Side Story.

Dade had been in a bad mood for several days. It was because of Nian’s extremely suspicious behavior.

Not wanting to be apart even for a moment, he had given the entire East Palace to their daughter Melina, and had been living with Nian in the Main Palace for nearly four years.

Even when Melina, who was so precious she wouldn’t hurt even if kept in one’s eye, was just a newborn, she was sometimes allowed to sleep in the Main Palace. But Nian was never permitted to sleep in the Eastern Palace.

It was partly because he wouldn’t allow it, but he knew well that she felt the same way and had pretended to give in.

But for the past few days, Nian had used Melina as an excuse to shut herself up in the East Palace and wouldn’t budge.

It was truly baffling why she couldn’t put their admirable daughter, who could not only toddle but even run now, to bed by herself, but because Nian was stubbornly insistent in a way that was unlike her, Dade couldn’t do anything about it.

Naturally, he thought she must have felt sorry for their daughter sleeping alone and let it go. She would stop after a day or two, he thought. But when she didn’t come anywhere near the Main Palace for over a week, contrary to his expectation—or rather, his hope—his mood began to worsen.

Since he was always the one whose heart ached with longing, he had visited the East Palace in the meantime. But Nian had acted noticeably unnatural, openly pushing away his touch and even refusing to go to the Main Palace.

‘Just why is she acting like this.’

Sitting at his desk and irritably flipping through documents, he frowned even more as he looked at the pile of papers on Nian’s desk across from him.

It was truly unusual for papers to pile up on her desk, as she was normally close to being a workaholic. Even when he told her not to, she would always find work to do, busying herself.

He wondered if perhaps he had done something wrong without realizing it, but no matter how much he racked his brain, nothing came to mind.

After all, they had been getting along exceptionally well right up until the day she moved to the East Palace. Finally, Dade threw down the fountain pen he had been scribbling with.

With all the various issues lately, work hadn’t been going well, and his desk was piled high with documents, but even if he continued sitting there, in his current state, black was just text and white was just paper.

With Nian’s face floating before his eyes over the documents, it was wiser to just go see her quickly. Since she wouldn’t come out, he had no choice but to storm in.

Dade’s footsteps looked urgent as he left the Main Palace.

* * *

“Oh my, you’re still awake?”

As Nian rose from stroking the head of the already sleeping Melina and asked with apparent surprise, Dade approached her with a sulky face and pouting lips.

“What a heartless wife. You know very well I can’t sleep without you.”

Nian’s lips twitched as she tried to hold back a laugh.

“Whether I’m there or not, isn’t Your Majesty’s inability to sleep the same?”

“That’s true.”

She was still his love—Ilena, who made him unable to control himself. Having reached her feet, he embraced her waist and whispered softly.

“Even so, when you’re there, it feels like a dream even if I don’t sleep, so it doesn’t matter.”

Nian finally blushed. How could he say such embarrassing words that would frighten anyone who might hear them, without changing his expression or showing any discomfort?

Since their separation, he never hid his true feelings and confessed his love every moment.

Ah, is this the kind of happiness that only exists in fairy tales?

It felt like living the aftermath of a fairy tale that ended with “And they lived happily ever after.”

Somehow moved, Nian felt a tightness in her nose.

“What about you?”

Dade asked, placing a small kiss on her forehead, and Nian smiled shyly.

“Me too, Your Majesty.”

‘You too are like a dream to me.’

Dade smiled warmly and then lightly kissed her cheek. Nian smiled broadly.

“I see Melina is asleep.”

“Yes, just now.”

As Dade stroked his daughter’s head, who looked exactly like him, and lay down beside her, Nian’s expression darkened, instantly losing its shy glow.

“You come here too.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t do that and sleep comfortably in the Main Palace.”

At Nian’s words of refusal, Dade’s face finally hardened.

“‘Comfortably’ for me, or for you?”

“……”

As Nian retreated hesitantly, Dade finally got up from the bed and approached her. She couldn’t escape far and was caught on the sofa, where he grabbed her wrist.

