Feeling his breath grow rough, he spoke.
“Do you not tremble at the slightest touch of my hand and act as if you are going to run away?”
“…….”
“Have I ever struck you, my wife? Why on earth are you so frightened of me?”
Rose blinked and stared blankly at me.
‘Me?’
Seeing those innocent eyes, as if asking that question, made my blood boil.
“There is no need to be so repulsed right to my face. Even if we are a couple in name only, at least show some basic decency.”
I didn’t know why I was so angry, or if this was even something worth getting so mad at Rose for. The funny thing was, the more I spoke, the angrier I got.
Even when I was riding a horse at a fierce gallop, or cutting down countless assassins, my heart had never pounded like this. But at this very moment, it was trembling violently. For a reason other than being out of breath.
“Ah…….”
Rose looked so dazed that she couldn’t utter a single word.
“There is no need to worry. I won’t break our contract over something like this.”
Even though I knew I was pressing her too hard, my stubborn mouth kept moving. I knew she would eventually leave. But until then, I wanted us to maintain a decent relationship. Yes, that was all.
“I will make sure to avoid touching you as much as possible. So—”
That was when it happened.
Huuk.
Just as her red hair briefly blocked my vision,
Warak.
Rose wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug.
“No!”
For a moment, my thoughts ground to a halt.
Rose’s upper body pressing against mine, her arms wrapping around my back, the sweet scent that suddenly hit my nose. All of it was unexpected.
My arms rose reflexively and stopped in midair. Without knowing what to do with them, I stared blankly at Rose.
“No, Your Excellency.”
Rose, who was hugging my waist tightly, lifted her head. Her face was flushed red up to the tip of her nose, and her eyes were glistening with tears.
“No. It is not like that.”
My hand twitched, wanting to wipe the tears from the corners of Rose’s eyes, but I held back. I had just decided not to touch her anymore. At the same time, my posture stiffened.
“…What do you mean, no?”
I replied gruffly,
Kkuuk.
Rose suddenly pulled me in even tighter by the waist. I could vividly feel her soft, ample breasts pressing against my body.
“…….”
Absolutely not. My anger did not melt away even a little just because of this.
“Dislike you, Your Excellency? I have never done that.”
Rose buried her face firmly in my chest.
“I am… I am just a bit clumsy. When it comes to things between a man and a woman. So maybe I trembled a little.”
“…….”
“But it was not because I was scared or disliked you. It was just, just…”
Her mumbling voice sent fine vibrations through my body.
“I was just… embarrassed. Everything is a first for me.”
The area where Rose’s face touched felt warm, but also damp, as if it were getting wet.
“Why would I dislike you, Your Excellency? How could I……”
Rose’s voice gradually trailed off. Her shoulders even trembled faintly.
My hands, which had been floating in the air, moved as if drawn by something.
“Are you crying again?”
I gently grabbed Rose’s chin and tilted it up. I could see that I alone was reflected in her green eyes, moist with tears.
“…Eep.”
With a tear-stained face, Rose averted her eyes.
Certainly, the fact that Rose was crying because of me was not a bad thing at all. Since I was the only one who could see her reddened cheeks, her damp eyelashes, and her tearful eyes. Is this what they call sadism? I newly felt a cruel impulse I didn’t even know existed within me.
“Your Excellency, please.”
As Rose moved her lips, her soft lips brushed against my fingertips. It was an excessively sweet sensation.
“I am sorry…….”
Clearly, until just a moment ago, I had been furious to the top of my head. Seeing Rose clinging to me and apologizing repeatedly, my anger began to subside little by little, as if it had never happened. My reason, which had quietly returned to its place, started to interpret Rose’s words.
‘So… she did it because she was embarrassed?’
I realized that it was a reaction typical of an innocent maiden like Rose.
Well, I had only ever seen humans trembling in fear at my killing intent; I had never tried talking to a woman, so how could I have known the difference? Thinking about it carefully, Rose’s reaction seemed subtly different from theirs.
“…Right.”
When I answered with a much softened voice, Rose let out a puff of relief.
“I will stop crying.”
Suppressing the urge to rub Rose’s lips,
Seuk.
Instead of her lips, I wiped away the moisture at the corners of her eyes.
“Uung.”
Rose shook her head lightly as if whining. Her slightly swollen eyes rubbed against my palm, creating a bit of friction.
“…….”
Why was she acting so cute? I let out a sigh and pulled my hips back slightly. Because an uncontrollable bodily change had occurred.
Why was my body reacting to something so trivial? If Rose found out about this, she would freak out. I absolutely, absolutely had to hide it.
“This is, because you misunderstood, Your Excellency……”
“Yes, yes.”
I gently patted the back of the mumbling Rose, who seemed aggrieved. After sobbing quietly for a moment, Rose soon calmed down.
