“Ugh…….”

Hazel was frustrated by the fact that her resistance was useless against him. She wanted to kick him in the head as he focused on her ankle.

“What do you know? You don’t look like a court doctor.”

“I can tell that it’s swollen and you have trouble walking.”

Her ankle was swollen. Hazel jiggled her toes and the pain began to creep up.

“I’ll scream.”

Hazel didn’t hear any response from Achilleon, as if he thought it was a boring threat.

“…”

Hazel looked down at him with a strange look in her eyes. He must have felt that look, because Achilleon suddenly raised his head.

“You said you were going to scream.”

A smudged smile on his lips as if provoking her.

“That….”

When Hazel was about to scream, her mouth fell agape. What would happen if she screamed now? It would be a perfect way to get everyone’s attention. People would come running, and saw this, and since Achilleon had no mask on, they would be interested in the woman who was with the Crown Prince of Demophos. So….

The fact that the sick princess at a masquerade would all become known.

As the thoughts continued one after another, Hazel found it was even harder to speak.

She was trying to escape the situation at hand, but she might invite more disaster if she screamed.

On the other hand, the man stared at her with narrowed eyes, as if her hard-working brain could be seen through the mask.

“Should I make you scream?”

It was a moment when the languid, questioning voice chilled her spine.

“Ugh!”

The scream burst out as the hand that gripped her ankle tightened. The sound wasn’t very loud as she was gasping for breath from the sudden pain. It was never loud enough to compete with the buzzing sound of the ballroom.

“Ah, ah…”

As her pained, weightless body wobbled on the railing, Achilleon stood up and held Hazel in his arms.

“Huh……”

She was surprised by the pain that had been inflicted at the moment and couldn’t continue her words. Earlier, she really thought she was going to lose her breath. Hazel despaired at the fact that she wanted to run away right now, but the only place she could rely on was this man’s arms.

“Let go, let go…”

Hazel leaned against his chest and gasped for air. She tried to hit his body with both hands, but it was like hitting a stone wall.

It was a natural result. Her hands were bound to ache when she thought about the muscles in his body.

She had always thought he was just good-looking and lithe when he was constantly hidden inside his well-cut uniform.

But the day they were intimate for the first time, when she saw his body without a single thread of clothing, she was scared and wanted to run away. It was Achilleon who never let her go.

“Ugh….”

Tears flowed out of her eyes due to the excessive pain. The tears were so humiliating that they wet the cloth on her mask.

As if to soothe her, Achilleon tapped her lightly on the back. Hazel drew in a still breath as she felt the man’s hot breath on her neck.

It was because she felt the threat that if her head turned, he would stick out his teeth and tear her neck off at any moment.

He was well disguised in a graceful shell, but he had a personality that bordered on savage. He was the kind of person who put everyone at ease and then attacked without hesitation. Hazel knew that better than anyone.

Even after she knew that. She was caught again like this. And the way out was nowhere to be seen.

Hazel took several deep breaths at the pain rising from her ankle. Her small, frail body was shaking so hard that even Achilleon’s sturdy body could feel the vibrations.

“Let me go. I’ll take care of it myself.”

Her sobbing voice sounded like the cry of a mountain bird. Achilleon’s mouth stretched long as he stared at the weeping woman leaning against his chest.

“Why did you push me into the trap?”

“….”

The blood seemed to chill coldly. Hazel shuddered slightly.

“I fell and couldn’t walk.”

The hand stroking her hair was the softest thing she’d ever felt. Like stroking a wounded animal.

“Let go. Let me go.”

After holding her, Achilleon grabbed both her arms and stared at her.

Both eyes, glowing bright blue in the moonlight, were just piercing through her. The beautifully disguised masks were of no use.

How did he know, what did he see? He said he would not come to the ball. Was she too careless? But it didn’t occur to her for a moment that if he went, he would recognize her all at once.

With her ankle injured and the man in front of her looking like he was about to bite her off, there was nothing she could do.

Hazel was as helpless as unclaimed prey.

Except just die. Other than denying what happened.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you don’t?”

