To My First Love, With Regret (Libenia) – Chapter 17

Author: Piki

“How strange. What do you have to fear when the duke himself protects you? Ah… right. You lost that protection, didn’t you?”

So that was why she’d suddenly started fearing the duke’s daughter again.

“It’s a misunderstanding. I never tried to seduce either the duke or the baron.”

“I’ll be sure to explain that to your next employer when they ask. No need for farewells. You may leave.”

Despite being dismissed, the woman showed no intention of going quietly.

“The duke only treated me with fatherly affection…”

Eve’s eyes sharpened at the woman’s shameless reflection in the mirror.

Fatherly?

With that single sentence, she’d reduced the duke’s daughter to the level of his mistress.

Apparently aiming for the duchess’s seat wasn’t enough—now she was claiming the position of his “Maiden” as well.

Eve couldn’t tell whether the woman was deliberately provoking her while pretending innocence… or if she was genuinely stupid enough to anger her by accident.

“My father has never once let his real daughter sit on his lap.”

The moment the bitter truth left her lips, Eve’s own face flushed hot, as if she’d humiliated herself instead.

Now she looked like a daughter starved for her father’s affection.

Damn fox.

“Maggie. Throw her out.”

Eve ignored the woman completely after that, no matter how desperately she dropped to her knees to avoid being dragged away.

“I admit I behaved in a way that could’ve caused misunderstanding. I’ll be more careful from now on, so please forgive me this once.”

This wasn’t an apology.

She wanted Eve to tell the duke she’d never seen her sleeping with Harry.

“It’s a secret, my lady. I’m actually engaged to Young Master Callas.”

In the duke’s household, “Young Master Callas” referred to Owen Callas—the duke’s new attending physician.

So that was how a foreign woman with no experience had become the duke’s caretaker.

“I was only trying to gain the duke’s favor so my future husband wouldn’t lose his patient.”

“If he needs to use his fiancée for that, then Callas must be a worthless doctor.”

Eve had already been uneasy about entrusting her father’s health to such an inexperienced physician. Now her suspicions only deepened.

“I should have his attending doctor replaced.”

Shantal Garnier’s face turned deathly pale.

“My lady, please—”

“You’re offended?”

“N-No, I would never—”

“Then leave.”

“…”

“If you’re truly innocent, I’ll admit my mistake and apologize.”

Eve had never apologized sincerely to anyone in her life.

But if it meant getting rid of the leech clinging to her family, couldn’t she lie just this once?

Besides, she had no intention of ever apologizing to that parasite in the first place.

The moment the yacht passed the breakwater, it surged toward the horizon like a prisoner snapping free of chains.

Eve’s yacht eventually stopped in the middle of the glittering sea—far from anyone’s eyes, yet with a perfect view of the white cliffs.

As though she wanted the jailer guarding the prison atop those cliffs to witness it, she kissed the forbidden man.

Freedom tasted intoxicating on his lips, sweet and sharp like the champagne lingering on his tongue.

Even after their lips parted, the haze before her eyes refused to clear—and it wasn’t because of the champagne or the blazing summer sun overhead.

Eve’s gaze drifted over Ethan’s half-naked body sprawled across the deck.

Sweat glistened over his skin beneath the harsh sunlight, turning him into something like a bronze statue. Blindingly beautiful. The shadows carved between his sharply defined muscles only made him more sinful to look at.

It was the kind of perfect body she’d only ever seen in anatomy books.

Ah… I want to paint him.

Ever since falling drunk on this sweet romance, she’d abandoned her brushes. But now the urge to paint returned all at once.

Any artist would lose their mind over a body like this.

A sudden stab of jealousy struck her.

“Have you ever modeled for anyone besides me?”

“I did once. Back when I dated an art student.”

Eve’s eyes narrowed.

“Naked?”

Caught off guard by the question, Ethan hesitated too long before answering.

“I’m not going to leave you, so answer honestly.”

“She only painted my face. I stayed fully clothed.”

“…Then fine.”

“Why would you even ask something so insane? Is it normal for noble ladies to strip attractive men naked and paint them?”

“Attractive.”

The vulgar choice of words made Eve frown.

“…Wait. Don’t tell me you actually have?”

“No. It’s just that you look like someone people would want to paint.”

“Oh? So you do want to strip me.”

