Chapter 3 (Part 1)

The pie that she had painstakingly made while sweating profusely was only eaten the following evening.  

It wasn’t just because the atmosphere hadn’t been right for eating it on the day itself, but also because they had spent the entire time clinging to each other after stepping out of the bathtub.  

In particular, Levin had behaved as though he were possessed by something.  

She couldn’t figure out what part of her love confession had snapped the thread of his rationality, but after that, his passion had been utterly unbelievable. He had explored every corner of her body, and by the time she came to her senses, morning had already arrived.  

Completely drained, she had ended up passing out as soon as the sun rose. After that, she remembered nothing.  

When she opened her eyes again, it was already evening, and Levin was approaching the bedside, greeting her with a casual hello.

“Unbelievable… I just woke up.” 

“Mm, so cute.” 

She couldn’t tell if her body was just in terrible shape or if Levin had monstrous stamina. Either way, from her perspective, it felt incredibly unfair.  

How could they have done the same thing, yet he was perfectly fine and even went out to work, while she was reduced to a soaked rag?  

What’s more, it seemed he wasn’t satisfied even with what they’d done until that morning. He leaned in again, kissing her soundly. His hair was damp, as though he had just washed, and a fragrant scent wafted from him.  

“Did you sleep well? You weren’t scared, were you?” 

Levin asked. His question carried a hint of worry, as though he had been fretting about it all along.  

Perhaps it was because she had ended up crying the previous day, making him even more concerned.  

Silly man. That wasn’t the reason at all. But it wasn’t something she would confess.  

She responded while rubbing her forehead against the underside of his chin. 

“Yes. And I’m happy to see you as soon as I woke up.” 

Then, she pushed out the words “I love you” once again, which she had struggled so much to say the day before.  

The more she repeated it, the more it felt like there was no better phrase to express how she felt.  

But just when she thought the atmosphere would remain warm and cozy like this, something hot suddenly touched her thigh.  

‘Huh?’  

Curious, she glanced down and saw that the front of his trousers had become taut.  

Looking up at him as if to ask what was going on, Levin sighed.  

Then, he abruptly confessed his predicament: apparently, her repeated declarations of love were causing his body to react like this.  

He looked down at her with puppy-like eyes, his gaze making it clear that he wanted to undress her again.  

Of course, she was happy that he desired her. But at this moment, she was truly exhausted.  

“No… I don’t have the strength to do it again. My waist hurts too.” 

She said, trying to dissuade him.  

“Then, we can try another way to make it—” 

He began, but she cut him off quickly.  

“No, no. Let’s eat something first, okay? I made a pie for you yesterday, remember? We didn’t even get to touch it.”  

At her words, Levin’s eyes wavered briefly. He seemed immediately intrigued by the fact that she had made it for him.  

Seeing this, she pleaded with him.  

“I’m hungry. Now that I think about it, I just woke up and haven’t eaten anything all day.”  

“Oh, that’s not good. Wait a moment. I’ll go get us something to eat.” 

Levin said, finally relenting.  

At her words, Levin nodded as if he quickly understood. Then, he promptly got up from the bed, helped her sit up, and left to fetch the pie and some drinks.  

The way he reacted to her saying she was hungry made her think that, at times like this, it was hard to tell whether he was her husband or her caretaker. But even this was undoubtedly an expression of his love. Feeling pleased by his attentive care, she smiled with satisfaction.  

“Why did you make the pie so big? It looks like it’s almost four times the size you usually make.” 

Levin asked in surprise when he returned with the enormous pie.  

She gave him the answer she had prepared in advance.  

“This time, I made it as big as my love for you. How is it?”  

At her words, his eyes widened. Judging by the way his ears quickly turned red, he didn’t seem to dislike it. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips.  

“Then it’s way too small. Next time, make it even bigger.”  

“Greedy. Making it bigger is impossible. I kept pricking myself on the thorns while picking raspberries, and it hurt. But I’ll try my best.”  

“What? You pricked yourself on thorns? That’s not okay. You don’t have to do it ever again.”  

