Nian’s heart fluttered at his quiet confession, and her face quickly reddened. She held his face with slightly trembling hands.

He was rubbing his head against her shoulder like a puppy, then licked her neck before deeply kissing her.

His hand naturally rose and slightly squeezed her br*ast, which was protruding over her clothes. Nian’s breath quickened at his touch. Dade withdrew his lips from her and looked down.

This wasn’t why he came. He just thought he’d have a cup of tea after a while…… But it seems he got drunk on something more fragrant than tea.

He had taken her relentlessly in Rund. Explored her entire body and marked her as his own. Despite that, he was still thirsty.

She was like seawater. He put his lips to it to moisten his throat, but the more he drank, the more his thirst intensified.

Dade untied the knot of her dress behind her back, and her top loosened. As he carefully pulled it down, her white br*asts were half-exposed.

He lowered his lips to Nian’s br*asts, which still bore the red marks he had left.

“Haah.”

As Nian exhaled a hot breath, Dade grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and sat her on the workbench.

The workbench was quite high, and her legs dangled in the air. His urgent hands lifted her skirt and pulled down her underwear, but Nian, barely holding onto her thread of reason, stopped him.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

He answered in a deeply husky voice, full of excitement.

“I have a lot to do. Not today.”

At Nian’s words, he sighed slightly before raising the corner of his mouth. He easily pushed away her hand that was blocking his and quickly removed her underwear.

Her white legs were exposed beneath her raised skirt. Without hesitation, he spread them forcefully and bent down. Before she could stop him, he put his lips between Nian’s legs.

“Ahng.”

As his hot tongue licked her round nub, Nian’s head naturally tilted back. She tried to push his head away with her weakened arms, but it was useless.

Because of his hands firmly holding her thighs, she had no choice but to feel the sensations he gave her. When her legs suspended in the air trembled finely from his persistent caresses, he finally raised his upper body.

“Say it again.”

“Haah. Not…… today, Your Majesty.”

Nian stubbornly insisted with a flushed face.

Then his slender fingers briefly touched her entrance, where his lips had just been. Then he immediately inserted them deeply inside and scratched her sensitive inner flesh.

“I love it when you try to hold back.”

“Hahng.”

“Knowing full well you’ll never be able to resist.”

He bent his fingers and stimulated her more explicitly. A moan naturally burst from Nian’s mouth. Through her hazy, blurred vision, she saw scattered herbs.

‘Maybe I can start early tomorrow……’

He asked in a leisurely voice,

“Will you keep resisting?”

“Embrace me.”

Nian finally declared her surrender. Only then did Dade smile with satisfaction, raising the mischievous corner of his mouth. Soon, he fully invaded Nian’s inside. Tears flowed from her eyes as she tilted her head back.

Suddenly, his former lover came to mind.

‘I envy you, and hate you. How could you take all of this person’s heart without leaving any behind?’

Thinking that no matter how many times they joined bodies, his heart would never follow her, she suddenly felt sorrowful. Despite her hot body, her heart kept growing colder.

The old workbench heaved precariously, making creaking sounds, and her white legs suspended in the air shook greatly with his movements.

* * *

“Let’s go.”

Dade, who had fixed his clothes, spoke to Nian, who had collapsed from exhaustion. She, who was usually impeccably neat, now revealed her white shoulders vulnerably and sat slumped at his feet with her dress crumpled. Her cheeks were flushed red with heat that hadn’t yet subsided.

Somehow, seeing her so thoroughly disheveled made him feel dizzy.

Ah, to be able to make you like this.

Dade smiled languidly.

“I haven’t…… done anything yet.”

Nian glared at him resentfully as she pulled up her dress. Her whole body was still hot from the aftermath of their rough lovemaking.

In truth, though she pretended to blame him, it was she who had embraced him more tightly and clung to him in the throes of dizzying pleasure. She didn’t even know herself that she had such a side.

Nian became incredibly embarrassed at the sight of the workbench, which was even more disheveled than before they came.

“You seem to have energy left.”

“……”

As she stubbornly tried to stand, her legs gave way, and she staggered. Seeing this, he felt somewhat sorry and coaxed her in a gentle voice.

“Let’s go. I’ll help you with what you couldn’t do today tomorrow.”

Once again, Nian couldn’t break his stubbornness and finally left the cottage.

