I Became the Obsessed Ex-Husband in a Romance Fantasy Chapter 148 - Read Online

Translated Chapter 148. Side Story - Required Major Course (3) Eventually, Rose's hand began to secretly and boldly trail up the inside of my thigh. “…!” I sucked in a breath and stiffened like a stone. We were in a lecture hall where the professor was droning on about mana formulas at the chalkboard, and students all around me were engrossed in taking notes. It was a dizzying situation where even the slightest twist of my body or a single sound would immediately draw every eye in the room. “…….” I clenched my teeth and swallowed the moan threatening to escape. Rose's touch was merciless. She grabbed and kneaded the muscles of my thigh before relentlessly moving toward a more dangerous area. A tingling, arousing pleasure crawled down my spine. “…….” It was all I could do to keep from making a sound through my lips. I tensed my entire body and endured it. Eventually, Rose's fingertips reached a precarious spot. Then, she stroked over the fabric of my pants as if weakly flicking it. A flash of sparks burst in my head, and my vision blurred. Right in the middle of a sacred Academy lecture hall, I had helplessly succumbed to arousal from a mere touch of Rose's hand. “…….” Only then did Rose pick up the quill pen that had fallen to the floor and elegantly raise herself back up to her desk as if nothing had happened. “Here you go.” Rose handed me the quill pen and flashed a bright smile. With a clear sense of victory shimmering in her eyes. “Your pen is quite long, and very stiff.” Rose whispered, only moving her lips. I couldn't even think of a reply; I had to wipe my flushed face with my hand. And until the class ended, I couldn't bring myself to stand up from my seat even once. ** The massive outdoor sparring arena of the Academy's Swordsmanship Department. Kka-gang! Kkaang! Heavy sounds of cutting wind and sharp metallic clangs sliced through the hot air, tangling into a chaotic din. It was practical sparring time for the Swordsmanship Department students. Though there were safety rules, such as using blunt wooden swords instead of real blades and avoiding lethal vital points... The heat of the sand and dust-filled arena was as tense as a real battlefield. “Ha-at!” “Heup!” It was early autumn, but the midday sun was still scorching. Under the blazing sun, sweat quickly beaded on the foreheads of the students who were gasping for breath and ceaselessly swinging their swords, dripping down their chins. “Waaaah!” “Whoa! Did you see that move just now?!” Students from other departments passing by outside the arena fence gathered in small groups, watching with excited faces. Exclamations and gasps of awe erupted every time heavy wooden swords dangerously grazed each other's shoulders or narrowly missed like a bolt of lightning. And this time, it was my turn. Kkaang! Feigning a sloppy lower guard, I lightly deflected the wooden sword that flew toward my torso. Then, using the rebound from the deflection, I halted the tip of my sword right in front of my opponent's chin. “Keuk……!” The student I had been sparring with froze on the spot. Only moving his eyes, he shifted his gaze back and forth between the blade aimed as if to pierce his throat and my unruffled face. “Stop! That's enough!” The supervising professor, who was acting as the referee, hurriedly raised his hand. Without hesitation, I withdrew the wooden sword I had aimed at my opponent's throat. “As expected of a Schumichel…!” “Incredible!” The Swordsmanship Department students, who were surrounding the arena in layers, shot gazes filled with admiration. “Haa, haa……. That was a good match.” He could have been humiliated by being so completely defeated in front of a crowd, but my opponent instead smiled as if he were relieved. “I heard you took a leave of absence, but your skills haven't rusted at all?” “I didn't have the time to let them rust.” “I learned a lot from this. It was an honor.” With a cheerful and respectful attitude, my opponent offered his sweaty hand. I lightly shook it, then turned away without any lingering attachments. “Huu…….” A short sigh leaked out. After all, what they taught in this greenhouse-like Academy was merely the common basic swordsmanship used by the kingdom's knights. They didn't teach the lethal, proprietary swordsmanship secretly passed down within each noble family, nor the secret techniques used in life-or-death situations. In today's match, I had merely displayed a tiny fraction of the Schumichel family's practical swordsmanship, lightly showing movements that were almost purely reflexes. My opponent seemed to have realized that I didn't go all out and had simply matched his level. ‘How boring.’ It was a rule where one had to focus on subduing the opponent without injuring them, rather than going for the kill. Compared to real combat in the flesh-piercing blizzards of the North, where I had danced on the borderline of life and death while severing the breaths of monsters, this was dull enough to make me yawn. “Haa.” I wiped the light sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and stepped out beyond the arena fence. “Kya! Your Excellency!” “E-Excuse me! I brought a clean towel……!” “Please have some water! I cast a freezing spell on it, so it's nice and cold!” Female students from other departments who had been watching outside the fence swarmed over like a hive of bees. Stiff, fragrant, high-quality towels and cold glass water bottles were shoved right into my face. I could feel their passionate determination to somehow catch my eye. ‘How bothersome.’ My brow instinctively furrowed. This was something I had experienced ad nauseam since my very first year at the Academy. Among them, there were even those who spilled water on my shirt while pretending to hand me a bottle, or those who feigned a misstep and tried to fall into me. “…….” With an expressionless face, I walked past them without a word. I needed to wipe off my sweat and go eat lunch. ‘I promised to meet Rose in front of the cafeteria.’ Just as I quickened my pace to meet Rose... “Honey.” A cool, haughty voice rang out clearly. “……!” I reflexively raised my head. Beyond the crowd, far off beneath a tree, I saw Rose standing with her hands neatly clasped together. “……Rose.” Rose was smiling brightly at me. But within that seemingly perfect smile, there was a crack. Her lips were drawn in a soft curve, but her crescent-shaped green eyes were as cold as a snake's. “……!” “Ah, the Duchess…….” The female students who had been trying to cling to me froze as if struck by lightning. An obvious disparity in power. And they had been completely overtaken by the short but merciless claim of ownership that Rose had spat out: “Honey.” Ttok, ttok. Rose approached with elegant but relentless steps, holding the hem of her skirt. With a gaze rippling like a swamp fixed entirely on me. Seeing her like that, I realized. ‘She had been here all along.’ Rose had intentionally stayed back and waited for the right moment. To show that she was in a completely different league than the amateurish female students flocking around me and squealing. To display that with just a single word, “Honey,” she could fix my gaze entirely on her. “You sweated a lot.” Rose, who had reached my side, flashed a sweet smile and pulled out a high-quality silk handkerchief. She gripped both ends of the handkerchief tightly with both hands, then without warning, whipped it around the back of my neck. Then, she violently yanked the handkerchief toward herself. “……!” It was like leashing a wild beast and yanking it by the throat. It was an audacious attitude to dare use on me, the pinnacle of power within the kingdom and a Schumichel. I heard the sound of people around us gasping for breath. However. “Yeah.” Without resisting even once, I willingly allowed myself to be pulled down by the strength of Rose's grip. And, meeting her gaze as she looked up at me, I obediently lowered my head toward her. “Wipe it for me, Rose.” Like a wild beast that only obediently yields its side to a single master, wagging its tail in submission. “…Good work.” A victor's smile spread across Rose's lips. Eventually, Rose reached out and began wiping away the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead and chin. It was an infinitely affectionate and delicate touch, but in truth, this act was tantamount to declaring in front of everyone, “This man is mine, so don't you dare try anything.” “What am I going to do with you? I can't let my guard down for a second.” Rose stood on her tiptoes, pressing herself closely against me, and whispered. “It's really annoying. I want to gouge out all those girls' eyeballs.” Her voice, engraved with coldly forged rage and fiercely boiling jealousy, had sunk so deep it sent shivers down my spine. “Rose.” Rather than shamefully making excuses to prove my innocence, I grabbed Rose by the waist and pulled her in. Chok. And I firmly pressed my lips against her forehead. “Gasp……!” “Heo-eong…….” Despairing laments erupted from the female students who had gathered around with vain hopes. Some covered their mouths, while others became teary-eyed and hastily turned their heads away. Their shattered illusions were none of my business. “If I'm guilty of anything, my only crime would be being too exceptional.” I pulled my lips away from Rose's forehead and smiled faintly. A clean, refreshing smile, as if I had not the slightest regret, as if I had never once done anything that required me to beg for her forgiveness. “…….” Rose flushed and shot me a coy, disgruntled glare. But the jealousy that had been boiling in Rose's eyes had already vanished without a trace. All that remained behind was an unquenchable thirst. “…Are you hungry? Follow me.” Finally, Rose yanked my wrist. I willingly let her drag me along, smiling softly. The place we arrived at together wasn't the cafeteria, but a fountain in the Academy's central plaza. Since it was lunchtime, many students were walking in small groups or clustered together chatting. “Aren't we going to the cafeteria?” “Ta-da.” At my question, Rose giggled and pointed next to the fountain. Only then did I notice a silk cloth that I hadn't been aware of earlier. “Don't tell me... a lunchbox?” “That's right. I wanted to eat outside with you. The weather is so nice today.” “Isn't it your first time cooking?” “It's my first time doing it properly. I only ever ate scraps of bread back at the Vikander mansion.” Rose puffed out her chest and declared proudly. “So I spent days studying cookbooks. I followed the steps exactly, and the measurements are perfect!” She looked so proud of herself that I couldn't help but smile. Ttuk, ttuk. Rose sat on the edge of the fountain and patted the spot next to her, gesturing for me to sit. I took the seat next to Rose and watched her unwrap the cloth. “Oh.” The lunchbox was quite nicely packed. Neatly shaped sandwiches, what appeared to be roasted chicken legs, and a colorful salad. “Excellent.” I admired it and took the sandwich Rose offered. And without hesitation, I took a huge bite. …Wadeuk! A sound that shouldn't have come from my mouth rang out.

I Became the Obsessed Ex-Husband in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 148