“Oh, it’s not that bad…”  

“Let me see your hands. Why didn’t you tell me about this right away yesterday?”  

Levin set the pie down on the small table and immediately began examining her hands carefully. One moment he had been all smiles, and the next, his face was full of concern. His excessive protectiveness was endearing, and her heart felt ticklish.  

Unable to hold back any longer, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.  

“…What’s this? You told me to hold back, and now you’re doing this?”  

This time, Levin’s cheeks turned red as he glared at her with a displeased look. She let out a short laugh and feigned innocence.  

“What did I do?”  

As she spoke, she deliberately shifted her thigh to press gently against his center. Levin let out a brief groan before sighing deeply.  

“Just wait until we’re done eating.”  

“Huh? I’m going to sleep after we eat, though.”  

“Fine, I’ll let you sleep. But when you wake up, it’ll already be evening again.”  

His warning, which didn’t sound like a joke at all, left her mouth hanging open. In the meantime, Levin had already cut a piece of the pie and was feeding it to her.  

As she chewed happily, he smiled contentedly and sat down beside her. One arm wrapped snugly around her waist, while his other hand continued to feed her more pie.  

“Is it good? You’re eating so cutely.”  

For a moment, peace settled between them.  

The two of them shared the pie while chatting. As usual, most of the talking came from her side.  

She rambled about how she had gone out to pick raspberries, only to feel both joy and disappointment when she found a golden one that was already spoiled. She complained about how difficult it was to knead the dough because the butter kept melting. She even shared how she had nervously watched the pie in the oven, afraid it might burn because she couldn’t control the heat properly, all while sweating profusely.  

Most of it was trivial and uninteresting, but Levin never took his eyes off her. He listened to every word and responded to each one, occasionally smiling with his eyes. That smile overflowed with affection.  

Their conversation eventually shifted to a different topic—this time, about Levin’s work.  

“Oh, right. There’s something I need to ask of you.” 

Levin said.  

“Hm? What is it?” 

“For the next few days, don’t leave the fence. No matter what. Absolutely not. Just for two or three days. Please promise me this.” 

He said firmly.  

Hearing him repeat the word “absolutely” several times, she couldn’t help but feel curious. It was rare for him to make such a strong request.  

“Why? Is something going on?” 

Levin hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to tell her, before finally explaining.  

“The criminal I mentioned before seems to have escaped. He should have been caught by today, but his name still isn’t on the list.”  

“Oh no…”  

“Don’t make that face. You’re not thinking of going out like you did yesterday in the rain because you’re worried, are you? Don’t even think about it. Trust me, okay?”  

Seeing her face immediately turn into a worried frown, Levin lightly pinched her cheek.  

“But I’m worried… You’re not going to be in danger, are you?”  

Without waiting for an answer, she wrapped her arms around his waist and clung tightly to him. Levin responded by lifting her onto his lap and sitting her down. Looking straight into her eyes at their now similar height, he reassured her.  

“Of course not. And honestly, you don’t seem to know this, but there’s only one person around here who could beat me.”  

“Who is that?”  

At that moment, he leaned in and planted a light kiss on her lips.  

“You. You make me surrender every time.”  

With his short answer, he gazed at her with smoldering eyes.  

“…Have you eaten enough now?”  

In his gaze, she could already see the heat rising again. Feeling her face flush, she quickly shook her head. She needed to make sure he rested tonight. There was a criminal on the loose near his workplace, and if he didn’t conserve his strength, who knew what might happen? As much as she regretted it, there was no other choice.  

She spoke firmly.  

“Not tonight. You need to rest.”  

“I’m fine.”  

“What do you mean you’re fine? What if you get tired and something dangerous happens…?”  

“I told you, that won’t happen.”  

Suddenly, his hand slipped under her dress. His fingers skillfully made their way to her center.  

“Ah… Levin, wait…”  

“Call me ‘darling.’”  

This naughty man! Whispering like that right into my ear was completely unfair!  

As her body flinched and she glared at him, Levin chuckled softly. His mischievous smile was as dazzling as ever, so much so that her body couldn’t help but respond to him.