12. the thirsty one is usually not in their right mind

It was already late July, but Lysith was still staying in the imperial palace.

It had been three days since her first intimate encounter with Verheigen, and today again without fail…

“Mmh, mmnh……”

She thought it would be a peaceful dinner time, but somehow they were devouring each other’s lips before even touching the food.

Unlike usual, today he had suggested having dinner together in the room instead of lunch, and Lysith had agreed without thinking much of it. But as soon as the food was served, the man moved from the opposite side to sit beside her, then simply lifted her onto his lap and…

Well, anyway, that’s how they ended up in this situation.

His hand gripping the back of her neck prevented her from escaping. Having done this with him for nearly four days now, Lysith had somewhat figured him out.

He enjoyed it even when she just passively accepted, but he tended to get particularly excited when she took the initiative to touch or respond to him.

Also, at times like this, if she reached out to gently stroke his nape, his lips would immediately detach.

This time too, when Lysith caressed his nape with both hands as if embracing him, his lips separated with a wet sound.

“Ah, this feels too good……”

“Do you feel good when I do this?”

“Yes. Touch me more……”

As he hugged her waist and buried his face in her shoulder, rumbling pleasantly, though it might be rude to think this about the Emperor…

‘Did I, what, tame a beast?’

It felt like she had become an animal trainer who had tamed a tiger.

While continuing to gently stroke his nape and touch his ears, Lysith spoke up with a sudden thought.

“I’m hungry.”

“Right. Should I feed you?”

“What? No. I have hands.”

“Feed me.”

“……”

I wonder if his soul got switched like mine.

Though Lysith made a sour face, when she held out a bite of food, the Emperor pecked her cheeks several times before accepting it.

How did a person end up like this? While pondering this question as she ate, his eyes never left her throughout.

Finally unable to bear his gaze any longer, when Lysith asked why he was staring, his response was startling.

“I was thinking about keeping you in the imperial palace.”

“Me?”

“Well, your family would welcome it with open arms, but I don’t think you would.”

His perceptiveness remained as sharp as ever. Ashites, Penchev, and Verheigen — all three men were frighteningly observant.

How should she answer here to maintain good favor? Lysith carefully chose her words, but Verheigen cut her off even faster.

“I’m not just……”

“You don’t need to explain. Anyway, I don’t just want your body. You understand what this means, right?”

Though he didn’t say it directly, it was practically a confession. Realizing the meaning of his words immediately, Lysith’s face flushed hot. Seeing her face like this, Verheigen captured her lips again.

After briefly pecking and sucking her lips, he pulled away and continued speaking.

“Anyway, since that’s settled, you’ll have to stay longer in the palace.”

It wasn’t a bad thing. She needed to clear the next sub quest anyway. After pretending to consider while fidgeting with her fingers, Lysith nodded in agreement.

However he interpreted her consent, Verheigen buried his face in her neck again.

“Don’t you wonder why I’m suddenly acting like this?”

“Honestly… yes. You weren’t like this until recently.”

“Really? Then just think it’s because you’re too lovable.”

“What does that…… No, and you used to glare at me so frighteningly at first.”

“That’s because it was the first time. How could I not be wary?”

At his urging, assuring her that there was none of that now, Lysith sighed and wrapped her arms around him.

“Well, if I had to give a reason, I feel good when I touch you. Especially in bed.”

“……?”

It was quite a vague reason. When Lysith patted his back, asking him to explain more, he simply ignored it and effortlessly lifted her compliant body toward the bed.

How many times had she been carried like this by him lately, as if being kidnapped? Lysith had been suffering at his hands every day since their first encounter.

Yesterday had gone this way too, and the day before that as well. Thanks to this, kiss marks remained scattered all over her body without fading.

At this rate, they were headed for the bed again.

When his hands began removing her dress, Lysith grabbed his shoulders in panic.

“Ah, no! I really can’t today!”

“Why.”

Despite Lysith’s cries as she flailed her legs, Verheigen’s movements and steps never faltered. Realizing it was impossible to stop his stride no matter how much she struggled, Lysith ceased her meaningless resistance and grumbled.

“It’s too much…… You don’t think my stamina matches yours, do you?”

After quietly listening to Lysith’s words, he climbed onto the bed while holding her. When Lysith tensed up, his gentle touch stroked her back as if telling her to relax.

