Chapter 138: Chapter 136
The moment Sykelion left and the door clicked shut behind him, Vesphyr moved.
One second he was sitting across from me.
The next second he was somehow right beside me and hugging me.
Again.
I stared blankly at the wall. ’How did he even do that?’
"You’re not even in your beast form and you’re not suffering from Hysteria right now," I said while trying to pry his arms off me. "Stop hugging me."
Nothing happened.
"No."
His answer came immediately as he tightened his hold.
"Vesphyr."
"No."
"You’re a duke."
"I’m aware."
"Then act like one."
Instead of answering, he buried his face against my shoulder.
"Why do you smell like dragon?"
I immediately regretted existing. "What?"
"You reek of dragon filth."
I nearly choked. "That’s rude!"
"It is."
"Then stop saying it!"
"No."
Before I could argue further, he leaned closer and nuzzled against my neck.
I nearly launched myself across the room.
"NOT MY NECK!" My face instantly heated up. "I’m ticklish there!"
His ears twitched and a dangerous look entered his eyes. It was the look of a man who had discovered a weakness.
"Don’t you dare..."
"Interesting."
"No."
"Very interesting."
"VESPHYR."
Unfortunately, this only seemed to encourage him.
His expression darkened once more. "Why did you have to meet him first?"
I knew exactly who he meant.
"First of all, he’s my benefactor—"
"I can be your benefactor too."
"..."
"I can do better."
"..."
"Actually, just marry me."
I ignored him and continued as if he hadn’t said anything.
"I hadn’t seen him for a while—"
"I hadn’t seen you for a while."
"We meet every Sunday!"
He immediately looked away.
I pointed accusingly at him. "We literally meet every single Sunday because you keep destroying your energy stones!"
"...Touché."
"Not to mention the countless emergency visits."
He looked entirely unrepentant.
"I should start charging extra for emotional damages," I continued mercilessly.
"You’re cruel."
"You’re expensive."
"That’s because you’re the one fixing them."
I sighed, that was also true.
After all, ever since I started working for him, he had somehow managed to become my most troublesome client.
He was the kind of client that requires multiple, detailed contracts with entire sections dedicated to personal space.
The fact that those clauses existed should have been a warning sign.
Still, the salary was excellent.
So naturally, I had ignored every warning sign.
Vesphyr suddenly became quiet.
When I glanced over, he was staring at the floor.
"I don’t want to admit it," I said honestly, "but I missed him too."
Vesphyr froze as he looked at me.
"...So you didn’t miss me?"
The accusation in his voice was so dramatic that it sounded like I had personally betrayed him.
"No."
His shoulders visibly slumped.
I frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You’re clearly upset."
"I’m not."
"You look upset."
He looked even more upset.
"No, because you’re my client."
The silence became heavier.
"We literally have a contract."
Vesphyr looked like he had just been stabbed.
"You remember the one that says you’re only allowed to cling to me when you’re suffering from Hysteria?"
"..."
"Which means our relationship is professional."
"..."
"Mostly professional."
"..."
"Fine. Occasionally unprofessional."
His expression somehow became even more tragic.
I didn’t even know that was possible.
"B-But we’re..."
He suddenly stopped then looked away.
’What was that supposed to mean?’
"We’re what?"
"No."
"We’re what?"
"No."
"We’re what?"
His ears flattened then turned away dramatically and sat with his back facing me.
I tilted my head at him.
He was acting like a heartbroken maiden in a romance novel.
"What are you trying to say?"
He only kept muttering.
Lots and lots of muttering.
"You’re so unfair..."
I blinked. "What did I do?"
"You don’t even know."
"Know what?"
He continued grumbling under his breath.
"You don’t feel the pull."
"The what?"
"You don’t know what we are to each other."
"What are we?"
More muttering.
I was beginning to suspect he was having an entire conversation with himself.
Finally, I stood up and walked around the sofa so I could see his face.
Vesphyr immediately looked away.
I moved to the other side.
He looked away again.
I moved again.
He turned again.
At this point, we were circling around the sofa.
"Vesphyr."
Nothing.
"Vesphyr."
Nothing.
"Vesphyr."
He groaned. "What?"
"I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about."
His shoulders immediately slumped and for a brief moment, he looked less like a powerful duke and more like an abandoned puppy.
A very large, very fluffy, extremely dramatic puppy.
"...Exactly."
