Chapter 4.1 – Actually, That’s How It Was

Even today, while Luel was idly exchanging trivial jokes with a group of noble youths, he had noticed Dania far earlier than she had spotted him.

Under the sharp afternoon sunlight, her lightly golden wheat-colored hair shimmered, her uneven bangs self-cut in an effort to save pocket money, and her round glasses—always perched on her nose so she could see the professor’s notes no matter where she sat—stood out. 

Dania, ever so diligent to the point of frustration, was once again toddling toward the library, hugging a book as large as her torso.

For five years, Luel had felt the urge to rush over and carry her books for her whenever he saw her like that. But knowing she felt uncomfortable whenever he acknowledged her in public, he had restrained himself for five years.

“Wanna grab a drink at Hart’s later?”

“Sure! I got my hands on some good stuff this time. Ten thousand Gent for a single bottle.”

“What? I told you to let me know when you’re heading to the docks! I’m all out, too.”

“Hey, after a few drinks, what’s yours becomes mine anyway.”

“Marchento, are you coming today?”

“…”

“Marchento?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

By the time Luel came to his senses, the young men surrounding him were squinting at him.

“You were staring at Miss Lancaster again, weren’t you?”

“What a tear-jerking display of devotion.”

“Will you finally confess this year?”

“If Miss Lancaster passes her retake exams, are we finally going to see Marchento drunk for the first time?”

His friends teased him, snickering. They all knew exactly where Luel’s thoughts had wandered while they were busy planning the evening’s revelry.

It had been five years since Luel had entered the academy and begun mingling with the children of noble families from various kingdoms. Though he was tall, handsome, generous with his money, and charming with his words, there was one unbreakable wall between him and them.

Luel never touched hallucinogens, not even out of curiosity. He never got involved with women or men while under the influence of alcohol or anything else. He attended parties when invited but never let himself spiral into the chaos that often ensued. Yet, he didn’t look down on their antics or mock them for their weaknesses.

He was, in short, a gentleman who kept a slight distance from their debauchery. 

Dania, of course, had no idea. But within the group of popular noble youths at the academy, that was Luel’s reputation.

“Ah, Miss Lancaster is so adorable today, too.”

“Doesn’t she look like a hamster gathering food?”

“More like a rabbit, I’d say.”

“Her voice is so cute, too.”

“And yet, who’s going to graduate without even speaking to her once?”

“You’re not graduating either—you failed your final exams, remember?”

And, of course, Dania had no idea that she was hugely popular among Luel’s circle of friends.

At first, it was because she was Luel’s friend. Later, it was because her small frame and her earnest efforts to study diligently were endearing. 

However, none of them had managed to properly introduce themselves to her in five years, thanks to Luel’s strict warnings that garbage like them shouldn’t even brush against her clothes.

“Oops, caught red-handed.”

“Marchento, what exactly are you guilty of?”

“Ah, if you’re not going to let us talk to her, at least let us watch her in peace! She ran away again!”

And so, whenever Dania darted away at the mere chance of meeting Luel’s gaze, his friends would scold him and treat him like a criminal.

Yes, he had made a mistake. 

He’d gone too far.

When Dania, who had failed her graduation exam, demanded he comfort her with drinks a few days ago, Luel had initially had no intention of complying.

According to the perfect life plan of Young Master Marchento, his first night with his future wife, Miss Dania Lancaster, was not supposed to happen like that.

It was supposed to be after a grand wedding ceremony, on their official wedding night, with Dania—legally bearing the name Marchento—on a romantically adorned bed.

Not in his apartment in the Holy Kingdom’s city, with a heavily intoxicated Dania, amidst a misunderstanding-laden contest of bravado.

When she challenged him to prove how good he was, Luel couldn’t help but feel provoked.

Dania had been by his side since the dawn of his memories. He had always envisioned spending the rest of his life with her. Naturally, he couldn’t imagine a future without marrying her.

