Rihana, who had regained consciousness, recovered faster than expected. Though her natural healing ability was quite good, this rapid recovery was entirely thanks to Raiden’s healing magic.

He tried not to leave Rihana’s side even for a moment and helped her recovery. Thanks to this, Rihana got to meet all his subordinates who brought him work, and she learned that among them, a particularly beautiful advisor held unfavorable feelings toward her.

The gaze filled with hostility toward her wasn’t new – she had experienced it countless times since becoming Casian’s fiancée. However, seeing the woman with golden hair and blue eyes like Raiden’s standing side by side with him in conversation, she thought they looked particularly well-matched. Somehow, compared to their sparkling appearances, she felt insignificant with her completely black hair and eyes.

Fortunately, whether others were present or not, Raiden’s attention was entirely focused on her, so she didn’t feel childish jealousy. While receiving his almost excessive care, Rihana asked about the day he had disappeared.

“Ah, that day.”

Raiden muttered with a calm expression, then continued while spooning soup and offering it to Rihana.

“I was kidnapped.”

“What…?! Kidnapped?!”

Rihana’s eyes widened. Leaning against the headboard cushions of the bed, she stared at him with eyes so wide they seemed ready to pop out, not accepting the soup he offered, and corrected herself.

“No, kidnapped?!”

Since she learned that Raiden was the prince of Tarecus, she couldn’t speak casually and tried to be careful, but informal speech still slipped out unconsciously. Each time this happened, Raiden told her to speak casually, and Rihana refused, saying she couldn’t do that to a foreign prince.

“Yeah. So I couldn’t return to the County and came straight back to Tarecus.”

Raiden brought the soup close to Rihana’s mouth, making an “ah” sound to indicate she should open her mouth. After she gulped it down, Rihana asked him again.

“You weren’t hurt anywhere? I mean, weren’t you?”

“Just do it the way you used to. I think that would be more comfortable for me too.”

“How can I do that?”

“You’ll soon be the princess consort anyway, so it doesn’t matter, right?”

“Ah, we need to address that first.”

“Right. Address it.”

“Why am I suddenly becoming a princess consort? And what’s this about my broken engagement? I mean, what is it?”

So stubborn. Raiden lifted the corner of his mouth with a chuckle and fed Rihana another spoonful of soup while calmly telling her about what had happened while she was unconscious.

Rihana’s eyes widened when she heard that Casian was behind Raiden’s kidnapping, then nodded in understanding when she heard that the new Emperor had pushed through the broken engagement between her and Casian and his engagement to Melissa, using Casian stabbing his fiancée Rihana as justification.

“By any chance, are you upset that the broken engagement with Marquis Lewandes proceeded without your permission?”

“No, not at all.”

At her firm and quick answer, Raiden’s eyes widened then stretched long.

“That’s a relief.”

“Then with you… I mean, with Your Highness…”

“Hana.”

Raiden called her while spooning soup and offering it to her.

“Just do it the way you used to.”

“But…”

Rihana hesitated with difficulty, then gulped down the soup he offered. After swallowing what was in her mouth, she asked Raiden.

“But wouldn’t I have to speak formally once we’re married anyway?”

“Do you have the intention to marry me?”

“You said it’s a political marriage. Can I refuse?”

“Are you trying to refuse?”

“No, but.”

“My mother speaks informally to my father even in official settings. Mainly when she’s angry or when my father has done something wrong.”

When Rihana laughed at Raiden’s words, he spooned more soup and brought it to her mouth, continuing.

“No one will say anything if you and I get along without formality.”

“…”

“Hmm? Hana.”

“…Alright. But it would still be better to speak comfortably only when we’re alone.”

“Good, let’s do that.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and your cousin is temporarily managing the Ariella County.”

“Luina?”

At the name that came from Rihana’s mouth, Raiden nodded once.

“According to Duchess Pellentes, that cousin would be most suitable for the temporary head position.”

“Right, Luina will definitely manage it well.”

“Still, if you’re worried, you can visit briefly. Once you become princess consort, it’ll be harder to go to the Empire.”

At Raiden’s words, Rihana stared at him intently. Somehow his words made her feel hurt.

Wouldn’t you be upset if I left? It’s not a distance I can travel in just one day. Ah, with teleportation magic, maybe I could go and return in one day. But saying so casually that I can go and come back is somehow hurtful…

“What’s wrong?”

At Raiden’s question, the questions building up in Rihana’s head snapped off with a thud.

“You said I can visit briefly?”

Nod. Raiden nodded his head cheerfully.

“For how long? It’s not a place I can go and return from in one day. Even with teleportation magic, I can’t come back in just one day.”

“Hmm. Then a week? Or a month? You can stay as long as you want before becoming princess consort.”

Those words made her choke up.

“You’re saying you’d be fine not seeing me for a whole month?! If that’s the case, why are you sticking to me like glue? If you’d be fine not seeing me for a month, you could do your work in the office.”

Because of Rihana, who was on the verge of tears and pouring out words like a machine gun, Raiden’s face hardened with apparent confusion.

“Hana.”

