Chapter 81
I Can’t Even Kiss You
I slowly set down my glass and carefully glanced around.
I knew it would be like this, but this is even more suffocating than I thought…
Bianca, Cedric, Diart the High Priest, and I.
The four of us sat together in the dining hall, and the air was unbearably heavy.
But that oppressive atmosphere wasn’t entirely because of us.
If I had to name the real cause, it would be the servants—more precisely, the murderous energy radiating from them.
As usual, they stood in a neat circle around the table, their icy gazes fixed on Diart.
He pretended not to notice, focusing on his meal, but the knife trembling in his hands betrayed him.
Still, he’s technically a guest. How’s he supposed to eat like that?
I sent Cedric a discreet signal, hoping he’d rein in the servants.
But he continued eating with a calm expression, as if he hadn’t noticed a thing.
Thanks to our indifferent host, Diart’s complexion grew paler by the minute.
“Cough—! Kh, kuh—!”
Finally, a violent cough burst from his lips.
He quickly covered his mouth with a napkin and couldn’t stop coughing for a while.
“Oh my! High Priest Diart, are you all right?”
“Y-Your Grace!”
In that moment, the only ones showing him any concern were Bianca and me.
The servants merely stood there, watching him struggle with cold indifference—some even smirked, clearly amused by his misery.
That’s strange. No matter how much they dislike him, they wouldn’t normally treat a guest this way, especially one visiting the Grand Duke’s castle…
The servants of House Twins had always carried out their duties with dignity and loyalty.
For them to openly show such contempt toward a guest—and for Cedric to just let it happen—was baffling.
I observed them curiously for a moment before turning my attention back to the wheezing Diart.
Right now, tending to our guest took priority.
As the saying goes, “Give even an enemy a rice cake.” And besides, this man’s here as the Pope’s representative.
Forcing a polite smile, I slid my water glass toward him.
“I hope the northern cuisine isn’t too much for your taste, High Priest.”
He managed to stop coughing, shaking his head while still holding the napkin to his mouth.
“That’s not it. In fact, I’ve been enjoying the meal… very much.”
It was obvious he had no idea what he’d just eaten—or even whether it had gone down the right way.
I decided to keep the conversation going, partly to lighten the mood, partly to probe his intentions.
“I heard you came north to deliver the Holy Blessing. I’m not very familiar with church matters, so I was wondering what your schedule might look like.”
After taking a quick sip of wine to soothe his throat, Diart wiped his mouth and answered,
“I plan to visit the Central Northern Cathedral every day while I’m here.”
“You mean the one in the city?”
“Yes. I’ve already informed the diocese that I’ll be visiting as the Pope’s envoy, so the cathedral must have announced it to the believers by now.”
“Oh, then I suppose flocks of the faithful will come to receive the Pope’s blessing. You must be very busy—you won’t even have time to rest.”
“Well… that’s likely true.”
He trailed off, as if remembering something. His face grew more solemn as he continued.
“But you needn’t worry. Aside from my hours at the cathedral, I’ll be staying strictly within the Twins estate.”
In other words—don’t even think about letting your guard down.
Any faint sympathy I’d felt for him vanished instantly.
Yep, still insufferable.
Diart finally turned from me to Cedric.
“By the way, the two of you are still living separately, correct?”
His eyes sharpened, cold and assessing—gone was the meek man who’d been trembling moments ago.
He must have remembered the true purpose of his visit.
“I heard that since several months ago, His Grace has been staying at the House of Light, while Her Grace resides at the House of Darkness. Is that still the case?”
To outsiders unaware of our divorce, it might have sounded like a harmless question about marital discord.
But Cedric and I both knew what he was really getting at—and our faces stiffened.
Cedric took a slow sip of wine, the corner of his mouth curling up.
“That’s correct.”
Diart nodded slowly.
“Then I suppose the two of you hardly cross paths these days. That’s… worrisome.”
But his expression showed no concern—only faint relief, quickly followed by that familiar gleam of suspicion.
That night.
Hours had passed since dinner, and I was back in the House of Darkness.
Normally, I would’ve been with Cedric around this time.
Instead, I was lying on the bed, reviewing documents—specifically, the guest list for the masquerade ball to promote our investment agency.
We’d invited famous figures from across the empire.