Meanwhile, I sat there completely baffled.
Whatever conversation Vesphyr thought we were having and whatever conversation I thought we were having were clearly two completely different conversations.
At this point, we weren’t even speaking the same language anymore.
"I’ll just leave," I slowly stood up. "And you can sort out... whatever feelings you’re having."
That seemed like a reasonable solution but Vesphyr seem to disagree.
The moment I turned, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.
I barely had time to react before I was trapped in another hug. "Vesphyr."
"If I explain, will you believe me?"
"...Sure."
He took a deep breath then looked directly into my eyes. "You’re my mate."
A laugh burst out inside me before I could stop myself.
I couldn’t help it.
The sentence had come so suddenly that my brain automatically filed it under ridiculous things Vesphyr says.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t laughing. He looked more serious than I had ever seen him.
My laughter slowly died.
"...Wait."
Vesphyr didn’t look away.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
"What I don’t understand," he continued quietly. "Is why you didn’t feel anything when we met?"
"What was I supposed to feel?"
"The pull."
"The pull?"
"The instinct."
This conversation somehow wasn’t becoming any less confusing.
"How did you even know I was your mate?" I asked.
His expression softened slightly. "The moment I touched you."
My mind immediately flashed back to the first time we met at the boutique.
"I felt it immediately," Vesphyr admitted. "So I kept waiting for your reaction."
"And then?"
"You looked so annoyed and you wanted to slap me."
"..."
"..."
"To be fair," I said, pointing at him accusingly, "you rudely snatched me out of my lounge and hugged me without my consent."
The moment the words left my mouth, Vesphyr groaned and covered his face.
"I’m sorry," he muttered through his hands.
’That was unexpectedly sincere.’
"You were the only one who could calm me down at the time."
His shoulders slumped.
"And without my Hysteria acting up, I shouldn’t have met you like that."
Vesphyr lowered his hands and looked genuinely embarrassed.
"I wanted our first meeting to be different."
That caught me off guard.
"What do you mean?"
He leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"I imagined introducing myself properly."
"..."
"I imagined looking composed."
"..."
"I imagined not kidnapping my mate from her lounge."
"..."
"Or being a fox beast always nuzzling her."
For some reason, that made me feel guilty which was strange because I hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
Vesphyr lowered his hands.
"Blanca."
The joking tone was gone now.
"So why didn’t you feel it?"
Unlike before, I actually knew the answer. Or at least... I knew what the answer might be.
I looked away first.
Vesphyr had spent all this time believing he had found his mate. Meanwhile, I couldn’t even feel this so-called mate bond.
No pull, no instinct, nor overwhelming certainty.
Nothing.
I stared down at my hands resting on my lap.
The guilt twisting inside my chest only grew heavier.
Because what was I supposed to tell him?
"Sorry, I somehow transmigrated inside a novel?"
"Sorry, I don’t even know if I belong in this body?"
"Sorry, but I’m not actually from this world?"
Every possible answer sounded insane.
Worse...
Every answer sounded cruel.
I couldn’t say to him that I’m not the person he’s looking for.
Vesphyr immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Blanca..."
His voice softened.
"It’s fine if you don’t want to answer."
Before I could lean away, his fingers gently tilted my chin upward.
My breath caught when I saw his captivating eyes.
There wasn’t a trace of anger in them, there was only warmth, patience, and concern.
"But promise me something."
I swallowed hard. "What?"
His gaze never left mine.
"Promise me you won’t reject me."
My heart immediately attempted to escape my chest. "V-Vesphyr—"
"Just... give me a chance."
Something tightened painfully in my chest.
"And accept me as your mate."
Heat rushed to my face so quickly that I knew my ears were probably turning red.
I immediately looked away.
Unfortunately, Vesphyr simply shifted and followed my gaze.
I looked left.
He leaned left.
I looked right.
He leaned right.
I stared at the ceiling.
He moved into my line of sight.
"Vesphyr."
"Yes?"
"Stop following my eyes!"
"No."
"You’re making me nervous!"
"Good."
"How is that good?!"
"Because then you’ll stop avoiding the question."
I wanted to bury myself underground.
His eyes softened even more.
"Please say yes."
My brain had completely stopped functioning.
I was about to respond when the door suddenly exploded open.
BANG!
Both of us nearly jumped.
Sykelion burst into the room looking like a man whose life had become a nonstop emergency.
"YOUR GRACE!"
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