If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 31
“I’m masking you with my aura.”
As she held his wrist with her small hands, pressing her lips against it and looking up with round eyes, Ruby felt way too close for comfort. It was only then that Ivan realized she was practically clinging to him. For some reason, it felt like she was touching him everywhere, and he couldn’t help but ask.
“Do I have to, do I have to be in this position?”
“It lasts longer if it’s evenly distributed.”
“But doesn’t this look like…”
It felt like marking, didn’t it? For the Wolf Tribe males, marking was crucial. It was a way of claiming one’s territory. Literally, it’s a kind of territorial marking, but sometimes they mark their female as well. As a sign of possession.
But here he was, receiving marking from a Rabbit Tribe female.
Ivan, sweating profusely, stared fixedly at the twitching rabbit ear, stuck closely to his body and moving restlessly. He couldn’t bear to look down, so he kept his gaze solely on the ear.
She was persistently pressing her lips against both his wrists, and just that made him oddly tense. No, it was beyond tension. He had never been this close with any female, and the mere thought stirred a strange mix of emotions.
“Duke.”
“…What?”
“Could you bend down for a moment?”
It was just a request, yet why did it feel so unsettling in his ears?
While entertaining bizarre thoughts, he obliged, leaning forward as she asked. This time, her lips landed on his neck.
“Mmngh.”
Her lips parted slightly, narrowed, and made a sound. Unlike his wrists, the nape of his neck was kissed several times. Ivan clenched his fists tightly as the sensations tickled his left and right sides, the back of his neck, and the hollow of his throat. Then he jerked upright at the sound of her breath against his ear.
“Ouch.”
Losing balance due to this, Ruby staggered and fell towards him. Startled, Ivan instinctively caught her, unfortunately ending up in an awkward position.
“Agh!”
Momentarily frozen, all he could do was tightly grasp onto something soft that ended up in his hand.
“D-Duke.”
With an oddly trembling voice, Ivan belatedly let go and exclaimed, “I-I’m sorry!”
“…No, it’s my mistake.” The flush on her cheeks told him she was surprised too.
She seemed embarrassed, swiftly brushing off her rabbit ears before speaking. Despite her continued avoidance, Ivan couldn’t divert his gaze from her blushing lips.
“I know it’s kind of, uh, embarrassing, but it works best for me.”
“…Then, I guess there’s no choice.”
“Yes, please bend down again.”
“Okay…”
To his perfect credit, Ivan stopped trembling. He just closed his eyes and felt the feel of her lips behind his ear.
“It’s done. You’ll be safe until tonight. Have a good time!”
Ivan blushed at the scent of her pheromones wafting from his body. Was marking something so common, even with his precious person? While not disbelieving her words, the thought of leaving the room without Ruby, who had been by his side for a week, made him uneasy.
Before leaving the room, Ivan instructed Liam, “Help the lady with whatever she needs.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
He walked alone through the corridor, leaving Liam and Ruby behind. His mouth had gone dry with nerves. He remembered feeling a chilling aura when he called for Liam just a week ago, yet today, he sensed nothing as he descended the stairs.
Upon safely reaching his study, Ivan sat down with a strange expression. A sudden realization dawned on him – she knew this method all along but hid it while purposefully following him for a week.
“…I’ve been deceived.”
“What?”
One of the aides who had already arrived echoed Ivan’s muttering, but he couldn’t hear anything now. Ivan just held his wrist to his nose and sniffed. A small amount of pheromones tickled his nose, though not enough to be detected by others. The sweet, berry-like pheromone was reminiscent of its owner.
“Her handwriting and pheromones are just like her.”
Being in his study meant focusing on work. However, the sensation in his hand from earlier filled his mind, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
One of the advisors cautiously asked, “But what about the lady? Will she join us later?”
It seemed like familiarity with her had grown beyond just the short or long week they’d spent together. He let out a long sigh. Suddenly, the presence of an outsider appearing in the territory of the Black Wolf Tribe might be more significant than he initially thought.