“Alright. Then today we’ll just sleep together.”

“…… Just ‘today’?”

When Lysith gave him a blank look, Verheigen uncharacteristically drooped his eyebrows.

“Then, will you leave me to sleep alone?”

“What do you mean alone, I sleep with you every day!”

“I can’t do without you now.”

‘What’s with this disconnected collective monologue of a conversation……’

Lysith, who was about to say something, closed her mouth. Just like the last time, this time too the sparkling bishie system¹refers to a gaming/visual novel concept where attractive male characters (bishōnen/bishie – beautiful young men) trigger certain reactions or events stabbed at her. Since Verheigen was holding Lysith up, he was naturally looking up at her.

Lysith swallowed with her lips tightly closed. No, isn’t this not the bishie system but the puppy system?

However, knowing she would suffer at his hands until leaving the palace if she gave in here, she firmly shook her head.

Furrowing his brow briefly at her firm head shake, Verheigen slowly lowered the hand that had been gently stroking her back.

And the moment his fingertips reached their desired spot, Lysith drew in a sharp breath.

“Ah, I said no! Don’t dig in!”

At Lysith’s outburst, he removed his hand that had been fondling the cleft of her b*ttocks through her thin negligee. When she quickly escaped his embrace and hugged a nearby pillow to her chest, his red eyes distorted.

What’s the problem now! When she glared with such meaning, the man approached swiftly and pulled the pillow from her arms toward himself.

“Don’t hug such things.”

“Ah.”

When Lysith pouted after having the pillow snatched away, Verheigen burrowed into her now-empty arms. Though given their size difference, it was practically like being pounced on.

Reflexively catching him as she fell backward, Lysith finally realized:

‘This man is even jealous of pillows……’

Though he was definitely the oldest among the four target characters, strangely he showed the most childish aspects. Despite there being another man who called Lysith “noona.”

Letting out a small sigh, Lysith asked a question loaded with various meanings.

“How did you manage before?”

“Rolling around in bed? Well, you’re the one who made me this h*rny, mm—”

Startled by Verheigen’s answer, Lysith unconsciously covered his mouth. If anyone else had covered his mouth, he would have glared coldly, but since it was Lysith, he gazed at her docilely like a gentle lamb.

Taking it a step further, he even started licking her palm that was covering his mouth.

Though she shuddered at the wet sensation, Lysith didn’t remove her hand. He looked at her approvingly before gently biting her soft palm.

Only then did Lysith remove her hand and wipe her wet palm on his clothes.

“Ugh……”

“You’re wiping it on me again?”

“Where else should I wipe it?”

Their bickering continued for a while before ending when Lysith fell asleep first. Given how he had tormented her every night for the past few days — once even in the morning — it was a natural result if anything.

He kept his gaze on the woman, who was so deeply asleep that she wouldn’t notice even if she were carried away, as if he could never tire of the sight. He briefly gauged the time. Though it wasn’t yet time for bed, it felt too regretful to be apart.

Since he spent all his daytime hours on work, he only had a bit of time in the morning and night with her.

Though he wanted to stay together all day, what could he do about his position as Emperor.

Still, thanks to this, his already fast work pace had become even faster. All because he wanted to finish quickly and be with her.

Moving to collapse sideways onto the bed, Verheigen embraced Lysith who ended up lying on her side as well.

Well, going to bed early today shouldn’t be a problem.

Until recently he had barely managed to sleep with the help of alcohol or medicine, but that changed after he started staying with Lysith.

When she was in his arms, sleep would overwhelm him with an unusual drowsiness, and simultaneously a sense of peace would envelop him. As if all his usual sensitivity had been thrown away.

Now he couldn’t imagine returning to how he was before knowing her.

No, he had no intention of going back.

While stroking her hair tangled in his fingers, he turned his face slightly to whisper against Lysith’s cheek.

“It would be nice if you sat beside me……”

Though his voice was sticky enough to raise goosebumps, Lysith remained deep in sleep, completely unaware of his thick desire.

Suddenly, the thought occurred to him. If this woman went to another man, he might lose his mind. Though he wondered when things had gotten to this point, his feelings that had already begun flowing couldn’t be stopped, he didn’t know how to stop them, and above all, he had no will to stop them.

The man who had fallen into the swamp of warmth, comfort, and stability he had never tasted before killed time pondering how to get her to sit beside him.

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