Ariella swallowed hard, barely managing to moisten her dry throat.
Is the part I’m gripping with my hand right now Nobert’s chest?
Can a person’s chest be this hard?
After pondering with a bewildered face, she regained her composure.
“S-Sorry…”
Ariella, grabbing onto the part that she couldn’t tell was a person’s chest or a handle made of rock, hurriedly tried to regain her balance and take a step back.
“Really.”
But before she could even take a step, she was stopped.
“Aren’t you displeased?”
A thick arm wrapped around the slender woman’s waist, instantly pulling her close to him.
Soft flesh was pressed against hard muscle once more, and their bodies, overlapping without a gap, constricted her breath.
Gasp. Ariella gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes.
And what she found was Nobert’s face, revealing raw desire, having lost all the politeness and restraint he had barely managed to muster.
“Even if I do this?”
A face that seemed to be from a distant place suddenly came close.
Two foreheads touched, and high, sharp nose bridges brushed against each other, and the face she had thought was like a painting filled her vision.
Red eyes glared fiercely as if they would devour her, and his lips were positioned as if they would touch Ariella’s at any moment.
The half-open appearance, as if he was extremely thirsty, naturally drew her gaze.
At the same time, calloused and hard fingertips slowly brushed down her cheek. It was a completely different feeling from when he had tidied her disheveled hair a moment ago.
Ariella then realized that she had been misunderstanding Nobert Ashbon for a long time.
Innocent and shy, a lovable darling? Always polite and courteous?
What a joke.
If ‘the elegant and refined princess of Bedford’ was the image she had created, then the above images were the image Nobert had created.
This appearance she was facing now must be his true self. The thirsty and barbaric nature that he had been trying so hard to hide all day.
Whether she was blinded by something or not, Ariella didn’t dislike even that side of him.
But regardless of such feelings, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed and flustered.
As she trembled her lips without uttering any answer, Nobert frowned as if in pain. His thick eyebrows furrowed roughly, and veins stood out menacingly on his neck.
He agonized for a long time in the desire to just swallow her lips as they were.
But even in this moment, his goal of not being hated by Ariella was his top priority, so Nobert barely managed to maintain his reason.
“…Please, Ariella. Don’t trust my patience too much.”
Nobert, closing his eyes tightly, bumped his forehead against hers once more, as if to resolve his remaining lingering feelings.
“I want to be a good person to you. So… please, I beg you.”
His pleading voice sounded so painful that Ariella couldn’t bring herself to say anything more. All she could do at this moment was simply nod her head.
The air inside the carriage returning to the Bedford ducal residence was heavy.
Ariella and Nobert maintained silence after an awkward conversation, and only the sound of the carriage wheels rattling occasionally broke the silence.
The atmosphere couldn’t be lighthearted after what had just happened.
But Ariella didn’t want to end a pleasant date like this, so she opened her mouth, pretending to be nonchalant.
“Ah, now that I think about it, did I tell you? I’m going to visit Aaron in the hospital in a few days.”
Nobert’s pupils dilated for a moment, as if it were a rather interesting topic.
“A hospital visit. Are you really going to see that bastard?”
“Yes. Of course, I’m not going to comfort him. I’m just curious. What kind of state Aaron will be in.”
That wasn’t her only purpose, but Ariella didn’t bother to elaborate.
“Will you be alright? If that bastard dares to lay a hand on you…”
A sharp anger soon rose on his face, which had been stained with guilt.
Ariella waved her hand to calm him down and replied.
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. I heard he’s still having trouble moving around, so how could he do anything to me in that condition? Moreover, in the imperial palace where there are many eyes watching.”
“…”
“I’m really fine. Oh, we’re already here. Thank you for taking me home, Nobert.”
It wasn’t a very good topic. Seeing his expression become serious, she quickly changed the subject.
Just in time, the carriage had already arrived in front of the ducal residence’s gate.
Why does time with him seem to pass so quickly? Ariella wondered, and got out of the carriage with Nobert’s help.
It wasn’t just her who was feeling regretful, as Nobert didn’t leave right away and escorted her to the front gate. Only after there was nowhere else to follow did he say his farewell.
“Thanks to you, I had an unforgettable day today.”
“I had fun too, thank you.”
Ariella chuckled at him, who was saying something straight out of a textbook.
But after hearing the words that followed from his mouth, she couldn’t laugh anymore.
“It’s my first time on a date, so there must have been many shortcomings. If you tell me, I will never make the same mistake next time.”
“…Pardon?”
Ariella stopped laughing and became serious.
As if questioning her reaction, Nobert tilted his head slightly and repeated his words.
“If there’s anything I did wrong today, please feel free to tell me—”
“No. Not that. Before that… what did you say?”
“Ah. I said it’s my first time going on a date.”
“First time?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“First time ever?”
“Yes.”
Nobert nodded confidently. With a face that didn’t even begin to guess what the problem was.
Staring up at him blankly, Ariella moved her lips several times before cautiously asking a question.
“Nobert. Perhaps, although it’s absurd, could it be that you’ve never… been in a relationship with anyone?”
It was an absurd thing for her to say, but she let out a self-deprecating laugh at the foolish question she had uttered.
Look at Nobert’s face. Look at his muscular body and sparkling personality.
Even if his expression is somewhat stern and fierce, there’s no way the world would have left someone like that alone.
Ariella believed that, but sometimes incomprehensible things happen in the world.
“Yes. I haven’t.”
Her small mouth opened with a snap.
Nobert looked at her as if he couldn’t help but find her adorable, and added another unbelievable statement.
“You are also the first person I’ve ever held in my heart.”
At that moment, scenes that she had found puzzling until now quickly flashed before her eyes.
