Duke, Is This Your First Time?

Chapter 36

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Considering what Marquis Berten has done so far, she wanted to press him and received an apology from him in front of the nobles. Just how satisfying would it be?

However, Elysia’s mind was not comfortable with that.

She was able to escape unscathed thanks to the false witness prepared by Iker, even though she couldn’t deny the fact that she had s*x with him.

She was no different from all of them if she put aside her conscience simply for revenge.

‘Moreover, if he really apologizes in front of the nobles, he will definitely pounce at her with gritted teeth.’

She can do that to increase the hatred and anger of her opponent, can’t she? She was exhausted enough of the feeling this man had for her now.

Elysia mentally sighed and looked back at the nobles surrounding her.

“I apologized to everyone in advance, but Marquis Berten has something to say to me in private. Can all of you please give us a moment?”

At Elysia’s words, Aria and other nobles exchanged anxious glances. They looked worried about leaving her alone with Marquis Berten.

After a while, Aria asked her cautiously.

“Marquess, will you be alright on your own?”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Elysia smiled and nodded, but Aria and the nobles still couldn’t hide their concerned gazes.

Just before they left the conference room, they looked at Elysia again as if leaving her didn’t sit right for them.

At the same time, they didn’t forget to stare at Marquis Berten.

After confirming that the nobles who followed her had left the hall, Elysia looked at Marquis Berten with folded arms.

She must have hit it on the spot. Marquis Berten looked much more comfortable after the gaze of people surrounding them disappeared.

“They’re all gone, so speak now. What do you want to say?”

“I suspected the Marquess, so I would like to apologize.”

Marquis Berten’s closed mouth finally opened and words of apology flowed out of his mouth. However, she felt like he was forced to do it because he must do it rather than saying it with sincere feeling.

Thinking so, Elysia replied firmly.

“It’s true that I have provided a gap for a misunderstanding to occur, so I accept your apology. However, I wish you will be more careful in the future.”

“…….I will keep your advice in mind.”

Is that the look he was supposed to have when saying that? The look on his eyes was telling her to wait and see.

Elysia smirked as she looked at Marquis Berten, who turned away with a frightened gaze, as if his pride was completely crushed.

‘Should I have made him apologize in front of the nobles?’

It was when she thought that she was being considerate to him. The low voice, which was now completely familiar to her, went through her ears gently.

“You’re such a tender-hearted person, Marquess.”

“Your Excellency?”

Elysia turned her head and saw Iker walking toward her with Karzen. It seemed that they had waited until everyone left the conference room.

Iker spoke while approaching her, his eyes glancing at the back door of the hall where Marquis Berten disappeared to.

“Marquess should know that being considerate doesn’t make any difference.”

He probably noticed that she had sent out the nobles as a consideration for Marquis Berten’s position.

“Even though that’s true, I didn’t do a good thing either. It’s true that I also provide an excuse for that.”

Elysia, who was rubbing her cheek out of embarrassment, quickly bowed her head when she remembered the thing she had forgotten.

“More than that, thank you so much for today. Thanks to you and your friend, I was able to protect my position.”

At her sincere remark, Iker slightly folded the corner of his eyes beautifully.

“I’m glad I could keep my promise to the Marquess.”

“Promise? What prom…….”

Elysia, who was puzzled, finally recalled what he said about the promise.

That’s what Iker said on the night he came into her bedroom.

[Don’t worry, Marquess. The ‘day’ you worry about won’t happen. I promise.]

Both of her eyes shook in bewilderment.

She couldn’t understand the meaning behind his words until she went into the conference hall today, and she was finally able to comprehend it now.

Iker was preparing it all ahead of time. Everything in order to save her if she got into trouble due to the scandal that involved them.

‘Why did he go this far to protect me…….’

The attention she received was too much for her to shrug it off as an act of simply taking interest in her.

Elysia stiffened and unknowingly bit her lower lip because she didn’t know why the man in front of her was so nice to her.

His thumb brushed her lower lip.

His hard, callused fingers, which was probably because he held swords, gently dragged down her bitten lower lip.

“Besides hitting your head, you have one more habit to fix. If you do it, you won’t have a scar on your pretty lips.”

The click of the tongue along with the deep and low voice that penetrated her ears hit her calm heart severely.

His beautiful golden eyes that filled completely only by her, and his crooked lips that moved slightly, everything on him was dangerously attractive. The man was in front of her.

If she were to grab him by the collar and pull him in to crush their lips against each…….

Elysia raised her hand unconsciously as if she was being possessed, but was brought back to her consciousness by the unfamiliar voice of Karzen, who was smiling at them.

“Why don’t you two have a separate date later? Unless you’re trying to tease me for being single.”

Her eyes, which were opened wide, shook. Her heart was beating fast, it was even pounding to the point it made some sort of strange noise.

‘Ugh! What was I about to do just now? I’m crazy. I’m definitely going crazy.’

