Chapter 8

"Do you have company? If not, please don't refuse."

Even if Karan had companions, Elise wasn't planning to back down, but she added that for courtesy.

Karan looked serious. Elise's proposal was too bold for him.

From her arrival to her single sentence, Elise had shaken his heart.

In a pub, a woman sitting next to a man often implied sexual intentions, and a drink invitation…

Sighing, Karan felt hot and brushed his neck.

"I have no company."

"Good to hear."

Elise, with the brightest smile she could muster, sat down on the chair where Karan's coat was hanging.

"What can I get you, madam?"

A waiter, who had been waiting for her to sit, approached.

Despite knowing her identity, his pretense of ignorance seemed like good business acumen.

Elise glanced at Karan's glass.

"The same for me, please."

"No, for the madam, Red Bordéan, please."

Karan changed Elise's order. She tilted her head inquisitively, and his healthy-looking lips moved.

"My drink is… too strong for you. Red Bordéan will suit your taste in both aroma and flavor."

Karan acted as if he knew Elise well.

'He must have researched me, knowing I was Chase's intended fiancée.'

Was that why he was so courteous? Elise felt somewhat bitter.

'But this makes things easier.'

His familiarity left Elise with no choice but to reveal herself.

"Karan Lisandro of Titris."

Elise rolled his name gently in her mouth. Karan's shoulders jerked.

"Do you… recognize me?"

"Of course. I couldn't be unaware of the prince of Titris."

"Ah… The prince of Titris. Yes, that's me."

Karan's voice trailed off. His tone, tinged with regret, dampened the atmosphere.

As Elise pondered what to do, the ordered drinks arrived.

"Enjoy your time."

The waiter glanced back and forth between Elise and Karan, smiling meaningfully.

Karan's brows furrowed deeply.

Elise clinked her glass against Karan's.

Contrary to his earlier discomfort, Karan emptied his glass each time Elise initiated a toast.

One glass became two, and soon a bottle was finished.

Elise felt the alcohol's effects, and the awkward air between them faded.

Elise lightly tapped Karan's fingers on the table.

Karan, reaching for his glass, froze.

"Shall we move, Karan?"

Her eyes clearly suggested an invitation. Would Karan accept her provocation?

Elise's plan to escape Chase was simple.

Spend the night with Karan.

It would surely anger Chase and Baron Warton, but that anger could be deflected with Karan's name.

Assuming, of course, Karan cooperated with her plan.

"What do you mean by moving places?"

Karan's thick eyelashes fluttered.

"What do you think it means for a man and woman who just met in a pub to move places? It means exactly that. You're not pretending not to know, are you?"

In Titris, where survival was challenging and infant mortality was high, it was common for capable individuals to have multiple spouses and engage in active sexual life from an early age.

Karan, being who he was, likely had several betrothed.

That's why Elise decided to offer him her night.

To him, it would be just one of many, alleviating any guilt she might feel for using him.

And she was confident she could be of help to Karan.

'I will surely repay the favor.'

Elise's eyes sparkled as she awaited Karan's response.

"Are you serious?"

He asked, gazing intently into her eyes.

"Yes."

There was no need for lengthy explanations.

His sharp gaze lingered on Elise, then dropped away.

Elise faced his scrutinizing look with confidence.

Karan sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his dry hand, as if burdened and anxious like someone trying to solve a problem with no apparent solution.

"Seriously…"

Karan muttered and picked up the bottle of liquor.

He drank it like someone who had to get drunk. The pumpkin-colored liquid flowed down his throat.

Thud, he put the bottle down and turned to look at Elise.

In that moment, Elise realized.

He had fallen for her seduction. His eyes glittered with desire.

"Let's go upstairs."

He stood up.

Karan led Elise to the third floor of the pub, to his lodging.

Walking behind him, Elise's heart started to pound.

She hadn't expected to feel nervous, but as they approached Karan's room, her fingertips trembled.

Even though it was her first time in this body, she couldn't understand why her heart was racing so much.

Sighing, Elise took a deep breath to calm herself.

"We're here."

