Chapter 34
Late in the night, Riv woke up.
When she opened her eyes, Lionel was sitting at her bedside. His shoulders, wearing only a light shirt, seemed unusually wide.
There was also concern in his deep eyes.
Riv looked at Lionel and blinked.
“Are you surprised that I’m there?”
“A little bit.”
Riv didn’t deny it. Lionel made a sad expression.
“I was going to have dinner with you, but you were tired and fell asleep.”
“I still find dinner bothersome.”
“You have to eat well to recover.”
When Lionel tried to touch Riv’s cheek, Riv leaned away.
He grinned, perhaps because her reaction was faster than he expected.
“Are you afraid, Riv?”
Riv hesitated, then nodded her head. Lionel grinned.
“Call my name, Riv.”
Lionel stared at Riv intently. Riv doubted his intentions but still called out his name.
“Li-onel? Lionel.”
“Good job.”
“Lionel, why?”
Lionel clenched his jaw and looked closely at Riv.
His eyes looked gentle.
“Can I call you Riv? You don’t seem to like the name Olivia.”
“I hate being called Olivia because it’s too grand. Just call me Riv.”
She couldn’t remember who first called Olivia, Riv.
Riv was Riv from that moment.
“Riv.”
Lionel’s voice sounded sweet.
‘Riv’ did seem to be a much better name for her.
“Riv, we decided to become a couple. Don’t forget.”
At Lionel’s serious gaze, Riv realized.
She instinctively knew that she was not used to being tamed by someone, and was afraid.
Riv was frightened and was strongly attracted to Lionel from the beginning.
If he liked her, that was good. Riv was delighted that she could marry him, that she could have him.
She didn’t want to give up on him just because she was a witch and had a limited time.
Even if this marriage wouldn’t last long, she could capture Lionel’s intense and hot gaze. She could make him her own man.
‘Ah.’
Riv realized she liked having someone watch her.
She was always hungry for affection and attention. She wanted her crush to like her.
So the reality that Lionel looked only at her was sweet.
“What did you do today? They said you went to the greenhouse.”
“I just wanted to rest by myself.”
“Wasn’t the greenhouse hot?”
“A little bit.”
Riv recalled that the greenhouse was his mother’s personal space.
“Lionel, do you hate that I went to the greenhouse?”
“It doesn’t matter, but it’s not good for you if you stay for a long time because it’s humid and hot there. Don’t stay longer than thirty minutes, Riv.”
The name Riv, when Lionel said it, sounded thrilling. Riv nodded her head quietly.
“I heard that new dresses arrived today.”
“There were too many.”
“More will come.”
Riv was speechless. She realized that playing doll didn’t suit her.
“A dress of a calm color suits you well, so a bright one will also look good on you.”
“You really think so?”
Riv thought she was like a turtle.
She struggled because she wanted to live, she wanted to break out of her shell, but her life was ridiculously slow.
Madame Katana, the widow, was slow to make a decision and also had a hard time taking a step after making a decision. Although she abandoned the sluggish Madame Katana figure, the inside seemed to remain the same.
“I’m a coward.”
So she needed someone’s confirmation and confidence.
She wanted to confirm that she was no longer Madame Katana.
“Do you still not have courage? Where did the courage when you saved my life go?”
“Courage.”
Lionel grinned and lit a candle to light up her room. He took her hand mirror and held it in front of Riv.
“Look. Does this woman here look like Madame Katana? The fake image of you that Queen Selina created is no more.”
“…”
Riv stared at the hand mirror he had given her.
Madame Katana was no longer visible in the mirror.
There was only a strange woman who resembled her, with frightened eyes like a rabbit.
“You are no longer Madame Katana.”
Lionel swept his hand through her dark hair.
“Your dark hair is beautiful and envied.”
He covered Riv’s white face with his hand. Riv’s face, which was small compared to her body, was covered by his large hands.
“Your face is small and cute compared to your body.”
As his hand slid off, her rich and clear features were revealed.
