Your Grace, It Was a Mistake! - Chapter 33

Since returning to the capital, Lennox had been unable to tease Vivian to his heart’s content. The fact that their living spaces were separated was the biggest obstacle. If they lived under the same roof, he could try all sorts of things.

‘Sleeping together, bathing together, eating breakfast together.’

He could hold her tightly until he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

‘My mother in law needs to grant permission for us to move in as soon as possible.’

How long would he have to keep offering bribes? A week? Two weeks? Anything longer than that felt impossible. Lennox had endured for five years, but now that they were engaged, being unable to touch or kiss her whenever he wanted was nothing short of torture.

Consequently, Lennox was in a state of extreme hunger.

Every night before falling asleep, he thought of Vivian. Every morning upon waking, she was the first thing on his mind. He missed her, wanted to touch her, hold her, and kiss her. That desire had accumulated to the point where he was now on the verge of exploding.

Vivian, sitting across from him, was innocently putting food into her mouth, completely unaware of his inner turmoil.

“.”

A grape, pierced by the tines of her fork, slipped into her pink lips. Lennox justified to himself that it was only natural to watch the process so intently.

“Grand Duke?”

“Yes, Vivian.”

When she called him, he smiled brightly, pretending he hadn’t been thinking a single bad thought. If Isabelle had seen this, she would have been appalled, saying, “Look at that guy playing innocent.”

“This is delicious.”

Vivian pointed to a dish on the plate with her free hand. It was a beef striploin steak grilled with herbs and served with the restaurant’s special sauce. It was clearly a delicious meal, but Lennox hadn’t touched his portion because he was too busy observing her.

Sensing his lack of appetite, Vivian had subtly reached out. Lennox smiled softly.

‘Cute.’

She was watching his reaction closely, and the sight was so adorable it was nearly fatal to his heart. It was like a little rabbit bringing over a carrot and tilting its head as if to ask, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Lennox gazed at her innocent face and opened his mouth.

“Will you feed me?”

“Pardon?”

“I lost my appetite after dealing with that fellow earlier, but if you feed me, Vivian, I think I could enjoy it.”

It was a lie, of course. He simply wasn’t hungry for food. However, he was certain she would fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

“Ah; then;”

As expected. After hesitating with a blushing face, Vivian slowly stood up. She pulled her chair next to his and peeked up at him. The tips of her ears were red, and her cheeks were flushed like a ripe peach.

“Shall we keep sitting like this? I think this is better. I couldn’t even reach from over there.”

“Since there’s no one else around anyway,” she muttered, picking up her utensils. Lennox had to struggle with all his might not to suddenly pull her into a hug.

“Here, Grand Duke.”

Vivian brought a bite sized piece of steak to his lips. Keeping his eyes fixed on her, he slowly took it into his mouth. She stared blankly as his jaw moved rhythmically.

What was she thinking? After swallowing the meat, Lennox took a sip of water and asked.

“Vivian, what were you thinking just now?”

“;Ah, it’s nothing.”

Hoh? Her face turned an even deeper shade of red as she looked down. The tips of her small ears were now completely crimson. Watching her, his heart felt so ticklish he could hardly stand it.

‘I planned to eat a bit more leisurely, but;’

He felt he needed to hurry to the place he had prepared. Once they got there, they would truly be alone. Then, he would enjoy a “meal” of a different kind. Lennox smiled subtly.

“Would you like some more?”

“Hmm? Yes;”

Unaware that the man before her was a famished beast, Vivian smiled brightly.

After finishing their meal at the restaurant, Lennox brought Vivian to the place he had prepared in advance.

“Wow, this place is;”

Vivian muttered in admiration. Her eyes sparkled as she looked around.

“It’s so beautiful! I didn’t know a place like this existed in the capital.”

Lennox smiled to himself and thought, ‘Of course you didn’t.’ Because this place didn’t exist before. It was a one of a kind greenhouse he had prepared over the last few days just for her.

“Wow; is this also your property, Grand Duke?”

“Well, yes.” Though it would practically belong to her once they married.

“I didn’t know you liked flower gardens so much!”

Well, I made it because you like them. Lennox smiled gently as he watched her scurry around the greenhouse. Just looking at her made him feel happy. Of course, the beast hidden within him wasn’t going to be satisfied with just looking.

“Oh? There’s a Récamier sofa in the greenhouse?”

Indeed. Putting a bed there would have been too blatant, so he placed a long lounging sofa instead. He wondered if the lady knew it was all part of the plan.

‘It seems she doesn’t.’

Lennox was certain when he saw her jump onto the sofa and lie down carelessly. A translucent curtain hung over the long sofa, and a sun catcher made of diamonds sparkled as it reflected the light. The area was filled with green plants that shouldn’t be seen in November, and a faint fragrance wafted from the blooming flowers.

It was a romantic spot tailored perfectly to her taste. Everything had been meticulously planned by him.

“Do you like it?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes! I love it here.”

Seeing her innocent, bright smile made his conscience sting slightly. Putting on a thick skin, he spoke.

“I’m glad you like it. Let’s come here often.”

“Yes! I’d love to!”

When he sat on the edge of the sofa, she immediately moved closer and hugged him tightly around the waist. Lennox inhaled sharply.

‘Ha, seriously;’

Why did she only do things that made him want to devour her? He decided it was time to satisfy his greed. While they were here, he would caress and kiss her as much as he wanted without any interruptions.

