Chapter 13
Riv was attracted to Duke Sentoren. She was jealous of Marianne, who had him as her fiance.
But only her heart was like that.
Now, she didnât want to be in the same space as this man.
Her instinct was that of a herbivoreâs. Her mind only had the idea of running away.
âUgh!â
Contrary to her mind, her body couldnât move at will, so she wanted to cry.
As she tried to hurry, the heavy dress got stuck under my feet, making her movement slow.
âWait a minute!â
As soon as Duke Sentorenâs hand pulled Rivâs clothes, Riv hurriedly tried to avoid his touch.
The hem, which had been played with earlier, was caught in his hand and pulled off. Riv turned pale at the sound of her clothes tearing.
It was said that there was no situation for her flesh to be revealed because she wore layers of clothes under the torn clothes.
âIâm so embarrassed. I want to die.â
Humiliated, she held her torn dress with one hand and the old bonnet with another.
âWhat do you wear underneath that horrible outfit?â
Duke Sentoren shook his head as he saw what was under the pile of black cloth.
âA huge pile of cotton?â
âIs that a clump of cloth? I canât even recognise that. Why do you look so bulky?â
âItâs amazing that clumsy disguise has worked so far.â
Each person had a different way of surviving. Riv had no intention of explaining it to the Duke.
All she wanted was to run away from this uncomfortable position. This man had already seen Rivâs true self.
âHow much do you have to bundle up to inflate your body like that?â
It may be a joke to the Duke of Sentoren, but it didnât sound like one to Riv, who was struggling to support the weight of her clothes.
It was a matter of survival for her.
âDuke Sentoren, I donât want to play around. Princess Marianne would hate it if she finds out that you had this conversation with me.â
âBecause itâs Marianne.â
Duke Sentoren stroked his chin, returned to the sofa and leaned on it.
His expression looked quite lazy.
âWhat if I wanted you to seduce me, regardless of Marianne? If thatâs not a joke, will you stay with me?â
Why did it suddenly develop like this?
Riv was amazed by Duke Sentorenâs proposal.
He was a wonderful, young and confident man. If this man has someone he wanted, that someone would no longer be a nameless person.
She thought he could have anyone regardless of their status.
âDo you have any thoughts of choosing me instead of Princess Marianne?â
Riv regretted saying that at that time.
Would she even be able to seduce this man? She didnât know if she was out of her mind, but she didnât have the courage to do so.
Plus this man would be Marianneâs husband.
âHeâs the husband of the woman who killed me.v
Riv had to endure not to be attracted to him.
No, before that-
âWould you give way just because I seduced you, Duke Sentoren?â
Shaw was confident that Duke Sentoren would not fall for her.
âYour temptation wonât work.â
Duke Sentoren looked relaxed.
Her original appearance was not an outstanding beauty, but Madame Katanaâs clown-like appearance wouldnât work on him. He was confident.
No one wanted Riv as a woman.
But Duke Sentorenâs words were different.
âFirst, you have to take off those terrible clothes to let me see if there is a possibility.â
Riv was speechless on hearing his words. Even if the duke was interested in her, what camr next?
Was it possible for her to be tempted just because she seduced him naked?
What was next if he said he was tempted?
A man who couldnât be hers even if he wasnât Marieanneâs. She didnât want to play with him.
âWhat is the woman thinking?â
Lionel smiled in vain at Madame Katana.
âThis is Madame Katana.â
The woman Lionel met on the day of the hunting competition and the current Madame Katana seemed to be similar when it came to their faces.
âWhy am I curious about the real Liv Katana under the bizarre-looking outfit?â
That night, it was too dark to properly look at her in a gray dress. However, even though she was not properly dressed up, she showed off her pure charm.
Hw had to make a move to bring this woman here. That was how he met Madame Katana.
Lionelâs keen gaze imagined her under that terrible makeup. His judgment was not wrong.
That woman was like a brilliant pearl hiding in a shell. She was a woman who could be more beautiful than anyone else as long as she stood up properly.
âInteresting.â
A woman who deceived everyoneâs eyes for years even though she dressed up poorly. It was funny that everyone was deceived by this clumsy disguise.
She breathed slowly, her tangled black hair blowing behind her. Her small pale face seemed to turn whiter. The more she looked at Lionel, the paler it grew.