In the mirror, Riv made eye contact with herself.
Her eyes, which no one had ever looked at, were as deep and clear as the sea.
“Mysterious eyes. They are a mysterious color.”
“I, I.”
Lionel’s hand passed over her eyelids, brushing her nose, and down to her lips.
His hand slowly ran over her lips repeatedly.
“Riv, the woman named Madame Katana…”
“Yes.”
“She died in Ailte Palace.”
“Ah.”
“Here’s the newly born Riv Katana, who will soon become Riv Sentoren.”
Why did those words sound like salvation?
“You no longer bring misery. Those are all lies from the past. It’s all a thing of the past.”
Riv burst into tears.
“You seduced me because you chose me.”
“Ah.”
“Like you said, I chose you over Marianne and I have no regrets.”
“I, I!”
Lionel, who was comforting Riv, wiped away her tears.
Lionel glanced down at Riv and leaned his body towards her. Riv closed her eyes. Lionel’s rough lips deviated from her lips and touched her left cheek.
His comforting kiss was about to deepen. His breath lingered deep on her lips and barely fell.
The moment he barely touched her lips, Riv took a breath.
In the aftermath of the kiss, Riv opened her eyes and stared at Lionel for a long time.
It was a sweet and ecstatic kiss, but it also felt dangerous.
If it had been a little longer… Riv became conscious that she was wearing a thin nightgown.
She felt Lionel’s hot gaze penetrating through her body beneath.
“W-What are you doing now, Lionel?”
“What?” Lionel was embarrassed. His hand, which was supporting her back, went down to her waist.
“W-What are you thinking, Lionel?”
“Can’t I greet my bride good night?”
Lionel brushd the bewildered Riv’s swollen lips.
“It’s not even our first time. Riv, you said you would be my bride. So you have to get used to this.”
Obviously, this was not the first time such contact had occurred. Riv’s face flushed like crazy.
“I, I did Lionel, but I think I need to prepare my mind.”
“You need to be prepared before I covet your lips?”
“But.”
“We will be a couple. You agreed to it.”
Lionel covered her mouth as she was about to utter a word of protest.
His eyes radiated an eerie glow.
“It would be embarrassing if you say you don’t want to get married now.”
“……”
“If you need to organize your mind, I’ll give you a few more days. But I can’t wait too long. I want to marry you as soon as possible.”
It seemed that Lionel was very impatient.
Come to think of it, it was only a few days ago that Lionel almost got killed by Marianne.
Riv asked carefully, removing his fingers that covered her lips.
“What happened at the palace?”
Lionel chuckled then sighed.
Riv realized belatedly, but Lionel’s face looked tired. He spoke frankly.
“Queen Selina is insisting that you can’t be the Duchess.”
“Ah.”
Riv wasn’t particularly surprised. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
“To the Queen, a maid like me is just a consumable item. It is unforgivable that such a petty girl stole the princess’ fiancé.”
“I am no longer Marianne’s fiancé.”
“I’m sure the Queen thinks differently.”
Queen Selina and Marianne still considered Riv the property of the royal family.
Even if she became the Duchess, from their point of view, there were still plenty of reasons to kill Riv. They would want to get rid of her before then.
Riv’s bitter smile deepened.
“Queen Selina was using me in moderation and she was eventually going to take care of me. Maybe someone will come to kill me.”
Even Lionel wasn’t surprised.
“What about Marianne? What does she think?”
“You and I are victims of Marianne.”
They almost died together because of Marianne. Before the return, after Riv’s death, Lionel may have been killed by Marianne or her lover. As she got older, Marianne, instead of becoming wiser, became more cunning and thought only of herself.
Perhaps Riv had saved Lionel from Marianne.
“Lionel, what do you think of Marianne?”
He hesitated for a moment before answering.
“When I was young, she was like a little sister, but now I see her as a selfish and stubborn princess. To me, Marianne is nothing more than that.”
Lionel shook his head in disgust. His eyes focused on Riv.
“If we want to survive, we have to hurry and get married.”