“Then, Vivian;”

Just as he was about to speak.

“Oh, right! I have a gift for you, Grand Duke!”

“?”

A gift? Lennox’s eyebrows arched. Vivian quickly let go of his waist and picked up the bag she had tossed aside. After rummaging through it for a moment, she pulled something out. It was a thin, rectangular object wrapped in cream colored paper.

‘What is it? A book?’ From the looks of it, it was a book. Lennox glanced at her open bag. Inside, there was another book tucked into a paper envelope.

“Hmm.” Lennox looked back at her as she handed him the gift with a shy expression.

“It’s nothing much, but I stopped by a bookstore with Marina earlier and bought it because I wanted to give it to you.”

‘She bought it because she wanted to give it to me.’ His lips curled upward naturally. It was too cute that she was thinking of him, both here and at the restaurant. He felt his heart being healed. Lennox smiled brightly as he accepted the gift.

“Thank you, Vivian.”

“!”

When their eyes met, Vivian wore a blank expression for a moment, then suddenly covered her mouth with both hands as her eyes sparkled.

“?” She occasionally showed these (cute but) strange reactions. Lennox truly believed that was part of her charm. He chuckled, stroked her fluffy blonde hair, and asked.

“Then, may I open it?”

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

She nodded like a devout follower. He gave her a gentle smile and began to carefully unwrap the paper. The gift revealed was a book of poetry.

‘;This is;’

However, it wasn’t just any book of poetry. It was supposedly a collection of love poems perfect for gifting to a lover, but as Lennox slowly flipped through the pages.

‘I see.’

The book was filled with over a hundred poems packed with all sorts of sexual metaphors. Did she give this to him knowing what was inside? Or was she unaware? Lennox stole a glance at her. She was waiting for his reaction with an anxious face. Her face was as clear as ever, without a trace of dark ulterior motives.

“Hmm.” Lennox decided to test her slightly. He picked a poem that seemed the easiest to understand and showed it to her.

“Vivian, what do you think it means here where it says, ‘As I bite into the crimson pomegranate, the juice overflows’?”

“Um; that pomegranates are juicy fruits?”

“.”

Lennox decided to ask something else.

“Then do you know what ‘On the hill where honey flows’ means?”

“Mmm, a hill where honey flows; is it like a paradise from mythology?”

“.”

It seemed she really didn’t know. Lennox let out a hollow laugh and closed the book. As expected, there was no way she knew what she was giving him.

“I’ll tell you what the poems in this book mean on our wedding night, Vivian.”

“?”

She tilted her head for a moment, then answered simply, “Okay.” Seeing her puzzled expression, he let out a soft laugh.

‘I wonder what kind of face she’ll make when she eventually finds out the truth about this book.’ He was already looking forward to it. He turned his gaze to the bag where the paper envelope was peeking out.

“By the way, Vivian.” He had been curious since earlier. “What’s in that paper envelope?”

At that, Vivian stiffened. She clasped her hands together and slowly turned her head to look at him. He could see cold sweat on her forehead from the tension.

What could it be that made her so nervous? As he watched her curiously, she spoke.

“T, That, well, it’s; it’s just a book!”

“What kind of book?”

“Oh, it’s a novel, but you don’t need to worry about it!”

Vivian quickly hugged her bag and pushed the paper envelope further inside. Her suspicious reaction only piqued his curiosity more. He became very, very curious about the identity of that book.

Lennox sat closer to her as she tried to put some distance between them and asked.

“What kind of novel is it?”

“!”

She trembled like a frightened rabbit and looked up at him piteously.

‘Really.’ You’re making it so obvious, my lady. ‘That’s why you’re cute, though.’

Vivian muttered in a tearful voice.

“It, it’s just a novel that fits my taste. Please; just forget about it! Pretend you didn’t see anything!”

“That makes me even more curious, Vivian.”

“Don’t be curious!”

“What can I do when I am?”

Lennox grabbed her and pulled her into his lap as she tried to flee. Vivian, who dropped her bag, let out a shriek and struggled. He held her tightly on his lap.

“Grand Duke;”

Mwah.

“!!”

She jumped as his lips suddenly touched her neck. Lennox caressed her small body and left hickeys here and there.

“Vivian; did I tell you that you smell like vanilla?”

“G, Grand Duke! What if someone sees!”

“It’s okay, because we’re the only ones here.”

That’s why I brought you here, after all. He smiled as he muttered.

“What will you do, Vivian?”

“Grand Duke, let go of me for a second;”

“Will you be devoured by me like this? Or will you show me what that book is?”

Lennox smiled radiantly as he asked, but to her, he likely looked like a devil. And as expected, tears welled in her eyes.

Ah. Really, he shouldn’t do this. But seeing her look like she was about to cry when he teased her was so thrilling he couldn’t stop himself.

He laid her down on the sofa and gently stroked her cheek. As he lightly licked her moist pink lips, she flinched and grabbed his shoulders. He gently nibbled her lower lip before sliding inside.

“Mmph;”

As their lips met, she let out a groan and shifted her waist. Lennox caressed her shoulders and kissed her leisurely. Carefully, as if licking cotton candy, making her feel dizzy with anticipation. She gripped his clothes tightly with both hands and trembled.

Mwah.

After going deep and then pulling away with a sharp suck, he broke the kiss. She let out a stream of tears and panted for breath. Lennox wiped away her tears with his fingertips and whispered in a seductive voice.

“Now;”

“What will you do, Vivian?”

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