Chapter 61 Call Me Darling
In Alaric's room, Cecilia stood under the bright crystal chandelier, her silhouette magnified by the glistening lights. Alaric moved closer, his presence imposing yet alluring. Cecilia instinctively leaned back, her eyes wary.
“If you’re uncomfortable, forget it,” Alaric said, his tone indifferent as he lowered his hands.
Cecilia exhaled deeply. Alaric had a knack for getting under her skin. “Could you please hurry up?” she demanded, her patience waning.
Alaric smirked, a devilish glint in his eyes.
People said women were attracted to bad boys. No, Cecilia reasoned, she could never fall for a playboy like Alaric.
She held her breath as Alaric closed the distance again, his hands grazing her wedding dress.
Cecilia waited, feeling a mixture of anticipation and frustration.
Alaric’s fingers fumbled with the intricate buttons, his hands lingering a bit too long.
"Alaric, do you even know how to take off this wedding dress?" Cecilia’s impatience was palpable.
Alaric’s mischievous smile broadened. “There’s no clothes I can’t take off,” he replied, locking eyes with her, “especially yours.”
Cecilia’s heart raced. For a fleeting moment, she expected him to say “especially a woman’s,” but his words carried a personal touch—“especially yours.” Though the meaning was almost identical, coming from Alaric, it felt distinctly different to Cecilia.
Alaric was undoubtedly an expert in the art of seduction. His flirting was masterful. Cecilia, still smarting from her deceived relationship with Dominic, felt woefully out of her depth with Alaric. She remained silent, deliberately maintaining her distance.
Suddenly, the first layer of her dress slipped off. Cecilia was taken aback; she hadn’t even noticed how Alaric managed it. “How did you undo it?” she asked, disbelief etched on her face.
"Kiss me, and I'll tell you," Alaric said bluntly.
Cecilia cursed Alaric in her mind, frustration mingling with reluctant admiration.
Alaric proceeded to help with the second layer. This one took a bit more effort but came off as well.
The third layer remained. “I’ll do this one myself,” Cecilia declared, grabbing Alaric’s hand to stop him.
She was down to the last layer and had no intention of letting Alaric see her naked.
"Are you sure?" Alaric asked, eyebrow raised.
"There's only one layer left. I'll take it off myself," Cecilia insisted.
She bent down to pick up the luxurious wedding dress from the floor, intending to leave.
"Leave it. I'll have Finley clean it up later," Alaric said.
Cecilia paused, then nodded. She doubted Alaric would let her keep such an expensive dress.
She quickly said, "I'll take off this last layer and bring it to you later."
With a smirk, Alaric warned, "To prevent you from seducing me again, I have to remind you. The wedding dresses designed by the Yakurosean Empire are never meant to be taken off by the bride herself. If you don't believe me, you can try."
What did he mean by seducing? How had she seduced him?
Cecilia glared at Alaric, skepticism in her eyes. She didn't believe a word he said. However, by the look on his face, Alaric didn't seem to be lying.
Cecilia didn't want to keep meeting him in the middle of the night, so she hesitated for a moment before attempting to undo the final layer of her dress. After a significant struggle, she still couldn't find a way to remove it.
"Where is it?" Cecilia’s voice brimmed with mounting frustration.
"Under your arm."
She spotted the knot nestled inconveniently beneath her arm and fumbled to undo it, cursing the impractical design of the wedding dress in her mind. ‘Who on earth designed this damned wedding dress?’
The awkward placement made it nearly impossible to use both hands. Her one-handed attempts were fruitless and increasingly exasperating. With her teeth clenched in fury, Cecilia’s efforts were getting nowhere. Meanwhile, Alaric stood before her, observing her struggle with a bemused, almost appreciative expression.
After what felt like an eternity, she relented. “Alaric, I need your help.”
“Aren't you going to give it another shot?” Alaric didn’t budge; instead, he crossed his arms, his interest piqued by her irritation.
"No need."
His amusement yielded, Alaric unfolded his arms and moved closer. In front of him, Cecilia’s anger manifested in the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Swallowing hard and attempting his patience to its limits, Alaric maintained a composed demeanor while he deftly worked to undo the stubborn knot.
"Don't look!" Cecilia quickly covered Alaric’s eyes and he momentarily froze.
He knew, of course, that with the built-in padding to avoid unsightly straps, Cecilia was standing bare before him, without a bra, her skin meeting the cool air unimpeded. Despite the physical barrier of her hands over his eyes, Alaric’s grin widened, savoring her obvious discomfort.
"Can you close your eyes?" Cecilia implored.
"What do you think?"
"Alaric, can you be a gentleman?" Her voice quivered on the brink of tears.
In truth, having been reborn, Cecilia didn’t mind Alaric seeing her naked. But given the choice, she preferred to maintain some semblance of modesty.
“If I weren’t a gentleman, you wouldn’t just be standing in my room; you’d be horizontalling in my bed,” he remarked nonchalantly.
“Please, can you just not look?” Her tone had softened to a near-cajole, hung with a hint of desperation. Unwittingly, her vulnerability added a tempting lilt to her voice.
"In one condition, I won't look."
Cecilia’s simmering fury ignited. Alaric was truly insufferable.
"Call me darling,” he teased.
"Alaric!" Cecilia’s indignation spiked.
“I’m perfectly fine if our wedding night pauses here indefinitely,” Alaric countered, a hint of threat lacing his tone.
She could’ve throttled him right then. "Aren't there enough women calling you that?"
"But none of them are who I want to hear it from,” Alaric shot back, without missing a beat.
Time seemed to crawl, Alaric not pressuring her but merely standing there, unmoving, his eyes covered by her increasingly fatigued hands. Height discrepancy brought another layer of struggle; even in heels, she strained to maintain her reach.
Finally, with a dry swallow, she whispered, “Darling.”
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