Author: alyalia

The smile faded from Luize’s face. This wasn’t unexpected. They had already crossed a line and confirmed each other’s feelings. But Luize knew the fleeting nature of emotions. Beautiful feelings faded more easily than expected.

 

Moreover, the current Edward was a twenty-year-old young man, and they hadn’t known each other long. He was a year younger than when she first fell for Reiad, so his lack of reserve in expressing emotions was understandable. At the same time, she feared that his feelings might be a momentary fascination or a playful whim, just as Reiad had been to her.

 

“Your feelings might be like a midsummer night’s dream in a foreign land.”

 

“I’ve searched for Miss Luize for far too long for it to be just that. Unfortunately, my feelings for you are a persistent reality that will surely trouble you.”

 

“Why would I be troubled by you, Elliot?”

 

“I intend to do whatever it takes to win Miss Luize’s heart.” He intertwined his fingers with Luize’s hand resting on his knee. “I will ensure that your ex-husband does not die in the process of reclaiming the throne. I don’t want your heart to be troubled.”

 

He continued, his gaze unwavering. “But that is the extent of my kindness. Allowing the man who treated you so poorly to live unharmed is exhausting my lifetime’s worth of generosity. Even my supposedly more generous future self would feel the same.”

 

“…Alright.”

 

Their gazes met closely.

 

“Elliot, or rather, Edward,” Luize began, taking a deep breath and speaking clearly. “He and I are completely over. I want you to know that I have not a shred of feeling left for him akin to what I feel for you.”

 

“Thank you for clarifying.”

 

Luize placed the rose on the nightstand and gently pulled their clasped hands. “Can you restrain yourself today as well?”

 

Their gazes tangled sharply in the air. After a moment’s silence, Edward spoke in a subdued voice. “I’ll try my best not to cross the final line.”

 

He rose from the chair and moved towards her. As her head tilted back, her lips parted naturally. Edward released their clasped hands and placed her hand on his waist, one hand on the bed and the other supporting the back of her head. Silver hair slipped through his fingers like silk as he deepened the kiss, entwining her tongue. Luize gripped the hem of his shirt tightly.

 

Edward had anticipated this outcome even before standing at her door. He had approached her room without making a sound and hesitated just before knocking for this reason. If his resolve weakened, he would turn back before knocking. He didn’t want her to think he sought only physical closeness. But today, he wanted to convey exactly what she meant to him beyond their impulsive kiss.

 

Edward had intended to return to his room after expressing his feelings clearly. If he felt he couldn’t restrain himself, he wouldn’t have knocked at all. But as he raised his hand to knock, Luize opened the door first. The firm resolve he had entered with crumbled with a single gesture from her. His patience was so feeble.

 

Mm…”

 

A soft voice reverberated through him. Edward wanted to consume all of her, her voice, her gaze, her breath, and her touch. He wished to fill her mind entirely with thoughts of him. He wanted his essence to be ingrained in every part of her. Did she realize how desperately he longed for her?

 

As their continuous movements left Luize breathless, she pushed against his chest. Edward pulled back slightly, his darkened eyes gazing at her.

 

Haa, haa, ha…

 

Her flushed face, her trembling violet eyes, and her heated breath.

 

“Elliot.”

 

She called his present self, not his future self, with a voice mingling with sighs and moans. Luize didn’t know how hearing his name from her lips stirred him. She shouldn’t know how much he envied his future self or the competitive feelings he harbored.

 

“I’m suffocating.”

 

The hand supporting the back of her head tightened. As she caught her breath, Edward clung to the last threads of his rationality, constantly reminding himself they were in a shabby inn room.

 

“… I’m suffocating too.” Edward leaned in again. So close their breaths mingled, he continued. “To the extent that I wouldn’t mind drowning in you like this.”

 

Then their lips met again.

 

Much later, Luize saw Edward off as he returned to his room.

 

“Miss Luize, your lips swell easily. Robin will scold you again.”

 

“At least Hendrik will admire it with a satisfied look. And you should think about whether you were too skilled and rough for your age instead of blaming my lips.”

 

“Considering my self-control is constantly tested, and the results are this good, it’s not bad.”

 

“I know that this isn’t the whole result.”

 

“…What I have left behind are my traces of patience and effort.”

 

Luize laughed softly. “Is that so? Goodnight.”

 

“Miss Luize.”

 

Chu. Edward leaned in to leave a brief kiss on her forehead before returning to his room.

 

Luize, with her face flushed like a peach, touched the spot where his lips had been and closed the door. She headed straight to the desk, picked up a small mirror, and checked her collarbone area.

 

“I can’t believe he left marks. It’s a good thing it’s winter.”

 

As their kiss deepened and the mood intensified, Edward’s lips moved from her cheek to her chin, then down her neck. The places where his lips touched radiated heat, making Luize grip his shirt tightly as her breath trembled. He had stopped just at her collarbone, leaving red marks where he had compromised.

 

She had only heard about or read about such marks. Did all lovers leave such traces as they loved each other?

 

“… It’s strange. Everything feels new.”

 

From the first time to even what wasn’t the first. With rosy cheeks, Luize put down the mirror and went to bed.

 

* * *

The next day, the members who had contacted the external team wrote on paper to ask if there was any special news, but there wasn’t. Robin and a few members set up a tent in the central square and treated those suffering from malnutrition and frostbite while the rest searched the village under Hendrik’s direction. Occasionally, villagers would peek curiously at them, quickly drawing the curtains and hiding if their eyes met.

 

Edward and Luize, after inspecting the village, headed towards the central square. Luize spoke with a puzzled expression. “If the paladins in plain clothes are guarding the village’s border, where have the lord’s knights gone? There don’t seem to be many patrolling the village either.”

 

“The lord offered to protect the paladins, so the knights declared they wouldn’t work while the paladins were in the village. Only the minimum personnel needed to protect the territory and the lord’s personal guard remain. The lord cautiously mentioned this to me just before leaving his castle.”

 

“I see. But there’s no protest or direct conflict.”

 

“They might avoid direct confrontation, fearing retribution when we return. There’s a superstition that neglecting those loved by God brings ruin.”

 

“It’s complicated. To me, they all look like the same people with different eye colors…”

 

As they neared the central square, they heard a commotion from afar. The square was crowded with people.

 

“Me too! My feet hurt!”

 

“Please save me. My whole body itches unbearably!”

 

“Even a sip of warm water! Please help!”

 

In their line of sight were busy members and Robin. Robin, with a more serious face than usual, was attending to patients, showing a skill that made it hard to believe he had once been a high priest.

 

“His movements show he’s experienced in the field. Have many members been injured?”

Table of Contents
Reader Settings
Font Size
Line Height
Font
Donation
Amount
alyalia

Ko-fi Ko-fi

Comments (0)