She closed her eyes, as if to escape the memory.
Everything had happened so suddenly. Kaiser had approached her, tilted his head, and his gaze had fixed directly into hers with a destabilizing intensity. Then his lips had touched hers.
The contact had been firm, direct, without ambiguity. The surprise had been so violent that her heart seemed to stop before beating at a frantic rhythm. She had pushed him away almost instinctively, out of a defensive reflex, but the sensation of his mouth against hers persisted, like an indelible imprint.
She brought two fingers to her lips, annoyed to note that they retained a particular sensitivity, as if slightly heated.
"Why did I not react with more firmness?"
"Why did I not raise my voice to express disapproval?"
"Even as a woman and duchess, I am not worthy... Why did I not show the cold dignity expected of a duchess?"
When she reopened her eyes, her reflection in the mirror did not lie. She had been deeply disturbed.
