Chapter 11

"You seem very interested, Jasmine."

As their gazes met, Jasmine awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Well… I've never experienced it… since I don't have a fiancé. But Elise is looking forward to marriage, and Patricia has a fiancé, so they must have experienced it."

The kingdom was extremely conservative towards women. A woman could only kiss if she was engaged, and could only have her first night after marriage, unlike men who could indulge freely with their lovers.

Of course, some would secretly kiss.

"I'm sorry for asking such a personal question."

Jasmine shrank back, embarrassed.

"No, it's something friends can certainly talk about."

"Fr-friends?"

Jasmine blinked in surprise.

"Of course. Sharing good food in the afternoon is something friends do. And friends can certainly talk about their first kiss."

Elise looked for agreement from Patricia and Deboah.

Without stating it outright, even the yet-to-be-kissed Patricia and Deboah seemed curious and nodded.

"Kissing is like…"

At that moment, Elise didn't think of Chase, whom she had kissed countless times in her past life, but of Karan, whom she had kissed for the first time last night.

"I'm so curious."

As Elise drew out her words, Jasmine grew impatient.

Elise smiled faintly, recalling her kiss with Karan.

Before their lips touched, their breath mingled. Karan lightly captured Elise's lower lip and then pulled away.

When Elise opened her eyes, Karan whispered.

"Don't close your eyes."

Their lips approached again. Was it Karan's eyelashes that trembled?

Relieved that she wasn't the one trembling, Karan suddenly pressed his lips more urgently.

Karan's tongue entered, thoroughly exploring Elise's mouth.

He didn't take his eyes off her. Overwhelmed by his intense gaze, Elise finally closed her eyes.

Karan's kisses grew more fervent, like a giant predator. He devoured and engulfed Elise.

Karan's tongue inflamed her with heat. With his intense movements, Elise's body responded fervently.

Just with a kiss, she felt like melting away. If Karan hadn't held her waist, she would have collapsed.

Gasping for breath, Elise pushed his shoulder. Panting, their lips parted momentarily.

And then the next kiss was gentler.

Like a mother licking her child's wound, the tender kiss muddled Elise's senses.

So, to Elise, kissing was a process of being tamed by a wild, fierce beast.

"Your Highness, I have brought the information you requested."

It was late for receiving reports, but Karan greeted Hartvin with a composed face.

His master, after all, was a person for whom day and night held no meaning. Desired tasks had to be done immediately, and curiosity satisfied without delay.

With Karan disregarding the difference between day and night, Hartvin also adapted to a life where night was like day, and day was like day.

In harsh working conditions, any normal person would have fled, but Hartvin, who saw Karan as more than a mere superior, worked diligently.

'The pay is generous, after all.'

But that didn't mean he had no complaints.

"Couldn't you give me a more generous deadline next time?"

"I gave you two days."

Karan retorted sharply.

Just two days ago, he had been grinning like a madman, but from the afternoon onwards, he turned gloomy.

"Do you think it's possible to uncover personal and secretive details about a foreign prince in just two days?"

Thud. Karan put down the pen he was fiddling with in his fingers.

Hartvin flinched reflexively at the piercing gaze sharper than a pen nib.

"So, you couldn't do it?"

Karan's voice was pointed and demanding.

"Of course not. Who do you think I am? Your loyal confidant, your right-hand man, Hartvin. I found out."

Karan's eyes softened as Hartvin boasted, and he gestured with his hand for him to hurry up with the report.

"Exactly as you guessed, Miss Elise Walton has broken off her relationship with Prince Chase. What should we do about the business dealings that were proceeding in Prince Chase's name?"

Elise had let go of him. That meant there was no longer any reason for him to help Chase from behind the scenes.

"Just flip it over immediately."

Clatter. The ice in the glass melted and slid around.

Karan stopped shaking his wrist and stared intently at the glass.

The deep amber liquid had thinned out significantly.

It just about matched the color of Elise's hair.

Blonde with a hint of orange.

Karan took a deep breath, as if still sensing her scent lingering at the tip of his nose.

Just thinking about her heated his body.

Karan downed the cold drink in one gulp and stood by the window.

Opening the window, he heard the sound of drunken people shouting.

"Damn, those Treetris people are staying here? Ptooey, ptooey. No wonder the taste of the booze is so damn bad."

