Chapter 13: Land to Take Root In (3)

As Larie’s voice echoed faintly in the quiet empress’s study, she flinched in surprise. Strangely, even though no one else was around, her cheeks flushed with heat.

True love? That wasn’t what she’d intended at all.

She simply hadn’t wanted Terian to look so pained. She just wanted him to smile in peace. She hoped he’d have more time with their child. And whenever she imagined him getting hurt, her heart twisted painfully. She didn’t understand complex power struggles between empires—but she still wished he wouldn’t be burdened by them.

She found herself wondering what he was doing several times a day. When she looked up at the stars, they reminded her of his eyes. When light rippled over the lake’s surface, it looked like his smile. That was all there was to it.

With a small sigh, Larie reached out to close the book. The following pages were so damaged they were nearly illegible anyway.

“My Lady.”

“Ah…!”

Terian’s voice came from behind.

Startled, Larie snapped the book shut and turned around in alarm.

“Oh dear. Did I surprise you?”

“N-No, it’s just… You’re here…”

“I knocked, but you didn’t respond.”

“Oh…”

“I even made some noise, but you seemed completely absorbed.”

At the word book, Larie instinctively hid it behind her back.

She had no idea why her face was suddenly burning. She could hardly believe she’d been so focused that she hadn’t noticed him approach.

“Y-Yes… I was just studying a little.”

“Something about nymphs?”

“Yes, that’s right…”

Terian had always taken a keen interest in her studies. He’d once said he needed to educate himself properly as well.

In fact, it had been Terian who first brought her books on nymphs. To Larie’s surprise, he possessed quite a large collection.

So Larie suddenly found herself anxious.

What if he wanted to read this book too?

She hadn’t even realized why she wanted to hide it—but her heart fluttered restlessly.

“This is a book I haven’t seen before.”

“I-It’s from a corner of the library,” she blurted out. “It’s badly damaged. There’s not much in it, really.”

She half-lied without meaning to.

The guilt of it weighed heavily, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

“I see.”

Terian’s voice was low and calm. He slowly stepped closer to her.

Something about his steady pace made her nerves tangle.

By the time he sat beside her, Larie hadn’t uttered another word.

And… something was different.

He was much closer than usual—so close their sides touched.

“My Lady.”

His cloak brushed her arm, featherlight.

It made her skin prickle and her throat dry.

“Have I done something to upset you?”

“N-No, not at all.”

The unexpected gentleness of his words caught her off guard. She would have preferred him angry—it would’ve been easier to handle. Panicking, she turned to him to explain.

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Those ice-blue eyes, heavy with concern, pinned her in place like a snare.

She couldn’t move. She could barely breathe.

“Please look at me.”

Even though she already was, he said it anyway.

Slowly, he took her hand in his—and his lips touched her knuckles.

She froze.

Should I apologize now?

Just as she thought that, Terian lingered against her skin—then smiled, eyes curving.

“…Your Majesty.”

His obvious amusement unraveled her in an instant.

Her tension melted away.

Recently, he’d begun teasing her like this quite often.

Always with that gentle look in his eyes—like he was fondly watching her fluster.

“It seems you’d rather I didn’t read that book,” he murmured, “so I won’t touch it.”

So he knew.

Of course he did.

Even to her own eyes, her reaction had been obvious.

Heat rushed to the tips of her ears. Out of pure embarrassment, she tried to pull her hand away—but failed.

He tightened his hold, lacing their fingers together more firmly.

“…I’ll show you later.”

“Very well. I’ll wait. So don’t worry.”

There really wasn’t much in that book.

Still, something had made her act childishly.

So she quietly decided: Tomorrow. I’ll show him tomorrow.

His thumb began to slowly brush over her skin.

That light, ticklish motion ran straight up her arm and flooded her chest.

As the continent’s tensions grew, Terian’s mastery only sharpened.

The man who now held empires in the palm of his hand seemed just as determined to hold her, too.

“I just…”

If he were to ask whether she disliked this—

Well, the truth was… she didn’t.

“I’m not upset.”

“I know.”

“I only wanted to show you later. That’s all.”

“I understand.”

Even though she knew he’d tease her more for saying so, Larie couldn’t help but explain herself.

‘Even the smallest pain in your heart—I don’t want to cause it.’

She felt the same. She didn’t want to upset him, either.

As expected, Terian’s eyes crinkled with delight.

He took her other hand gently—and once again pressed a kiss to her skin.

The warmth of it lingered, vivid and deep—like a brand.

It made her shoulders twitch involuntarily, like she’d been marked.

And though part of her wanted to flee—

He held both her hands now. There was nowhere to go.

“Larie.”

“…Yes.”

And once again—

She didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.

“Have you finished studying?”

At the softly loaded question, Larie lifted her gaze with care.

The moment their eyes met, she felt Terian’s fingers twitch where their hands were laced together.

She blinked slowly at him, and the strange mood deepened.

The atmosphere in the study seemed to thicken, like the air had settled all at once.

“Not… much. But I don’t have anything else to read today.”

For some reason, she kept swallowing dryly.

They were sitting far too close.

She worried he might find her reaction strange.

But whether he noticed or not, Terian leaned in—closer, and heavier.

“Then allow me,” he murmured, “to have some of your time.”

