My Sweet Deceiver - Chapter 36

Tehez changed her dress and sat down at her office desk when Danielle came with chocolate and coffee.

 

Tehez bowed her head down to the papers.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Princess, may I ask you a pretentious question?”

 

“What is it?”

 

She turned to Danielle.

 

“Why did you say to leave him alone?”

 

As if she was still angry with her, said Danielle, looking straight at Tehez.

 

“Thank you for your concern. But even if I had gotten angry there and caught the culprit, there was nothing that would have helped the Prince, and it would have been just a waste of time. If that can raise the Prince’s approval rating even a little, I can’t ask for anything more.”

 

“Do you even have to do that?”

 

Danielle replied that something was hurting her self-esteem.

 

“Am I doing worse than that right now? As long as the Prince can sit on the throne, I don’t mind hanging from the wall.”

 

“I can’t even imagine you are thinking about that! Don’t even put those words in your mouth. I understand how serious Princess is. However-”

 

“That’s enough. I must enjoy the coffee. You may leave.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Danielle put down the tray without saying a word and left.

 

***

 

After returning the child safely to his parents, Dennis found out that Tehez had already left.

 

“…”

 

Nothing special happened except that he ran into a number of reporters and was photographed on his way out of the support department.

 

The woman’s assistant and escort knight, who were waiting at the entrance, spoke to him.

 

“Prince, due to the attacks of the people, Princess had returned to the palace. She asked us to let the Prince know she was sorry.”

 

“What attack?”

 

“Someone threw the pie at the Princess…”

 

Danielle bowed her head.

 

“Thanks for letting me know.”

 

Dennis looked back.

 

People were smiling happily while looking around the exhibition hall.

 

For a moment, the faces of the people appeared distorted.

 

Dennis asked Danielle in a friendly tone.

 

“Do you think we will get a divorce?”

 

Danielle hesitated and replied, “No.”

 

Dennis had a smile on his lips.

 

“Otherwise, I look like an unscrupulous person to abandon my wife for not having a child.”

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

Denied vehemently denied it.

 

“Absolutely not, Prince.”

 

She emphasized on the disapproval again.

 

Dennis looked around.

 

People were still staring at him.

 

they were interested in him.

 

People who praise you in front of you will curse you when you turn around, so you never know when things will change.

 

Dennis was disillusioned with such people. He suppressed the feeling of wanting to scream. There were many eyes watching him.

 

Instead, he stopped and brushed his face and hair.

 

“Sylvan.”

 

“Yes, Prince.”

 

Dennis called Sylvan and said.

 

“Can you call the policeman?”

 

Sylvan heard his instructions and ran away.

 

He had a place to go.

 

Dennis paused in front of a familiar door.

 

His wife must be beyond that door.

 

Dennis, who was worried about her, was ridiculously hesitant at the door.

 

The reason for visiting Tehez was not clear.

 

During that time, he didn’t care what she did.

 

Because he thought everything was hers.

 

Pain and sorrow.

 

But when he decided to take responsibility and then tried to comfort her, was it out of compassion? Or was it because of responsibility…?

 

There would be no problem if he didn’t open this door and go back. Still, why did he keep hesitating?

 

“…”

 

Dennis put his hand on the doorknob and lowered it repeatedly.

 

Then Tehez shouted as if she noticed someone was standing outside the door.

 

“Danielle? Come in.”

 

Dennis, who had only been fiddling with the doorknob, entered the room. Of course, she must have thought it was her assistant. Seeing him, Tehez put on a slightly surprised expression.

 

“Why at this hour…?”

 

Tehez thought Dennis had come to ask why she had suddenly disappeared, she hastily excused.

 

“Ah. There was an accident, so I came in first, Prince.”

 

The woman was working as usual.

 

He answered politely.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Are you tired?”

 

“No, you?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Why?”

 

Dennis came over, leaned his body against her desk where she was sitting, and loosened the tie around his neck. Then he faced her. The woman sitting on the chair looked smaller today.

 

Tehez turned the chair and looked at him.

 

“…I do not know.”

 

“Did you sleep well yesterday?”

 

Tehez couldn’t understand the context of his words.

 

It was late in the afternoon when he asked if she had slept well.

 

“As usual.”

 

“How do you feel?”

 

Having said that, Dennis picked up a piece of chocolate that was on the desk and put it in his mouth. The bittersweet taste of chocolate spreads in his mouth.

 

“…All right, why are you asking?”

 

“If you say no, then… I wanted to help.”

 

Dennis wiped the chocolate off the tip of his fingertips on the handkerchief and stroked the woman’s side hair.

 

That was the only way he knew how to comfort her. The way the woman comforted him…

 

For a moment, Tehez’s face turned red.

 

“What? Need help?”

 

“Here…”

 

Dennis gently embraced Tehez, who was sitting on the chair, and placed her on the desk. Papers were crumpled under the woman’s bottom. One of the loose shoes came off and rolled up. Little feet dangled in the air.

 

“Wait, the papers…”

 

Tehez hurriedly cleared the paperwork underneath her in bewilderment. Looking at the folded papers, she sighed sadly at it.

 

Dennis saw her figure and said in a playful voice.

 

“Is your job that important? More than me here?”

 

Tehez looked at him in bewilderment.

 

“What do you mean, Prince?”

 

Irrespective of Tehez’s reply, he continued.

 

“If I were a prince, you would surely be a Princess. Beautiful lady.”

 

Dennis lifted a handful of Tehez’s golden hair and kissed it.

 

Just like the men who bet their tricks on women on the street.

