TRETTHD 35

#35. Covet

At the sound of his voice, brimming with desire, Velia’s gaze trembled faintly.

“Just how much do you want?”

“I told you already—enough to lock you away. So that you can’t think of anyone but me.”

Velia let out a small, amused laugh at that. Then, pushing him back with a bit of force, she stepped down from the desk.

Perhaps taking her action as a rejection, Khalid’s lips parted slightly to speak—but Velia placed her hand on his chest and began to push him back, slowly, deliberately.

“It seems to me you don’t know me very well.”

“Me?”

“That’s why you’re in such a rush.”

Continuing to press him back, Velia took a step forward with each push. Khalid’s foot caught on something behind him, and he toppled backward—onto the bed.

“You’re right. We don’t really know each other. We each have things we’re hiding, lies we’ve told.”

Still lying on the bed, Khalid tilted his head to look up at Velia standing before him.

Sweeping her long hair to one side with a slow, languid motion, she climbed up over him.

“Now…”

Khalid couldn’t finish his sentence.

He felt as though his breath had stopped.

“That’s why I think we need time… to truly get to know each other.”

“Don’t you agree?” Velia asked with a smile.

The sight was needlessly seductive.

Just having Velia seated over him was enough to shake his self-control. It felt like a delicate thread was on the verge of snapping.

“I can’t promise to be responsible for what happens next, Velia.”

His voice was rough, thick with lust.

Velia’s smile deepened, sultry and teasing. Khalid raised a hand to cover his eyes.

This is driving me crazy.

…No, that wasn’t right.

They were already here, in this room. Why hold back now?

“Khalid…”

Velia drew out the end of his name like a plea. That was the final straw.

“If you know exactly what you’re doing right now, that makes it worse. You know that?”

Khalid grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him. In a swift motion, he reversed their positions—pressing her down against the bed and moving over her.

The situation had flipped entirely.

“You keep pushing me to my limit.”

His eyes burned with heat.

In that instant, an irresistible impulse swept through Velia. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Ha…”

Khalid let out a short breath, the warmth of it vanishing between their lips as they met. The kiss was relentless, as if to make up for every moment they had been apart.

Still locked in that deep, heated kiss, Khalid slid his hand along her back, undoing the tightly fastened buttons one by one. As her dress slipped from her shoulders, he buried his face into her neck.

“Velia.”

Hearing her name spoken like a request sent shivers down her spine.

She wanted him too—there was no denying it.

Tightening her arms around him, she whispered into his ear:

“I told you I was looking forward to tonight.”

At that, his gaze turned fiercer still.

Velia smiled with her eyes half-closed.

Tonight was going to be a very long night.

And the night had only just begun.

She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep.

Blinking slowly, Velia stared blankly out the window.

Moonlight filled the darkened room. It felt as though much time had passed, yet the sky was still night.

Turning her head, she looked at the man lying beside her. His black hair partially covered his face, but it couldn’t hide the sharp bridge of his nose and the cut of his jaw.

Reaching out, she brushed the fallen strands of hair away, pleased to see his face more clearly.

He looks so gentle when he’s asleep.

Velia studied Khalid’s face for a long while, her mind drifting. His face was so striking that simply looking at him brought her quiet joy—so much so that she lost track of time.

Since admitting her feelings for him, he seemed even more handsome than before.

Just then, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

“…Ah.”

He wasn’t asleep after all.

Velia startled and quickly averted her gaze, but Khalid reached out and pulled her into a firm embrace.

“Sleep well?”

Caught watching him, Velia felt a sudden flush of embarrassment. She could feel the faint vibration of his quiet chuckle where their bodies touched.

“Go back to sleep. It’s still early.”

His voice was low and husky, with a softness that was pleasant to the ear.

“Shh…”

Feeling her fidgeting in his arms, Khalid patted her back gently.

“You should rest more. Today’s going to be a tiring day, Velia.”

“…I can’t sleep.”

“Then just lie here. It’s been so long since I’ve had you beside me. I want to stay like this a little longer.”

Resting his face against her collarbone with a faintly petulant air, he made her feel as though they truly were lovers. Somehow, the emptiness in her heart felt like it was being filled.

