I Stole The Duke - Chapter 23

It was long after Eliana had fallen asleep when the door to the bridal chamber quietly opened.

Michalis entered the room just past midnight. He had wrapped up the reception as quickly as possible, but with the sheer number of guests, this was the earliest he could manage.

“……”

The bed was clearly untouched. As he glanced around the room, his eyes landed on Eliana—fast asleep on the sofa.

“Eliana.”

He walked over and softly called her name.

“……”

She didn’t stir.

Is she… drunk?

His eyes fell on the sangria glass—its ice long melted—and he let out a quiet, voiceless chuckle. The tension he’d brought into the room now seemed almost ridiculous.

“What an impossible bride…”

After a brief pause, he gently lifted her from the awkward position where she’d fallen asleep, slumped over the sofa’s armrest. Though the South was hot during the day, it grew cool after sundown—and downright cold by dawn. He couldn’t leave her like that.

Haa… Seriously.

He had intended only to move her to bed—but the moment he picked her up, Michalis froze.

Damn it. The sleeping beast inside him had stirred.

The problem was the nightgown—thin as a whisper, sheer as gauze. And he himself was only wearing a bathrobe. As he lifted her, their skin made contact in the slightest, most dangerous way—bare against bare.

“…Hnn.”

Michalis inhaled sharply, fixing his gaze on the blank wall.

Even though tonight was their wedding night—and such things were ‘permitted’—he had no intention of touching someone who was clearly drunk and fast asleep.

It took every bit of self-control to lay his featherlight bride gently onto the bed.

“…Whew.”

He pulled the blanket up to her chin, tucking her in securely, and only then did he allow himself a sigh of relief.

“……”

Gazing down at her peaceful sleeping face, Michalis entered another battle—this time, with himself. The proper thing to do would be to lie beside her. But could he truly trust himself not to lose control?

“…Haa.”

He paced between the sofa and bed a few times, then finally made up his mind. Eyes squeezed shut, he carefully climbed into bed beside her.

He couldn’t risk leaving signs that they had slept separately. Come morning, the servants would surely talk—especially with Eliana coming from a less prestigious family. He needed to protect her honor.

This is driving me insane.

Sleep? Out of the question.

He turned his back to her and pulled the blanket up to his ears, but the soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing stirred something deep within him.

The faint scent of her skin, so delicately sweet, made the night unbearable.

It was torture.

The sun was already high in the sky when Eliana finally opened her eyes.

“…Huh?”

As she slowly sat up, she instinctively turned to look at the other side of the bed.

“Oh no…”

There was only an empty space where someone had clearly lain.

Suddenly, memories of falling asleep on the sofa came flooding back.

“I’m an idiot…”

A clear mistake.

To say it kindly, Michalis was gentlemanly. To say it harshly, he was… frustrating. There was no way someone like him would ever lay a hand on a sleeping woman.

Fool.

In truth, Eliana had planned to consummate the marriage—tonight. If she was going to help him, she had to fully commit.

A marriage unconsummated could still be annulled. But with the Duke’s strict sense of responsibility, Eliana believed that as long as he had a proper spouse, he wouldn’t be swayed by someone like Freya—not emotionally, and certainly not romantically.

Now that it hadn’t happened, there was only one option left.

I’ll have to take the lead.

In Eliana’s eyes, Michalis was always busy—and didn’t seem like the type to initiate “those things” himself.

If she waited too long, they might not consummate the marriage until the investiture ceremony—by which time, he would have met Freya.

This is loyalty… Yes, this is an act of loyalty!

To protect the Duke from that woman, it was time to act boldly.

“Madam, good morning.”

After a solid meal to steel herself, Eliana headed straight to the Duke’s office with determined resolve.

“Sir Iadis, is the Duke inside?”

Hearing him refer to her as Madam made the reality of marriage settle more clearly.

“Yes, he is. I’ll escort you.”

“No need, I’ll go myself.”

Stopping Iadis from rising, Eliana approached the office door and knocked.

“Come in.”

No sooner had the knock sounded than Michalis’s voice rang out from within.

Click.

“……”

But the moment she stepped in, all her steeled resolve dissolved into thin air.

Why is this man unnecessarily sexy even in the morning?

Eliana blinked, momentarily dazed.

Backlit by sunlight, Michalis stood focused over a document in his hand, looking like he belonged in a perfectly composed painting.

“Eliana?”

