Even while rubbing their lips together, they called each other’s names until they wore them out. Names not yet called were crushed between their entangled tongues. Lust stole their reason, and possessiveness toward only one person bound the other tightly. Even the brief moments of separation were too precious, so they extended their tongues to pull each other in the empty space between their parting lips.

As their hip movements grew more intense, the water in the bathtub spilled out in waves. Ah, ahang, haang. Olivia’s high cries of pleasure, rushing toward climax without shyness, hit the bathroom walls and spread in all directions. Alois’s thighs trembled with the rising urge to ej*culate. To find her deepest inside and pour his hot s*men, he bit Olivia’s chest with his teeth and put strength into his thrusting hips.

He licked her wet skin with his tongue, igniting his dark desire to completely soak her from head to toe with his cum.

* * *

The last day at their travel destination. Though they still had one more day before returning to the forest, that would be spent traveling by train all day, so today was effectively the last day of their vacation.

Hearing that the fireworks festival was starting, Olivia and Lime headed to the hotel balcony early. Though the festival was held at the beach, they decided to enjoy it from the hotel balcony rather than dealing with the crowded beach where it would be difficult to appreciate the fireworks. This hotel was particularly famous for its beautiful view of the sea where the annual fireworks were held.

“Looks like there are already tons of people.”

“I think we made the right choice watching from here.”

In the distance, they saw the beach illuminated by bright bulbs despite the night, with people milling about. While going there directly would have its own charm with many street vendors, both Olivia and Lime were slightly tired after spending days at crowded tourist spots.

“The duke is quiet today.”

“Ah, he seemed a bit unwell, so I told him to rest.”

Ever since they returned after getting caught in the rain, Alois hadn’t been feeling well, perhaps catching a cold. Perhaps it was their fault for immediately undressing and indulging in each other in the bathroom filled with hot water as soon as they returned to the lodging.

Unlike Olivia who had momentarily passed out, Alois had to wash her, take care of her, and handle the aftermath in various ways, so it was understandable if he caught a cold. As the memory of that day surfaced, she nervously glanced at Lime while sipping juice from a small bottle. At the time, she had been too caught up to think about it, but thankfully, Lime hadn’t been at the lodging. If he had been there…… Out of embarrassment, Olivia popped a cherry from a glass dish into her mouth. The tangy juice burst, filling her mouth.

“If you both got caught in the rain together, why is only that guy sick?”

“Well, the duke hasn’t been outside his forest for a long time. Maybe his immune system is weaker than ours?”

She wasn’t sure if this was related, but she considered the one-sided principle that greater exposure to pollution and hardship makes one stronger.

“A young master raised delicately in a greenhouse.”

Though Lime said it with a slight sneer, Olivia thought the description suited Alois in a positive way. A precious flower, protected and raised in a greenhouse, shielded from bad and difficult things. Perhaps that’s why he was more hurt and suffered from a single strong wind.

“It would have been better if he had stayed in the greenhouse without getting sick.”

Some might say staying only in a greenhouse shows weakness, but Olivia thought it wasn’t so bad for a precious flower to spend its entire life without injury in a safe place. It seemed natural to wish that someone precious and cherished would never encounter even the slightest harm.

Noticing Olivia’s somewhat wistful expression as she twirled a cherry stem, Lime realized she was reminiscing about her memories with Alois and silently gazed at the distant sea. I shouldn’t have brought it up. He vowed never to mention that person’s name when alone with her again, and turned his head away, pretending not to notice his own feelings of disappointment.

“I think it’s about to start.”

The lights decorating the beach, like fallen stars, all went out at once. The two leaned against the balcony railing. Shortly after, a small firework shot into the air and then, bang, with a loud noise, it instantly split into dozens, hundreds of sparks, illuminating the night sky.

The night sky repeatedly brightened and darkened from all directions as if thunder were striking with the flashing fireworks. Olivia found herself cheering for the cute fireworks that swam side to side as they rose into the sky, using all their strength to illuminate it before disappearing, rather than focusing on the patterns they created.

