Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Inside of a swaying carriage it’s just the two of us in this tiny, enclosed space… And yet. As per usual, she’s completely unguarded like she has no idea of the threat that I could pose to her. Not that I have any desire to take advantage of her at this particular moment.

She’s currently scrubbing furiously at her eyes with her handkerchief and failing to hold back the sobs that are wracking her tiny frame. In this state, she’s altogether too pitiful for me to want to push her down.

“Uu…hic…uu…hic…. Waaaaaah……–!”

If you’re going to cry, why don’t you come over here and cry into my chest? …Is what I’d like to say, but I doubt she’d accept. Especially considering I’m the one who made her cry in the first place.

Cecile Alldington, a Viscount’s daughter, has been crying on and off like this for the entire time since we had departed from the academy.

It’s been a couple of days since the previously mentioned Cecile-Ojousama’s attempted assassination and a long vacation from school has since begun for all of its students. Considering we couldn’t in good conscience ignore Master and let him continue to wallow at home alone, she and I are currently en route back to the Viscount’s residence.

“It will grow back,” I assure her tiredly.

“When? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?”

How old are you? Are you a child? I want to ask, but I barely manage to hold it in.

Her delicate, white finger pokes morosely at the tips of my hair.

“How could you….. Ashley… Your hair….!”

I hardly think a man’s hair is something to feel this wracked up about, but she seems to have received quite the shock from it.

She had been waiting in front of the carriage for me so that we could head back to the Viscount’s residence together when she first saw it. The moment her eyes had locked onto my newly shorn hair, the color had drained from her face. And ever since then, she’s been repeating the same thing and crying incessantly.

Although I said shorn, it’s still not that short. I cut it off just below my neckline.

There was a time when she had done the same, cut her hair suddenly, as a act of sincerity. Back then and to this day, I still have never heard of anywhere that has such a custom. But, since she had said that it held such a meaning, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try it out. It was a rather casual decision on my part. However, I never thought she would grieve the loss of my hair to this extent…..

“Ojousama, you’ve always been such a handful, ever since you were little.”

“Your hair….. your haaair….” she continues to whine.

Even if you say that now, what’s done is done. You’re too late to do anything about it.

I seize hold of her hand and press it against my cheek.

“Even though I’ve been shaving since some time ago, you never seemed to mind…. so it never occurred to me that you might be upset over something like this.”

“Shav…..!? How can you even compare the two!? You think that sort of logic is going to make me magically forgive you!?”

It’s not as if I can’t understand how she’s feeling right now. After all, I experienced something similar when she had cut her hair as a child. Every time I saw her hair which barely reached her shoulders, I was overcome with a sense of deep regret.

“Isn’t cutting your hair a way of showing your sincerity? I tried to kill you, Ojousama. But even so, I’m still shamelessly remaining by your side. I know this isn’t much, but I felt like I wouldn’t have any peace of mind until I’d done something.”

“So that’s why…..?”

She had dropped her handkerchief at some point and is now looking at me with huge eyes brimming with tears once again. Her cheeks are swelling as if she’s just barely managing to hold in a sob. ‘Just come here. I’ll comfort you.’ Just as I’m thinking this, Ojousama dives at me, burying her face into my chest.

“Even so, I still have to punish you. I won’t forgive you unless you tell me you’ll always love me and that you’ll stay by my side forever…”

I got to see something quite precious just now. Although her face is currently hidden from my view, I can still clearly see her ears which have turned bright red. I wrap my hands around her back pulling her tight to me. She flinches, seeming startled by my touch for a moment, but then she relaxes and snuggles deeper into my embrace.

“Rather than a punishment, I’m afraid that will end up being a reward for me.”

“I’m saying that I’m going to snatch your freedom from you. I’m never going to let you go!”

“You’re offering to be with me for the rest of our lives, Ojousama. If that’s the price, then you can take whatever you want from me and I won’t regret it in the slightest.”

＊＊＊

That night. That unforgettable night of the rehearsal ball.

With my hands still encircling her neck, she had reached up, cupping my face lightly between her palms. And then she smiled softly up at me.

“I–…..”

For a moment, she turned her face away from me, as if looking at me made what she wanted to say that much more difficult. But soon after she turned back and looked straight at me.

“Even though I’m always telling you that I trust you… I’ve been the one that doubted you the most.”

So she’d realized that I was planning to kill her.

That’s not entirely unexpected. Since she should have also realized just how much I want her. Need her to be mine. But she rejected me, pretending she didn’t know. She must have known that there would be consequences for doing that.

“You told me over and over that you’d never leave me, but even so, in a corner of my heart I felt anxious…. The human heart can be such a fickle thing, you know? It can change so easily. So how could I believe that you’d never leave me?” She whispered, smiling sadly. “I couldn’t help but worry… How long will Ashley remain by my side? When will he have his heart stolen by someone else?”

