I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 123

Feeling braver from her shallow inebriation, Evelyn took a sip of the honey liquor that lay beside the balcony railing. 

 

The corners of her eyes folded into half-moons as she pressed her lips to Kalian’s. She could smell the sweet flavor of the liquor on his breath.

 

As the kiss deepened, the sensation of the liquid running down the back of his throat was overly stimulating. 

 

“Hah…” Pulling his lips away, Kalian wiped the alcohol from the corner of Evelyn’s mouth with his thumb.

 

“You’re usually so busy getting it out, but today you’re acting like you’re determined.”

“When did I say I’ve been dumped?” Evelyn retorted.

 

“Then I’ll have to check. See how long it lasts today,” Kalian replied, snatching the glass from her hand. 

 

He grabbed Evelyn’s slender ankle and wrapped it around his waist, closing the distance between them completely. 

 

The moonlight was still young, and his eyes, usually as bright as the sun, seemed unusually dark.

 

“We mustn’t spill the wine,” Kalian murmured. 

 

He pressed his fingers to her puffy lips, then moved them slowly downward, languidly past her neckline and collarbone, over her full breasts.

 

“Ah…” Evelyn sighed. 

 

She had been so preoccupied with his lips that she hadn’t realized her breasts smelled sweetly of alcohol, likely spilled during their kiss.

 

“You’re wet,” Kalian remarked with a smirk. 

 

Evelyn giggled. He lowered his lips and ran the tip of his tongue over the spill. 

 

“Hmmm.” 

 

His moan deepened as he wiped away the sweet taste of alcohol, and he pulled her dress down. 

 

Her saliva-soaked skin was exposed to the cool air. Before the tickle that ran down her toes could fade, he jerked the hem of the dress up.

 

“…Kal.”

“I think it’s wet here too.”

“Hmm, no spills there…” Evelyn retorted, then blushed as she realized the hidden meaning behind Kalian’s words. 

 

In his presence, she often forgot her embarrassment, but sometimes, when he was so blunt, it still came rushing back.

 

“Ah, so you were supposed to spill your drink,” Kalian teased, his boldness making Evelyn’s eyes widen at his next move.

 

“Ha, this is so…” Even though they were out in the open air, the scent of alcohol was overwhelming.

 

“Isn’t it a bit unconscionable to talk like that while soaked like this?” Evelyn asked. 

 

With a thud, her body swayed, and then he was inside her. In an instant, her entire body was enveloped in his presence. 

 

Her eyes widened, and she lowered her gaze, which had been staring blankly into space.

 

“Ewww, Kal, I feel so weird.”

 

“We’ve only just begun, and you’re so pleased with me, you’re making me swoon,” Kalian replied. 

 

Evelyn’s whole body was drenched with sweat. 

 

The heat that surrounded them was as hot as midsummer, despite the fact that they were on a balcony.

 

“Open your lips,” Kalian commanded. 

 

He lifted her head and pressed his lustful lips to hers. 

 

Their tongues danced together until their breaths mingled.

 

It was a long-standing habit of his not to forget to kiss her, even in the tense moments leading up to climax.

 

“Ha, ha, we’ll be up all night.”

“How about a little less sleep?” Kalian suggested. 

 

‘It’s hard to argue with him,’ Evelyn thought. 

 

At daybreak, they would return to their respective posts—Evelyn to the North, and Kalian to finish the investigation of the Gate and then take on the dungeons of Bellatra. 

 

They had no idea how long it would take or what hardships they would face, so their bodies and minds quickly reached flashpoints and boiled over.

 

“Ugh!”

“Huh.” 

 

Even his husky moans, descending like a mist, were arousing. 

 

The afterglow of his climax was so strong that he could barely catch his breath. 

 

He swallowed the ragged groan in his throat and lifted Evelyn to her feet, cupping her cheeks in his hands and kissing her.

 

“This is your fault,” Kalian declared, an unspoken promise that he would never let her go all night. 

 

With his lips still pressed to hers, he walked into the bedroom. 

 

Evelyn was still in a daze.

 

A squeaky, savage sound began to echo from their joined bodies once more. Forehead to forehead, they held each other deeply, breathing in exhilarated rawness.

 

* * *

 

The High Priest stood at the entrance to the temple and watched as the savage knights of Blackwood rushed in. 

 

It was a sudden raid. Biting priests and priestesses alike, they began to ransack the temple. 

 

This was the second time since the mutated beasts had been discovered in the Cabana Forest.

 

As before, every piece of paraphernalia, every ritual and ceremonial item, every single piece of paper, would be rifled through, but Julius didn’t care. 

 

‘No matter how vicious they were, they wouldn’t find what they were looking for in the temple,’ he thought.

 

Just then, two knights emerged from the temple—one with hair as thick as a lion’s mane and the other with a relatively clean-cut appearance. 

 

Julius strode toward them with a smug look on his face.

 

“My, you’re withdrawing already?”

The lion-like knight smirked. 

 

“My business is done, and I must go. There’s nothing to be gained by lingering in the temple.”

 

Guessing the meaning of the words, Julius’ lips curled up in a subtle smirk that could only be discerned up close. 

 

“Well, I see you didn’t get your way.”

 

But the smile was quickly wiped from his lips. The knights’ cheerful demeanor was the cause.

 

“Thank you for your concern, but we have all the evidence we need.”

 

‘What? What evidence, what evidence are they talking about?’ Julius stared at them with trepidation. 

 

The clean-cut knight fluttered a piece of paper in front of him—a common piece of paper in the temple. Julius smirked as he saw it.

 

“Now I ask you, what in the world do you think I’m guilty of that you would call a piece of paper evidence?” 

 

‘Grasping at straws, what a ridiculous situation,’ he thought.

 

Just then, Benjamin, the Grand Duke’s aide, appeared from between the two knights. 

 

In his hand, he held a ledger. It did not belong to the temple.

 

Benjamin looked at the High Priest, who seemed to be beaming as if he had finally found someone he could understand.

 

“Do you remember the illegal propaganda that was distributed in the great square of Adelheim not long ago?”

“Yes… I do,” Julius replied, a vague sense of unease strangling his throat.

 

‘No, no, no, no, no. How could they possibly know that it was from the Temple?’ 

 

Bewilderment and fear flashed across Julius’ face as he tried to maintain his composure. 

 

A few days ago, he had spread rumors of a real saint, and sent the people into a panic. 

 

The reason was simple: to amplify the people’s suspicions of the Grand Duchess.

 

‘No matter how much times have changed, people still rely on religion. They, especially the nobility, would relentlessly label anyone who tried to change what their gods had decided as heresy. They believe that if the authority of the gods is undermined, the order of the empire, and therefore their own power, will fall. Moreover, those who displayed supernatural powers, such as the grand duchess, were both revered and feared.’

 

Benjamin looked at Julius, who was twitching his fingers. 

 

“The propaganda is made of an unusual material—paper made from the monty tree.”

“What does that have to do with me…” Julius stammered.

“It was purchased by Viscount McHale, a worshipper of the sun god, and dedicated to his temple during his lifetime.”

 

“What?!” The High Priest’s face turned pale as he staggered back a little.

“What I have in my hands is an item of evidence I found while investigating the fire at the McHale house.”

 

Julius’ pupils, dilated to the limit, traced the ledger Benjamin held up. 

 

“That, that nonsense!”

“You’ll have to go to the imperial palace to give your statement.”

 

Julius paused. Dwayne and Max gripped his arms tightly as he started to take another step back, his sleeves flapping.

 

“Why would the High Priest go so far as to spread rumors that slander the temple and stir up the populace?” Benjamin asked, his tone cold and accusing.