1. Secret Meeting

The holy temple blessed by the one god Eclad. The great cathedral built there, the main headquarters of the Eclad faith.

A priest of Eclad who had finished his late-night prayers and was returning to his quarters turned his head at a faint sound.

‘Strange. There shouldn’t be anyone here at this hour.’

The priest approached the door he had just passed, puzzled. Recalling the recent rumors that had disturbed the great cathedral about strange souls and moving shadows, he couldn’t just pass by.

It’s probably nothing anyway. Just the sound of a poorly closed window rattling. Thinking this, he was about to grab the door handle when—

“Ah, ahh!”

At the sound coming from beyond the door again, the priest’s neck flushed red.

‘This sound is, surely……’

The flustered priest stumbled backward, then hurriedly fled the corridor. He even forgot to muffle his footsteps.

“How lucky. Rian, we weren’t caught.”

The woman who had been listening to the unwelcome guest’s retreating footsteps whispered softly. Her slightly cooled breath was full of laughter.

“Or perhaps, are you disappointed?”

Rian couldn’t answer the question that moistened his ears. It was because of his jaw clenched tight to suppress his moans, and because of the woman’s hands that traced down his rumpled knight’s uniform in a suggestive manner.

Each time she skillfully stimulated the inside of his shirt, his solid body writhed like overflowing lava. Rian forcibly swallowed his hot breath, swallowed again, and finally opened his mouth.

“……Stop.”

The plea squeezed out like a groan sounded muffled due to his turbid breathing. So pretending not to hear, the woman grabbed his collar and slightly parted it.

“Rian. Don’t whine, you need to answer.”

He was the most noble saint in the great cathedral, no, in the entire continent, and the strongest sword of god.

But Rian couldn’t shake off the woman’s hands that were toying with him.

“Are you scared? Or are you excited?”

At the question that stimulated his shame, he bit his lip. Strength filled his eyes that had reddened with accumulated heat. Even in such a state, he couldn’t look away.

In truth, from the moment he had hidden in this empty bedroom with her, Rian’s gaze had been bound to only one place.

Her lips. The red thing that spoke beautiful and cruel words.

Until he heard signs of people from outside, he had frantically devoured her lips. So traces of him remained on the lips that had been a tempting rose color.

It was agonizing. How could she still be beautiful when he was such a mess? How could she be so nonchalant when he was so afraid, as if kissing and mingling bodies with him was nothing more than a moment’s entertainment……

⟨Sir Rian. I have a request.⟩

Regret washed over him.

He shouldn’t have crossed the line. Even now, he should run away.

⟨Sleep with me just once.⟩

The moment he heard those words, he absolutely couldn’t refuse.

“Rian.”

And even now.

“Kiss me.”

It was impossible to resist.

Rian lowered his head to support the back of her neck and pressed against the wall to trap her tender body in his arms. Avoiding the eyes that looked up at him with anticipation, he slowly swallowed her lips.

Though it had been repeated several times already, his kisses were still clumsy and awkward. What could he do? For his past self, it was an act he couldn’t even have imagined.

He couldn’t adapt. Perhaps never.

“……Rania.”

He devoured her lips with the heart of cutting his own flesh. It was the same when he repeated her name through the gaps where breath passed.

“Rania.”

Her name, which had once been a sin just to utter—Rania Artua.

A twenty-three-year-old woman with brilliant golden hair like the sun, skin that shone like pearls holding moonlight, and blue eyes called the jewel of Artua.

⟨Rian. Consider those blue eyes as the sky. You must.⟩

A noble grand duchess who seized the grand ducal house by being born and reigned above all by existing.

⟨Just because you wish for clear skies doesn’t mean the clouds will part. Rather, fiercer winds will blow and test you, again and again.⟩

In contrast, what was the circumstances of his birth?

Rian Bellington. The bastard son of a fallen viscount house. Thus, he was born unworthy to even kiss the tips of her feet. His gray eyes, which proved he was born from an illicit relationship, should have been plucked out for the sin of containing her, and his worthless tongue should have been torn apart to pay for daring to call her name.

But now……

“Hmm!”

Unable to endure the pleasure that boiled up with resentment, Rian bit her lower lip. He immediately stirred inside her mouth as if venting his anger.

Yet Rania didn’t push Rian away.

“Shh, Rian. You need to come in slowly…… That’s right.”

She too easily seized control. She began to control him by rolling her tongue against his that had been thrashing like a wild horse.

In the end, Rian was dragged along like a dog on a leash again. He was consumed by her without even realizing he was being dragged.

After moaning mindlessly at the pleasure that had been poured into him for a while, he belatedly realized he had acted like a dog following its master and pulled his lips away. But it was already too late.

