Chapter 2.2

“Mm, mm! Hng! Mmm!”

The head of his shaft, thrusting in hard and pulling out, seemed to swirl around her entrance, then slammed in again, stretching every fold inside her.

The animalistic position from behind stimulated and scratched places different from last night, and he went even deeper. His manhood was moving inside her, but every time he thrust deep, it felt like her insides were all being pushed up.

His hand gripping her chest kneaded so hard it would leave marks, making it hard for her to breathe deeply. From head to toe, it felt like she would be devoured by him until nothing of her would remain.

“Ah, save… hng… ahh!”

Her mouth was blocked, so she couldn’t even call for help. She felt like she was going mad.

And what drove her even crazier…

“Feels… hng… so good…!”

She wanted to run away right now, wanted someone to save her, and yet, at the same time, she wished this overwhelming pleasure would never stop, to the point her mind was melting.

As he thrust up into her, Eloin whispered roughly,

“Say it again, Liv.”

“Aah…!”

“Come on.”

His grip around her tightened, and the pace of his thrusts grew even faster. Eloin didn’t tease her by stopping midway; he simply made her feel it until she was honest.

His intention worked perfectly, and as he deliberately kept hitting the pleasure spot deep inside, Olivia’s body lost all strength. Her unfocused pupils seemed to wander somewhere far away.

“Hng, feels… ah, good… mmm…!”

Barely managing to get the words out, Olivia’s body clenched tight. Ah, ah! As she sobbed with her head thrown back, her nails raked Eloin’s forearm, leaving fresh scratches.

He barely held back, as if wringing her out with his hands, but when he saw the light return to her eyes, he teased her,

“I can’t hear you.”

But Olivia’s reaction was odd. Her face flushed bright red, and she suddenly burst out in a loud cry. She’d been scared for a while now, and with him pushing her like this, she finally broke into tears.

“I said it feels good, you idiot!”

Eloin gazed at her tear-streaked face as if licking her with his eyes, and released deep inside her. Normally, someone would look pitiful when crying, right? But even with her bare face red and blotchy with tears, Olivia only looked beautiful. Even before he finished, he felt himself harden again.

Yes, Olivia had been beautiful ever since she was little. Even when angry, even when she called him an idiot. When she smiled, she was dazzlingly lovely—his Liv.

“…love you.”

Olivia didn’t catch his whispered words. Just breathing was hard enough for her.

Eloin seemed to be saying something, but by the time she thought about it, he was already moving, carrying her in his arms. She didn’t know when he’d turned on the water, but the large bathtub was filled to the brim, and when they sat down together, it overflowed everywhere.

His hands, warmed by the water, carefully wiped her face and massaged her shoulders, waist, and thighs, making sure no part of her cramped up.

“Ha… ah.”

“Are you all right?”

He could at least ask after pulling out a bit. Olivia pouted and pretended not to hear, and Eloin rested his forehead on her shoulder.

“I don’t want to go.”

What a childish thing to say. All Olivia wanted was to hurry home and collapse.

“Just go.”

Even as she spoke coldly, his manhood twitched inside her. Olivia almost let out another embarrassing sound and bit her tongue. With this much stamina, why hadn’t he taken an Empress or even a concubine? She’d never know.

“Liv.”

“…What.”

“I sent someone to the Marquis’ house.”

“What? Why? Was that necessary?”

Everyone must have seen them leaving together yesterday. As she turned in surprise, his lips pressed to hers and parted with a wet sound.

Then Eloin’s body moved away from her. As his shaft slipped out, Olivia’s shoulders trembled at the subtle sensation. The emptiness inside felt strange, but a sense of foreboding made her grab him as he stepped out of the tub.

“What did you say?”

But instead of answering, Eloin just lifted one corner of his mouth and said,

“Just rest. And don’t think about running away after having your way with me.”

What?! Olivia’s eyes widened. She was so dumbfounded she couldn’t speak. Who had their way with whom? She’d been the one devoured from start to finish. Of course, she had been the one to demand kisses when he laid her down to sleep…

‘Ah.’

Olivia’s face twisted. Who could she blame? It was a disaster she’d brought on herself.

In contrast, Eloin’s face turned as satisfied as a well-fed lion.

“Well, I’ll be back.”

After he left, Olivia lay limply in the tub, lost in thought.

‘He sent someone to my house… That must mean he doesn’t want me leaving here.’

Didn’t he basically tell her not to even think of running away? Olivia rubbed her face in distress.

No matter how she tried, Eloin’s obsessive tendencies kept showing through. That was the very reason they’d grown apart in the first place.

Originally, Eloin had several half-brothers above him. Unlike his brothers, who had powerful maternal families, he had no real backing and lived like a shadow, never even introduced to playmates. It was by chance that Olivia appeared before him.

「You’re really cute!」

The Marquis wasn’t happy about his youngest daughter, whom he adored, befriending a powerless prince, but he surrendered to Olivia’s threats.

「He’s my friend! If you don’t let me see him, I won’t eat or behave! I’ll break all the vases you love! And all the ones you bring home from now on!」

Eloin didn’t know what went on inside the Marquis’ house, but he was utterly captivated by Olivia and everything she showed him. For years, his world was filled with nothing but Olivia.

