Chapter 2.2

“What’s it about this time? Did Alvin try to eat all the cakes he liked, claiming he’d die from poison? Or did he suggest a running race, and you stopped him, saying it was dangerous?”

“Do you still think I’m a child who gets angry over things like that? That’s not it!”

Liat pouted and turned her head, annoyed at her brother for speaking without understanding her complicated feelings.

Of course, it hadn’t even been a year since she and Alvin had fought for similar reasons, but if he pointed that out, the lovely Liat might just stomp her feet in protest.

Roygi covered his lips to hide a smile.

“I’m worrying about things more grown-up than you think, Brother. You don’t know anything.”

“I see.”

“Both Alvin and you treat me like a child. You seem to forget, but I’m an adult now.”

A chuckle escaped through his covered lips. Roygi, tousling his pink hair, which was lighter than his own, spoke.

“Can you tell me what’s troubling you? Maybe I can help.”

But no matter how long Roygi waited, no answer came.

Liat’s pouting lips returned to their place—or rather, curled inward. Sweat beaded on her brow, making her hair stick to her cheek.

Roygi, staring into her eyes, which were the same color as his own and restless, had a thought strike him.

“You…….”

Roygi gently gripped Liat’s shoulders, careful not to hurt her.

Liat, who was always more lenient with Alvin than with himself, must have fought over something heavier than he imagined.

Though not as much as Alvin, he too was a member of the Liat Overprotection Society.

Seeing the bite mark on Liat’s lower lip, left from stifling a m*an, Roygi’s face twisted with wild imaginings.

“Spit it out. Did Alvin do something bad? What kind of bastardly thing did he do to make you like this?”

His golden eyes, reminiscent of spring sunlight, turned cold. Grinding his teeth, Roygi began to spit out words that would be used by street thugs.

Even faced with her brother’s murderous aura, as if he might separate Alvin’s upper and lower body at any moment, Liat didn’t open her mouth easily. No, it was more accurate to say she couldn’t.

‘How could I say this…….’

This was why she was avoiding him.

She had seen her childhood friend cl*max while calling her name. After witnessing that, she too, unable to endure her own heat, had touched herself. For some reason, it became even more embarrassing to face Alvin.

There was no way she could utter such an awkward reason aloud. Seeing Liat’s cheeks turn red, Roygi’s brow furrowed.

“Did that bastard do something indecent because he couldn’t hold back?”

The poor second son of House Deias, now called a ‘bastard’, had only exposed his genitals and private life, yet he was being treated as if he’d committed a grave crime against Liat.

Roygi, muttering every curse word he knew, wondered how he should deal with Alvin.

Just as he was about to crack his teeth from clenching his jaw, Liat hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“No! It’s not like that. Brother, relax your eyes a bit.”

At the word ‘brother’, his murderous intent vanished instantly. Maybe simplicity was hereditary—his face relaxed completely at her affectionate plea.

Liat, clicking her tongue inwardly at Roygi’s simplicity, finally spoke.

“It’s just, just that I’m embarrassed to see Alvin.”

“Embarrassed? After all these years, suddenly…….”

Roygi carefully observed the Marquisate’s treasure. Her eyes, moist and wandering, looked down, and her small toes tapped the floor.

Roygi reached an unbelievable, or rather, an unwelcome conclusion.

‘My adorable, precious little sister has fallen in love!’

Of course, he was wrong.

His beloved sister, Liat, was actually caught up in a festival of carnal pleasure too embarrassing to even mention. But Roygi had no way of knowing that.

He staggered as if all strength had left his body. If he hadn’t been holding Liat’s shoulders, he might have collapsed to the floor.

“You, you’re not, are you?”

“What?”

Roygi knew better than anyone that, despite the rumors of an engagement, nothing had changed in their relationship.

Liat did not love Alvin as a man.

“Liat. Alvin is, Alvin is…….”

Alvin, who until a moment ago was like a real younger brother, now felt like a ‘lover’ to his precious sister, and everything changed. His original purpose for coming—to help—was lost, and suddenly, dozens of Alvin’s flaws came to mind.

Regardless of the trauma of ‘that day’, Alvin had always been a sly, unpredictable person. He might act cute with their family, but his attitude toward outsiders wasn’t so pure.

Roygi, about to expose Alvin’s true nature, swallowed his words when he met Liat’s gentle, shining eyes.

“It’s nothing…….”

“What were you about to say? You know I can’t stand being curious.”

“I forgot what I was going to say.”

