36

After Richel left, only Elsia and Adrian remained in the drawing room.

“Did Richel seem different today?”

Elsia’s intuition told her something was wrong with Richel, but her usual tone and cheerful voice made her doubt it. Uncertain, she asked Adrian.

“I’m not sure.”

Adrian shook his head, unsure.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination?”

“Yeah, probably just your imagination. Richel was as bright as ever. If something was wrong, she wouldn’t have come to you right away.”

Elsia mumbled, and Adrian chimed in.

“I suppose so.”

Elsia remembered Richel’s departure, but decided she was just being sensitive after a hectic day.

Adrian, worried about Elsia’s anxiety, suddenly took her hand.

“I’m fine.”

Elsia smiled gently to reassure Adrian, who then smiled in relief.

“By the way, we promised to go on a date today, but ended up spending little time alone.”

Elsia realized only now that they were alone again.

She sighed, feeling the day hadn’t lived up to her expectations.

“There will be plenty of days together from now on. Besides, a lot happened today. Shouldn’t you rest now?”

Adrian’s words were true, but Elsia couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

“It’s almost time for Father to come home, so we won’t be alone for long. Want to visit my childhood secret base, like we used to?”

“You need to rest. I think I should leave so you can get enough sleep.”

Adrian started heading for the door, preparing to leave Portman, but Elsia grabbed his waist from behind.

“Every moment with you feels like rest for me. So let’s go, okay?”

Elsia’s words made Adrian blush and nod.

Elsia took Adrian’s hand and led him into the thick woods, where Portman family members rarely went. There, a hidden door lay on the ground, known only to the Portman family.

It was a secret underground space, created in case something bad happened at Portman, and even most servants didn’t know about it. Elsia had only allowed her closest childhood friend, Adrian, to enter.

Opening the door revealed a deep staircase leading down.

Wearing a skirt, Elsia descended first, and Adrian followed.

Carefully, they went down the stairs to find a dusty bed and two chairs. No one had been there recently, so dust had accumulated.

“It’s a bit messy. I haven’t been here lately, but I used to come sometimes, so just dusting will be enough.”

Elsia brushed off the dust and sat lightly on the bed, then patted the spot beside her, inviting Adrian to sit.

Adrian approached and sat next to her.

“Do you remember? We used to come here a lot as kids.”

“It’s been a while. This place is full of memories of our childhood together—I definitely remember.”

“I just realized, you’re the only one I ever allowed in here as a child.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Adrian’s moved gaze met Elsia’s.

Back then, Elsia had not understood the feeling called love, so she thought Adrian was a fragile child who cried a lot. She felt she needed to protect him. But now, that side of him was nowhere to be seen.

Adrian replied with his characteristic eye-smile, “Both the weak me of the past and the changed me now are just Adrian who likes you. Even if my appearance has changed, my feelings have always remained the same.”

Seeing his smile, Elsia felt something bloom deep inside her, and all her senses became heightened.

Elsia’s gaze lingered on Adrian’s broad chest, slowly tracing downward.

Under her heated gaze, Adrian looked a little flustered.

“Are you seducing me right now?”

“Yeah, I am. How about we try matching ourselves here?”

Elsia didn’t hide her growing desire for him.

She thought this space, where no one could enter and no one could hear, was the perfect place to be together with him.

Just being alone with him in this small world, cut off from the outside, made her body heat up.

“No… We can’t. You’re injured right now. I don’t trust myself to restrain myself with you in front of me.”

Adrian bit his lip, trying to suppress his desire.

“It’s fine. It’s just a scratch. Look, see? It doesn’t hurt.”

Elsia poked at the wound on her neck with her finger as she spoke.

Adrian looked as if he was hesitating.

“I’m really fine. See, I’m perfectly okay.”

Elsia repeatedly opened and closed her hands in front of Adrian.

Having made up his mind, Adrian suddenly pulled her hands and embraced her.

“I tried to hold back, but I can’t anymore.”

As their eyes met, Elsia smiled softly, and Adrian’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

Elsia slowly stroked Adrian’s cheek, and his face drew closer to hers.

Their gazes tangled, and their bodies tingled and heated up.

They shared cautious kisses, exploring each other, and Elsia gradually lay back on the bed, with Adrian coming over her.

All restraint disappeared as they shed their shells and passionately kissed, their tongues entwined.

The shadows that had been apart slowly overlapped, and the stale air of the basement turned thick and intoxicating.

Elsia savored Adrian’s devouring kisses, clinging to his neck. Their minds were filled only with desire for each other, and they began to explore each other’s bodies in pursuit of pleasure.

Adrian’s lips moved from hers, down her neck, collarbone, and gently sucked her chest, while his hand moved to the secret place where her legs joined.

Whenever his touch reached sensitive spots, Elsia felt electricity course through her body.

The deeper Adrian’s hand went inside her, the more intense the sensations became.

As Elsia trembled with a blinding cl*max, Adrian smiled in satisfaction.

Adrian then spread Elsia’s thighs, and his firm manhood aligned with her entrance, slowly pushing inside.

As their bodies met, the heat inside him seemed to transfer to her.

Adrian moved slowly, and every time he entered and withdrew, the pleasure pierced her body.

“Haa! Uhh!”

Elsia moaned freely atop the creaking bed.

The secret base filled with childhood memories had now become their secret space.

The thought that no one else could enter this space excited her even more.

“Harder… more…”

At Elsia’s words, Adrian smiled sensually and drove into her with the intent to devour her completely.

As he pulled back and thr*st strongly, her body bounced higher.

With the mounting excitement, Elsia felt so ecstatic she thought she might cry.

She matched his rhythm, moving her hips faster.

Adrian’s wild momentum intensified, then paused, and soon hot liquid signaled their cl*max.

Adrian’s heavy body pressed down on Elsia, but his manhood was still hard.

“One more time?”

Adrian asked, and Elsia nodded.

Their gazes tangled again, and another storm swept through them.

It didn’t end there.

Wanting to know everything about each other, they changed positions and expressed their desires.

Elsia flipped over for Adrian to enter from behind, they stood together with her back against his chest, Adrian lay down with Elsia on top—each form brought new pleasure, and the flame inside them reignited again and again.

Adrian always responded to her intense desire.

Each time, their bodies fit well, and the more they were together, the more boundless vitality seemed to fill her, and her mind grew clearer.

“I love you.”

Elsia, wrapped in Adrian’s heat, was filled with endless happiness and fulfillment, and blurted out the words.

It was hard to say the first time, but once spoken, it easily flowed from her lips.

Whenever she felt a surge of passion, she called his name several times.

Adrian responded with a gentle, teasing smile.