Seeing his face heated with excitement, Rania burst into laughter. Then she scattered light kisses on Rian’s jaw.

“Rian.”

He looked down at her, panting. Embers that couldn’t die out flickered red in his winter-like eyes.

“Shall we go to the bed now?”

The sound of swallowing dry saliva could be heard. It seemed like the sound of a heartbeat could be heard too.

Rania pressed against his heart beyond his pure white ceremonial robe. As expected, his heart filled with holy power was writhing violently, unable to control his fear and excitement.

Rian grasped her hand that was pushing against him as if to stop her.

“Once we start, there’s no going back.”

Their overlapped hands were hot.

“If you expect that just this one night will make me return to the days when I groveled like your dog, stop now.”

“How frightening.”

Rania giggled and caught his nape. She pressed her lips to his and pushed his shoulder. Rian’s legs, stumbling backward, caught on the bed.

“Saying that makes me even more curious.”

Thud. His body fell onto the bed. Rania swept back her hair and climbed on top of him.

“Rian, you……”

The soft dress gently brushed against a place that had never touched anyone. At the sudden stimulation, Rian buried his face in the bedding.

Rania cruelly cornered him who had fled to avoid her, driving him to a cliff. With her hands pressed against his broad chest, she lowered her head close enough to feel his breath.

“Acting like a dog, I mean.”

The urging voice was full of heat. The place where they were joined below was also hot as if on fire. So he couldn’t endure it anymore.

It was his limit.

“Yes, Nia.”

Lady Rania, Miss, Master…… Throwing away such dry honorifics, Rian grasped her waist who had climbed on top of him.

“You started this.”

The brilliant sun that remained unreachable even when he stretched out his hand.

The savior who made him miserable day by day. A cruel demon wearing a beautiful skin.

Toward the woman consumed by the pleasure he gave, Rian spat out resentment with rough breath.

“You brought this on yourself. Everything.”

From the moment he first saw her, Rian had been subordinated to this beautiful and cruel woman. From the moment he didn’t know what love was, he had come to love her.

So even knowing it could never become reality, he always thought of Rania while having wet dreams, and m*sturbated while imagining kissing her.

Looking at the turbid desire that burst forth, he considered himself impious, yet repeated the act of thinking of her again and raising his lust.

He had gradually broken down this way.

Only after becoming infinitely miserable did he become afraid of his wretched life and try to run away.

⟨Lady Rania. I am no longer your knight. Not as a knight of Artua, but as a knight of the creator god Eclad, I will serve god and submit only to Him.⟩

But trying to escape and struggling to forget were both impossible. Thus today, he had finally broken down and been completely conquered by her.

⟨Rian. I want to have you. Even after seeing you run away from me like this.⟩

⟨Rania…… my lady.⟩

⟨What about you? Have you never once desired me? Can you swear that I’ve never appeared in your lewd dreams?⟩

If she was going to shatter him like this anyway, she should have broken him a little earlier.

Then he wouldn’t be as miserable as now. Until he pushed pleasure into this beautiful body, pushed and pushed and pushed until he was finally abandoned, he would have focused only on devouring her, forgetting even fear.

“Ah, Rian……”

He roughly swallowed Rania’s lips. How many times would he devour these lips tonight? How much would he have to break himself down to offer to her?

It didn’t matter. The night would be long, and Rian had no intention of meekly ending this sinful moment that would be the first and last of his life.

“So Rania. Don’t beg me to stop. It’s useless.”

Rian bit Rania’s nape and cheek. Their breaths became entangled messily. The byproducts of lust they had poured onto each other haphazardly became tears that moistened their cheeks and lips.

After the long kiss ended and he raised his body, Rania looked at his gray eyes with eyes mixed with red energy.

He thought she would mock him for rushing at her like a beast.

“……Rian.”

He thought he would be despised. Rania’s hand groped his solid body and went down, down. It flowed down like water along his firm abs, then stopped at his lower region where hot heat had gathered.

“Ugh, Rania.”

At her touch against his length, swollen to its limit beneath his clothes, Rian let out a moan as if his heart had been seized. Rania smiled like a victor who had snared her prey, laughter slipping between her quickened breaths.

“I like it.”

“……”

Lies. Rian tried not to be mistaken.

But his body stiffened with anticipation. Rania laughed while caressing his body that had hardened like a statue.

“I like it, Rian.”

Her lips that whispered sweetly slowly groped his face. She kissed both cheeks, his jaw, the bridge of his nose, and his lips with smacking sounds.

And commanded.

“So don’t stop. Even if I beg……”

The one who had dared to try to fly away alone, leaving his master,

“Let me have all of you. I want to swallow you completely.”

To tear the wings of the beautiful bird.

“Hurry. Rian. Hold me. As much as you love me.”