Ariel arrived at Marquis Harkshien’s mansion in a state of extreme nervousness. Her hands trembled slightly when she took the marquis’s hand to step down from the carriage.

“I won’t devour you, so you don’t need to be so tense. Oh wait, maybe I will devour you.”

“…Marquis, please watch your words.”

“I’ll be saying much worse things later—will you be okay with that?”

Since she had already come all the way to Marquis Harkshien’s mansion, there was no backing out now. This man was clearly saying these things knowing full well what he was doing. That leisurely smile of his was completely different from her own body, which had stiffened with tension.

“I’ll be fine, probably.”

“If it gets too difficult, I’ll send you back.”

“No!”

“…”

“…”

Ariel had shouted without realizing it. Both Marquis Harkshien and Ariel herself were startled. This added yet another thing her week-ago self would never have believed. To shout like this, forgetting all etiquette. She didn’t know if this was all because of Maximus or because of this man standing before her.

“Thank you for your consideration, Marquis Harkshien.”

Though she tried to speak politely after the fact, she felt like her mask had already been stripped away. How hard had she worked since childhood to become the perfect Ariel Naiad? But Marquis Harkshien nonchalantly pressed his lips to the back of her hand that he was holding.

“I like it when you shout like that too.”

“…Please forget about it.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to forget even after tonight passes.”

This playboy Latnon Harkshien. Just how many women must have fallen for that beautiful face and eloquent tongue of his? At least Ariel didn’t want to become one of those countless women.

“Well, after spending tonight together, I’ll probably try to forget it, won’t I? But you still have to keep your promise.”

“I don’t speak with a forked tongue.”

When he offered to write up a contract, Ariel immediately refused. If someone happened to see the contract, they would discover this ridiculous deal, and then Ariel Naiad’s honor would fall to the ground incomparably worse than its current state. She didn’t want to take such a risk.

“L-let’s go.”

When she awkwardly tried to lead the marquis, laughter burst from his lips. This was his own mansion—who was trying to guide whom? Did she even know where the bedroom was?

Seeing this, it seemed like it would be fine even if Ariel really was a lifeless stone and they ended up having an unsatisfying night. If she was okay with it, he wanted to continue their connection afterward. Not a deep relationship, just enough to exchange greetings?

“I’ll guide you. This is my mansion, after all.”

Marquis Harkshien grinned and took her hand. Embarrassed, Ariel followed his steps with a flushed face. She couldn’t even look around, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground while following wherever he led.

“This seems like the last chance.”

“For what?”

Their steps had stopped at some point. When Ariel raised her head at the cryptic question, an ornately decorated door stood before them.

“Your chance to return home intact. If you say you want to go back now, I’ll pretend I never heard anything…”

“No. I’m not going back.”

When Ariel turned the door handle, the marquis immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Won’t you regret it? Once you open this door, there’ll be no turning back.”

“Yes, I won’t regret it.”

Ariel looked directly into his eyes with a steady gaze. This noble and distinguished young lady was still shining with honest eyes even at a time like this.

‘Ah, what would happen if this woman’s eyes became clouded with pleasure?’

When his thoughts reached that point, the marquis immediately threw open the door and wrapped his arm around Ariel’s waist, pulling her inside. Inside the door that would muffle whatever sounds she might make.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m not the type to refuse.”

“It seems that way. Considering you accepted my ridiculous proposal.”

Ariel managed to get in one more retort. Yet he didn’t feel bad about it. The conversations he usually had were the kind where people only chose words that would please each other to make good impressions. But now, even without any such intention, the conversation itself felt pleasant.

The marquis tightened his arm to pull her closer to him. Then he pressed his lips against those of Ariel, who was startled by the suddenly shortened distance. Unlike her soft lips, her reaction was rigidly stiff, which raised one question in his mind.

“Have you ever kissed before?”

“I’ve never even held hands, so how could I have?”

His face contorted.

