Chapter 83

‘Madman!’  

She now understood why he was behaving this way.  

Everything he had done so far must have been for this moment.  

Adelina struck the inside of Lexion’s elbow hard. Reflexively, Lexion, who had been tensing his arm, leaned his body toward her.  

“Don’t even dream about it!”  

Even though she was furious, his grave expression softened instead.  

‘Wicked man! Wicked man! Wicked man…’  

As Adelina’s eyes began to redden, glaring at Lexion, his lips left no time for her tears to fall.  

+++

‘Adelina. My wife.’  

Lexion continuously kissed her lips as if pleading with her, despite her anger.  

Only when she reluctantly parted her tightly shut lips did he finally taste the sweetness within.  

• Your Highness… just in case… if the royal family were to disappear…

The persistent plea of Earl Bettran, which had continued for several days, echoed unsettlingly in his ears.  

The Earl had even consulted a physician to confirm Adelina’s fertile period.  

Today was the perfect day for consummation.  

‘If I die, the Kingdom of Ernst will lose its center. At least with a child, there would be hope for the future.’  

He knew. He wasn’t just an ordinary man.  

He was the only surviving royal who had to continue the dynasty.  

A King who needed to produce an heir to give the people a focal point.  

Lexion looked down at Adelina’s face, which seemed to be yearning for something.  

‘Beautiful Adelina.’  

Even if he died during the war, there would be people who desired Adelina and would protect her.  

But… if she were pregnant with his child, their lives would be far less secure.  

Lexion swallowed hard and lifted himself off her.  

“Lexion?”  

Adelina widened her eyes in surprise at his unexpectedly gentle retreat.  

Did she not realize how her gaze made my heart tremble every time?  

“I’ll leave now.”  

For the first time, Lexion decided to act not as the sole survivor of the royal family but as a man who cared for a woman.  

Even if he died, the Emperor of the Tiola Empire would protect her.  

Jaeyon, that rascal, might also step in to protect her.  

‘Damn it.’  

He couldn’t help but curse.  

To hide his bitter feelings from her, he turned his head away.  

Thankfully, the room’s dim lighting concealed his expression.  

“Five days from now. There will be an all-out attack. Stay here… in this place.”  

Lexion stepped off the bed.  

+++

‘An all-out attack in five days?’  

Adelina bolted upright and, without realizing it, grabbed Lexion’s hand.  

He turned his head to look at her face.  

“Lexion, you too…”  

“Of course. I’m a Swordmaster.”  

Yes. That’s right. He was that kind of man.  

The kind of man who would throw himself into battle to save even a single citizen.  

Even though his answer was obvious, her heart sank and refused to rise again.  

Her trembling hands, which held onto him, betrayed her fear, even though she already knew about the impending war.  

‘I’m still alive, Adelina.’  

Seeing Adelina lower her head with a dazed expression, as if he were already dead, Lexion let out a small laugh.  

He pulled his hand away from hers, as if trying to rid himself of lingering attachments to her.  

He lightly clenched and unclenched his hand, as though trying to let go of the remaining feelings.  

“Lexion!”  

Adelina grabbed his hand again.  

Surprised by her own action, she looked into his eyes.  

Lexion glanced at her hand holding his, then shifted his gaze to her face.  

“Such boldness.”  

He grabbed her chin with one hand and leaned closer.  

Her startled eyes quivered slightly at his sudden action.  

‘Of course… I’m ridiculous too.’  

Just moments ago, he had resolved to let Adelina go, so why was he expecting something now?  

“Is this how you provoke me?”  

“Lexion…”  

Her eyes still trembled.  

Perhaps it was tears that were welling up.  

‘I’m still alive, Adelina.’  

Should I laugh? Or cry?  

What kind of wife treats her husband as if he were already dead?  

“If you provoke me one more time, I won’t hold back.”  

As he brought his lips closer to hers, intending only a light kiss, he found himself delving deeper into her mouth.  

‘Well, this much is something a wife can do for her husband going to war.’  

He tried not to leave a mark on her neck, and he struggled to maintain control as her soft moans reached his ears.  

“Behave yourself. Don’t cheat on me.”  

It was time to leave. If he stayed any longer and kissed her again, he wouldn’t be able to control his instincts.  

Lexion released his arms from around her and forced himself to ignore the stiffness in his lower body as he stood up.  

“How dare you.”  

Her voice reached his ears.  

It was bold and defiant.  

“Without my permission.”  

When Adelina pulled his hand, he flopped back onto the bed.  

“How dare you try to leave.”  

Her lips claimed his.  

“I told you, if you provoke me one more time, I won’t hold back.”  

After a long kiss, Lexion gently brushed his fingers across her face.  

“I know.”  

Feeling his rough fingertips, Adelina closed her eyes.  

“This won’t end with just a kiss.”  

Lexion gave her one last chance.  

To push him away, as she had before.  

Adelina opened her eyes, then grabbed his arm and leaned back onto the bed.  

“I know.”  

Closing her eyes again, she gripped the bed sheet tightly.  

Seeing her like this, Lexion’s face lit up with a bright smile, as if all his previous worries had disappeared.  