Maybe it was because we’d sent out invitations ahead of the Emperor’s birthday banquet, or maybe because Rebecca, the socialite hostess, was finally holding another party—but attendance looked promising.
“I thought few from the far south would come, but surprisingly, quite a number of them replied.”
Her southern origins probably helped.
I was scanning through the southern attendees when I spotted a familiar name.
—James Bold.
My brow furrowed.
Right. Duke Bold. I had to invite him for appearances’ sake, of course…
I realized I’d completely forgotten about him since the Emperor’s banquet.
How had that even happened?
Then it hit me—he hadn’t contacted me once since that night.
After leaving with Cedric that evening, he’d vanished for a while.
When he reappeared—after Henry’s body was found—he’d looked terrified, glancing nervously at Cedric.
Back then, I thought he was just shocked by Henry’s death. But maybe something happened between him and Cedric in the meantime…
Honestly, I hoped that was the case.
In the original story, he’d allied himself with the villainess Camilla, committing countless crimes.
Poor Rebecca had died because of their scheming.
It was best to keep my distance from him—and I was grateful that Cedric quietly helped me do just that.
His absence, though, suddenly felt all the heavier.
I guess being around him for days made me too used to it. It feels so empty now.
I quickly shook my head, pushing away the melancholy, and turned back to the guest list.
Then—tap, tap.
A small sound came from the window.
When I turned my head, a sleek black cat was perched outside, looking right at me.
“Huh? Where did you come from…?”
As soon as our eyes met, it began tapping on the glass again.
Tap, tap—
The same sound.
It sat there so neatly, blinking its blue eyes at me as if asking me to open the window.
Does it want me to let it in?
I opened the window carefully. The cat stepped gracefully into the room.
Its fur was glossy and soft, its ears adorably perked.
I hesitated to touch it—what if it scratched me?—but the cat leaned into my hand, rubbing its head against my palm.
Smiling, I scratched under its chin and stroked its head.
It purred, eyes half-closed in bliss.
“You’re such a people-lover, huh? How cute.”
I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d felt until that moment.
Happy for the company, I looked around for something to give it—but there was no cat food in sight.
I left the window slightly open and turned to the cat.
“Don’t go anywhere, okay? I’ll go find you something to eat.”
The cat meowed softly and kept nudging its head against my hand.
“Just wait here, all right? I’ll be right back.”
I took a few steps toward the door—then froze.
A strange sense of déjà vu.
A brown cat named Vincent, a black cat, and… blue eyes.
No way…
Slowly, I turned back toward the window.
“You—!”
Sitting casually on the windowsill, one long leg crossed over the other, was Cedric.
He smiled at me, the corner of his mouth curling in amusement.
“What, you figured it out already? Too bad—I was hoping to get petted for a while like Vincent did.”
“I—I did not pet him that much! What are you even saying?”
I snapped, then quickly lowered my voice.
I’d almost forgotten that Diart’s surveillance was still ongoing.
“Cedric, how did you even get here?”
He frowned slightly.
“As you saw, I came in the form of a cat. Hardly a fitting look for the Grand Duke of the Western Empire, I know—tiny, fluffy, humiliating.”
“That’s not what I meant. I asked why you came here like that.”
“Well, obviously…”
His blue eyes rolled to the side.
“Because I wanted to see you.”
For a moment, I just stared at him, dumbfounded, then quickly shook my head.
That face, that voice—he knew exactly how to say things that could melt anyone.
But this wasn’t the time to get swept away.
“What if the High Priest sees you? You’ll blow everything! If you wanted to see me that badly, I could’ve at least drawn you a portrait or something—this is ridiculous…”
I’d meant it as a scolding, but Cedric’s expression softened, suddenly earnest.
“Well, if it means I get to see your face, even that wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Cedric…”
“But a portrait isn’t you.”
He stepped down from the window and walked toward me, his movements slow and deliberate.
Then, wrapping one arm around my waist, he murmured,
“I can’t touch you like this—”
Peck.
He kissed me lightly.
“—or kiss you like this.”
He brushed his lips against my eyes, my nose, my cheeks—his voice a pleading whisper.
“So please, just let it slide this once, Rebecca. Isn’t it pitiful, me coming all this way looking like a fool?”
His voice was so tender, so desperate, that I finally nodded.
A faint smile curved his lips.
And moments later, his sweet tongue slipped between mine, as if it had been waiting for that very permission.
