After finishing the meal, I returned to the room and rearranged the furnishings with Kay and Bella’s help.
“Which carpet do you think is better, this one or that one?”
“Oh, look. There’s even a tapestry like this.”
“Take a look at the bedding, too.”
The two of them stared at the things I brought out, their mouths hanging open.
“Where did you get all these things? They’re practically impossible to find even if you have the money….”
“I brought them from the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
“Wow… It seems His Highness the Crown Prince really likes you a lot, Lady Iserna. I mean… I really cherished you.”
Bella quickly corrected herself and glanced at Elhardt to gauge his reaction.
“……”
Elhardt merely helped arrange the items without saying much.
He had every reason to be displeased by things from the Crown Prince’s Palace, but he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
Perhaps he even realized that I had deliberately taken only expensive and valuable things to provoke the Crown Prince.
After taking Kay and Bella’s advice, the newly furnished room looked completely different.
“What do you think, Elhardt? Does this look dignified enough for a prince?”
I turned to him with a bright smile, and he answered with his face slightly flushed.
“If you’re satisfied, I’m happy with anything.”
“……”
“Oh….”
I was left speechless as I stared at him, and Bella let out an admiring gasp beside me.
“Is this the charm of a younger man?”
“…Are all younger men like that?”
“Actually, not at all.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
After all, the secret to making everything Elhardt said and did seem convincing lay in that face of his.
“Then, rest well.”
“Captain, you must remember what I said.”
“Yeah, I know.”
After sending Bella and Kay out, I began getting ready for bed, but I kept feeling someone’s eyes on me.
He’s staring again.
Whether I was drying my wet hair with a towel or pouring water from the kettle to drink, Elhardt would stop whatever he was doing and stare at me.
Earlier, he had even gone into the bathroom to wash up, only to come back out and check whether I was still in the room before going back inside.
I was reclining halfway against the bed, braiding my hair, when I suddenly stopped.
Hmm….
I really didn’t want to put it off any longer.
Not when I had no idea what might happen starting tomorrow.
“Elhardt.”
At my call, he set down his glass.
“Shall we continue what we were doing earlier?”
“……!”
He swallowed the water in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing heavily.
His expression is strange.
It was as if he were trying to suppress a cough—or perhaps holding his breath.
“Practice… you mean?”
I had no intention of ending things with mere practice, but I calmly nodded.
“Yeah.”
At my brief answer, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Elhardt stared at me in silence for a while.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…I’m curious.”
“About what?”
“What you’re thinking.”
I let out a small laugh and swept my single braid behind my back.
“Come here.”
At my beckoning gesture, Elhardt slowly walked over.
It wasn’t until he climbed onto the bed and came to stand in front of me that I realized one thing.
Unlike during the day, we were both dressed in thin nightclothes, which meant we would be able to feel each other’s body heat much more easily.
I stared at Elhardt.
He had only just finished washing, so his hair was still damp.
Even his eyelashes were wet, moving with each slow blink.
“You’re already turning red around the ears, and I haven’t even done anything.”
He unconsciously started to touch his ear, then stopped.
I caught his awkwardly suspended hand and pulled it toward me.
When I placed his palm against my cheek, I felt the intense heat radiating from it.
“What about me?”
I suddenly became curious and asked.
My own face felt rather warm, too.
“You’re redder than usual.”
“I feel a little hot, too….”
His body was so warm that it felt as though the heat was transferring to me.
Even after I removed my hand, he didn’t take his hand away from my cheek.
“Can I start?”
I could hear the tension in his slightly hoarse voice.
“You’re asking that in a situation like this?”
I answered with a soft laugh, and a faint smile appeared on his lips as well.
“I see.”
He slowly leaned toward me and lightly pressed his lips against mine.
He hasn’t even done anything, yet his breath is already this hot.
Seriously, what are you going to do?
I could see his wet lashes trembling slightly.
For some reason, the sight sent a strange ripple through the center of my chest.
This time, I was the one who pressed my lips against his first.
Our saliva-moistened lips brushed lightly against each other before quickly deepening into a kiss.
His tongue, which somehow felt even hotter than before, slipped into my mouth and gently sought out my tongue, intertwining with it.
With our growing experience, both of us had become accustomed to actively seeking what we wanted from each other.
His saliva tasted sweet, and wanting more, I sucked lightly on his tongue.
Why does this taste so good?
Was it because there was something about him that suited me?
Or was the taste of his saliva somehow connected to his mana scent?
I forgot that I was supposed to watch Elhardt’s expression and unconsciously pulled him closer.
“Mm….”
The kiss continued for a long time.
We separated and came together again, sucked on each other’s lips, gently rubbed them together without breaking contact, and then delved into each other once more.
The longer it continued, the more strangely I felt that something was missing.
The kissing felt unbelievably good, yet some kind of thirst remained completely unsatisfied.
Just as I shifted restlessly, unable to keep my body—which had grown as hot as Elhardt’s—still, I suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
It was because of his thigh pressed between my legs.
The vague sense of something missing that I had felt earlier suddenly became clear in that spot.
Was this it?
Something inside me tingled strangely.
Only when I pressed against his firm, hot thigh did that thirst seem to be briefly satisfied.
What should I do…?
Should I stop?
Or…
I don’t know.
I just wanted to find out a little more.
Carefully, very slowly, I pressed myself closer to him.
“……!”
An astonishingly thrilling sensation shuddered through my lower abdomen.
What is this? It feels so good…?
Once I had done it once, the second time wasn’t difficult.
Despite thinking that I should stop, my body moved of its own accord.
Very slowly.
Who knew such an unfamiliar sensation could be this addictive?
Once I started, it was difficult to stop.
My thoughts grew hazy with excitement.
Why am I doing this…?
It felt as though I were using his body to indulge in something secretive all by myself.
Had my actions aroused him?
His breathing grew heavier.
“…Ser.”
His voice sounded as though he were struggling to hold something back.
Perhaps he was trying to check how I was doing.
Or maybe he was warning me that this was dangerous.
I stared blankly up at him.
He looked down at me, his eyes filled with restrained desire.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
I knew what he meant.
His hand was resting on my waist.
I asked myself the same question.
Am I okay with this?
I didn’t know.
Everything was new to me, so I couldn’t tell whether I would be okay or not.
Then am I afraid?
Perhaps I was, at least a little, afraid that something inside me might change.
But I was just as curious.
Everything I had experienced for the first time because of Elhardt, beginning with kissing, felt indescribably good.
After thinking for a moment, I gave him a short answer.
“…Yeah.”
Everything was unfamiliar, but I didn’t want to run away.
Maybe if I take things a little further, like Kay said, kissing and things like that won’t feel like a big deal anymore.
I would be able to link arms with him naturally, kiss him, and smile while looking into his eyes without my face turning red.
Elhardt would be able to do the same.
I reached out and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I want to do more.”
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