fiance chapter 23

“….”

A brief silence followed, but to Sophia, it felt like an eternity. The Duke remained speechless for a considerable time. Sophia very slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.

“Kiss?”

Nothing had changed. The Duke was still there, looking at her with an incredulous gaze.

“Do you want to kiss me, Sophia?”

The Duke asked, his tone a mixture of teasing and genuine curiosity. Sophia shook her head vigorously.

“No. I don’t want to.”

“Then why did you make that sound?”

“Well… well… because you, I mean, Cal, are in this position…”

“You seem to have been kissed in this position many times before.”

The Duke retorted sarcastically, leaning closer, purely to tease her. Now, his face was barely a handspan away. Sophia gasped, pulling her head back as far as it would go, although there was nothing behind her but the flat ground.

“That’s a rude question.”

“I’m your fiancé. I think I have the right to know who you’ve kissed.”

Sophia simply ignored him.

“This position is rude, too. Why did you even come here?”

Unable to meet his gaze, Sophia spoke defiantly. The Duke turned his head, his gaze sweeping impassively over the curve of her neck, her disheveled hair, and her flushed cheeks.

“Because you ran away the moment you saw me. I thought we were playing hide-and-seek.”

“Why would I do that?” Sophia cried out. Even as she protested, she turned her head to the side, holding her breath, trying her best to avoid any contact with him. Amused by her desperate attempts, the Duke asked casually, “Shall I move?”

“Yes!”

At her eager reply, the Duke finally laughed. He stood up, knelt on one knee, and extended a hand to her. Sophia briefly considered getting up by herself, but she didn’t want to refuse the opportunity he offered—the chance to regain her composure. She took his hand.

By the time she stood, her hair and clothes were a mess. Only then, seeing her disheveled state, did fear grip her.

“Does anyone else know you came here?”

“The eleven maids I passed on the way, the four servants in the garden, and Lady Sandel, who was with you.”

Please, just kill me. Sophia squeezed her eyes shut.

“Oh, and your mother and Felix Hilden…”

“Your Grace!” Sophia finally exclaimed, the words “Are you joking?” catching in her throat. Her face burned, and his indifferent attitude infuriated her. “You’re a man, and I’m a woman. I didn’t think you were so naive as to not understand the difference! If you follow me to such a secluded place, and I return looking like this, what will people think? Even if we are engaged, we haven’t even had a proper engagement ceremony yet. If we behave so carelessly, even our family and close friends will surely disapprove! I can’t believe you’re acting so irresponsibly, especially when you’re older than me!”

“I’m being irresponsible?”

“Yes!”

“And your running away the moment you saw me wasn’t?”

She almost yelled “Yes!” again in her agitation. Sophia bit her lip. Then, after a moment of thought, she apologized.

“I’m… sorry about that. I didn’t mean to.”

“Hmm.”

The Duke responded with a short, dismissive hum, falling silent. Sophia busied herself trying to straighten her clothes and smooth her hair. After watching her for a while, the Duke suddenly asked, “…Sophia, did you have a dream?”

He spoke casually, as if it were an afterthought. Yet, Sophia froze, staring at him in disbelief.

The Duke’s blue eyes, contrary to his indifferent tone, scrutinized her. He observed her parted lips and wide eyes, then frowned.

“Did you really have a dream?” he asked, as if she had done something she shouldn’t have.

“….” Sophia swallowed hard. She couldn’t read his reaction. His gaze alone made her feel guilty. His demeanor was different from the casual air he had maintained earlier. The longer she remained silent, the more his imposing presence grew, and the colder his expression became.