Chapter 187

 

“I feel the same.”

 

Leroy answered in a low voice.

 

At that moment, Iona froze in place, understanding exactly what he meant.

 

It was a definite answer, leaving no room for other interpretations, but that only made it more shocking.

 

She had never imagined he would so easily accept her feelings.

 

Although she’d harbored a bit of hope while preparing to confess, she had braced herself for rejection, deliberately steering her imagination toward negative outcomes to soften the blow. And yet, she couldn’t hide her surprise.

 

As Iona stood there, dumbfounded, staring up at Leroy with a blank expression, he gently brushed a silver strand of hair that had blown near her cheek behind her ear and leaned in closer.

 

Startled, Iona quickly stepped back, dodging his lips.

 

“W-Wait, hold on!”

 

Her face flushed red, Iona covered it with her hands, stopping Leroy in his tracks.

 

Leroy hesitated, looking at her in confusion, as if silently asking if there was a problem.

 

For Iona, who had spent over ten minutes rehearsing just a thank-you speech, this was all happening far too quickly.

 

As she mentally replayed Leroy’s words, Iona cautiously tried to confirm what she thought she’d heard.

 

“So, what I mean is, this isn’t just some human affection, or gratitude, or universal goodwill…”

 

“Yes, I cherish you as my lover,” Leroy cut her off, responding clearly.

 

He then added, as if to leave no room for misunderstanding.

 

“If it was just human affection or anything else, I wouldn’t have tried to kiss you just now.”

 

Leroy guessed that Iona hadn’t really meant to offer those examples.

 

She was likely just stalling with meaningless questions, unable to fully grasp the reality of the situation.

 

After all, until they discovered the path lined with candles leading to the bedroom, Leroy had felt much the same.

 

He’d even come close to suspecting that Iona had fallen for some primitive religion.

 

How could someone he’d been in love with for so long possibly see him in the same way?

 

It was hard to believe such good fortune could be real.

 

In truth, Leroy also found this moment to be surreal.

 

He felt an overwhelming urge to kiss Iona right then and there, to confirm the taste and feel of her lips.

 

But since she was defensively covering her face, he couldn’t act on that impulse.

 

Instead, he bent his head down gently, pressing a small kiss to the back of her hand, as if to soothe her.

 

Iona visibly flinched at the unexpected contact.

 

Trying to stop Leroy from getting any closer, she hurriedly asked her next question.

 

“When… did it start?”

 

Her tone was much too formal, more suited to addressing a spouse than a lover.

 

As Leroy answered with a casual smile, he thought it would be nice if one day, she would call him by his name.

 

“Well, it’s been quite some time.”

 

Even as he reflected on the past, Leroy continued to press light kisses to her hand, over and over.

 

For him, it took a considerable amount of restraint to keep himself from giving in to the improper urge to taste her skin.

 

With a calm voice that belied the wicked thoughts running through his mind, Leroy said:

 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you even when we were strangers. And once we became close, I was completely drawn to you.”

 

To be honest, there were moments when Leroy wondered if this was really okay. Yet, before he knew it, he found himself eagerly running to meet her, as if he had never been wary of her in the first place.

 

As Leroy recalled his past encounters with Iona, a sudden frown appeared on his face.

 

“I thought I’d given you a few hints.”

 

“Hints?”

 

“I even suggested that we could have a loving marriage, didn’t I? Did you not like me back then?”

 

“…When was that?”

 

Iona asked, looking completely lost, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

 

Leroy couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

 

Barely managing to contain the laughter that kept bubbling up, Leroy spoke.

 

“Haha, ha… I suppose that was a foolish question.”

 

“I don’t remember anything like that.”

 

“It’s fine, you don’t need to. It just means we were both being pretty foolish.”

 

He, acting like a coward, and she, completely clueless when it came to these kinds of matters.

 

In a way, one could say they made a perfectly matched pair.

 

With a soft smile playing on his lips, Leroy reached out to Iona.

 

When he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, she naturally leaned into him.

 

Thanks to Iona being off guard in the middle of their conversation, Leroy now had the perfect opportunity to kiss her bare face.

