Hersion lightly kissed Meriel’s forehead and immediately moved his hips. S*x while facing each other was different from doing it from behind. 

Proceeding while exchanging gazes with each other felt like the pleasure doubled. Intense ecstasy rushed between them in an instant.

“Ha, ahng, ngh, mmh, ahhh.”

Meriel’s body shook heavily in rhythm with Hersion’s hip movements. Her br*asts bounced freely, and fl*ids leaked out from below, stirring up a sensual atmosphere.

Perhaps because she’d lifted one leg and hooked it over Hersion’s body, the sensation of his c*ck ruthlessly ravaging her inner walls inside her v*gina was more explicit. 

When intense joy overwhelmed her, Meriel unconsciously pressed close to Hersion’s embrace and let out continuous faint m*ans. Hot breath flowed endlessly from between her whimpering teeth, heating Hersion’s broad chest.

“Ngh, Meriel… Miss.”

Hersion also became immersed in rough pleasure. Just the situation of Meriel embracing him and continuously heating his chest with the breath leaking out through her sobbing already seemed to drive him toward cl*max.

Because of their position embracing each other tightly without gaps, even their junction was pressed, and Hersion’s manhood was crushed freely inside Meriel. 

The massive member wandered around, affecting even the area around Meriel’s split opening. At the unique sensation of stimulating the outside from within, Meriel’s cl*toris, standing *rect, also rubbed against Hersion’s skin, triggering fierce pleasure.

“G-good, Knight Commander, hng, ahng.”

Each moment her cl*toris throbbed, white sparks flashed between Meriel’s closed eyes. This alone was enough to drive her crazy, but with the added foreign sensation of his p*nis freely prying open the narrow gap inside, she felt violent ecstasy.

After sobbing for a while immersed in pleasure, Meriel grew greedy, wondering if there might be lewder and stronger movements. 

That was because, though she didn’t want to think about it even the tiniest bit at this moment, if by any chance Hersion ended up with Nancy, she would never be able to see him again.

She didn’t want to have these d*mn worries, but in the process of rough pleasure surging up, a very small concern arose briefly.

In truth, she’d only been carefree on the surface—she hadn’t put her worries down. She’d been extremely anxious when she couldn’t reach him because he was secretly escorting His Majesty the King. 

After that incident, Meriel had become a bit sensitive.

Though Hersion had asserted he had no feelings whatsoever for Nancy, there wasn’t zero possibility of him ending up with her. 

Since a marriage proposal had come in, what would happen in the future was truly unpredictable. Moreover, she’d heard his father had a conservative temperament too.

‘But we’ll never grow apart.’

Meriel bit her lip. Worries and pleasure intertwined, and her mind grew hazy.

They absolutely couldn’t grow apart. No, she didn’t want to grow apart. He was someone she loved this much—no matter what obstacles blocked her life’s path, she hoped they could maintain their relationship as lovers.

Even knowing it was a selfish thought, her heart kept leaning this way. She wanted to deny the very fact that a marriage proposal had come in. She’d feel relieved if it were just a dream instead.

The tears that had been welling up flowed down all the way to her tightly bitten lips. When the tears—whether from pleasure or worry, she couldn’t tell—naturally flowed into her mouth, she tasted saltiness.

Meriel wanted to fully reveal her desires, at least in this moment. If she didn’t do at least that, the worry that she might grow apart from Hersion with the worst possible odds would become an obsession and torment her.

Who would have known her family would be utterly destroyed when she was young? Had she even predicted she wouldn’t be able to reach Hersion recently due to his work circumstances?

Nothing in the world went as one wished. Chewing over the past and present, Meriel grew even more confused.

Of course, she admitted she desired him partly out of personal greed, but right now, whatever she did, she hoped to get as close as possible to his body. She absolutely didn’t want to lose Hersion. That shouldn’t happen.

Meriel released her tightly bitten lips and unconsciously shouted boldly.

“Commander, like this… would you try standing up?”

When she shouted boldly while sobbing, Hersion thought she must have been thinking about something just now. Though dull about s*xual matters, he was perceptive about this sort of thing. Moreover, as her lover, he wouldn’t deserve to be one if he couldn’t notice even this much.

Thinking that, Hersion pulled her close tightly so she wouldn’t fall and slowly stood up.

“Please stand here.”

Unlike before, Meriel, who had calmed down a bit, made a gentle request this time, and Hersion stopped right in front of her nightstand. 

Since they’d maintained penetration, pleasure continued to transmit to Meriel even while Hersion moved.

Meriel moaned and briefly raised her hand to wipe her tears. At that moment, Hersion’s hand approached Meriel’s eyes faster and gently wiped her stained face. 

Of course, since he had to support her with his other hand, he had no choice but to use just one hand.

Though his hand movements were a bit rough, to Meriel they felt endlessly tender.

“Thank you.”

“Why did you cry? Was I too rough?”

“No, not at all. Just, because I like you so much, Knight Commander.”

“That’s nothing new.”

When had she not said that? Hersion didn’t fully grasp Meriel’s intentions and just laughed quietly.

Meriel hesitated about whether to speak, but chose silence, worried that mentioning Nancy in this situation would ruin the mood. Instead, she wanted to receive a firm promise.

“You’ll stay by my side, right?”

“Of course.”

At Hersion’s immediate answer, Meriel finally felt relief settle in. Belatedly looking at Hersion with her characteristic smile and lightly kissing his lips, Meriel once again pleaded for him to move his hips like this.

“I’ll do as you command, Miss.”

Just for today, he was of lower status than Meriel. Making that assumption, Hersion accepted with a playful tone and moved his hips. 

