2.3

He seemed to have fallen first while trying to catch her as she lost her balance and leaned forward. The ground was a bit slippery, and even Leon, who had trained his body, couldn’t maintain his balance.  

And Ellen inadvertently ended up on top of him. What she thought was hard ground was actually Leon’s firm chest.  

“Oh. Are you okay?”  

“I’m fine.”  

The eyes looking up at her revealed a hint of embarrassment.  

Feeling awkward about their position, Ellen tried to get up quickly but hesitated. She could feel the sound of his heartbeat through their touching chests.  

Just like her, Leon’s heart was pounding fiercely. It was a reaction completely opposite to his usual indifferent demeanor, as if he was aware of Ellen.  

Wait… could this be a good chance to change his mind about breaking up?  

Their lips hadn’t touched, but their breaths were so close that a slight tilt would bring their lips together. When their eyes met, she felt Leon’s golden eyes tremble.  

Nominally, as Donna said, aren’t we lovers? Whatever, here goes nothing.  

Ellen mustered the courage to lower her head and kissed him.  

The brief kiss was soft and sweet. As their lips touched and parted, Leon’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t anticipated the kiss.  

Was it alright?  

Since he didn’t show any signs of dislike, Ellen boldly lowered her lips again.  

The sensation was different from when their lips first touched. Her heart felt like it was about to burst, and her breath grew shorter, as if she’d forgotten how to breathe.  

But she felt she shouldn’t break the kiss. If she did, it would end just like that. So she decided to push forward recklessly, and as the kiss lingered, Ellen’s face grew increasingly red from the lack of air.  

Just as she was about to suffocate, their positions flipped, and their lips parted. Now Leon looked down at Ellen with a surprised expression.  

What on earth is going on?  

The event had happened so quickly that Leon’s mind couldn’t keep up with the situation. He silently stared at Ellen’s face.  

Her innocent and shy eyes, which seemed to know nothing, were directed at him, and they were filled with nothing but Leon himself.  

Though she had initiated the approach, the actual kiss was clumsy.  

She couldn’t even breathe properly, remaining stiff while only their lips touched—it was a poor attempt despite her courage.  

Amusing. 

Leon chuckled softly.  

“It’s better to breathe through your nose.”  

Her innocent reaction, contrasting with her bold action, intrigued him. So Leon forgot to even consider rejecting the unexpected kiss.  

Instead, he felt an impulse to show her what a kiss truly was.  

This time, his lips touched Ellen’s first. He deliberately blew his breath into her mouth, causing her body to shiver.  

“Breathe slowly. Slowly.”  

Leon instructed from a distance where their breaths could touch. Then he lightly nibbled and released Ellen’s lower lip.  

“Ah.”  

Finally, color began to return to her face. Though she still breathed heavily, her stiff body seemed to relax a bit.  

“Should be better now.”  

Leon gently grasped Ellen’s chin and pulled her toward him. He sucked her lips as if swallowing them. Ellen felt herself swallow her breath. He pushed his tongue between her parted lips.  

This time, it was Ellen whose eyes widened. Her previously relaxed body stiffened again. Leon, unconcerned, explored the inside of her mouth.  

Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Ellen tried to pull away, but with Leon firmly holding her chin, she couldn’t escape.  

“Where do you think you’re going?”

He found Ellen’s attempt to flee amusing, considering she had initiated the kiss but now wanted to avoid learning what a real kiss was.  

Her desire to escape only made Leon want to hold onto her even more.  

The kiss deepened, consuming her mouth as if devouring it. It was as sweet as ripe fruit, making him want to taste it continuously.  

“Mm… mm.”  

Her m*an disappeared into his mouth.  

The hot, rough kiss was so intense that it scared Ellen. Yet the unfamiliar sensations were both strange and pleasurable.  

Wherever Leon’s tongue touched, a peculiar heat seemed to envelop her entire body, and as it licked inside her mouth, blood seemed to rush to her secret places.  

She wanted to savor this sweet sensation a bit longer, so Ellen tried her best to accept his tongue in her own way.  

Though their tongues tangled stickily, she couldn’t keep up with his relentless pace. All she could do was let herself be swept away by him, panting for breath.  

“This is how you kiss.”  

When she was so breathless that she couldn’t even make a sound, their lips parted. Ellen exhaled a trembling breath and nodded slowly, as if she understood. Her languid eyes looked up at Leon.  

What do you mean you understand?

Leon chuckled softly.  

A woman who didn’t even know how to kiss yet boldly initiated it—this paradoxical behavior kept provoking him.  

In that moment, he felt the urge to take things further.  

He wanted to spread her legs and enter her, or strip off her dress and leave marks of his lips on her white skin.  

But.

What have I done?  

As his rationality returned, Leon regretted his actions. He realized too late that he had acted rashly, driven by desire.  

His instincts had taken over, leading him to act impulsively due to a momentary temptation.  

Leon quickly straightened his expression and stood up, brushing off his clothes.  

“Please be careful from now on.”  

He wanted to leave first. He couldn’t face Ellen like this. Fortunately, since they weren’t far from where the carriage was, he didn’t need to escort her.  

He couldn’t even remember what he said when they parted. He seemed to have made some excuse, but whatever it was, the last look he saw from her was one of confusion, blinking her eyes.  

He had sworn not to touch her even once, knowing they would soon part ways. He was sure he could keep that promise.  

Yet he had kissed a woman he was about to break up with…?  

Reflecting on what had just happened with Ellen, Leon felt a sense of self-loathing.  

Why did I kiss her again? When our lips parted, I shouldn’t have kissed her again. 

But he hadn’t been able to stop himself. It felt like he was momentarily possessed.  

If she hadn’t made such a clumsy attempt at a kiss, he would have rejected it. But her awkwardness made him want to teach her, which was a talent in itself, if it could be called that.  

I thought she was a bear, but is she a fox?  

Leon shook his head, wanting to deny what had just happened. But since it had already occurred, denying it wouldn’t make it disappear.  

“Oh…?”  

Ellen was left staring at the spot where Leon had been. What had just happened felt like a dream, making it hard to accept as reality.  

She pinched her cheek hard, and only then did she realize it wasn’t a dream but reality.  

“Sir Guilford kissed me?”  

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t imagined he would respond to her kiss. She had thought it would be a relief if he didn’t reject her, but instead, he kissed her passionately.  

“Really? Truly?”  

Ellen touched the lips that had just been connected to Leon’s. It felt like the intense heat and his saliva were still lingering there.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

“I did it!”  

A smile gradually spread across her lips. Then she jumped up and down, savoring the joy.  

Seeing him, who had tried to act detached and rational, reveal his instincts just from their lips touching, showed that Donna was right about the possibility of physical affection.  

“Maybe if I create a sensual atmosphere, it could work?”  

Now that the man who had shown no reaction was responding to her, Ellen finally felt the thrill of romance.  

It seemed her empty heart was being filled by her body.  

“Maybe I can act more assertively next time?”  

Having succeeded once, it seemed she was gaining more courage.