âDidnât you tell me to choose you instead of Princess Marianne?â
âIâve never said that.â
Now calm, she spoke up. But even after saying that, she looked like she was about to faint. She was a girl who was naturally bad at lying.
âI definitely heard it. With both my ears, Iâm sure thatâs what you said.â
âThatâ!â
âHow about saying this to Marianne?â
Madame Katana shook her head desperately.
âPlease forget those words. I was out of my mind.â
âThen youâll acknowledge that you did say it.â
He was having a lot of fun at this moment. Madame Katana took another deep breath.
âPrincess Marianne will send women to seduce Duke Sentoren, so please wait. Youâll find greater beauties that canât be compared to me.â
âI know.â
Marianne did send in great beauties to break her engagement with Lionel. But he kicked the women out. Even if it wasnât them, Lionel had his choice of women. He liked a one-time relationship where emotions were not involved.
Unlike Marianne, who was like a child, his taste were tall and mature women.
Like Madame Katana right in front of him.
This woman was not necessarily an extraordinary beauty. She was tall, but he couldnât even recognize his proper appearance with this awful disguise.
Far from being tempted, she was clumsy at kissing like a child at the first meeting.
âThere was no reason to be seduced.â
Nevertheless, Lionel became interested in the woman in front of him. At first, he was going to use this woman to make Marianne angry. But beyond that, he was naturally drawn to her.
âWhat should I do for you to seduce me? Do I have to fulfill what you want?â
What the women wanted was simple. Money, luxury goods, or something that would fill their vanity.
However, Madame Katanaâs question was different.
âIf I accept the temptation of Duke Sentoren, will you give up your engagement or marriage with the princess?â
The question was unexpected, but the answer was easy.
For Lionel, the answer to the question was always this.
âNo.â
ââ¦â¦â
âThatâs impossible.â
Riv smiled.
âI see.â
âYouâre not the first woman to ask for a breakup with Marianne on the pretext of her relationship with me. There are countless.â
âI see.â
âDo you consider yourself worth more than Princess Marianne?â
Madame Katana shook her head firmly and said, âI wanted to know if I could move the Duke of Sentoren even a little. Because the dukeâs actions can change my future.â
âChange your future? For what?â
âBecause I want to survive.â
Madame Katanaâs words were unexpected for Lionel. He came up with such an offer to her because he had already concluded an answer on his own.
âThereâs no way the duke will fall for my provocation.â
No way at all.
Lionel leaned toward Madame Katana. His lips pressed down on hers.
âMmf!â
Madame Katanaâs body went stiff.
Lionel embraced her body more boldly and gave her a deep kiss.
He coveted a body that could not rebel.
A heat spread throughout his mouth and body.
She smelled sweet. Her lips, her tongue, everything tasted incredibly sweet.
âUhn-â
He, who wanted to own and taste her more, was firmly pushed away by her.
Her eyes, full of confusion, were shaking.
âSo clumsy.â
He touched her swollen mouth with his finger.
âI know for sure that Princess Marianne is not the one who sent you to seduce me.â
Lionel laughed, but Katana still looked mesmerized.
âIâm sure you know that Marianne hates me. Even if we get married, we canât be a normal couple.â
âThat doesnât matter if youâre with me.â
Katana, who only returned to look a little more relaxed, replied with a trembling voice.
Lionel wanted to tease her more.
âPrincess Marianne hates both me and Madame Katana.â
âSo what?â
âTwo people she dislikes getting together? That would be fun.â
ââ¦You want to mess with the princess, and still marry her.â
âIf you can seduce me, I can reconsider marrying Marianne.â
Despite Lionelâs playful suggestion, Riv was shaken to the point where she could not grasp his authenticity.
âYou just want me to play with fire.â
âSo, wonât you try playing with fire?â
âYou said you wanted to live.â
Madame Katana swallowed her saliva. She was shaking as if she had remembered something scary at the moment. She muttered unconsciously, âI donât want to die.â
Regardless of whether she was in a tight spot or not, she asked back, âIf I could seduce you, would you free me from Marianne?â
Lionel knew the purpose of this woman.
Survival and liberation.
It was beyond his capacity, but he decided not to deny it.
âTake off those terrible clothes first. â Lionel left her on her own for the next task.
He became curious about what Madame Katana would decide.
This was just a fire show and an interesting gamble for him.
But she began to undress.