“Right, it would be easy for you. Whether it’s a week or a month, it wouldn’t matter if you didn’t see me. You were the man who didn’t even contact me after returning to your country, even though you could have.”

“Hana.”

“I’m not like that! If I don’t see you even for one day…!”

Suddenly, Raiden grabbed Rihana’s head and pulled it into his chest. It was a fast and strong movement, but soft and affectionate.

“What on earth are you thinking with this cute head of yours?”

“…”

“I have no intention of sending you alone. Going to the Empire will be together, and staying there for a week or a month will also be together.”

“…!”

“Do you think I would send you there alone?”

Only then did Rihana lift her tear-filled eyes to look up at Raiden. Raiden looked down at her and frowned slightly.

“I’m the one who feels like I’d die if you’re out of my sight even briefly, so do you think I’d leave you alone?”

Only then did Rihana stretch her lips long and rubbed her face against his chest. Raiden gently stroked her head and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“Then you should have said that from the beginning. I thought you were telling me to go alone…”

“You don’t seem to know yet, but I’m not going to let you leave my side even for a moment from now on.”

“…”

“If there’s a problem at the County, we’ll go to the Empire together, and if I can’t go for some reason, you won’t be able to go either. Instead, I’ll help solve the problem somehow from beside you.”

“…”

“Are you scared? Enough to want to run away even now?”

At Raiden’s question, instead of answering, Rihana just looked at his face. Raiden showed a bitter smile and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“I might suffocate you. But even if you want to run away, you can’t escape anymore.”

“…”

“So you shouldn’t have thrown this pretty body of yours to save me in that dangerous moment.”

Saying he had no intention of letting her go even if she was scared, he rubbed his lips against Rihana’s forehead. At his forehead kiss, Rihana closed her eyes once, then slowly opened them and looked at him, saying.

“I’m not scared. I’ll suffocate you too.”

The corners of Rihana’s mouth turned up prettily. Raiden lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, then pulled away slightly to whisper “gladly” before pressing their lips together again.

It was quite a long-awaited kiss.

* * *

He had no intention of pouncing on a patient who was still in pain. He just thought to overlap his lips slightly with her irresistibly lovely lips. That’s why he didn’t use his tongue, but Rihana was the first to insert her tongue. Because of this, Raiden helplessly welcomed her invasion and was swept away.

Her small, soft tongue clumsily but intensely explored every corner of his mouth, so Raiden couldn’t hold back and began to entwine and suck her tongue with his own.

That was the beginning.

The soup he had been feeding her was already pushed to one side of the nightstand, and Rihana was receiving Raiden’s kiss with her head bent back almost to the breaking point. Because of Raiden sucking her tongue with the intensity of swallowing it to the root, a tingling pain along with excitement washed over her.

Raiden, who had been persistently sucking her tongue, released the entwined tongue and changed the angle of his head. Then their lips locked more deeply and his tongue pushed in all the way to the back of her throat. At the sudden action, nausea rose and tears welled up.

Raiden firmly grasped her neck and waist, then began moving his tongue in earnest.

“Mmph…! …Ugh! Mmph!”

His tongue moved in and out deep into her throat like they were having s*x. At that rough yet lewd and hot kiss, saliva continuously flowed down from their locked lips. 

The thick tongue repeatedly went in and out, rubbing against the small tongue. At the love juices that poured down below, Rihana instinctively pressed her thighs together.

While continuing the lewd and expl*cit kiss that made her mind go completely white, he put his hand inside Rihana’s clothes and began stroking her back. While she couldn’t come to her senses from Raiden’s tongue rapidly moving back and forth like thrusting, his hand came between her legs and she felt like every cell in her body was rising up.

Lacking air, her breathing became continuously rough, and at the touch stroking her lower bush, the string of reason seemed about to snap. And just as his hand was about to push between her thoroughly wet entrance.

Knock knock knock. A monotonous and dry knocking sound was heard.

Startled, Rihana pushed Raiden’s shoulder away, but Raiden didn’t budge. Instead, the finger that seemed about to push inside didn’t enter but rubbed around the entrance.

Rihana forcibly turned her head and pulled out his tongue that had been continuously moving back and forth in her mouth. With lips thoroughly wet with saliva, Raiden made a displeased expression. Rihana tightly grasped Raiden’s hand that was inside her underwear and pointed to the door with her chin. It was an urging to remove his hand and answer quickly.

Knock knock knock. At the knocking sound heard once more, Raiden irritably frowned and pulled out the hand he had placed between Rihana’s legs. Not forgetting to cover her up to her chest with the blanket, he raised his voice toward the door.

“Come in.”

At Raiden’s permission, the door opened wide and the familiar golden-haired beauty entered. She hesitated when she saw Raiden wiping Rihana’s saliva-wet lips with his thumb. But soon she walked up to Raiden and held out the documents she had been carrying against her chest.

“These are matters that need your urgent attention, Your Highness.”

Raiden received the documents Beriel offered while wiping his own wet lips with his thumb. For a moment she witnessed Beriel clenching her fist tightly, but Rihana didn’t show it.

“These matters are ones that Felton could handle.”