ESBE 02

Chapter 2

Theodora quietly gazed at Aiden before reaching out and gently touching his well-shaped lips.

Aiden felt a powerful heat rush through him.

As though drawn together by a magnet, Aiden placed his breath against Theodora’s lovely lips.

Softly.

He brushed his lips against her tender ones, creating an opening.

A moist warmth touched him sweetly. Aiden carefully ventured into the fragrant breath she exhaled.

Flinch.

Theodora tried to pull back slightly.

It seemed like a rejection.

At her reaction, Aiden felt as though he were tumbling down a thousand-foot cliff, and he cautiously began to withdraw.

Just as their lips were about to separate—

Theodora reached out and grabbed the back of Aiden’s neck.

Then she pressed her lips against his first, taking his lips into hers.

Had he lost his mind?

Or had he fallen under some kind of spell?

Aiden was overwhelmed with joy. As his heart raced wildly, he tightened his arms and pulled her closer.

In that instant, his desire only grew, and Aiden became aware of an ancient instinct that had been passed down through humanity.

He found himself conflicted.

He wanted to give in to his instincts with Theodora, but what if she disliked it?

Yet his hesitation lasted only a moment.

The common trait shared by those who took first and second place.

It was the ability to act without hesitation.

And it seemed tonight was no exception, as Theodora actively pulled him toward her.

Aiden was delighted by her actions.

There was no longer any reason for him to hesitate.

Aiden leaned down and embraced her lips more deeply.

Their youthful breaths mingled as the heat between them gradually intensified.

Theodora wrapped both arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, as though even holding him as close as possible wasn’t enough.

Her soft, delicate scent mingled with the aroma of alcohol, pleasantly clouding Aiden’s thoughts.

He couldn’t think of anything else.

All that remained was his desire for her.

Aiden swept Theodora into his arms and strode forward.

A small giggle escaped Theodora.

Soon, Theodora’s hair spilled messily across Aiden’s bed.

Aiden dimmed the room’s lights before meeting her blue eyes.

Her eyes narrowed into a smile.

The sight was so beautiful and lovely that the same gentle curve appeared on Aiden’s lips.

The two pressed their lips together once more.

They savored each other’s scent as they moved closer and apart, completely absorbed in the moment.

Until they nearly forgot to breathe.

Then Theodora shifted her body slightly.

The movement was overwhelmingly stimulating and alluring to Aiden.

Before long, the last thread of reason in Aiden’s mind snapped.

Only a dangerously passionate instinct remained in its place.

He wanted to lose himself completely in her.

Aiden wrapped his arms firmly around Theodora’s slender waist, as though afraid she might slip away.

He pressed his lips against her delicate white neck and shoulders, indulging in the moment while being careful not to hurt her.

As the dress that had been tightly fitted around her body loosened, Aiden’s movements became increasingly intimate.

Theodora felt overwhelmed by the sensations coming one after another.

Then, when his lips settled on one particular spot—

“Ah!”

She finally let out a breath, unable to contain the warmth building inside her.

Theodora was already flushed with heat, and now her body began clamoring for him.

She couldn’t hold herself back either.

She roughly grabbed Aiden by his black hair.

Tonight, she had no intention of letting this captivating man go.

It was an unmistakably passionate expression of her desire.

“I hope you had a good night.”

Aiden was lying on his side, waiting for Theodora’s long, thick eyelashes to flutter open.

Theodora, who received his gentle morning greeting while still lying down, cautiously moved only her eyes as she surveyed Aiden’s room.

Worried that she might feel embarrassed after spending her first night with him, Aiden pulled the feather-soft blanket, which already covered her neatly, a little higher.

At Aiden’s charming smile, Theodora’s cheeks turned red.

Theodora vividly remembered her enchanting first experience.

Aiden remembered it just as clearly.

It had been a night when they had been drawn to each other as though under a spell, drunk with alcohol and recklessly swept away by their feelings.

“The way we got into the room last night… How did that happen? Did anyone happen to see us together?”

The moment she sobered up, Theodora had dressed herself neatly and returned to speaking calmly and politely, as though nothing had happened.

Last night, she had spoken to him without any formality at all…

Aiden struggled to suppress a smile because he found her prim attitude adorable.

“I carried you inside. And I can assure you that no one saw us.”

“I see.”

Theodora nodded once, looking relieved.

“Um… I would appreciate it if you could listen to what I have to say.”

Aiden readily nodded.

“Of course. What is it that you want me to hear?”

“Well, yesterday, we were swept up in the atmosphere of the coming-of-age party…”

Theodora couldn’t finish her sentence.

Aiden suddenly felt uneasy.

“Do you regret it because it was an impulsive mistake? Or perhaps you weren’t satisfied?”

“!”

Instead of answering immediately, Theodora’s eyes simply widened.

Aiden suddenly felt as though he were waiting for some sort of evaluation.

He became extremely tense.

Theodora stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

As though she wanted to shake off the sudden flush of embarrassment that had spread across both cheeks.

“No, it’s not that. It was impulsive, but…”

Aiden was momentarily lost for words.

The slight shrug of her shoulders, her hands clasped together over her knees, the fleeting downward glance—

Then she lifted her beautifully curved eyelashes and looked at him.

