Chapter 125

His approach was slow, as if waiting for her decision.

Iona had enough time to refuse, yet she did not push him away.

Instead, instinctively, she closed her eyes.

In the dim vision, their lips soon met.

It was a sensation that evoked a moment she had always kept close to her heart.

Iona stiffened for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe it was happening.

Leroy gently sucked in her plump lips as he pulled Iona’s chin towards him.

After wandering on the surface for a while, he slightly frowned and pulled his head back.

Yet, his gaze remained fixed solely on Iona.

Leroy, gazing down at the red lips he had just tasted with a persistent eye, moistened his dry lips with his tongue. Then, as if he was thirsty, he engulfed Iona’s lips again.

Worried she might get scared and run away belatedly, his hand that had been cradling her chin slowly slid to the back of her neck. With his other hand, he wrapped around Iona’s waist and pulled her tightly to him.

Perhaps because she was held in his embrace, Iona felt a dizzying sensation as if the ground beneath her feet was about to give way.

Iona mustered the courage to wrap her arms around his neck.

At the same time, a soft flesh pushed and slid between the closed lips.

Their breaths tangled harshly. Thin moans leaked out through the opened gap now and then.

Then suddenly, Leroy withdrew his body.

With his eyes full of heat, he looked at Iona and caught his rough breath.

Unable to understand why he suddenly pulled away, Iona involuntarily looked up at him with a disappointed expression.

“Why……”

The grip on Iona’s waist tightened.

Closing his eyes as if to shut out the disheveled sight of Iona, he said,

“It’s best to stop here for today.”

The hand that had restrained Iona neatly fell away.

Startled by the sudden declaration to stop, Iona unconsciously grasped his arm, longing to feel his warmth a bit more.

Iona wanted to persuade him to continue their kiss, but she couldn’t think of any words that might sway him.

She had never been skilled at seducing men in the first place.

Despite her best efforts to match the mood, she had only ever received ambiguous responses from the other person.

Deciding that actions would speak louder than words, Iona got up on her knees on the sofa.

She pushed Leroy back by his shoulders and covered his surprised open mouth with her lips.

The words he was about to utter were swallowed by Iona’s breath.

Leroy hesitated between pushing her away or leaving her be, his fist opening and closing in the air a few times.

There was no need to verbally explain which between the warmth enveloping them and the thin thread of reason had won.

Leroy embraced Iona’s waist as if he had no choice.

Though he accepted Iona’s kiss somewhat reluctantly, his actions remained gentlemanly.

Unlike some men who might take advantage of the heated atmosphere to seek further contact, Leroy seemed to have no such intention.

After a while, Iona pulled away from their entwined lips and looked down at Leroy. She caught her breath and said,

“You don’t have to hold back.”

At Iona’s provocation, Leroy let out a chuckle.

Reaching out to wipe her moist lips first, he asked tenderly,

“What do you think I was going to do?”

“I know everything that needs to be known. I’m also prepared to fulfill my duties, as the Duke had mentioned.”

“To be honest, that was just a line.”

“I know.”

“…”

“And I also know why you wanted to stop.”

As she spoke, Iona glanced downwards.

Leroy caught her wrist as if to stop her.

Startled by the sudden restraint, Iona looked up at Leroy with surprised eyes.

Leroy let out a laugh filled with admiration and asked,

“Knowing that, you still climbed on top of me?”

Because she wanted what he wanted, Iona couldn’t bring herself to say those words out loud and instead buried them under her tongue.

She wanted to extend this moment, where he showed such eagerness towards her, and keep it in her sight a little longer.

From his hands that pulled her close, from his heated breath, from his intense gaze directed only at her, an undeniable desire was felt.

It was a dreamlike moment, overwhelmingly full for her heart.

Perhaps he would never know, for the rest of his life, how she felt facing him at this moment.

‘But it doesn’t matter.’’

It was okay if he didn’t think of her as much as she thought of him.

It didn’t matter if his interest in her was just a fleeting whim.

As long as he continued to stay by her side, as long as he left even a small portion of his kindness for her like before, Iona was willing to give everything to him in return.

In a soft voice, Iona whispered again,

“Don’t hold back.”