For Luel Marchento, his ultimate dream was to become the perfect husband for Dania Lancaster. He had followed her to the academy so they wouldn’t be apart and planned to return to the Marchento Earldom after graduation to diligently learn estate management and become a reliable husband. Naturally, he had also studied the physical aspects of marital duties with great dedication.

He hadn’t planned to confess or propose until after Dania completed her priestly ordination, but he had been preparing himself to be the ideal groom.

How? By eavesdropping on his friends’ nightly escapades.

Where? At the debauched parties held almost daily.

For five years, he had learned well and was waiting for the moment Dania, as a priestess, would begin searching for a marriage partner. Then he would propose. 

But now, his qualifications as a groom were being questioned?

It was, of course, a blow to his pride.

Had he been sober, he might have let it slide. But Luel, too, was quite drunk that night.

Though he was twice her size and had twice her tolerance, Dania had drunk so much and so quickly that even he couldn’t completely resist getting swept up in her pace. As a result, he had succumbed to both intoxication and youthful impulsiveness.

By the time he came to his senses, not only had he kissed Dania, but he had also indulged in the fullness of her soft, slender frame—so full that he worried it might be too much for her delicate body.

Ah, this wasn’t how his perfect plan was supposed to unfold.

〈Are you worried about the priesthood evaluation, even though you said you’ve given up on it?〉

He had pretended to agree with Dania when she tried to stop him, but in truth, it had been a question for himself, for his own perfect unrequited love.

The problem was that, at that moment, the sight before him was far too provocative for him to regain control of his senses and stop everything.

〈Yes, I think… going that far might be…〉

Dania’s radiant smile, as she eagerly grabbed onto the excuse he had handed her, was far too enticing.

〈Stop saying such vulgar things!〉

Her flushed face, burning with embarrassment, her tiny hands trying to cover her exposed chest, and the soft curves peeking through her fingers drove him mad.

Yes. Though he was sobering up, the fact that he wasn’t entirely sober was the problem.

And the fact that his body, which had already stirred when he helped her into his apartment, had grown harder and harder during their argument, until it was now fully aroused, was another problem.

The result of his perfect unrequited love, his intoxication, and his inability to resist his instincts was this.

〈So, as long as I don’t put myself inside you, it’s fine, right? Purity, as defined by the Holy One, is about not engaging in intercourse, isn’t it?〉

He couldn’t just take Dania as he pleased, especially not now, not here, not like this.

But he still wanted to taste her more.

Surely, as long as he didn’t actually penetrate her, he could pretend it didn’t count?

And so…

It had happened.

‘What a scumbag.’

The first taste of Dania’s body was so irresistibly sweet and tangy that Luel spent the entire night devouring her as if she were candy. Even after he moved the utterly exhausted Dania, who had fainted from repeated climaxes, to the bed, he found it impossible to stop. The sight of her lying there, half-n*ked and defenseless, was far too arousing. The realization that her current state was his doing, that he had drenched her in waves of pleasure by indulging in every inch of her body, was profoundly obscene.

Just from licking and exploring Dania’s most intimate parts, his member, which had already cl*maxed several times, hardened again without fail. Thus, Luel found himself pleasuring himself while gazing at Dania’s pale, plump b*ttocks, which had turned red and swollen from hours of his teasing, her tender flesh, and her chest, which had become even more pronounced from being pressed to one side. 

Afterward, as he lay facing her, he imagined slipping himself into her slightly parted lips. When he offered her his arm as a pillow and whispered goodnight, her soft movements were so tempting that he released himself once more before finally falling asleep.

Perhaps it was the lingering satisfaction or the faint intoxication that remained, but Luel felt surprisingly content. The events of their first night together hadn’t gone entirely awry, and he realized that the marital lessons he had learned in theory had proven somewhat effective. Regardless of whether Dania passed her retake exams or not, he was confident he could become an exceptional husband to this lovely woman who would one day become Dania Marchento.

With such hopeful thoughts, he drifted off to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to an overwhelming sense of shame as he stared at the empty space beside him. Dania had fled.