Meriel was light like a feather so there was no problem, but thrusting while standing was difficult since it was his first time. Still, Hersion did his best to give Meriel pleasure.

“Am I clumsy by any chance?”

“No, not at all.”

Meriel was perfectly satisfied like this. Even Hersion constantly checking while doing well was lovable.

Though he might be innocent sexually, perhaps because of his flawless body, pleasure heated up the same way no matter what he did. Maybe her body kept getting excited and heated because her partner was Hersion.

She couldn’t even sense anymore where the limits of his charm were. Probably infinite.

The explicit splashing water sounds raised their l*st even higher. Meriel embraced Hersion’s neck. His neck was the only place she could rely on as pleasure kept overwhelming her.

“Haa, ngh, ahng.”

Groaning sounds burst from Meriel’s mouth ceaselessly. Hersion also let out low m*ans, stained with pleasure. Without anyone going first, both craved intense greed.

Meriel pressed into Hersion’s chest crushingly to savor even rougher ecstasy. Then naturally his skin crushed her cl*toris, and pleasure raised another level occupied her body.

Tremors spread through her whole body, and Meriel reached cl*max. Each moment her cl*toris rubbed against his firm muscles, tingling pleasure spread through her whole body’s nerves. 

Between her closed eyes, bright lights flashed endlessly.

Embraced by Hersion, Meriel soon felt hot traces scattering in the secret place inside her body. 

After that, the cl*max gradually faded and her body went limp. If she hadn’t been held in his broad embrace, she might have collapsed right there.

Though her energy drained, the afterglow of cl*max remained, and Meriel sobbed while gasping for short breaths. Belatedly feeling Hersion’s manhood withdraw, Meriel whispered softly to Hersion. Words she wanted to say again even after conveying them many times.

“I love you.”

“This time I wanted to say it first…”

Such a quick miss.

“I love you too, Miss Meriel.”

Hersion’s low voice settled warmly by Meriel’s ear.

The traces of pleasure mixed with Meriel’s clear nectar and flowed past her v*lva down to her thighs. 

Because of the position where Hersion stood holding Meriel, those white traces also stained Hersion’s thighs. Realizing what it was, Hersion quietly set Meriel down.

When Meriel touched the floor, her energy was still drained so her legs gave out and she unconsciously leaned back into his embrace. Hersion calmly embraced Meriel once more.

Though the situation unfolding below stirred their mutual greed again, it had now grown dark outside.

The time to return to the royal palace was imminent. Meriel and Hersion painfully endured the desire trying to flare up again.

* * *

“Get home safely.”

“This time I’ll definitely send word.”

“I’ll wait. When you’re too busy, you can just send a short message saying you’re busy. For me, just confirming that you’re doing well is enough.”

Meriel kissed Hersion’s cheek. Because of their height difference, normally she would have had to stand on tiptoe for quite a while, but fortunately he bent his knees.

Hersion also immediately responded with a kiss on Meriel’s cheek.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Hersion, who had greeted her warmly, smiled brightly and waved at Meriel, who was already waving at him. He slowly turned his back from Meriel, opened the shop door, and went out.

Meriel stared outside the door until Hersion disappeared from her sight. Though her lower abdomen ached from the aftermath of their intense time, that was nothing. 

Feeling regretful about parting with Hersion, she stared blankly at the front door for a while.

* * *

The day after meeting Meriel, Hersion received a letter from his father. Hersion naturally tore open the envelope as usual and read down through the contents written in the main text.

Starting with greetings, the letter’s contents continued with passages exchanging news as usual. Then around the middle, at the business part where the letter’s purpose was fully revealed, Hersion was shocked.

‘They can’t reach Miss Nancy?’

When content stating they couldn’t contact Sir James’s family was written in Adrian’s clear handwriting, Hersion felt puzzled. Adrian’s next sentence that entered his eyes stated contact had been lost for about two weeks.

He briefly thought maybe this was actually good, but worry came first after all. What if something unfortunate had happened to Sir James’s household? 

It would be terrible if some incident or accident had occurred and something had happened to that family.

His thoughts couldn’t help but lean toward the negative. From what he’d heard from Adrian, Sir James had been in a carriage collision accident at the end of last year. 

Though he’d only suffered minor injuries because emergency measures were taken quickly, he’d heard it could have led to serious injuries if things had gone wrong.

Not only that, but he’d also heard that in the past, Sir James had narrowly escaped death after being swept away by waves at sea.

Though he didn’t want to consider that family’s luck, perhaps because of the past, Hersion grew anxious. Even trying to think they’d paid their dues, somehow unease came first.

Why had they not even sent a reply for two weeks? 

Moreover, facing such an important situation as a marriage proposal.

With Adrian’s closing greeting praying nothing serious had happened to that family and telling him to stay healthy too, Hersion folded the letter while harboring unsettled emotions. When he applied force to his hand, the paper crumpled tightly.

Quite some time had passed since he and Meriel had become lovers. He’d been determined to somehow resolve the marriage proposal with Nancy himself. But suddenly losing contact with Sir James’s family—the reality was hard to believe.

He’d planned to meet Nancy for certain and firmly tell her he had someone he loved… even prepared to face his father’s nagging.

Hersion sighed and held his head. He only poured out sighs multiple times in his boiling anxiety.

If he told Meriel this fact, how confused would she be in her own way? 

Still, he had to think positively. Only by doing so could he sleep comfortably with his legs stretched out and train properly. 

And he wouldn’t waver in his position as Commander of the Rüharen Royal Knights, which carried great responsibility.

‘I hope the future is bright.’

Hersion belatedly thought positively. Though one corner of his heart was still complicated inwardly, thinking this way for now at least slightly eased his worries.