Chapter Title: A Dangerous Proposition
As they danced, they found themselves quite far from the main building of the resort. The sound of romantic music was muffled even further by the night air. Adele hummed the melody involuntarily. Cesare smiled softly and whispered:
"If you like it, I'll play it for you later."
Adele wasn't surprised. He seemed capable of handling three or four instruments.
"Do you know how to play the piano?"
"I'm good at everything I do with my body."
Adele squinted and looked at their clasped hands. His fingers were long and knuckled.
"I think you'd play well."
There was a low, ticklish laugh from above.
"Because I have big hands?"
He clasped her hands in an instant. In that position, he turned their joined hands from side to side, as if mimicking a sparkling gesture.
"Hmm?"
Adele burst out laughing at his uncharacteristically cute movements and mischievous voice.
"Yes. They're quite large."
"I'm a little bigger than most."
It was an absurd answer. Adele laughed again, then shook her head. *Oh dear. I must have drunk too much.* She cleared her throat and leaned back.
"Brother. Now I really must sleep..."
"Hmm. Let's go to bed."
The next moment, Cesare pulled Adele into his arms and leaned backward.
"...!"
She couldn't even scream. The sensation of his body falling, and then their overlapping forms tumbling onto the grass. With a soft thud, the weight of them both reverberated through the ground. Adele clutched her racing heart and opened her eyes. Her cheek was pressed against his firm chest. When she froze, unable to move, Cesare laughed from above her head.
"Ha! Were you that surprised? I'm not going to devour you."
Adele let out a silent cry, her mouth forming words without sound, and pressed her hands against his chest to push herself up.
"You're going to hurt yourself...!"
At that moment, their eyes met.
"......"
"......"
They both paused at the same time. There was faint surprise on the face of the man lying on the velvet-green lawn. The night breeze swept over his handsome features just then. The faint smile faded, revealing quiet bewilderment. His golden eyes trembled for inexplicable reasons, and he pressed his slightly parted lips together. She could see the tension in his strong jaw. His throat moved once as he swallowed.
The wind blew once more. Cesare's eyes were no longer trembling. He simply looked at Adele in silence and reached out. Her hair coiled around his knuckled fingers. He lowered his hand, and her black hair flowed down like water.
Cesare murmured slowly.
"...This isn't a dream."
Adele couldn't find words to respond. But she stared at him, unable to avert her gaze. Presently Cesare straightened up slightly. He braced one arm against the ground while the other hand wrapped around the back of Adele's head.
The almond-scented man was gradually drawing closer. Adele slipped against his stomach and landed on his thigh, gasping at the sharp sensation between her legs. Normally, Cesare would have laughed.
"......"
Instead, he flinched and let out a small, strained sound. Without further hesitation, he pulled Adele's head toward him. Cesare's mouth opened as she tilted her head, and Adele's eyes widened.
Suddenly, a massive wave crashed against the base of the cliff. At the same moment, a thunderous whisper struck Adele's ear.
*Kill him!*
"...!"
Adele shoved Cesare away instinctively. The recoil from hitting his hard chest sent her tumbling backward.
...What was that just now?
Adele blinked blankly in confusion. The sea had been noisy many times before, and there had been moments when instinct warned her of real danger. But it had never shouted something so directly.
Then came a subdued laugh.
"...Do you hate it that much?"
She looked up to see Cesare staring at her. His expression had hardened.
"......"
If she said she had heard something strange, she would sound like a madwoman. Adele chose silence. In her mind, she replayed what had happened—why had she stayed still for so long?
Cesare let out a sharp, knife-edged laugh at her silence.
"Ezra would have accepted."
"......"
She didn't know why Ezra's name had suddenly come up. But her answer was certain.
"Yes."
Adele nodded. Cesare's expression flickered. Beneath his dark eyebrows, his heavy eyes looked like those of a wounded man—but only for a moment.
"Ha."
Cesare sneered and turned his head. He stood up. His long, slender body rose upright, his face obscured by shadow. Cesare looked down at Adele, hands in his pockets.
"I have something to tell you, so come to my room tomorrow morning."
Cesare turned and walked toward the resort. She watched him pulling off his shirt as he went.
Adele shivered as she felt the chill of the wind blowing from the sea.
---
The next morning.
Adele found Cesare's room. The suite's best feature was the work area across from the bedroom—a warm study decorated with tapestries from the Rajput Mountains. Cesare sat before a small, low orange desk, chatting with Gigi. A white shirt with an exposed chest and black cotton pants. The same as always.
"Brother."
Cesare frowned for a moment as Adele entered, then smiled sourly.
"Adelaide. Did you sleep well?"
"Thanks to you, brother."
Cesare grinned and gestured toward the auburn single-seat couch across from the desk.
"Sit down."
His mood seemed bright, and Adele sat down on the sofa with some relief. But when she looked down, her fingers were twitching unusually.
Adele glanced at Cesare. The well-groomed head of Buonaparte was finishing up his paperwork. He appeared as aristocratic and sober as usual. But yesterday had been different. As if he had shed his leisure and composure. As if he had wanted to consume her entirely.
"......"
Adele sighed and brushed off the thoughts. *It was the alcohol. Everything...* He was Buonaparte's most eligible bachelor—he wasn't going to touch a shoeshine girl. Of course he couldn't be sincere. *Let's forget it.*
With that resolution, she turned her gaze to their surroundings and spotted Gigi. Fortunately, he was also at work and didn't seem upset that Adele hadn't greeted him. Gigi's eyes were tight with strain.
"Gigi. Are you alright? You look like you're having a terrible hangover."
"It's not a hangover. I just have trouble waking up in the mornings."
Gigi yawned in response. It was a lazy morning indeed. Perhaps because of the previous day's revelry, there was a warm atmosphere in the room. Gigi asked, yawning again.
"By the way, why did you call the young lady this morning?"
To which Cesare replied casually.
"I have something to give her."
He opened the drawer of his desk. A few pale purple sheets of paper emerged. Cesare handed them to Adele in a nonchalant manner.
"Ezra sent a letter of courtship."
At that moment, Gigi's body jerked visibly. He stared at Cesare, more surprised than Adele herself. Cesare met his gaze with a soft, charming smile.
"......"
Within seconds, Gigi regained his composure. No—it was more accurate to say he had killed his emotions entirely. The atmosphere became strange. Adele held her breath.
Cesare laughed slightly, hands in his pockets, and sat on the edge of the desk.
"These things don't usually happen this quickly. Ezra seems to like you quite a bit."
"Oh...."
Adele couldn't find words to respond, so she simply looked down at the papers. They bore a long and complicated coat of arms, with the seal of Luca della Valle at the bottom. Cesare said sweetly.
"Well done."
"......"
Adele blinked a few times, then nodded awkwardly. "Yes."
"......"
Cesare's smile flickered for a moment, then vanished.
"And this is my own business, but it's actually the main point."
"What is it?"
"Gigi. Leave us."
Gigi left Cesare's room without a word. His gait was somewhat angry. Adele was left alone with Cesare.
Cesare handed Adele another document from his desk. There was a picture of a gorgeous mansion. A luxury estate on Sepocity Street. Was it meant to be a dowry?
"What is this?"
Adele asked, looking up. Cesare sat at his desk, hands in his pockets. He smiled sharply.
"How about you take that and sleep with me instead?"