Moonlight flowing through the window ran mysteriously along her white skin.

This was a scene he had imagined in his dreams several times during their separation. As he caressed her slender waist with his palm, Lucienne smiled seductively and began to undress him. When he tried to help by lifting his body, she pushed him down and gave him a rather stern look.

“Stay still. I need to see with my own eyes if you’re injured anywhere.”

“I told you nothing happened.”

“You know. What’s nothing to you can be something to me.”

Lars knew well that this wasn’t just talk. Clear sincerity was engraved in one corner of her ash-gray eyes, which were lifted with heat.

This was a ritual that had to be performed whenever he was away from her for a long time.

Two years ago, while touring the Bickman family territory, he had encountered Askun forces that had suddenly crossed the border and engaged in battle.

He had been slightly cut on the side but didn’t mention the injury. The next day, Lucienne had secretly burst into the bathroom when he went to bathe and caught him.

‘Darling, Your Grace. It’s time for you to enjoy this lady’s endless love for you……’

She hadn’t gotten angry or raised her voice. She had just stared at the bandaged area for a long time and then suddenly burst into tears.

Seeing her eyes looking up at him slowly, full of loving reproach, Lars had sworn on the spot. He promised never to hide his injuries again.

After that, he would show her everything, from slightly cut fingers to scratches from tree branches with tiny drops of blood. He thought she would complain that it was annoying, but Lucienne never laughed at even the smallest wounds.

Seeing her diligent care, always carefully checking and treating him, Lars put away his mischievousness. He had to obey Lucienne’s words regarding his safety. Just as Lucienne had to obey his words regarding her safety.

Though in truth, neither was particularly good at keeping their promises.

“As you wish, my lady. Everything I have is yours as well.”

He relaxed his body and left everything to Lucienne. As she peeled off his clothes one layer at a time, he felt a light sense of liberation. The only thing was that his wife’s soft bare skin touched his body, causing blood to rush fiercely between his legs.

Pretending not to see his c*ck standing proudly *rect, Lucienne carefully examined his broad shoulders and body with its firm muscles.

Every time her fingers traced his skin, excitement rippled through his body like waves. After caressing each old scar as if greeting them, Lucienne’s gaze finally reached a certain spot. Seeing her eyes narrow, Lars stroked her thighs overlapping his legs and whispered.

“I think this proves I’m healthy enough.”

“I’m not so sure. When buying goods, there are many cases where things only look fine on the outside.”

She glanced at him with a prim expression and slowly lowered her head.

“I won’t know until I try it.”

“Ha,” as he exhaled a heated breath, his lips were immediately blocked by soft lips, causing his whole body to burn as if on fire. As he entangled his tongue deeply with hers and caressed her nape, Lucienne’s hand, which had gradually moved downward, grasped his shaft. Then she slowly lowered her hips.

Sweet m*ans flowed through Lucienne’s slightly parted teeth. As he buried himself deep, painfully parting her narrow place, slick juices flowed out, helping his entry.

As her hot, elastic body began to squeeze him, a daze swept through Lars’s mind, and he firmly grasped her waist. It had been a while, and he felt like he might lose his mind right then and there. Their breathing began to quicken with the intense stimulation of taking and being taken.

“So.”

Once Lucienne started moving, he would lose his reason. He took a breath to buy time and opened his mouth.

“Does it seem usable?”

Lucienne, who had been biting her lower lip while bracing herself on his chest, raised her eyes prettily. She looked incomparably beautiful with tears moistly gathered in her eyes.

She frowned and playfully moved her hips, causing an intense pleasure to burst like lightning, and Lars exhaled a low, deep breath. His waist was automatically lifting, chasing the pleasure.

“Really, I hold back nine times out of ten before saying anything, for fear you’ll be scared.”

Leaning forward and putting her weight on him, Lucienne kissed his cheek and muttered.

“I just want to lock you up somewhere so you can’t go anywhere.”

“……Look who’s talking.”

In an instant, he raised his upper body and flipped her over, causing a small scream to ring out. Lucienne quickly covered her mouth, and a playful smile spread across her eyes. Brushing back her disheveled hair with his hand, Lars spoke in a deepened voice.

“If you knew what I think about when I’m away from you, you’d want to run away.”

“Ah, hngk!”