When she opened the door and stood motionless, as if time had frozen, Michalis’s eyes, which had been fixed on the document in his hands, turned to her standing in the doorway.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes… and you, Your Grace?”

Michalis looked at Eliana’s refreshed face for a long moment before slowly telling a gentle lie.

“I slept well too.”

He couldn’t very well admit that he’d been wide awake the entire night and had escaped the room at dawn under the excuse of morning training.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Eliana, having regained her determination, began walking straight toward him.

“You were sleeping so peacefully… I couldn’t bring myself to—”

Michalis never finished the sentence.

“Mm!”

Eliana, having picked up speed, suddenly pressed her lips to his.

Thud!

She had moved so abruptly and forcefully that their teeth bumped, sending a sharp jolt of pain. It wasn’t even a kiss in the proper sense—more of a sudden headbutt to the mouth.

“What are you doing?!”

Startled by the unexpected impact, Michalis raised his voice slightly. Still seated, he hadn’t seen it coming at all.

“A kiss.”

Eliana stepped back slightly after the bold collision, looping her arms around Michalis’s neck. His hardened expression cracked for the first time.

“You—really…”

Michalis stood abruptly and, in one swift movement, lifted Eliana and sat her down on the desk. The tables had turned in an instant.

“You have no fear…”

He raised her chin with one hand, forcing her eyes to meet his.

Their gazes locked, emotions flaring. When Eliana shyly dropped her eyes, his lips lowered gently—first brushing her forehead.

With a soft smack, his lips left her skin and then descended to her eyelids. One by one, warm kisses fluttered onto her eyes, then stopped briefly at the bridge of her nose.

His nose nudged hers lightly. When it pulled back and pressed in again—this time slowly, gently—Eliana’s breath caught.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

As he wrapped an arm around her back and drew closer, their chests met—heartbeats now thudding twice as loud.

“Haa…”

His warm breath tickled her earlobe. He rubbed his cheek softly against hers. Though his skin was a bit rough from missing sleep, the sensation against her smooth skin made her blush deepen.

After trailing his cheek along hers a few more times, he kissed the tip of her nose. Then, pausing just slightly, his lips hovered at her lower lip before lightly brushing it.

The brief touch returned—this time to her upper lip. Then, slowly, his mouth parted, gently drawing in her lower lip. His kisses were teasing, just enough to make her lips part instinctively.

His tongue, hovering near her teeth, flicked gently inside—finding and barely brushing against hers.

Surprised by the unfamiliar sensation, Eliana’s tongue instinctively flinched away. But Michalis didn’t rush. Instead, his tongue leisurely traced along her inner teeth, patient and confident.

“Haa… haa…”

The sound of breath grew heavier in the study, which still carried the faint scent of ink and parchment.

After several soft taps, his tongue slipped deeper, brushing the sensitive underside of her tongue. As dryness faded, he moved in more deliberately, coiling around hers with practiced grace.

Wait… this isn’t how this was supposed to go…

Eliana’s thoughts were scrambled. She had come to take the lead. But somehow, she was the one being hunted—caught and devoured.

Why is he so good at this?!

Embarrassed by her initial clumsy kiss, Eliana wanted to crawl into a hole. But Michalis showed no mercy, thoroughly and skillfully exploring every corner of her mouth.

Smack. Smack.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled back, placing a few gentle kisses on her lips.

Then his mouth trailed down, landing on her neck—and sucked, hard.

“Ah!”

Eliana let out a soft cry at the unexpected jolt of sensation.

“Hhn…”

As his fingers began undoing the buttons of her blouse, she froze slightly. She had come here intending to initiate something—but now that it was happening, the nerves of a first-timer crept in.

“Haa…”

After planting a deep mark on her pale neck, Michalis slowly lifted his gaze.

“Are you scared?”

He had noticed the tension in her body and paused, his hand still at her blouse, meeting her eyes.

“N-no… that’s not it.”

Eliana shook her head, meeting his gaze, still warm with residual heat.

“I was too hasty.”

Though she said she was fine, her rigid posture said otherwise. Seeing that, Michalis stepped back and gently rebuttoned the top of her blouse.

“This isn’t the right place. I’ll come to you tonight.”

After finishing the last button, Michalis ran the back of his hand tenderly across her cheek, reluctant to let the moment go. The afterglow of their kiss still lingered on him, his slightly disheveled expression exuding a sensuality that went beyond elegance.

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