Chapter 360: Problems |
There had always been a dangerous vein to Grace’s existence. It often wasn’t a direct, physical threat, but Liam had still felt it, as if he were a prey in the eyes of a hungry predator.
Things had gotten more physical during the previous scolding, but even that had been incomparable to what Liam experienced now. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his life was in danger.
"You," Grace said, speaking slowly, her words matching her steps toward Liam, "Have a lover?"
"Yes?" Liam replied. It was the truth, but some instinctive part of him told him that he had committed a mistake.
Grace arrived in front of Liam, leaning forward while he pressed himself against the wall. She smiled, but there was no happiness to be found in that expression, especially since she reached for the sword in the meantime.
The sword left the wall, and Grace lowered it, placing it between Liam’s legs, its tip scraping against that surface as she lifted it until it touched his groin.
"I should make you an eunuch for cheating on me," Grace threatened, standing on her toes to lean toward Liam’s face, before suddenly turning, pulling her sword with her.
Liam gulped, following Grace’s distancing back, one hand going to his groin. There was a cut in his robe, but nothing had bled.
Grace snorted, storing the sword and crossing her arms, tapping her finger, but refusing to look back at Liam.
Grace showed her back to Liam again, reviewing that unforeseen issue. She had never thought she could experience such fury, but cool heads prevailed, sort of.
Grace actually hadn’t discovered much. Her deduction had come from vague rumors, the clues Liam had shown, and what her instincts had stitched together. Even then, she had needed that trick question to receive confirmation.
It had been Liam’s reaction to expose him, not Grace’s knowledge.
Nevertheless, even with the little Grace knew, she could picture the scene. To be fair, things wouldn’t change even without that additional effort.
At least to the world, Liam had been a nine-spiritual-roots genius and an alchemist. That combination was immensely popular everywhere in the Kingdom.
Liam probably had hordes of women throwing themselves at him. If anything, it was strange he didn’t have a harem following him around.
Now, jealousy wasn’t rational, but Grace could somewhat accept Liam having past experiences. Yet, Liam considered himself to still be in a relationship, which was a multilayered problem.
A harem would have been easier to deal with. Grace knew Liam. He was serious about that stuff. He had been like that with her to an extreme when their relationship was still basically new. So, it stood to reason that he reserved his lover the same treatment, if not more.
’How does he reconcile that with never leaving me?’ Grace cursed internally. ’Is he secretly a womanizer? Am I getting swindled?’
Grace threw another glare at Liam, longer this time, feeling even angrier at his clueless expression. Sadly, that wasn’t an act. Grace was confident she could handle a womanizer, but that man was genuine.
’What now?’ Grace wondered, her greed giving birth to a chilling feeling that already acted as an answer.
So what if Liam had a lover? She wasn’t there, while Grace was, and matters of love were always known to leave someone hurt. Liam already belonged to Grace for life anyway. She simply had to make him understand that point.
Besides, if the so-called lover truly didn’t want anyone to steal Liam, she should have gone with him. She should have undertaken that dangerous journey at his side, but she had lost that chance.
That place belonged to Grace now. She was the one at Liam’s side. She was the one he was sharing his journey with. They were and would be together in ways that the so-called lover would never be able to match.
’The lover isn’t the problem,’ Grace considered. ’He is. Do I just take him? He is mine anyway.’
The reasoning made sense, but Grace ended up looking away, blushing.
’He is the one who cheated,’ Grace scoffed internally, convincing herself to avoid facing her own shyness. ’He should make it up to me by taking the first step.’
Still, continuing like the two were doing wasn’t enough anymore now that the lover variable had appeared. All of Grace’s merchant instincts told her that she had to be more aggressive and force Liam to assume an active role.
"Sit," Grace ordered as soon as the idea appeared in her mind.
"Can you tell me what’s happening first?" Liam questioned.
"Master William," Grace tsked dramatically, finally turning, approaching Liam while wearing one of her dangerous smiles. "What did I tell you about creditors? If I come collecting, you comply."
The danger was there, but Liam felt some reassurance. It seemed Grace had set aside the anger from the lack of communication and had gone back to her usual self.
However, as soon as Liam sat, he saw legs preventing him from crossing his. He looked up, noticing how Grace had stopped right in front of him, elegantly reaching for her bun, unfolding it to let her brown hair fall.
Liam couldn’t control what he felt at that scene, and things soon worsened. Grace calmly turned, using her iconic elegance to sit right between Liam’s legs. They weren’t on each other. Nothing touched, but they remained extremely close.
And then, Liam saw a familiar item peek past Grace’s shoulder. She was giving him her comb.
"Brush my hair," Grace requested, not even bothering to mention the nonexistent debt.
"I’ve never done that," Liam warned.
Grace wore a small smile. Her real investigation about Liam had yet to start, but she was already claiming his firsts.
"You’ll need a lot of practice then," Grace stated. "William, I was meant to be a princess with family, servants, and even a prince. I only have you, so you’ll have to fill in for all those roles."
Liam just chuckled, seizing the comb, before having to face the reality of the situation. That predicament was even more intimate than earlier, and some of Grace’s strands were past her shoulders, meaning he would have to reach for them to brush them.
The vicinity didn’t help at all. Grace’s back was right there, including her warmth, scent, and much of what Liam’s superhuman senses could guess.
But before Liam could move, Grace threw her head back, rubbing it on his chest to ruffle her hair on purpose.
"I could never act spoiled, either," Grace giggled, glancing back. "So, spoil me."
Grace was truly having fun. She never had a childhood after all. She had been busy migrating and watching her faction shrink to just her, but Liam’s arrival had allowed her to catch up to that experience.
As for that not being the time to flirt, Grace’s priorities had shifted after learning about the lover. Also, the two could brief each other in the meantime. That was the definition of mixing business with pleasure.
Still, it was now Grace’s time to get more than she had bargained for. Her childish gesture had brought her a bit closer, causing a reaction that poked at her lower back.
Grace immediately turned, lowering her head, the math not adding up in her shy mind, producing a simple conclusion. ’That’s another big problem.’