Chapter 38
The Persistent Kiss
The kiss that had begun as a light peck on the cheek did not take long to turn into a desperate struggle as she thrashed in his grasp, trying to break free.
Under his relentless probing, Lily grew flustered. Then, suddenly, when he pulled away abruptly, she opened her closed eyes.
“Who’s there?”
At Christopher’s sharp tone, the other person flinched and hurriedly fled. Judging by the attire, it seemed to be a maid who had accompanied her master here.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Lily wiped her lips with her sleeve. Her lips, still coated with his saliva, seemed to retain his scent no matter how much she wiped.
“A kiss.”
“Who’s asking because they don’t know that?”
“You started it first.”
“That was… just a greeting, a way of saying thank you. Like… the kind you gave my forehead.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
As Lily rambled, he gently brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear.
She was drenched in sweat. The sweet scent of it stirred something within him.
Even while watching her flustered state, he remained composed enough to joke.
“That maid saw us.”
“So?”
“No, that won’t do!”
Lily snapped.
Although he pretended indifference purely because her reaction amused him, he wasn’t entirely without concern. After all, this was near the royal stables, a place with many onlookers.
“We might become the subject of rumors.”
The impulsive act had begun the moment her silky lips touched his cheek, sparking something from that single point of contact.
And it was Christopher who made eye contact with the hidden maid.
Would she dare spread rumors? Against someone like Belmore?
At the time, that was his naive thought. He had never seriously considered those who were insignificant and posed no threat to him. Most people were subdued by his authority and did not even attempt to challenge him.
“Did you see who it was?”
“No… it happened so fast, I can’t remember.”
Lily felt disheartened.
Rumors among maids spread quickly and easily, and there was a high chance that her relationship with the guest in Room 301 would be twisted into something scandalous.
“When are you leaving the hotel?”
She hadn’t intended to ask so harshly. At her words, he burst into laughter.
“Are you trying to get rid of me instead of the maid?”
“If rumors can’t be eliminated…”
Lily groaned, and Christopher found it both amusing and pitiful that the girl he had just kissed was now trying to send him away.
“How disappointing.”
She was unlike any woman he had met before.
What had once been a mere passing thought had now become certainty after that kiss.
“A woman who kisses and then asks when I’ll disappear…”
That alone made him unusually pleased. Lily, in contrast, was at a loss. His gaze was so direct it felt piercing, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
“It’s rude to say things like that outright. If you want to win a woman’s heart, you shouldn’t say such things.”
“Truth is, I’m far more meticulous and skilled than you realize. I simply choose to conceal it appropriately in front of you.”
* * *
Cecil scanned a group of men wearing gentleman’s hats. However, no matter how carefully she looked, Belmore was not among them. As she paced around restlessly, an uninvited guest called out to her.
“Oh my, Lady Cecil. Hello. Do you remember me? It’s been a while.”
Cecil frowned upon seeing the tall, glamorous woman who had appeared in place of the Belmore she had been expecting. Julie Mitchell—there was no one in high society who didn’t know of her unpleasant reputation.
“Ah, Miss Mitchell.”
Cecil nodded lightly with a prim expression. Even after divorcing her first husband, Lord Douglas, Julie had maintained a cordial relationship with him and was also famous as the mistress of an aging prince.
A “proper” lady would never associate with someone like her. Moreover, if Her Majesty the Queen were to appear now, it would be troublesome. Cecil barely acknowledged her, silently wishing she would leave quickly.
“I placed quite a large bet on Lord Belmore’s horse, Tristan. I assume you’ve also bet on Lord Belmore’s horse? You’ve invested quite a lot in him, haven’t you?”
There was an edge to Julie Mitchell’s words, but since Cecil’s interest was indeed solely in Belmore, she did not deny it.
“He’s acquired more horses this time. The race starts in thirty minutes.”
Cecil’s face lit up as she looked at the program. The man she longed for would attend the race where her horse competed, and she hoped to spend time with him rather than the event itself.
“He might not come.”
At those words, Cecil finally turned to look at Julie Mitchell.
“What do you mean?”
“He might be riding something other than a horse, Lady Cecil.”
“Miss Mitchell, I just asked what you meant.”
Sensing Cecil’s irritation, Julie Mitchell stepped back slightly, her tone softening.
