Chapter 3 (Part 5)

Edwin looked at Amelia, who was sleeping in his arms and smiled slyly. He had long waited for this moment. He thought he had shown remarkable restraint.

He had known her since she was just starting to walk, but he first saw her as a woman when he was 13.

The Birken Dukedom was decided to be inherited by his brother, and Edwin, who had taken the path of a knight, was engrossed in sword training, his body covered in wounds.

At an age filled with pride and stubbornness, Edwin didn’t want anyone to see him lose. It felt like his weakness had been exposed.

So, on the day Amelia visited the Birken estate and saw him lose a duel, his pride was deeply hurt.

‘This wound is nothing…’

‘It’s a sign of your hard work. Cool! I’ll also work hard to be worthy of being the head of the Hamilton family! So, will you watch over me too?’

When Amelia, whom he thought would mock his weakness, praised him with a bright smile, something stirred inside him. Until then, she had been just a friend he could talk to, so it felt strange.

‘S-sure.’

Her praise made her seem to shine, and for the first time, Edwin blushed while looking at Amelia. His heart pounded so hard that he couldn’t tell if he was breathing through his mouth or nose.

He couldn’t remember what they talked about afterward. Only her words of calling him cool kept echoing in his mind.

‘Amelia, I’ll protect you for the rest of my life!’

From that day, Edwin had a new goal. Originally, he intended to be a knight solely for the royal family, but now he dreamed of becoming a knight for Amelia.

At that time, it was close to pure youthful enthusiasm. After going through puberty and awakening to the opposite s*x, his feelings for Amelia changed completely.

The body of the girl, who had been like a child, grew soft and voluptuous, and Edwin could no longer see her the same way.

As a result, whenever Amelia stayed at the mansion, he confirmed her presence through the traces she left behind. The thrilling scent she left in the room before it was cleaned stimulated his sensitive sense of smell, often exhausting his patience.

‘Haa…’

At such times, he would take out his fully erect m*mber in the empty room and grasp it with his hand. Just imagining that she had been there moments ago excited him.

When he closed his eyes and thought of Amelia, his breathing became rougher.

Thud, thud, thud, he exhaled heavily as he increased the speed of his hand. His hot, twitching m*mber seemed to pause for a moment before releasing a thick fl*id.

The scent of night-blooming flowers filled the room, mixing with Amelia’s lingering scent. At that moment, Edwin felt a joy greater than winning any battle.

After that, Edwin continued to m*sturbate in the places where Amelia had stayed, avoiding the eyes of others. Eventually, he even snuck into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep while doing it. 

As he became an adult, his body grew more vigorous, and he could no longer control himself. Of course, he only did it knowing that once Amelia fell asleep, she would never wake up. 

However, seeing Amelia blatantly avoid him after that night, Edwin realized she must have woken up momentarily and seen what he did. 

It felt like being rejected before even confessing.

‘If you want to propose to Amelia, win her heart first.’

Edwin had long known Amelia’s feelings. He had once sent a proposal letter to the Duke of Hamilton but was rejected. The Duke wanted his daughter to marry a man she truly loved, and Edwin didn’t fit that criterion.

The only consolation was that Amelia still didn’t have a fiancé. He had hoped that her feelings would change over time, but the outcome he desired never materialized.

Seeing her try to distance herself even more, he realized it was impossible to return to their previous friendship.

Though a sense of misery washed over him, he thought it was for the best. He no longer trusted himself to restrain his desires when he saw Amelia’s face, so keeping a distance seemed wise.

Sometimes, he wanted to lay her beneath him and make her cry. He even fantasized about keeping her n*ked all day, making her take in his seed.

With such irrational impulses growing, how could he stay by her side? So, Edwin decided to maintain their friendship from a distance and watched as she became the head of the Hamilton family.

But circumstances didn’t allow that.

‘Your childhood friend is listed as a candidate for Crown Princess.’

When Crown Prince Lucius mentioned that Amelia was a candidate for Crown Princess, Edwin couldn’t help but curse.

Of course, Lucius had no interest in the Crown Princess candidates and didn’t like Amelia’s type, so he wouldn’t choose her. But it still made Edwin uncomfortable.

‘To think she would try to lose her virginity to a stranger just to avoid becoming Crown Princess….’

After meeting her at the masquerade ball, Edwin thought about why she did it and couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd yet clever plan she had concocted.

