Chapter 82 I Like You, Duke
His grip didn't loosen. Not even an inch. He stared, eyes narrowed, hunting for a lie in every blink of my lashes. His scent, was suffocating me, scrambling my brains.
"Still want to lie, Ilse?" His voice was low, dangerous. "Julian Vance is a stiff bastard who doesn't even have female friends. You think I'm stupid enough to believe you went there for family business? What's your game? Are you two conspiring?"
My heart was going crazy. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. If he went and checked with Julian, everything I'd built would go up in flames.
Julian would panic if he got caught seeing Gisella, and if Claus found out Julian was close to her... it'd be game over. I had no other choice. Time to play my craziest card.
I sucked in a breath, meeting his eyes with the most desperate look I could fake.
"I'm not planning anything with him," I said, voice trembling. "I... I just want to be close to you."
Claus went still. His grip on my waist loosened, just a fraction, but he didn't let go.
"I like you, Duke," I forced out. The words tasted like ash in my mouth, ridiculous, pathetic but I had to say it.
"I didn't go to Julian to conspire. I went for... advice. I know he's a stiff, boring guy with zero sense of humor. Exactly like you. I figured if I learned how to deal with someone like Julian, I'd know how to get close to you. Maybe finally fix all the shit I caused in the past."
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, letting the lie hang in the air. "I was just confused. You're so out of reach. So I looked for a reference, someone with a character like yours. That's all."
I looked down, scared to face his reaction. I was gambling on his ego. I knew he'd never ask Julian about this. How could a Duke go to his subordinate and be like, 'Hey, did Ilse come to you to learn how to seduce me?' It would kill his pride.
Silence. The carriage rattled on, but time felt like it froze.
I heard Claus let out a long breath. He didn't let go of my waist, but he shifted. He pulled his face back, frowning so hard it looked painful. His military brain, used to war strategies, was probably short circuiting trying to process the absolute trash logic I'd just spewed.
He looked at me like I was the strangest creature on earth.
"You..." his voice caught. He look wasn't angry anymore, just... stunned. "You're comparing me to Julian? That boring knight?"
He leaned in again, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips.
"I'm cooler than him, Ilse. Way cooler."