"Oh, Duchess of Ethwer," he said. "What a surprise."
The duchess, Julia's mother, stood before him. She was dressed in a flowing black gown with beautiful jewels adorning her neck and wrists.
Her eyes, however, seed weary as if sothing heavy was settling on her mind.
"Julian," she replied, "You ca."
Julian chuckled softly. "Yes, I had to; how could I ignore your invitation, Duchess?"
She remained silent for a mont, observing him. Finally, she spoke again.
"I did not co here to play gas, Julian. There are things that need to be discussed."
Julian laughed, his voice filling the quiet garden. "Oh, why so serious, Duchess?" he teased. "It's a day to enjoy, isn't it?" He paused for a mont, his expression turning serious, before he closed the distance between them.
"Or... do you think you have an excuse for the betrayal that your family has done?"
The duchess took a step back, her calm deanor faltering for just a second.
She t his gaze. "We have no excuse," she replied, "And we certainly do not regret doing what we did. My husband did what he thought was right."
Julian's smirk returned, "Oh, so this is the reason you called here?" He took another step forward.
"To mock to my face, telling that your coward of a husband doesn't regret attacking my family?"
The duchess's eyes turned red with anger, and she glared at him. But despite the visible fury in her gaze, she remained silent, unwilling to give in to his provocation.
Julian, however, wasn't done. His voice turned cold. "You know, Duchess, you may think you are justified, but rember, betrayal carries a heavy price.
Duchess simply glared at him, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.
Julian tilted his head, smirking at her reaction. "Maybe I should do the sa," he said. "What do you think, my beautiful Duchess?" The duchess took a step back, her composure slowly slipping as she realized the gravity of his words. Her composure faltered, but before she could respond, Julian cut her off again.
"But not with just 1,500 soldiers," he continued, his hands on his chin as if he were contemplating the options.
"Hmm... let's see... 1,000 Easvil soldiers, 5,000 from the nearby nobles I have gathered... And since the king has already accepted as his grandson, I could sneak 2,000 of the royal army too..." He paused; his eyes glowing predatory as he let the words hang in the air.
"Now, Duchess, that sounds like quite a force, doesn't it? Enough to crush anyone who dares to betray ."
The duchess stood frozen in both fear and anger. She knew what Julian said was no re words; everything was calculated, and the power behind him was even more terrifying.
Her mind raced, calculating the consequences of what he was speaking. The very idea of such a force descending on her family was enough to crumble her entire world.
"I suggest you think carefully," Julian whispered. "You wouldn't want to find yourself on the wrong end of such an arrangent, would you?"
He took a step closer. "But hey, we can still call it even. If you are willing to pay the price for your family's foolishness."
Her eyes locked onto his, and she saw no trace of a joke or teasing.
With a deep breath, the duchess gathered her composure. "Tell , Julian," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What do you need for to forget about revenge? For you to take back your statent about cutting ties with us?"
She could see it in his eyes—his power, his resolve. He could destroy everything her family had worked for with the flick of a hand, and the price to prevent it seed expensive.
Still, she had to ask, hoping that there might be a way to preserve so dignity for her family.
This wasn't a negotiation—this was him testing how much she was willing to give up to save herself and her family.
Julian took another step closer to her, his smile never fading. "Tell , Duchess," he said with a grin, "What are you willing to do to save your family?"
The Duchess took a step back, and as she stumbled, she slamd into the tree behind her. She gasped, feeling a rush of panic flood through her as she realized there was nowhere to retreat to.
Julian noticed her discomfort, and the smirk on his face deepened. He stepped closer, forcing her to take a shaky breath as he closed the gap.
The space between them seed to shrink with every passing second, and her chest rose and fell with each heavy breath.
But Julian was in no hurry, moving with slow, teasing steps. "What will you give to undo this mistake? What will you sacrifice to protect what's left of your precious family?"
The Duchess, pinned between the cold tree and his unwavering stare, swallowed hard. She could feel the heat of his body radiating from just inches away, making the air around her suffocating.
Julian reached out, gently brushing her hair as he tucked a strand behind her ear. "Oh, Duchess," he mused with a sly smile. "Why do you act so clueless?"
The Duchess flinched at the contact, sending a shiver down her spine. She tried to compose herself, but she no longer could.
"You know you can't offer land or power," he said with a smirk, "because your husband will never agree to it. You know you can't threaten , Duchess, because you don't have the power to back it up. And you certainly know you can't offer your daughter to , because she already is mine."
The Duchess tightened her jaws, her anger rising, but she remained silent.
Julian's smile widened, watching her struggle. "But despite knowing all that," he added, "you ca here because you know exactly what you are offering, don't you?"
His fingers road, caressing down her jawline, sending another wave of shivers through her body. She could feel the weight of his words, the intensity of his gaze, and the way his hand seed to scorch her skin, even with the gentle touch.
Her cheeks flushed deep red, and she instinctively lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. Julian leaned in even closer, his breath hot against her ear, "You ca to offer yourselves," he whispered.
The Duchess's blush deepened as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. Her lips parted slightly, but no words ca. She felt embarrassed; however, she couldn't deny the truth of his words.
Julian's fingers lowered down her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin. He could feel the way she tensed beneath his touch, her breath coming in uneven gasps.
His hand didn't stop. It moved lower, teasing her beauty bone, before hovering just above her breasts.
He watched her, enjoying the way her body betrayed her, the way her mouth opened like she wanted to speak but didn't dare.
"You are shaking," he murmured, his voice low. "Is it fear, Duchess? Or is it sothing else?"
Julian's smirk deepened as he dragged his fingers over her breast. He circled around the nipples, not quite touching where she wanted him to. He could see it in her eyes, the frustration, the heat, the way she fought against it but still leaned into his touch.
"You knew this was coming," he said. "You ca here knowing exactly what you have to offer."
He finally cupped her breasts, feeling the softness in his palm. He gave it the slightest squeeze, just enough to make her slightly moan. His thumb grazed the nipples once, twice, testing her reaction.
"You should speak," he teased, rolling his thumb in slow circles. "Or is your body going to answer for you?"
His other hand moved to her waist, gripping it tightly before pulling her closer. Their bodies were now stuck together, her softness contrasting with his muscled body.
He tilted his head, waiting for her to speak.
She still didn't speak.
"Good girl," Julian murmured, dragging his fingers back up, this ti stronger and more confident.
He lowered his fingers again, cupping her breast fully. He squeezed and massaged the sensitive flesh, feeling the way her body reacted under his touch.
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, but she didn't push him away.
Julian leaned in. "You were never here to negotiate, were you, Duchess?"
His other hands moved again, slower this ti, caressing the curve of her waist. His touch was scorching hot as he explored her body like he already owned it. And maybe, deep down, she knew he did. The thin fabric of her gown did nothing to protect her rather made it even more intense.
She shivered when his fingers slowly dropped below her waist. Her eyes flickered up to et his, wide and uncertain, but there was sothing else in there that Julian imdiately recognized.
Desire.
His smirk deepened.
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