‘Ah, so that’s what it was? Why didn’t she ask the most suitable person right beside her?’ 

If she had asked, he would have agreed immediately.

Realizing what she hadn’t been able to say when she suddenly spoke to him at the banquet, Edwin smiled with satisfaction.

He then seized the opportunity and achieved the desired result. However, there was still a long way to go, and he planned to push forward more decisively.

* * *

When Amelia woke up and confirmed that Edwin was lying next to her, her eyes widened.

‘Ah, right. I slept with Edwin last night.’

As she felt a sudden pain, she realized they had made love the previous night.

‘Oh my God!’

When she lifted the blanket, her eyes widened even more. Her n*ked body was covered in countless marks.

‘I guess I’ll have to ask Mary to help me bathe for a while.’

The only relief was that the sticky fl*ids on her body had already been cleaned off. Hastily wrapping herself in the clothes scattered on the floor, Amelia wobbled toward the guest room.

Fortunately, the guest room was not far from Edwin’s room, so she didn’t run into anyone in the hallway. Once she entered the guest room, she relaxed, and only then did she feel the severe muscle pain as if her entire body had been beaten.

To catch up on her sleep, she changed into her nightgown and lay down on the bed. She fell asleep immediately, exhausted.

When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and Amelia hurriedly pulled the rope next to the bed. Soon after, a maid knocked and entered.

“You’re awake. The Duchess is waiting to have a meal with you. I’ve prepared hot water in the bathroom, so you can wash up and come down.”

Perhaps it was because the maid’s face was unfamiliar, but Amelia felt awkward and simply nodded in response.

She declined the maid’s assistance and walked to the bathroom in a daze. However, as she undressed, she felt a wave of embarrassment. Staring at the bruises Edwin had left, Amelia sighed deeply.

‘Why does it feel so awkward to realize that Edwin has both a gentle and rough side? Moreover….’

Thinking about how it didn’t take long to feel pl*asure beyond the pain made Amelia’s face flush red.

Recalling the immense pl*asure she had never felt before made her body heat up again. Amelia tried to wash away her embarrassment by soaking in the bathtub.

But she couldn’t. The more she tried to push it away, the clearer it became.

‘Is this what it means to be sexually compatible? Even without feelings, our bodies can match well.’

In the end, Amelia had to admit that she and Edwin were sexually compatible. However, the indescribable awkwardness and embarrassment persisted because it was Edwin.

‘Is it my imagination, or did his body look almost the same as it did in my dream?’

What brought her the greatest shame was that Edwin’s body looked almost identical to what she had seen in her dream.

His solid muscles were visible through his sweat-soaked, clinging clothes, and even that enormous p*nis….

It felt like a prophetic dream, warning her of what was to come. Because of the past shame of feeling lust for her friend, Amelia couldn’t face Edwin.

‘It’s funny how my feelings changed after he solved my urgent problem. But what can I do about the embarrassment?’

Though she was grateful for his help, Amelia felt even more distant from Edwin.

* * *

“Did you reconcile well with Sir Birken?”

After enjoying a meal with the Duchess of Birken and returning to the mansion, the Duke of Hamilton summoned Amelia to his study as if he had been waiting for her.

“You knew?”

Amelia was taken aback by the Duke’s sudden interest in her relationship with Edwin. She hadn’t paid much attention to it and hadn’t shown any signs, so his concern surprised her.

Even more puzzling was that he had pretended not to know about the awkwardness between her and Edwin. But her questions were soon answered by the Duke’s next words.

“Doesn’t the fact that Sir Birken informed me about you attending the masquerade ball mean that there was a disagreement between you two?”

“I suppose so. We didn’t fight. We just had a difference of opinion, which made things a bit awkward. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Amelia tried to brush off the conversation about Edwin, hoping to end it.

‘If Father knew, it would be a disaster, right?’

If he found out that she had slept with Edwin to avoid becoming a Crown Princess candidate, he would be so shocked that he might faint on the spot.

So, she had to act as calmly as possible, as if nothing had happened.

“Sir Birken… Never mind.”

However, the Duke of Hamilton seemed to have more to say on the matter. It was the first time he had ever looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

“What about Edwin? Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Although her father’s attitude was suspicious, he didn’t seem willing to share more, so Amelia didn’t press further. She could only hope that nothing serious was going on.