Every one of Theodora’s small gestures seemed incredibly graceful.

“I don’t have much experience, so I’m not really sure, but…”

Why does every single word she says make me feel this way?

Aiden found himself wanting to hear something from Theodora.

The desire left him unbearably thirsty for her answer.

“…You were attractive.”

The thirst that had kept his throat moving repeatedly was instantly quenched.

It felt as though the entire world had suddenly become brighter.

Aiden was extremely happy to hear Theodora acknowledge him that way.

Once they graduated, his parents would probably have a fiancée chosen for him.

But at this moment, he found that he didn’t care.

“I’m glad to hear that. I felt the same way.”

Aiden almost confessed that it had been his first time as well.

He also almost told her that being with someone as beautiful as her had been an incredibly wonderful and happy experience.

But he held himself back.

He didn’t think a refined young lady like Theodora would appreciate a man going on and on about his impressions of their night together.

“I also enjoyed the night I spent with you, Lady Hedesson.”

It was the most restrained yet sincere way he could put it.

At Aiden’s response, a faint smile spread across Theodora’s lips.

“I’m truly glad that neither of us will remember it with regret. But…”

She calmly continued.

“There’s something I’d like us to understand and agree upon.”

“What is it?”

“Well, you see…”

Aiden listened to Theodora seriously.

In short, Theodora explained that her father, Duke Hedesson, was rather strict, and unlike the North, the South was extremely conservative regarding women’s chastity.

If rumors spread that Theodora had failed to preserve her chastity before marriage—

“My father would be furious, and I would be expelled from my family before I even graduate from the academy.”

Theodora carefully shifted her gaze before asking Aiden what he thought.

“We may be rivals, but you wouldn’t want that to happen to me, would you?”

At last, she reached her conclusion.

She wanted them to keep what had happened that night a secret and continue pretending that nothing had happened between them, just as they had before.

As Theodora had said, the South was more conservative toward women than the North.

Aiden fully understood the difficulties Theodora could face as a woman from the southern plains and as the daughter of a high-ranking noble family.

“Of course. And don’t worry about the competition.”

At Aiden’s dismissive response, Theodora’s gaze shifted slightly.

So he hurriedly swallowed his next words.

‘We weren’t really rivals to begin with.’

Aiden had never considered Theodora his rival.

No matter how many times he thought about it, no one at the academy could be his rival.

He had always been hiding his true strength.

How could it be considered a competition when he could overwhelm his opponent with nothing more than his fingertips if he truly wished to?

Theodora and the academy had no idea about that, of course.

But Aiden had realized something last night that had nothing to do with competition.

Over the past two years, little by little, like clothes becoming soaked in a gentle drizzle, Theodora had taken a special place in his heart.

For a moment, he wondered whether he should confess his feelings now.

But he hadn’t forgotten Theodora’s earnest request.

If he confessed, it would probably be more appropriate to do so after graduation.

“When you say I shouldn’t worry about the competition, you mean…”

At that moment, Theodora let out a small sigh through her nose and stood up.

“It’s better not to worry about it if it’s only going to stress me out, right?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Or was that ultimately what he meant?

While the flustered Aiden searched for the right words, Theodora reached her own conclusion first and gave a small laugh.

“That might be the wiser choice.”

Then her gaze shifted toward the wall clock.

“Fortunately, it’s still early. I should leave before it gets any brighter outside.”

“I’ll escort you.”

Theodora stopped Aiden as he naturally rose to his feet.

“Thank you, but I’ll pass.”

Then she made another request of Aiden.

She asked him to continue behaving as they normally did from now on, so that no one would become suspicious.

Aiden promised to respect her wishes.

But despite that promise—

Whenever Aiden saw Theodora, he increasingly found himself wanting to speak to her affectionately.

But he didn’t want Theodora to get into trouble.

Therefore, every time, Aiden remembered her earnest request and faithfully kept his promise throughout their remaining year.

And that wasn’t all.

He couldn’t get the image of Theodora crying because she couldn’t take first place out of his mind.

In truth, first place meant nothing to Aiden.

His first-place rankings were simply the result of his innate bloodline.

He could understand theory at a glance, while practical training felt as natural as breathing.

He had never needed to put in any real effort to obtain something.

But now, he had something worth making an effort for.

‘I need to take second place.’

So Aiden deliberately got one question wrong on an exam.

During the practical combat test, where they competed through physical prowess, he even intentionally lost to Crown Prince Havelon by the narrowest of margins.

If he had to lose, losing to the Crown Prince was the better choice.

That way, the Imperial Family could preserve its dignity, and the House of Wolverlake wouldn’t be embarrassed.

The unprecedented change involving Aiden, who had always achieved perfect scores, caused the entire academy to buzz when the first grades were announced after they entered their final year.

“What on earth happened?”

“How did Lord Wolverlake fail to take first place?”

“I heard he got a ridiculously easy question wrong.”

“Could it have been a mistake?”

At first, no one believed that Aiden had truly fallen to second place.

But when his seemingly accidental mistakes continued, people gradually began to believe that it was simply his actual ability.

“Well, the young master is only human, after all. I suppose things like this happen.”

And so Aiden worked hard, without making it obvious, to become someone who would lose.

And one year later…