Night is the time of Adi Grimaldi. And this time is invariably accompanied by kisses. Now there was no longer any awkwardness about having to enter the Duke's bedroom. At some point the servants stopped appearing. Perhaps they simply did not want to see something that was better not to look at.
- I’ve arrived.
The Duke was sitting on the sofa by the window in the same dress in which he had returned from dinner. He hadn’t even changed his clothes, and Adi was already beginning to wonder if he would have to change his clothes himself, but it’s unlikely that anyone would demand such a thing from a knight.
- Your Mightiness.
- Come here.
The words were like that, but in reality he extended his hand. Adi naturally took it and kissed the back of her hand. No matter how many times you repeat, nothing changes, and if you still continue, it is only because despair is great. The Crown Prince doesn't seem to be trustworthy, so maybe it's better to focus on that?
When Adi pulled his lips away, the Duke said: “Continue.”
- Where to this time?
“The forehead was already there, so the cheek will be next?”
Jules chuckled at this answer.
— From top to bottom, gradually descending?
“If nothing works until the very end, I’m ready to kiss the back of the foot.”
- Try to take it off earlier. I can’t force the future Count Grimaldi to do something like that.
- This is still unknown.
- What exactly?
At that very moment, Adi realized that he had made a mistake. No matter how casually they communicated, there was no point in giving away such thoughts. Yuls' gaze, fixed on him, seemed to penetrate right through him.
— What is unknown is that I will become a count? Or that I'll kiss the back of your foot?
Lies won't work.
- …First.
- This means there is no trust in the count.
Adi remained silent. Juls also looked at him silently. What is the Duke even thinking about? From such a simple conversation, he could not decipher everything.
- Adrian.
Even if he figured it out, is it enough to just stop him from saying it out loud? Adi put his hand on Yuls neck. The gesture came out quite threatening - Yuls flinched, but the next moment the face came closer. The lips touched the cheek, lingered for a brief moment and pulled away.
-......
- When you sit, kissing is much more comfortable. Standing - too big a difference in height.
How many times, how many times has he lost his vigilance? If Adrian had other intentions, if, say, he had a sword in his hand, there were already quite a few situations in which he could have died.
Why he relaxes so much is unclear. After all, there is no particular reason to trust her.
“But next time I’ll go lower, so everything will be okay, okay?”
- Below...
Jules barely kept his gaze from sliding down. Does she even understand what she's saying?
- Where exactly?
“Tomorrow I’ll kiss your hair.”
-......
Yuls froze with a dumbfounded face, and then snorted with laughter. As one would expect, she said it without implying anything like that at all.
- Well, I'll wait impatiently.
“What can be done with the child?” - thought Julius. On the other hand, the other side may be thinking the same way. He didn't need a pervert who was aroused by this body.
Rather, Adi Grimaldi is reserved. Daily kisses are also, perhaps, nothing more than a forced duty. Julius himself considered them an inevitable necessity for the sake of the Curse, but during their life together he discovered that it was not as unpleasant as he expected - and that was what was unpleasant.
If it really turned out to be Adrina, it would be much better. Then it would be much easier to take her home. It would be possible to at least arrange something like an Engagement.
Now the way to pick it up is not so simple. Claude also had his eye on her. Why was Claude so interested in Adi Grimaldi?
- No matter how I look at it, this outfit suits you very well.
“I’m also honored to wear Woodpecker’s clothes.”
He meant - come to Woodpecker, but it seems that she is not very good at understanding the subtext. This can be done gradually. Time is not so short anyway. First you need to find out the Count's intentions.
- Adrian.
- Yes, Your Grace.
- What does the count like?
-...What does he love, you say?
Adi frowned. What he loves. What is useful for the home, your own honor - and what else? Whatever it is, Woodpecker is unlikely to offer it.
- Not particularly... I don’t know, really.
In response to Adi's answer, Yuls peered at him silently and then spoke.