After leaving the cottage on the outskirts and reaching the central imperial palace, Nian wore a puzzled expression.

“……?”

“What?”

“Where are you going, Your Majesty?”

He answered as if it were obvious.

“To sleep.”

“The Main Palace is that way, Your Majesty.”

“I know.”

“But…. why?”

Seeing Nian’s confused expression, he replied with a slightly hardened face. Was she inexperienced with relationships, or was it something else……

“Don’t tell me you want things to be ‘as before’?”

They had shared the same bedroom since Rund, and they had joined bodies just a few minutes ago. Whether she liked it or not, the relationship between Nian and him had clearly changed. He was somewhat displeased as it seemed like Nian kept forgetting this fact.

At his cold tone, Nian finally smiled slightly as if understanding.

“No. I want things to be ‘as now’ in the future too.”

His expression softened, seemingly quite pleased with her gentle tone.

“My bedroom is better than the East Palace. Come here.”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled. Slightly surprised, Nian soon followed behind him.

* * *

The bedroom in the Main Palace had been quite a stern place for Nian.

Because of this, she entered Dade’s bedroom somewhat nervously and awkwardly. Perhaps due to his taste, it was neat without excessive decoration.

There were no flashy ornaments, but large windows at regular intervals filled the walls like canvases framing the night scenery. The practical wooden furniture was neatly arranged, giving it quite a classic atmosphere.

As the room’s owner suffered from insomnia, the curtains were quite thick, and a subtle aroma scent wafted around.

He was half-lying on the bed with his bare upper body as usual, watching Nian, who was looking around like a thieving cat, wearing only his shirt over her bare skin, finding her quite cute.

Having showered first, he had hidden her clothes like the woodcutter from a distant country’s classic tale he had once read, while she was in the bathroom showering, and placed his shirt there instead.

After finishing her shower, she noticed his mischievous prank and hesitated for a long time before coming out of the bathroom with an expression that suggested she might die of embarrassment.

He burst into laughter for quite a while at the sight of her with her face completely red. She looked quite lovely in his ridiculously large shirt.

‘Ah….. Adorable.’

He tapped the bed a couple of times with his hand, as if calling a cat.

“Come here.”

When Nian looked at him anxiously, he lifted the blanket.

“Hurry.”

“Why do you look like a wolf to me, Your Majesty?”

“You’re a suspicious lamb. You’re half right. But even wolves don’t hunt when they’re full, so you can relax.”

Nian stared at him doubtfully before awkwardly approaching. As soon as she came within his reach, Dade quickly pulled her into his arms.

Nian let out a short scream as she fell into his arms. He embraced the small, warm Nian and stroked her back.

“You’re skinny.”

Dade said quietly.

“What? Ah! Your Majesty! Just a moment…… Ah!”

Unfortunately, the ‘lamb’ was always destined to be the ‘wolf’s’ daily bread.

Dawn of that day, when the view outside the window had changed to a hazy moonlit landscape, beautifully picturesque.

Nian suddenly woke up feeling thirsty. After carefully removing his arm that was embracing her, she took a sip of water from the bedside table, then looked at Dade sleeping soundly.

I heard he had insomnia, but that must have been a lie. Looking at how well he slept. Nian raised her hand and stroked his hair. Unlike the wolf who pounced on her whenever he saw her recently, when sleeping, he looked exactly like a puppy.

‘I love…… you.’

The confession she couldn’t make lingered in her mouth. Every morning she spent with him, at every breathtaking climax, no, whenever she met his blue eyes, the words rose to the tip of her tongue, but she barely held them back.

She never said it, fearing he would look at her coldly after hearing those words. What he wanted wasn’t her heart anyway.

‘I won’t ask for more…… I just want things to stay as they are.’

Just keep smiling at me like now, just keep holding me like now. Think of me when you see flowers, and occasionally move me with unexpected gifts. Make me ecstatic with sighing kisses, then fill me hotly.

Don’t…… leave me.

But her wishes were shattered by the words he muttered in his dream.

“Rachel……”

“……!”

Dade was in a familiar place. The place he had visited long ago and forgotten for a while was a calm lakeside surrounded by shallow mountains. He looked at the blue lake that resembled his eyes for a moment, then turned around.

As expected, ‘she’ was there.

“Rachel……”

Dade called softly. The woman with dark blonde hair was fortunately smiling.