“I know this isn’t the right question to ask in this situation, but can I ask just one thing?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What did Maximus Roysel see in you to call you a lifeless stone? No hand-holding, no kissing. Are you some seven-year-old girl?”

He spoke with genuine bewilderment. Could you really say you’d spent the night together without even kissing? 

He knew it was rude to bring up a past partner to someone he was about to spend the night with. That’s why he couldn’t ask more, but he was genuinely curious whether she had actually slept with Maximus Roysel.

“Well, you’ll find out once you spend a night with me, won’t you?”

“Clever.”

Whatever Maximus had said didn’t matter—ultimately, Ariel was in his arms and had agreed to spend the night together, so he would understand what had happened once he spent the night with her.

The marquis pressed his lips against hers again. After making several smacking sounds while kissing, Ariel awkwardly bumped her lips against his, making a small kissing sound.

‘What is she doing with her eyes squeezed shut like that?’

He wondered if the Naiad family didn’t even give their daughter kisses. Otherwise, there was no way she would kiss him with her eyes squeezed so tightly shut. This was a completely different reaction from all the women who had skillfully kissed him before. 

But why? Why did she seem so cute? 

This woman was practically having her first experience, and it wasn’t his first time sleeping with a woman having her first experience, yet she was strangely adorable. It seemed like he felt this way because he had discovered a gap in the seemingly perfect Naiad young lady.

“…Am I not doing this right?”

“Why do you think that?”

Ariel Naiad barely opening her eyes and asking cautiously—this was a sight he couldn’t have imagined just moments before.

“It seems like you’re trying not to laugh.”

He had tried to hold it back, but apparently his suppressed laughter had leaked out and been caught.

“It’s because you’re cute.”

“…You don’t think I’m a lifeless stone?”

“Ah.”

It seemed Ariel Naiad was making an effort because she was worried he might think she was a lifeless stone. Then he couldn’t help but make an effort too. Hadn’t he had incomparably more experience than her?

“Is it strange?”

“No, it’s very good. I could believe you were doing it to seduce me.”

“…Should I stop?”

“What? Why would that be the case?”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll pretend not to know you starting tomorrow.”

From his perspective, Ariel seemed to have very low self-esteem at the moment. Perhaps that was natural. After all, her fiancé, with whom she had supposedly spent the night, had declared their engagement broken and spread rumors in society calling her a lifeless stone.

The marquis understood her completely. Conversely, if Ariel had told society something like “Maximus Roysel is really terrible at bedroom activities—he doesn’t know how to do anything except thrust,” he would surely have fallen into irreparable ruin. Of course, Ariel wasn’t the type to say such things.

“Don’t pretend not to know me. Keep doing what you were doing.”

He lightly pressed his lips to Ariel’s lips. Ariel Naiad wasn’t the rigid woman he had thought her to be. He even began to look forward to seeing more varied sides of her once they became closer. Above all, her current appearance was charming enough that there was no reason to stop.

“Yes.”

Ariel agonized over when to respond because of the marquis who kept bumping lips with her, then gave a short answer during an empty moment. Even her pondering over when to kiss was endearing. 

Why was it so entertaining to see the hidden side of Ariel, who was known as a perfect young lady in every way?

‘Then what if I do this?’

This time he licked Ariel’s lips. He felt Ariel startle in surprise. But far from backing away, he bit and sucked on her lips. He wasn’t a child, and he had no intention of just kissing forever. No matter how long the night was, and even if she was called a lifeless stone.

‘Wait, is Ariel Naiad really frigid?’

At the point where they hadn’t even held hands or kissed, Maximus’s words had already lost credibility. He was certain that Maximus had never seen this cute side of Ariel. 

Thinking that even her fiancé, who had supposedly spent the night with her, had never seen this side of her, he felt strength gathering in his lower body.

Ariel seemed to hesitate for a moment, then after he licked her lips several times, she cautiously stuck out her tongue and licked his lips.