“I apologize for interrupting, Lady Canilia. His Grace, King Luan wishes to have a conversation,” the butler, spoke.
“That’s right. Is it alright if I leave for a moment, Mom?”
“Of course. I’ll be with the children.”
Once she confirmed her mother’s approach to the children, Lia followed Ian into Ian’s study.
There was something she wanted to ask Luan. To send her mother to Del Casa. She wanted to ask him to make it possible for them to return together.
“I have brought her, Your Grace.”
Lia entered the second-floor study and approached Ian, who was sitting at his desk, looking serious as he read a note. Ian’s face brightened with a smile as he greeted her.
“Weren’t you out for a walk with your mother?”
“She said you wanted to have a conversation.”
“Well, you seem to have something to say.”
Luan raised his graceful lips and stood up, approaching her. Canilia fidgeted with her hands, then clenched them tightly as she looked out the nearby window, eagerly anticipating a distinctly different view from Del Casa.
“I have a request. Please send my mother to Del Casa.”
“It’s difficult to send an immigrant back. To do that, the warrant would have to be lifted first.”
“If the warrant is lifted, will you send my mother with me?”
Luan’s chest was suddenly close to her face. With her trapped between his arms, he held onto the window frame, gently tilting his head as his eyes softened.
“Then, what will you do for me? I’ve been the one at a loss here. I’ve done everything for you, and I haven’t received anything from you.”
His hair tickled her nose. Canilia stared intently at Ian’s face without flinching.
“What do I have to give you to satisfy you?”
“You’re asking a question when you already know the answer. What I want is always just you.”
“I’m not something to be traded recklessly. Please make a different proposal. And I don’t have much to offer because I don’t have much myself. If you consider my circumstances…”
“You have nothing, you say. It would anger Duke Ihar to hear that. If you wish, isn’t the empire a man I can bring to you?”
Of course, that would never happen, but it wasn’t entirely untrue, so Lia bit her lip and sank into her thoughts.
Luan’s grip tightened as he looked down at Canilia. He was pretending to be nonchalant, but his mind was filled with the contents of the note that had just arrived.
“Just one kiss will do.”
In a moment of unintended sincerity, her widened eyes reflected her surprise.
Once, in the distant past, he had forcefully taken her lips in the empire. She couldn’t forget the trembling at that time. Knowing they could never touch again made it all the more urgent.
Sweet, tender, and moist. He couldn’t forget the exhilaration that overflowed with the illusion of having her for a moment.
“Canilia.”
Luan gently brushed her forehead with caution. Just a slight graze of his fingernails against her skin, but it sent shivers down her spine.
I must be crazy.
“No, we can’t.”
Canilia’s eyes filled with determination. Even her voice had become resolute.
“Why not? You said you wanted your mother back.”
“But… I don’t want to make someone sad. Ian, weren’t we friends? Friends who would eat lemon sherbet together. Friends don’t kiss each other.”
Did he make a mistake in their first encounter? Should he have confessed that he had fallen for her a long time ago?
From the beginning, there was never a friend who would come to eat sherbet together.
Luan sighed deeply and bowed his head, leaning on her shoulder.
“Cruel Canilia. I was the first. I… loved you before Claude…”
“No, it was Claude who came first, much earlier.”
Her voice became moist and reminiscent. She was clearly thinking about that man.
He didn’t want to see her blushing face, thinking about Claude even in front of him. How much time had he wasted before accepting that she belonged to someone else?
Of course, he didn’t want to forcibly claim her, but he didn’t want to see a woman who had completely fallen for another male in his territory.
Luan decided to momentarily forget the note that had come from Del Casa.
“But, earlier, I saw Paulun.”
“Paulun?”
“Yes. Didn’t he bring a note?”
“Oh, that bird. His name was Paulun… It was just a simple greeting. Duke Ihar was concerned about whether you were eating well and sleeping well. He seemed to have a lot of curiosity.”
Lia’s face brightened at his words. Ian felt a pang of self-loathing as his heart clenched near his chest, burning with intensity.
[An explosion accident occurred at the Valencia Mine. Duke Ihar went into the collapsed mine with rescue personnel, but a second explosion occurred. We request the immediate dispatch of rescue teams to the nearby Geore. If the mine collapses completely, it will cause damage to Duke Sergio’s territory as well. All personnel from Del Casa are heading to the Valencia Mine, but the cooperation of the Duke is crucial.]
Carso del Anahe. That was the name of the sender of the letter. According to his introduction as the steward of the Ducal House, right now… Well, currently, Claude is in Valencia, which is an hour away from here. Moreover, he was buried there in an unknown state, whether alive or not.
After sending Canilia, who knew nothing, Ian summoned his attendants.
Luan’s gaze was chilling as he looked around at the attendants filling the grand conference room. It made everyone tense as if he were preparing for a war with fervent madness.
“Dispatch rescue teams to Valencia Mine immediately. Save Duke Ihar no matter what. And bring him back alive. They may have sent people from their side as well, but we are closer. Through this deal, I will make an offer they can’t refuse. So… make sure to rescue and bring him back. Understood?”