If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 106
Even when she was in heat, he didn’t kiss her. It might be hard for others to understand, but kissing meant something different to him, something he had protected since childhood for his mate.
Ivan couldn’t easily control his sudden desire. He stared intently at her reddened lips.
“…Why are you staring at me?”
At that moment, Ruby asked while meeting his gaze. Although her eyes were filled with tears, her breathing had become more steady, so she seemed to have calmed down a bit.
“Seeing that you’ve become bold again, I was relieved to see you looking calmer.”
“That’s a lie. You looked like you were going to eat me.”
“Good grief. I clearly said I don’t eat herbivores. Are you still doubting me?”
“Of course I doubt you when you look at me with those hungry eyes. Like I said before, I’m not tasty.”
At her words, Ivan reflexively responded.
“That’s not true, you were delicious…”
He said it while tilting his head, with genuine sincerity.
“…I want to go down now.”
Ruby felt her face heat up and wanted to pull away from him. This was a far cry from the situation she’d been in earlier, when she’d been in heat and wanted the seed of a handsome male.
More importantly, he was a male with a fiancée.
No matter how much she was in heat, she shouldn’t have received help from a man with a fiancée.
Of course, she didn’t mean to criticize him for his good intentions, but if he had a fiancée, he should have at least said something.
Remembering Isabelle from earlier, Ruby jumped off his thigh and landed on the couch.
“Last time I saw you, you had quite the leap. Most rabbits don’t, do they?”
“It’s something I’m exceptionally good at. Just ask what you want to ask.”
“Hmm, looks like you’ve regained your good spirits, thank goodness.”
Ivan turned his body completely in her direction, resting his arms on the backrest and his face on it. His hair was tilted to the side, flowing down so naturally.
Ruby couldn’t tear her gaze away from the tear ducts that stood out at the corners of his eyes whenever he squinted. She stole glances at him out of the corner of her eye and then stopped.
“Are you embarrassed that you were crying like a baby?”
“When did I cry like a baby!”
“…Just now.”
Every time she stretched out the end of her words like this, Ivan felt like biting her cheek. In his attempts to endure the temptation, he squinted his eyes and gently bit the inside of his cheek.
For a moment, the two of them were silently aware of each other.
Unlike Ivan, who had turned fully toward Ruby, Ruby was sitting stiffly with her back straight and facing forward, but her eyes were almost sideways.
Within reach, the two were engaged in a silent standoff, until a knock on the door interrupted them.
“Excuse me.”
Liam entered with some simple fruit and iced tea.
“There’s still time before dinner, so I brought something light for you to nibble on.”
“Liam.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Didn’t you say you assigned a personal maid to Ruby?”
Even though she had been in the room all day, shouldn’t someone have checked on her at least once?
Before the flustered Liam could say anything, Ruby spoke up first.
“Oh, I told her to leave.”
“…You? Why? Did she do something you didn’t like?”
His voice lowered in three stages.
“Well, I told her myself. It wasn’t that, there was a reason for it.”
“What reason?”
Ruby hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should tell him. It was likely a painful past for the person involved, but was it right for her, someone with no connection to it, to share it with others?
She judged that it would not be right to say nothing even to Ivan, the owner of this estate, so she decided to omit the personal details and only share the present situation.
“I sent them away to have the night together.”
“What?”
“She said today was exactly the day.”
“H-How could you know something like that?”
Liam, looking extremely surprised, shouted in a louder voice than Ivan had. Normally, the butler never raised his voice, and Ruby stared at him with wide eyes.
“Are you saying you can pinpoint the exact day someone is ovulating and fertile?”
