The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 10 Part 12
“The agreement we made is over, so please go away.”
“Nope. Besides, we made another deal, remember? To do it every day. And that I could hold you day or night… Mmph?”
Anais hastily covered Rahil’s mouth, but the words had already slipped out. In truth, she was so stunned by what he’d said that she reacted too late.
“When did I ever say that!!!”
Anais, now even redder, raised her voice, and Rahil grinned broadly. With his mouth still covered, he carried her over to the couch and plopped down. Finally free to use his hands, he tapped lightly on Anais’s wrists, flashing a playful smile until she let go.
“Last night. It was before I put it in, so maybe you don’t remember—”
The moment he started speaking again, Anais clapped a hand over his mouth, making Rahil chuckle behind her palm. Frantically glancing around, she saw the maids all pretending they hadn’t heard a thing.
“I-I refuse to acknowledge that! Anything promised in a moment like that doesn’t count!”
Gripping Anais’s wrist, Rahil leaned in toward her ear. Her heart was already pounding at that suggestive chuckle. He whispered softly enough that no one else would hear, his breath tickling her skin.
“You won’t admit it because it was before I put it in? Or are you admitting you’d already melted just from letting me lick you there?”
Fwoosh!
Heat surged through her body, and her face felt like it was on fire, leaving Anais gaping at Rahil. How could he say such things with people around? Is he out of his mind?!
But Rahil only looked like he found her unbearably adorable. Unable to form a coherent response, she stammered, and before she knew it, he had pulled her into his embrace.
Since Anais was still perched on Rahil’s lap, it was all too easy for him to hold her close. The perceptive maids finished setting the food on the sofa table and swiftly withdrew.
“If you need anything else….”
“Nothing. You can go now.”
Rahil cut them off mid-sentence, dismissing them, and the maids hurried out of the bedroom. Anais glared at him, her face still flushed.
“Wh-what if somebody overheard…?”
“Who’s going to talk about what happens in the Emperor’s bedroom? And even if they did, nobody would believe them. Besides, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Nothing to be embarrassed about?! Anais shot him a look of exasperation, but Rahil simply turned his attention to the food as if nothing had happened.
“You said you were hungry. What do you want first?”
Having eaten together almost every day since returning to the palace, he had a decent grasp of her tastes. When he sliced up some bacon and fried eggs and offered them, Anais accepted the bite.
“Ah, you look so cute. What else should I feed you?”
“…Some grilled tomatoes.”
Chewing on the piece he had forked and lifted to her mouth, Anais grudgingly admitted that the food was delicious. Even in all this, she still noticed how good it tasted. She felt utterly pathetic.
“Try this, too.”
Fortunately, Anais wasn’t the type to eat lightly in the morning. Coming from House Ruol, a family that had produced generations of knights and generals, she had no problem devouring steak for breakfast.
Rahil sliced up some lobster—which the head chef had sworn was good for stamina—and presented it to her. Catching a whiff of butter, she quickly took a bite.
The taste was rich, and her body felt pleasantly warm, but she couldn’t move much. Leaning against Rahil’s chest and quietly accepting each bite, she realized he seemed positively thrilled.
“Your Majesty should eat, too.”
“Yes, yes.”
Truthfully, this is the sort of thing we should have done on our honeymoon…
“Not thirsty? Want something to drink?”
Anais slowly nodded and pointed to the glass nearby. While Rahil flashed her a bright grin.
* * *
Duke Noer waited anxiously for time to pass. He had already sent people to the location the dragon had pointed to on the map. Searching the entire area thoroughly would take at least a month, so there was no way to get immediate results—but that didn’t stop the unease creeping up on him.
‘He’s gone, so what am I even worrying about?!’
The Duchess had tried to question Duke Noer about Kirthalros, but after he snapped at her, she lost her temper and stormed out.
