My Beloved, Whom I Desire to Kill - 270

—Ugh, whatever.

She couldn’t do anything about the sweater, so she opened the door. Just as she had calculated that the state of her appearance wouldn’t be the first thing to catch his eye, he went straight for her lips.

But as soon as he pulled away, he looked down at Giselle’s neck. Giselle clearly saw the look of surprise on his face.

—Should we go to the department store today?

—Are you insulting my favorite sweater?

—No. I want to buy one just like it for myself.

He was a quick-witted man, and she truly wished she could learn his ability to improvise.

—This is a rare item you can’t buy with money.

With that, Giselle went up to the bedroom, changed only her sweater, and returned to the living room. The air felt different. Just a few minutes ago, she had wanted to be alone, but now she felt so excited, she thought that if she had a tail like Loddy, it would be wagging.

—Did things work out okay?

—Enough for a date.

When she sat down beside him, the man, who had been playing with the dog, gazed at Giselle and then reached out to cup the back of her head.

This man, these days, as soon as we make eye contact, he tries to kiss me.

Giselle rolled her eyes and moistened her dry lips, but it was useless. Edwin took his hand away from her head and placed something in her palm. It was a bobby pin. She must have dropped one while she was pulling them out in a hurry. Her face felt hot as she snapped at Edwin.

—You should have called before you came.

—I missed you so much. Didn’t you miss me?

—Of course I did. I couldn’t focus on my book.

Her anger melting away, Giselle lied without batting an eye.

—What book is it?

—A mystery novel.

Edwin picked up the book she had left behind and read the summary on the back, and his brow furrowed. It was no surprise, with all the terrifying words like ‘corpse,’ ‘murder,’ ‘conspiracy,’ and ‘betrayal.’

—Wouldn’t romance suit such a beautiful weekend better?

Giselle answered dully,

—My romance is so thrilling that everyone else’s is boring.

The man, who had leaned over and reached out to put the book back on the side table behind Giselle, froze. He stared at Giselle in a daze, at a distance close enough to touch.

Though Edwin was the one entranced, Giselle was mesmerized by the sparkle in his blue eyes that held her reflection. She wasn’t particularly interested in jewels, but if that was a jewel, she would be greedy enough to have it.

He began to move closer to Giselle, who was trying to maintain a nonchalant expression. But instead of their lips, he pressed his forehead against hers.

—I think I was born just to hear you say that.

—What do you mean by…….

—It was a good thing I was born.

After that came.

—It was a good thing I went to the academy. Wasn’t he exaggerating too much? Giselle burst into laughter, but there was no playfulness in Edwin.

He pulled back and reached into his suit jacket. He was about to take out a tin of mints. He paused, looked down into his pocket as if to check, and then took his hand out.

The man who always took out two mints and gave one to Giselle first was now putting them in his own mouth more often. It wasn’t because the ducal family was poor and he was being stingy. It was a sign that he was about to give her a deep kiss.

—Giselle, how can you say something like that?

Giselle couldn’t take her eyes off the mint on his tongue, which was getting a little smaller every time he spoke. When that white dot completely disappears, he’ll cover my lips. Giselle’s mouth watered, even though she didn’t have a mint.

—I never raised you to be a fox. Where did you learn that? Is it innate?

Edwin seemed happy that Giselle had unexpectedly grown into a fox.

—It wasn’t calculated, you know? It’s just the truth.

The man who sat with his legs crossed and his temple resting on his fingertips seemed relaxed on the outside, but the tongue in his mouth was losing its composure.

—You’re too cunning. Who says such heart-pounding things so casually? That’s cheating, too.

He groaned and ran a hand over his face, making the half-eaten mint disappear from Giselle’s sight.

—I can’t lose, but my mind is so foggy right now that the only boring thing I can think of is you.

—What’s the boring thing?

—I love you.

Edwin stretched out the hand that had been cupping his chin. There was nothing on the tongue that uttered the words she could listen to forever and never tire of.

He slowly moved closer to Giselle, who was quietly swallowing her breath and trying to calm her trembling heart. His hand buried itself in her hair, and his knees touched hers. As if that was still too far, his other hand reached under her and lifted her legs onto his knees. The moment they embraced, their breaths mingled.

