Chapter 423: Substitute Bride of the Demon King (27)
A silence enveloped them; even the air in the hall appeared to freeze.
Once a person closes their eyes, their other senses will become extraordinarily sensitive. Silas was no different. He could even feel the warm breath she exhaled gently on his face, carrying her unique fragrance and softness.
Yue Ran slowly approached his face, but stopped when her lips were about to touch his. She whispered, "Your Majesty, just this once, okay?"
After saying that, the young woman leaned even closer. Unfortunately, before she could kiss him, Silas had already opened his eyes. His eyelids lifted slightly, and his gaze fell directly on her face.
Yue Ran was stunned, and her long eyelashes trembled faintly. She happened to meet the man’s eyes at that moment, and the two looked at one another.
Their eyes locked, and for a brief instant, the world around them faded into silence.
The air in the room became thick with an unspoken tension. Even the breathing stopped. The only sound that pierced the stillness was the gentle crackle of the flickering flames from the candles nestled in a brass dish on the table, casting a warm, dancing glow that highlighted the contours of their faces. Neither of them dared to make a sound or move, and an inexplicable atmosphere gradually enveloped the two of them.
Silas stared at the young woman quietly. The distance between their faces was very close— so close that if he moved an inch forward, he could immediately kiss her lips.
At that moment, Silas’s heartbeat accelerated a little. He stared at Yue Ran’s eyes, which were clear and bright, filled with tender feelings, as if she had laid bare all her inner thoughts to him.
However, the spell was soon broken as Yue Ran came back to her senses, aware of their closeness. A wave of crimson washed over her cheeks, creeping up from her neck to the tips of her ears, betraying the flurry of emotions that churned within her. She instinctively grasped at the corner of his sleeve, her fingers brushing against the fabric before she quickly released her hold, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise even further. Finally, she lowered her head and dared not look at him in the eye any longer.
Silas’s expression was very calm, at least on the surface. He tried his best to pretend that nothing had happened and asked the young woman in a cold voice, "What are you doing?"
He did not know why he had to act as if he knew nothing, but he did it subconsciously. Even though he pretended well, the fingers clenched under his sleeves still revealed that he was not as calm as he appeared at that moment.
Yue Ran did not dare to look up at the man’s eyes. When she heard his words, she seemed to remember something, and the blush on her face turned even a darker shade of red. She clenched her fingers unconsciously, and it took a long time for her to calm down.
After a while, Yue Ran pretended to be unflustered and said, "I was just... I just wanted to swat a mosquito. Earlier, it seemed that... a mosquito was flying near your face and was about to bite you. I was just about to swat it when you suddenly woke up."
"You are very brave," Silas commented.
Her skill of lying with her eyes open is also first-rate. If he had not been awake from beginning to end, he would have been fooled by her. But for some reason, he did not intend to expose her even though he knew that she was lying straight to his face.
"What do you mean?" Yue Ran asked. She raised her head carefully, and her whole body became taut with nervousness.
Silas narrowed his eyes. "How dare you talk back to me?!"
"No, no, I did not talk back," Yue Ran said quickly. She looked up at the man in front of her, bit her lip, and seemed to have thought of something and asked nervously, "I just want to know if Your Majesty... have Your Majesty heard what I said just now?"
"What does what you said before have anything to do with me?" Silas snorted coldly. The pair of eyes staring at her was just as cold as his words. "But you are so brave that you dare to make fun of me."
Yue Ran then realized that the man was referring to the previous incident that had happened between them. This meant that he should not have heard what she had just said a moment ago.
The young woman breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, but before she could relax completely, she began to worry again, especially when she looked up to meet Silas’s aggressive gaze. Instinctively, she yanked the dark fleece blanket from her body, the fabric slipping through her fingers as she sprang off the bed, and tried to escape. Unfortunately, her escape was thwarted as she was caught after only taking a few hurried steps.
Silas had expected her to react this way. This young woman was not adept in many areas, but she certainly had mastered the art of deception. It was rare for a young lady from an aristocratic family to possess such a personality.
With swift and practiced precision, Silas lunged forward to catch her. His hand seized the loose belt that adorned the back of her delicate dress, yanking it with a force that left her no chance to evade. The sudden jerk sent Yue Ran reeling backward, the room spinning around her as she lost her balance. In a heartbeat, she found herself pressed firmly against the bed, the weight of the situation crashing down on her with an overwhelming intensity.
"You still want to run? Do you really think I am a..."
He spoke those words viciously, but his voice slowly trailed off before he could finish his sentence. It was because his palm had...
