Chapter 26

The royal code of conduct had said nothing about such a kiss—one so intense it seemed to consume a person’s entire being.  

It simply instructed that a kiss be sacred and brief.  

There was no mention anywhere that a kiss could swallow even each other’s saliva—and souls.

Asla, who had wrapped her arms around Enoch’s neck and responded to the kiss, suddenly felt her legs give out.  

Enoch quickly caught her by the waist and held her tightly.

“Haah…”

Her breath came ragged, her gaze was hazy, and her lips flushed deeper red.  

Disheveled, Asla looked utterly sensual.

Enoch was nearly at his limit.  

Her dress was already undone in the back, and with her shoulders half-bared, his reason was hanging by a thread.  

Could he really not hold her now?

They were still husband and wife—at least for now.

But in this moment, he was nothing but a sinner.  

A man who had stood by, blind to the pain his wife had suffered.  

Even if she divorced him, he’d have no right to object.  

He couldn’t—shouldn’t—embrace her like an animal, not now.

Instead, he carefully straightened her clothes and lifted her into his arms.

“You okay?”

Asla hadn’t yet recovered from the lingering heat of their kiss.  

The reality that had once felt so bitter and wretched was now all but forgotten.  

Her heart pounded like a war drum, and her lips still tingled.  

Her mind and the world around her were in chaos, yet somewhere in the distance, a clear bell rang sweetly, dizzyingly in her ears.

The contrast between what she was feeling and what she should’ve felt was staggering.

“Don’t get mad… just because I kissed you.”

“……”

Enoch, holding Asla, pressed his forehead to hers and pleaded.

“You probably want to walk away from me right now. But don’t—not yet.  Call me selfish, call me a bastard, I don’t care. Just let me make it up to you. Just once. Please… give me a little time. A grace period, Asla. I’m begging you.”

“…A grace period.”

“Yes, please. Be generous.”

Asla saw her reflection clearly in his dark eyes—and she felt like a stranger.  

To be this close to him…  

Yet, it didn’t feel bad.

She had loved him for so long.  

She had longed desperately for her image to remain etched in his eyes.

Now, a soft drizzle began to seep into the dry, cracked soil of her heart.  

Just a little.  

Little by little.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

After realizing her nanny’s betrayal, crying her heart out, sharing her first kiss, and hearing her husband’s desperate plea—all within a short half-day—Asla had gone back and forth between heaven and hell.  

She hadn’t given Enoch a clear answer about whether she would grant him the grace period he asked for, but he had taken her reaction as a yes.

After carrying her—now drained of strength—back to May, Enoch instructed her to start packing quickly, saying they’d be moving to another hotel immediately.  

He disappeared, saying he’d go ahead and prepare the new place, and Asla stared blankly at his retreating figure.

“…Why are we even changing hotels?”

“Of course we should, Milady. This isn’t the kind of place where the Lord and Lady of Ventus should be staying.”

May replied cheerfully as she packed Asla’s clothes and bags, then handed them off to the men waiting in the hallway.  

Asla peeked out to check—those men were not employees of this hotel.  

They were all dressed sharply in navy suits.

“Are they… Ventus Hotel staff?”

“Yes, Milady. The Ventus Hotel in the capital—it’s like a dream. I’ve always wanted to see it for myself.”

May, who had worked at the Dainus Hotel for a long time, said that for hotel employees, the Ventus Hotel was a dream workplace.  

Most nobles treated hotel staff like servants, but the Ventus Hotel had broken that stereotype—elevating the role of hoteliers to a professional career.  

Even though Enoch was one of the most powerful nobles in the empire, he paid his commoner employees fairly and spared no expense in professional training.

“That’s why Duke Enoch Ventus is so well-known.”

Listening to May, Asla suddenly recalled what Enoch had boasted to her about at the Dainus train station.

“He bragged about having a lot of money.”

She gave a faint smile.  

Enoch hadn’t spent all his time amassing wealth while neglecting her.  

He had gained not just money, but also reputation and respect in a changing world.  

He was a man smart enough to read the flow of the times and act on it.  

Asla had known this from the newspaper articles—Enoch, who had inherited his title at eighteen, had grown into a wise man.

‘Yes, that’s right. That’s why… I admired him. And fell even deeper into one-sided love.’

She decided to forget, for now, the tangled mess surrounding her.  

Lisette’s betrayal left her feeling completely lost, but first, she needed to sort things out with Enoch—who had become just as important to her.  

‘Maybe I should watch him a little longer.’

And for now, she’d take a look at the assets Enoch was so eager to show off.  

No matter how great they were, she swore she wouldn’t be impressed.  

She was a Princess of the Holy Kingdom, who had lived far removed from wealth and materialism.

But that resolve crumbled like a sandcastle the moment she arrived.

“To my eyes… this place looks like the Tulia Imperial Palace.”

