Epilogue

Everything was perfect. Of course it was. The union of Ballader and Celes. There could be nothing less than perfect. The servants had been preparing so carefully for weeks that they could barely breathe.

Especially in the Ballader Ducal household, it was utter chaos. The Duchess, once the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom but always self-conscious about her humble origins, was overjoyed, sparing no effort to welcome her noble daughter-in-law, second only to the Princess in rank.

The wedding, prepared by the Kingdom’s most renowned artisans, was like a dream. Many noble ladies and daughters of noble families sighed sweetly, watching this perfect wedding.

The most perfect of all was his bride, Ameline. Wearing a dress studded with pearls and diamonds, a true work of art, and a long veil, she was almost impossible to describe with any word other than perfect.

The Queen’s tiara, bestowed by the royal family to celebrate the marriage, was a bit more modest than Kyle had expected, but it was a mark of her noble status, so he accepted it. Besides, no mere tiara could overshadow her beauty.

Countless guests and words of congratulations poured in, and rare delicacies and precious wines were abundant. The sky was high and blue, and the breeze only occasionally stirred the bride’s veil. The immense array of flowers filled the air with sweet fragrance.

The official wedding night that followed was, quite literally, perfect. He had taken great care to cleanse himself. Then, he entered the bridal chamber, which was boldly but beautifully decorated. Sweet, strong wine and a feast of delicacies were set out like a picture—meant for the bride and groom, who had hardly tasted any food during the ceremony.

Honestly, it couldn’t even be called a first night. They had already joined bodies many times, knowing every inch of each other. The only difference was that this was the day they officially became one. Like the first time they had opened themselves to each other, Kyle found himself unbearably nervous.

He felt like the only imperfect element in an otherwise perfect wedding. Why was Ameline so late? He, too, had taken a long, careful bath to prepare his body anew for her.

“Kyle, where are you going?”

Unable to wait any longer, he opened the door and saw Ameline walking around the far corner. He was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Why are you just standing there like an idiot?”

Ameline playfully nudged his arm, and he followed her inside as if in a trance. The scent from Ameline as she brushed past him was wonderful. It was nothing like he had vaguely imagined—her appearing as the Ameline he knew, after taking off her wedding dress and removing her makeup.

“Help me take this off. It’s so uncomfortable, I feel like I’m going to die.”

The nanny had wrapped her up so tightly that not a bit of skin showed. Once he untied the complicated knots of the nightgown, as ornate as the dress itself, he understood why.

He was left breathless. Under the nightgown, Ameline wore only a single, nearly transparent, beautiful negligee. Without underwear, her pink n*pples were clearly visible. It seemed the nanny had wrapped her up so tightly so that no one but her partner could see the new bride’s beautiful skin.

While Kyle stood frozen, Ameline calmly walked to the table and took a sip of the sweet wine that had been poured in advance. Then she put a small piece of cake in her mouth. Her lips chewed it gently. With every movement, her luscious chest swayed softly.

“Did you eat anything? ……Kyle, are you okay?”

Her red tongue licked the crumbs from her even redder lips. Perhaps finding it odd that he was just staring blankly, Ameline tilted her head. Her beautiful golden hair flowed over her shoulders, hiding the chest that had been distracting him all day.

“I’m fine.”

As he answered in a low, hoarse voice, her eyes, which had been scanning him up and down as if to check, sparkled. Her wide eyes curved gently, dimples forming on her cheeks.

“Are you suddenly realizing my beauty?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Brushing her hair back and pretending to be haughty in a playful way, Ameline burst into laughter. Compared to that clear laughter, Kyle felt how gloomy and lustful he must have seemed. Besides, Ameline had suffered all day, unable to eat properly while wearing a heavy dress. What she needed now was a meal.

Kyle, acting relaxed and skilled, attended to Ameline’s meal. There was no need to rush anything. After all, the night had only just begun, and even the sun had not yet set on their first night together. Now, all the rest of their lives, their whole future, stretched out before them. Wasn’t this the day that guaranteed it?

“Hoo.”

After easing her hunger a bit, Ameline began to gulp down the strong liquor. It was a sweet but very potent drink, supposedly prepared to ease the pain a bride might feel on her wedding night.

Kyle had no intention of stopping her, knowing she understood its purpose as well. In any case, no one would blame a couple fulfilling their sacred marital duties for staying in this room for several days. Now, there was no longer any fantasy that Ameline might leave him and go somewhere alone.

“This is delicious.”

“If you suffer from a hangover tomorrow, don’t blame me.”

Even though there was nothing particularly funny, Ameline laughed by herself. Her cheeks grew flushed, and her lips turned redder than usual. Then she began to chatter about the wedding she had seen today, as if she were a guest describing what she had watched, not the bride herself.

“And the bride, the star of that wedding, was you.”

“…That’s true.”

Ameline reached out her arm. Kyle kissed the palm that touched his cheek and rubbed his face against it. When her other arm reached out, Kyle quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around his neck.

“And now, we are…”

She lifted her hips and wrapped both legs around his waist. With every step, her flowing hair and her luscious chest swayed, catching his gaze. Watching Kyle stare so intently, Ameline shook her head. She seemed used to teasing him for being such a pervert by now.

