Chapter 2.4

“It’s been a while, Serena. Are you feeling better? I heard you had a fever.”

Leah, dressed in extravagant clothing, was already drinking tea as if it were her own home. Behind her were piles of boxes that looked like gifts.

Leah felt relieved to see her cousin looking healthier than ever. She took another sip of the warm tea.

“Hmm, you seem to be alright.”

“Leah, what are all these?”

Serena asked as she looked at the boxes stacked up like a tower.

“These are wedding gifts from me this time. And knowing that man’s personality, there’s no way he’d leave you alone, so I brought you some nourishing food as well.”

“Leah!”

Serena’s face turned bright red. Fortunately, the servants had already left, sensing the mood.

She sat across from Leah and began to scold her.

“I don’t mind you speaking casually to me since I’m your cousin, but Sir Johannes is a Duke. Please use the proper title when you refer to him.”

“Ah, alright. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“…Anyway, thank you for the gifts.”

Leah did have a tendency to speak carelessly, but she was warm-hearted. Serena knew how her cousin had looked after her when they were young, so she said nothing more.

“I should be the one thanking you.”

“What do you mean?”

Serena looked at her cousin with a puzzled expression. Leah was too proud to ever say thank you first.

‘Was something going on?’

“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your face. You’re probably wondering what I mean, right?”

“Oh, Leah. It’s not that obvious.”

“Well, how should I put it, I caused trouble and got married, didn’t I? Fell for my bodyguard and got pregnant before marriage.”

Leah set down her teacup and laced her fingers together. As she began to speak, her tone grew serious.

“Our father thinks that if you’re a princess, you should marry for the sake of the Imperial Family’s power, and that princes should become knights and defend the kingdom. But nothing in our family has gone according to his wishes.”

Leah had two younger brothers.

The first prince had been frail since childhood and couldn’t even live a normal life, let alone become a knight. The youngest, the second prince, was healthy but too young to go to war.

“Father believes that Sir Fermel saved the nation in place of the princes. And having his beloved knight commander marry his daughter must have been a great comfort to him.”

A loyal retainer marrying his niece in a political marriage—surely the Emperor thought it was an excellent match.

And for the parties involved, it was probably a good marriage as well.

Leah sipped her tea with a gentle smile.

In contrast, a shadow fell over Serena’s face.

‘No matter how I think about it, I feel sorry for Sir Johannes.’

It wasn’t enough for Johannes to agree to marry out of loyalty to the Emperor—he even promised to be devoted to his wife. Serena silently vowed to repay her husband’s kindness for the rest of her life.

“But are you really okay?”

Leah asked playfully. Serena, not understanding the implication, answered sincerely.

“Of course. Thanks to Sir Johannes caring for me day and night—”

“No, not that. I mean, you’re spending every night together, aren’t you?”

Realizing what Leah meant, Serena glared at her with a red face. Her persistent cousin would keep asking, no matter how much she tried to avoid the topic.

In the end, Serena briefly explained what had happened over the past week.

“What? That man must be going crazy with impatience by now! That’s so strange.”

“Leah, please! Have some decency. How can you talk about such things so openly?”

Gentle Serena shouted at Leah, her face flushed.

Leah didn’t seem to care at all. She frowned, then suddenly clapped her hands as if she’d remembered something.

“Serena. You can’t just sit back and do nothing at times like these.”

Leah jumped up and handed Serena a large pink box from the pile of gifts.

Serena, caught off guard, took the box, thinking it might be dessert, and opened it. When she saw what was inside, she hurriedly closed it.

Her face turned so red it looked like she might burst.

“Good thing I brought it. That’s a limited edition lingerie set. Try using it.”

The items inside the box could barely be called underwear. Some were nothing but black leather straps, and there was even a white lace slip that left her skin barely covered.

Serena was too embarrassed to answer. But she soon regained her composure and started to scold Leah.

Leah ignored all of Serena’s words, leisurely sipped her tea, and left only a word of encouragement before leaving.

* * *

By evening, Serena greeted her husband as usual.

Even as they ate and chatted together, she couldn’t stop thinking about the lingerie Leah had given her, making her mind spin.

Normally, Serena would have thrown away such provocative underwear immediately, but seeing Johannes doing nothing even as night fell, she found a courage she didn’t know she had.

So, while her husband was in the bath, she picked out the least daring piece and put it on.

But when she saw herself in the mirror, she covered her mouth in shock.

“…My goodness.”

The woman in the mirror was dressed in a slip so sheer that her bare skin was visible. The unfamiliar attire made her widen her eyes as she stepped closer to the mirror.  

Her ample cleavage was plainly revealed, and the thin ribbon fastened around her chest looked as if it might snap at any moment.  

The underwear below was also barely held by a slender lace string, so fragile that it seemed it would tear apart with the slightest force from a man.

“……”

Serena covered her mouth with her fair, slender hand.  

No matter how many times she looked, the racy slip she had worn for the first time in her life was shocking.  

“Still, this is too much….”

Serena murmured, fiddling with the lace covering her chest.  

‘He’ll… hate me, thinking I’m a wanton woman.’

Just imagining her beloved husband frowning made her heart sting.

‘…I should hurry and change before he comes.’

Biting her red lips, she pulled at the ribbon in front of her chest.  

But before she could untie it completely, she heard the door open.

“Madame, I’m coming in.”

As Johannes entered the marital bedroom, his and Serena’s eyes met in midair.

Both of them froze at the same time.

“…Madame?”

The one to break the silence first was the man, Johannes.

“D-darling, I can explain! This is….”

Johannes stared at his wife intently, his eyes sharp.

‘Am I dreaming?’

Spending days just sleeping next to Serena had been nothing short of torture.

Especially today, he had struggled to control his desires, spending extra time in the shower. And now, here she was, wearing the very outfit he’d seen countless times in his dreams, waiting for him.

He couldn’t believe it, and his steps quickened.

He felt he wouldn’t be able to tell if this was a dream or reality until he touched her.

“Darling….”

A sweet voice, full of longing and breathlessness, reached his ears.

Even so, it didn’t feel real. For her to wear such lingerie and seduce him first was something that only happened in his dreams.

Johannes placed his hand on Serena’s pale, delicate cheek. Her cream-soft skin moved under the veins of his strong hand.

“…Is this a dream?”

Even though everything told him this was real, it didn’t feel like it. So, he slipped his thumb into the red lips he’d always wanted to taste.

“Darling, ah—!”

Serena made a startled sound, but Johannes didn’t hear it.

He was entirely focused on the thought of exploring the warm, soft inside of her mouth with his thumb.

Her mouth was just as warm and soft as he’d imagined. He gently stroked her tender flesh and Her mouth was just as warm and soft as he’d imagined. As he stirred her tender mouth and brushed her red tongue, sweet saliva trickled down Serena’s lips.  

He became so lost in the sweetness that he couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.  

Just as he unconsciously tried to draw everything inside her mouth, he caught sight of her beautiful blue eyes brimming with tears.

“Madame, I’m sorry.”

The moment he saw Serena’s tears, he snapped back to reality. He quickly wiped her lips with his hand and gently brushed away the teardrops before they could fall.