Damie didn’t answer. Of course, Cesare, his stepson, couldn’t have both. However, Damie had a bad feeling that Cesare would somehow find a way.
Cecile clicked her tongue and poured Damie a cup of tea as she saw her face darken suddenly.
“I talked about something too heavy right after you woke up. Hey, drink this first. Take a sip and then talk.”
Cecile had a knack for offering herbal tea as if it were alcohol. Damie, caught off guard, took the cup and sipped the tea as Cecile instructed.
As the fragrant tea warmed her empty stomach, her head began to clear. Just as Damie was about to regain her inner peace, Cecile, who had been gazing at her intently with her chin resting on her hand, suddenly asked.
“So. Did you sleep with Lord Acard? Was he as good as the rumors say?”
“Pfft, cough, cough!!”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Damie half-spilled her tea. The front of her white chemise became wet, much like the night she had poured honey mead on herself to seduce Acard.
“Cecile!”
Damie scowled at the source of her troubles, but Cecile, still miffed from that night, shot back sulkily.
“Why are you raising your voice? If you deceived me with a lie, you should at least atone for it. Hurry up and answer! Was he good or not?”
Cecile’s face was filled with resentment as she glared at Damie. Seeing that, Damie had no choice but to give a vague answer.
“Well, he was okay.”
In truth, he was more than okay. Acard Valerian was incredible, skillful, and relentless, pushing her to her limits. Despite it being their first time, Damie experienced intense climaxes repeatedly until she was exhausted.
Recalling her behavior from the previous night, her face flushed with heat. Fortunately, Cecile didn’t seem genuinely interested in Acard’s prowess, quickly moving on.
“I never imagined you’d do that with Lord Acard, Damie. I thought you, of all people, wouldn’t fall for a one-night stand with a playboy… I must have raised you wrong.”
“I’m sorry, Cecile.”
“From now on, I’ll call you ‘Feu Papillon.’ You know what that means, right? It’s a moth to a flame, you little thing!”
“Were you really that upset? You’re being so petty.”
Damie looked at Cecile with exasperation. Seeing that Cecile seemed to have had enough, she finally closed her mouth. She picked up a jam-covered biscuit from the tray and asked Damie.
“So. Did it help you feel better? Or… do you regret it?”
“Regret?”
Damie briefly recalled the previous night. Acard wasn’t particularly gentle, not even with sweet talk. Since they had no relationship, expecting consideration would have been presumptuous.
But the longing looks in Acard’s eyes, the way he touched her with admiration, and his passionate movements all spoke honestly to Damie. They told her she was truly beautiful and that he earnestly desired her.
For Damie, whose self-esteem had hit rock bottom, this was the greatest comfort. Even if their relationship was driven solely by lust, it was a fact that she had been comforted. Thanks to that fleeting warmth, she could stand up again.
“I don’t regret sleeping with him, Cecile.”
“Hmm, I was just wondering.”
Cecile’s pupils wavered uneasily at Damie’s honest answer. Then, hesitantly, she asked.
“Damie, I’m not particularly worried about you, just saying this out of concern. When grown men and women become physically involved, feelings can develop… And Lord Acard is attractive, so you might have new feelings…”
“I don’t like him. It was just a one-night thing. No need to worry.”
Damie cut her off firmly. It wasn’t just words; she genuinely believed it. Especially since Acard had tried to ‘draw the line’ before they parted, her belief was firm.
Hearing this, Cecile relaxed. She straightened her posture and snorted.
“You! Who’s worried? I was just curious!”
“Anyway, thanks.”
Damie, looking down and smiling, had matured significantly. Even though she had been heartbroken by Kael’s departure, she showed no signs of distress. This made Cecile feel even worse.
“Damie. If you want, you can stay at our place a little longer.”
“No, I should go back now.”
Damie, brushing her slightly tousled hair from the morning, set down her teacup.
“Home.”
All the adventures were over.
