Epilogue.1

“Mm… Mmph…!”  

As soon as they moved to the private room, Lucian’s weight pressed against her, forcing her to take half-steps backward. One step, two steps, three steps, four. His relentless lips bit at her skin, and the heat of his probing tongue left her flushed.  

Ah, she thought, there was no escaping now.  

Her back hit the wall, and Lucian, as if waiting for this moment, lowered his arms to hold hers.  

When he raised her wrists, she had no choice but to surrender herself completely. Her head spun from lack of oxygen.  

Every time she tried to breathe, his lips would momentarily pull back, only to steal her breath away again.  

Even though she was cornered against the wall, Lucian’s gentle nibbling on her lips made her instinctively tense her lower body. She knew it—there was no denying it anymore—she was already wet down there.  

“Lana.”  

His voice, calling her name with a heated expression, was intoxicating. Iliana, dazed and drunk on his gaze, cautiously pressed her lips to his.  

Smack.  

The innocent sound made Lucian blink before crouching down.  

“What… What are you doing?”

Iliana was startled, but before she could react further, a lighthearted laugh came from below.  

“W-Why are you laughing?”  

“Hahaha! Ah, this is too much. Lana.”  

Ah…  

Lucian sighed and, without hesitation, pulled her arms around his neck. Iliana froze, her body stiffening at the unexpected gesture. Seeing her remain motionless, Lucian gently nuzzled his head against hers.  

“I think I’ve been really oblivious.” 

“…Now you realize?”  

“Yes, only now. But isn’t it fortunate? At least I realized before you got married. And before I passed out.”

The way he rubbed his cheek against hers like a cat made her heart pound violently. Iliana deliberately tried to deflect the situation with feigned indifference.  

“If you’re going to talk, at least make sense.”  

“Right?”  

Really, really fortunate.

Lucian muttered self-deprecatingly, burrowing further into her embrace. His actions were so endearing that Iliana couldn’t help but think he was utterly hopeless.  

Oh, whatever.  

She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Lucian responded by pressing a kiss to her clothes.  

Perhaps because the dress she had worn for the ball was thin, she could feel every sensation vividly. The warmth of his breath near her chest made her stomach tense involuntarily.  

Seeing her abdomen contract, Lucian let out a short laugh and pulled her closer by the waist.  

“Ah!”  

With a startled cry, Iliana watched as Lucian licked her dress in a long, deliberate motion and looked up at her.  

“Don’t you think licking inside your dress would be even better?”  

“Lucian Declan!”  

“Relax your stomach first, Lana. Or… is this kind of unique play your thing? If so, I can adjust. You know I’m good at this sort of thing.”  

“W-What…!”  

You’re the one who enjoys this kind of play!  

Iliana recoiled in shock, trying to put some distance between them. But even as she stepped back, Lucian’s blatant gaze made her feel as though she was growing wetter by the second. She clutched her dress tightly.  

To be honest, Lucian’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong. It wasn’t this kind of play specifically—it was that everything Lucian Declan did was her preference. It was hard to argue otherwise.  

You wouldn’t lust after me that much, would you?  

Iliana closed her eyes tightly, then opened them, hesitating as she looked at Lucian. His persistent gaze trailed down her arm before he took her hand and raised it.  

He gently tickled her palm, then pressed a firm kiss to the back of her hand. The way he acted, like a cat purring and throwing a tantrum, made Iliana’s face turn bright red. Her lips moved wordlessly.  

It was an unspoken nudge to speak her mind.  

Pushed by the overwhelming satisfaction bubbling inside her, she finally opened her mouth.  

“I-It’s not that kind of play. But… there is something I’ve wanted to do.”  

“Yes?”  

Lucian, now kissing each of her fingers one by one, urged her to continue.  

Her nerves tingled. Part of her wanted to bury her face in her hands out of embarrassment, while another part of her didn’t want to miss this opportunity.  

How should I express it?  

After much hesitation, Iliana finally gathered her courage and looked at Lucian.  

“L-Lucian, I want to see the expression you make when you feel good!”  

“…What?”  

Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected that. The silence that followed seemed to demand an explanation, and Iliana began to ramble, trying to justify herself.  

“T-To be honest, it’s just… hard for me to believe that you like me. I mean, it might just be some unconscious reaction from the time we were intimate, so… so…”  

How was I supposed to explain this?  

Unable to articulate her thoughts properly, Iliana clenched her eyes shut, embarrassed. She was too scared to see how Lucian might be looking at her right now.  

Would he hate me for this request?  

Still, it wasn’t an unreasonable request, was it?  

Her heart pounded as she puffed her cheeks with air, nervously opening her eyes to glance at Lucian.  

The displeased look in his eyes made her quickly avert her gaze.  

You must hate it! You’ve always been fine with pushing me to my limits, but now you’re acting all reserved? Is that your thing?  

While she tried to decipher his unreadable emotions, the tense atmosphere made her feel as though their roles had reversed.  

So, you can feel anxious about unrequited love even after hearing the other person say they like you.  

If Anas were here, she’d probably smack both of them on the head and tell them to stop overthinking and just get on with it. But unfortunately, the only ones here were Iliana Raylin, the queen of digging emotional holes, and Lucian Declan, utterly clueless.  

Lucian, who had been silent, suddenly knelt down to meet her gaze. Iliana, who had been fidgeting with her nails, softened her furrowed brow when their eyes met.  

“Iliana. Are you sure about this?”  

“Y-Yeah. But if you don’t like it, we don’t have to.”  

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. It’s just…”  

His complicated expression made Iliana feel equally conflicted.  

Noticing this, Lucian’s lips curved into a faint smile before the expression quickly disappeared.  

“No, I guess words wouldn’t do it justice. Alright, you want to see the expression I make when I feel good?”  

Brushing his bangs back, Lucian took her hand and led her to the bed.  

His somewhat hurried movements strangely reassured Iliana.  

He doesn’t seem to hate it. Thank goodness!  

Feeling relieved, Iliana followed him.  

Sitting on the neatly made bed, Lucian looked up at her and tapped his lips.  

“Give me a kiss.”

Her heart pounded as if it would leap out of her throat. 

Was he going to show me? 

Closing her eyes tightly, she puckered her lips and leaned forward, only for her lips to brush against his sharp nose.

“Ah.”

“Really?”

Iliana, startled by her mistake as if it were her first time, opened her eyes wide and then gave an embarrassed laugh.

Watching her, Lucian raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

“Follow me properly, Lana.”

As he guided her chin, Iliana clumsily rolled her tongue. A faint crimson hue spread across her pale skin. Lucian, with his eyes closed, tapped the roof of her mouth with his tongue, a sight so sensual that Iliana didn’t know where to look.

If Lucian opened his eyelids, he would easily notice that she was watching. But she didn’t want to miss this moment. It still felt like a dream—like it wasn’t real.

Unconsciously, a surge of possessiveness blurred Iliana’s focus. As her saliva began to leak, he pulled his lips away.

“Watch carefully.”

“……”

“Focus.”

His low, raspy breath sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t tell whether he meant to focus on his expression or the act they were sharing. 

No, Iliana actually knew. He meant for her to observe properly.

For some reason, he seemed unusually provocative today.