Reflecting on the previous night, he couldn’t deny that his behavior had been utterly shameless, making her actions understandable. Looking back, Dania had repeatedly told him to stop, but he had dismissed her protests, convincing himself they were her usual habits of lying. Moreover, whether it was with his fingers or his mouth, touching her in such a manner had undoubtedly destroyed the chaste and pure life she had pursued all her life in preparation to become a priestess.

Even if Dania came to despise him, he couldn’t blame her. 

He had waited for years. He had endured, anticipating the day Dania would return as a priestess to the Marchento diocesan residence. He had strived to become a suitable, respectable husband for the future priestess of Lancaster. Yet, in one fleeting moment, he had ruined everything.

From that day on, Luel realized Dania was avoiding him. Knowing full well the reason, he couldn’t bring himself to approach her first. Thus, even that day, all he could do was blankly watch Dania’s golden-brown hair as she hid under a bush to escape him. “I can see everything, Dania… Why do even your silly antics seem so adorable?” he thought to himself with a sigh.

His musings were interrupted by the frivolous chatter of his scandalous friends.

“Huh? Who’s that guy?”

“He’s talking to Miss Lancaster?”

“Miss Lancaster knows a man?”

“Are they close? They seem pretty happy to see each other, don’t they?”

Naturally, his friends’ gazes turned toward Luel. His face stiffened, unable to feign indifference.

Who was he?

Since he couldn’t openly interact with Dania on the academy grounds, every face from the Theology department was unfamiliar to him. He hadn’t had the chance to secretly investigate either, as he was too busy attending marriage classes with his friends. Besides, Dania hadn’t made any proper friends, so he hadn’t felt the need.

Thus, there was no way he could know who Mikhail was. 

Mikhail hadn’t crossed paths with Dania during his time as a student at the academy, and his return as an assistant instructor had only occurred this semester, making it even more unlikely for Luel to recognize him.

“Marchento! Isn’t that your dear priestess friend over there?” 

One of Luel’s friends, noticing his discomfort, loudly pointed out his presence so that Dania could hear, but the situation didn’t change. Dania didn’t withdraw her bright smile from the man and instead turned back to walk away with him.

Toward the dormitory, no less.

Although the Theology building where Dania attended her major classes was located just below the dormitory hill, such a fact didn’t cross Luel’s mind.

‘That sly bastard…!’

If Dania was heading toward the dormitory with a man, there was only one possible explanation. 

No man could resist someone as cute, lovely, and even sensuous as Dania. Just thinking about her made Luel’s body react, so it was obvious that even that nerd, awkwardly pushing his glasses up with his forearm, must be aroused by now. 

How dare he, after all the effort I put into protecting Dania’s semblance of purity?

The fact that Luel was the only one in the entire academy—students and faculty alike—who harbored romantic feelings for Dania, or that no one had ever paid attention to her figure hidden beneath her modest attire, didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

As he was about to follow them, a sudden thought stopped him in his tracks.

What if Dania wanted to be with that man?

Come to think of it, Dania had responded quite well to the sensations he had given her that night. 

What if she had grown curious about what came next and sought out a man for that reason?

Damn it, then why not come to me?

Was it possible that she wasn’t reacting to me specifically but was simply naturally sensitive?

No. Dania wouldn’t succumb to such curiosity.

But then again, the image of her arching her back and moaning that night had been so intoxicatingly sensual…

The Dania Lancaster Luel had known for 21 years wasn’t someone who would easily abandon her ideals of purity. However, perhaps due to his own biases, Luel couldn’t shake the lewd anxieties that had taken root in his mind.

As he agonized over these thoughts, the evening approached. Despite spending what felt like an eternity trying to come up with a hopeful explanation for Dania’s relationship with the blonde man, Luel eventually found himself heading toward Dania’s dormitory.

At first, it was simply to confirm whether Dania had returned to her dormitory. He wasn’t sure what that would prove, but locating her was the priority.