Are we going far? She peered out the window in curiosity. The scenery that came into view wasn’t unfamiliar. They didn’t seem to be leaving downtown.

But the East Side, where the carriage was heading, was where southern nobles mainly stayed, and it wasn’t very familiar to Catherine.

Catherine traveled for about ten more minutes, looking at the familiar yet not unfamiliar outside scenery.

From a certain point, she felt the carriage gradually slowing down. Then, just after passing the Botanic Garden located in the East Side, the carriage stopped.

The carriage stopped in front of a two-story wooden building with a small garden. There were no other buildings around, making it clear that this was their destination.

“We’ve arrived, Miss. Let’s get out.”

“Where is this? Is Michael here?”

“Yes, Master Michael is waiting inside.”

Norman held Catherine’s hand as she got out of the carriage, then quietly withdrew. The carriage left before Catherine could even stop it.

“……What’s going on, suddenly?”

Everything happened so quickly. She was suddenly brought outside, but Michael wasn’t there, and even the person who had brought her here disappeared in an instant.

A quiet stillness enveloped the mansion and Catherine.

Looking around, Catherine gazed up at the wooden mansion before her. Lilacs bloomed profusely in the mansion’s modest garden.

It was smaller than the nobles’ town houses near the royal palace, but the building, blending with the surrounding scenery, somehow exuded an antique and elegant atmosphere.

The small building, tinged with the sunset, somehow radiated a secretive and mysterious ambiance.

Thump, thump.

A strange heat gradually spread from her heart to the tips of her toes. Just being in an unfamiliar place made her feel as if she had started a strange and mischievous game with Michael. A small sense of transgression raised its head.

As Catherine examined the mansion, her gaze reached the second floor. She saw the curtain in the window moving slightly.

‘Is Michael there?’

Catherine carefully opened the door and went inside, trying to calm her nervous heart.

Beyond the door, which opened smoothly without a single creak, an oval staircase leading to the second floor appeared directly in front.

“Michael?”

Catherine called his name as she carefully climbed the stairs. The mansion, bathed in sunset, was quiet but felt transcendent rather than eerie. Catherine liked that tranquility.

With each step up the stairs, the vibration resonating from her heart became clearer.

Finally, Catherine reached the top of the stairs. Her gaze naturally turned to the room at the end of the corridor, which had no door but a bead curtain hanging down. She could tell instinctively.

There. Michael was there.

Moistening her dry lips, Catherine slowly approached the place and recalled Michael’s voice.

What had he said?

“That climax that feels like dying that you mentioned. I’ll definitely make you feel it.”

Michael’s husky voice lingered in her mind like an echo. Catherine tried to calm her breathing as she slowly parted the bead curtain and entered the room.

“Welcome.”

Michael’s clear voice was heard. When she turned her head toward the sound, she saw Michael leaning against the window frame where thin white curtains fluttered.

With the sunset light casually draped over his shoulders, Michael staring directly at her had a different atmosphere than usual.

Was it because the place and mood had changed? Although he was a friend she had known for almost her entire life, today Michael felt truly unfamiliar.

“What are you doing? Come here.”

Michael extended his hand toward Catherine, calling to her as she stood motionless in place. Catherine, who had been staring at him in a daze, slowly approached Michael at his soft call.

“Where is this place?”

“Sunset House.”

“Sunset House?”

“I found it by chance a few days ago, and it happened to be vacant.”

“……So, you bought it?”

Michael just smiled without answering. A subtle scent of soap emanated from him.

Catherine glanced at his hair, which still had moisture in it. Michael shrugged at Catherine’s gaze on the ends of his hair.

“Ah, I bathed first.”

“Bathed?”

“While waiting, I was too, a bit…… excited.”

Michael grinned as he said this.

It was a smile she had seen many times before, but why did it feel so er*tic now?

Catherine swallowed hard. Michael’s gaze slid down, following the movement of her throat.

After pausing for a moment, Michael said:

“There’s no one else in this mansion but us.”

“It seems that way.”

“And there won’t be anyone else until tomorrow morning. No servants, no maids.”

“What?”

“My mother and Countess Notrisha are not expected to be in the capital until the day after tomorrow.”

Upon hearing his words, Catherine’s eyes widened.

“Did you arrange this?”

Chuckling, Michael asked instead of answering:

“Do you know what that means, Catherine?”

“What does it mean?”

Michael grasped the hand of Catherine, who innocently asked back.