“You believe me, right? That I do not dislike you—”
“I know.”
I fully understood what Rose was saying. If she were truly frightened of me or hated me, she wouldn’t have grabbed me like this or cried in my arms.
“Actually, I, Your Excellency……”
Rose stopped mid-sentence.
Kkuuk—
I felt her small chin tense as she clenched her teeth.
“Why did you stop talking?”
“…No, it is nothing.”
On Rose’s face lay the resignation of someone who had bottled up her emotions for a very long time. I wanted to know what that was. And I wanted to shatter that expression. A sweet fruit was within arm’s reach; it felt like I could reach it if I just stood on my tiptoes a little. Something unknown was interfering between us.
“…Then,”
Because I didn’t know the method, I had been struggling,
“Can I touch you now?”
and ended up blurting out an absurd remark with my muddled head.
‘…Damn it.’
This mouth was truly the problem. What was I doing, sounding like a man desperate to touch Rose. This wasn’t what I meant to say. I intended to avoid unnecessary contact, but since we had to put on an act in front of others, I was going to ask if it was okay to touch her to that extent……
“Yes!”
My disorganized thoughts stopped, thanks to Rose’s forceful single word.
“As much as you want!”
As much as I want? As much as I want??
The single sentence, ‘You can touch me as much as you want,’ filled my head. In an instant, everything that had been complicated became simple and clear.
“…What did you just say?”
As if to prove her words, Rose hugged me even tighter.
“I will show you from now on. That I do not dislike or fear you, Your Excellency.”
The corners of Rose’s lips drew a soft curve. That smile, the sparkle in her eyes, and the body heat I felt against my skin. Everything was so excessively sweet that it made me wonder if I had just chugged honey.
“…You are,”
Feeling myself soaking in the sweet honey, I put on a blunt expression that betrayed my inner thoughts.
“Not aware of how dangerous the phrase ‘as much as you want’ is, it seems.”
“You are not a dangerous person, Your Excellency.”
Rose smiled brightly as if seeking my agreement.
“So it is fine.”
“Well.”
Looking at Rose’s reddened eyes, I thought, if she knew what I was thinking, she wouldn’t be able to say that.
“That phrase, ‘as much as you want,’ is subject to your own interpretation.”
I couldn’t help but smirk at Rose, who didn’t even realize she had caught herself in a trap. This very moment was extremely amusing.
Seuk.
I moved my tear-soaked thumb and pressed it firmly against Rose’s lips.
“This too,”
Feeling the warm breath against my thumb, I moved my other hand.
Sarak.
I lifted the hair that had fallen over Rose’s shoulder. The back of my hand, moving slowly, lightly brushed her jawline and the tip of her ear.
“This too.”
I wrapped my hand around Rose’s fully exposed shoulder. The contour of her round shoulder blade was vivid against my palm.
“Can you still say it is fine?”
I could observe up close as Rose’s cheeks flushed hotly. From her reddening nape to above her collarbone, sweat even began to faintly seep through. I thought she would run away at this point.
“Yes, it is fine.”
Rose merely answered in a whisper. The red mucosa glistened smoothly through her slightly parted lips.
“…Excellent.”
I muttered to myself, not knowing what I was marveling at. The sight of Rose panting lightly as she yielded her body to me looked incredibly good. It was absurd that I, who had grown bored even while reaping countless lives, felt sheer joy at the mere fact that I was allowed to freely handle this one small woman.
‘It was just a contract anyway.’
This little squirrel’s permission didn’t matter. But why. Why was I being swayed by joy and sorrow at every single one of Rose’s reactions right now?
Kkuuk.
As I applied a little more pressure with my thumb, Rose’s lips parted naturally. The moment I fixed my gaze on the tongue resting within.
“Oh my god!”
Someone entering the room screamed. It was Lucy and his staff, both hands full of boxes.
“Your Excellency, please! Can you not hold back even for a moment?”
Lucy quickly handed the boxes to the staff and approached with quick steps.
“Keep your dignity! Even the previous Duke stayed still during dress fittings!”
More than Lucy’s scolding, I was startled by another fact and froze on the spot.
‘…Why did I not notice?’
I had always been sensitive to detecting others’ presence or approach. But just now, I was so completely distracted by Rose that I didn’t even notice someone coming in. The shock of that fact left me unable to speak for a moment.
“No matter how good the mood is, you should still mind the time and place—”
Lucy, who had rushed over in a panic, had a face alternating between red and blue.
“What is this mess of a dress? The fitting is completely ruined!”
“I tripped and……”
Rose, who for some reason ended up getting scolded alongside me, mumbled.
“You must have knocked her down, Your Excellency!”
Lucy grabbed the back of his neck in exasperation.