2.5 

Julian smirked, thrusting his slightly withdrawn member back inside. Gripping her slender waist with both hands, he pounded into her from behind like a beast. Her trembling hands tried to prop her face up, but she couldn’t stabilize her body as Julian continued to push her forward. Her upper body slid across the bedspread with his thrusts.  

“Be honest. You feel good too, don’t you?”  

“Who said, ah! No!”  

Julian’s body overlapped hers as he lay on top, feeling like she was being crushed beneath a massive boulder. He gathered her hair, drenched in sweat and obscuring her vision, with one hand. His lips drew near. When she clamped her mouth shut, refusing his kiss, he stirred leisurely inside her.  

“Ah, uhng…”  

As her strength melted away in pleasure, his tongue invaded her mouth. Julian caressed her sideburns, gently entwining his tongue with hers. Her mouth was sucked and nibbled, and below, she felt a dull pressure. Her vision turned hazy.  

Julian’s lips landed all over her face and nape. It felt more embarrassing than being penetrated below, as if he were treating something precious.  

“Uhng, hurry up.”  

Julian chuckled at Vanessa’s voice, which sounded oddly coquettish.  

“You said you didn’t want it earlier, but your mind seems to have changed?”  

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. A languid smile played on Julian’s lips. The dimples at the corners of his mouth made him appear kind, but his actions were far from gentle. He withdrew his member until only the gl*ns rested at her entrance, then slammed it back in.  

“Hng!”  

“I’ll give you what you want.”  

He thrust up roughly, incomparable to before.  

Squelch, squelch, squelch!  

The lewd sound of flesh slapping against flesh spread. The harsh movements left her gasping for breath, unable to scream. Suppressed moans leaked from between his lips as he licked her wet cheek.  

The pleasure was so intense it was almost painful. Vanessa looked back at Julian with tear-filled eyes.  

“Julian, please, please!”  

Her whimpering plea made his lower body harden like stone. He had no hobby of tormenting others, but seeing that face made him want to make her cry.  

“Ah!”  

Unable to resist, he sank his teeth into Vanessa’s rounded shoulder. As he nibbled her tender shoulder, moans escaped involuntarily.  

Julian firmly gripped her pelvis and lifted it high into the air. His member plunged almost vertically into her upturned b*ttocks.  

Creak, creak, the bed shook as if it would collapse.  

His pelvis slammed into her b*ttocks, and the connected area burned as if on fire. Julian, too, felt himself nearing climax and grimaced.  

“Haah, ah, ahng!”  

“Ugh!”  

As his member withdrew, s*men splattered across Vanessa’s b*ttocks. A few streams splashed over her waist and onto her shoulder. Her white skin, soaked in sweat and s*men, gleamed with a pearly sheen. Julian, looking satisfied, wiped her down with a towel.  

She thought it was over, but her body flipped to face the ceiling, and their lips met again. As he persistently teased her br*asts, her n*pples tingled.  

Barely minutes after climaxing, Julian’s member was already half-*rect again. Like a wedge, it pushed into her loosened opening. The shock snapped her hazy mind back to clarity. Lacking the strength to push him away, she feebly tapped his back with her clenched fists.  

“Haah, haah…”  

Suddenly, his lips left hers and clung to her fingers. Like a bird pecking with its beak, he kissed her fingertips. His red tongue teased the tender flesh between her fingers as it traveled down her knuckles. Grabbing Vanessa’s saliva-slicked hand, he guided her to caress her own n*ked body.  

Vanessa watched intently as her fingertips brushed her collarbone and upper chest, circled her *reola, flicked her *rect n*pple, and traveled down to her pronounced ribs and below her pelvis. Julian, too, recorded the process in his pupils. Vanessa felt a strange illusion of being violated just by his gaze.  

Vanessa’s hand finally reached the connection point. Feeling the girth of his member filling her below, she was slightly shocked.  

Something this thick is inside me?  

Meanwhile, Julian’s member grew even harder, and Vanessa’s body was ready to welcome him with delight.  

Julian began moving his hips again. Unlike the brutish pounding earlier, his movements were now delicate and attentive. Facing her, he slowly targeted the spots that made Vanessa feel good.  

