6.9

After a long moment, Delphinel leaned against the edge of the tub, her breathing still uneven. Beneath her, the water rippled softly, carrying away the remnants of their shared moment. She glanced down, noticing the faint trail of bubbles and water sliding down her legs. 

“It feels like that bath was completely pointless.”

She murmured, her voice lower than usual. 

Red blinked, his eyes wide with surprise. 

“I-I’m sorry! I got carried away!” 

Delphinel turned slightly, her expression unreadable. 

“So… what should we do now?” 

“I’ll fetch more water and help you wash again?”

Red offered nervously. 

“That’s not quite what I had in mind.”

She replied, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. 

Her shoulders shook slightly, and for a moment, Red worried she was upset. But when she turned to look at him, her eyes were sparkling with a playful glint. 

“This time, I’ll wash us both. And you… will stay still. Understood?”  

Red nodded quickly, as if he had never been given the option to refuse in his life. 

How many times had he fetched water? How many marks had they left on each other’s bodies—bites, scratches? Even after drying off and leaving the bathroom, they kissed again in the hallway, in the room, and on the bed. 

During those moments, Delphinel found herself being carried by Red or standing on tiptoe on his feet, only to slip off again. 

“Ugh… ah… Red…! You never… seem to tire…” 

Now, Delphinel was bent over the desk, her hips trembling as Red’s still unrelenting presence moved between her thighs. Each thr*st caused the desk to creak, and her legs dangled helplessly in the air. 

Her pale feet curled instinctively, unable to reject the pleasure coursing through her body. Red leaned down, his breath hot against her ear, and pulled her close. Earlier, when he had filled her completely, the warmth began to trickle down her thighs like melted wax. 

“Haa… Delphinel… I’ll stop now…” 

It was the same promise he had made earlier when she was lying on the table. 

Delphinel didn’t have the strength to respond. Red gently brushed her sweat-soaked hair away from her face, the touch grounding her back to reality. 

“Delphinel, do you want to wash up now? Or would you prefer to rest for a bit?” 

“Rest… If I say I want to wash, you’ll probably just…” 

“…” 

Red’s silence was his last shred of honesty. 

He tried to step back, but when he noticed Delphinel’s legs trembling weakly, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. As she gazed around the room, which would undoubtedly take all day to clean tomorrow, something caught her eye—a book lying in the corner, its cover untouched for a long time. 

“Red… I have something to tell you.” 

“Yes!” 

“It’s not… a serious matter.” 

Despite her reassurance, Red tensed visibly. Delphinel sighed inwardly, wondering if she should have kept silent. But in the end, she decided to speak. 

“Earlier—actually, yesterday—you mentioned Edward in front of my mother.” 

“…Yes.” 

Red lowered his gaze like a condemned man awaiting the axe. He tried to clear his mind, but it wasn’t easy. 

What was Delphinel about to say? 

An old lover? Someone she hadn’t forgotten? If the Baroness were to bring Edward back, would she leave me for Edward? 

“That bastard… doesn’t exist in this world!” 

“…” 

Red spoke grimly. 

“Did he pass away?” 

“No, wait! Listen to me until the end!” 

Delphinel hurriedly reached for the desk, inadvertently exposing the red marks left by Red’s hands on her hips. Red, unable to resist, pressed his hand against his thigh to calm himself. 

Soon, she pulled out a book. Judging by the suggestive sentences on the cover, it seemed to be a relative of the *rotic novel they had once read together, titled <The Countess’s Stable.>

Delphinel, her face bright red, opened a page and held it out to him. 

“Look at this.” 

“Hmm, there’s a character named Edward.” 

“Yes, that’s the Edward we’re talking about.” 

“…Madame, I don’t quite understand. So, the name you mentioned in the bathroom before…?” 

“I was reading an *rotic novel and… the name just popped into my head while I was… doing that!” 

“…” 

Red couldn’t even fully close his mouth. Taking advantage of his silence, Delphinel spilled the truth, determined to leave no room for misunderstanding. She didn’t bother with flowery language or elegant phrasing. 

“My mother was right. I’ve never been in a relationship, never received a dance invitation at a party. I wasn’t interested. That’s why I rushed into marrying you, thinking only of the formalities.” 

“…”

“And when I needed to conceive, I acted like I knew what I was doing because you believed I did. But I didn’t know anything. I couldn’t ask anyone, so I learned from books. Don’t read it now!” 

Delphinel snatched the *rotic novel out of Red’s hands just as he began flipping through the pages. 

Had he already glimpsed a provocative scene? 

His awkward attempt to hide his reaction made it clear. 

D*mn Edward—he was nothing but trouble. 

“Anyway, I studied through *rotic novels and figured things out through experience. When I accidentally said the name, you misunderstood. After we started having a proper relationship, I stopped reading those books entirely.”

“…” 

“That’s everything. I’ve told you everything. I have nothing left to hide!”  

Delphinel shouted like a ghost being exorcised. She thought she would feel relieved after confessing everything, but d*mn it—it only made her face burn hotter. Still, there was nothing more she could do now. All she could do was wait for Red to handle the embarrassment she had laid bare. 

“Madame.” 

“Yes!” 

“I think… this is really embarrassing…” 

“Ahhh! Stop! Stop!” 

It was a brutally honest assessment. 

Well, if Delphinel couldn’t manage her own embarrassment, how could he possibly fix it with words? The shame was hers alone to bear. 

However, Red didn’t leave her to face it by herself. He gently ran his hand down her arm, closed the book, and pulled her into a tight embrace as they lay down on the bed. His low voice tickled her ear. 

“Madame, then… I was your first, wasn’t I?” 

“…” 

“Your first for… everything. Holding hands, lying down together like this… and…” 

“Yes…” 

For some reason, there was a strange hint of unease in Red’s voice. That was odd. She thought he might be happy—maybe even a little smug. After all, wasn’t that the usual reaction? 

When Delphinel, unable to find an answer, tightly grasped Red’s hand, his unease returned in an unexpected way. 

“Other men would probably be the same… No, wait. I’m definitely better than other men! I’ll do everything the *rotic novels talk about!” 

“What nonsense are you saying now?” 

“I just… I was worried you might wonder how other men would… you know…” 

“…Wait. Are you saying you’re anxious because you think I might be curious about other men?” 

Red’s voice turned sullen as he replied. 

“Yes. When I first… uh… kissed you there, you said I was better than your ex-lover. That reassured me. But if there was no one to compare me to, then how would I even know if I’m good or not—ow, ow!” 

Delphinel grabbed Red’s cheeks and pulled them firmly. The right to speak had now been physically reclaimed by her. 

“How could you say something like that? How would you feel if I worried about the same thing? What if I told you not to drool over other women?” 

“What are you talking about? My… uh… my thing only reacts to you, Madame!” 

“Well, I’ve never been interested in men before either! Why would I go looking for someone else when I’ve married a kind, handsome, and wonderful man like you?” 

“Uh…” 

Red seemed ready to argue, but his words trailed off. Soon, he lowered his head and chuckled softly. 

“So… I’m a good man?” 

“Yes.” 

“I see.” 

He didn’t ask for proof or statistics. Instead, as if finally reassured, he gently held her hand, intertwining their fingers. 

“I just want you to stay happy, Madame.” 

“I will.” 

Delphinel reached out and caressed Red’s face. His kiss and warmth traveled down her wrist, filling her with a familiar, comforting heat. It was the kind of warmth that made her believe he would always be there whenever she reached out. 

If someone asked her to prove her happiness, Delphinel would offer just one piece of evidence: 

The warmest person in the world. 

“Red, you’re my husband.”