Noel let out a scoffing snort at Jaelinne’s words, like air escaping. His provocatively raised eyes couldn’t have been more annoying.

“Really? We’ll find out when I check later.”

“Honestly.”

That evening, when Jaelinne was about to fall asleep, Noel came to her room. The door opened without even a knock, startling Jaelinne, who had been lying down, into sitting up.

“What? You scared me!”

“Scared, huh.”

Noel walked toward the bed with large strides without hesitation. His pace was quite quick. Jaelinne, wearing only thin pajamas, buried her face in the blanket in embarrassment.

“What’s wrong? Is it because it’s been so long?”

“Even if we’re close, there are things we should respect…”

Instantly, Noel’s eyes flashed and his jaw tensed. He couldn’t tolerate her trying to distance herself from him. Nothing, no matter how trivial, should come between him and her.

“Who said that?”

“My parents…”

Noel’s body stiffened at Jaelinne’s unexpected words. The Count and Countess were his benefactors. None of the nobles were as humane as they were.

At first, he had been suspicious of Count Morehenson, who had stepped forward to help him. He thought the Count would covet his family’s assets just like the others, using his friendship with his father as an excuse.

‘Though he was completely wrong about that.’

The Count and Countess’s words were worth listening to. They were people who would never say anything harmful to him and Jaelinne. They probably thought his and Jaelinne’s physical affection was excessive.

‘But… it doesn’t matter.’

He sat on the edge of the bed and grasped the shoulder of Jaelinne, who still had her head buried. Her back jumping in surprise was adorable. He moved closer to her and spoke softly.

“I’ll just check how much you’ve grown and then leave, Jaelinne.”

Eventually, Jaelinne lifted her head and looked at Noel. His red eyes seemed to flash like a predator’s. She avoided his gaze slightly and pulled back the blanket she had been clutching tightly.

“You’ll just look quickly and go?”

“Yeah.”

Jaelinne glanced at Noel once more and lifted the hem of her long pajama dress. Her pure white legs gradually became visible, and cute panties with ribbons peeked out shyly. She didn’t stop there and pulled her pajamas up to her neck.

Her chest, beginning to mature, rose gently. She was now distinctly different from his body. Her slender frame, soft skin, and gently curving body pierced painfully into his eyes.

When he unconsciously caressed her chest, she startled and sat up. This caused her raised pajamas to fall down and cover her body.

“To-touching is a bit…”

“…Right.”

Noel clenched the hand that had touched Jaelinne into a tight fist. The soft, tender sensation seemed to cling persistently to his palm. He bit the tender flesh inside his mouth and took off the clothes he was wearing.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“You need to see mine too.”

Jaelinne couldn’t take her eyes off Noel. She was at an age when she was very curious about the opposite s*x. Though she had received s*x education, no one had shown her a male body so nakedly. Of course, she had seen his body every day last year too, but…

‘It wasn’t this big before…!’

Her heart pounded like it might burst. His seemingly thicker frame, well-balanced muscles everywhere, and his broad shoulders. He had finished preparing to become a complete man.

‘And also…’

She glanced at his lower body. Something thick was bulging up. It was something she didn’t have. Dangerous curiosity raised its head.

“Noel.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m curious about this…”

Noel looked down at where Jaelinne was pointing. It was his lower body. When Jaelinne brought her face close to that area and stared at it curiously, his heart, which had been lodged in his chest, seemed to descend to his lower body and began to throb painfully there.

“Jaelinne, you’re too close.”

He grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her away. Her round, disappointed eyes looked up at him. He scraped together his disappearing patience and quickly put on his pants.

He was embarrassed to show her his underwear, which was beginning to get wet in a round spot.

“You’re leaving already? Sleep with me.”

“Tomorrow, let’s sleep together tomorrow.”

He reluctantly turned away from the disappointed Jaelinne and returned to his room.

He couldn’t make it to the bed and leaned against the door, hastily throwing off his pants. His underwear was already soaked. The round spreading shape was unsightly.

When he pulled down his underwear, his member sprang out with a bounce, glistening with clear fl*id.

“Haa…”

He stroked it with practiced ease. At the strange sensation, his neck arched back and his eyes closed. Jaelinne’s body, which he had just seen, seemed etched behind his eyelids and shimmered there.

Unable to hold back, he moved his hand rapidly, making slapping sounds. M*ans began to flow naturally from his mouth.

“Ahh…!”

What would her red peaks taste like in his mouth, what did it look like inside her panties—lost entirely in thoughts of Jaelinne, he finally reached cl*max when he recalled Jaelinne’s plump red lips and round eyes.

“Ah…! Jaelinne!”

Thick white fl*id dripped down onto the floor. He breathed heavily, smelling the now-familiar fishy scent. This had been happening every day since he saw her n*ked body last year.

He entered the bathroom to wash his sticky hands and once again recalled what had happened last year.

***

That day was dark even at midday. Dark clouds filled the sky so completely that the sun couldn’t be seen, and finally, in the evening, heavy rain began to fall.

The rumbling sky, when bedtime came, let out sounds so loud they made one’s heart sink. Lightning struck repeatedly, making the room bright, then dark, in endless repetition.

It was such an ominous night that even Noel, who was unusually brave for his age, was startled from time to time.

Jaelinne, who had been alone and couldn’t bear it anymore, came to find him when he was reading a book, unable to sleep. Wearing white pajamas and clutching her pillow tightly, she climbed onto his bed without permission.

“Scared?”

When Noel gently asked while stroking her head, Jaelinne buried her face in the pillow she was holding and nodded. She was truly frightened—her shoulders were trembling finely.

Unable to bear watching, Noel was gently stroking Jaelinne’s lower back when he suddenly stiffened. Her waist area was damp. He hesitated for a long time, touching her wet pajamas.

At his touch, Jaelinne stubbornly hid her face in the pillow to avoid showing her bright red face. She mumbled out words like an excuse.

“I was so scared… it happened. I was suddenly startled…”

Her slightly trembling voice carried moisture at the end. But Noel continued to stroke Jaelinne’s lower back without a word, seemingly having heard nothing. Though loud lightning struck outside, the room was wrapped in silence.

When Jaelinne’s embarrassment gradually subsided and her tense body relaxed, he suddenly said:

“Take it off.”

“…Huh?”

Jaelinne, who had been burying her face in the pillow until then, suddenly lifted her head. She was so surprised that her mind went blank for a moment. Meeting his eyes, Noel shrugged his shoulders.

“Jaelinne, I said take it off.”

“Why, why…?”

Her eyes shook roughly like an earthquake had struck. Noel looked at her quietly with an expression of disbelief.

“Why? You’re going to sleep like that?”

“……”

Silence descended again in the dark room where the only light came from a small candle. Like the flame on the candle had transferred to Jaelinne’s face, her face burned bright red.

Noel swallowed his laughter and comforted Jaelinne.

“Wear mine to sleep. You’re small, so this should be enough.”

Noel spoke to her while unbuttoning his pajama shirt. Jaelinne, still silent with her reddened face, had already taken off his pajama top and glared once at Noel, who was staring at her blankly. His firm chest with well-defined muscles caught her eye, but Jaelinne deliberately looked away.

She looked down at her wet pajamas for a moment, then closed her eyes tightly with determination and lifted her skirt hem. She couldn’t sleep in wet clothes, just like Noel said. 

Moreover, it wasn’t just water—it was clothing wet from a grown maiden’s accident.