“For two whole days……”

Catherine’s body tilted as Michael pulled her hand forcefully.

A delicate scent of soap brushed her nose, and Michael’s lowered voice pierced sharply into Catherine’s ear.

“It means we can have all the s*x you want.”

His voice somehow sounded mischievous.

⁕⁕⁕

Michael took off his clothes.

The red sunset rippled like waves over his firm, pale white body. It was the time when the earth turns red as the sun is pulled down, neither day nor night.

In this secret mansion that exposed its interior defenseless without drawn curtains, Michael unhesitatingly undressed and pulled Catherine into his embrace.

Catherine was dragged onto Michael’s thighs as he sat on the enormous bed. The two pairs of lips that had been slowly approaching completely overlapped.

“Catherine……”

Haah.

As soon as their lips touched, Michael breathed out Catherine’s name like a moan.

Could one become so aroused just from the voice calling a name? Catherine felt her intimate area heating up. Sticky fluid oozed out in droplets.

“Lips…… open them for me. Catherine.”

Catherine’s n*pples stood er*ect at Michael’s voice urging her in a sweet tone. So that phrase was such an er*tic one.

She recalled those words she had urged during her first kiss with Michael. Her heart pounded anew at the fact that now he was urging her with the same words.

This was insane. Everything felt too good.

Michael’s lips, his low voice calling her, his firm arms encircling her waist, and the soft, moist tongue crushing her lips. Everything was simply perfect.

While Catherine was dazedly intoxicated by Michael’s touch, his impatient lips moved first. Her crushed lips were forcibly parted, and his firm tongue wrapped around the base of her tongue.

“Mmng.”

Michael, who had been deeply sucking in her tongue and saliva, tilted his head and crushed her lips from various angles. Her tongue ached, and their colliding breaths grew rough.

His hand rose boldly and grabbed her swollen br*asts. Catherine gasped at her br*asts being crushed at once by his large hands.

“Michael, ah, yes. Michael……”

Catherine tried to call him with her tingling lips, but it didn’t properly come out, buried in her moans.

His lips, which had been sucking and licking Catherine’s nape, bit her collarbone. Catherine twisted her waist at that thrilling sensation. As if telling her to stay still, Michael boldly grabbed Catherine’s b*ttocks.

Just a week. As he had said, it had only been a week, but Michael had changed.

He had become a bit more daring, much more er*tic.

Michael, who had been kissing along her slender neck, sucked on her earlobe. The moment the wet breathing sound reached her ear, Catherine gasped in surprise and trembled.

“Here.”

Holding Catherine’s round earlobe in his mouth, Michael licked her round ear with the tip of his tongue.

“Ah, huu……!”

Michael muttered in a husky voice at Catherine’s reaction as she trembled and gasped in surprise.

“Seems like a sensitive spot.”

Even though he was just muttering closely against her ear, it felt as if all the fine hairs on her body were standing up.

“You, you, huu- what did you, do, ah, yes…… during that week?”

“Study.”

“……What?”

“Study. Research. Learn. Well…… that kind of thing.”

Catherine pulled her head back and looked at him upon hearing Michael’s words as he kissed along her neckline below her earlobe.

Her crooked glasses were annoyingly blocking her view. Reading her expression, Michael removed her glasses.

Catherine narrowed her eyes, now unobstructed and feeling lighter, and asked Michael:

“How did you…… study?”

“What do you mean, Catherine?”

Michael, looking up at Catherine whom he had pulled close with both arms, asked back as if he didn’t understand at all.

Had his shoulders always been this broad? Michael’s bulging shoulder muscles came into her downward view. Catherine squeezed those firmly woven muscles tightly and asked suspiciously:

“I also read books and listened to stories for a week…… But that doesn’t seem to suddenly change things like this.”

“Catherine, what are you thinking right now?”

Michael said with a laugh as if it was absurd, but Catherine was quite serious.

“What do you think I’m thinking?”

“Well. Wouldn’t you know better?”

Catherine, who had been staring directly at Michael, lowered her head, pressed her forehead against his, and voiced her suspicion:

“Did you perhaps practice with other women during that week……”

“I didn’t.”

As if there was nothing more to hear, Michael firmly cut off Catherine’s words. He laughed as if it was absurd, but strangely, he seemed pleased.

“…Really?”

Michael bit Catherine’s nose as she raised her eyebrows, seeming to doubt his words. After kissing her lips as if to suck them in, making her moan softly, Michael muttered dejectedly…