It was fine when they played alone together. But after they grew up a bit and Eloin followed Olivia to the Academy, problems arose.

He couldn’t stand anyone else coming near her, and if someone tried to approach Olivia, he’d grit his teeth and push them away.

By the end of the first semester, a fight finally broke out. Olivia, exhausted from being caught between Eloin and her new friends, finally snapped as well.

「Loin, why are you like this to the others? You should get along!」

「…Liv, you’re my friend. Why do you smile at other guys?」

「There’s no rule that says you can only have one friend. The more friends, the better.」

「I only need you. I don’t need or want other friends! I just want to be with you, marry you…」

「What? I’m not getting married.」

Olivia made a face. Her father and brothers had always told her to never marry and stay with them forever, so she’d never even considered marrying anyone.

「Anyway, if you keep acting like this, I can’t cover for you anymore.」

「I never asked you to cover for me. As long as I have you…!」

「Loin! I can’t just have you! I want to get along with everyone else too!」

「I’m not enough for you? Liv, how could you do this to me!」

At that time, Olivia should have soothed Eloin. But swept up in her emotions, she ended up giving the worst possible answer.

「…Eloin Wordniak. Being with you is just too exhausting.」

After that, vacation started immediately, so she didn’t even get a chance to apologize, and the two drifted apart. Eloin’s older brothers, after fighting each other for the throne, all lost their lives, and only Eloin, who had been at the Academy, survived and ascended to the throne. After that, there were even fewer opportunities to speak to him.

“That’s what happened… and now I’ve… ha…”

Even now, what had just happened still felt surreal to Olivia.

But one thing was certain: Eloin didn’t seem to have changed much. She was curious why, if he still had feelings for her with that personality, he had stayed silent until now, but she knew that asking would only drag her deeper into the mire.

“I do feel bad about the past…”

She was bothered that she hadn’t managed to apologize this time either.

Still, Olivia didn’t want to live with her gaze fixed only on Eloin. If asked whether she liked him enough to endure the position of Empress, she couldn’t confidently nod.

“No, he hasn’t even proposed anyway. So why Empress?”

Muttering to herself, she quickly washed up and asked the palace staff for new clothes. The dress she had worn yesterday was too wrinkled, and with its off-shoulder design, there was no way she could wear it again with her skin covered in marks.

The palace staff immediately brought out a new dress from Eloin’s dressing room. From the elegant lace that covered her upper body to the luxurious, pearly skirt, it was exactly Olivia’s style. As she gazed at it, she asked,

“Did His Majesty prepare this for me?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Of course, they wouldn’t say right to her face that it was meant for another woman, but Olivia instinctively knew they were telling the truth. And she thought,

‘As I thought. If I just stay here, I’ll be caught in his net.’

Seeing that he’d even prepared a dress, it was likely that all that talk about a fake lover was a lie. The look on his face when he told her to rest, saying he’d prepared everything she needed, must have been so relaxed for that reason.

After changing clothes, Olivia wrote a short note, sealed it tightly, and handed it to the palace staff.

“If he comes looking for me, give him this.”

As soon as she returned home, the Marquis came running out, not even properly shod. His face was a complicated mix of sadness, regret, and other emotions.

“Olive! You’re back. His Majesty…”

Before dawn, an imperial messenger had knocked on the Marquis’ door and delivered a very polite letter. In summary, it said, ‘I’m sorry things turned out this way before I could formally announce our courtship. To protect your precious daughter’s honor, I wish to announce the marriage as soon as possible.’

Though the Marquis had introduced her to eligible bachelors at every banquet, now that things had come to this, the doting father was torn between ‘My precious daughter, marrying that Emperor rascal’ and ‘Well, at least the Emperor himself is a decent man.’

But Olivia didn’t even listen to her father’s words and hurried up the stairs. She had to leave before Eloin finished his business.

“Father. If you tell His Majesty where I am, I’ll cut ties with you!”

“C-cut ties?!”

The Marquis, whose life had been devoted to his daughter after his wife, was stunned by her declaration.

“What do you mean, your whereabouts? Are you planning to travel somewhere?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going? By yourself? Isn’t it dangerous? At least hire an escort…”

“Then it’ll be too late! I have money and a house, so I’ll be fine.”

Hearing that, the Marquis guessed her destination and his face relaxed a little, but he was still worried. While he couldn’t bring himself to stop or persuade her, the maids hurriedly packed her luggage into the carriage.

“I’ll contact you when I arrive.”

Olivia hugged the Marquis tightly, then climbed into the carriage.

The carriage crossed the border as if flying.

* * *

After the morning council, receiving the ambassadors’ audiences, and dealing with a day’s worth of paperwork, it was already late afternoon.

Eloin’s footsteps were twice as quick as usual, wondering if Olivia had eaten, if she’d slept all day, if she liked what he’d prepared. Of course, he could have sent a palace staff to check, but he wanted to hear everything from her directly.

But his bedroom was empty. There wasn’t even a trace of warmth on the pillow.

“…Where is Olivia?”

Feeling as if his heart had turned cold, he blankly muttered. A palace staff, having heard him, delivered the note Olivia had left behind.

With trembling hands, he opened the paper. In elegant script, there was just one line.

[Running off, thanks☆]

Crunch.

Eloin’s eyes flashed dangerously as he crumpled the note in one go.