is this…?”
“As you ordered, these are the things I’ve investigated about Lady Ashcombe.”
“All I see is a blank piece of paper.”
“That’s probably because there wasn’t much to find out, and what I did find is all written at the top.”
Theron knew his secretary wasn’t that incompetent.
But to have found only this.
Visits the Kilberry Art Museum on the second Wednesday of every month.
Favorite animal: Mole.
“Visiting the art museum every month, I can understand that… but what’s this useless information about her liking moles?”
“I thought so too, but since I found so little, I felt I had to write something.”
His head was spinning.
He couldn’t tell if it was from the hangover or this disappointing report.
“I feel like I’m going to puke on your face, so get lost right now.”
Theron’s frightened secretary, Gary, quickly vanished.
But the paper in his hand did not.
While contemplating tearing it to shreds, Theron settled for a sigh.
Tearing it wouldn’t change anything.
Later, the secretary who had cautiously approached again reported that it was too difficult to dig up information because the woman mostly stayed in the piano room of the ducal estate and had very few close associates.
‘She’s not even serious about the piano.’
Theron, a crooked smile on his lips, got out of the car.
The forgotten hangover seemed to shake his head, but it wasn’t at a serious level, so there shouldn’t be a big problem.
Following the footman’s guidance, Theron walked into the ducal estate and lightly looked around.
It was a mansion of a scale that made him understand why he was going to all this trouble to seduce one woman.
100,000 pounds.
A smile appeared at the thought that even that enormous number was just a fraction of the assets she possessed.
“Have you been well, Lady Ashcombe?”
And that number, as if by magic, helped erase Theron’s irritation and put on the mask of a gentleman.
Theron, who had politely kissed the back of Selene’s hand, raised his head.
Their eyes met, and the red lips below them drew his gaze like a temptation, so he quickly looked away.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Cocks.”
To welcome him with a face that didn’t look thankful at all and even get his name wrong.
For a moment, Theron forgot that he had been distracted by Selene’s lips and pronounced his name with force in his jaw.
“It’s ‘Cox.’ My name is Theron Cox.”
“Ah, I see. Please forgive my rudeness. I don’t have a good memory.”
‘I heard you entered university at the top of your class, but sure.’
“Since it’s 4 o’clock, you must have already had lunch. It’s not teatime either.”
‘Of course. You invited me at the ambiguous time of 4 o’clock.’
“So, I was thinking of taking a walk. What do you think, Mr. Cox?”
The anger that surged with every word she spoke melted away at the single word “walk.”
A walk.
Along with the relief that she, who didn’t seem like an ordinary woman, was just a normal lady who enjoyed walks, he got the opportunity to get close to her under the pretext of holding her parasol.
It also meant that even if she didn’t seem very interested in him yet, if he frequently got close to her and whispered a few sweet words, she would gradually open her heart.
As expected, Selene picked up a parasol before heading to the garden.
“I’ll hold it.”
As he quickly extended his hand, Selene, who seemed to be contemplating for a moment, handed over the parasol.
“Alright then.”
Selene naturally moved closer to Theron, who was holding the parasol.
It wasn’t too close or too far, but the distance of their shoulders, almost touching, somehow made his throat feel dry.
Even though it was an expected contact.
Theron stealthily undid the top button of his shirt.
“…The sun is a bit hot.”
The woman didn’t seem to care whether he was hot or not.
Believing this thirsty feeling was perhaps due to the sense of crisis that he might return without any significant results, making his holding of the parasol pointless, Theron decided to start the real conversation.
“Miss Ashcombe, you mentioned last time that you wanted to talk more about the Kingdom of Velora, right?”
Selene lifted her head as if reacting to the word ‘Velora.’
It was nothing special, but her reaction was like a haughty cat perking up its ears, which made him stare at her for a moment.
Of course, he immediately reconsidered that thought.
‘A cat? If that expressionless woman is a cat, then all the cute creatures in the world are dead.’
It’s just a delusion.
The maddening combination of today’s unusually harsh May sunlight and his hangover seemed to be making his brain strange.
“I’m curious about where in Velora Mr. Cox frequently visited.”
Only when the woman’s monotonous voice, waking him from his thoughts, was heard did Theron snap out of his ridiculous thoughts.
“It was the capital, where my client’s bank is located. Most of my clients are in the capital as well.”
“I see.”
“That’s where I first heard about you, Miss Ashcombe. I became interested because I found it fascinating that a duke’s daughter was attending a foreign university and learning the piano.”
Theron, who had fluently spun a lie, smiled naturally.
Selene, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke.
“Mr. Cox, you’re very good with words.”
“Am I? Actually, I’m nervous in front of you, Miss Ashcombe…”
“You seem skilled and accustomed to dealing with women.”
…This is a bit dangerous.
Theron had to try not to let his smile falter.
“I’m trying my best. No man wants to appear foolish in front of someone he’s interested in, right?”
As if she hadn’t even heard his excuse, the woman was already looking elsewhere.
“There’s a butterfly with a peculiar color over there.”
Right, a passing butterfly is much more interesting and important than anything I have to say.
But his dissatisfaction didn’t last long.
“I want to go see it.”
Selene suddenly pressed her body against Theron’s and changed direction.
Theron’s body stiffened.
Her soft breast was touching Theron’s elbow.
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