Leroy’s adam’s apple quivered noticeably.

Just as he was about to lift his chin to find Iona’s lips, a sudden knock sounded from the door.

Leroy and Iona, who had been sitting close, instinctively pulled away from each other.

“Miss, are you in there?”

An urgent call followed.

Judging by the disturbance despite knowing she had a guest, and the serious tone, it seemed there was an important matter seeking her attention.

Regardless, the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to ignoring the intrusion and continuing their intimate actions.

Glancing at Leroy, hesitating, Iona finally got off his lap.

With no maid to answer the door, Iona herself walked over to open it.

The servant standing in the hallway looked at Iona with a pale face.

Sensing the gravity, Iona furrowed her brow and asked,

“What happened?”

“The Count has passed away,”

the servant reported in a trembling voice, rushing the words out.

Struck by the sudden news, Iona froze for a moment.

Turning slowly to Leroy, she saw he too wore a shocked expression.

Iona had planned to deal with Hayden at a later time. This was completely unexpected.

Naturally, Iona’s expression turned grave.

“What was the cause?”

“It, it was suicide,”

the servant stammered.

***

“He seized the moment when surveillance was lax and hung himself,”

Saskia said, adjusting her cravat with a look of discomfort.

Iona, unconvinced by the explanation that matched the cause of death she had been told earlier, pressed for more details.

“Aren’t items that could be used for self-harm usually confiscated?”

“He hung himself. That can be managed just by taking off trousers. But we can’t very well strip them of all their clothes.”

Saskia shrugged lightly before adding more details.

“The tool used, as I just mentioned, was his clothing. Seemingly anticipating the return of the guard, he wove the fabric through the bed frame and hung himself while seated. To avoid detection. It’s impressive, really. With the height he was working with, it would have been difficult for someone with less patience to die in that position, but he managed to hang on until he suffocated.”

Iona appeared to be visualizing the situation in her head, her expression turning serious as she pondered.

As the silence stretched, Saskia’s gaze subtly shifted to Leroy, who was seated next to her.

With a subtle tone, Saskia gently broached the subject.

“If your esteemed fiancée would vacate the seat, there are more things I’d like to discuss…”

“Feel free to speak your mind, Dame Saskia. Don’t mind me,” Leroy encouraged.

“How could I possibly not be concerned, Your Grace?” Saskia asked, her lips quivering in disbelief, a failed attempt at a smile crossing her face.

Up until the news of Hayden’s death and Iona’s subsequent court appearance had reached her, Saskia hadn’t given much thought to the situation.

It was natural for the family of someone who had been dragged away for investigation and then suddenly died to seek answers.

The problem, however, was the somewhat unexpected company the subordinate had brought along.

Saskia glanced across at the man sitting opposite her with a mix of reluctance and surprise.

‘To think she’d bring the Duke to such a meeting.’

Saskia’s feelings towards Leroy were not exactly warm, partly because of the fallout from a previous ‘couple’s outfit’ incident.

The Duke was a figure of concern for upsetting the Crown Prince, and for Saskia, who served under the Crown Prince, this was an unwelcome complication.

After all, when the Duke stirred trouble with the Crown Prince and vanished, it was those who served him who ended up suffering the consequences.

With a twinkle in her eye, Saskia delivered a pointed remark to Leroy.

“You owe me greatly for last time.”

“Was there an occasion that could be described as ‘you owe me greatly’ between us?”

“Certainly. Thanks to your splendid appearance at the ball, our entire order had a bit of trouble.”

“Oh, I did hear that the knights on duty that day suffered on behalf of Lady Florence. That is regrettable.”

“The pretext was indeed provided by Lady Florence, but… Well, the Crown Prince had been in a sour mood even before that.”

“One shouldn’t let emotions lead when commanding others. It seems the Crown Prince has yet to acquire such virtue. Perhaps, Dame, you could offer some frank advice and guide your lord to the right path?”

Every word was undeniably accurate.

Saskia eventually gave up on the painful argument and sighed deeply. She didn’t want to side with the Crown Prince just to reprimand the Duke.

Rubbing her noticeably thinner cheeks, Saskia fell into deep thought.

‘Perhaps I should retire, just like Iona.’

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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