“These days, people say it’s more prestigious to stay at the Ventus Hotel than the palace itself.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Asla shook her head at May’s whisper as they stood in front of the hotel’s grand entrance.  

But somewhere in her heart, she wondered if it might be true.

The Ventus Hotel stretched across a vast expanse of prime land in the capital’s most expensive district.  

With a grand garden and a ten-story building, the hotel housed hundreds of rooms adorned with high-end glass windows.  

Though the Tulia Palace boasted history and tradition, it had grown old—and this place was its complete opposite.

It was sophisticated. Stunning.  

As if all the newest technologies and modern innovations had been poured into its design.

Streetlights glowed with light, an artificial stream flowed naturally through the garden—it was unlike anything she’d seen.  

The staff, all dressed in matching suits, were polite and well-trained—no less refined than the royal palace’s attendants.

“…It’s truly… magnificent.”

Asla stepped into the hotel’s grand lobby and murmured softly toward Enoch, who stood waiting for her.  

In that opulent setting, he looked nothing short of magnificent—so much so that one might have mistaken him for the empire’s crown prince.  

No—he seemed beyond comparison with any prince. Blinking in quiet awe, Asla watched as Enoch strode confidently toward her and offered his arm.

“If you want profit, investment is fundamental. Moderate, forward-thinking, strategic.”

“That’s hard to understand.”

“It’s all about instinct. I think I was born with it.”

“Is this more self-promotion?”

“I don’t have much else to brag about.”

Asla gazed up at him, blinking.  

If anyone else had said something so ridiculous, they’d be laughed at—or cursed out.  

But Enoch was young, healthy, handsome, the highest-ranking duke in the empire, and incredibly wealthy.  

Smart, too. From what she had seen, his personality wasn’t bad, either.

‘He’s kind,’ she thought.

Her eyes lingered on his lips for just a moment before she quickly turned her head.  

Her heart fluttered at the memory of their brief but deep kiss, and she forced herself to focus instead on the hotel interior.

The lobby ceiling rose three stories high in a domed arch, adorned with elegant light fixtures.  

The reception desk, a flawless blend of white marble and obsidian, was captivating.  

In the center stood a golden fountain, its stream glittering as it cascaded.

The water flowed along channels lined with multicolored artificial gemstones, sparkling like a river of jewels.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Of course.”

Wherever they went, Ventus Hotel staff bowed deeply and greeted them with warm smiles—especially toward Asla.  

It was completely different from how the servants had treated her at the Ventus mansion.  

Respect. Courtesy. Grace.

Though Enoch had let the Ventus estate fall into disarray, it was clear he kept this place under strict care—and that, oddly enough, gave Asla a sense of relief.

When they finally arrived at the Ventus Hotel’s suite, Asla made up her mind.

“You are someone worth bragging about.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment, Enoch Ventus.”

She whispered the words as she walked toward the wide terrace, then smiled brightly.

The afternoon sun lit up the pure white floor of the terrace, glinting as if to match her smile.  

Looking up at the blue sky and its wisps of white clouds, Asla let out a breath of genuine awe.

“This is the first thing you own that I’ve actually come to like.”

“……”

“Honestly, everything with the name Ventus on it has been a nightmare to me.”

Asla spoke honestly.

Enoch, feeling as if something were caught in his throat, bit his lower lip slightly, then took out a bottle of orange juice that had been chilled in ice ahead of time.

“Have a drink, Princess.”

“Oh my.”

Enoch approached Asla, who was still out on the terrace, and held out a tall glass to her.

“A fruit juice you can only get in the south. I thought you might like it.”

“It’s been a while.”

Asla smiled pleasantly as she watched the orange juice ripple gently while Enoch poured it.  

It felt like all the parts of her heart that had frozen over in the Ventus estate were slowly melting.

Leaning one arm against the terrace railing, Enoch took a sip and then spoke as he watched her enjoying the drink.

“Margo Leslie will be leaving the Ventus mansion today.”

Asla was so shocked that she forgot to take the glass away from her lips and froze for a long moment.

“She’ll be properly held accountable for her slander against you, so don’t worry about that. If any testimony is needed, I’ll ask you to speak with me just briefly—nothing more.”

“How…? How could the madam…”

Asla couldn’t believe it.

The Mistress of the Ventus estate. Margo Ventus, who acted like she would reign there forever.  

And yet, she was being uprooted so suddenly?  

Could it really be this easy?

As the wind blew a strand of hair across Asla’s forehead and eyes, Enoch gently tucked it behind her ear.

“My family… is you. You’re my legally recognized wife, Asla Ventus, Duchess of Ventus—and, naturally, the rightful Mistress of the Ventus estate.”

“I…”

When Asla bit her lip and turned her head away, visibly distressed, Enoch quickly shifted the topic.

“I don’t want to go back to the Ventus mansion either. If someday our child is born and wants to live there, then sure—we’ll let them.”

“A child?”

Enoch nodded with a lazy smile.

‘So shameless.’