Rose pressed her lips against mine and stayed still for a moment.
When I slightly opened my eyes,
“…….”
I saw Rose's tightly closed eyelids and flushed cheeks.
‘How cute.’
The fact that she came up with this method herself.
The fact that she guessed I would like it if she did this.
And the fact that, having pressed her lips to mine, she froze completely like someone who didn't know what to do next.
‘Should I humor her a bit?’
I wanted to part my lips and intrude deeply right then and there, but.
I had to play along with this innocent squirrel for a moment. If the pace was too fast from the start, she would struggle to keep up.
*Seuk.*
As Rose showed signs of pulling away, I quietly closed my eyes again.
“…How is it?”
I almost laughed when I heard Rose's tightly strained voice, but.
“Well.”
I curved my lips into a smirk and tilted my head slightly.
“The direction is good. But it’s still lacking.”
“…….”
Rose swallowed a quiet sigh, then stepped closer once again.
*Chop.*
This time, she gently bit and sucked my lips.
As if eating a sweet candy, carefully caressing them with her own lips.
“…….”
Already knowing the feel of the pink flesh inside her lips, this superficial licking was incredibly frustrating.
But I waited with patience.
Since Rose had finally gathered the courage to approach me so shyly, it would be fine to enjoy it leisurely.
“…Haa.”
As if she had gained confidence, Rose began to move a bit more boldly.
*Chup.*
She didn't stop at just sucking my upper lip; she also began to tickle it slightly with her tongue.
A sharp impulse surged within me every time her damp breath seeped onto the bridge of my nose and her wet flesh brushed against my lips, but.
“…….”
I silently accepted Rose’s kiss.
All I did was open my eyes briefly in between to admire Rose’s face, which was wholly devoted to me.
A sweet, soft face.
I felt like no chocolate or candy would ever taste as sweet as this.
‘Her hands…….’
Then, I noticed.
Rose’s left hand wandering in the air, not knowing what to do.
She seemed unable to cup my face with both hands because it felt like handling a child’s face.
*Seuk.*
I reached out with my perfectly fine right hand and overlaid it on Rose's palm.
“-Hah.”
Rose flinched and pulled back to check her hand. Then she looked at me again.
“…….”
Without avoiding Rose’s gaze, I turned my palm slightly. So that my fingers intertwined with hers.
We didn’t exchange a single word, but our hands moved naturally as if they had made a promise.
*Kkyeok.*
Our fingers slowly descended onto the backs of each other's hands.
Strand by strand tangling fingers, and palms pressed perfectly together without a single gap.
It was merely a hand, yet I couldn't understand why it gave me such an erotic sensation.
“…….”
Rose stared at our tightly intertwined hands for a moment, then looked back into my eyes.
Words were unnecessary. That eye contact alone seemed to make Rose understand what I wanted.
*Seuk.*
I softly closed my eyes as if wondering when they had even been open.
Then the next moment,
*Chok.*
Our lips overlapped. Following that, through my slightly parted lips, Rose's tongue carefully slipped in.
The soft, wet piece of flesh lightly brushed past my teeth.
“Mmm……”
I didn't intentionally rush or take the lead.
I simply responded to her clumsy movements, which showed she didn't know what to do out of shyness from just this much, by slowly meeting her tongue and accepting her.
*Chup.*
As if acting cute, Rose gently bit my upper and lower lips, then gradually began to push her tongue deeper inside.
It was a careful and slow movement, as if she were exploring my mouth.
*Chureup.*
The squelching sound of our saliva mixing together was audible.
At first, she had panted, not knowing how to breathe, but now Rose seemed to be slowly getting used to kissing me by breathing through her nose.
However, our clasped hands were trembling slightly,
“Haa.”
And the faint sigh-like moan that spilled from her let me know she was still extremely tense.
*Chuup.*
Finally, the tips of our tongues lightly touched and then parted.
“…Still not enough?”
Rose whispered at a distance where her breath could reach me, her lips slightly parted from mine.
Her lips, wet with saliva, and her flushed red face were so lovely that I wanted to devour her right then and there.
‘It would be dangerous to go any further than this.’
I answered as I slowly scanned every inch of Rose’s face with my eyes.
“This should be enough.”
Then, I pulled our clasped hands up and brought them to my lips.
*Chok.*
After giving the back of Rose’s hand a short kiss, I added.
“Today, you see.”
“…Yes?”
I answered without letting go of Rose’s hand as she flinched and tried to pull away.
“You aren't only going to use this inhaler today, are you? We'll need to do it consistently.”
“That's right. Wait, then what you said just now—”
“I want to receive it every time.”
I lifted my gaze while keeping my lips pressed against the back of her hand.
“The reward you give me.”
“--!”
Rose gasped and widened her eyes. Then she blinked several times, as if asking if I was serious.
Meeting my unwavering gaze, Rose eventually lowered her eyes as if in resignation.
“…You are serious.”
“Because I like it.”
“That means, Your Grace…….”
Rose took a moment to catch her breath and chose her words.
“…Your Grace, touching me… that is, I mean…”
The hands that had been cupping my face were now tightly gripping my clothes.
“…You mean, you like doing this with me… is that what it means? Can I think of it like that?”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you to know?”
