Chapter 9

On the verge of breaking, the fragile boundary finally collapsed, and with the strange sense of liberation that followed, Serenia shivered, feeling both embarrassment and a sense of guilt.

Lucien also released a thick stream deep inside her womb. His member, which had never cl*maxed from pure excitement before, spurted again and again, filling her completely. As if he intended to spread his seed over every part of her body, Lucien rotated his hips, stirring inside her, then pulled Serenia into his arms.

“Haa, ha, mm, Lu……”

The pressure of his embrace was almost suffocating, yet strangely, a deep sense of satisfaction welled up inside her. Hold me tighter. Don’t let go, even if I can’t breathe. Words she’d always wanted to say but never dared, Serenia swallowed again, simply rubbing her head against Lucien’s shoulder.

“Hoo, I’m glad the night is long.”

“Mm?”

“By tomorrow, I’ll make sure you forget all those damned feelings.”

Lucien whispered in her ear as he turned to lie on his side, holding Serenia close. She could feel Lucien’s member, still inside her, growing firm again. Ah… Serenia sighed, resting her head gently against his chest.

Would repeating this over and over really let her finally stop her one-sided love? Lucien, knowing nothing, made such bold promises, but Serenia hid her expression in his arms, feeling a bitter premonition.

There was no way she could stop.

Even as she held him inside her, she didn’t want to be apart from Lucien. Now that she’d experienced the warmth filling her, she knew she could never let him go.

Serenia sensed she’d swallowed a poison she could never escape.

* * *

Upon waking, Lucien checked the clock first and laughed at how little time had actually passed. He’d tangled with Serenia until dawn and felt as if he’d slept deeply, but barely two hours had gone by. Despite exerting himself as if in a strenuous workout and sleeping so little, he felt strangely refreshed.

“Ah, better be careful.”

Trying to rise as usual, Lucien moved cautiously, careful not to disturb the warmth beside him. He managed to sit up, leaning against the headboard, and looked at Serenia, still sleeping soundly. As Lucien shifted, the blanket they’d shared slid down, revealing Serenia’s n*ked body.

Small, cute, rounded shoulders. Dazzling collarbone, and plump, rounded br*asts.

Like him, she’d trained her whole life; she was different from other women who seemed as if they’d collapse at a touch. She wasn’t someone to be protected, but someone to stand back-to-back with. Lucien traced the curve of her shoulder with his finger, following the elegant line, then quickly pulled the blanket back up.

Suddenly, the fact that she was a woman, so different from him, struck him. Lucien had always known Serenia was female, but it had never really mattered. Since childhood, when gender hardly seemed real, Serenia had been his only friend and rival.

To Lucien, ‘woman’ had always meant the glamorous ladies in dresses at parties—slightly annoying, difficult to deal with. Serenia didn’t fit into either category, so to Lucien, she was simply ‘Serenia’ herself.

“I can’t believe it.”

He’d never imagined he’d get so worked up over ‘Serenia’ like some crazed man. Did anger make people aroused? It sounded ridiculous, but otherwise, it made no sense. He’d always thought he lacked s*xual desire, but when Serenia refused to give up her one-sided love, he’d gotten angry and lost control.

“But just watching you keep going down a dangerous, painful path isn’t loyalty, right? Isn’t that so?”

Lucien had never been in love, but stories of lives ruined by misguided love were everywhere. Even though Serenia had tossed aside their promises for love, Lucien still didn’t want her to walk a hard road.

“It’s better for you to give up, even now.”

Now that she knew she could be with someone other than Serion, maybe she’d finally let go of her crush. Lucien smiled lightly, feeling relieved and a bit giddy, but stopped when he saw his own reflection in the window as dawn broke.

“……Don’t tell me you still haven’t given up?”

The face staring back at him in the window looked just like Serion’s. The night with Serenia had been satisfying, but the thought that she’d allowed him because he resembled Serion made him feel a little bitter. He’d volunteered to be a substitute, but it didn’t feel good. If this could finally end her crush, that would be a relief… Lucien glanced at the sleeping Serenia with a doubtful expression.

“Don’t tell me you’re wondering what the real thing would be like?”

He could still hear Serenia’s cries in his ears. Suddenly, Lucien felt anxious. After Serion’s wedding, he’d have to return to headquarters far from the capital. If Serenia pretended to give up her crush for just a few days, Lucien would leave the mansion and have no way to know what she did afterward.

“No, that can’t happen.”

His brother, who was clueless and couldn’t refuse anyone, and his mother, who treated Serenia like a youngest daughter and wanted to do everything for her—if Serenia set her mind to it, there were plenty of ways she could approach Serion.

Lucien’s imagination grew more vivid. Now that he knew exactly how Serenia looked and sounded in the throes of pleasure, he couldn’t help but imagine even more.

“Idiot, stop thinking! Erase it from memory!”

Lucien slapped his own cheek sharply and stood up with a determined look. He carefully double-draped the curtains so Serenia could sleep well, hurriedly dressed, and left the room. Forgetting how early it was to visit anyone’s room, Lucien rushed down the hallway without hesitation.

* * *

Serion, from early morning, was staring at his youngest brother, who had barged into his room and was now sitting there stubbornly, looking troubled. Knowing he had to head to the imperial palace today for wedding preparations, Serion found it odd that Lucien kept emptying his teacup and showed no sign of leaving, claiming he’d come just to say good morning.

“Lucien. If you have something to say, please just say it.”

“Once you marry Erisa, will you be staying in the imperial palace for good?”

“Most likely. Since I’ll be married, I’ll be living in the princess’s quarters inside the palace. And it’s not Erisa, it’s ‘Princess’.”

“So, even after you’re married, you’ll keep calling her ‘Princess’? Erisa must love that.”

Lucien teased that if Serion called her ‘Princess’ even at night, he’d be kicked out on the first night. Serion clenched his fist, tempted to punch his annoying brother, but in this family, no one could win against Lucien in a physical fight, so restraint was wiser.

“Anyway, you’re not suddenly curious about where I’ll be living, so what is it? What do you want to say?”