Lady Class - Chapter 26

“What do you mean? There are servants here.”

Though he wasn’t a noble, Bowil, as the eldest son of a wealthy gentry family, had never been treated as an unwelcome guest anywhere. His face turned red with humiliation.

But his opponent was a duke.

If he acted out on his temper and raised his voice against the duke, and word of it reached his father, Sir Solomon, the consequences would be severe. Sir Solomon was a man who valued reputation above all else and was always strict with his children.

When Bowil failed to respond immediately, Kahn slowly blinked, his gaze fixed sharply on him.

“Won’t you cooperate, Bowil Solomon?”

“…You do realize that this is quite an unreasonable request. But since it’s a request from the Duke, I suppose I have no choice but to comply.”

As Bowil stood up, still unwilling to give up, he asked nonchalantly,

“But are you really staying here alone? Don’t you need a woman?”

Kahn’s expression remained impassive as he responded coldly,

“Must I answer such a question from a man without a title?”

As Bowil clenched his teeth tightly, Kahn smirked in amusement.

***

“I’m back.”

Rackley’s voice was bright as she returned to the villa.

As expected from the letter, Kahn had anticipated that the gigolo would be arriving at the Solomon family villa within a day or two. Since there was a chance the gigolo might come looking for Rackley at the Harverden villa, he had sent her outside.

Knowing she liked fishing, he thought raspberry picking might suit her taste as well, so he had sent her with Maggie. Fortunately, her voice sounded cheerful.

“There were so many raspberries that I was completely absorbed in picking them! Maggie’s specialty is raspberry pie, and she promised to make one for dinner.”

Following her chatter, Kahn entered the kitchen. Rackley was washing her hands, her fingertips stained red.

The picnic basket she had brought back was brimming with raspberries.

The scent was so sweet that his brow unconsciously furrowed.

He had sent her out just to pass the time, yet she had returned after throwing herself into serious work—so very like her.

“Are you going to turn all of these into pies?”

“We’re going to make raspberry preserves tomorrow. Maggie makes all the preserved fruits for desserts herself. She doesn’t use sugar but natural sweeteners from grains, so it’s easier on the stomach. Since they’ll soften by tomorrow, we picked as many as we could today.”

Her face was beaming with excitement. She had clearly enjoyed herself. As she placed some raspberries onto a small plate, presumably to eat right away, Kahn moved to stand beside her.

His hand naturally wrapped around her waist. Rackley cast a wary glance at Maggie, who had her back turned, but she didn’t reject his touch.

“They’re well-ripened?”

“There’s plenty, so go ahead and eat.”

“Ah.”

Kahn opened his mouth, silently demanding to be fed.

“…Eat it yourself.”

“My hands will get stained.”

Glancing at Maggie again, Rackley seemed to decide that it was better to just give in and get it over with. She obediently picked up a raspberry and placed it in his mouth.

His red tongue flicked out, briefly licking the tip of her fingers before pulling back.

“Ngh.”

Kahn rolled the raspberry around in his mouth before crushing it between his teeth with a soft pop.

“Another.”

His voice dropped lower. Rackley hesitated for a moment before picking up another raspberry and feeding it to him.

“Kahn? Is something wrong?”

Maggie turned around, and as her gaze met Kahn’s, he subtly tilted his head—signaling her to leave. Once Maggie exited the kitchen, the tension drained from Rackley’s shoulders. Since he was holding her from behind, he could feel the subtle shift in her posture.

“There’s something I need to confirm with you.”

Her hair carried a scent he liked. After wandering through the forest, a faint layer of sweat had mixed with her natural fragrance. As he buried his face in her hair, the turmoil within him settled slightly.

“Who was the one who introduced you to this?”

“Irina. Irina Solomon. You haven’t met her?”

“The client never reveals their name.”

“She lent me this villa so I could rest. She mentioned preparing a gift, but I never imagined it would be a ‘lady’s training class.’”

Kahn’s arm tightened around her waist. He could feel her heartbeat pounding against him.

He brought his lips close to her ear.

“Do you have someone you’re seeing? A fiancé?”

“No. If I had a fiancé, I wouldn’t be involved in something like this with you.”

“But ‘lady’s training’ is usually for brides-to-be, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t go through with something like this under false pretenses. I don’t have a fiancé yet.”

“What about Bowil Solomon?”

When he spoke the name, Rackley’s smile faded. She tensed up.

She tried to turn around to face Kahn, but he kissed the spot beneath her ear, stopping her movement. He knew that if she looked at him, he would end up pressing her for an explanation, and he didn’t want that.

“Irina’s older brother? You know him?”

“Ah, well, by chance. Are you close with him?”

“He’s Irina’s brother, so I greet him when we run into each other, nothing more. Why do you ask?”

She was uncomfortable talking about him.

Logically, the virtuous Rackley and the notorious rake Bowil Solomon were not a fitting match.

But Irina was between them.

No one could predict what might happen between a man and a woman. Bowil was skilled at charming women and attracting their interest—perhaps Rackley had been drawn to him as well.

Kahn clenched his teeth.

Is she lying?

“Kahn, you’re holding me too tight.”

Noticing the tension in his arms, Rackley lightly patted them, trying to turn around. She cupped his cheek in her hands.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Her concerned expression looked sincere. The warmth of her small hands against his face made him want to lean into them. Her small, delicate body felt so soft in his arms that he never wanted to let go.

