Every inch of her mouth he traced became sensitively aware, feeling as if all the taste buds on their touching tongues were standing up.

Slightly horrified at the overwhelming wave of sensations, Saena twisted her body. Trying to push him away and somehow raise her center of gravity, she ended up writhing on top of him.

“Ha… Don’t… move.”

With an even darker eyes and voice, the Duke pulled her back.

“Y-Your Grace– mmph!”

He devoured her lips again in an even more deeply restrained position. He pressed against her like he’s trying to eat her entire lower face, making it hard to breathe.

Why, why did the atmosphere suddenly become like this?

Though something felt strange, she didn’t feel a strong urge to resist. She seemed immersed in this parade of sensations she never felt before.

“Mmn…”

His gaze was somewhat dreamy as he slowly repeated sucking and releasing her lips. He held her lips between his as he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

“……”

Then suddenly, it became quiet.

As some time passed in that state, Saena regained some of her senses.

“……?”

What is this situation?

Was I just… kissing with the Duke until now?

Then what is this situation now?

Saena quickly lifted her head to examine the Duke.

“……”

No way… is he sleeping?

What is this person– this situation about?

I’m not some sleeping teddy bear… not satisfied with just hands, now he’s sleeping while hugging me. Does he fall asleep just by touching me?

‘Why did he kiss me?’

And he falls asleep again after kissing?

It was surprising, embarrassing, and even absurd.

‘Could he… not remember what happened?’

She started feeling more bewildered than upset.

“……”

But as her emotions settled, she thought perhaps it would be better if he didn’t remember. What good would come from awkwardly looking at each other and discussing what had already happened? It would only be more embarrassing.

Recalling his dark complexion from earlier, she wondered how tired he must have been to fall asleep in this situation.

‘Right… Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.’

Though her experience of kissing him was surprising, that was all.

Saena gathered her resolve and carefully put strength in her body.

To pretend nothing happened, she needed to change positions first.

But she was practically lying on top of him, making it difficult to raise her body. Moreover, he was holding her in his arms like a cage.

She slowly put strength in her arms and tried to lift her upper body.

‘Just a little… more…’

Though his eyes seemed merely closed, for some reason, it wasn’t easy to escape from his arms. When getting up straight proved difficult, Saena decided to change direction.

She thought to slip out through the side under his armpit.

But she hadn’t considered that they were on a sofa, so her attempt was essentially trying to pull her body into empty space.

“Eek!”

Finally, she tumbled down below the sofa with a loud thud! A groan automatically escaped her lips.

Oh no…

‘He must have woken up? He definitely woke up.’

While feeling embarrassed and unable to get up for fear he had awakened, she stayed facing the floor.

“…Lady?”

Saena squeezed her eyes shut. Sure enough, she heard his voice. He had woken up.

Swish. She could see even through her downcast eyes as his long legs that had been on the sofa came down to the floor.

“……”

And though she thought he would say something, there was no word.

Saena glared at his shiny shoe tips as if words might leak out from his feet, but no such thing happened.

“…Why on the floor…”

A question with an uncharacteristically trailing end escaped him. When she slightly raised her head and met his blue eyes, she caught sight of the full lips below them.

Suddenly, it felt as though his dreamy face from earlier flashed before her eyes, and Saena quickly turned her head away.

“Hah… This is not a dream, I see.”

“……”

“First… you should sit up.”

He reached out his hand to help her up but withdrew it and spoke. Saena swallowed hard and slowly got up to sit on the sofa.

“……”

“……”

Silence again.

“Um… I apologize. I seem to have… lost my reason for a moment.”

“……”

And again, no words came for a while. Saena glanced at him, feeling something strange, and was startled. He was pressing his forehead with his ears turned red.

Blink blink.

Though she blinked, wondering if she saw wrong, the flushed color of his ears didn’t easily disappear.

What is that? Anger? Being hot? Embarrassment?

‘Surely… it can’t be shyness?’