Nian looked bewildered, but couldn’t refuse due to his seemingly angry expression and fell into his arms. Trapped between the long sofa backrest and his body, Nian couldn’t meet his gaze and lowered her eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“?”

“Answer me.”

“No, Your Majesty, why would you say that.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

“……”

“You’ve made it so I can’t even sleep alone.”

At his childish complaint, Nian smiled slightly.

“Melina seems to be having nightmares lately and has been fussy about sleeping, so please don’t mind.”

Despite her answer, Dade sighed rather than being reassured.

She had always been very poor at lying, and while she seemed to think her hastily thought-up excuse was quite plausible, she didn’t seem to realize that her voice always trembled slightly from the first word when she lied.

But even so, there was no way to make the stubborn woman open up, so Dade just silently tightened his arms around her.

Nian squirmed slightly, as if feeling uncomfortable. Dade inhaled at the familiar scent of flesh emanating from his arms. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he had held her in his arms.

“I’m hungry.”

“!”

As his hand, which had been caressing around Nian’s neck, suddenly lingered near her chest, Nian startled and pushed him away.

“Your Majesty, Melina……”

“I know.”

Contrary to his words, his hands undid the knots of her clothes, and Nian’s face turned completely red with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to eat, just taste.”

“No…… please.”

Despite Nian’s protests, he finally pulled down her clothes and lowered his head to her exposed white br*asts. As he took the lovely pink peak in his mouth and licked it, Nian exhaled a hot breath.

“Hah.”

“Shh. You’ll wake Melina.”

His hand pulled down her already half-fallen dress even further. With her dress down to her thighs, Nian’s legs were bound and her movement restricted, so he held her waist more firmly and sucked hard on the n*pple in his mouth.

“Haah!”

Unable to hold back her moan, Nian turned her head and buried her face in the sofa cushion. His hand, which had been caressing her smooth stomach, went even lower.

Passing her concave navel and moving downward, his hand soon entered her underwear and fondled her moistened entrance.

He shallowly penetrated and wet his fingers with her sticky juices, then rubbed her slightly swollen cl*toris. Then he immediately played with her entrance again. Her body trembled.

“Wife, I wonder if you might consider sleeping with me in the Main Palace tonight?”

“……”

Nian silently clutched the innocent cushion. He finally smiled mischievously as if he had no choice and pushed his finger into her. Her body jerked significantly.

He deliberately stimulated only the places where Nian was most sensitive, and soon his hand was soaked with her overflowing juices.

“Your. Hah. Your Majesty, please…… haah.”

Nian raised her head briefly and pleaded desperately, but as his fingers, which had now increased to two, invaded deeper, she couldn’t endure and buried her face in the cushion again.

The fear that Melina might wake up actually encouraged her climax even more, and with each movement of his fingers, she felt like her vision was turning white.

In her heart, she wanted to follow him to the Main Palace bedroom where she could grab those dangerously lewd hands of his and moan to her heart’s content. She wanted to fully take in his painfully large c*ck and reach an exquisite climax together. But now…

“You’re enduring well, Ilena.”

He paused his hand for a moment. Nian raised her head and breathed heavily. Her face was already completely red, and her half-lidded eyes were moist.

Ah, how lovely.

“I’ll give you a reward for enduring so well.”

He lowered his head. Nian helplessly watched as his lips traced down her lower abdomen. Already defeated by pleasure, she had no strength to stop him.

She could only hope that the hand covering her mouth would also block the moans that were about to burst forth.

“Huh!”

Nian jerked violently.

Dade gazed at Nian in his arms. She seemed to have fallen into a languid sleep after climaxing several times just from his caresses. But he himself was still in a rigid state due to unresolved desire because of the stubborn Nian.

With both body and mind troubled, he finally sighed and held her closer. It was frustrating not knowing the reason, but he had long since surrendered to this woman with both hands and feet raised, and could neither urge nor be angry with her.

‘I love you, Ilena.’

He lightly kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.