Chapter 117
Having perfectly seized the buying timing at rock bottom, Ramona immediately accepted Raon’s “sale.” Thus, Adrian was purchased without his knowledge, though he would likely be overjoyed by the news.
“Thank you for giving your dad to me, my little prince.”
“Don’t mention it. You can take him whenever you want. I think that will be my greatest pleasure.”
She marveled at how beautifully he spoke. She knew exactly who had raised him, but Ramona felt he had been raised exceptionally well as she held him in her arms and patted his back.
“Mom, Brother Tigre helped me so much. He taught me all about the house blueprints and the guard schedules. We promised to study and play together once everything was settled.”
“I see. I wondered how Raon’s dad made it all the way to my room; Tigre must have told him. I’ll have to be extra nice to Tigre when I see him.”
“Yes! Since I’ve been hanging out with Brother Tigre lately, the other kids can’t pick on me anymore. Let me tell you what happened at the Academy…”
Raon’s face was filled only with joy as he rattled off everything that had happened at school. While people used to whisper behind his back when he was with the Rabid and Lepid boys, those whispers had vanished entirely now that Tigre was in the mix. Ramona smiled and listened, getting a sense of how the usually quiet Tigre behaved at the Academy.
After spending some quality time alone with Raon, dinner time approached. She asked Anna to look after Bessie and headed down to the dining room with Raon.
“Welcome. If I hadn’t seen you for a few more days, I might have forgotten what your face looked like.”
“In that case, you could have just looked at my brother’s face.”
“Tsk. Even so, I have no desire to remember Ramona by looking at that—no, Marquis Caspian’s face.”
The “Mad Seal” who usually bit into everything on sea and land had been acting calm lately, which was actually scarier.
“Rian went out on an errand, but he should be back—”
“Ramona! I’m here!”
Throwing all dignity to the wind, Adrian ran in with his hair fluttering and sat across from her with a beaming smile. Had he known Ramona was coming, he wouldn’t have stepped out; having received the news late, he hurriedly wiped his face with a handkerchief.
As the meal was served and they ate slowly, Ramona cautiously broached a topic with Adolf.
“I think I forgot to mention this. My brother and Raon have given their permission for the marriage.”
Everyone’s eyes widened at her words, spoken as she hand-fed asparagus to Raon—who usually struggled to avoid vegetables unless Ramona made them.
“That man… I mean, my future in-law truly allowed the marriage?”
“Yes. So, about that, Lord Adolf, what about our marriage…”
“Of course it’s a yes! I’ll have the preparations started immediately. Shall we hold it tomorrow?”
Seeing Adolf speak with such urgency, Ramona smiled. It felt as though if she so much as nodded, he would mobilize the entire world to turn the mansion into a wedding hall.
“The Caspian Marquisate will handle the wedding. If they don’t, I’m afraid my brother might retract his permission.”
“Then I suppose I must step back on that. Though I think our house would have been a lovely venue.”
“I don’t care where the wedding is,” Adrian added. “The fact that we’re getting married at all is a miracle.”
Adolf shook his head at Adrian, who looked like he’d be happy getting married in the middle of a barren field. Seeing his son, who would likely hand over all authority to Ramona the moment they wed, Adolf felt a different kind of worry.
“Oh, and… Grand Duke Ayla will be attending the wedding as a godfather. Is that alright?”
“As long as you’re okay with it, Ramona, we are too. Even during his rare visits to the palace, it seemed as though light finally touched the Grand Duke’s expressionless face; I suppose it’s because he became a godfather.”
“Yes, my father apparently asked the Grand Duke to be my godfather when I was a child.”
Adolf offered a faint smile, thinking of the late Marquis Caspian who must have made that request for the daughter he cherished more than life itself. He could feel the depth of a father’s love for his child. He imagined the late Marquis might have closed his eyes in peace, knowing the Grand Duke would be her protector.
“The late Marquis Caspian was a truly good man. And the late Marchioness was wonderful as well.”
After sharing stories of the late couple, Adolf noticed Raon nodding off and glanced at Brown, who was on standby. As Brown carefully carried Raon out, tea was served.
Sipping her cool honey-lemon tea, Ramona looked at the warm father and son and spoke carefully.
“Since I am now becoming Raon’s real mother, there is something I must ask. Who is Raon’s biological mother? And I want to know if there’s any potential for legal issues regarding his upbringing later on.”
