Chapter 3 (Part 2)

As if determined to override her resistance, he began pressing and moving his fingers inside her. His pace quickened, and soon he added more fingers, his movements so practiced and skilled that her breathing grew ragged. Each time he moved his hand in and out, the wet sounds echoed embarrassingly. She could feel her ears burning.  

“Don’t press there… Ah!”  

“Say ‘darling’ quickly.”  

Once again, he insisted on the title, teasing her by slowing his movements and tickling the entrance with his fingers. The sticky wetness that followed his hand out was enough to soak her thighs, making her feel even more embarrassed. Panting heavily, she leaned against his chest for support.  

What’s so great about that call sign? 

She wanted to ask but lacked the strength to do so. Her mind was spinning from the heat spreading through her body.  

“Darling…”  

“Mm.”  

Satisfied with her answer, Levin immediately cupped the back of her head and laid her down on the bed. Hovering over her, he began to undress without hesitation.  

Ah, so my waist is going to be sore again today.  

Even as she worried about this, her body was already preparing to accept him.  

And that’s when it happened.  

“…Ah!”  

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sensation swept over her lower body. Startled, she looked down to find Levin’s face buried between her legs. The source of the sensation was none other than his tongue.  

“What… No… Stop… Ah… Ah!”  

The feeling of him sucking on her below sent electrifying pleasure coursing through her. He was drinking her essence, his lips pressed firmly against her. Overwhelmed by this new and dizzying sensation, she grabbed his golden hair and tried to push him away. However, despite her pleas for him to stop, Levin only thrust his tongue deeper, his throat moving as he swallowed.  

“Don’t… Ah…!”  

It felt as though her entire body was being squeezed, preparing to give him everything he wanted. Her breathing grew increasingly ragged, and when his tongue prodded the sensitive spot on her ceiling, her hips jolted involuntarily. At the same time, a sudden rush of liquid spilled from her below.  

“Hah… Hah…”  

Levin rose from between her legs, droplets of her essence dripping from his lips. The sight was so sensual it made her head spin. Her entire body felt as though it were on fire.  

“Your expression right now is so cute.”  

Seeing the way he smiled, she knew she had lost. Now, it was her turn to be unable to resist.  

“All night… we can’t… You have to sleep at least a little tonight… Okay?”  

Panting, she spread her legs, and Levin immediately responded with a playful “Alright,” as he began removing his pants. His aroused length was already dripping with pre-release, showing that she wasn’t the only one overwhelmed with desire.  

“Ah…!”  

Soon, with a familiar sting, he pushed inside her.  

“I’ll give you a nice massage later so your waist won’t hurt. Don’t worry.”  

Levin spoke while thrusting hard into her, but she didn’t even have the energy to respond. She could only cling to him, crying out in pleasure.  

Occasionally, she left kisses and marks all over his body. She didn’t know why her possessiveness toward him had grown so much recently, but she couldn’t stop herself. She loved him too much—his skin, his scent, his voice, his sweat… everything about him. She also loved leaving traces of herself on his pale skin and beautifully sculpted muscles.  

Levin didn’t seem to mind. Whenever she sucked or bit at his skin, he let out languid moans, his voice full of pleasure.  

“Hah… Why do you keep leaving these marks? Hm? Do you think I’m pretty?”  

His deep thrusts shook her entire body as he asked teasingly. Lost in the white-hot haze of pleasure, she whispered her answer.  

“Yes… You’re beautiful… Ah…! You’re mine…”  

At her words, Levin seemed delighted, increasing his pace even more. This time, he began leaving red marks all over her body in return.  

“Hah… I’m going crazy because I think you’re so beautiful, Cordelia.”  

“Ah… Ah…!”  

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about me… as long as I have you…”  

What did he mean by that? 

For a brief moment, a question flickered in her mind, but it was quickly drowned out as his lips claimed hers, their tongues intertwining.  

And so, once again, they spent another long night together.  

The next day, when she opened her eyes, it was already evening again.  

Having gone through the same thing twice, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly the moment she woke up. He was undoubtedly a man who had an uncanny ability to manage her condition.  

Shaking her head, she got out of bed. Surprisingly, her waist didn’t hurt much today. Looking down, she noticed Levin’s pillow placed beneath her lower back, and the muscles that had felt stiff and sore were now relaxed.  