 

“Tonight… do you want to hang out with me? I know a good place.”

 

Tehez laughed silently at his prank. Dennis placed his head near Tehez’s chest and hugged her lightly.

 

Tehez unconsciously stroked Dennis’ fine hair. His soft hair ran down between her fingers.

 

Her voice, which had subsided, was slightly exhilarated.

 

“I can’t because I’m already married.”

 

Dennis said in an exaggerated tone.

 

“Oh, no. I can’t let a beautiful woman like you go.”

 

Dennis lightly kissed the back of Tehez’s hand. As his soft lips touched the back of her hand, Tehez felt her heart tickle.

 

“Why don’t you do as you please? You’re attracted to me, too. Is it not?”

 

“…”

 

Dennis said, still kissing her on the back of her hand.

 

Dennis’ demeanour, acting like a playboy, made Tehez’s face hot.

 

When there was no answer, Dennis brought his lips to the pulse near Tehez’s ear and left a small kiss.

 

“…!!”

 

He was holding her neck with a face genuinely absorbed in the role.

 

In the end, Dennis couldn’t resist licking Teherz’s neck and leaving a red mark near her collarbone.

 

Tehez’s shoulders shrugged.

 

“Please, if we do this here…”

 

He stroked the marks on Tehez’s neck with his thumb.

 

Red marks on white skin.

 

He was utterly satisfied.

 

“Who made that decision? I’m hearing this for the first time.”

 

“…”

 

He thought as he stroked Tehez’s face, which was bruised blue.

 

A blue bruise didn’t suit this woman.

 

Red is what suits this woman better.

 

Tehez didn’t answer. But her eyes were moist. Dennis wiped the corners of her eyes as if there were tears in them. His fingertips were hot.

 

“Look forward to it. I’ll satisfy you more than your husband.”

 

He looked at her and smiled seductively at her.

 

He fiddled with the hem of her dress and licked her skin with his tongue.

 

“Did you take a shower?”

 

“No, I did not.”

 

“But why does it taste sweet?”

 

It was like talking to himself.

 

“The chocolate…”

 

“Oh.”

 

His long fingers picked up the chocolate. Her tightly closed lips parted, and her straight teeth took a bite of the chocolate. Then, the thick liquid chocolate hidden inside the hard chocolate came out.

 

His pink tongue cleaned the drippings from the corners of her mouth.

 

Hot eyes like noon in midsummer.

 

“…”

 

Tehez looked at him, forgetting how to breathe.

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

He smiled with his eyes and licked the chocolate off her hand with his tongue.

 

“I wonder if it tastes sweet here, too.”

 

Dennis’ eyes were looking down the hem of the woman’s dress. Tehez unconsciously tried to stick her knees together. But his two hands were holding her knees tightly.

 

“Shall we find out now?”

 

***

 

[It will rain.

 

I wonder if your body is healthy in the cold weather.

 

I’m doing fine. Everyone in the house likes me. I am very happy about that.

 

Everyone wants to meet my mother.

 

I look forward to the day when I introduce you to them.]

 

After reading the cryptic letter from Fantine, Tehez smiled. It seemed that she had safely entered the Duke of Briem and completed her mission.

 

To other people, it must have looked like a regular greeting letter.

 

Fabrice’s engagement ceremony was only two days away.

 

Fabrice, who had just woken up yesterday, seemed somewhat unstable.

 

“Where am I? D*mn it, aren’t you all in one?”

 

She had no choice but to lock him up in the room because he was making a fuss.

 

It must have been a huge psychological shock.

 

When he finally calmed down and listened, he confessed that Giselle had whipped him.

 

Upon hearing the news, Tehez told him to return to the palace tomorrow after treatment.

 

Giselle might have contacted her at this point, but she kept quiet.

 

Tehez had strengthened the surrounding perimeter.

 

“Princess, this is Danielle.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Danielle came in and said to her.

 

“An article about the Prince of the World’s Fair has been published. One is the article Princess was talking about, and the other is, I think you should see it for yourself.”

 

“For what?”

 

Tehez saw the article Danielle had delivered.

 

It was a good story that Dennis found the parents of a lost child at the World Fair.

 

And the other was an article she hadn’t thought about.

 

It was that they had caught the culprit who threw a whipped cream pie at her.

 

“Why is this…?”

 

Tehez finished reading the article.

 

[…The perpetrator will be punished for harassing the royal family. However, considering that he is a first-time offender and has an accompanying family, it is predicted that he will be sentenced to a fine.]

 

“A punishment?”

 

“Yes. It seems that the lower court has ordered the culprit to be caught and punished.”

 

“…”

 

Tehez patted her forehead.

 

Ellie hurriedly opened the door to Tehez’s office.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“You’d better come out for a second.”

 

Tehez got up from her seat and followed Ellie’s lead.

 

“What is this…?”

 

Workers were placing down something large piled on cloth.

 

“What is this?”

 

“It’s a picture. The Prince has sent it.”

 

The attendant greeted her with courtesy and answered.

 

“Did the Prince send me the painting?”

 

Tehez did not readily understand the words, so she repeated them all the time, like trying to understand something.

 

“Yes. That’s right, Princess. The Prince said, ‘I am sending you because you seem to like it.’”

 

“Thank you. Let me open it.”

 

When Tehez ordered, the workers opened the cloth wrapped around the painting.

 

It was the painting she saw at the exhibition a few days ago.

 

A painting of grapes, a symbol of fertility…

 

Tehez looked at the painting, speechless.

 

(To be continued in the next episode)