Chapter 52
I woke up long after the sun had risen.
Which was expected, because Lennox and I had been up until dawn.
Speaking of… had he left already? The bed was cold on his side, and the sunlight shone faintly through the thick curtains.
I slowly raised my upper body. “Ugh…”
My whole body ached, inevitably reminding me of last night.
He was so skillful that I couldn’t believe it was his first time. And his stamina was… It had been impossible to keep my composure when he touched me. I had only been able to grasp the sheets during the most intense moments.
I placed the backs of my hands on my burning face.
The door opened with a sharp sound.
“Are you up already?”
Before I knew it, a neat-looking Lennox strode into our room and sat on the edge of the bed.
Did he just finish taking a shower? His unique, refreshing scent and the subtle smell of soap mixed alluringly.
“It’s time to wake up.” He held my hand, his own pleasantly cool.
“I’ve had enough sleep; you’re the one who woke up early. Are you okay? Aren’t you tired?”
Lennox smirked. “Why would I be?”
I paused out of embarrassment. “Yesterday, you… You worked hard. I was wondering if you did too much.”
He laughed, utterly charming, and the atmosphere grew thick with desire in an instant despite everything that had already happened.
Realizing that I would get swept away by the moment again, I tried to change the atmosphere. “It’s too dark here. Can you draw the curtains for me?”
I hesitated for a moment in embarrassment and opened my mouth hesitantly.
“Yesterday, you were so… You worked hard. I was wondering if it was too much.”
Then he smirked and laughed. It was a horribly charming smile.
As he smiled at me, the atmosphere grew thick with desire in an instant, despite everything that had gone on the night before.
I felt like I was going to be swept away again and quickly tried to change the atmosphere. “It’s too dark in the room. Can you open the curtains for me?”
Lennox made a knowing expression at my interruption, but thankfully he stood up, playing along. “Can I open your nightgown too, Duchess? I won’t say no to that.” He walked to the window with a smirk, pushing aside the curtains to let the bright sunshine pour in.
The room lit up, and…
A faint blue light shimmered in the air as well. It was the energy of the Epure. When I opened my palm, the light settled on it.
“…When did I release this energy?”
“Last night,” he replied, sounding a little surprised.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It was flowing from you all night.”
My eyes widened.
“Didn’t you know?”
“I had no idea.”
I’d been so distracted that I hadn’t had the time to notice it.
Lennox’s words about how a deeper contact produced more purification energy came to mind.
To be honest, I hadn’t been thinking of that at all last night. It had… not been possible.
Mischief was audible in his voice when he spoke again, “Was it that good?”
“What…”
In a flash, he was on top of me, an arm snaking around my waist.
Heat rushed to my face. “Oh!” I slapped his wicked hand away.
“I anticipated that your body would be sore, so I wanted to give you a massage,” he said cheekily.
“It’s a shame how easily that mouth of yours lies.”
He licked his lower lip in response.
“Haven’t you had enough?”
“Not even close.” Lennox laughed at my incredulous expression. “Don’t worry. I care about my wife’s physical condition. I’m not one of those bastards who care only about their own pleasure.”
“Should I thank you?”
“No need. It’s how it should be.”
“That’s so like you.” I laughed, diffusing the tension in the room gently.
I took out my collection of travel brochures and my notebook from a bedside drawer. The notes were all about my plans for our honeymoon week.
“There’s a lot of things I want to do today.”
Lennox quickly scanned the contents. “You’ve made very detailed plans.”
“Of course. I don’t know when I’ll be back here, so I have to squeeze in everything I can.”
Visiting tourist attractions, eating the local food while following a budget! Weren’t those the basics of traveling?
I looked at my itinerary, tapping each entry.
Lennox laughed. “Aren’t you trying to do too much?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Most of them are shops and restaurants.
I quickly flipped my notebook shut. “That’s mostly the purpose of visiting tourist spots.”
“So that was your purpose and not… this?”
“Really! Will you not let me leave this bed?”
Lennox grinned impishly and laughed again, making me fume at his unfairly good looks. “In any case, there’s something I’ve already prepared.”
“What is it?”
He tugged on the rope of the bedroom door instead of answering. A blushing Ashuna opened it quickly.
“Good morning, Madam!”
She must have been waiting outside for quite some time. Ash sat on her shoulder, looking right at home.
Lennox opened his palm, receiving a golden key from her.
“What’s that for?”
“It’s a key to a magic safe.”
“A magic safe?”
“It’s a safe built in a subspace. Only the owner can open it, so nobody can open it by themself.”
“No one can go in without the owner’s permission?”
That was interesting. The key glinted in the sunlight. It seemed like something that would fetch a high price.
“But what if the key is lost? Can the safe be broken into?”
“What?” Lennox burst into laughter as if he’d heard something ridiculous but fascinating.
Rubbing my nose awkwardly, I waited for an answer.
“It cannot be broken or forced to open. Even if the key is lost, the owner can enter as often as they want. The key is just a device used to register the safe and its owner,” he said. “This particular safe does not have a designated owner yet, so anyone with a key can enter.” He pressed down on the red jewel embedded in the key’s bow.
A small whirlwind appeared, in the middle of which was a hole. When the key was inserted and turned, there was a clicking sound, and the subspace opened from thin air.
I gaped. Inside were solid-looking desks and chairs, low-height bookcases, and couches. The area was reminiscent of a small office.
My heart was pounding as I entered the subspace.
“This is the safe.” Lennox pointed to an inconspicuous drawer next to the bookcase.
I pulled on the handle, revealing its treasures.
“Oh…” I covered my mouth with both hands.
Gold coins were piled up inside.
Lennox had promised me my payment.
The corners of my mouth twitched.
Money couldn’t buy happiness, but it ensured a comfortable life.
I swept the surface of the gold coins with a trembling figure. The cool, smooth sensation was amazing.
He handed me the key. “Shall we register you as the owner first?”
“Okay, what should I do?” I nodded quickly.
There was no reason to refuse a safe that would be registered in my name.
“A drop of blood is required to activate the spell.
Ashuna held out a needle to me. When I pricked my finger and let it bleed onto the key, complicated patterns and letters floated on its surface.
“What should I say?” I wiped my finger with a clean handkerchief.
Lennox smiled mischievously. “‘Open, sesame’.”
After looking around the subspace a bit more, I hurried to dress myself to go out with the help of Ashuna.
“Where are you going to go first?”
“Shopping. I need to buy some decent nightwear first.”
“What? But this is so pretty!” she hurriedly dissuaded. “These days, this is the most popular design among young lovers. Didn’t you like it, too?”
I did, which was the problem.
”What were you thinking of while waiting for me in this dress?”
I shook the memory away.
“The same goes for my indoor dresses. I’m going to buy some again.”
All of the dresses that Ashuna had packed for me were form-fitting and revealing. They either had no sleeves, no back, a low front, or no space for a petticoat.
If I wore those, there would be nothing left to the imagination.
“These clothes make me seem too eager to seduce or be seduced.
“What’s wrong with that? If you like each other, isn’t that normal?”
“Ashuna, you don’t know…”
I probably would never forget what I had learned last night.
’It was his first time too, so how was he so good at it?’
Ashuna’s face was serious. “You need that ability to be a duke.”
And Ash, who was listening silently, sent me a mental message. [I don’t have an answer for that, Olivia.]
His prejudices were definitely gone.
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