As he moved his hips and thr*st deeply, Lucienne’s body arched loosely. At the same time, the sensation of her tightening around him as if biting him caused excitement to rise.

Meeting her gaze, Lars moved his hips languidly. Their eyes, yearning for each other, entangled thickly. Swaying to his rhythm, Lucienne whispered.

“That won’t, hng, happen.”

“Really?”

“Whatever you’re thinking……”

Breathing heavily, Lucienne smiled with the corners of her eyes.

“It can’t be worse than me.”

Even the goddess of seduction couldn’t be better than this. Feeling as if he might get drunk, he roughly devoured her lips, and Lucienne wrapped around his neck as if she had been waiting for it.

Heated m*ans warmed the air. The thirst that had built up during their time apart was gradually being quenched with those m*ans.

* * *

As the sun rose and brightly illuminated the world, Lucienne, who had been in deep sleep, began to stir. Lars, who had been affectionately stroking her shoulder with his finger, lightly kissed her nape, and Lucienne, who had been showing her back, turned around and burrowed into his arms.

“You could sleep a bit more.”

At her mumbling voice, Lars chuckled and rubbed his lips against her forehead.

“Well. I was thinking our lady might start her activities early this morning.”

At his playful tone, Lucienne glanced up. Her lips were pouting as she rubbed her eyes.

After patting her back, Lars got up from the bed and returned with a tray he had prepared earlier. It held lukewarm tea, nicely cut fruit, and a few pieces of bread. Lucienne, who had also sat up, took the teacup he offered and deeply inhaled its aroma.

“Smells good.”

“The Lance region is famous for its good honey.”

“You know everything.”

Lucienne smiled, winking one eye, and took a sip of the sweet tea. Lars, who had propped one knee up and was leaning his elbow on it at an angle, combed her disheveled hair with his hand. Perhaps due to hunger after their intense night that had left her voice hoarse, she was picking up bread at a rapid pace.

“So. How’s the situation here?”

“Nothing has been revealed yet. But whoever killed the gatekeepers and burned the warehouse is clearly skilled and planned it well. I don’t think they were after something trivial. We’re compiling an exact list of what was in the warehouse.”

“That will take time.”

Lars’s elongated eyes narrowed. Munching on bread, Lucienne rolled her eyes. She had understood that he was asking if she intended to stay here until it was resolved. She smiled brightly and grabbed his hand.

“How about staying here together for a few days? There’s nothing urgent for now. If we return to the mansion, we’ll be flooded with invitations since it’s been a while, and it’s tiring to decline them all. You know His Majesty is waiting for his chance, right?”

Seeing her ash-gray eyes gleaming shrewdly, Lars let out a laugh and flicked her nose bridge.

“You’re the only one who uses His Majesty as an excuse whenever needed, Lady Bickman.”

“But I’m not lying. Since we missed Horhinen’s birthday last month, we’ll need to be prepared when we meet him next.”

Horhinen was the son of Pelowic, the current king of Edmus, and a prince of this country. The boy particularly liked Lars, so he would have been very disappointed that he didn’t come to his birthday.

Lars shook his head once and popped a grape into his mouth.

“I wasn’t planning to leave you here alone anyway. Especially for the sake of our admirable daughter who suppressed her great competitive spirit for her parents’ safety.”

“……What do you mean?”

To Lucienne, who opened her eyes wide, he told the story about the dart game. After listening and finishing all her bread, she asked while eating the grapes Lars was feeding her.

“The prize was an elephant made of jade?”

“Yes. Not bad quality.”

“Hmm,” Lucienne snorted and raised her eyebrows. Seeing that expression as if she had recalled something, this time Lars opened his mouth. Lucienne was holding a grape to his lips.

“There’s another reason, isn’t there?”

Feeling the fresh juice burst in his mouth, he asked, and Lucienne shrugged her shoulders and answered.

“She’s been completely obsessed with a book recently. It’s called ‘Tolly, The Record of Wandering.'”

“Isn’t that an epic? Quite long.”

“A full seven volumes. It has over a hundred characters and is filled with heroic tales of the Tolly family spanning three generations. She seems to find it interesting and reads it over and over.”

It was more of a work focused on entertainment rather than a classical epic. It had been very popular when he was young, but Lars had never read it.