“Kissing like this.”

Ameline’s legs, buried in the soft bed, still wrapped around his waist. The transparent, silky hem of her clothes slipped away, revealing her white thighs. He pushed his thigh under her round, firm hips. Their legs pressed together.

“It’s time to play the night games we’re supposed to on our wedding night.”

He deliberately pressed his hips, rubbing their hidden desires together through their clothes. Her slender body moved with his guidance. Bending her back, he took her n*pple into his mouth through the negligee and sucked. Watching the wet negligee cling to her now hardened n*pple was strangely enjoyable.

“Do you remember? How we used to stay up at night, playing together and always getting scolded?”

“Let’s be honest, Ameline. Didn’t you always pretend to be asleep and watch as I got scolded for everything?”

“Let’s be honest, Kyle. You never listened when I told you to go home. It was always you who wanted to keep playing.”

It was true. Really true. Those moments together were so happy, they never wanted to part. Perhaps that affection started from those childhood days.

“You love me too much.”

“That’s right.”

“Are you talking about someone else?”

“There’s no need to state the obvious. Do you bother to say, ‘the sun rises in the east today’?”

“……”

“Do we have to keep talking about this?”

There was no longer any need to guide his hand to check. She must have realized from the heat and firmness pressing against her through their clothes. Ameline, who glanced at him, also shook her head slightly. She knew well that there was no point in holding back anymore; it would do her no good. He, who had waited so long, held her for a long time as if asking for compensation.

“Ameline Ballader.”

From the moment she signed the marriage certificate, her name had changed. The name ‘Ameline,’ once synonymous with longing, had now taken a new form. The family name Ballader, which he had used all his life, and the beloved first name that blended familiarity and yearning, which he could call for the rest of his life.

“Mm.”

Kyle, still admiring the already soaked negligee, slid his tongue past her slender waist and the dip of her navel to the hidden peak of pleasure between her legs. Grabbing below her knees with both hands, he licked along her parted folds. The cries that burst forth like screams made his chest tremble.

He licked between her legs, already soaked and showing her excitement. The more he licked, the higher and deeper her cries became. And she only grew wetter.

“See? Look how well you get wet. Ameline Ballader, don’t ever go anywhere without me. Always stay where I can see you, where I can hear you, where I can touch you. You’re so lovely and noble that I know you never would, but there are too many bastards in the world…”

“Did my father brainwash you or something?”

“Ha… Ameline. Do you really want to talk about other men in a moment like this?”

“My father’s ‘another man’? Kyle Ballader, are you out of your mind?”

Kyle didn’t bother to answer, instead burying his face between her legs. Once again, those beautiful, sweet moans—proof that he was satisfying Ameline as a man—burst forth. If he could, he would cut off his tongue or his manhood and keep them inside her forever, always wanting her to be filled with some part of him, even in the moments they were apart.

He pressed her sensitive bud with his tongue and grazed it lightly with his teeth, making Ameline cry out as if she would lose her breath. When he thrust his pointed tongue inside, her moans grew hazy and soft.

When he drove his long fingers deep and rubbed her swollen inner walls without mercy, when he devoured her chest, when he kissed her, when he moved closer—Ameline, Ameline, always smiling at him. Every moment, every expression, every sound from her brought him pleasure.

“Kyle.”

He knew well what that voice wanted to say. Gripping the root of his now almost unbearably hard manhood, he rubbed it between Ameline’s soaked thighs. Then, all at once, he thrust in to the very base. Her inner walls, loosened from long f*replay, took him in without a single wound.

“Haah!”

“Haa…”

Just from the insertion, both of them felt as if they might lose control, clutching each other tightly, breathless. Then, their eyes met—her green eyes, shining with a thin sheen of tears. Even with her vision blurred by overwhelming sensation, Ameline was looking straight at him, at the man filling her.

“I love you, Ameline.”

“Mm, yes, I, I…! Ha…!”

Her inner walls clenched around him as if squeezing him tightly. Through her slightly parted lips, her wet tongue peeked out. He swept his tongue around hers as they kissed.

“You’re the only one for me.”

Her slender arms, trembling, tried to wrap around his sweaty back, but slipped off, only to return and cradle his cheeks. Her calves pressed against his hips, holding him so he couldn’t escape. It was a feeble strength, but it was hard for Kyle to go against Ameline’s wishes.

“Let me say something too.”

“……”

“Kyle Ballader.”

“Yeah.”

“My husband.”

“…Yeah.”

“I love you too.”

Tok, something fell onto her chest. Ameline looked at him with surprised eyes, then smiled brightly. He also smiled, seeing her happy expression. Her trembling white hand reached out and brushed the corner of Kyle’s eye. Only then did he realize these were tears of happiness.

Ameline rolled over and climbed on top of Kyle. Her long hair softly wrapped around his shoulders. She said nothing for a long time. She just gazed at him quietly. So he gazed back. Now, he could picture every detail of that face, down to each eyelash.

“I love you, Kyle.”

<Playing House at Night> fin