Lilia was silent. She didn't say a word. Of course, she knew that what she had done was, in a way, absurd. But now, she realized she hadn't really thought it through—not before escaping, not until this very mont.
With a ticulously crafted plan forming in her mind, she saw a clear path ahead. If she was going to leave this place, she needed money of her own. She needed an apartnt. And most importantly, she had to ensure that everything was done without Zethan noticing. Then, one day, she would vanish—without a trace, without him ever realizing it was coming.
Zethan's voice cut through the silence, his tone laced with amusent. "I see my Loris is deep in thought."
Lilia finally turned to him, parting her lips as if to respond, only to close them again. At this point, she had nothing to say. Sohow, he always seed to have the last word.
Then, sothing finally clicked in Lilia's mind. She turned to him, her golden-brown eyes searching his.
"After the engagent... what's next?"
Zethan held her gaze, studying her expression. From the way she looked, it was clear she was deep in thought. Then, with a smirk, he answered, "The wedding, of course."
He leaned back against the sofa, completely at ease. Lilia couldn't believe how strong he was. She had been sitting on his lap for what felt like an hour, yet he hadn't even flinched.
Justwhatkindofstaminadoesthisguyhave?
"So after the wedding... what's next?" she asked, her voice cautious.
Zethan's grin widened. "The honeymoon, dear."
Lilia's body stiffened as she turned to him. "We're not doing the honeymoon, right?"
And then, Zethan let out a dark chuckle of surprise.
Lilia couldn't believe it—did this man not realize she was being serious?
Does this man even know when soone is joking and when they're being serious?
"Of course, we're doing the honeymoon," he said smoothly. "What are married couples for if not for that?"
Lilia turned to him, her expression sharp. "We can't do the honeymoon."
Zethan arched a brow. "And what makes you say that, my little Loris?"
She t his gaze, her voice firm. "We're not married out of love. This is an arranged marriage. So things like that... a honeymoon... wouldn't be necessary. What we're doing isn't for love." Her voice trailed off.
Zethan's laughter rang through the room again—deep, rich, and filled with both amusent and disbelief. It was as if he couldn't believe she was actually saying all this.
Didn't she know that things were different nowadays? Just where had this girl been?
"Look, Loris, things like this are normal for married couples—to have se... to consummate their marriage."
Normal? she wondered.
"So, you're telling it's also normal in a loveless marriage as well?" she asked, her tone sharp.
Zethan smirked. "Smart move, dear. If you don't want to, that's fine. As long as it's okay by you, my soon-to-be wife." He leaned in slightly. "I can simply fulfill my desires another way."
Lilia's eyes widened. "You must be kidding ," she breathed, disbelief laced in her voice—though, unknown to her, there was a faint trace of jealousy beneath it.
"I'm no saint," Zethan continued. "Besides, do you have a problem with that? This is a loveless marriage, after all... isn't that what you said?"
His words stung more than she had expected. Butwhy?Whydidithurt? She had been the one to say it first, yet sothing about the way he threw those words back at her made her chest tighten.
"Yes....a loveless m..marriage," she murmured, unsure why her voice wavered.
Zethan studied her for a mont, his expression unreadable.
"I..." she started, but words failed her.
"Fine then," she finally said, regaining her composure. "Go ahead. If you want to 'fulfill your whatever' out there with other won, then fine. But you should know—if I want to do the sa, I will."
The air in the room shifted.
"You won't."
Zethan's voice was devoid of its usual playfulness, his gaze dark and unyielding. The atmosphere grew suffocatingly cold, sending a chill down Lilia's spine.
She had said that because if he could say such things, why couldn't she? If he wasn't planning to be loyal in this marriage, then why should she be?
But the way he looked at her—the certainty in his eyes—made it seem as if he knew she wouldn't go through with it.
"You won't, Loris," Zethan said, his voice dripping with confidence. "You're too inexperienced to know anything about intimacy."
Lilia's eyes widened. Was he stating a fact, or was it an insult?
Inexperienced?