“Adelina Ernst. My wife.”  

His breath spread across her body.  

Adelina covered her mouth with both hands to stifle the moans that escaped her lips, afraid someone might hear.  

“If you do that… it’ll be difficult for you.”  

Lexion removed her hands and kissed her wrists.  

Her tear-filled eyes looked unbearably lovely.  

“No one will know. Only the two of us will remember this night. Not even the moon in the sky. Just the two of us.”  

Adelina gently traced the scars on his bare chest muscles with her fingertips.  

Lexion carefully kissed Adelina’s entire body.  

Even with his eyes closed, he could sculpt her form, feeling every inch of her.  

He pulled her hand to let her feel the sensations he was experiencing.  

Adelina caressed him as if engraving every cell of his being onto her fingertips.  

Even without a brush, she could paint a picture.  

Even without a canvas, she could draw his form anywhere, down to the last strand of hair.  

When he unbuckled his pants, Adelina turned her head to the side, fixing her gaze on the dresser.  

As his soft kisses resumed, Adelina closed her eyes.  

When he briefly lifted his upper body, she slightly opened her eyes.  

“My goodness…”  

Her gaze drifted downward, and her eyes widened to twice their usual size.  

“Adelina?”  

Following her gaze, Lexion glanced down at himself, his face momentarily bewildered.  

But soon, he leaned forward and embraced her.  

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”  

His deep, hearty laughter tickled her ears.  

“If it’s too much, you can bite me.”  

Lexion gently covered her lips with his hand.  

Adelina nodded slightly, trying not to look downward.  

“Just hold on for a little while… I’ll make it as painless as possible.”  

Lexion lowered his head further and whispered softly into her ear.  

She tightly shut her eyes and nodded again.  

It was the signal to begin. Their secret night was just starting.  

+++

‘Lexion. Please remember me. Even if it’s a lie… in this moment, I am truly your wife.’  

Adelina clung to his arms, matching his rhythm.  

She couldn’t tell if the tears she shed were from the pain of her first experience or from her own pitiful situation.  

She only hoped he would remember. Remember their first time together.  

Even if no one else acknowledged it, she wanted him to remember that she was his first queen.  

As her body swayed to his movements, Adelina clung tightly to his back.  

‘Adelina. My beautiful wife.’  

Even though Lexion held her as gently as he could, her body still yielded helplessly to his strength.  

Even in moments when he lost his reason and succumbed to his instincts, he tried to keep his gaze fixed on her face.  

He would remember everything about her in this moment.  

Not even death could erase this memory.  

His rhythm grew faster and faster.  

‘Adelina. Adelina Ernst!’  

Overwhelmed by the euphoria of a sensation he had never felt before, Lexion finally lost control, driving into her with all his strength.  

Her hands, gripping his arms tightly, showed how difficult it was for her to accept him.  

Her occasional soft moans drove him even crazier.  

He poured everything into her.  

He wanted to make sure she could never forget him.  

He gave his all to imprint himself onto her, so that she would never forget this ecstasy.  

Please. Remember.  

The man who stayed within her was him, the first.  

He hoped she would recognize that she was his only woman.  

+++

Their love didn’t last long.  

That made it all the more poignant—a secret, desperate love shared only between the two of them.  

At 4 a.m., when even the crickets had stopped chirping, Lexion soaked a towel in warm water and wiped her body clean.  

“Shall I call Seyra for you?”  

Lexion was worried about Adelina, who would feel empty after his departure.  

Even though he had tried to be gentle, her first experience would make it hard for her to move.  

After cleaning her body, Lexion sat lightly on the edge of the bed.  

He wanted to hold her longer, but the time to leave was drawing near.  

“No. We promised it would be our secret.”  

When Adelina raised her trembling hand, Lexion leaned down so she could touch his cheek.  

“Well. Did you forget something? Don’t you have anything else to say?”  

Adelina’s golden eyes, filled with longing, wavered.  

Lexion looked into her eyes and kissed the palm of her hand, which had been touching his cheek, for a long time.  

“I will return. Even if I have to come back as a ghost.”  

“Lexion…”  

Lexion gazed deeply into Adelina’s tearful eyes, which were trembling even more.  

He would return, no matter what.  

He would never let me be taken by another man.  

He would be the only man who could hold me.  

‘Um… Lexion… ghosts are a bit scary…’  

Adelina glared at Lexion, who had said something utterly unromantic instead of the words she wanted to hear.  

“If it gets dangerous, hide in the mirror. I’ll find a way to bring you out.”  

As if he were truly about to leave, Lexion kissed her forehead, and Adelina lightly grabbed the hem of his clothes.  

“Please come back. I’ll be waiting.”  

She forced her reluctant fingers to release his clothing and let him go.  

“Don’t cheat on me while I’m gone. I’ll come to get you.”  

His lips brushed lightly against the corner of her eye.  

When Adelina opened her eyes again, she was left alone in the room.  

+++

Seyra quietly entered Adelina’s room, where she was sleeping in late that day.  

She gently opened the terrace window to let fresh air into the room without waking Adelina.  

“Huh? What’s this?”