He had promised that she would wake up without pain today, and it seemed he had kept his word. What a sweet and thoughtful man. She decided she would kiss him the moment she saw him.  

“Darling, are you here?”  

She called out to him as she walked through the house.  

Yesterday, he had been by her side the moment she woke up, but today, he was nowhere to be seen. She thought perhaps he was bathing or had stepped out briefly to check on Skoll.  

“Darling? Levin?”  

But no matter where she looked in the house, he was nowhere to be found.  

Not in the bathroom, not in the stables, not even in the garden. Growing increasingly anxious, she began running through the house, searching every corner. She called out his name again and again, but there was no response. The eerie silence sent chills down her spine.  

Levin was gone.  

***  

Since the start of their married life—more precisely, since the beginning of their new life together—Levin had never once failed to come home. While there had been times when he returned a little late, he had always made it back before the moon disappeared from the sky.  

But not this time.  

She sat by the window, feeling the pale rays of the rising sun on her skin, her eyes fixed on the door. It hadn’t opened even once throughout the night.  

What could have happened? Had he been in an accident?  

As she stayed awake all night, unable to shake the thought, she called out his name over and over, crying her heart out and praying desperately for his safe return. But despite all her pleas, all she was left with was the cold light of morning.  

‘I need to find him.’  

Perhaps something really had happened to him. Levin had barely rested for almost two full days before heading out.  

Resolving to search for him as soon as daylight came, she endured the long hours of the night. She prepared for every possible scenario, packing medicines, bandages, and even a sturdy piece of wood that could serve as a splint. She feared he might have tripped and injured himself in the dark.  

As these thoughts consumed her, tears streamed down her face. It wasn’t even reality—just an unfounded worry—but her heart felt like it was being torn apart.  

With her bag slung over her shoulder and a cloak wrapped around her, she was just about to step out the door when—  

“…Rain?”  

The sky, which had been clear just moments ago, suddenly darkened as if by magic. Heavy raindrops began falling, first lightly, then quickly turning into a downpour. It was as if the storm was trying to stop her from leaving, just like the last time.  

Caught in a sorrowful dilemma, she hesitated, torn between braving the storm to search for him or staying home and waiting patiently.  

Of course, her heart screamed at her to rush out into the rain and find Levin immediately, no matter what. But then, his words of caution came back to her, as if to hold her back from acting recklessly.  

He had repeatedly told her not to leave the house and had asked her to trust him.  

If she went out to look for him now and found him, she might feel relieved. But he would undoubtedly be disappointed in her. He would think she didn’t trust him. And this time, he might truly get angry.  

She sank down in front of the door, overwhelmed by her sorrow. Curling up, she stared at the fence from under the roof. Tears rolled down her cheeks.  

“…Levin will come back soon.”  

Surely, in just a little while, he would burst through that door, rushing toward her and saying, ‘Cordelia! Were you outside? I couldn’t come back yesterday because I was so busy. You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? I’m really sorry.’ Then, he would gently kiss her swollen eyes and comfort her.  

Clinging to this hopeful imagination, she decided to believe in him. For a long time, she waited in the rain before finally going back inside. She resolved to prepare a warm meal for him, imagining how cold and wet he would be from the rain.  

Slowly, she made soup and baked a meat pie to fill his stomach. She even brought out a little alcohol, determined to help him sleep soundly tonight.  

Time passed quickly, thanks to her focus on the tasks at hand.  

To wipe away the traces of her tears, she washed herself and changed into fresh clothes, waiting for his return. But at some point, she must have dozed off, slumped over the dining table.  

“Ugh…”  

Her neck and back ached. It seemed she had slept for quite a while.  

When she woke up, the rain had stopped, and the once-black sky was now painted a deep indigo, not with rain clouds but with the hues of night. It was already midnight again.  

Jumping to her feet, she called out Levin’s name. She ran outside and immediately checked the stables. If he had returned, surely Skoll would be back as well.  

But once again, the stables were completely empty. There were no new footprints near the fence gate either.  

Feeling as though the blood had drained from her body, she stumbled to the garden chair and collapsed onto it.  

Levin hadn’t come home today either.