Chapter 243 – Count Weddleton’s Mansion (1) Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan Just like that, Ishakan was lifting Leah into his arms to go see Count Weddleston. Behind him, Haban was stuffing the unconscious Byun Gyeongbaek into a sack and lifting it onto his back. “Wasn’t his head going to be cut off?” Genin asked. Leah shuddered. “Not now,” Haban replied, to Leah’s relief. “...I’m worried,” Genin muttered. “A fight between a couple is like cutting water with a knife...” Leah would have liked to hear more, but Ishakan suddenly interrupted them with a sharp command in Kurkan that she didn’t understand. Immediately, the Kurkans vanished, melting into the darkness. “We will visit the Count.” Ishakan began to move, carrying Leah in his arms as he explained what they would do. Under the moonlight, Leah was quickly absorbed in her thoughts. She had so many questions. She wanted to know what orders he had given the Kurkans, why they had been following Byun Gyeongbaek, and she wanted to tell him about the Toma woman she had met. The list of things she wanted to talk about kept growing. But she didn’t dare speak. The atmosphere was not welcoming. In spite of her curiosity, she lay silent in his arms until they reached the count’s residence. Count Weddleston’s mansion had large gardens in the front and the back, but all the plants were dead. Under the dead flowers, brown and dusty earth was exposed. Behind the barren gardens lay a magnificent mansion, but there was a curiously hushed atmosphere even with all the lights on. Leah gazed at the mansion, breathless. The mansion was just like the palace. “There are often Tomaris...in the count’s mansion,” murmured Ishakan, peering intently into the darkness. Tomaris who were denied entry to the palace were still welcomed at the count’s mansion. As if he were checking for something, Ishakan waited, and then began to move again. They saw no one as they entered the mansion. The inside was just as silent as the outside. Anyone might have wondered if there was anyone alive in the whole place. Silently, Ishakan set Leah down, and they walked together through long, empty corridors, with marble floors and wide windows. They should have let in light, but clouds covered the moon, and the house was filled with gloom. The soft sounds of their footsteps echoed through the corridors. Leah could see nothing but the wide back of the man in front of her, and her heart felt as heavy as if a stone hung from it. She hesitated for some time before she was able to speak. “Ishakan!” Silently, he turned to look down at her, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say. He looked at her, and somehow she knew he was staring at her lips. His eyes were fixed on them as she searched for something to say, and he watched her small tongue move, and stop. Leah’s face felt hot. Unconsciously, she closed her mouth and lowered her eyes, unable to speak. “......!” His powerful arms wrapped around her waist and a large hand seized the back of her neck. His sturdy body embraced hers. Abruptly, their lips were crushed together, and Leah had only a moment for a gasp of surprise. His golden eyes gleamed. Turning his head to one side, his tongue thrust into her mouth. She couldn’t close her eyes. His soft tongue ran over her lips with a soft, wet sound, and she felt a tingle below. Automatically, she squeezed her thighs together. “Hmm...” The moan escaped from deep in her throat, and the sound was so filled with pleasure it embarrassed her, but she couldn’t stop it. Her body shuddered. Her trembling fingertips ran down his back, and shyly, Leah embraced him. Ishakan moaned hoarsely at her touch. The sound excited her, crackling through her like she was kindling set in the midst of the flames, and she dug her nails into his back and kissed him with passion. She forgot everything else. Suddenly, everything around her was bright. It took a moment to realize it was not Ishakan. The moon that had been hidden behind dark clouds had come out, and was shining through the windows.