“Oh, please don’t be angry. I only heard it from the maids. It seems they didn’t tell a refined lady like you.”
“Yes, maids are known for lying and spreading vulgar gossip.”
Cecil replied coldly and returned her attention to the program. Julie Mitchell stared intently at Cecil’s delicate hand clad in lace gloves.
“Yes… perhaps it was just a maid’s lie.”
Even as Julie Mitchell offered a polite farewell, Cecil remained stiff and unmoved. Only after Julie left did Cecil’s composure falter. Even whispers from nearby made her tense.
“Lord Belmore might be riding something other than a horse.”
There was only one person who could calm her troubled mind.
“Miss Hobert also attends the races.”
Belmore.
As if by coincidence, he strode toward her with muddy boots. Seeing his face, Cecil greeted him with an unusually bright expression. Julie Mitchell’s insinuations were nothing more than needless worry.
Cecil smiled brightly as she spoke.
“Lord Belmore, I’ve bet on your horse. I hope you perform well.”
“Ah, I hope you’ve distributed your bets appropriately among other horses as well. Tristan has just recovered from injury, after all.”
A relationship bound by duty, but devoid of affection.
No sentence described their relationship more accurately.
Despite knowing this well, Cecil still asked questions she wasn’t truly curious about in order to keep the conversation going.
“You’re covered in mud. Where have you been?”
“Ah, I stopped by the stables.”
Cecil unconsciously crumpled the program in her hand.
“The stables…”
She swallowed hard without realizing it.
“Why did you go there?”
“I stopped by briefly on my way back from the royal clinic.”
He remained composed. Cecil couldn’t bring herself to ask why he had gone to the clinic.
She was already prying too much.
“I see.”
Cecil gazed quietly at his face. The cold man who wouldn’t even lift his head toward her had yet to reach agreement with her father regarding inheritance rights and dowry.
* * *
That day, Cecil returned to the hotel exhausted, having gained nothing.
Fortunately, her faithful and lovely maid had prepared a bath filled with hot water and scented oil.
She had also placed a large towel at the foot of the tub, soft and carrying the scent of sunlight.
“Elizabeth?”
Cecil quickly undressed and stepped into the bath. As her weary body relaxed, her thoughts drifted.
Lord Belmore… with a maid…
Splash.
“I’ve stopped by the stables.”
“El—i—za—beth?”
Cecil called out loudly for Elizabeth. She heard movement, but the maid did not appear immediately.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come.”
At that, Lily carefully approached, avoiding slipping on the splashed water.
“Did you need something?”
Cecil noticed that Lily was slightly limping.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh, yes. A little. I twisted my ankle.”
“Where?”
“I fell near the royal stables.”
Lily couldn’t bring herself to explain the full story—that she had fallen into a trap and that the man in Room 301 had rescued her.
“The stables?”
Cecil repeated her words.
Lily shifted uneasily as Cecil remained silent.
Did she notice I kissed a guest?
Most masters—though Cecil Hobert could hardly be called her “master”—disapproved strongly of servants’ romantic entanglements. Cecil was no exception.
“You twisted your ankle at the stables?”
In Cecil’s mind, an image involuntarily formed: Belmore gripping Elizabeth’s slender ankle tightly while pulling her close.
The thought alone made Cecil shiver in discomfort, horrified by her own indecent imagination.
Seeing her reaction, Lily assumed she was cold and poured more hot water into the tub.
“What were you doing there to twist your ankle?”
This girl was always too pretty. Any man would turn his head to look at her as she passed by. Belmore might not be an exception.
“I… fell.”
“Did you receive treatment?”
“Yes. I’m really fine.”
Cecil, having hurried into the bath, removed her pearl earrings and handed them over.
She dropped them lightly into the air so Lily wouldn’t touch her directly.
“Put them away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, miss.”
Watching Elizabeth scramble to pick up the rolling pearl earrings, Cecil closed her eyes.
Lord Belmore… at the stables… with a maid…
Cecil struggled to stop herself from thinking further.
What had been expected to be a quick marriage negotiation was progressing more slowly than anticipated, and Belmore remained distant and indifferent.
Meanwhile, even the bracelet she had subtly offered him had gone unanswered.
Despite clearly making a move of seduction, he had cleanly ignored it. And that made her even more uneasy.