“Haah…”  

Every time he entered deeply, a shiver ran down her spine. Her hips twitched in harmony with Julian’s movements.  

The pleasure she felt for the first time was so sweet it was almost threatening. Instinctively trying to push him away, her wrists were instead pinned to the sheets. Her armpits, exposed and sweaty, added to her shame.  

When he persistently prodded a certain spot, sweet moans spilled uncontrollably. Her head tilted back as her hips bucked. Her thighs clamped around Julian’s waist.  

“Uhng, uhng…”  

Julian laughed joyfully at Vanessa’s reaction, imprinting on her what feeling good was like.  

In the early dawn, Vanessa awoke first, recalling the heated night before. She wasn’t sure how long Julian had tormented her, as her memory was spotty in the middle, but it seemed she had been with him for over two hours after his first climax.  

The warm heat generated by reaching climax several times melted her body into languidness, and the lingering aftershocks of pleasure shook her mind. She painfully realized why lust was one of the seven deadly sins.  

She remembered the despair she felt the night she changed her mind and returned to him through the rain, the night she first met Julian. To save her son, she didn’t hesitate to throw herself away.  

Her first night with Julian was shocking but not as terrible as she feared. And after spending the second night, she knew for sure. Her conscience’s guilt for committing a sin faded as she enjoyed being with him.  

Vanessa looked at Julian’s sleeping face beside her.  

His eyes, which usually appeared fierce, seemed peacefully serene with his eyes closed. His nose, never broken despite numerous battles, was prominent and sharp. His lips, which often spoke harsh words, brought a different joy when they touched her body. She even thought about kissing those thin lips.  

It was dangerous to fall for Julian any further.  

Carefully removing Julian’s hand from her waist, Vanessa lifted her heavy body like wet cotton. As soon as she stood on the floor, warm fluid trickled down her thighs. It was evidence of last night’s intense passion.  

She belatedly tried to tighten below, but the amount that had flowed was so much it soaked her calves. Her face flushed with embarrassment.  

If it continues like this, my body won’t last.  

She needed to erase the traces before daylight. Vanessa gathered her crumpled chemise and cloak and left the hut.  

Thick fog rose from the valley and enveloped the village. The surroundings were so dark that only the shapes of things could be discerned. Holding a small lantern, she set out.  

Bathing in warm water was a luxury. She fetched water from the well and used a cloth to wipe her body. Pouring cold water over herself made goosebumps rise on her arms.  

If Julian hugged me, I’d warm up quickly.  

Thinking that, her steps toward the hut suddenly stopped. She prided herself on being independent, rarely relying on others. Yet, she naturally thought of embracing him. It was absurd.  

Julian was undoubtedly a reckless and violent mercenary, but for some reason, she couldn’t hate him. Perhaps because he was the only ally willing to help her in her plight or because, despite his indifferent appearance, he had a surprisingly caring side.  

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the courteous attitude of a knight toward a lady, but she knew Julian cherished her in his own way.  

Though she had lived her whole life as a noble’s daughter, she wasn’t unaware of how cruel the world could be to the powerless.  

Currently, Vanessa was like a lamb outside the fence. It wouldn’t be surprising if she were brutally ravaged and abandoned anywhere, anytime. Without relying on Julian’s kindness, she couldn’t guarantee her future.  

However, a deal was just a deal. She didn’t want to allow him anything beyond her body. Even mixing bodies with someone other than her husband was overwhelming for Vanessa. Moreover, she had no room to give her heart to Julian now. She had no time to think of anything other than surviving and reclaiming her son.  

Vanessa paced around before heading to the stable.  

By the time she fed Pumpkin water and fodder and groomed, it would be daylight. Julian would have woken up by then, and he would, as usual, make frivolous and unpleasant jokes. It would be a much better morning than feeling comforted by his embrace.  

Crunch, crunch.  

Dry grass crumbled underfoot. In the quiet hour when even the birds hadn’t awakened, a rustling sound came from behind.  

“Who’s there?”  

She quickly turned around, holding the lantern out in front. The faint light revealed nothing. Only darkness existed there. No sound could be heard except the wind.  

It must have been the sound of leaves falling.  

Thinking little of it, she hung the lantern at the stable door. As she lifted the latch that locked the door with both hands, a strong grip covered her mouth from behind.