“That will never happen. For me, there’s only you.”

She closed her eyes as if she can’t quite believe my words.

At that point I couldn’t stand it anymore. She was still doubting my feelings for her. Forget accepting them, she can’t even believe how strongly I feel about her.

“No matter what you tell me, I still feel so uneasy. But when you love someone, that sort of apprehension and anxiety is something that you naturally have to deal with, isn’t it?” she continued, oblivious to my rising anger.

She brushed my hands off her neck easily and then she took my face roughly in her hands again and yanked me forward. It was with such force that it felt like she was trying to remove my head from my body.

But I obviously never even thought about resisting. And then she was pressing her lips against mine. Just like the first time I felt those soft lips, all thoughts flew from my head and I was left with only indescribable happiness.

When she finally pulled away, she wrapped her arms around my neck and we fell together onto the bed.

“Say that you love me with all your heart. Tell me that you’ll stay by my side for eternity. Swear it. Ashley Carlyle, your freedom. Your future. Your everything belongs to me. For the rest of your life, love only me. Devote yourself only to me. And I promise that I’ll love you just as much in return.”

She spoke all this with her lips pressed to my ear. As she talked I could feel them brush against my skin as my body started to heat up. It was so sensual. So unbelievably sexy. I didn’t think I’d like this sort of seductive behavior. I didn’t think I’d be able to stand the temptation… but it wasn’t bad at all.

I wasn’t able to accept the meaning behind her words right away. I had gotten used to years and years of her running away from me. But through her touch, through the words she was murmuring to me, through the heat I could feel dancing between our bodies, the reality hit me. I finally managed to make her mine.

“I swear. Cecile Alldington, I swear to love only you. I swear I’ll devote myself to you, and you alone, forever. I’ll give you my freedom, my future, anything you desire. I’ll offer my everything to you.”

As I was speaking, she loosened her grip on my neck just enough to pull back and look at my face. When I finished speaking, she smiled shyly at me.

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

“The truth is that I’ve always wanted you.”

That should be my line.

“I’ve been yours since the beginning,” I tell her wryly.

Ever since that first day that I’d walked into the Viscount’s house, my whole being, body and soul, had belonged to Cecile Alldington.

Her soft, smooth hand drew tantalizing circles on the base of my neck.

“I think I’ve become a bit strange, Ashley. I don’t know if I can hold myself back any longer,” she admitted, looking at me suggestively. A spike of arousal shot through me and I shivered. “If you ever betray me, I might end up chopping off an important part of yours… But will you choose to love me anyway?”

I wouldn’t be satisfied unless you loved me at least that much.

“Yes….. I swear.”

＊＊＊

“Ojousama, we’ll be arriving soon.”

“………..”

“Ojousama?”

I’m thinking that it seems suspicious that she didn’t move a muscle when I called her, but then something must have suddenly occurred to her since after a moment she wraps her arms around me and holds on tight. She’s even trembling slightly.

If her father were to see us like this without any explanation, that wouldn’t be good. He’s already told us that he has no intention to do any work today, so he’s probably already standing outside the mansion, eagerly waiting for his daughter’s arrival.

The moment the carriage stops, he’s probably going to rush over and throw open the door himself. As much as I hate the thought, before that happens, I need to get her to let go of me.

“What’s wrong, Ojousama?”

“Aren’t we…. lovers…?”

I’m suddenly overcome with the desire to throw my arms around her and never let go, but I just barely manage to suppress it as I murmur a short affirmative answer under my breath.

“Then won’t you call me by my name?”

“Cecile…. Ojousama.”

“……Ashley.”

“Cecile….

……Ojousama.”

We exchange looks with each other. I can tell by her expression that she has something she wants to say but she’s holding it back.

“It’s a deeply ingrained habit. Please give me time to get used to it.”

“I won’t wait for long. So you better get used to it fast.”

“I will….” I assure her.

But, this positioning is bad for a variety of reasons. You could say that we’re in an enclosed room at the moment. For the time until we arrive at the Viscount’s residence, I’m going to have to fight to hold onto my reason.

“I wonder if Father will forgive me. Us.”

“If you take the time to explain things to him, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

To have your daughter taken away by your servant isn’t something that you would normally forgive. And I think that sentiment probably includes me.

But I’ve already made the necessary preparations to avoid that. I don’t think he’s likely to refuse us. Considering things from his point of view, I’m sure his feelings will be rather complicated, but it won’t change his opinion of either of us.

When she finally separates from me, it’s in the nick of time, since almost as soon as she is settled back in her own seat, the carriage stops.

And, as I had expected, Viscount Alldington must have been standing there waiting for us since he opens the door almost immediately after.