Chapter 22

Kiaros’s eyes narrowed.  

“So, you’re saying you don’t want to.”  

“That’s not it…”  

“I don’t want to either. Let’s just sleep for tonight.”  

Kiaros tried to cover Letina with the blanket.  

“…I want to.”  

Letina grabbed Kiaros’s wrist.  

“…If you’re only saying that because you assume I want it, then just…”  

“I said I want to!”  

Letina lifted her upper body and kissed Kiaros on the lips.  

Kiaros’s pupils wavered.  

‘She… wants me. Letina does.’  

His heart pounded wildly.  

He closed his eyes, cupped her cheeks, and devoured her lips.  

Because of that, he didn’t see the sad expression on Letina’s face.  

“Hah.”  

“Ah, Letina…”  

When he buried himself deep inside Letina and then withdrew, she clung to him as if begging him not to leave.  

That made his chest tighten.  

Kiaros wanted to give himself to Letina again, as quickly as possible.  

Even the brief moments apart felt sorrowful, so he entered Letina faster, even deeper.  

“Haa, ah… ugh.”  

He gripped Letina’s waist and left his mark on her.  

She received it all, not missing a single bit.  

Just in case, he stayed inside her for a long time even after finishing, so none would be lost.  

After finally pulling out, he softly kissed her sweaty forehead, her flushed cheeks, and her jaw trembling with lingering pleasure.  

Though they hadn’t been together long, today was the happiest Kiaros had ever felt.

***

“There’s a swordsmanship tournament at the Imperial Palace.”  

Kiaros said as he put on his uniform to go to work.  

“Want to come watch? If you have other plans, that’s fine.”  

“Yes. I’ll go.”  

Letina nodded. Even if she had other plans, she would have prioritized Kiaros’s invitation.  

“If I win, will you give me a prize?”

“…Me? Is there anything you want?”

“Do this to me when I go to work from now on.”

Kiaros lifted Letina’s chin and kissed her.  

Then he smiled brightly.  

“I’m off.”  

After he left, Letina sat down and buried her face in her knees.  

She could do that for him anytime, even if he didn’t win…

***

On the day of the tournament.  

Letina sat in the section reserved for acquaintances of the Imperial Knight Order.  

She greeted the people nearby and watched the tournament unfold.  

Kiaros, the favorite to win, kept securing victories.  

And finally, when he landed the decisive blow that clinched the championship, Letina jumped up and cheered.  

People looked at her in surprise.  

‘I couldn’t do this when I was at the academy, so I really wanted to try it at least once.’  

Cheering for Kiaros’s match.  

So, maybe she was a bit too enthusiastic.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Since it was noisier than she expected, she quickly apologized to those around her.  

When she looked back to the front, Letina’s face stiffened for a moment.  

Kiaros was celebrating with his fellow knights who had rushed onto the field.  

They all seemed close. She was already thinking of the past, so her mood grew complicated.  

‘Don’t put your arm around his shoulder.’  

Letina almost stormed out, thinking that for a moment.  

But today, she wanted to congratulate him in person. So she held back and waited in her seat.  

“Letina.”  

Kiaros came over to where she was sitting.  

“I’m glad you finished safely without getting hurt. Congratulations on winning.”  

Letina put on a deliberately cheerful face and spoke to him.  

‘Did I give myself away? Was my expression natural enough?’  

Seeing Kiaros smile back without discomfort, it seemed she hadn’t.

***

After the tournament, Letina kept her promise and kissed Kiaros before he left for work every morning.  

The brief, simple kisses often made Kiaros burn with passion, and he almost missed work more than once.  

Letina accepted it all, but eventually decided to draw a line.  

At this rate, she felt she might fall for Kiaros too much. She needed to get her feelings in order, so he wouldn’t get tired of her.  

And she was getting frustrated with Kiaros, who kept coming at her for her body without a second thought.  

“Our marriage started because you got caught being a duck beastman, and we began sleeping together because of your beastman nature, right?”  

“……”  

“So, I don’t see why we need to do it so much.”  

Letina, reaching her limit, told Kiaros.  

“So from now on, let’s do it only once every five months.”  

He thought Letina’s heart was gradually opening to him, but maybe not.  

Kiaros, who had been floating on cloud nine recently, suddenly felt as if he’d crashed down into the mud.

“…Okay. Sure.”  

Kiaros had no choice but to answer like that.

***

When he spoke to Letina, she replied with one-word answers.  

Her voice was cold.  

It felt like they were back in their academy days, and Kiaros’s head spun.  

The only relief was that, no matter how chilly things got, they were still married and lived in the same house.  

And during Liri time, she treated him as usual, which was the biggest comfort. If he hadn’t been a duck beastman, if they hadn’t met that day… He didn’t even want to imagine it. Liri was his only hope. The same thoughts spun endlessly in Kiaros’s gloomy mind.  

On his way home from work, Kiaros brought delicious food and even took her to trendy tourist spots.  

But Letina was indifferent to everything.  

Kiaros racked his brain, wondering what he’d done wrong.  

‘Maybe it’s because I went too far. Or was I too rough?’  

His efforts to make her emotionally attached had only made things worse.  

He, unusually, realized the situation properly.  

‘What if things stay like this?’  

That was the scariest future. Kiaros lay beside Letina, listening to her breathing, and lost sleep every night.  

‘What on earth should I do….’

***

“Liri, let’s wear this scarf today.”  

Letina tied a soft violet scarf around duck Kiaros’s neck.  

“Liri, you’re cute, but you can pull off elegance too.”  

Humming, she put matching shoes on him and set a bonnet on his head. Kiaros stayed quiet through it all.  

“Let’s go to the garden.”  

Letina stood up.  

‘You haven’t put on the bracelet yet.’  

He’d felt awkward when she first bought it, thinking it was for her. But lately, she hadn’t put the heart bracelet on his neck as she always did, and it made Kiaros upset and anxious.  

Kiaros took the heart bracelet from the jewelry box on the vanity. Letina frowned when she saw what he’d brought.  

“Put it back where it belongs.”