"...Is that what Celine is also taught at home?" Lucian asked.
Edmund paused before nodding, "She can make her stomach shut up on command, unlike mine."
'Why didn't she ever tell me that?' Lucian thought. He always assumed she was living a luxurious life. 'No wonder her temper is so short. Her hunger must be making her cranky.'
Lucian didn't force Edmund to come with him, but instead went out and purchased a meal from the inn, which he ate in front of him (sausages, cheese, bread).
"...you evil person," Edmund mumbled under his breath, watching him eat, "Gluttony is a sign of a weak character…Self-control is the basis of a strong mind…"
"Gluttony?" Lucian asked, taking a bite out of a sausage, "I'm just enjoying the food that's available to me. Would it be better to just throw it away?"
"...I know what you are trying to do, and it's working," Edmund finally snapped, "Give me one."
Lucian offered him his plate.
Edmund grabbed a sausage and a piece of bread. He ate them quickly and quietly, trying to hide the fact that he was enjoying his meal, "I'm just eating this to keep my strength up."
"They are the tastiest in the area," Lucian took another bite, "I was told that these sausages are made with meat that's marinated in red wine for days."
"..." Edmund choked on the next bite of bread, "Wine...? There's alcohol in this?"
"Just a little," Lucian said, "It evaporates after a while."
Edmund drank some water, and his eyes narrowed, "I'm not allowed to drink alcohol. It dulls the senses."
"..." Lucian's mouth twitched as he looked at the sausage, "And the cheese?"
"I can eat cheese," Edmund said, reaching for the plate of sliced cheese on the table. He ate one slice and then another, "What are you looking at? You are not going to eat?"
Lucian took a piece of cheese and ate it. He was starting to doubt if Edmund knew how to have fun. Her brother was a complete opposite of Celine, who would drag him to do the craziest stuff.
Edmund would show up for a few days, using Lucian's distribution wagons as a way of transportation, hiding his traces, before leaving again. Nobody questioned his whereabouts since Lucian's people were known for traveling around.
Edmund was building a second identity for himself, and Lucian provided the necessary means to do so.
His little brother in law to be was not one to let his debts go unpaid, and would help Lucian in return, by delivering gifts and letters to his sister.
From what Lucian heard, Celine was busy. Very busy. So busy, she rejected a few meetings and was close to being disowned by her father (the duke).
What was that girl up to this time?
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Whatever she was up to…
'Did I ever mention that she is crazy?'
Lucian wiped the sweat off his forehead as he lifted the metal structure of the crinoline, crawling from under Celine's skirt. The attempt to sneak into her room was close to his sanity.
Celine locked the door to her room with a click, "Now, no one can bother us," she grinned, raising her hands and wiggling her fingers in an attempt to look scary, "It's just the two of us. No escape."
She made him feel like he had just walked into a spider's nest, and the spider was currently ogling him out, deciding where to start eating.
"Help," Lucian teased with a smile on his face, "I don't want to become a father yet—ouch!"
"Do I look that desperate to you?" She stepped on his bottom, stopping him from trying to crawl away, "I'm not one of those women who have to give birth to keep their husbands. If you are so afraid, I'll just get you a chastity belt. How about that?"
"What's a chastity belt?" Lucian wondered, turning his head slightly to look up at her, not really bothered by her attack, "And why do I have a feeling I don't want to find out?"
She looked stunning even from this angle. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold weather outside, but her eyes were shining brightly. She didn't look desperate to him at all. Just excited to see him. Too excited, probably.
"Just as the name suggests," she explained, stepping over his body and motioning for him to help her with the dress.
Her handmaiden should be the one doing this, but she acted angry and sent her away, just so they could have some time alone.
Celine stopped before her mirror, "A chastity belt is an undergarment that protects a person's virtue."
Lucian scrambled to his feet and began unclasping her dress, "That sounds useful..." he mumbled.
"Doesn't it?" she smiled, lifting her arms to help him, and looking at his face in the mirror, "I should get us a pair."
"Okay," he agreed, his fingers trembling in excitement. "You should definitely do that. Definitely."
Once the large metal crinoline fell to the ground, he helped her out of the outer skirt, the inner skirt, and the bodice (looks a bit like a corset but is less restrictive).
Her legs were covered in a pair of white stockings, which were fastened above the knees with garters. Her undergarments consisted of a pair of drawers, which were tied at the waist with a string, and a long-sleeved shirt.
In Lucian's eyes, she still had a lot of clothes on, while Celine took it as him already seeing her half-naked.
The word shy wasn't in their vocabulary, but they were blushing like ripe apples. Not because they were embarrassed, but because it felt like a milestone in their relationship.
Lucian helped her fold the clothes and placed them on the nearby couch. He then placed his shoes and bag under her bed and roamed around her place.
Her room was as big as the whole floor of his store in the city.
It had a large, canopied bed in the middle, with a dressing table on the left side of the room, and a vanity table on the right. The room was decorated in shades of blue, giving it a cool and calming effect, and there was a door leading to her private bathroom.
She also had a private study room and a library, which was adjacent to her bedroom.
Her closet was bigger than his office.
What more, this girl even had her own art studio!