Chapter 17: Loss of Reason
Carlos was the son of a poor, humble family. Of course, he had no opportunity for education and had to earn money early on. When he became a squire to feed his family, people around him ridiculed and booed him, saying that he was a scumbag aristocrat who threw honor in exchange for money. He got used to being looked down on and ignored by others.
If he hadn’t met Leandro, the prince at the time, Carlos would still be living the fate of a low-life of servile behavior in front of others. He abandoned his life for the benefactor who saved it. Whatever he did, he only thought and moved for Leandro’s sake, and never once did he put his own feelings first. That’s why he didn’t even look at women even though his blood ran hot to the point of boiling.
He had seen many people who ruined their lives by falling in love with women and succumbing to the temptation of alcohol, so he couldn’t turn his eyes that way for fear that he might fail in serving Leandro.
In a way, Carlos was a very pure and clear man.
Ariel had a strange look on her face as she looked at Carlos, the man who could not take his eyes off her body. She was a faithful reader of the original book, so she knew Carlos’ poor family history by heart. Everyone knew why he was strangely loyal to Leandro and how he felt when he saw Ariel.
Carlos, who had sympathy and compassion for Ariel being ravaged by a violent emperor, had fallen in love with her, was the second saddest character after Ariel.
So Ariel wanted to be nice to him. She wondered how things would change if she poured her affection on such a starved person.
“…Why do you look at me like that?” Ariel broke the silence between the two.
It was not until he heard her weak voice that Carlos hurriedly turned his eyes. Although he touched and wandered through Ariel’s whole body last night, it did not matter because it was what Leandro had ordered.
But now there was no Leandro, and there was only Ariel and him in the enclosed space. Furthermore, Ariel was naked. A situation where he could not be conscious of.
Carlos realized that his body was slowly reacting to the beautiful woman in front of him.
It was dangerous.
He mustn’t do anything without orders from Leandro.
“I’ll ask you again. How did you get hurt?”
He tried to keep his expressionless face and repeated the same question. If the emperor were to severely punish the person responsible for harming his beloved woman, he had to know who they were.
“Lord Carlos…”
Carlos was still holding her upper arm. Ariel’s bare skin under the tips of his fingers was too soft that he couldn’t take his hands off.
“If you put pressure in your grip, my pain gets stronger…” Her breath escaped together with her languished voice.
Carlos’s pupils trembled at her weak voice.
Ariel slowly raised her free arm to Carlos and gently grabbed him by the back of his hand. She did not miss the brief moment when Carlos flinched at the unexpected contact.
‘Look at him being surprised.’