Chapter 43

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Your Scent
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You can’t have everything. If you gain something, you must also give something up. Aileen decided not to regret her choice.

But she couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret for the path not taken.

Sitting across from him at the old dining table, she picked up her sandwich. She took a large bite, chewing and swallowing her futile, meaningless thoughts along with it.

The sandwich was delicious. Even though it was made with the exact same ingredients and method, it tasted strangely richer than when she ate alone. Mouth full, she mumbled to herself, pondering the incredible difference in taste.

Only one thing had changed. A person. She wondered if it was because Cesare had sliced the baguette so well, but ultimately, she decided it was simply because she was with him.

How could it not be enjoyable, eating with her favorite person in the most comfortable and familiar of places?

*It’s delicious.*

Her appetite returned, and she was eagerly eating her sandwich. A persistent, tickling gaze on her face caused Aileen's movements to slow.

She glanced across the table to see Cesare staring intently at her. Aileen held the sandwich in one hand and wiped her cheeks and lips with the other. She thought something might have gotten on her face.

Still staring, Cesare spoke in an amused tone.

“There’s nothing there. Nothing at all.”

“Then why…”

“I've been wanting to see your eyes for a long time.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Had I known that was the reason, I would have taken them off you sooner.”

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he meant her glasses or her clothes. But it couldn’t be the latter, so she answered Cesare cautiously.

“Your Excellency.”

“Your Excellency?”

At his short question, she quickly corrected the title.

“I-If you like it, Lord Cesare, I’ll go around like this from now on. I suppose it makes me look a little less gloomy, too.”

She was still self-conscious about her eyes. But since Cesare said he liked them, she decided to be braver.

Honestly, it would probably look ridiculous to wear a sparkling, ornate wedding dress with shaggy hair and glasses.

*And if the dress is extravagant, people won't look at my face. I'll ask them to minimize the hair ornaments. So no one pays attention to my face.*

As she had a thought that would make the boutique owners faint, Aileen glanced at Cesare's sandwich.

“But… you don't like the sandwich?”

He hadn’t taken a single bite. She felt embarrassed, as she had been eating hers with such relish. She had made it confidently, thinking it was easy since it only required assembling the ingredients, but it seemed she was wrong. As expected, she had no talent for cooking.

“I… thought it was delicious…”

As she peered at her sandwich, pretending to inspect it, some sauce dripped onto her hand. She was inwardly cursing herself for being such a fool, constantly showing him how clumsy she was.

Cesare beckoned to her with his hand. He didn't take the sandwich when she offered it, so she tilted her head in confusion before extending her sauce-stained hand.

The table wasn't wide, so he easily caught her wrist. She thought he was going to wipe her hand clean, but then something completely unimaginable happened.

“Ah!”

He licked Aileen's finger. As she trembled in shock, his red tongue lapped its way up her finger. He tasted even her pink nail, then gave the tip of her finger a gentle bite before letting go of her wrist.

The sauce was gone, but a faint bite mark remained on her finger. She stared blankly at the mark he'd left before looking up at him. Only then did he begin to eat his sandwich, remarking,

“I think it's delicious, too. You made it well.”

His calm assessment left Aileen's face completely flushed. Aileen's bitten hand hovered awkwardly in the air for a moment before she carefully picked up her sandwich and continued to eat.

But unlike before, she couldn't taste anything. She mechanically bit and swallowed, trying not to look at the finger he had bitten.

She was always startled when Cesare did things like this, but she didn't dislike it. In fact, she was flustered for a different reason.

Whenever he did something sexual to her, she felt a strange sensation. Every time she felt that thrill, a tingling sensation would run down her spine, and she would feel a tickle between her legs.

It would have been fine if it were just a tickle, but the problem was that she kept getting a little wet. More than once, she had felt the sticky sensation of her underwear clinging to her.

Every time she saw the damp circle on her underwear, Aileen was overcome with self-loathing for her own lack of modesty. It felt as if she were consumed by lewd desires. It was Cesare who had awakened the senses of the once-innocent Aileen, so she felt it was a little unfair, but still…

The same was happening now. The thrilling sensation that had started in the drawing room when he rubbed her palm had been lingering ambiguously inside her. But the moment his tongue licked her finger, it suddenly began to run wild within her.

*What do I do…*

Aileen squeezed her eyes shut. The sensation in her private places made it impossible to focus on eating. She put down her half-eaten sandwich and glanced at Cesare.

He had already finished his own sandwich and was now observing her with a steady gaze. Aileen quickly lowered her eyes to the table. She felt that if their eyes met, he would read every single one of her lustful thoughts.

“Aileen.”

“…Y-Yes?!”

Aileen, who had been agonizing internally, jumped so hard her shoulders jolted. Her shrill, cracking voice pierced the quiet ceiling of the brick house.

“What are you thinking about?”

When she didn't answer readily, Cesare asked again in a tone as casual as if he were asking about the taste of the sandwich.

“Something naughty?”

Aileen froze, her mouth agape. She should have denied it, but the moment for that had long passed.

What to do. What should I do. What in the world do I do. All sorts of thoughts raced through her mind, but in the end, she couldn't say a word and just hung her head.

She felt like crying. To him, she was now someone who couldn't even cut her own hair, couldn't cook, and only had dirty thoughts. For Aileen, who had wanted to look at least somewhat impressive to Cesare, this was truly a misfortune.

Cesare briefly covered his lips with the back of his hand. But the eyes visible above his hand were already crinkled with amusement. Not knowing why he was laughing, Aileen could only stare sadly at her half-eaten sandwich.

If only she still had her bangs and glasses, she could have hidden her face a little… She was thinking what a shame it was when,

“Is your bedroom the same as it was?”

At the sound of his languid voice, she slowly raised her gaze. He gave her a smile that could easily be misunderstood.

“Show me around, Aileen.”

“…”

It was hopeless. Completely hopeless. No matter what Cesare said, her mind turned it into something lewd.

Aileen shot up, grabbed her finished plate, and fled to the kitchen. She ran away in embarrassment, but Cesare caught up to her in just a few steps.

“There's not much on the second floor… but if you still want to see it, let's go up together.”

Having no choice, she hesitantly started toward the stairs when her body was suddenly lifted into the air. He had swept her up into his arms.

“Ah! Your Excellency!”

“There you go again.”

“Ah, I'm sorry. Lord Cesare, please put me down.”

“Your feet are too small. It's dangerous.”

Cesare carried the struggling Aileen up the stairs. Saying the stairs were dangerous because her feet were small was utter nonsense. But Cesare refused to let her go, and in the end, Aileen arrived on the second floor, held obediently in his arms.

The second floor consisted of Aileen's bedroom, a storage room, and a small study. There was practically nothing there that would interest him, yet Cesare surveyed the second floor with great curiosity. And upon entering Aileen's bedroom, he let out a soft sigh.

Cesare took a deep breath in and then exhaled. The cozy bedding, the small table, the sofa, the wardrobe, and the bathroom. After taking it all in, one by one, he finally looked down at Aileen, who was still in his arms.

Aileen, who had been squirming awkwardly, instinctively stiffened when their eyes met. A storm was brewing in his red eyes. A low murmur brushed against her ear.

“It smells of nothing but you.”