"Shh, be quiet. Don't you know the guys who caused trouble here last time were found half dead in the forest?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

The men whispered, their voices hushed.

Words like 'Treetris' and 'revenge' floated in the air.

Karan clicked his tongue and closed the window.

"Hartvin, I told you not to leave any traces."

The men shouting might fear retribution, but they needn't have worried.

Firstly, what they said was true, and Karan had punished them not for insulting Treetris people, but because they didn't listen to Elise's command to apologize.

In this world, there was no one who could ignore Elise's words without consequences.

If someone did, Karan would make sure they were punished as far as his power could reach.

That's why he had even started businesses in Bedroca under a false name.

The companies he invested in, under pseudonyms, did quite well. Among them, there were companies Chase was fervently working with.

But those investment contracts would be nullified.

'If he finds out I withdrew the investment, he'll flip out.'

Once Karan withdrew, others would follow suit, given his reputation as an investment genius.

'Of course. I only invested in businesses Elise was involved in.'

Karan wasn't knowledgeable about business.

He had simply blindly invested in whatever Elise was involved in, and it had paid off massively.

Elise was an extraordinary person.

The only person who could make Karan's heart race.

At the same time, the person who could hurt him.

'I had no idea she would become lovers with Chase so quickly, especially at just 15 years old.'

When Karan was undergoing the warrior's test in Treetris, Elise had officially declared her relationship with Chase.

That was when Karan's pure love shattered. But he picked up the pieces, one by one.

He kept that love for Elise, hidden away, unable to reveal it in her presence. This love grew dark and sinister.

She didn't know it, though.

"Why isn't she coming?"

Karan murmured, looking out the window.

The wait felt excruciatingly long now that he thought they were connected.

"If I end up causing trouble, how will she cope?"

Suddenly, Karan's eyes glowed ominously.

If Elise didn't come, he might climb through the window of her room.

If he did something like that, the proper Elise would be disappointed in him.

"Can't hide the blood of a barbarian, can I?"

He shouldn't show his true nature in front of Elise.

Elise believed otherwise, but Treetris people were indeed barbarians.

Until a few years ago, they thought nothing of killing brothers to select a king.

"Power defined everything, and they did not hesitate to wield violence to demonstrate their strength.

To the pen-worshiping nobles of Bedroca, the Treetris people were seen as beasts.

Indeed, due to their extraordinary physical development, Treetris people had vision as clear as hawks and night vision akin to owls. Their hearing and strength were also superior to ordinary people.

While they did not eat humans, they had the power to tear a person apart.

Until the night he spent with Elise, Karan had disliked the fact that he was born with Treetris blood.

However, now that he knew Elise's inner thoughts, he was grateful to be a Treetris.

'She must have needed a place to escape from Chase, a place where Bedroca and its allies wouldn't feel burdened. Treetris would have been perfect for her.'

Yet, he was puzzled by her actions.

How she managed to find him, the process of it all.

But Karan gave up trying to reason it out logically.

Even if he found something strange upon scrutiny, he had no intention of letting her go after having her in his arms.

'If only she would come to me.'

Just then, as if on cue, the door opened.

And there she was, the Elise he had been so eagerly waiting for.

'Have you been well, Your Highness? Were you waiting for me?'

'Not at all. Rather, are you feeling alright? I was quite worried when you left so abruptly that day.'

Karan took Elise's robe and hung it over a chair.

'My body is… fine.'

Elise pressed her heated cheek with the back of her hand.

Karan pretended not to notice and offered her a seat.

As Elise sat down, Karan, who was about to sit as well, suddenly stood up as if remembering something, and brought out a teacup.

'I have prepared some tea.'

Karan skillfully brewed the tea.

'Did you enjoy tea in Treetris as well?'

'No. Tea is for those who can afford leisure. As you know, Treetris is not exactly a place of leisure.'

Everyone was busy trying to make a living.

Moreover, daylight hours were short.

Especially in winter, the joke was that by the time you finished breakfast, it was already evening.

So, there was neither time nor the mental space to enjoy tea.

'But you seem quite skilled.'

'I had to learn.'

'Who told you?'

Karan's hand hesitated for a moment. The stream of water from the teapot wavered briefly."

------------------------------

This novel has been translated up to chapter 30.

To read ahead, join my Patreon, it's totally free.

Find my Patreon in the synopsis of this novel.