Chapter 60
âI already told you this is a misunderstanding. Itâs up to you whether you believe it or not, youâre not even listening to my words.â Adele turned her head, avoiding Noahâs gaze. âI wonât answer again if you ask the same question.â
Noah looked at her for a while, then grabbed her face with both hands and made her look at him.
âHow funny.â
ââ¦â
âSeeing you being so easy to other men and so hard on me.â
Isnât that the truth?
At Noahâs disparaging laugh, Adele opened her mouth and then shut it again. When he didnât get an answer, he pulled her closer and crashed his lips against hers. She shook her head, but his tongue had already entered her mouth and took control of her.
A rough kiss ensued. Noahâs thick arms wrapped around Adeleâs waist, preventing her from escaping. She hit his broad shoulder with her fist, but Noah didnât budge. When she finally ran out of breath, he separated their lips and a string of saliva could be seen from the tips of their tongues.
âWhat are you doing!â They were outside! This is so shameful!
âWill you answer now?â
ââ¦â
âLetâs return to the castle.â
She shook her head, âYou may go first. I⦠still have some matters to attend to.â
âThe emperor had returned to his castle.â came his displeased reply.
Adele pursed her lips and rubbed her temples, fed up with his attitude. Noah whispered on her ears.
âAnd I have no thoughts of letting you go.â He tightened his grip on her waist.
âUnhand me! I told you, I have some matters to attend to.â
âDonât make me go crazy, Adellia.â
Neigh!
She turned her head at the sudden cry of a horse, a carriage with the dukeâs emblem was situated on the other side of the road, right next to the field. Adele let out an exasperated breath.
It appears that the thought she had earlier was simply her wild imagination.
If he really liked me, or at least had an interest in me, he wouldnât have acted so disrespectfully! Heâs being grumpy because of his pride that wouldnât accept other men showing interest in his wife, his possession. Not because heâs jealous.
Heâs disgruntled with me because Iâm showing respect to the emperor whom he has a bad relationship with. I simply cannot stand it!
She showed a dissatisfied expression, âDonât treat me like your toy.â
âToy?â he chuckled, âThatâs what I wanted to say.â
Adele stared at him without answering.
What does he mean by that? Two years ago, he was so indifferent to me. Now that weâre married, in and out of bed, he keeps treating me like his plaything.
Noah received her cold gaze and walked first, opening the carriage door.
âLady Maktus, please get inside.â
Adele, who wanted to run away right now, could neither enter the carriage nor go anywhere else. After standing for a while, Noah let out a sigh before coming to her and carried her.
Adele tried to rebel by stomping her feet, but he didnât hesitate and directly stuffed her into the carriage. So, whether she wanted it or not, they headed back to their castle.
***
âPfft, look at Miss Adelliaâs dress. What is that? So tacky.â
âThereâs nothing she can do about her household being low-ranked. How pitiful!â
âShh. She might hear us!â
At her seventeenth birthday, those were the first words she heard during her debut. Hearing the other girls whispering about her, Adele glanced at the dress of other ladies and compared it with her own.
The difference was obvious, and she was painfully aware of it.
The girls living in the capital were donned in the latest, dazzling, designer dresses. On the other hand, her dress wasnât so glamorous. It had a simple design and the colors were almost faded. She thought this dress was already pretty before, but standing next to them, it was awfully ugly.
She bit her lip and walked pass them. Soon, she arrived in the banquet hall and people were dancing waltz to the music. She thought dancing with the opposite sex had nothing to do with her, and as she headed towards her corner, a familiar face appeared.
âSir Daniel, arenât you hugging me too tightly?â
âHow can I suppress my love for you, Bella?â
The orange-haired man, Daniel, was on the steps holding Bellaâs waist who currently wore a gorgeous dress. She had wavy black hair, cat-like eyes and slender features.
She licked her rosy lips. âBut I heard you got engaged to Adellia of the Liliand family?â
Danielâs eyebrows creased.
âSo, you did not wish for it to happen?â Bella asked him.
He let out a sigh. âMy grandfather is very old-fashioned. But what era is it already? Weâre now in a world where people are free to love!â
Bella blinked her eyes and let out an astonished gasp, âOh my! So, you were forced into this engagement?â
He nodded.
âTo make matters worse, I donât want a dull and boring woman like her.â
âYour words are too harsh. What if anyone hears us?â Bella saw Adele looking at her over Danielâs shoulder. She smirked and gave a haughty expression, to show that she had won over this pathetic little miss.
Her gaze made Adele feel like she was someone insignificant and unrelated. She turned away and comforted herself as she hastened her footsteps.
âItâs alright.â