I answered while putting strength into our clasped hands. I stared intently at Rose, telling her not to say such obvious things.
“…No, I understand.”
Rose shook her head, bearing a faint smile.
If I had known what Rose was thinking at that moment, I wouldn't have just let it pass.
“Shall we begin now?”
Satisfied with her obedient answer and the soft kiss, I missed it.
The bitter something clinging to the corners of Rose's eyes. The sorrowful self-mockery disappearing between her lowering eyelids.
*Tak.*
Before I could even realize it, a cylinder filled with gas was shoved in front of my eyes.
“Inhale it deeply.”
“Mhm.”
Since I had already spoken my words, I could no longer throw a tantrum or delay it.
I accepted it without complaint and drank it all without leaving a drop.
“……”
It tasted terrible. It was like grinding rotten eggs with mushy fish.
‘This is foul.’
I had somewhat braced myself after seeing Dane shudder in agony in the original work, but.
My face involuntarily stiffened at the disgustingly unbearable taste.
“……”
I couldn't even open my mouth, fearing this terrible smell would spread.
I merely silently held out the empty cylinder to Rose.
“I will put the inhaler on you.”
Rose watched my reaction as she fitted the inhaler over my face. She even tightened the straps attached to the back of the mask so it wouldn't come off.
I couldn't tell if she was being meticulous or just considerate.
“Breathe in as deeply as you can through your nose, then exhale as much as possible through your mouth. You have to repeat this.”
*Kkeudeok.*
I moved my head to signal that I understood, then waited for Rose to take her hands off.
After that, I took a deep breath with all my might—
“……”
—and the terrible smell of the gas rushed deep into my nasal cavity.
I felt a surge of nausea rising up.
‘This is straight-up torture.’
If someone other than Rose had ordered me to do this, I might have beaten that person half to death.
Thinking such thoughts, I suppressed the urge to vomit with all my might.
*Huu-u.*
I exhaled a long breath.
Once again, the terrible smell brushed past my nose and throat, violating me.
It felt as if even my soul was being soiled….
“You're doing well. Let's keep repeating this.”
Rose watched me with a worried face. Seeing her like that, I couldn't stop here.
*Huup—*
Inhale,
*Puu-u.*
I repeated the inhaling and exhaling.
After repeating that a few times,
“-!”
A reaction began to come from inside my chest. Something bubbled and a hot sensation rushed up.
If I had experienced this without prior knowledge, it would have been a symptom enough to make me mistakenly think I had caught a disease.
“Do you feel something?”
Seeing my expression, Rose stepped closer.
I nodded and inhaled and exhaled again.
Every time my lungs filled with air, I could feel something swollen vibrating as it heated up.
“Huu.”
As the inside of my chest heated up, breathing became increasingly difficult. It was such a violent reaction that it made me worry if it was okay to keep doing this.
But I trusted Rose and continued.
Then, at some point,
“…Ugh.”
I felt a hot pain deep in my chest, like being burned by fire. Cold sweat began to trickle down my forehead.
“You're doing well.”
Rose whispered as she wiped the sweat from my forehead.
“Just a little more.”
It was no longer possible to inhale and exhale deeply like at first. I breathed with short, heavy gasps, making my chest heave.
“Huu, huh.”
I felt something hot surging from deep within my chest slowly rising up my throat.
*Kkeudeok.*
When I cast my gaze toward Rose, she manipulated the tube attached to the inhaler.
*Uung—*
The inhaler vibrated and began to suck in my breath.
*Uuuung—*
At first, the force was only that of a gentle breeze, but it gradually grew stronger, stripping away all my breath.
It was quite a difficult task to maintain my breathing in that flow.
My chest burned as if scorched by fire, and the respirator sucked roughly as if tearing into my chest.
*Kkyuk.*
I gripped the armrests of the chair and endured. I held back my groans and focused on my breathing.
“Your Grace, this is,”
Rose looked at me with anxious eyes. She seemed surprised by the respirator’s much stronger suction than expected.
Conflict rippled across her face over whether she should detach the respirator right now.
“……”
I shook my head at her.
I had come this far, so I couldn't botch the job. Whether I ended up as soup or pasta, I needed to see this through to the end.
“Just a little, just a little more.”
Rose placed her hand over mine. She wrapped it softly and firmly as if cheering me on.
“--!”
The excruciating pain made my eyes burn. The inside of my body heaved as if it were going to explode like a boiling furnace.
The moment the intense heat swirling violently in my chest burst out through my throat.
“Keuk!”
A dark red lump shot out of my mouth.
“Ah!”
Rose hurriedly caught my body as it pitched forward from the recoil. Rose’s trembling hands swept up to my face.
“Your Grace, Your Grace?”
Rose hastily turned off the inhaler that was pressed tightly against my face and removed it.
“…Haa.”
For a moment, I really thought my body was going to explode.
In my vision, which had grown blurry from the pain, I caught a glimpse of Rose checking the mask. I calmed my still-churning stomach and waited for Rose’s verdict.
“It came out!”
Rose snapped her head toward me. Her face, which had been mottled with anxiety and worry, brightened up.
“It really came out!”
Rose turned the mask so I could see the inside of it.
“…Haa.”
Within the dark red mass of blood, I saw speckles of blue light embedded within.