How to Escape from My Possessive Fiancé - Chapter 61

“Well, actually…”

 

Sophia rolled her eyes and spoke.

 

“There’s something a bit strange about her.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Just like with the duke. She talked as if she knew him. I thought it was really weird, but now I see it’s because they already knew each other. What exactly is their relationship?”

 

“Who knows.”

 

The duke shrugged like he didn’t want to explain. Sophia frowned and looked up at him.

 

“You’re not going to tell me again?”

 

Seeing her unhappy face, the duke gave in and answered.

 

“Hmm… Let’s just say she’s the only one who shares my memories.”

 

“That sounds really serious.”

 

Sophia clicked her tongue. She thought he’d say something like they just met and greeted each other once. She didn’t expect to hear something like “shares my memories.”

 

If that was true, then shouldn’t he be engaged to that woman instead?

 

Maybe noticing Sophia’s disappointment, the duke smiled and said,

 

“That doesn’t mean anything. The only one who really matters to me is you.”

 

“Such sweet words again.”

 

Sophia turned her head and pouted. The duke lowered his head to follow her gaze. Just from that small action, their faces were close enough to almost kiss. She could feel his blue eyes carefully looking over every part of her face.

 

“Do you still doubt how I feel? Should I show you?”

 

The duke’s hand gently held her pale cheek a little longer. Suddenly, it felt too close. Sophia tried to push his hand away, but his strong arm didn’t move at all. His gaze deepened.

 

“Should I kiss you?”

 

“What?”

 

“Should we kiss?”

 

Sophia silently looked up at him and said,

 

“…You’re really selfish.”

 

It was a sudden burst of emotion. Maybe sadness, maybe something else.

 

“Kissing won’t tell me how you really feel. No one can know what you’re thinking. You’re too hard to understand.”

 

She frowned. Her frustration felt so real, like it could be touched.

 

“Then what do you want?”

 

The duke asked in a gentle voice, like he was willing to do anything. Sophia shook her head.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t?”

 

“Yes. I don’t know.”

 

There was a short silence. The duke stared at her and then spoke suddenly.

 

“Now that I think about it, you were like this before too. When we were on the ship. I told you people kiss at times like this, and you said you didn’t want that—you wanted to talk.”

 

Did she say that? She couldn’t remember clearly. But she did remember the ship. The hot sun, the sound of water by her ears, and the duke’s face getting so close when she accidentally grabbed his thigh—those parts were clear.

 

“Did I really say that?”

 

Sophia said, a bit embarrassed. The duke nodded.

 

“Yeah. You said you wanted real connection. That love means understanding and effort. That you wanted to understand me.”

 

He replied. Then she remembered it too. But hearing it from his mouth made it sound like a deep love confession, and her face turned red.

 

“I… I didn’t mean it that seriously.”

 

“You said you wouldn’t regret finding out what I really am.”

 

The duke’s handsome face came even closer. Their noses almost touched. With his beautiful face so near, Sophia felt dizzy. She fidgeted with her hands but couldn’t take her eyes off him. She looked at his straight nose and the strange blue eyes that gave an odd feeling.

 

“But seriously, what are you? A monster or something? Even Kiel told me I had to figure it out myself—who you are, what you are. He said it was the will of the gods. But suddenly talking about gods like that—it’s just weird. Unless you really are a monster…”

 

That’s when the duke closed his eyes and kissed her.

 

Sophia’s eyes widened. She had kissed the duke in dreams, but this was the first time in real life.

 

Their lips touched softly, their breaths mixed. Even though it was their first real kiss, the duke kissed her like he’d done it many times before. He pressed on her lower lip with his tongue, entered through the gap, licked, sucked, and even bit her shy tongue gently.

 

It wasn’t just a kiss. It felt more like teasing.

 

Surprised and panicked, Sophia tried to pull away. She pushed at him and leaned back, but the duke held the back of her neck firmly, and she couldn’t escape. Her resistance melted inside his arms.