Damie had been rejected by Kael Reusten and slept with Acard Valerian in a fit of anger to provoke Cesare. None of these actions were typical of her.
The invisible rules, decorum, and morality that had bound her were all cast off in this rebellion, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It was far more stimulating, thrilling, and enjoyable than she had imagined. It was an experience she would never forget.
But now it was time to return to her original place. Damie Primula, the daughter of northern nobility and the future heir of Count Primula.
*** *** *** *** ***
As Cecile had said, Cesare wasn’t home. He had gone to see his stepfather, Count Primula. Instead, Damie was greeted by a graceful middle-aged woman with sunset-colored eyes.
“You’re home, Damie.”
Holding a young boy, she looked at Damie cautiously. Frail and timid, she always seemed to be wary of her stepdaughter.
“I’m back, Mother. I’ve been at Cecile’s place. I’m sorry for not informing you in advance.”
Relieved by Damie’s respectful response, her stepmother, Noella, smiled and asked, more welcoming than usual.
“It’s late. I left some documents that need your approval on your desk. Have you had lunch? Are you tired?”
“No, I’m not particularly hungry. Not tired either.”
“Gaaroo, ahaha!”
At that moment, Damie’s half-brother, Leon, burst into laughter and reached out to her with his tiny hands, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
“Hello, Leon.”
Leon was the late-born child Noella had struggled to have after marriage. She had prayed at the temple every week to conceive him.
Thanks to her devotion, Leon was born healthy. After greeting her young half-brother, Damie glanced at her stepmother. She wanted to rest because she was tired.
But Noella, looking unusually restless, was staring at Damie. It seemed she had something more to say.
As Damie wondered about this, a haughty female voice came from behind.
“Lady Damie! You’re finally back.”
…Louise Perilla?
An unexpected guest. The blonde, doll-like Louise was a distant relative of Acard Valerian. Her brother, Reshid, had brought Acard to Kael’s farewell party a few days ago.
Reshid was a decent young man, but his sister, Louise, was not. She had a knack for making people uncomfortable, just like now.
“My, you’re finally home! You must have had quite a time with my cousin. Because of your scandalous behavior, Cesare even left the mansion.”
Louise’s first words were, as expected, an attack. Damie glanced at Noella, who, unable to withstand Louise’s force, must have divulged some details.
“Because of your promiscuous relationship, Cesare and I had to cancel our picnic. Thanks for that.”
Louise lifted her chin and snapped. It was clear she intended to take out her frustration over the canceled picnic on Damie.
As evident from their current conversation, Louise had a serious crush on Damie’s stepbrother, Cesare.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? My goodness, Damie! Did you intentionally sabotage my picnic with Cesare? Do you really like Cesare?”
Here we go again. What Cecile called ‘Louise Perilla’s hissy fit.’
Damie and Louise’s bad blood had a long history.
Louise hadn’t always liked Cesare. Her first love was actually Kael Reusten. In a way, she and Damie shared the same first love, and they might have become friends over time.
But Louise, who was exceptional from the start, was different. As the cherished daughter of Count Perilla, she didn’t know how to share. To her, Damie, who had been close to Kael since childhood, was a thorn in her side.
So, at eleven, Louise stole Kael’s prized exotic glass bead collection. She held it hostage, demanding that Damie end their friendship. Each time Kael refused, she stomped on one of the glass beads in front of him.
Sensitive young Kael was deeply traumatized by Louise’s actions. Eventually, Marchioness Reusten intervened, complaining to Louise’s parents to keep their daughter in check. As a result, Louise was practically banned from approaching Kael.
From then on, Kael cherished the last remaining glass bead like a treasure. But he eventually gave it to Damie, completely capturing her heart… Life was indeed strange.
‘But to think that Louise’s next target would be Cesare.’
It was truly a twisted fate. Two coincidences had made Louise see Damie as her rival. She coveted everything Damie had. She even once forced Damie’s best friend, Cecile, to her house upon a chance encounter.
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