He nodded and the corners of his eyes softened at Hazel’s reply. She could feel his eyes watching her somehow, but Hazel decided to go out shamelessly, which she had already done.

“Today….it’s the first time I’ve seen you.”

Her jaw was trembling, but Hazel managed to hold it together. Achilleon looked down at her, and an amused smile appeared on his face.

“It’s your first time, huh.”

His voice was suddenly low, and she could feel the heat in it. Hazel cowered in instinctive fear.

She knew.

She knew how a man who wrapped himself so appropriately and gracefully in public could change in the presence of a truly appetizing being.

So Hazel was even more afraid.

“We have to talk face to face to find out.”

He moved a little closer to where Hazel was sitting. His thick thighs pushed into the gap where she was trying to close her legs together.

Achilleon’s hand caught the tip of Hazel’s mask. His lips twisted cruelly at the sight of her shaking jaw.

“Oh, no.”

Hazel pleaded, holding on to his hand. But the mask was pushed up slowly. Only to the exact point where her lips were visible.

His dangerously shining blue eyes were fixed on her reddened lips that she bit it too much. Her half-open lips were quivering as if she was trying to say something.

Hazel couldn’t see a thing as the mask was raised and her vision was blocked. As soon as she raised her hand to pull down the mask, the man’s ragged breath entered her lips.

“Ugh. …..?”

Hazel resisted the sensation of his tongue as it was invading inside her mouth. Her whole body shook.

Achilleon sat up and lifted Hazel’s leg and pulled her towards him.

His other hand held Hazel’s head and held it tightly. Hazel could only whimper and sob.

Hazel ran out of strength. The man’s hand hugging her weak body was surprisingly gentle.

“Let me take it off for you.”

Hazel was horrified at the hand stroking the top of her mask.

“Please don’t. Please.”

It was hard to see what was going on. But she was helpless, because he was holding her body.

“Your Highness.”

At that moment, Achilleon turned around at the sound of someone calling him. The man opened the curtain a little and he had a bear mask on his face.

“Wait a moment.”

Leaving the man’s call behind, Achilleon looked down at Hazel.

He slowly withdrew his hand that was on the mask. Hazel hurriedly pulled down the mask and covered her lips, which he had just sucked so greedily.

As her vision opened up, she saw a man standing behind Achilleon. Achilleon waved his hand and the man turned his body away from them. Looking down at Hazel’s green eyes that were filled with fear, Achilleon smiled again.

“Shall we stop playing hide-and-seek?”

As he looked at Hazel, he saw Hazel’s chest heaving. Her skin, hot from what he had just done, looked more tempted and he was even more aroused. He went on and pressed his lips on her white neck.

“…!”

The skin was thin and fragile. The lips that lowered over it were hot and ruthless.

“…What are you doing…”

The man’s lips were like a beast as he sucked the flesh of her neck mercilessly. Hazel hit him madly against his actions as he bit into her skin this time.

The lips that had been lusting after her skin with all their might fell away. A trail of red marks like red flowers bloomed on her snow-white skin.

The breath exhaled by the man who had imprinted his mark on her like a seal spread around her neck. The place he had touched was hot, as if it had been burned by fire.

“What have you done?”

Hazel frowned as she looked at Achilleon. On the contrary, a refreshing, moonlit smile spread across the lips of the man who had devoured her. Achilleon raised his hand and gently swept Hazel’s earlobe.

‘I marked you.’

“I’ll let you go for now.”

The faint whisper made Hazel freeze in place. He was like a messenger who had come to warn her of her next death.

“…”

Hazel’s shallow breaths gently ruffled Achilleon’s fine hair.

The frightened image of herself was reflected in his blue eyes that could be seen through the hair that was hidden in front of his eyes. As if the mask meant nothing, her emotions were reflected in his eyes.

Then his hand came down from her earlobe and fiddled the ribbon that was adorned in the center of her dress as it rose and fell.

His hands were careful, like handling a fragile glass doll, but at the same time dangerous, like he was about to crumble it.

“But next time, you’ll take it off yourself.”

Hazel was frozen in front of his overflowing vigor.

“That mask, this dress.”