"That's why I need to learn," she retorted. "You said there's such a thing as lessons—then I'll learn. Simple." She shrugged, feigning indifference.
Zethan leaned in, gently lifting her chin. His expression darkened for a mont before returning to sothing unreadable. When he spoke again, his voice was calm, almost teasing, yet there was an undeniable edge to it.
"Why go sowhere else when you have the original? I could simply teach you."
His confidence was infuriating.
"You don't have to worry about ," she scoffed. "Go ahead and teach the won out there—the ones you want to 'fulfill' you."
She pressed her lips to the side in irritation, but despite her words, the thought of another woman in Zethan's arms made sothing twist uncomfortably inside her. Why did she feel this way?
Zethan's expression darkened further. "You wouldn't."
His voice had lost all traces of amusent. The air between them thickened.
"We made a deal, Loris." His intense gaze locked onto hers. "You're mine. Mine alone. And no other man will touch you—not even a strand of your hair."
Then he chuckled, low and dark, but his tone was dead serious as he added,
"Unless, of course, that person has a death wish."
Her eyes widened. She wanted to believe that Zethan was rely joking, but his gaze was so intense, so serious, that it sent a chill down her spine again.
"A death wish?" she whispered in disbelief, staring at him.
"So, you're telling that you can go out there, but I can't? This has to be fair." She folded her arms. "Fine. We'll be loyal. After all, we're getting married just by na. I know you had your reasons for accepting this marriage, and I have mine too. I won't bother asking for yours, and you won't ask for mine. We'll each mind our own business. And after a few months—let's say three or four—we'll get a divorce."
Her golden-brown eyes locked onto his. "If you think I won't keep my word, then let's sign a contract."
Zethan studied her, his expression is unnervingly calm.
"Loyal, divorce, contract, I see." His voice was low, almost playful as if he were picking the most important point, but she was dead serious. Why couldn't he see that?
Then his tone shifted—low, calculating.
He turned fully toward her, parting his lips as if to respond—only to say sothing entirely unexpected.
"Let's see the drawing."
For a second, she thought he was about to discuss the contract, but before she could protest, the artist who had been drawing stopped.
Lilia watched as he effortlessly rolled a drawing board toward them, revealing the rich board of paper. He turned it, and her breath caught in her throat.
It wasn't just a sketch—it was a masterpiece.
Her eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't simply drawn a picture; he had captured a mont. Them. She was sitting on Zethan's lap, her bandaged hand resting delicately as he tended to it. The details were immaculate, down to the gentle furrow of his brows and the quiet vulnerability in her gaze.
It was perfect.
Of course, everything about Zethan dealt with perfection—from the worker's maid to every other detail.
Before she knew it, Lucas arrived.
"Boss, they're here," he announced.
Zethan waved his hand dismissively—a simple gesture that was enough to tell the artist his presence was no longer needed.
"They', you say?" Zethan drawled, his tone slow and deliberate. "Elaborate, Lucas. I'm no machine."
Lucas nodded before responding, "The makeup artist and the fashion designer are here for Miss Lilia's preparations for the engagent party."
Lilia fell silent, unable to speak. Her cheeks were already flushing hard, and she could feel the heat rising even more when she realized Lucas's gaze had lingered on her for a brief mont. That small glance was enough to make her face burn—especially since she was still sitting on this annoying man's lap.
"My dear Loris," Zethan spoke smoothly, his voice laced with amusent as he looked at Lucas. "A makeup artist? She wouldn't be needing one. Have you seen how remarkably beautiful her face is?" he said, glancing at Lilia. It was true—Lilia had rare, smooth skin.
"Yes, boss."
Lilia didn't know whether she should feel happy about his words. The way he said it made her heart flutter in unexpected ways, and she hated how little control she had over her emotions. She hated how her body betrayed her when it ca to this insufferable man.
Zethan finally spoke again. "Fine then, you may go."
Lilia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Zethan—almost as if he had read her mind—interrupted smoothly.
"We will talk about what we discussed after the engagent," he said, his tone firm. "And there will be a contract."
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