Since he wasn’t technically wrong, Eve didn’t bother denying it.

The half-dressed beauty licked his lower lip lazily and smiled with shameless seduction.

“If my lady wishes, I’ll become your personal nude model, Lady Evelyn.”

Back then, he’d demanded she call him handsome before allowing her to paint even his face.

Now he was willing to strip naked for her with a single word.

The arrogant boldness of his youth had matured into something far more dangerous—raw, shameless sensuality.

He winked at her like they were sharing a dirty secret and leaned close enough for their bodies to almost touch. His breath against her ear felt as sticky as the sweat sliding down his chest.

“But I expect payment in return.”

Of course he did.

Still… this deal felt unfairly beneficial for her alone.

If Becky and Tom hadn’t been nearby, she might’ve ordered him to undress right then and there—even without paints or canvas.

At this point, it clearly wasn’t artistic curiosity anymore.

If the hunger burning inside her were purely creative inspiration, her gaze wouldn’t keep drifting lower… below his navel… toward the tight swim trunks stretched obscenely against him.

Ethan had no idea Eve was burning with the same desire consuming him.

Because he couldn’t even look her in the eyes anymore.

Women covered more skin in swimsuits than men did, but the shape of their bodies remained painfully visible. The body he’d wanted for so long—the one he’d believed he would never touch—was right in front of him.

Only a thin strip of fabric separated him from it.

Fuck.

Heat rushed violently downward.

At this rate, his erection was going to tear through his swim trunks before he could rip hers off.

Splash!

Ethan immediately dove into the cold ocean.

It didn’t help.

Because Eve jumped in after him.

Unaware of the danger she posed, she clung to him like a buoy, making him even harder. His erection pressed shamelessly against the inside of her thigh beneath the water.

Does this lady seriously not realize what she’s touching?

Eve held onto him calmly, completely unbothered even as his arousal brushed against her leg.

Meanwhile, Ethan was rapidly losing his mind.

“Nnh…”

A wave lifted her body slightly, and her thigh slid along the length of him.

At this point, he was seconds away from turning into some brainless sea creature and embarrassing himself directly into the ocean.

“I’ll be back.”

Ethan shoved Eve toward Becky and Tom before climbing onto the yacht alone.

The first thing he did was wrap a towel around his waist to hide the obvious erection standing proudly in broad daylight before disappearing into the cabin shower.

He needed to wash off the saltwater… and take care of the other problem while he was at it.

Her touch still lingered vividly in his memory, so it wouldn’t take long.

He pulled off the towel and reached for the lock—

The door suddenly swung open.

Eve slipped inside the cramped shower room and locked the door behind her.

Now he was trapped.

“What are you doing?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Eve’s curious gaze dropped toward the center of his swim trunks.

The fabric stretched so tightly it outlined every detail of his erection—even the shape of the head beneath the cloth. At this point, the trunks barely qualified as clothing anymore.

The shower was so narrow they stood less than a fist apart.

The tip of his cock nearly brushed her flat stomach.

And yet the well-bred young lady didn’t blush even once. Instead, the corners of her lips curled mischievously upward.

“What exactly were you planning to do on my yacht?”

“Still better than doing it against your body.”

Though if you tell me your body would be better, I’d gladly—

Ethan briefly wondered whether he could reach her navel from the inside.

“You have permission to dirty my yacht.”

For a second, he thought his shameless hopes had been crushed.

“But in exchange… show me.”

“You little pervert…”

The thought that this graceful noble lady secretly hid such filthy curiosity beneath her elegance only made him harder. Heat coiled low in his stomach again.

But lust hadn’t burned through the last remains of his sanity just yet.

“I’ve never masturbated in front of anyone before…”

“And I’ve never seen it before.”

A woman witnessing male masturbation for the first time should’ve been blushing furiously.

Instead, she calmly demanded he finish right in front of her.

“How does a greenhouse-raised lady even know about things like that?”

“Boarding school wasn’t exactly a greenhouse.”

“Oh?”

Confusion twisted slowly into a crooked grin on Ethan’s face.

“Tell me about the first and last time you touched yourself. Start from the moment you got turned on. I want to listen while I come.”

The vulgar request made Eve frown—but at the same time, her thighs pressed together instinctively.

Could someone really become aroused just from watching a man desire them so desperately?