Chapter 42
A Kiss Laden with Fragrance
Anshi’s heart was beating a little faster than usual.
The word accomplice—so hard and cold—sounded strangely seductive and alluring when it came from that man’s mouth.
“We’ll need to destroy the evidence too.”
Damion extended his hand—the one not holding the paper. Anshi, still clouded by confusion, didn’t take it and instead kept her hands behind her back, eyeing him warily.
Damion stepped closer. He reached out as if to embrace her. Anshi, determined not to let go of the book, held it away from him with one hand.
But the book wasn’t what he was after.
Damion took her hand and laced his fingers between hers. The unfamiliar sensation made Anshi instinctively stretch her fingers wide.
“There’s a vacant lot behind the orphanage where hardly anyone passes by. That would be the best place to burn this.”
He began walking while holding her hand. Caught off guard, Anshi ended up following him out of the library.
“Shh.”
Damion raised a finger to his lips.
It was a peaceful afternoon when the children were napping and the adults were resting. Just the thought of making a single footstep echo through the hallway made Anshi instinctively tiptoe to keep quiet.
They slipped out the back door of the orphanage. Only then did Anshi finally catch her breath as Damion lit a match and set the paper ablaze.
The scent of burning drifted in the air. Realizing how pointless it was to cling to the book now, Anshi hurriedly handed it to him. Damion smirked and tossed the book into the fire as well.
Finally, Anshi let out a sigh of relief.
“…It’s finally over.”
“No. Someone might have seen us on the way here. We need an alibi.”
“An alibi?”
Did they really need to go that far? Anshi thought it was unnecessary, but Damion was serious.
“There’s a lavender field if you follow this trail. Let’s say we were just there.”
Once again, her hand was caught. Before she could even think, they were walking down the trail together.
Along the narrow path, trees with darker leaves than the ginkgoes they’d passed earlier lined the way. Their thick canopies blocked most of the sky, making the daylight feel dim.
“We don’t have to go all the way to the flower field. We can just say we took a walk along this trail.”
“We’re almost there.”
“Liar.”
She shot back reflexively, remembering how he’d said the same thing when they climbed a hill last time. Damion chuckled at her reaction.
In truth, Damion had spent a long time thinking on his way to the library—how to approach Anshi, how to resolve things with her.
But the moment he saw her holding that torn-up picture book, all those thoughts vanished.
Who tears up a book just because they dislike something? And she’d already read it—so what was she trying to hide?
A woman like a wave.
She seemed easy to read, but then she’d crash into you with bizarre behavior that no one could predict.
Whatever anger he had felt toward Anshi that day, and all the worrying he had done these past few days—it all vanished into laughter.
Even her visit to the Duchess seemed trivial now. It was just typical Anshi de Orphe—stubborn and impossible to figure out.
When she glared at him as if to ask why he was smiling, Damion only shrugged, unable to hide his grin.
“Hah.”
She scoffed in disbelief. He hadn’t said anything nice—so what was he smiling about?
Damion only smiled more at her reaction. He was truly a strange man.
In the meantime, the short trail really did come to an end. A bright beam of sunlight broke through and lit them up.
“Wow…”
The sound of admiration escaped Anshi’s lips before she realized it.
Under the clear blue sky, a field of purple shimmered in the sun. Elegant lavender blossoms stood tall, perfectly complemented by the green that supported them.
Anshi stepped forward, drawn to the endless field stretched out before her.
Then she stopped and closed her eyes.
A pleasant fragrance rode the breeze and tickled her nose. She took a deep breath. The soft and unique scent chased away the lingering smell of smoke from the burning papers.
When she opened her eyes again, her lips curved into a small smile. It felt like a dream.
Damion, standing beside her, looked only at her.
Her skin—so pale it was almost translucent—glowed in the sunlight. Her ocean-colored eyes reflected the blue sky, the cottony clouds, and the blooming flowers.
Her blue eyes sparkled. It reminded him of the time they looked at a painting of the night sky together.
His mouth suddenly felt dry. Damion swallowed hard.
He thought of the painting still buried somewhere in his house. He’d originally planned to show it to her as soon as they got married, but once the marriage happened, it somehow became impossible to share it.
Looking at her then had made his heart sink with a feeling he didn’t like. He wasn’t sure what kind of emotion might overcome him if he saw that expression on her face again.
And now, he was seeing that very expression again.
His body tensed. Still, he couldn’t turn away. He wanted to keep looking at her face.
A breeze carrying the lavender scent blew through, lifting her hair.
Without thinking, Damion reached out and gently brushed her hair back.
His fingers brushed against her ear.
Startled by the touch, Anshi tilted her head up. Their eyes met.
Anshi gazed into his amethyst-colored eyes.
Within them, it felt as if that entire flower field had bloomed.
They stood in silence, just looking at each other.
Swoosh—
The wind swept across the field. The vast stretch of flowers swayed like rippling waves.
In the middle of it, the man leaned down.
Soft lips brushed hers and pulled away.
It was a kiss filled with fragrance.
The sensation of his lips still felt unfamiliar.
But it was softer than before. Warmer.
She didn’t hate it.
With their faces still close enough to feel each other’s breath, Damion kept his eyes lowered, standing before her. Though his gaze was calm, the heat and intensity beneath it were impossible to miss.
Anshi held her breath and clenched her skirt. It wasn’t just that she didn’t dislike the kiss—what really unsettled her was that she didn’t even know how to breathe right now.
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“What?”
“Breathe.”
Was it that obvious? Anshi’s cheeks flushed red. Damion’s hand, which had been near her ear, naturally moved to support the back of her head.
Anshi trembled slightly.
“This is…”
She began to speak, embarrassed by her reaction, but before she could finish, his lips touched hers again.
“Let’s save the words for later.”
He smiled sweetly.
Anshi bit the inside of her lip. It was like she’d been enchanted by that ridiculously charming smile. Still, she didn’t push him away or run from the moment.
Even though she knew she was under his spell.
She closed her eyes.
His lips met hers once more, tenderly embracing her. Her closed eyelids quivered gently.
Damion lowered one hand and held hers. His large fingers slid between hers, lacing them together. At the same time, his breath slipped past her lips.
Anshi clung to his hand.
Their breaths mingled, damp and unsteady. Her mind felt dazed, her cheeks flushed. If she didn’t cling to his hand, she felt like her legs would give out.
Did Damion de Orphe feel ashamed of loving her? Or did he truly love her so much that he was afraid she’d get hurt?
From that day on, doubts about his true feelings constantly occupied her mind.
But right now, she didn’t want to push him away. No—rather, this gentle warmth made it feel like his sincerity was real, and so she clung even harder.
“Ha…”
A shaky breath escaped as their lips parted. Even the ever-composed Damion was breathless.
He gazed at Anshi as if she were the most beautiful thing in the world.
And in that moment, Anshi felt it for the first time—
‘This man… really does love me.’
No matter how many times he had said it before, no matter how absurd it was that he even married her based on that feeling—she had never truly felt it until now.
“Anshi.”
Damion pulled her into his arms. His soft whisper reached her ears, and Anshi gave a small nod.
“I’m sorry… for stopping you from meeting your family.”
“…!”
His voice pierced straight through to her heart.
“To be honest, our marriage was more of a one-sided announcement to them. I was afraid they’d say something cruel to you. That’s why I didn’t arrange a meeting.”
“…I know. I know you were just worried about me.”
She made herself say that—even though, in truth, she had only just realized it. And in that moment, she understood.
Simon and Elise had been right.
Anshi realized—
She had kept doubting his feelings all this time.
And the reason she did…
Was because she had been the one deceiving him.
