Chapter 77

“Ha, Alec.”

“Ha… Ha…”

Their eyes and lips, which had briefly parted, were now passionately disheveled.

“I would’ve been disappointed if you had really left.”

“I thought you were really going to let me go.”

“How could I ever send you away?”

“…”

Louise’s eyebrows curved in a sorrowful way, making her appear both adorable and pitiful, hitting Alec right in the heart.

“If this was your plan, why do you keep pushing me away? Are you afraid I won’t be able to handle it?”

“You might regret it after being with me.”

“No, I won’t. I won’t regret it.”

“You might not now, but you could later.”

“The present moment is always more important to me than the future.”

“…”

“I don’t know when I might die, so why should I worry about something that may never happen? Right now, I just want to be in your arms.”

“…”

“And why would I regret it in the first place? You’re my husband.”

Louise’s breath came in short gasps as she spoke, her chest rising and falling, making her words even more tantalizing.

Alec was at a loss for words.

“Are you… worried that having a child in this situation would be too reckless?”

“What?”

“Is that why you’re talking about regret?”

“…”

Alec’s eyes wavered slightly.

A child? He hadn’t even thought of that.

Louise lowered her gaze, looking somewhat sorrowful.

“I know. If we were to have a child in this situation… that child might die.”

“…”

“If that were to happen, I would regret wanting to hold you right now.”

“…”

“You never wanted a child to begin with…”

“…”

Not wanting a child?

This was the first time Alec had heard anything like that about Alec.

On reflection, considering what Alec had gone through, it wasn’t surprising that he might not have wanted children.

‘But isn’t it essential for a duke to have an heir?’

Then again, inheritance could pass to a relative, so as long as there was no attachment to having a direct heir, it wouldn’t matter.

However, according to the character notes, Louise did want a child.

Now that they had a goal of avenging themselves against the tyrant, having a child at this moment would indeed be reckless.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, we can just make sure not to have one for now, right?”

“What?”

Louise drew even closer, her brows knitting together slightly.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to have one right now, so don’t worry.”

“…”

“Let’s make sure we get revenge on the tyrant. After that, we’ll be free to have one whenever we want.”

“…”

Louise gave him a look of pity.

Alec, gazing at her, suddenly lifted her up in his arms.

“Ah!”

Louise let out a surprised gasp, her body clinging to his chest like a cicada gripping a tree.

Wrapping his arms around her small, delicate back, Alec walked toward the bed.

In that brief moment, heated and intense thoughts flashed through his mind.

A wild, passionate encounter on the bed, turning his mind upside down hundreds of times…

* * *

“Ah…”

His hand brushed against my waist as it moved upward.

My body, already prepared to accept him, trembled as my knees bent.

Were we really going to do this tonight?

It had been three years since we married.

In that time, I had endured lonely nights that left me on the verge of tears, and he had struggled along with me.

Though I had almost resigned myself to it, I knew he had always felt sorry for me.

But tonight… tonight, it seemed like it was finally going to happen with my husband again.

For the first time, I felt confident that we could make it work.

I recalled all the changes I had seen in him.

The dizzying kiss, the rapturous dance.

As wonderful as those moments had been, they couldn’t compare to the satisfaction I imagined we would find in what was to come.

As he laid me down on the bed, Alec, still straddling me, raised his arms and pulled off his shirt.

When he lifted the shirt over his head, his muscular body was laid bare, every part of him radiating strength and presence.

It was awe-inspiring just to look at him, and I found myself clutching the bedsheets and arching my back slightly.

Though it wasn’t the first time I’d seen his n*ked body, tonight it seemed especially mesmerizing.

He tossed his shirt to the floor, his broad shoulders casting a shadow over me as he leaned down.

Then, he began to lift the dress that clung to my thighs.

“Alec…”

Even the slightest brush of his fingers made me grip the sheets as if I’d been burned.

As the dress was lifted, my bare skin began to show.

I wasn’t wearing anything beneath the thin dress—not even undergarments.

Until now, my husband had never really been able to look at my body in its raw state, let alone touch it.

But now, his gaze lingered on every exposed part of me.

His pupils seemed to freeze in place, and his broad chest tensed. Even his Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.

His burning gaze traveled from my stomach to my chest, and as his eyes met my skin, he let out a breath he had been holding.

“…Louise.”

Had it always been this intense, just from having him look at me?

His serious reaction to my n*ked body only made me feel more heated and excited.

Still fixated on my chest, he continued pulling my dress up and over my head, undressing me completely.

I was now completely n*ked.

His expression grew more intense as his hands caressed my waist and abdomen.

“Ah…”

I moved my waist slightly, and he let out a silent breath.

“…Your body is so delicate and cold,” he murmured seriously, his voice low.

“I had to endure the cold…”

Each time his hand passed over my skin, it felt as though the frozen parts of me were thawing.

The brutal cold of the north, which I had endured nearly bare, now seemed worth it for this moment.

I had tried to seduce him before, but each time, Alec had reacted with near shock, pushing me away.

I still vividly remembered those moments when I had to calmly put my robe back on as if nothing had happened.

The memories were painful, but I couldn’t show it.

I pressed my arms slightly into the bed and let out a sound.

“Why… why are you staring at me like that? It’s not like it’s the first time…”

In response, he groaned as if in agony.

“…Because you’re beautiful.”

Beautiful?

This man was calling me beautiful?

It was clear that something had shifted in him. He no longer hesitated to look at or touch me, and that only excited me more.

Rather than him treating me gently, I wanted him to be rough.

The contrast between then and now felt so stark that I was nearly in tears.

“…You’re even more beautiful, Alec.”

“…”

His gaze wavered, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down again.

Then he lowered his head, leaning in closer.

His face pressed into my chest, and he trailed his tongue along my skin.

“Ah…”

I clutched the sheets tightly.

My eyes wandered up to the ceiling, but there was nothing to see.

“Sigh.”

He exhaled softly, gripping my body gently.

I swallowed dryly, my body stiffening as I twisted slightly.

“Ah…”

He had never touched me like this before…

Now, he seemed to know exactly how to handle me, without any hesitation.

“Ahh.”

Was he finally feeling my body too?

His slow, steady touch continued with expertise. It felt as though my very bones were melting.

His lips, more eager than his hands, let out soft, desperate sounds as they wandered sensually over my body.

“Ah, Alec.”

I grabbed his shoulders, pressing my fingertips into him.

“Sigh…”

His groan, as though pulled from deep within him, was low and rough.

It was a sound so pleasing that it stirred something within my chest.

His body, pressed against mine, was as tense and firm as mine. It felt good, knowing he was craving me as much as I craved him.

“Louise.”

He let out another breathy groan and sought my lips eagerly.

When our tongues met, I could feel the urgency of his desire.

The deeper the kiss, the sweeter and more intoxicating it became.

The once cold room now felt filled with warmth.

I wrapped myself around his hot tongue, melting into him.

If he stayed with me in bed like this, I wouldn’t need any other source of heat.

At some point, he pulled away, his breath heavy, lips leaving mine.

Dazed, I blinked and gazed up at his face.

He was panting, struggling to catch his breath.

“Your body is so delicate, I feel like it might melt.”

I was breathing just as heavily.

“…No, it’s far from melting.”

“You might get hurt.”

“Say that after you’ve hurt me first.”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories