Chapter Title: The Price of Desire
After the small party at dawn, Cesare didn't sleep. He washed himself and exercised. He sweated and washed again. Leaning against the balcony railing, he smoked a cigar. As he did so, dawn broke over the horizon. It resembled Adele's eyes—bright, round, and golden. He remembered those trembling eyes that had looked up at him. There was a reaction in the center of his body, and Cesare cursed and washed himself again.
Though the climate was mild, the mornings and evenings were quite chilly. But Cesare immersed himself in cold water and took a deep breath. He tried to relieve himself again and again, but gave up repeatedly. He knew that if he tried to satisfy himself now, it would have to be with thoughts of Adele. It was pathetic.
After dawn, Gigi arrived for work, and Holt, the assistant butler, came to visit.
"My lord. You should have a meal."
He was about to say he'd skip it, but stopped himself. The patriarch of Buonaparte was obliged to maintain good health. As soon as they finished eating, a wave of dispatches arrived.
They were wrapped in slick language, but they were rebukes regarding the Knights Templar's coercion of the Genobls. As Cesare flipped through the pages, Gigi fidgeted behind him and spoke.
"...Boss."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
Cesare snorted.
"I was the one who acted. Why are you apologizing?"
"But..."
"I'm the employer and I'm the one responsible."
Gigi fell silent, wearing the strange expression he always had when these matters came up.
"Respond appropriately. I'll contact the Genobls and tell them we'll reduce the amount and handle it."
"Yes."
He dismissed Gigi and stepped back out onto the balcony. He took out a cigar, cut off the end, and lit it. The scent of almonds and bitter dark chocolate wafted up at the same time.
"...Cough."
He remembered her whispered coughing. And those round eyes that had looked at him in surprise. Again his body reacted. *I'm losing my mind.* Cesare laughed bitterly and cursed. He didn't even have the motivation to wash again.
This body had been spoiled by the shoeshine girl. He should have resolved this long ago. He had a fiery temperament by nature. Though he had been born a Buonaparte and learned to control his emotions, he was by nature extremely capricious, impulsive, and passionate. As a result, the situation had come to this.
Fearing for the shoeshine girl's safety, he had mobilized the knights. And then there was yesterday.
"......"
Remembering the dawn, Cesare silently lowered his cigar. His chest tightened. Something was bubbling inside him, going on a rampage. He had thought Adele would accept. At that small party, she had smiled so beautifully and danced with him without hesitation. She had rested her forehead on his chest, and even when he had used the excuse of dancing to hold her close, she had stayed in his arms. Her body had smelled sweet and she had been insanely pretty. He had thought he could really have her.
He had been drunk, but his mind had been clear. If the shoeshine girl who had finally come to her senses wanted him so badly, he would have to abandon his original careful plan. But her eyes had been trembling as she pushed against his chest. It had been bewilderment and fear. *I can't do this while she's drunk.* It had all been his own delusion.
For a moment, the feeling that his whole body was about to burst rose up. *Know your place.*
Of course, there were some things Cesare himself had to admit at the risk of shame. After Ezra's marriage proposal, when he had locked Adele away, he had realized it at the end of his confinement. He had desire for Adele. His pride was hurt, but he couldn't help but admit it. Seeing the shoeshine girl smiling in Ezra's arms was one reason his judgment had become so twisted. *It's a waste to give her to Ezra without even a kiss.*
After admitting it, he had decided to settle it. He couldn't let it control him.
"Boss. Just one signature, please."
At Gigi's call, Cesare came to his senses and picked up his cigar. It had already gone out.
"Coming."
He put down his cigar and entered the room. After a full day of work and rest, Adele entered.
"Brother."
She wore a cream-colored airy dress that draped around her chest. Cesare frowned. *Don't dress as if you're not protesting being touched.* When he saw something like that, he couldn't help but want to slip his hand inside and grasp what lay beneath without permission. Not once. Twice, three times... until satisfied.
Cesare rubbed the bridge of his nose as he conjured the sensation of rosy skin overflowing like honey between his fingers. *I feel like I'm going crazy.* One woman doing this to him. He didn't want to go mad anymore.
"There's more, so tell me if it's not enough."
Cesare said this and pulled out several more papers from his desk. Adele didn't take them. She simply stared down at the papers expressionlessly. It was as if someone had ripped the life from her with an invisible hand.
Very slightly... he was worried, but Cesare didn't show it. Instead, he placed the other papers on top of the ones she held.
"If there's a specific area or price range you want, tell me. I can accommodate you."
"......"
After a while, Adele asked, her voice unfathomable.
"...Shouldn't I marry Lord Ezra?"
"Ezra is untouched, and he can't tell if you're a virgin or not. As long as you keep quiet, that's all that matters."
Adele fell silent, expressionless. Cesare looked at her lips with cold eyes. They were beautiful lips. *Why won't you just come over and kiss me?* And it would be nice to have a round or two.
Adele said softly.
"Why..."
Cesare replied with a smile.
"Because you're pretty."
It wasn't hard to make this kind of confession. He had been so conflicted, and by now he could admit it. Adele looked up at Cesare in silence. Her face didn't look hurt—it was completely expressionless. Bloodless.
Cesare smiled sweetly, soothingly.
"I'm being generous, so don't look at me like that. Do you think I'd bother going to these lengths for just any shoeshine girl?"
Adele blinked slowly. It was so slow it looked like it took tremendous effort, but there was no change in her expression.
Cesare felt a faint sense of unease. But he frowned at himself for feeling uneasy.
"It doesn't make much difference to you anyway, does it?"
Adele looked at him and asked dryly.
"Doesn't it?"
"If you had sold your body long ago, you could have lived well in Kimora. Didn't you save yourself precisely to use it as a means of improving your status?"
"......"
"So sleep with me. I think we can manage a few times before you marry Ezra."
"You're asking me to sell my body."
Adele said it flatly. Cesare frowned and laughed.
"Do I need to phrase it so crudely? If I don't show this much sincerity, you won't come to me. That's your stubborn nature."
"What's the difference from the brothels?"
"The difference is that I want to sleep with you, not just any woman. It's simply that my standards don't bend with a little breeze."
Adele stared at him calmly again. Suddenly, her voice became quieter.
"Is that what yesterday was about? Just to sleep with me?"
Cesare paused. He hadn't expected her to bring it up first. He clenched his jaw for a moment.
His heart hardened further. His pride couldn't allow him to admit that Adele had rejected him in that moment.
"I did."
Cesare said with a sly smile.
"I wish we'd had a good night yesterday. I hate having to negotiate with a woman like this."
"......"
Adele's expression still didn't change. Suddenly, Cesare looked at her face and had a strange impression. It was as if her features were fragmenting, gradually losing their form and dispersing. But it must have been an emotional illusion. The expressionless shoeshine girl was still frighteningly beautiful.
Moreover... she didn't even cry. That was somewhat of a relief. If Adele had cried here, he wasn't sure how he would have behaved.
Adele was silent, then spoke.
"I don't think so."
Cesare sighed. He hadn't expected this to be resolved in one conversation.
"Is it not enough?"
"Yes. It's not enough."
Adele relaxed her grip. Papers scattered across the floor. Presently she smiled brightly and charmingly. Her smile was so thick it could even hide the trembling in her eyes.
"According to you, the master of Buonaparte is desperate to sleep with me. Would you really give that up over a few mansions like these? If you want to buy me, bring me something more expensive."