 

Warm heat rushed over her face and neck, and her heart pounded so loudly it echoed in her ears. Her mind felt like it was melting. A strange sensation climbed up from her belly.

 

Maybe noticing her state, the duke smiled. He finished the kiss by lightly licking her swollen lower lip.

 

“How was it?”

 

He pulled back and smiled playfully, as if asking, “Do you understand me now?” or “Do I still seem like a monster?”

 

Sophia couldn’t speak, gasping for breath. She felt completely shaken. When she came to her senses, she realized she was leaning deep into his arms. She tried to push him away, but her hands had no strength.

 

“This is manipulation.”

 

Sophia managed to speak with a red face.

 

“You can’t learn anything about someone from a kiss like that…”

 

But she didn’t finish her sentence. She had shared too much in that moment to say she learned nothing. As she waited for her heart to calm down, she finally said,

 

“Apologize. I didn’t give you permission. Why did you suddenly kiss me?”

 

“I asked, didn’t I?”

 

The duke smiled.

 

“I asked, ‘Should I kiss you?’”

 

“And did I say yes?”

 

“Well, you didn’t say no.”

 

That answer was unbelievable. Sophia gave up trying to stay calm and shouted,

 

“So if someone doesn’t say no, you think that’s a yes? You’re so old-fashioned sometimes! It’s awful. Stay away from me!”

 

Sophia pushed him away with her still-red face. The duke dodged her angry push and laughed. Sophia paused her hand in midair. ‘Is he crazy? Why is he laughing now?’ But she lowered her hand because of the way his eyes curved like a boy’s.

 

“Why are you laughing?”

 

“It’s just… this has never happened during a first kiss before.”

 

That made Sophia freeze again.

 

“You’re talking about kissing other women in front of me? Are you comparing me to them?”

 

“No, all those were with you…”

 

“Forget it. Just go away.”

 

Sophia pushed the duke and stood up. She dug through a pile of clothes and stormed out. But she didn’t get far before he caught her. She heard him following and expected him to grab her.

 

When he did, she turned quickly and kicked his leg. She hit his shin directly—but the duke didn’t even flinch. Instead, Sophia cried out.

 

“Ahhh! What are you made of, stone?!”

 

Ignoring her yelling, the duke grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

 

“Do you like me?”

 

“What?”

 

“Talking about other women—that was clear jealousy. Oh, and you seem stronger again too.”

 

He muttered to himself. Sophia frowned at his confusing words. ‘Stronger again?’ What did that mean? Come to think of it, she had heard something like this before.

 

“I don’t trust you or the duke. You both want to use me. The duke wants to kill me to regain his power. You want to kill me to stop him. That’s the only difference.”

 

That was from a dream. Sophia—falling off a burning cliff—had said that to Ezequiel. She said she was tired of people only wanting to use her.

 

At the time, she thought it was just a crazy dream, but as time passed, she started to think it might not be just a dream. Even the duke had said so. That the poison she took came from his family, and it caused strange dreams and even visions.

 

If that dream was a vision…

 

Sophia was still confused, but she knew one thing for sure: what the duke just said had a deep meaning.

 

“What do you mean, ‘stronger again’?”

 

Right then, the lights in the hallway started to flicker like wind was blowing through. From the high chandeliers to the oil lamps on the wall…

 

“Ah!”

 

Then came a loud gust, like all the windows had flown open. Sophia closed her eyes in shock and grabbed the duke’s arm. But no matter how tightly she closed them, she didn’t feel any wind brushing her hair.

 

When she opened her eyes, the lights were back to normal, brightly lighting the hall. It all disappeared like an illusion.

 

Looking up, she saw the duke smiling—like he was asking if she was scared. Then he kissed her cheek.

 

“Do I need permission for that too?”

 

He said it clearly just to tease her. His whisper near her ear was sweet. Sophia pushed him away.

 

“Yes. So, don’t do it.”