The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 171
Seeing Hedonia’s eyes, I quickly turned my head away. The way he looked at me was anything but ordinary.
‘This is dangerous.’
A different warning signal rang than when I was with Esban. This might be my only chance to leave. If I didn’t take it now, I didn’t know what would happen tonight.
No, I already knew.
If I stayed in Hedonia’s mansion and stayed by his side tonight, we’d go all the way. It wouldn’t just stop at a kiss.
I wasn’t ready to have that kind of intimacy with Hedonia yet. This was separate from confirming my feelings.
The biggest reason was that…
‘…I’m wearing casual underwear today.’
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would be meeting Hedonia today.
Seeing him for the first time in a long while, I wanted to show my best side too.
‘I haven’t even been taking care of myself lately!’
…I mean, not that I usually do, but if I had known things would get this intense with Hedonia, I wouldn’t have eaten so much earlier.
I deeply regretted stuffing myself with food in preparation for this moment.
‘Not tonight.’
I had to avoid this at all costs.
I swallowed hard and spoke.
“I-I think I should head back now, Lord Hedonia.”
“Why?”
Hedonia’s intense gaze bore into me as he asked. His expression clearly showed that he wouldn’t understand any reason I gave.
In short, no matter what excuse I made, he wouldn’t accept it. Hedonia was a perfect shield against my rusty spear.
“Why do you need to go?”
His voice, urging me for an answer, was painfully low. His gaze lingered heavily on my lips, filled with desire.
…He wasn’t just waiting for an answer. Hedonia was unabashedly revealing his true state to me.
“My island is waiting for me…”
I mumbled, but Hedonia reached out and gently touched the stray hair by my ear.
The spot where his hand touched felt hot. The air around us was humid, and my dry throat felt like it was in a desert. Hedonia, with his eyes lowered, whispered softly.
“Do I have to be jealous of inanimate objects now?”
Well, even I knew that sounded ridiculous.
I needed to change my excuse.
“No, that was a joke. I have another reason.”
“Alright.”
Hedonia’s languid smile radiated danger. I felt like a mouse in front of a cat.
“I was an unexpected guest. You probably weren’t even prepared to invite me earlier. Next time, after a proper invitation…”
And after I get myself ready!
“You don’t think I didn’t prepare a room for you, do you?”
“…What?”
What was he saying?
“It doesn’t make sense for there to be no space for you in my mansion.”
Hedonia muttered this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, then pressed his lips to the ends of my hair.
As he suddenly moved closer, it became hard to breathe.
“Seeing your real hair color… it is nice.”
My purple hair must have seemed unusual to Hedonia.
“You were always too valuable to just be someone’s stand-in.”
His words of complete recognition brought tears to my eyes.
It reminded me of the frustration and lost sense of identity I felt while playing the role of a stand-in.
“I’m ready to welcome you, so why do you keep running away?”
Hedonia asked as he tucked my hair behind my ear.
His eyes showed a mix of fear.
He couldn’t understand why I wanted to distance myself from him.
…It was a somewhat embarrassing reason.
I worried that maybe, just maybe, I was jumping to conclusions.
“Tell me, Karina. If it’s something I can fix, I will.”
His determined words made me bite my lip. It wasn’t Hedonia’s fault…
it was just that I wasn’t ready…
“Lord Hedonia.”
“Yes.”
Hedonia looked at me with clear, expectant eyes when I called his name.
“…I’m not ready yet.”
Just saying I wasn’t ready made my face flush with heat. I hadn’t wanted to admit this out loud!
“For what preparation?”
“…Hedonia, you look perfect today, and you’re in great shape… but I’m not.”
It was hard for me to admit this reason, but I felt I owed it to him. Hedonia’s expression gradually brightened as he listened to me.
By the time I finished speaking, a faint smile played on his lips.
“There’s no need for you to feel that way.”
Hedonia gently grasped my chin and whispered.
“You’re perfect just as you are.”
Then he captured my lips. His tongue, initially focused on the sensation of my lips, slid between them, exploring inside of it.