Feeling the cold sweat dripping down her spine, Elysia quickly took away her hand and pretended as if nothing had ever happened.

Even so, she could not hide it because the top of her red-hot ears were still visible.

Iker’s lips bent in a pleasant way while watching her like that.

While Elysia was busy calming her wildly beating heart, Karzen greeted her with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Marquess Camellia.”

His silver hair that seemed to have come out directly from the moonlight was sloshing beautifully, and his scarlet eyes were reminiscent of light beneath the sunset that shone and carried a favorable impression to the eyes.

When the beautiful man smiled brightly, it felt like her surroundings immediately brightened up.

‘He’s a beauty.’

Elysia admired Karzen’s appearance. She accepted his greeting, thinking that he seemed to have a gentle and pacific personality.

“Nice to meet you as well. And thank you so much for today.”

“No, Marquess.”

“Excuse me?”

Why is he saying no out of the blue?

When Elysia blinked in confusion, Karzen lifted his finger and shook it.

“Not today, but that day. You should say it’s for that day. I helped Marquess that day.”

“Oh….”

Realizing what he was implying to, she averted her eyes and seemed embarrassed.

“There’s no need to do that since it was nothing….”

“Yes, there is. He asked me to lie in order to pay off my debts, so isn’t this perfect?”

For a moment, Elysia doubted her ears.

‘He paid off his debts with a lie? What is he talking about?’

While she was drowning in confusion, the brusque voice of Iker pierced in between them.

“You’re spitting out nonsense. Please do not take what he says seriously, Marquess.”

Iker, who casted Karzen a disapproving look, stretched his hand with the click of his tongue.

Karzen, who quickly showed a smirk while throwing a glance his way, took something out of his chest and put it on his palm.

“I’m here so don’t stare at me like that, and our marquess should know about it, shouldn’t she? What you have done to her.”

“Kar.”

When Iker’s golden eyes gleamed with a cool light exuding from them, Karzen raised his hands with a smile.

“Fine. I’m just grateful that you cleared up my debt. It’s the debt that I have to pay even if you give the magic tower to me.”

“I just can’t help it.”

Wriggling his thick eyebrows, Iker let out a faint sigh and raised his hand.

Karzen spoke out in a hurry as if realizing what he was trying to do.

“W-Wait. Hold on, I’m just kidding, you’re too much. It’s been a while since we saw each other, though.”

However, Iker’s two fingers were already drawing a magic circle in the air without hesitation.

As soon as his small golden magic circle was completed, another magic circle appeared on the floor centered on Karzen. The huge magic circle included Elysia, who was standing at a distance.

Elysia, who looked at the ancient characters appeared from under her feet in confusion, flinched when the firm and strong arms wrapped around her waist.

Iker’s voice rang out in her ears along with his warm breath.

“Excuse me for a second.”

At the same time as his wrapped arms strengthened, her body was already out of the magic circle before she knew it.

His arms continued to be wrapped around her waist even after that, but Elysia, who was concerned about the light pouring out of the magic circle, wasn’t aware of that.

“Ho, whatever.”

Karzen showed a smirk.

He couldn’t believe the man summoned him from the magic tower by invoking the magic circle and was still able to prioritize his woman first.

Watching Iker move Elysia to the safe place, most likely worried that she might be dragged into the summoning magic, Karzen muttered as if dumbfounded.

“I should have said to get rid of this d*mned contract, and don’t let you settle my debt. In fact, I don’t have any choice but to lie in the bed I made, do I?”

It was amusing and interesting to see a friend of his who cared about others, and a woman at that, so he wanted to tease him (Iker) a little, and he finally had a chance to look at it.

He thought he should have made fun of him a bit more, but what could he do? He was already sent back.

Karzen looked at Elysia in Iker’s arms with a wistful look. She watched him with her eyes wide open as if panicking.

‘I was worried because she was rumored to be the famous flirt in the Empire, so I don’t think it’s necessary anymore.’

Aside from the fact that she was fascinating and beautiful enough to convinced that he fell in love with her appearance, the impression he made of her when they met directly turned out to be very different from what he originally thought.

Although they spent a short time together, he was able to feel it from Elysia’s eyes and tone after encountering many different kinds of people.

That she was fairly a good person.

He would need to check a little more about the whereabouts of the side of his friend that used to treat women as a statue, because this side of him was all over her.

Karzen spoke up while staring at Elysia, a smile was drawn across his lips.

“Then, I’ll see you next time, Marquess. I look forward to your cooperation, my stone-like friend.”

As soon as he spat out his last mischievous remark, he disappeared from his spot. Elysia was spared no time to properly accept his farewell greeting because it all happened in a blink of an eye.

“Uh…. He disappeared.”

After muttering it unknowingly, Elysia suddenly flinched.

It was strange. Why was the woody scent, which she had been familiar with, smelled so close to her body?

She raised her head unknowingly and stiffened as soon as her eyes met Iker.