“Oh, come on. That’s no fun!”

The thought that the family’s treasure might completely fall into the hands of a fox like Alvin tormented him.

If Liat gave an affirmative answer that she loved Alvin, Roygi would not be able to resist the urge to draw his sword and challenge the Duchy.

He had always hoped that Alvin’s love would remain one-sided forever, but now something had changed. If Liat didn’t have feelings for Alvin, even if they got engaged or married, he believed his sister would always love him most—but now, that belief was shaken.

Love changed people in every way.

‘Our precious treasure is changing……’

Days spent with his younger sister flashed before Roygi’s eyes like a revolving lantern. The small warmth of the first time she held his hand, the child who ran through the corridors and smiled brightly, showing her teeth like a mischievous rascal.

At Roygi’s suddenly heavy gaze, Liat burst out in protest.

“What’s with that look? You’re treating me like a child again, aren’t you? Even after I’ve had my coming-of-age ceremony, Brother, you’re still……!”

To him, she still looked like a child.

Roygi clutched his tightening chest. He didn’t know what had caused Liat’s change of heart, but from this moment, Alvin was the enemy. Alvin, who had bewitched innocent Liat, felt utterly detestable.

Roygi, who had come with the intention of helping the two reconcile, turned away with a firm misunderstanding. He stomped his feet, determined to join in sending Alvin away.

* * *

“Mm, ngh!”

Her soaked cries were swallowed by the pillow.

With familiar movements, Liat teased her sensitive spot and reached another cl*max. Her hips, in a prone position, jerked upward. Her rounded body glowed softly under the moonlight.

Liat’s actions grew bolder by the day. For a different kind of thrill, she sometimes left the outer curtains half-open to bathe in the bright moonlight, watching the changes in her own body.

The silvery thread stretched between her fingers shimmered in the moonlight, sparkling like a dew-covered spider web at dawn.

Though her body felt heavy as if sinking into a bog, she wanted to melt it in warm water. Yet, her nightly eccentricities had begun to raise suspicions among the servants. She wiped her wet parts with a towel she’d prepared in advance, then opened her book.

After encountering things she couldn’t enjoy alone, repeating the same acts grew dull. But her thirst was too deep to stop now.

Would it be different if there were a partner, as in the book? If she truly intertwined bodies with the imagined Alvin?

A few days ago, she couldn’t even imagine such union, but now, the thought of being with him appeared vividly in her mind.

Liat felt a strong aversion to letting any man other than Alvin into her world. Just the thought of another man standing by her side made her shudder.

‘Another man……?’

Even when she tried to imagine someone else, no face but Alvin’s came to mind. The harder she tried, the more her head ached and her aversion grew.

So, her imagined partner was always Alvin.

‘Alvin.’

He was the one she’d avoided out of embarrassment until now. As time passed, that embarrassment had long since evaporated, leaving only guilt. But even this problem was simple when she thought about it.

‘He doesn’t avoid me, so why should I avoid him!’

Alvin had cl*maxed while imagining her, so she had done the same. Liat herself had no reason to avoid him.

She had been struck, so she struck back.

Liat decided to define the issue that way and resolved to allow Alvin’s visit tomorrow.

Alvin had squeezed time out of his busy days to come see her every day.

‘He’ll come again tomorrow.’

Thinking about seeing his face after so long made her heart flutter.

She closed her eyes to end the day quickly. But the lingering thrill kept her mind wide awake, refusing sleep.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to count sheep, but the cute sheep jumping over the fence soon took on Alvin’s face.

‘What is this……!’

In her imagination, the man shed his sheep disguise, stood n*ked, and grasped his shaft. He moved faster, letting out the awkward m*ans she’d heard before.

Alvin’s member, too large to be covered by his big palm, was unforgettable in both size and presence. It lingered before her eyes as if engraved there.

‘Why is that the only thing I remember so clearly…….’

Since reading the book Lisa recommended, she wondered if she’d become depraved. No, if she traced the cause precisely, it was all because he had called her name while pleasuring himself. Even in daily life, lewd fantasies floated up, driving her nearly mad.

Her heart seemed to have moved next to her ear, beating loudly.

Perhaps because she’d been pleasuring herself while thinking of her childhood friend, just recalling him made her lower body grow damp and sticky. It was a learned response.

It was as if someone had poured oil on a dying flame, making it grow larger again.

Liat sighed and sent her fingers downward once more.

For a while, only the sounds of wetness and breathing echoed.