And when lunchtime was very close, Raiden returned with Princess Melissa. She had only not seen him for a day, but for some reason, the moment she saw Raiden’s face, a day’s worth of longing burst forth and her nose tingled. 

She was displeased with Melissa entering the mansion with Raiden standing by her side like she was his owner, but she didn’t show it and bowed her head.

“It’s an honor to have you visit this humble place, Your Highness.”

“The mansion is like you – plain and neat, Countess Ariella.”

“Thank you. The Marquis should arrive soon as well.”

“Then let’s have our meal when Lord Casian arrives. First, I’d like to get a tour.”

“Ah.”

“Rai.”

Before Rihana could say anything, Melissa looked at Raiden and extended her hand. Raiden met Rihana’s eyes once, then took Melissa’s outstretched hand and went up to the second floor with her.

Rihana’s face hardened as she watched them from behind. She was already feeling this way, so she worried whether she could really watch Raiden spend the night with Melissa without any reaction. 

Rihana couldn’t bring herself to follow them upstairs and stood there dazed, just staring at the stairs where they had disappeared.

* * *

A moment later, at the butler’s words that Casian had arrived, she finally seemed to snap back to her senses and turned around. Casian looked particularly well-dressed today.

“Lord Casian, you seem especially radiant today. Of course, Lord Casian has always been handsome.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Casian smiled. Throughout the meal, Melissa’s praise of Casian’s appearance never dried up, so he seemed to have deliberately dressed up. Though she had told him with her own mouth to receive service from the slave, he was still human, so he wouldn’t be happy about the Princess playing around with another man. 

He probably appeared with such effort because he was worried the Princess would become too infatuated with that slave, but if that was the case, why did he give Raiden to the Princess in the first place? 

It was truly pathetic.

Of course, contrary to Rihana’s thoughts, Casian had dressed up to show himself to Rihana, not the Princess.

He had to admit that her slave possessed such beautiful looks that even the Princess would covet him. But he too possessed looks praised as the Empire’s most handsome man. Rihana must not forget that.

The person she should love for life was himself, and the one she should think was the most handsome in the world was also himself. He needed to make an effort so she wouldn’t be captivated even a little by that baseborn pretty doll. 

He had come with maximum care targeting that, but his mouth tasted bitter because it seemed he had only caught Melissa’s eye rather than Rihana’s.

But anyway, Melissa would spend the night with Raiden in this mansion, and he would spend the night with Rihana. Rihana might refuse to have s*x with him, but since he was going to be her husband anyway, he thought she would eventually give him her body. 

Originally, he had planned to hold a wedding ceremony and give her a very enchanting first night, but due to an unexpected obstacle appearing, he had no choice but to rush things.

Raiden let out an annoyed sigh and took out an erectile suppressant. He threw it into his mouth without hesitation and raised his head to look at the bathroom ceiling.

Since it didn’t get hard at the Princess’s palace due to nervousness, Melissa seemed to think it would definitely get hard at Rihana’s mansion, and pestered him to go to the room as soon as they finished dinner. He remembered how Rihana’s face had instantly turned white at her words. 

He really wanted to throw everything away and reveal who he was so Melissa couldn’t freely touch his body. The dangerous thought arose because Rihana’s gaze toward him and the Princess was so pitiful.

And Casian’s presence beside her was irritating. Was he suddenly changing his mind to take the woman he hadn’t touched until now? Why was he here on a day like today, and why was he casually staying overnight? 

It was hard to understand. If he had come because he was concerned about Melissa, his gaze had been directed toward Rihana the entire time. What was he thinking?

Raiden’s brow furrowed slightly. He tried to soothe his churning stomach from the suppressant and rubbed his face with both hands. If he delayed any longer, Melissa, who was waiting for him in the room, might not wait and immediately open the bathroom door. The Empire’s Princess was more direct and shameless in taking what she wanted than he had thought.

Raiden swallowed dry saliva again at his churning stomach and turned around.