“Olivia. I have something I wanted to give you……”

Lime, who had been pacing nervously beside her, called Olivia’s name with a forced cough. His cheeks flushed red as if colored by the fireworks illuminating the sky. Was it because they had known each other for almost their entire lives? He felt embarrassed and awkward trying to have a serious, sentimental conversation. But that heart-squeezing ticklishness wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“It’s a birthday gift.”

Though the trip itself was already a big birthday present, Olivia worried whether it was right for her to receive so many gifts when Lime appeared to have prepared another one. But she couldn’t disappoint Lime, who was looking at her with such expectation, so she accepted the small box he offered.

“When did you prepare this?”

Opening the box revealed a thin gold chain bracelet decorated with small, cute pink petals and light green leaves. The overall design wasn’t overwhelmingly decorative or annoyingly loose—it was simple and modest, perfect for everyday wear.

“I know you’re not really interested in accessories like this, but I wanted to give you one at least once.”

Olivia typically showed little interest in such luxuries, finding them inconvenient for gathering and worrying about losing them. But now that it was in front of her, she didn’t mind the visual pleasure of seeing the small jewels sparkle in the light. She understood what people meant when they said beautiful things cost more than useful ones.

“Thank you. I never expected to receive a gift like this from you. It feels special.”

“Really? Why, did you think I was much younger than you, but now I seem all grown up?”

“Yes. You used to be so much smaller than me, always sick, and crying all the time, but now you’ve grown up so nicely. You’re even preparing gifts like this.”

Olivia patted Lime’s waist as if praising a child, speaking teasingly. Lime pretended to dislike it and shifted his body around, but he didn’t run far from her.

“Still, I’d prefer if you didn’t earn so much money like this and just stayed safe without getting hurt.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“I hate you getting hurt in dangerous places.”

“But now, I won’t be heading to battlefields as often.”

Lime, who had never shared what he had been doing all this time, revealed that he had spent four years as a mercenary, traversing battlefields. Although the Empire’s conquest-driven expansion had slowed, small and large battles were still a daily reality in its border regions. The battlefield was the easiest place in the Empire to make money and, with ability, gain opportunities to rise to a higher social status. That’s why Lime had willingly traversed those battlefields, desperately scraping together everything he could obtain.

Thanks to this, he had saved more money than others and now could proudly show Olivia some achievements. While he fully understood her concerns, Lime didn’t regret his past choices.

When he fastened the bracelet on Olivia’s slender wrist, it suited her exactly as he had imagined. He personally selected the design and materials, commissioning a one-of-a-kind bracelet made exclusively for one person—Olivia. After stroking the well-placed bracelet with his finger, Lime gently held and wrapped her hand, carefully opening his mouth.

“But how long do you plan to stay at the ducal mansion?”

“Ah…… As I said before, I have a debt to repay……”

“I understand that. But someday the debt will be fully repaid, whether quickly or slowly. After you’ve paid it all off, how do you plan to live?”

“Ah……”

She had never thought about the end. At first because it seemed too vague, and later because she liked everything about her current situation so much that she didn’t want to think about the end. But a relationship specified to last until a debt was repaid was approaching its predetermined end each day, even if that end remained uncertain.

“I suppose I’ll return to the village and live as I did before?”

Thinking about the end made her heart feel like it would drop. With a cold wind blowing through the center of her sinking heart, Olivia pretended to be unconcerned and tried to change the subject with a smile. But Lime wouldn’t let her step back.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t return to the village but came with me to a new place.”

“A new place?”

“Yes. How do you feel after coming to this resort? Aren’t there so many amazing and surprising things in the world?”

Upon hearing his words, Olivia nodded as she recalled her experiences over the past few days. In just a few days, she had seen and experienced more new and diverse things than in the decades of repetitive life she had lived in the village. The world was wider, more diverse, and more beautiful than what she had known only through books and stories.