“At least in public it’s worth pretending to be intimate.”
— Is this the advice for which you started everything?
- No, it’s just that I’m having a separate meal with the Count soon, and I don’t know what he prefers. I want to put him at ease a little.
- In that case, I don’t even know.
“If you gave that answer to Claude, he wouldn’t believe it.”
-...
“I forgot to warn you that day.”
Having said this, Yuls rose from his seat. He began to take off his jacket and indicated with a nod that Adi immediately rushed to the door.
As soon as it was opened, Joel, who had been waiting outside, naturally went inside. Taking the cravat Jules had pulled from him, Joel then retrieved a muslin nightgown from the bedroom closet. Adi turned his face to the wall.
- If Claude calls you, don’t eat or drink anything.
Juls said:
- If he smokes something, do not approach him under any circumstances.
His relaxed, sluggish appearance then seemed alarming to her - and, apparently, for good reason: this was clearly not ordinary tobacco. It is better to break all ties with the Crown Prince.
- So Your Grace knew about it.
- Many people know.
Spencer Grimaldi probably feels the same way.
- Do you know why people follow me?
Jules said this. There was a rustling sound as Joel was putting away his clothes. Adi turned and looked at Yuls. Throwing back his long hair, he slowly approached her.
- Simply because I have the right of succession to the throne?
She had already managed to get used to his tall height, which at first seemed unusual.
“Because no one knows what will happen if someone like him is put on the throne.”
-...
“That’s why even someone else, even lower in line to the throne, would be better.” Although, of course, I don’t care about this damn country.
- Your Lordship has so much land that it would be enough to found your own state.
- I'm not going to become king.
Yuls said this and pulled away. Joel, having finished putting away his clothes, returned and pulled the Duke's long hair up. If she had such hair, she would have looked feminine, but - either due to her strong physique, or the structure of her bones - even with a beautiful face, nothing feminine was felt about it.
“And I have no interest in the throne.”
“Then what does Your Lordship want?”
- You know it yourself, sir.
For this reason, he dragged a man to his place every night and started ridiculous rumors. The only one who suffered from this was Adrian. This, however, did not concern Yuls.
-What do you intend to do after the curse is lifted?
-...
He didn't think about it. Initially, he did not believe that the curse could be lifted. But if it’s still possible...
- Who knows. If I could, I would live happily.
-......
“I can’t say that this is a place where this is possible, but.
Adi looked at Julius. After thirteen years, he must have no longer believed that the Curse could be lifted. But now the circumstances have changed.
Duke Woodpecker would definitely be better than such a Crown Prince. All he had to do was call him and she would grab her with a death grip, but whether he would make such an offer, Adi could not know. However, no matter what happens, he promised to fulfill one Wish if the Curse is lifted, which means at least it won’t hurt to run.
“I wish that everything Your Lordship desires comes true.”
Adi said. Especially the lifting of the Curse - this had to happen without fail.
-......
Julius looked at Adi with an unusual expression on his face. He had heard such words countless times, but for some reason right now they felt sincerity. Whether it was truly sincere - or whether he just wanted to hear sincerity in them - he could not make out. Julius narrowed his eyes. Adrian Grimaldi. Grimaldi, that is.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a surprisingly thin, graceful face. What a shame. If it were not Adrian, but Adrina. Although initially such a possibility could not have existed.
Julius extended his hand. Adi, without hiding her bewilderment, came up and took it. At that moment, when she wondered if he was asking to kiss her hand again, Julius pulled her towards him.
If she had expected this, she would have had time to resist, but she couldn’t and leaned forward. Adi, seeing how Julius pressed his lips to the back of her hand with his eyes closed, stepped back. She tried to forcefully pull her hand away, but it did not budge.
- Your Mightiness?
- Ah.
Yuls's fingers went limp, the strength slowly drained from his hand.
- I just... didn’t notice how.
Nearby, Joel covered his open mouth with his hand.