“Why are you taking so long?”

Melissa glared at him petulantly. Raiden deliberately drooped the corners of his mouth and approached her. The strong perfume smell stung his nose, making him unconsciously furrow his brow.

“Are you less nervous here?”

Melissa, who hadn’t seen his expression, asked while putting her hand inside his thin top. Since it was clothing that just draped over the shoulders without buttons, Melissa’s hand easily slipped inside. Raiden looked down at her with an indifferent gaze.

She apparently hadn’t wanted an answer anyway, as Melissa left Raiden, who didn’t respond, alone and focused only on groping his body. Her hand, which had rubbed his firm abs and moved down, went inside his loose pants. 

Raiden’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but there was no particular change in expression. In contrast, Melissa’s expression became stiff after putting her hand inside his pants and grabbing Raiden’s member.

“Why isn’t it getting hard?”

“…”

“Why isn’t it getting hard here either? Why?”

“I don’t really know either.”

“It’s not that it doesn’t get hard at all. It must have gotten hard in front of your master.”

“You’re not the master I serve.”

At Raiden’s words, Melissa’s eyebrows rose venomously upward.

“Are you saying it won’t get hard now because I’m not your master?!”

“…”

“It got hard in front of your master, didn’t it?”

“…”

“I’m much more than your master…!”

“I can’t help it if it’s not aroused.”

Because of Raiden saying this with such a calm face, Melissa’s eyes widened enormously.

“How, how dare you!”

“I don’t mean to embarrass you. It’s because I have a defect.”

“It must have gotten hard in front of your master!”

“Why are you so certain it got hard?”

“Because…!”

Melissa looked at the kiss marks on his body that had faded somewhat but were still there.

“I can touch or suck you even if it doesn’t get hard. I’ll do it if you want.”

He had no desire whatsoever to bite and suck Melissa’s body, but it was better to take this risk than to be trapped in this room worrying about Rihana who would be with Casian. 

When he offered to do it with his mouth, he thought she would either happily accept or storm out with her pride hurt about the part that wouldn’t get hard.

“I’m not aroused, but I’ll lick you as much as you want.”

As Raiden expected, Melissa stormed out with a face flushed red at his words. She seemed to pay no attention to being dressed only in a chemise as she called out loudly for Casian. 

He stared at her, then straightened the clothes she had messed up and took a robe to walk toward her. Melissa glanced at Raiden covering her shoulders with the robe, then clicked her tongue and called for Casian again. 

She opened the door across the hall and, seeing Casian coming out with Rihana, her face contorted even more.

“Why is My Lord in the same room as Countess Ariella?!”

She couldn’t think about herself entering a room with Raiden and pointed out Rihana and Casian being together.

“What business would adult men and women who should know better have being in the same room at this hour! What exactly were you two doing in that room while leaving me…!”

“Please calm down, Your Highness.”

Casian grabbed the arm of Melissa, who was shouting angrily, and soothed her. Melissa shouted asking if she should calm down now and what the two had been doing, and Rihana looked at her and let out a short sigh before looking at Raiden standing behind her. 

Though Raiden had straightened his clothes before coming out, he was still slightly disheveled, making Rihana’s insides boil. She was unbearably angry imagining that Melissa had touched Raiden’s body here and there inside the tightly closed room.

“What’s the problem with whatever we were doing?”

So she unconsciously snapped at Melissa.

“…What?!”

“The Marquis is my fiancé. What’s the problem with being in the same room together?”

“…!”

At Rihana’s sudden words, both Raiden and Casian’s gazes simultaneously focused on Rihana. Casian, who hadn’t expected such words to come from Rihana’s mouth, looked at her with surprised eyes.

“Right now! Are you showing off that you’re Lord Casian’s fiancée in front of me, Countess Ariella?!”

“Showing off? I’m just stating a fact.”

“How dare you…!”

—

T/N: Ah, I have another person to add to my growing list of delulu people. How nice!