Side Story.3

Ellie and Feroza laughed as they splashed water at each other.

But then, Ellie stumbled and fell backwards.

“Ellie!”

Feroza’s eyes widened as he rushed over.

“Ellie, are you all right?”

He knelt down on one knee in front of her.

Ellie watched his reaction, then pushed against his chest.

“Uh…!”

Feroza fell back with a thud.

Just then, a wave swept over both of them.

Ellie smiled and spoke.

“Feroza, you’re all wet now too.”

He stared at her in a daze, then burst out laughing.

“You didn’t fall on purpose, did you?”

“No, I really slipped and fell.”

She shrugged.

“You’re not hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Ellie carefully got up, and Feroza did the same.

He stared at her and spoke.

“We’re both soaked.”

“But it feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Feroza took her hand and continued.

“It’s even better because I’m with you, Ellie.”

“At this rate, you’d say yes even if I asked you to walk a thorny path with me.”

“Of course. As long as I’m with you, I’m satisfied.”

Feroza snuggled up close to her.

Ellie glanced at his profile.

It was still amazing to her that she had entered this world and the male lead, Feroza, had fallen for her.

‘Whatever. I’m happy now.’

Ellie looked at Feroza and smiled brightly.

* * *

After three days of their honeymoon, they returned to the Grand Ducal house.

After that, Ellie and Feroza were swamped with work.

“Ugh….”

‘Why did the Grand Duchess have so much to do!’

Now that she was the lady of a grand noble house, there was so much to oversee.

Until now, Feroza had done the work of the Grand Duchess, but now she had inherited it.

Of course, he had said he wouldn’t give her any work.

‘Ellie, you can just relax. I’ve always done it, so you don’t have to take it on.’

‘Feroza, I’m the Grand Duchess. Do you want me to be a Grand Duchess in name only? If the Grand Duchess does nothing, people will talk.’

Ellie’s eyes blazed.

After a fierce back-and-forth, Feroza finally handed over the duties of the Grand Duchess to her.

Seeing all the work piled up on the desk made her regret it, but she thought it was something she had to endure.

She leaned back in her chair for a moment, then sat up straight to tackle the remaining work.

“Hmm, the budget….”

Holding a quill, she carefully reviewed everything as Feroza had taught her.

She focused so much on the work that evening came before she knew it.

“Mm….”

She put down the quill and stretched.

It was tough now, but she’d get used to it and be able to handle things quickly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly.

Roni peeked her face in.

“Grand Duchess, dinner is ready.”

“Okay.”

Roni had come to the Grand Ducal house with Ellie after her marriage.

When Ellie first asked her to come, Roni had cried so much out of gratitude that Ellie was startled.

And since she’d always called Ellie ‘Miss’ before, it was awkward when the title changed to ‘Grand Duchess.’

But Ellie couldn’t ask her to go back to the old way, so she was trying to get used to it.

Ellie followed Roni out of the room and spoke.

“Where’s Feroza?”

“He’s still in the office.”

“I’ll go get him. You go ahead.”

“Yes, Grand Duchess.”

Roni bowed and hurried away.

Watching her go, Ellie turned and headed for the office.

She raised her hand to knock, but Feroza’s voice came from inside.

“Come in, Ellie.”

Ellie’s eyes widened as she opened the door slightly.

“You knew I was here?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“I can tell by the footsteps.”

Everyone’s footsteps sound similar, but he could tell?

Ellie looked at him, bewildered.

“That’s amazing.”

“Of course I should be able to tell.”

As she approached, Feroza stood up from his chair.

He reached out and hugged her, then spoke.

“Did you finish your work?”

“Mm, no… I’ll probably have to do more tomorrow.”

“Then can you hand over some work to me?”

“No way.”

She refused firmly.

He sighed softly and let go of her.

“Then promise me you won’t overdo it. You know you’ve been coming in later than me lately, right?”

“…Okay.”

She wanted to stop and take it easy, but every time she focused on her work, time just flew by.

She was newly impressed by Feroza.

He managed to go on dates with her and still get all his work done.

As Ellie stared at him, Feroza tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re amazing.”

“Why?”

“There’s so much work, but you still made time to go on dates with me.”

“If I finish work much faster than usual, it’s possible.”

That’s exactly what’s amazing.

Feroza talked like it was as easy as eating, but Ellie knew it was anything but easy.

“Let’s go eat dinner.”

