The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 30

Kyler said nothing. Even though he could feel her warmth through his right arm as she sat beside him, he remained silent and didn’t even look her way.

Maybe she had made a mistake.

As soon as the thought crossed Sasha’s mind, she bit her lip hard. She had let herself feel something she shouldn’t have. Not only had she carried feelings he never asked for, but she had also spoken them aloud.

She blinked rapidly and let out a faint sound, then stood up from the bed in a rush.

“You know I was joking, right? I’ve said everything I needed to. I’ll be heading back now. Please get some rest.”

She quickly stood, bowed slightly, and left the room without meeting his eyes. Even though her room was right next door, every step she took felt heavy and slow, as if the door were miles away.

She had returned from a successful social event. She had handled the Empress’s sharp words and dealt with her sister’s unreasonable behavior. Everything should have felt fine. So why didn’t it?

She realized she needed to be sure she was truly doing something worthwhile by his side. She needed to prove to herself that she could manage things on her own, without depending on his power.

Only then would it be right to speak about her feelings. Not now.

Her thoughts deepened. The way she was feeling reminded her of the time when the Marchioness of Ivern and Elina had visited. It felt like the start of something heavy, like slowly sinking into a familiar trap.

She sat curled up in the center of the bed, lost in her thoughts, searching for a way to handle things on her own. She wanted to stop hiding behind him.

She had no idea how much time had passed. The silence around her had lasted a while. When she finally looked out the window, the sky was already beginning to glow with dawn.

“I’m tired, but I want to gather that tiredness and store it away somewhere safe.”

Just then, something disrupted the stillness. She sensed a powerful presence outside her door. She heard a man breathing hard, and the sound slowly approached her room.

She waited, thinking he might go upstairs or head in another direction. But the footsteps stopped right in front of her door.

Surely not.

The door opened. It was Kyler.

Was he here to talk about what happened earlier? Did he really want to bring it up again, now, in the early morning? She was worried that bringing up those emotions again would only make everything worse.

His breathing was heavy and uneven.

Sasha immediately sensed that something was wrong. She stood up from the bed and rushed toward him. When he stepped into the room, his figure looked strange. That was when she noticed he had both hands clamped tightly over his ears.

“Kyler? What happened? Are you hurt? Talk to me, please.”

She stood in front of him, asking anxiously, but he kept his eyes tightly shut as if trying to endure something unbearable. She saw sweat trickling down his face and panicked, grabbing his arm.

“Kyler!”

At that moment, his eyes snapped open and focused. Even though he was still covered in cold sweat and breathing heavily, he locked eyes with her. He stared at the hand that was holding his arm, then slowly looked up at her face. His expression was filled with pain and confusion.

What was wrong with him? Was he sick?

Then, without a word, Kyler lifted her into his arms.

Sasha let out a startled cry as he carried her across the room and gently dropped her onto the bed.

“What are you doing? Are you alright?”

His large frame hovered over her. Even though his eyes were clear now, the way he stared made her feel uneasy.

He looked into her face for a moment, then leaned down and kissed her.

His lips were cold and dry at first, lightly brushing against hers. Then he kissed her deeper, drawing her in with a sudden need.

He moved between licking and sucking gently at first, then his lips grew warmer and more intense. His tongue slipped between her lips and wrapped around hers. The kiss became messy and desperate.

As the kiss deepened, she felt the full weight of his body settle over hers. He wrapped himself around her like a heavy blanket. The bed was soft, so she didn’t feel pain, but she could feel the warmth of his body pressing down on her.

Their lips pressed and parted again. The sound of their kiss echoed faintly in the quiet room.

Just when she noticed his body shifting slightly, he pulled his lips away. Their mouths parted, and both of them gasped for air.

Maybe it was because of the confession she had made earlier. But even this messy moment felt deeply emotional. Everything she felt was stronger than usual.

Kyler held her waist with both hands and rested his head beside hers, trying to calm his breathing.

His chest rose and fell against hers. While he slowly began to relax, her heart only beat faster.

What was he thinking? What had caused him such distress, made him sweat and tremble like that? Just as Sasha was about to try and understand, a soft, almost trembling vibration reached her neck and shoulder. It was his voice.

He murmured in a low, strained tone.

“Kyler… Kyler…”

Her voice made him pause. She wondered if he was reacting to the sound of her calling him, so she gently called out his name again.

“Kyler.”

His gaze, which had been lowered, slowly lifted toward her. The way he responded to her voice made her chest tighten with emotion.

“Keep calling me by my name.”

The man who had remained silent through everything now spoke softly when she called him. The way he moved, as though seeking her touch, carried such yearning. It stirred something deeply tender inside her.

“How can I…”

“Sasha.”

She slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. As soon as he felt her arms close around him, he pulled her in closer.

His face pressed against her neck. A warm, soft sensation brushed her skin, followed by a wet trail that traced across it. She could feel his heart pounding wildly against her chest, uneven and intense.

As she let out a quiet breath, his lips trailed down to her collarbone. One hand, which had been running gently down her back, moved upward and gently cupped the curve of her waist.

“Kyler…”

He didn’t wait for her hesitation to pass. His touch grew more purposeful, moving with growing warmth and closeness.

A small voice in her mind asked if she should push him away. He hadn’t responded to her confession earlier. Was this just about the contract they shared? Was that all this meant to him?

But that thought faded as she remembered how unsteady he had been when he entered the room, how his breathing had calmed when she touched him, how he had seemed to find peace when she spoke to him.

This wasn’t a moment driven by confusion. He had come to her fully aware of what he was doing. He had chosen this.

As his lips brushed against her collarbone and his fingers began to tug at the fabric of her dress, Sasha wrapped her arms around him and held him close. He seemed to understand her gesture and smiled faintly, then began to undress her without hesitation.

He paused for a second, lifted his head, and kissed her gently on the forehead. The soft touch sent a shock through her chest, chasing away her lingering worries.

“Am I the only woman you’ll ever want to hold?”

She truly hoped so. If he said yes, this moment would become even more precious, something she would never forget.

His hands, warm and sure, moved across her now bare skin. When he had once held her gently, touching only her back, she hadn’t understood. But now she realized he had always been holding back.

“Ah…”

Each touch drew a reaction from her body. It was impossible to control. Her thoughts scattered, and it became harder to hold back the sounds escaping her lips.

“You are the only woman for me, Sasha.”

His deep voice, saying her name with such clarity, made her shoulders tremble. The place where his voice touched felt like it sparked with heat.

As his kisses moved lower, her body grew hotter, her mind blurred. Even his usually cool voice now burned with passion. Then, all at once, a sudden flash of pain and overwhelming sensation raced through her.

“Ah… Kyler!”

Kyler, completely immersed in her, began to move with a steady rhythm. He showed no hesitation, no pause.

It wasn’t enough to just hold her. Being joined with her wasn’t enough either. He wanted more, all of her.

Each sound she made seemed to drive him further.

Sasha held onto him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She could only tremble.

Nothing else mattered.

Just like that first night, when she was in his arms, when his hands touched her, when his body pressed against hers, she couldn’t resist him. If it had been painful, she might have fought back, but it wasn’t. From the very beginning, she had felt too much when she was in his arms. And once it began, it was almost impossible to let him go.

Her moans grew louder, his breath quickened, and together they were swept into that overwhelming intensity. What had happened the night before didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was being in his arms, shaking and breathless, with nothing left but him.

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