Chapter 23

Just as the carriage carrying the two departed—  

Slap—  

“Hn… Uh…”  

Celiana stiffened, letting out a faint moan between her teeth. Suddenly, a tingling pain struck her bottom.  

Her body went rigid. 

‘Why, what was happening?’

Startled, she glanced around the carriage.  

“Oh, sorry if I startled you. I thought I saw a bug.”  

Robert apologized. His left hand was pressed against the carriage seat. Sitting across from her, Robert had slapped the seat beside him.  

The shock had transmitted directly to Celiana’s bottom.  

“Oh, it’s fine.”  

She shook her head to show she was alright. But between her legs, hidden by her dress, she was already damp from just that one stimulus.  

‘What is this, it’s too…’  

Nice.  

Magic items were the best. Celiana felt deeply grateful to Erta.  

‘Isn’t there another bug somewhere?’  

She glanced around the carriage, searching hopefully. But, unfortunately, not a single bug was in sight.  

‘What a shame.’  

She seriously considered opening the carriage window, using the heat as an excuse, to let a bug in.  

If there was just one more, she could ask him to catch it and enjoy that tingling sensation again.  

But reality rarely matched expectations. With no bug to be found, Celiana eventually gave up.  

She was usually not sensitive to heat, so she worried Robert would get suspicious if she acted otherwise.

Even so, she was constantly aware of Robert’s every touch.  

Whenever he made a small gesture, her body would tingle all over—the necklace’s power was truly amazing.  

Of course, there was a secret Celiana didn’t know.  

If Robert hadn’t worn the ring, the sensations would have been random.  

For example, when Robert touched his own chin, Celiana’s side would be stimulated, or when he turned a doorknob, her hair would be tugged.

The necklace itself was not a perfect item, which was why Robert and Erta had both worked so hard to obtain the matching magic items as a pair—something only Celiana didn’t know.  

In any case, the ring and necklace had already completed their imprinting.  

Unaware that Robert, as the ring’s user, was freely touching her at his will, Celiana simply thought, ‘Erta must not have known the necklace’s performance was this strong.’  

The carriage had been running for quite some time and was now approaching their destination.  

“We’ll be arriving soon.”  

Robert reached for the curtain hanging at the carriage window, as if to check how close they were.  

Since she was affected by his gestures, Celiana’s gaze followed Robert’s movements.  

“I… I think so.”  

She waited anxiously, wondering how his next gesture would affect her.  

His large hand drew back the curtain. At the same moment, Celiana’s thighs were pushed apart from the inside.  

“……!!”  

Fortunately, it was hidden by her dress. Celiana swallowed her gasp.  

Then Robert slowly stroked the velvet curtain.  

“Summer is coming soon, so I’ll have to order these curtains changed.”  

His hand was stroking the inside of Celiana’s thigh. Sometimes pressing gently, sometimes caressing softly, he teased her.  

“I-I’ll take care of it.”  

“Thank you.”  

Robert gave his usual mild smile. Celiana felt a flush of guilty pleasure in her lower belly.  

Yet she couldn’t suppress her anticipation for what he would do next.  

“It’d be a shame to let the spring sunlight go to waste. Why don’t we leave the curtains open for a while?”  

He sought Celiana’s agreement.  

“Alright, let’s do that…”  

With her permission, Robert grabbed the cord by the window to secure the curtain.  

‘Is he really going to tie that?’  

It was just as she expected. As the cord wrapped around the curtain, she began to feel its touch around her ankle.  

It started to encircle her skin, and when Robert pulled the cord tight—  

“……!!”  

Celiana’s eyes widened.  

The growing pressure made her face flush.  

‘If he ties it this tightly…’  

Ever since he’d tied the ribbon on her dress before, Celiana had thought Robert had a knack for tying things.  

Not too painful, not too loose—the perfect pressure made her inner thighs tingle and her body twitch.  

She felt she might get caught if this kept up. Celiana had no choice but to bow her head slightly.  

Even that wasn’t enough, so she bit the inside of her mouth to keep her expression steady.  

“The weather is so nice. I’ll have to finish work early and come home more often during the day.”  

“A-Are you sure? You’re busy…”  

She asked without meeting his eyes, but ended up stammering.  