But the thought that this, too, might just be a carefully crafted act, like with other women, left him feeling both cold and angry.

There was nothing between them. Rackley didn’t even know who he really was.

She claimed to have no fiancé, yet she was undergoing lady’s training in preparation for marriage.

From the start, this had been about breaking through the facade of her supposed purity.

You’re no different from all the other deceitful women.

Yet now, the thought that she might have another man infuriated him. The situation made him angry, and his own reaction to it irritated him even more.

“It’s nothing. I was just worried since you didn’t return for a while.”

Kahn loosened his arms and stepped away from her. He cupped her cheek, tilting his head down toward her. As their breaths mingled, Rackley instinctively closed her eyes.

“You must be tired from wandering the woods. Get some rest tonight.”

But his lips never touched hers.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Kahn’s back as he walked out of the kitchen.

Blushing, Rackley turned her gaze to the raspberries instead.

Kahn left the kitchen and called for Roy.

“Go quietly to the Solomon villa tonight. Check if the blond man is still there.”

“Shall I just observe from a distance?”

“No, ask him directly. If he’s still there, tell him Kahn Lascarton wants to know when he plans to leave. That should serve as a proper warning.”

Kahn, who had been speaking casually earlier, now took on the formal tone of a noble. Roy glanced toward the kitchen. Even though he understood Roy’s concern, Kahn’s voice remained cold.

“If he’s still there by midday tomorrow, tell him I’ll be visiting in person.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I might as well go for a short ride. Prepare a horse.”

“I’ll get it ready.”

Kahn couldn’t wait. He followed Roy outside. He felt uneasy, as though he couldn’t trust himself if he stayed near Rackley any longer.

As he stepped out of the entrance, the thick, humid air wrapped around him.

I shouldn’t have stopped her.

He had caught Rackley on a whim.

He never should have stopped her from leaving that day.

Regret always came too late.

***

“Now that I think about it, today marks the seventh day.”

Rackley realized that it had been seven days since she arrived at the villa.

As she washed raspberries with Maggie, she found herself wondering why Kahn had seemed so irritable earlier. That’s when she remembered the contract.

Before starting lessons with Kahn, he had told her he would stay at the villa for seven days.

“Oh… I see.”

The contract was over.

Kahn had been by her side because of money. She hadn’t forgotten that, but suddenly, she became acutely aware of it again.

Had she been avoiding that thought because he had treated her like a lover?

A cold breeze seemed to blow through her chest. Even though she had always known this was temporary, she still felt a pang of disappointment. She had thought of it as a lesson, just like he had.

“It’s time to end this.”

She told herself it was for the best, yet a bitter taste lingered. Since the contract was ending, it was better to wrap things up—for both Kahn’s sake and her own.

Over the past seven days, Rackley had prepared herself to accept reality. In truth, she had been so preoccupied with Kahn that she hadn’t given much thought to Count Winner or Rowinda.

Even if she married and had a husband, it was unlikely she would ever experience the same pleasure Kahn had given her.

That moment when she lost herself in pure sensation—the euphoria of climax.

It had been her first time, but she didn’t believe every man could make a woman feel something so intense.

Only Kahn could.

Because it was him.

Only that man could bring her such pleasure.

Rackley pulled the raspberries from the water and took off her apron.

“Maggie, will you be okay finishing this on your own?”

Maggie smiled and nodded. Returning her smile, Rackley left for her bedroom and opened her travel bag. She began sorting through her belongings, separating what she would take with her and what she would leave as gifts.

“The sleeping pills don’t work well, so I’ll throw them out. This lace… I’ll give it to Maggie.”

She gathered what she needed to discard. Since it wasn’t appropriate to give Roy women’s belongings, she decided to leave him a floral corsage instead.

While picking raspberries, Rackley had noticed that Roy’s gaze never left Maggie. It seemed like he had feelings for her. Perhaps after Rackley left, she could ask Roy to give the corsage to Maggie as a gift.

“Brand, will I be able to use the carriage tomorrow morning? I’d like to go into town.”

“I’ll have Roy prepare it for you.”

“Thank you.”

Until dinner, Rackley remained in her room under the excuse of organizing her bags. After returning from horseback riding, Kahn didn’t seek her out either.

Even without being in the same space, a subtle tension lingered between them. She was avoiding him, but he was also avoiding her.

At the call for dinner, she entered the dining room. When Kahn saw her, he smiled—but quickly looked away. The man who always met her gaze with a knowing smirk and subtle glances…

Rackley placed a bottle of wine from the capital on the table. Recognizing the label, Kahn’s eyes lit up.

“Didn’t expect to see this wine here.”

“It’s Valiant wine from the Lascarton Duchy. I took it from the wine cellar at the estate and forgot about it. Let’s share it.”

“Sounds good.”

Even nobles only drank this wine on special occasions, yet Kahn unhesitatingly uncorked the bottle, bringing it to his nose to inhale the aroma. As he slowly closed his eyes, his dark, thick eyelashes cast a shadow beneath them.

“It’s aged well.”

His fingers, as he savored the scent, moved with effortless elegance. His mannerisms were refined, yet his well-trained body exuded raw strength.

Rackley took in every detail of him. Even if he weren’t a gigolo, he was the kind of man who would stand out anywhere.

Kahn poured the wine and slid a glass toward her. In return, Rackley took out a small pouch and placed it in front of him.