Chapter 59 - 58: Will You Look Back at Me?

Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Will You Look Back at Me?

Lilia guessed that the person tailing her was likely a subordinate of Marquis Malo. Marquis Malo was interested in her, but not in a romantic sense that would warrant sending someone to stalk her. The main reason he was paying closer attention to her was probably that he had discovered her relationship with Lucian.

She wondered if Marquis Malo had some past grudge against Lucian. It made sense. If the two had been on good terms, Lucian wouldn’t have needed to avoid meeting him back in the East District.

Under Lilia’s instructions, Caius didn’t dispose of the little tail following her. Instead, he acted as if he hadn’t noticed a thing, going about his daily life exactly as usual. As a result, her stalker grew increasingly brazen.

It wasn’t just around the Beaumont Earl Mansion. Lilia found traces of him in every aspect of her life. When she attended classes at Lien Academy, the man would wait outside the school gates. When she and Caius commuted to and from school together, there was always a carriage trailing more than a dozen meters behind. Once, Lilia even deliberately went out on a Sunday, and the man still followed her.

Furthermore, perhaps because Caius wasn’t by her side, the stalker was no longer afraid of being discovered. He closed the distance significantly, almost bumping right into her. In the split second they brushed past each other, Lilia could sense the fluctuation of Magic Power emanating from him. He wanted to make a move against her. Although he ultimately failed because there were people nearby, Lilia definitely hadn’t misread that fleeting burst of killing intent.

Since he knew her identity, he would also know her importance to Beaumont. No matter how stupid Marquis Malo was, he wouldn’t openly antagonize the Beaumont family over a minor personal matter. Therefore, the reason his subordinate wanted to strike at her was very simple.

Marquis Malo didn’t want to see Williams cooperate with Beaumont, and this resistance even outweighed his wariness of Beaumont. And if he wanted to destroy the relationship between the two families, making an issue out of Lilia was the easiest method, as well as the one least likely to incur subsequent retaliation. After all, Lilia was too weak, and nominally just a maid of the Beaumont family. Even if her death led to the breakdown of the partnership with Williams, the Beaumont Family wouldn’t turn into rabid dogs and bite back over it. She was simply the easiest target to exploit.

Lilia knew clearly that she was in a very dangerous position right now. But danger also represented an opportunity.

Saturday night.

Lilia pushed open the door to Caius’s room, strolling in as casually as if she owned the place. Caius had just taken a shower. He was wearing only a black bathrobe, its belt tied loosely, revealing his well-defined collarbones and a glimpse of the firm muscle lines on his chest. He had been reading, but upon hearing the door open, he immediately placed his book on the adjacent cabinet. He looked up at the girl walking toward him. His gaze tracked her approach until she sat down right beside him without any hesitation.

Caius lowered his eyes. Lilia was wearing a light-colored nightgown. The silk fabric was sheer and smooth, clinging to her thighs like a second layer of skin. She was so close. It felt as if he could touch her with just the slightest movement. The fingers resting by his side twitched, but ultimately, they only curled into a slow, tight fist. He raised his eyes again, meeting her gaze. "That rat trailing behind you has been getting more and more arrogant lately. Are you sure you don’t need me to intervene?"

"That’s exactly what I came to talk to you about today," Lilia said, looking at him. "Tomorrow, I have arranged to go to the equestrian club with Lucian to learn how to ride a horse. When the time comes, no matter what happens, I want you to refrain from doing anything unnecessary."

Caius’s breath hitched. She was going to be alone with Lucian. They were going to the equestrian club to ride horses. And no matter what happened...

Caius leaned forward. His warm body, carrying a faint, cool fragrance from his shower, silently enveloped Lilia.

"What counts as something unnecessary?" he asked hoarsely, staring into her persistently cold eyes. "Does it mean that even if you walk with him, take strolls, hug, and kiss... I can only watch helplessly? If I even try to stop it, is that what you call ’unnecessary’?"

The young man’s voice was deep and scratchy, sounding like an interrogation, yet also like an accusation tinged with profound grievance. His dark eyes glimmered like shattered stars, looking as though they would shatter into glass fragments at any second.

Looking at him in this state, Lilia nodded expressionlessly. "Yes."

Caius’s fingers suddenly clenched tight. In those starry eyes, all the feigned grievance and fragility were instantly incinerated by the dark flames of fury. He slammed his other hand down beside Lilia, completely trapping her.

"You clearly know..." His scorching breath spilled against her ear, every word sounding as if he had chewed it to pieces before spitting it out. "You clearly know that I don’t want to see anyone get close to you..."

Why? Why did she have to test his bottom line over and over again? First it was that commoner. And now it was Lucian...

Caius felt as if his heart was about to be burned to ashes by his rage. Surging anger piled up in his chest, turning his pitch-black eyes slightly red. He lowered his head. Her slender, frail shoulders filled his vision. The thin spaghetti straps of her nightgown were taut against her skin; they could be snapped with just a little force. Caius’s breathing grew increasingly ragged.

Yet, Lilia remained completely silent. Finally unable to bear the silence, he let out a soft pant, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and mercilessly bit down.

"MMPH..." The girl let out a muffled groan.

Caius felt an intense, lethal hatred burning in his heart. But even though he hated her so much, the moment he heard that pained groan, he uncontrollably lightened his bite. What started as a vicious bite morphed into a lingering, intimate nip. Her unique fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Instead of extinguishing the flames in his heart, it acted like pouring oil on a roaring fire, making it burn ever brighter.

"Lilia..."

As if finally hearing his call, Lilia reached out and gripped his shoulders. Without a doubt, it was a form of acceptance. It was the carrot offered after the stick.

Caius clenched his fists. Even as his reason was nearly reduced to ashes by his anger, he still felt... satisfied by this subtle gesture. He was like a dog that had just been kicked away by its master, only to wag its tail and eagerly approach, forgetting everything, the moment she beckoned.

A flurry of dense kisses landed on the girl’s neck and shoulders, traveling upward until he sucked on her earlobe. As if venting his frustration, Caius gently bit her lower lip. He listened with satisfaction as the girl’s breathing grew just as ragged, and then he lifted his face to look at her.

The young man’s eyelashes trembled slightly. "...Don’t always be so cruel to me, Lilia."

His tone was utterly submissive, yet his right hand pressed against the back of her neck with absolute dominance, not allowing her any chance to flinch or escape. She had to know that if there ever came a day when he couldn’t see her, he would probably go insane. And so...

"Look back at me, please?"