CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: LOVE CONFESSION

Relaxed—that’s how he felt, when he sat with them.

Most men would have tensed. Most servants would have quaked, their backs stiff, their hands trembling as if the weight of noble gazes burned away their confidence, peeling their ego like fruit skin.

But not him. Not Aiden.

It was exhilarating. To sit across from them—their lineage older than kingdoms, their mana-rich blood humming like coiled storms—and not falter. To smother their flames, to make their embers flicker toward him, not away.

The tea garden was heavy with perfume, roses in bloom, and the faint trickle of a marble fountain whispering in the background. Aiden leaned back ever so slightly, his posture too casual for a servant, too relaxed for someone of his station. His fingertips brushed the porcelain rim of his cup as if he were the one who owned the table, not them.

The air tasted faintly metallic to him, though none of them would ever know why.

Sabrina noticed first. The smirk at the corner of his mouth. The way his shoulders weren’t weighed down by the nobility of their presence, but lifted, as though sitting here was his rightful throne.

She saw confidence, relaxation, and—worse—the ease of a man who believed he deserved the looks of want.

He knew he was good-looking. He wore that knowledge like a second skin, casual, effortless. Attention wasn’t a novelty for him—it was air.

And maybe that was why Sabrina, sharp-tongued duchess, found herself watching him too quickly. Her red eyes lingered when they shouldn’t.

Aiden’s hand slid across the table, fingertips idly tracing the wood as he spoke. His grin widened—not arrogant, but inviting. He set the tempo.

"Just call me curious..." he said, letting the words roll slow. His voice carried pauses like silk threads stretched too thin. "But I want some advice. Advice on how one can grasp a lady’s heart..."

The silence that followed was soft and thick, like honey dripping onto a surface too smooth to hold it.

It stirred them both. Nobles weren’t accustomed to such boldness from servants. Gossip from peasants was cheap, beneath them. But from him? From this boy who looked them straight in the eyes with no tremor, no hesitation? It was forbidden. And forbidden things had a sharper taste.

"Ohh... young Aiden is in love, it seems," Sabrina teased, flicking her red hair back as if the sun itself had to adjust its gaze. She sipped the tea, lips catching the porcelain. Something about the brew clung to her tongue, sweeter than she expected, addictive in its aftertaste.

Catherine, however, stayed quiet. Her silence wasn’t indifference—it was calculation. She noticed the undertone in his question. Not about some distant girl. Not about childish infatuation. The shadow of his words brushed closer, dangerously close, to something in her bloodline. Something in her daughter.....maybe.

"Yes, Lady Duchess..." Aiden said, lowering his eyes for just a heartbeat, then lifting them again. "But the problem is... she is actually..."

He let the pause coil like a serpent in the grass.

"Actually what?" Sabrina asked, her lips pressing the rim of her teacup again.

"...she is already married," Aiden whispered, almost like a guilty confession. "And already has children. But I truly love her. What can I do? Do I just leave her? Do I bury these feelings?" His tone was soft, vulnerable—painted with just enough innocence to sound unguarded.

The air cracked faintly. Not literally, but emotionally, like porcelain under pressure.

Gossip. Oh, how women of standing adored it. But not the dull kind of gossip passed around banquet halls. No. Forbidden gossip. The kind that bled temptation, that smelled of sin. The kind no priest could absolve.

And he gave it to them, wrapped in guilt and longing, ripe for dissection.

"Oh, how bold..." Sabrina purred, leaning forward slightly. Her neckline shifted with the motion, intentional or not, Aiden didn’t miss it. "My, my, Aiden. I admire your courage." She set her teacup down, fingers tapping the rim. "Well, that depends on the lady. Does she love you back? Is she satisfied with her husband? So many little... variables to consider."

Her words dripped like wine.

Catherine’s lips curved, just enough to reveal her teeth before she veiled them again with a napkin. "Indeed. For a married woman, the heart is... complicated. Very, very complicated." Her tone carried an edge of excitement she tried to disguise as casual observation.