The kiss only ended after the faint sting of mint had faded. My mister has no greed, the young Giselle had said, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. Her lips were swollen and sore, and her tongue was aching, but he still couldn’t take his hands off her, wrapping and unwrapping her hair around his fingers as if he were sad to let her go.

Edwin seemed to think about something and then gestured upward with his eyes. Was he suggesting they go up? Giselle’s eyes sparkled.

—Go change.

…..…Right. Of course not.

—Let’s go to the movies.

—Right now?

Going to the movies in the afternoon was the original date plan, but…

—We can go tonight. Get some sleep.

Edwin wasn’t in uniform; he was in a suit, and he smelled strongly of soap. The faint bloodshot lines and dark circles under his eyes showed that he had come straight here after stopping home just long enough to shower and change. He must have been tired, because he didn’t refuse.

—Can I sleep here?

—I don’t see why not.

With her permission, he stood up and took off his jacket, hanging it over a vacant armchair. Watching him, Giselle asked, —Want to use the guest room?

—No.

—…Are you going to sleep in my bed?

—No.

Then where was he going to sleep? Edwin sat down next to the bewildered Giselle, who was blinking her eyes, and then lay down. He rested his head on her thigh.

—I’ve always wanted to do this.

He smiled a fresh, clear smile like a boy lying in the shade of a tree on a brilliant spring day. Giselle’s eyes, which had been wide with surprise, curved into a smile, too. But as Edwin kept gazing up at her, she didn’t know where to look, and her face grew hot.

—You should sleep now.

Giselle finally used her hand to cover his eyes.

—I’m too excited to sleep…

…….But the man fell asleep in an instant. Giselle stopped the hand that was caressing his cheek. She didn’t want to move it. Or her eyes. She found herself just staring at his peaceful sleeping face.

I’m happy. So this is what it feels like.

When she was a child, she often napped on his lap. She realized in this small yet precious moment that the person who needed a shoulder to lean on and the person who provided that support had changed roles. They had transformed from a relationship where one person simply gave to the other, to one where they now shared equally.

His words—that he had always wanted to sleep with his head on his lover’s lap—hinted at the kind of love Edwin had desired: love given and received at the same level.

It made sense that he hadn’t seen her as a romantic partner when she was still a woman who needed one-sided protection, even as an adult. It was also understandable that he only began to see her as a woman once she had grown enough to protect herself and even help others.

She felt a new sense of pride in herself, realizing that she had become the kind of solid adult a man who doesn’t easily lean on others would want to lean on.

She loosened his suffocating tie and unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt. As she savored this rare opportunity to care for him, Loddy, whose spot had been taken, rested his chin on Giselle’s knee and looked up at her with pitiful eyes. He then went so far as to poke Edwin with his nose.

The man awoke, grimacing, and turned to face Giselle. In the small gap that opened up, Giselle stopped the dog, who was about to jump onto the sofa, and stood up.

—I’ll go get him a treat.

She pulled the largest dried bone out of the cupboard and gave it to Loddy, who then settled down in the kitchen. He would probably be absorbed there for a while.

When she returned to the living room, Edwin was asleep again. Looking at his peacefully closed eyes, a devious plan suddenly came to mind. This was her chance to satisfy her craving. It was for a cigarette.

Now that he felt he had won Giselle over, Edwin had started nagging her to quit smoking this year. So if she missed this chance, she wouldn’t get to have a single one all day.

Keeping her eyes on Edwin, she slowly and quietly pulled on the nightstand drawer at his head. When it was open just enough for her hand to fit, she slipped her fingers inside. She struggled for a moment to quietly retrieve the lighter, which she had accidentally pushed too far back, but she finally succeeded in getting both it and the pack of cigarettes without waking him.

The moment she turned to head to the backyard, a pair of arms wrapped firmly around her waist. She lost her balance and stumbled backward.

Asure: It feels like we’re close to ‘snu snu’ time… I hope that’s a good sign for the action. Enjoy, and have a great Monday!