Please Be Patient, Grand Duke

The busy hand brushed ink onto the printing plate and pressed it onto the paper. Lia couldn’t hide her amazed expression at the sight before her.

Claude had brought her to a print shop on the outskirts of Del Casa. The stacks of ink-drenched papers were all newspapers to be delivered to Del Casa, and today, the newspapers from various media outlets that she had received in the morning were piled up like mountains.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I’ve learned about printing methods, but this is my first time seeing it.”

“Remember it well. You might have to come here occasionally from now on.”

Lia, who looked around like a student on a field trip, was surprised when she spotted a colorful book with piled-up covers on one side.

It was a children’s educational book that she had worked on for months. To see it transform from a mere piece of paper into a book and come out into the world was both fascinating and overwhelming.

With a mixture of awe and emotions welling up inside her, Lia bit her lip lightly. Meanwhile, a large and smooth hand reached over the book she was looking at.

Claude lightly brushed the surface of the leather cover and spoke.

“I’m going to put your name here. It’s only the title for now, but I instructed you to engrave it with the name you choose as your last name.”

“…Not Canelia Ihar?”

“That’s not a complete name. I want to use your last name as a middle name.”

Lia concealed her lips and warmly covered both of her blushing ears. Finding the administrator, he gently touched the flushed cheek of the cute Canelia and moved away.

Lia didn’t take a single step from her book while he was talking with the owner of the print shop. No, she couldn’t move.

****

Canelia cried.

She only showed a few tears, but it was no different from her sobbing uncontrollably to Claude.

Returning with red eyes and a heavy heart, Claude’s first action was to embrace her and lay her down on the bed.

As he was coming out of the garden, he encountered his mother, but he ignored her and climbed up the stairs. And as expected, Canelia started complaining about how he could be so rude.

“Please, make Mrs. Ihar have proper manners. It’s troublesome if she keeps acting like this.”

Despite her nagging, Claude calmly kissed her blushing cheeks with freckles, her teardrops, and the corners of her round eyes.

“When I come back from Geore, everything will be settled. What’s the problem? And I’m sure Mother will understand. Even if she doesn’t see us fighting, she’ll be glad we’re getting along, right?”

“Hah, that’s even more embarrassing.”

She looked so adorable, with her ears drooping like a sad puppy. He didn’t know what to do.

To think that he had to send away this woman he loved for a month at a time to Geore. It was no different from personally paving the way for the barbaric Ian Sergio.

No, he didn’t want that.

Along with the feeling of rejection, a sharp pain grazed his skin. It was a pain that felt like flipping the inside of his chest with a sharp blade.

Claude enveloped Canelia in a tender embrace, settling her delicately on his lap. With gentle determination, he unfastened his blouse’s buttons, relinquishing the constraining grip around his neck. Lowering his head, he bestowed soft, lingering kisses upon her exposed collarbone, causing a delightful shiver to ripple through her being.

No analgesic could rival the intoxicating touch they shared. A subtle pulse of connection coursed through their intertwined souls. As Claude’s velvety tongue delicately caressed her throbbing flesh, an empowering surge traveled from her fingertips, which found solace upon his strong shoulders.

“Ah, it hurts…” she whispered, her voice tinged with a mixture of pain and longing.

“Does it merely hurt?” he responded, his words intertwining with the grazing of his teeth upon her tender skin, creating a symphony of sensations that resonated in her ear like the touch of a downy tuft.

Canelia, feeling a surge of emotions, drew her shoulders inward and gently pushed against his chest. Obediently, Claude acquiesced and shifted his position, creating a comfortable space for her to express herself. Sensing her uncertainty, she leaned forward, her hand pressing firmly against his inner thigh, her smile carrying an air of bashfulness.

“Does it hurt?” she inquired once more, her concern etched upon her delicate features.

“Um… yeah,” he said casually, despite the lingering ache made worse by the rising heat that enveloped them, making each breath a struggle.

“Is it only pain you experience?” he teased, his tone infused with a mischievous charm. Claude took hold of her hand, the very hand that had come into contact with his inner thigh, and guided it gently to his face, inviting her to explore the contours of his features.

“I believe that a kiss from you would provide the remedy,” he suggested with a faint smile, his eyes reflecting a longing for her touch.

Canelia, feeling a mixture of trepidation and desire, acquiesced. Lowering her upper body, she melded herself against his chest, their hearts beating in unison. With tender caution, their lips intertwined, releasing a whispered exchange of shared intimacy.

“Isn’t it worsening?” she murmured between stolen breaths, her worry hidden beneath the veil of their union.

“Some ailments find relief when they are confronted,” he responded, his voice carrying a hint of playful defiance.

“You are quite wicked,” she retorted, her eyes gleaming with both amusement and affection.

“Blame yourself for understanding so well,” he countered, his fingers gently entwined with hers, their touch radiating a sense of unspoken connection.

“You possess an uncanny ability to articulate,” she remarked with a hint of admiration, her voice a soft caress against his ear.

“Then… what shall we do now?” he inquired, the weight of impending separation looming over their thoughts.

She, too, sensed the imminent arrival of a brief intermission in their journey. Canelia, with the tenderest of expressions adorning her face, bestowed upon him a kiss that encompassed all the affection in the world. Their tongues danced, exploring the depths of their fervent desire.

The ardor of their kiss elevated their body temperatures, causing the air between them to crackle with an intensified energy. Erratic breaths mingled with their shared essence, and in the depths of their eyes and the lingering caresses of their fingertips, an irrefutable bond was illuminated—a testament to the depth of their unwavering love.

He swept his hand forcefully from her wrist to her shoulder, as if unable to contain himself any longer. Then he tenderly caressed her exposed white skin, his fingers deftly undoing the remaining buttons of her open blouse.

Even with the blouse removed, a formidable barrier remained in the form of a corset. As his gaze landed on the vivid marks left on her bosom from the previous night, his patience rapidly dwindled at an alarming pace.

“Was I truly this impatient?” he pondered inwardly.

Ultimately, he abandoned the task of unfastening the corset and instead lifted her skirt. As he pulled at the delicate garter knots adorning her slender legs, her undergarments peeled away, revealing the tantalizing softness that met his eager touch.

“A month’s worth, received in advance, would be acceptable, wouldn’t it?” he proposed, his voice laced with anticipation.

Canelia, her breaths shallow and slow, closed her eyes.

“Yes, it will do.”