Lost in her thoughts, she had arrived at Karan's bedroom. He spoke while holding the doorknob.

"If you've changed your mind, you can still leave."

"No, let's go in."

Elise entered first, not wanting him to see her trembling.

Karan was from Titris, where the saying goes, 'Playing coy in bed isn't fun.'

Elise wanted to be an interesting person to Karan.

It was necessary for her next plan.

Elise looked around the room. Karan's bedroom was far too modest for a prince of a nation.

'Staying at the Pig's Tail Pub is the problem itself.'

"We should have gone to a hotel," Karan said, misunderstanding Elise's standing posture.

She quickly turned to him and shook her head.

"No, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"How pitiful Bedroca is."

"Not Titris?"

Elise gave a faint smile.

"The problem is with Bedroca for inviting a prince to a banquet and not providing proper accommodation."

"I arrived earlier than expected."

"No, that's just an excuse. If it had been royalty from another nation, Chase – ah, the second prince of Bedroca. He is in charge of your protocol this time. Anyway, Chase would have found a way to bring them to the palace. The reason you're staying here is because Bedroca's second prince is short-sighted and foolish."

Throughout Elise's speech, Karan never took his eyes off her.

His gaze was tinged with suspicion, wondering if she was lying.

It was a logical doubt.

Elise was known as Chase's prospective fiancée, and quite passionately so.

That Elise was slandering Chase and proposing a night together seemed unbelievable.

'If words aren't enough, I'll show it through actions.'

Elise began to unbutton her robe. It slid off her rounded shoulders.

Karan's adam's apple bobbed significantly.

"Wait, stop."

He urgently stopped Elise's actions just as her hand reached for the dress button.

Turning his head away, he covered his lower face with his hand and continued.

"What do you want from me? This doesn't seem like a mere night's entertainment."

Karan was intelligent.

And unusually kind to Elise.

At this moment, Elise was confident he wouldn't simply dismiss her story.

"Will you listen to me?"

Initially, she planned to speak after spending the night, to ease his guard.

"Of course."

Elise pointed to a chair in the room.

"Can we sit and talk?"

Elise pointed to a chair in the room.

"May we sit and talk?"

Instead of answering, Karan pulled out a chair for her.

Once she sat down, Karan took a seat opposite her.

"There's nothing to drink. I wasn't prepared for your visit."

Despite Elise being an uninvited guest from his perspective, Karan treated her like a respected visitor.

"I apologize for coming empty-handed."

Elise replied casually, glancing at the time.

The time spent at the pub was longer than expected.

Elise, having calculated her next steps, began to speak.

"I'll get straight to the point."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Do you want to sleep with me? Continuously."

Karan tilted his head.

He seemed unable to believe what was unfolding.

Considering Elise's demeanor, tone, and the setting, her proposition of 'sleep' implied an intimate relationship between a man and a woman.

Just as he had anticipated when she invited him for a drink and suggested going upstairs.

Karan stroked his chin, trying to hide his confusion.

In conservative Bedroca, if a man and woman spent a night together, the woman was expected to marry.

Yet she was proposing to sleep with him? Continuously?

What did she mean by not just a one-night stand?

"I don't understand."

His hands were clammy with tension, but he likely appeared composed.

He had to.

Karan exhaled deeply.

"Is it not to your liking?"

Karan raised his downcast eyes.

"Do you mean to undress and roll around with me? You want to do that with me?"

He asked more explicitly, wanting her to be certain of what she was suggesting.

Hoping she would back out now if that wasn't her intention.

"Yes. That messy thing you're talking about, I want to do it with you. You might not like it. I'm a Bedrocan, and after we sleep together, you'll have to take responsibility. My dowry isn't much, and I'm even sort of engaged to Prince Chase."

The flaws Elise listed were no issue for Karan.

His hesitation was due to disbelief in reality, and he was unprepared to deal with the backlash if she claimed it was a mistake the next day.

Karan squinted and observed her for a while.

The possibility of Elise throwing herself at him out of infatuation was virtually zero.

So, what was her reason?

"There's something you want. What is it?"

Elise smiled, as if she expected him to ask.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 30.

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