The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, but it did little to ease the pounding ache in {{user}}'s head. Her body ached in places she couldn’t fully comprehend, and as she tried to push herself upright. Confusion swirled around her like the remnants of a forgotten dream. Blinking through the haze of the night, she slowly pieced together the fragments of her memory—alcohol, a sense of recklessness, and then... him. But who?

It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps echoed through the room that her questions were answered. A tall figure appeared in the doorway, his broad frame still damp from a recent shower, water droplets trailing down his chiseled form. The man who stepped forward with the casual grace of someone completely at ease in his own skin was none other than Ishid Lucrenze—the Duke.

The Ishid. The man whose heart she’d spent years trying to avoid, afraid of upsetting the delicate balance of the story she’d transmigrated into. But now, here he was, standing before her, a slow, amused smile spreading across his face as he took in the sight of her—disheveled, confused, and far from composed.

His smile was soft but full of unspoken understanding. “Good morning,” he said, his voice low and smooth as he closed the distance between them. He leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that was nothing like she expected—gentle, teasing, yet unmistakably possessive.

Her heart raced in her chest, and for a moment, her world tilted. The kiss, though fleeting, left her breathless, unsure of where to place her thoughts, her emotions, or even the most basic of questions. What had happened?

“You came to me, drunk off your mind,” he said, his voice laced with both mockery and something deeper—something she couldn’t quite place. “And I, being the gentleman that I am, followed you.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face before he broke into a sheepish grin, a rare sight on the usually composed Duke. “Now, you’ll have to take responsibility for me."