His voice sank low, vibrating through the room—and right down her spine.

The buzz of it in her ears made her throat tighten again.

He pressed in, their bodies nearly flush—

As though he wanted to melt into her completely.

Larie’s balance gave out under the tension.

She sank back into the sofa with a soft thud—

And Terian followed.

Their bodies overlapped completely.

Even then, he kept their fingers entwined, pressing more weight into that hold—

And just like that, Larie was caged in his broad frame.

He kissed her hand again.

His breath and the thrum of his heartbeat poured directly into her.

“I want to learn about you, too.”

“…What?”

“There’s still so much I need to know.”

He gazed at her directly, voice thick with yearning.

It was the kind of sound that clutched her soul.

No—he clutched her soul. Fully.

“…What kind of answer is that?”

Even overwhelmed, Larie found herself grumbling like a child.

He chuckled softly.

The vibration of it echoed through their contact—steady, rhythmic, alive.

His gently smiling eyes crinkled again, full of joy.

Somehow, that made her feel… a little bit tricked.

Honestly, this man only got stranger by the day.

“I adore you.”

At the impassioned confession, Larie was struck speechless.

It was as if someone had slipped a handful of honey into her mouth—so rich and sweet she couldn’t even breathe.

As she watched his face slowly close in, Larie quietly closed her eyes.

At the exact moment her heart skipped a beat, their lips touched.

The ripple of it echoed through her soul like waves spreading across a lake.

Cradled between the sofa at her back and Terian’s arms around her, she felt safer than ever.

Even as she sank into that soft, ticklish feeling, it no longer frightened her the way it once had.

Because now… she was starting to look forward to what came after.

Every time his warm tongue moved gently inside her mouth, that anticipation swelled.

Until it filled her chest so completely she couldn’t help but let out ragged breaths.

At first, Terian approached her like a breeze—

But soon, he cupped her cheeks and tilted his head, and his kiss turned to a storm.

Larie let herself be swept away.

Her hand reached up unconsciously, clutching at his back—

Like she had to hold on, or risk being blown away entirely.

“Larie.”

“Haa… haa…”

At last, Terian let her go—so slowly, so reluctantly.

Her chest heaved with breathless gasps, lips still just a breath away from his.

Their foreheads nearly touched.

Their shared breaths tickled against flushed skin.

“Will you let me know you more?”

Larie’s vision filled with those lake-blue eyes.

And in them, burning deep, was a storm of longing.

It felt like a flock of birds had taken flight in her chest—fluttering, urgent, beautiful.

Larie, swept up in that wild flutter, gave her answer in a small voice.

But in that voice was a steady, unwavering certainty.

“Yes.”

And after that—

She could barely remember what happened next.

Terian merely reached out his hand, and Larie was pulled halfway up from the sofa. She blinked once, and the next thing she knew, they were in an empty corridor of the Empress’s palace.

In the next moment, the door slammed shut behind her, and her back hit the wall. As Terian pressed his lips to hers, she instinctively clutched his shoulder and closed her eyes.

“Hhup.”

“Larie.”

There was the scent of linens dried under the sun. She realized belatedly that they had entered the room closest to the study.

They shared breath standing just like that for a long while. As Terian’s embrace grew more tenacious than before, strength gradually drained from her legs.

Then suddenly, Larie’s body was lifted into the air.

“Ah!”

“Hold on to me, my lady.”

At his low whisper, Larie quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. With long strides, Terian carried her over and gently laid her down on the bed with careful, deliberate hands.

But in contrast to his considerate touch, the fire in his eyes shimmered even more intensely than before. The sight stirred an odd thirst in Larie, making her swallow dryly.

He kissed her cheek a few more times, then moved to her nape. The occasional graze of his teeth didn’t hurt—only sent tingling shivers over her skin.

Just as his hand slowly slipped beneath the hem of her dress, Larie suddenly remembered Rui and spoke in haste.

“Ah, I-I’m supposed to, uh, go on a walk with Rui later… uh…”

Which meant, of course, they couldn’t spend too long together—intimacy with Terian often ended in sleepless nights.

But for some reason, Terian seemed to misunderstand.

“Yes, my lady.”

His large hands paused in their undressing, and Larié looked up at him with apprehension, wondering if he was going to stop altogether. But he only moved them gingerly downward again and said,

“I’ll take care of it.”

The hem of her dress fluttered like a curtain on a windy day. Larié gasped and clutched at the fabric as Terian dug downward in a flash.

“Oh, wait……!”

The surprises didn’t stop there. Terian’s face burrowed into her center as he gently gripped her thighs.

Soon, she felt a hot sensation where her secret forest was nestled.

“Ah……!”

Larie’s eyes widened in surprise. Something obscene, something she had never imagined, was happening beneath the hem of her skirt.

An embarrassing sensation heated the forest, and she slowly searched for it.

Terian’s tongue, as supple as a snake’s, finally found the small bump that had been hiding there.

“Ahhh, Your Majesty!” Larie’s waist winced.

The insides of her thighs, which could barely move from their tight grip, quivered.

Her toes twitched and crumpled against the pure white sheets. Reflexively, she clutched at the hem of the fabric, but Terian’s shoulders were as solid as a rock, and she couldn’t push away.

“Do you like it here, my lady?”