 

However, instead of kissing her right away, Leroy gently pressed his forehead against hers.

 

Iona, who thought he was aiming for her lips, stiffened her chin in response.

 

Sensing her tension, Leroy asked in a soothing voice.

 

“Did you prepare all this yourself? The candles, the music, and everything.”

 

Saying that, Leroy glanced sideways over the railing.

 

Judging by the faint sound echoing in the distance, it seemed that someone had left the windows open in the music room on the first floor, where strings were softly playing.

 

“I just gave the orders. The workers handled the setup.”

 

“I’m curious whose idea it was to make that perfect heart shape.”

 

“…No comment.”

 

Iona avoided Leroy’s gaze as she responded.

 

That alone was enough for Leroy to understand, and he chuckled quietly.

 

“I imagine the mansion was quite the spectacle. Is that why you locked me up in the study?”

 

“I just wanted to make sure you’d be impressed, Your Grace. Please forgive my ambition.”

 

“Oh, I’m very impressed. In fact, I’m still impressed even now.”

 

Leroy’s voice, playful and teasing, was accompanied by a deep, affectionate gaze.

 

His warm eyes unmistakably reflected the love he felt for her.

 

It was only then that Iona’s restless heart began to settle down.

 

But her nerves hadn’t completely eased, as she suddenly became aware of how close they were standing to each other.

 

This time, her heart trembled for an entirely different reason.

 

Iona instinctively licked her lips, moistening them.

 

As if interpreting it as some kind of signal, Leroy’s face gradually moved closer.

 

The moment Iona closed her eyes, a soft sensation touched her lips.

 

“Ah…”

 

Could a kiss shared in the realization of mutual love be this sweet?

 

Even though they had kissed countless times before, this one felt distinctly different.

 

Without realizing it, Iona let out a soft sigh.

 

And that too was swallowed by him.

 

The feel of his tongue exploring inside her sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

 

Without thinking, Iona wrapped her arms around Leroy’s neck, pulling him closer to her.

 

A wave of heat surged through her lower abdomen as she pressed tightly against him.

 

Iona eagerly savored his lips.

 

When she licked along the inside of his mouth, teasing the tender flesh, a low groan escaped from him.

 

Leroy broke the kiss, only to slip his hands under her and lift her by the hips.

 

Startled as she suddenly found herself airborne, Iona grabbed onto his shoulders for balance.

 

Leroy strode purposefully into the room, heading straight for the bed.

 

After setting Iona down on the mattress, he naturally moved over her.

 

Realizing what was happening, Iona spoke up belatedly.

 

“Wait a second, let me at least blow out the candles…”

 

“Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry right now.”

 

Cutting off her words, Leroy pressed his lips back to hers, urgent and unyielding.

 

Half willingly, half under his influence, Iona sank into the bed.

 

Leroy, bracing himself on one hand beside her head, felt something unfamiliar under his palm and pulled back.

 

Grabbing the object, he inspected it with a bewildered expression.

 

“…Flower petals?”

 

The room had been too dim for him to notice, but the bed was scattered with rose petals.

 

Iona, suddenly overwhelmed by the embarrassment of her own extravagant setup, shut her eyes as if to escape it all.

 

Biting and releasing her lip in warning, she spoke.

 

“Don’t. Say. Anything.”

 

“…I’ll just assume I’m too distracted to see anything clearly.”

 

Leroy replied, struggling to keep his voice steady.

 

He knew that soothing her with compliments like “It looks beautiful” or “I’m touched” would only feel like teasing at this point.

 

But there was, in fact, a slight difference between Iona’s assumption and Leroy’s actual thoughts.

 

Iona seemed mortified by the overly grand gesture she had arranged, but for Leroy, watching her flustered reaction was an enjoyable sight in itself.

 

And seeing her lying there, defenseless, her face flushed all the way to her shoulders as she kept her eyes tightly closed…

 

‘No matter what she had in mind, she’s fallen right into my trap.’

 

Amused by his own overwhelming excitement, Leroy leaned down toward her once more.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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