Chapter 65.1

Chapter 65.1

His fingers felt as if they were branding her skin like a hot iron. Jasmine absentmindedly murmured to herself as she felt his fingers wander over her spine.

‘Had he always had such a high body temperature?’

His fingers slowly descended, lingering precariously near her tailbone. She knew he was toying with the ribbon that held her dress in place.

The moment he pulled it, she would be naked, just as she had been countless times on many nights before.

Jasmine clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip around his neck, exhaling raggedly. She intended to signal for him to stop, but she wasn’t sure if that was truly what she meant. After all, she was clinging to him more tightly.

Feeling her trembling completely, Richard experienced a rush of intense joy. Finally. Finally, he was holding her again. It was like swallowing aged wine in one gulp, sweet in his mouth and dizzying to his head.

He wanted to strip away her shell and consume the soft flesh hidden inside, like crushing ripe fruit. In his mind, he was already a beast, panting and ravishing her, and he was tempted to make that fantasy a reality.

This carriage was his space, and she was in his arms. No one would know what happened inside this deliberately slow-moving carriage. And even afterward, it was uncertain if they would arrive at the Ducal mansion or a secluded villa outside the capital. In that desolate place with no one around, he could…

He could do it. Right now.

“Damn it.”

He cursed lowly, causing Jasmine to flinch. He quickly soothed her back with a gentle touch, but the man’s averted gaze, which she couldn’t see, was twisted with turmoil.

His expression was coldly impassive, but his eyes were distant. He closed his eyes.

His fingers finally moved away from the ribbon they had been toying with.

Instead, he pulled her small body into a tight embrace. It was strong enough to crush, yet it didn’t hurt. It was a painless chain. His lips pressed into her delicate shoulder, inhaling deeply as if to absorb her scent.

Jasmine felt like she would be swallowed up by him, leaving no trace of herself behind. She realized that the heat of that short summer still lingered within him and that she was reacting as if she were imprinted on him.

For some reason, she felt like crying. And just as much, she was afraid.

“Did you really never want to see me?”

His voice was low and questioning.

“Not even once?”

Jasmine didn’t answer. She didn’t want to, and she couldn’t.

However he interpreted that silence, Richard laughed bitterly.

“How could you?”

“…”

“I can’t understand you. No matter how hard I try.”

I’ve thought about it hundreds of times, but I still don’t get it.

“Did you ever feel like this?”

Jasmine squeezed her eyes shut. The carriage had already slowed as it entered the quiet manor of the ducal estate. Even after the carriage stopped, they remained close, bodies pressed together. Their hearts beat in sync.

Richard slowly pulled her away and adjusted her clothes. His careful touch was so familiar that she didn’t even have a chance to feel uncomfortable.

Richard always took care of her as if he were looking after a child. Despite his noble upbringing, he found immense emotional fulfillment and satisfaction in personally attending to Jasmine’s minor needs.

Initially, she found it burdensome, but she gradually became accustomed to it and even dependent on his touch.

These actions somewhat satisfied his possessiveness and thirst. He meticulously chose everything that suited her, from clothes to shoes, necklaces, and even underwear, and Jasmine would obediently accept his choices.

His aesthetic sense and sharp eye matched her tastes perfectly, so she found his attentiveness more convenient than unusual. She liked the way they fit together so well.

Seeing her dressed beautifully as he had adorned her made him love her even more.

It felt as if this woman had completely entered his realm and was resting comfortably there. Even Richard hadn’t anticipated that he would have such desires and inclinations.

As he skillfully retied her loosened scarf, neither of them spoke, both recalling their shared past.

After lightly fingering the ribbon on her neck, he withdrew his hand. Their eyes met, relentless and unyielding.

Knock, knock, knock.

“We have arrived.”

At the attendant’s voice, Jasmine started to speak but then turned away. The door closed. Richard exhaled heavily, roughly rubbing his forehead.

He was overwhelmed with a sense of self-loathing and defeat at not even having the right to see her off.

***

Jasmine was feeling down.

Having gone through a breakup for the ninth time, it would be strange if she weren’t. However, the last dirty breakup with her ex-boyfriend had long faded from her memory.

“Did you really never want to see me? Not even once?”

Her mind was consumed with Richard, Richard, Richard Aion, and nothing else. With just a brief encounter, he had effortlessly shaken the defenses she had built over the past six months.