“Khalid. Are you sleepy?”

Maybe now she could say it.

The things she had resolved to tell him many times before but could never bring herself to voice.

“No.”

“Then get up for a moment.”

But Khalid only tightened his hold on her.

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

He paused briefly, then let his hand drift down her side, over her slender waist, before catching her wrist.

“You’ve gotten thinner since I last saw you. Was it lonely without me?”

“No, I’ve been fine.”

“I doubt that. You must have skipped meals. You feel like you’d break with the slightest pressure.”

Velia’s expression flattened at his obvious attempt to dodge the subject.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

She lifted her head sharply to look at him.

“Who knows.”

His feigned innocence was obvious to anyone. Now he was toying with her hair, as if completely uninterested in what she had to say.

He had no idea how much she had agonized over speaking these words.

Pushing his hand away, Velia sat up.

“Khalid.”

It was a signal—she would only speak if he was ready to truly listen.

Finally, Khalid let out a small chuckle, sat up, and stepped off the bed. Taking a robe from nearby, he draped it over her shoulders.

“Honestly, I’m almost afraid of what you’re about to say.”

He dropped into a nearby sofa with a lighthearted remark.

Velia rose from the bed as well, tightening the robe around herself, and sat down beside him.

“So, what is it that’s made you so serious?”

“…I’ve decided to take your hand. Not Raul’s. Do you have any idea how big a choice that is for me?”

The amusement vanished from his face in an instant.

Her words carried the weight of what was to come.

“I’ve chosen you, with my whole life on the line.”

Velia pressed her lips together, forcing them to part.

If she turned away now, she knew she would never tell him the truth.

“So I’ve decided to tell you everything.”

“…Everything?”

She nodded.

“Yes. The things you’ve been dying to know.”

For example—how she could foresee certain events before they happened, and why she so desperately wanted Raul’s downfall.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“…Yes.”

His expression was conflicted—like someone who wanted his curiosity satisfied, yet wasn’t sure if he truly wanted the answer.

“No, wait.”

Khalid suddenly raised his hands to cover his face, leaning forward.

“Can you give me a moment?”

Velia stayed silent, waiting. He, too, said nothing for a while.

…He must know instinctively.

That once he heard her words, there would be no going back.

It had taken her immense resolve to speak, so he likely needed to prepare himself as well.

“If you’re afraid, you don’t have to hear it.”

But wasn’t it frustrating, seeing him hesitate now?

Hiding her impatience, Velia let a faint, taunting smile curl her lips.

“Afraid? Me?”

And Khalid was exactly the type to take the bait.

Just like when she had first proposed their contract relationship—he had accepted with a look that said he found her too intriguing to refuse.

The memory flickered through her mind, and she slowly blinked.

Back then, I never imagined we’d end up like this.

She let out a quiet laugh at the thought of her past self, so full of schemes and not a shred of sincerity—never expecting to feel this way.

“Fine. Then let’s hear these secrets you’ve been keeping from me.”

“You won’t regret it?”

She knew he had briefly considered running. Like a man floundering in quicksand who suddenly realized he shouldn’t sink any deeper—his instincts warning him to stop.

So she asked one last time.

Not because she planned to let him go, but because she could at least give him that much choice.

“Regret? I don’t do regret. Isn’t that right?”

Khalid’s smile was sharp.

He wasn’t the type to look back on his life. Regret was even rarer—he had grown up in a world where you survived only by moving forward.

“Go on, Velia. Tell me the secret you’ve been guarding so tightly.”

The earlier uncertainty in his eyes had been replaced by resolve, as though ready to hear whatever she would say.

Velia began.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why I despise Raul so much?”

Khalid let out a short laugh.

“Of course I have. I’ve been more curious about that than about your impossible knowledge.”

Velia sighed softly at his typically direct answer.

This was a gamble—a story so hard to confess that he might not believe it.

But he had believed her countless times before, even without proof.

Clasping her slightly trembling hands together, she forced herself to speak.

“…Have you ever heard of someone… skipping through time, and returning to the past?”