Chapter 34

Thank you raw provider: Jarry

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In the twilight of dawn, Elise slowly blinked away the haze of sleep. The sound of Benji’s even breathing, accompanied by the sight of him filling her vision, brought her joy.

At times, he appeared surly, and at other times a fierce wild beast, but now those expressions on his face disappeared, revealing his beautiful and neat natural appearance.

‘Oh my, he’s so handsome.’

Elise reached out her hand and ruffled his voluptuous brown hair that was tousled and framing his face. She didn’t want to wake him up, but she couldn’t stand it. His fine silk-like hair slid easily between her fingers without getting caught in her fingertips.

Without regret, Elise gently stroked Benji’s eyebrows. Following its line, her finger traveled to the tip, and she suddenly wondered what color of eyes would be under those eyelids now.

Usually, it was a gentle auburn color, but there were times when it looked like a predator’s. Even in the dark, they glowed and took on an eerie appearance. It was so suspicious that the color changed.

“Tell me anything.” [t1v: she’s recalling his words]

It was as if he already knew what Elise wanted; even as he uttered tempting words, his bright yellow eyes shined fiercely. Then, without any intention of hiding what he wanted in return, his gaze was directed towards her without wavering.

‘Cute.’

To think of him as cute when he was like that, maybe she was going crazy? But she couldn’t help it. Benji’s voice, asking her to be his, as he’ll give her what she wants, sounded more like a desperate plea than fearful and threatening. Unfortunately, however, he came off a little wrong.

At one time, she wanted her stepmother to die. As soon as Count Grande suddenly passed away and she saw the red hair of her child, she was convinced: Her stepmother killed her father to cover up her infidelity.

It was around that time that she entered the annex as if being chased out. On the surface, it was masked as consolation to her grief at the loss of her father, but Elise knew that her stepmother was so terribly afraid of her accusing gaze.

So she was able to endure it. The longer she remained at the county and smiled brightly, the more her stepmother’s face would become a mess.

Elise was satisfied with that alone. Hopeless, she often wished she could encounter an accident and die quickly, but perhaps wishing for her own death was too early. But then, she hoped that she would survive as long as possible to torment her stepmother so she would live a miserable life. If possible, without a single penny.

Seeing the way she spent the money that really belonged to Elise, it seemed that that day was not far away.

‘You don’t have authority, but you spend so much money like that. Do you even know where the money just comes from?’

Thinking of the safe, which would soon be empty, like her stepmother’s head, made her feel full even without eating. So putting blood on Benji’s hands was not what Elise wanted.

“Isn’t he quite praiseworthy, though?”

Elise patted the shiny tip of his nose.

Whether she desired it or not, she knew that Benji was willing to risk himself for her. It wasn’t the direction she wanted, but his heart was clear. So with the same clear feeling, she slowly and gently smiled.

‘I can’t help it. Can we get a little hut? Since Benji is tall, I think she would like a slightly larger size than I originally thought of……. No, wouldn’t it be better if the house was smaller? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a house in a secluded place? But you’ll hear howls…….’

She hated the cold, so they would go south. Then, even if winter came, she would be able to endure it in the warm southern part of the country.

‘But? No matter how much I hate winter, considering how he hugs me tightly, sleeps well, and considering Benji’s body temperature, I think the northern part would be better…….’

While she was still looking at Benji, who was still sleeping beautifully, there was a small wrinkle between Elise’s forehead, but it soon loosened up.

It didn’t matter if it was north or south. Recalling how Benji’s big muscles moved while he was cleaning and washing, her smile grew wider– automatically when she thought of how they had fun together.

Elise was always preparing to leave at any time. She could sell the jewelry she had, buy a small house, and the money she had left would be enough to live on until she died.

It was an excuse to prick a conscience the size of a pie berry, but that was why she fell in love with erotic novels. No matter how much she asked, Emma and Bree drew a line and did not tell her, saying that the life of commoners should not be known to the precious lady of the county.

But the erotic novel she stumbled upon by chance had it all. From the trivial daily routines to the ugly truths she didn’t want to believe were real. When Elise couldn’t believe it, she asked Emma and Brie if it could really happen. Emma and Brie, who drew boundaries between them, continued to salivate at the story in the novel. It seemed to be half true and half false. Elise read as much as she could and asked as many questions as she could to determine what was true or not. The other enjoyments she got from erotic novels was just incidental. Probably.

However, she wanted to stay in the count’s mansion as long as possible. She wanted to fully enjoy the appearance of the stepmother who suffered from just seeing her, and if possible, she wanted to watch her downfall.

‘There’s really not much time left now.…. … .’

The future that she had prepared for now included Benji. She had been putting off the decision, but last night she was convinced.

Benji was willing to risk it all for herself; there was no other way but for her to live with him for the rest of her life.

It was a little disappointing to leave without seeing the downfall of her miserable stepmother, but after making up her mind and settling her heart, she didn’t care what happened. She just wanted to leave the county as soon as possible and live freely alone.

Elise couldn’t imagine life without Benji anymore.

‘Ugh. If I left him without a word, his eyes would turn yellow again, and he would go looking for me; it would be too scary to leave him behind.’

Elise barely swallowed her hum. She couldn’t help her smile, though.