Compared to his usual nature, shyness or bashfulness seemed hardly worth considering.

Especially for someone who just… who just… did such a lewd kiss!

“…Was it… unpleasant?”

Was it unpleasant…? She wasn’t sure. No, given that she wasn’t sure, it probably wasn’t unpleasant. Her heart was pounding, and she was surprised and flustered, but…

And why is he suddenly using formal speech?

When she looked up at the Duke, he was looking straight at her. Though his expression was proper, his ears were still red. Seeing that discrepancy made her face feel strangely hot.

“……”

As Saena fidgeted with a reddened face, the Duke added,

“I apologize. It was my mistake. I understand if you never want to face me again. Like a madman, I acted without regard for your will…”

…It wasn’t that bad.

Though she was certainly flustered at first, by the end, she too was entranced by the sensation and stayed still.

“I understand if you don’t want to come anymore. However…”

“……”

“Please don’t think I did it to take advantage of you.”

Saena raised her head again as she heard his straight gaze and words that seemed sincere.

“……”

She needed to say something in response… but somehow, words wouldn’t come out.

He moved his gaze to her lips that opened and closed like a fish gaping. And kept staring.

Not at her eyes, but at her lips.

It was the same kind of gaze as when Saena had looked at his lips earlier.

Thump thump thump. Once she realized the meaning behind his gaze, her heart suddenly started beating wildly, and heat rushed to her head like it might explode again.

Feeling her lips dry under his gaze, Saena unconsciously stuck out her tongue to wet them. She saw his eyes instantly darken at that.

‘…Oh, what do I do.’

Why? The air’s density seemed to change in an instant. The sound of their breathing, of swallowing, seemed to drill into their ears, amplified.

Thump.

The distance between them, sitting at opposite ends of the long sofa with some space between, closed in an instant.

Just from the Duke raising and leaning his upper body.

He cast his shadow over her. His large hand gripped the backrest beside her, veins standing out. His eyes intently captured her gaze.

“No, I take it back.”

Saena looked up at him, forgetting even to breathe.

“It wasn’t a mistake.”

Saena’s eyes trembled slightly.

“If you don’t like it… push me away.”

He lowered his white eyelashes and bent his head down.

* * *

While one could call anything first a mistake, the second time isn’t.

That would apply to kisses too.

The second kiss, which started in full consciousness, ended after what seemed an impossibly long time. Like people who couldn’t breathe unless their lips were touching, they stayed connected, licking and sucking at each other.

It might have continued even longer if her stomach hadn’t growled.

“Ah, it seems dinner time has come.”

Looking outside, the sun was setting.

Saena felt momentarily dumbfounded. To lose track of time kissing for hours…

Usually, she would have finished work and gone home by now. It felt like someone had stolen slices of time.

“Have dinner with me. Would that be alright?”

“…What?”

“Anyway right now… your lips are too swollen, it would be better to let them settle before going back.”

At the Duke’s words, Saena blushed and covered her lips with her hand.

Seeing that, the Duke looked at her with eyes that said she was cute, making Saena blush even more.

“But why have you been… using formal speech since earlier?”

She’d been too overwhelmed to notice until now, but his continued use of formal speech felt very strange.

“I wanted my apology to reach you sincerely.”

“…Ah.”

“There’s another reason…”

There was another reason?

“In case I might pounce on you again… I wanted to maintain a respectful distance, but.”

Saena’s mouth fell open at his unexpected reason. The Duke gave an intense look at those parted lips before continuing.

“Even with formal speech… I find I can’t really control myself.”

The moment he finished speaking, he bit her lips again.

“Mmng!”

It felt like her lips would wear away to nothing. He kept seeking her breath endlessly like a ghost who had died without getting to kiss.

The problem lay with her too, as she didn’t feel any urge to refuse.

Their lips, joined again, only parted after a long while.

“They’re more swollen now.”

“…Eep.”

Saena turned her face so he couldn’t see her lips and got up to look for a mirror.