“Yes.”

She reached out her hand, and he quickly took it.

As they headed to the dining room, a delicious aroma greeted them.

“Tonight’s dinner is lamb steak, apparently.”

“Sounds good.”

The lamb steak they had for dinner was so tender and delicious.

They ate until full and drank chamomile tea to help them sleep.

“Ellie, make sure you come in early tonight.”

“I will.”

Because Feroza insisted, Ellie tried to finish her work as quickly as possible.

But in the end, she didn’t get as much done as she wanted, so she had to leave some for tomorrow.

She thought she’d arrived early at the bedroom, but Feroza was already there.

“You’re here already?”

“I wanted to wait for you.”

He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

“You’re not too tired?”

“A little…?”

“Then you should get some sleep.”

Feroza lifted her up and set her down on the bed.

“Ellie, if you ever feel the work is too much, please tell me.”

“But I can’t just dump my responsibilities on you.”

“Don’t think of it as dumping them. Think of it as me helping you.”

He truly seemed worried about her.

In the end, Ellie gave up being stubborn and nodded.

“If it ever gets really hard, I’ll do that.”

“Really, Ellie?”

“Of course.”

When Ellie nodded, Feroza smiled with satisfaction.

Then, as their eyes met, the atmosphere suddenly grew heated.

Feroza slowly approached, and Ellie instinctively closed her eyes.

Soon, their lips softly met.

Lately, when they finished work and entered the bedroom, they were so tired that they simply held each other and slept.

Perhaps that’s why this kind of kiss felt like it had been a long time.

“Mm…….”

A soft moan escaped between their joined lips.

After a long kiss, their lips finally parted.

A thin silver thread formed between their lips, breaking with a moist sound.

‘We hadn’t done this since coming to the Grand Duke’s house.’

Feroza had been quite patient.

But, contrary to Ellie’s expectations, Feroza didn’t go any further; instead, he pulled the blanket up to cover her neck.

“……Feroza?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“You must be tired, so you should sleep soon.”

Then he lay down next to her, hugged her tightly, and gently patted her.

“Are we just going to sleep like this?”

“Yes. Why? Is it uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that…….”

It was the world’s finest bed, made by the greatest craftsman, with the softest fabric in the world for the blanket.

It was so comfortable that she could fall asleep instantly, never uncomfortable.

Ellie glanced at Feroza.

He tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand.

Seeing his innocent eyes, Ellie felt a bit guilty for her thoughts.

‘Right……. We are both tired, so maybe it was for the best.’

It must be for the best.

Ellie swallowed a sigh and closed her eyes.

Feeling his steady, gentle hand patting her, she drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, something splashed on her face.

Her eyelids twitched, and she groggily opened her eyes.

Instinctively, she raised her hand and touched her cheek.

“Mm……?”

It was hot, sticky, and slippery…….

Ellie wondered what it could be.

“Ellie.”

“Feroza……?”

At that moment, his low voice sounded by her ear.

She was still half-asleep.

“Are you awake?”

“A little…….”

“Sorry, Ellie. My s*men splashed on your face.”

‘Wait, what splashed?’

Ellie blinked.

Hearing the word ‘s*men’ woke her up immediately.

Only then did she realize what was on her hand.

‘No way…….’

She fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on.

What she saw was Feroza’s er*ction.

Ellie stared at it, then looked up at Feroza.

“Feroza.”

“Yes.”

“……Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I was touching myself while watching you sleep.”

His answer was so straightforward that Ellie was speechless.

‘He wasn’t doing anything wrong, but she expected at least a hint of embarrassment.’

Ellie looked at him blankly, and Feroza leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Honestly, I was just going to sleep… but you looked so beautiful while sleeping. I only meant to do it once, but my s*men happened to splash on your face. Sorry.”

Ellie sat up and met his gaze.

“If you were going to do that by yourself, why did you just put me to sleep earlier?”

“Well…… you have a lot of work, so you must be tired.”

“That’s true…….”

She wasn’t so exhausted that she needed to leave her husband alone.

“Anyway, why are you doing this all alone?”

“I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Feroza snuggled into her arms like a child.

Despite his cute behavior, his er*ction remained firm.

Ellie stroked his hair with one hand and carefully grasped him with the other.

“Ah, Ellie…….”

He shivered.

His face was buried in her chest, and his hair tickled her.

As she gently stroked and moved her hand, Feroza let out a soft moan.