Aiden tilted his head as though lost, a boy confessing to women far older, wiser, untouchable. "She... she, in truth, I don’t know. Like you said, Lady Catherine, her heart is complicated. I don’t understand. Her eyes—her eyes tell me she wants me. Wants my love, my embrace. But she is also... happy with her husband. Conflicting messages. I can’t decipher them..."

Sabrina’s laughter was low, a ripple of velvet. "Ohhh, then it grows spicier. A woman who wants both—a young flame and the old hearth. That’s quite... delicious, don’t you think?"

Catherine coughed softly, her fan lifting to disguise a flush. But her gaze sharpened, betraying more than she wanted. "Aiden... who is she? Can you tell us?"

He lifted his hand, wagging a finger with almost childlike playfulness. "Sorry, my lady. I cannot betray her name. A secret is a secret."

Her lips tightened, but she composed herself quickly. "Then how can we help you with your... problem?" Her tone dipped low, aching around the edges.

Aiden leaned back, pretending to think, though he already knew the answer he’d spin. "...I cannot tell who she is. But I can at least tell you this—she is gorgeous. Her eyes—so mesmerizing..." His gaze lifted deliberately toward them both.

The tea cups hovered at their lips, forgotten.

Aiden’s smile faltered—deliberately. He lowered his voice. "Ah, forgive me. My desires are showing too much. It’s inappropriate for a servant to speak such words to nobles like you."

Sabrina’s breath caught, ever so slightly. "Aiden..." she murmured, draining her cup. Her thirst grew, though not entirely from the tea. "I was the one who invited you to sit. It is my duty to listen to you. Speak your heart, dear. Don’t hold it back." She refilled her own cup, her hand trembling with the smallest shake, her lips pressing the rim too quickly.

Aiden lowered his eyes, letting his cheek flush faintly. He exhaled. His pauses became unbearable—exactly as planned. Every moment he delayed, their attention clung tighter.

"She... she invokes a fire in me," he said softly. "A burning desire. Every time I see her, I see her needing eyes..." He stopped again.

"....Go on," Catherine urged, leaning forward despite herself.

"It’s rude to say," Aiden whispered, his voice trembling with manufactured restraint. "But her body. Her figure. Her godly face. Her mesmerizing eyes... they make me want to do things. Things I fear I cannot control."

Their breaths synchronized, shallow, caught.

"Every time I see her," he continued, "I want to push her against a wall. To press my body against hers. To hear her breath falter. To see her face flushed. To lock eyes with her, endlessly. And then..."

"....And then?" Sabrina whispered, fingers tightening around her cup.

"...her lips. Her red lips. I want to steal them. To claim them. To drive my tongue into her mouth until I feel her resistance break. To pin her down, refusing to let go..."

Their hands twitched against the tablecloth.

"...My dirty, sinful hands," he said, lifting them slowly so they could see. "I want to grab her waist. Press her to mine. .....Slide across her back. Feel... those soft, perfect..." He paused. His smile curled wickedly. "Melons."

Silence. Trembling silence.

Both women swallowed hard. Their pupils widened, betraying what their lips didn’t dare say.

[Catherine Von Leonidus

Status: charmed possession

Personality: excited/bit lustful/ worried]

[Sabrina D Merlin

Status: -------

Personality: excited/bit lustful/ tainted]

Aiden’s smile deepened.

’She drank enough already,’ he thought, watching Sabrina’s empty cup. Third refill. Too sweet, too heavy with the blood he’d given.

[Emotion Amplification]

[Target acquired within range.]

[Target: Catherine... SUCCESS.]

[Target: Sabrina....

’...come on...’

....]

’...Come On..’

........]

’.....COME ON...’

Her hand shook as she poured again. Her lips glistened.

... ... SUCCESS.]

’YES!!! ’