The atmosphere between the father and son grew heavy, but since it was a valid question, Adolf spoke up.
“Raon’s biological mother was the daughter of Viscount Levi. The Viscount knows Raon is alive, but as he has severed ties with his daughter, he stated he would not raise any issues regarding the boy’s upbringing.”
After finding Raon, Adolf had visited the Levi estate to deliver the news of Olivia’s passing and the fact that she had given birth before the divorce was finalized. Upon hearing this, Viscount Levi had sat in a daze for a long time before gritting his teeth.
“He signed a document stating he would not interfere in anything regarding Raon. He blamed himself for everything, saying that Raon was Olivia’s son, not his grandson.”
Adolf felt a bitter pang recalling the Viscount’s self-reproach—the man believed things might have been different if he hadn’t pressured her to bear a child resembling Adrian. Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that his daughter had been caught cheating on her husband was a stain on the family. Thus, the Viscount had surrendered everything.
“What if Raon grows curious about his maternal side?”
“What is there to worry about? You are his real mother now, and his maternal family is the Caspian Marquisate. The Levi family wouldn’t dare step forward as kin.”
They certainly wouldn’t dare claim kinship over the Caspians. Given Kaizen’s personality, he would likely wipe the Levi family off the map. At times like this, his difficult temperament was quite useful.
With her heart fully lightened, Ramona reached out to Adrian, who was sitting politely and waiting.
“Lord Adolf—no, Father! We shall take our leave now.”
“Yes, go and take your time. You don’t even have to leave today if you don’t want to.”
With Adolf’s benevolent permission, Ramona took Adrian’s hand and left the dining room. Once they were out of sight, Adolf gave a silent look to Adiel, who was waiting nearby. Understanding the look, Adiel whispered with a smile.
“We have been preparing with all our heart and soul since Lady Ramona arrived.”
***
Ramona went up to Adrian’s room intending only to chat for a bit before parting. The moment they opened the door, both froze. Though it was broad daylight outside, the room was pitch black, as if covered by heavy blackout curtains.
“Did you change the curtains?”
“I don’t think so… but this is actually quite nice.”
A path of candlelight led from the entrance to the bed. Fragrant, freshly picked petals were scattered about, creating an atmosphere that couldn’t be more sultry.
Realizing this was the work of Adolf and the servants, Adrian closed the door and immediately took Ramona’s hand to lead her forward. He felt a thrill, wanting to take the lead this time.
With every step onto the petals, the heat seemed to rise in his golden eyes, flickering in the candlelight. Standing before the canopied bed, Adrian pulled the smaller Ramona into a tight embrace and whispered.
“Ramona… no, may I call you by your nickname? I heard they call you ‘Ran’ at the Caspian house.”
“Of course. Then I’ll call you ‘Rian,’ like your father does.”
As they affectionately settled on their names, their bodies pressed closer together. They began to flush with heat, the thin layers of fabric between them feeling like a nuisance. The scent of the candles mixed with the crushed petals acted like a subtle aphrodisiac.
Adrian slowly removed the stifling clothes, tossing them away from the candles. His hand traveled from Ramona’s firm shoulders, down her spine, and slowly lower.
“Ah… mm…”
An involuntary soft moan escaped Ramona’s lips as she surrendered everything to Adrian today. The humid breath settling on her neck brought a slight sting and an itch, but at the same time, it felt as though her heart was itching.
Adrian’s lips pressed softly over her fluttering heart. Supporting Ramona as her back arched instinctively, Adrian left “red flowers”—marks—upon her porcelain skin.
As the sound of their heavy breathing deepened, the heat between their overlapping skin intensified. Let out a ragged, thirsty breath, Adrian sought her lips.
In the midst of drinking in each other’s breath and sharing their heat, Adrian pulled back the canopy to gently lay Ramona down, only to freeze.
With her arms still around Adrian’s neck, Ramona’s sultry eyes looked at him, wondering what was wrong.
“Oh… for heaven’s sake… haa…”
Ramona followed Adrian’s speechless gaze and froze as well.
“To-to! You little rascal!”
Sitting right in the middle of the bed was a pink rabbit, munching on hay from a small bowl. Looking for all the world like a human watching a movie with popcorn, the rabbit drew an incredulous look from both Ramona and Adrian.