Would she have to keep her ankle bound like this? She liked it, but it was a bit troubling. Celiana was flustered inside.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Robert’s apology came. Celiana instinctively looked up and met his gaze.  

“Huh? Why are you apologizing…?”  

“For not noticing until now. For leaving you lonely, I’m sorry, Celiana.”  

Robert was sincere. He regretted not paying attention to her preferences, though he cared for her so much.  

“It’s alright, Robert. You’re busy, so it’s understandable. I’m really fine.”  

Of course, Celiana interpreted his apology differently, but Robert didn’t mind.  

She’d know everything by tomorrow anyway.  

Meanwhile, Celiana was wrestling with another worry.  

‘What should I do about this?’  

Their carriage was about to arrive at the destination. If things continued, Celiana would have to walk around outside with her feet still feeling bound.  

She secretly enjoyed the feeling, like a slave shackled with iron, but if her steps looked awkward, Robert might get suspicious. If she was caught, it would be a disaster.  

‘…I’ll just give up.’  

Celiana, with some regret, asked Robert,  

“Um, Robert. The sunlight is a bit too bright. Could you close the curtain again?”  

“Of course.”  

He slowly untied the ribbon. Celiana’s ankle felt relief.  

She exhaled a short breath.  

It was disappointing, but she had no choice if she wanted to walk properly outside.

***

Robert and Celiana dismissed the servants and walked through the streets alone.  

The fruit festival was crowded with people. The streets were colored by all manner of fruits.  

Sweet or tart scents stimulated their senses.  

Just walking through this space under the warm spring sunlight was enough to lift the mood.  

“There are peaches over there.”  

Robert pointed in a direction. There, a vendor had piled a cart high with peaches for sale.  

Peaches were Celiana’s favorite fruit.  

She’d told Robert as much when they were young.  

‘He remembered.’  

She hadn’t mentioned it since their marriage, so it was touching that he remembered something from so long ago.  

Her heart fluttered.  

“Since we’re out, shall we try some?”  

Celiana suggested.  

“Shall we?”  

Robert readily agreed and approached the vendor to buy peaches.  

“W-Welcome!”  

The vendor, instantly recognizing Robert as a noble, greeted him nervously.  

Robert scanned the peaches and asked,  

“May I touch them before I buy?”  

“Of course! Please, take your time.”  

The vendor nodded enthusiastically.  

Robert picked up a peach and examined it. The vendor, thinking he was trying to choose the best one, cautiously spoke up.  

“May I show you how to pick a good one?”  

“Please do.”  

Robert smiled, and the vendor, encouraged, pointed to a bright, reddish peach.  

“Peaches with a uniform red color are well-ripened from lots of sunlight.”  

“Ah, I see.”  

Robert slowly stroked the peach with his fingertips. He felt the sensation of Celiana’s soft inner thigh.  

This was nice. Suddenly, a good idea came to him.  

Pretending not to know, Robert asked the vendor,  

“You mean ones with even coloring like this?”  

He stroked the red surface with his finger.  

“Yes, those are sweet. The aroma is important too. All our peaches smell wonderful! Peaches without fragrance aren’t sweet.”  

The reddish peach was as tempting as Celiana’s bare skin. Her body had once carried such a sweet scent.  

Recalling that, Robert slowly rubbed the surface of the peach with his index finger. This time, he thought, maybe he should go a little deeper.  

As he did, the soft fuzz of the peach felt like Celiana’s delicate hair to him.  

He glanced back and saw Celiana’s face, standing behind him, flushed as red as the peaches on display.  

Between her legs, she was probably already as moist as peach juice.  

Robert continued his questions, pretending not to notice.  

“How about the texture?”  

The vendor, pleased by the noble’s interest, eagerly pressed another peach with his fingertip and explained,  

“If it’s too soft when you press it, it’s best to avoid it!”  

“I see.”  

Robert nodded and pressed another peach firmly.  

“So, a peach with firmness is best?”  

“That’s right. Too hard isn’t good either, but the one you chose is perfect.”  

“And what else?”  

“Good symmetry! Not too big or small, just the right size tastes best.”  

“Yes, that’s true.”  

Celiana’s hips, accepting him so perfectly, were just like that—just the right size, firm, and perfectly symmetrical.  

Now that he thought about it, Celiana really was like a peach: sweet and tempting in every way.