Chapter 9
Elegant Power
Ivan wiped the spilled alcohol from his chin with the sleeve of his priestly robe, his expression sour.
“Is there a way to avoid being intimate with my husband?”
Even the memory of the question sent a shiver down his spine. He muttered under his breath, half-joking but entirely exasperated, “Can I take back what I said? I retract my promise to do anything for you, my lady.”
Liliette raised her head slowly, her eyes unfocused as if she were staring into a distant, unseen horizon. Her cheeks were flushed a deep pink, reminiscent of azalea petals.
“Oh dear, now I see two of you, Father Ivan,” she murmured, swaying slightly.
“That would make the world twenty times more delightful,” Ivan replied dryly. “You mentioned you took a bath, but I’d rather not hear the rest of that story, so spare me.”