Jeremy wasn’t home—he was probably off drinking with friends. He was supposed to be under house discipline, but with a dragon coming and going, Duke Noer had deliberately sent him out for safety’s sake.
That evening, in just a few hours, there would be a ball for the tournament participants and the final candidates for the Maiden of Abundance. It was also supposed to double as a grand celebration for the festival’s winner.
‘He wouldn’t actually show up there, would he? Claiming he’s just attending the ball?’
The man had been eliminated from the tournament. It hadn’t been a humiliating defeat, but considering he was a dragon, he might see the whole thing as an embarrassing disgrace.
Duke Noer desperately hoped that Kirthalros had left the capital for good. But the thought of him suddenly appearing in the sky, spewing fire in a fit of rage, refused to leave his mind. Shaking his head, he tried to push the image away.
‘No… he was afraid of His Majesty. He wouldn’t dare go that far.’
If he did, the Empire would form a hunting party and chase him to the ends of the earth. Then again, dragons were prideful creatures who looked down on humans. It wasn’t impossible for one to act on impulse….
“My lord Duke!”
Mikhail, the butler, came rushing in, clearly flustered. Duke Noer, drinking a glass of strong liquor, glanced at him, wondering what had happened. But at the look on the butler’s face, his heart sank.
“He’s here! Lord Kirthalros…!”
None of the other household members knew Kirthalros’s true identity, but Duke Noer had strictly warned them to be extremely cautious around him, fearing that if they provoked the dragon’s anger, the entire estate could be reduced to rubble.
Before Duke Noer could even get to his feet, Kirthalros strode into the lounge, his loyal attendants following close behind.
“I assume you inquired whether the Imperial Family sent me any message. Is there nothing for me?”
At Kirthalros’s question, Duke Noer immediately dismissed the butler. He couldn’t very well speak politely to Kirthalros in front of a servant. Once the butler had left, carefully shutting the door behind him, Duke Noer hesitantly stood.
“Yes, something did arrive from the palace.”
It had been addressed to him personally, but in reality, all of the candidates chosen by the Empress had received the same thing. Duke Noer knew it wasn’t anything significant, but if handing it over got Kirthalros to leave, that was all that mattered.
Duke Noer reached for one of the invitations sitting on a silver tray atop a dresser—a lavish, gold-embossed envelope—and handed it to Kirthalros. The imperial invitation was always placed at the top, so there was no need to search for it.
Kirthalros hastily tore open the seal and checked the contents, as if it were some kind of love letter. Watching him, Duke Noer was relieved he hadn’t opened the other sealed invitation just yet.
Each candidate had received one invitation, and another had been sent to the family sponsoring them, so there was no reason to check the second one.
“A ball… if there’s a ball, don’t I need proper attire?”
At that, the dragon’s knight glanced at Duke Noer as if expecting him to handle it, the way one would look at a butler. For a moment, Duke Noer felt a wave of humiliation, but the man was the vassal of a dragon—there was no point in being offended.
During the Harvest Festival, the Imperial Family hosted three consecutive balls. Most seasoned nobles skipped all but the final one on the festival day, but the younger generation was different.
Because of that, it would be difficult to find formal attire anywhere in the capital at this time. Even those who weren’t noble ladies would have trouble securing anything. But…
‘If one uses the Noer name, that changes everything.’
Kirthalros, following the knight’s lead, turned his gaze to Duke Noer as well. Feeling the sweat trickling down his back, the duke finally opened his mouth.
“Our family has an exclusive contract with a dressmaker. We can go there.”
At this hour, having something tailored from scratch was out of the question. The best clothing had already been reserved by other nobles. Which meant… they would probably have to pressure someone into giving up theirs.
He wasn’t young anymore, and the thought of doing something so petty gave him a headache. But if it meant keeping the dragon satisfied and getting him to leave, then so be it.
When Duke Noer offered to guide him, Kirthalros motioned for him to lead the way.
Ellecde
Is the novel dropped? This is my favorite one ):