2. Night Education (Part 1)

That night, lying in bed in her light blue pajamas, Eirin stared at the dark ceiling and blinked.

Why did things turn out like this?

If she hadn’t written the erotic novel in the first place, she wouldn’t have gotten into trouble in the first place. No, if she had just locked herself in the study, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.

“Sigh. Why did it have to come to this?”

Her lips couldn’t stop sighing today.

Her head throbbed, so she raised her hand to her forehead. Her white and delicate wrist rested on her reddish and alluring hair. As she absentmindedly recalled the painful memories of the day, Alexander’s whispered words echoed in her ears.

‘I’ll tell you about men. I’ll tell you about a night’s experience. I’ll tell you everything you’re curious about.’

It was a very tempting offer. And it was Alexander, not just anyone. Since childhood, he had been the object of Eirin’s admiration. No, it would be impossible not to fall for his charm. He wasn’t a man of many words, but his witty jokes, his handsome appearance, and his solid form, which was unassuming despite being a duke, drew everyone’s attention at every turn.

To Eirin, who had no men around her, he was the only man she could encounter, so she thought he was cool. But when she went into a social circle, she realized.

There are no men as splendid as Alexander.

When Alexander appeared at the ball, there was no shortage of ladies with their eyes set on him. Not only for those seeking his status as a duke and his wealth but for Alexander himself. Even married women were not exceptions.

‘I’d like to break that haughty attitude just once. I wonder what he’d feel like in bed. I’d love to see those cold eyes of his burning with lust.’

Eirin had blushed when she overheard Lady Noel, famous for bedding men, murmuring those words. But she couldn’t condemn her as vulgar, for she herself had imagined it too.

And now he’s willing to teach anything she’s curious about.

‘Shall I tell you about my experiences?’ 

She recalled his murmured words.

Alexander’s appearance at night.

She couldn’t even imagine how the always prim and proper man would change at night.

What would he be like on the bed? What would he feel like? What experiences had he had?

When the calm in his eyes ignited with lust, how would the woman he was with feel?

Would they feel as ticklish and anxious between their thighs as I am now?

Haah….

The arm he had roughly grabbed earlier felt hot and flushed. It was almost midnight, the time they had agreed to meet. Although she didn’t have to go, Eirin ultimately succumbed to her curiosity.

She wanted to know how Alexander was at night. She was curious about the true “man” that Alexander claimed to teach her about. Her inherent curiosity eventually pushed her forward.

She slipped out of bed, draped a shawl around her body, and got up. The corridor was pitch black without a single light. She quietly groped the wall and slowly headed towards the study on the first floor. The soft tapping of her indoor slippers against the marble floor echoed quietly.

The maids shouldn’t notice.

It was past midnight, the time when even the diligent workers would have fallen into deep sleep. There was unlikely to be any employee roaming around at this hour, but Eirin’s heart raced as she went to commit her misdeed.

In this dark, she was more worried about Alexander than for herself, who had grown up in this house her whole life. 

How would he find his way here? Would he be able to find it properly? Or perhaps he wouldn’t come at all. He might think it was foolish and turn back. 

At that moment she was thinking so…

Her body collided with something hard.

“Gyah…”

There shouldn’t be anything here, right?

Someone’s hand covered Eirin’s mouth as she let out a startled scream. A hand different from that of a woman’s. He gently pulled her towards him.

“Shh.”

A soft breath. Eyes twinkled in the light filtering through a window somewhere, reflecting off his pupils. Her small body was snug in his firm embrace. The man, softly guiding her with a low voice, was Alexander.

“Come this way.”

He gently pulled her close and led her into the study. Nestled in Alexander’s arms, as they entered the study, he whispered quietly.

“Eirin.”

She nodded.

“Quietly. It would be awkward if people barged into the study now. You don’t want people catching you sneaking out with me this late at night, do you?”

With a slight hint of amus*ment in his teasing voice, Eirin nodded again.

“Good.”

His hand left her. Maybe because she was suddenly startled, or because she hurried down to the first floor, Eirin’s breathing was ragged. A long sigh escaped her panting lips.

“Sigh… You startled me.”

“Who suddenly jumps out in the darkness and bumps into someone?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

As a startled Eirin struggled to catch her breath, the blue shawl draped over her shoulders slipped off. Without realizing it, Alexander’s gaze followed the falling shawl, and for a moment, he fixed his eyes on her chest.

With the shawl falling away, her silhouette was revealed in the moonlight. In her thin nightgown, her voluptuous br*asts were faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

Alexander’s brow furrowed slightly.

She surely doesn’t know anything about men.

Or maybe she knows men all too well.

Alexander raised an eyebrow as he watched the tempting br*asts sway alluringly with her breathing.

Though he never dreamed of laying a hand on his friend’s little sister, seeing her like this… Sharp excitement surged towards his thighs.

Damn it, I thought I was going to protect her from other men, but at this rate, I’ll be the biggest threat to her.

“Alexander?”

Eirin asked nervously as Alexander silently gazed at her, and he quietly moved to light the lamp.

As the study brightened, she came into view amidst the flickering light.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Alexander still stood before her. Slowly, he brushed back the hair falling over her face. The red locks were swept up, revealing her unblemished complexion.

His gaze slowly trailed over her. She blinked her large eyes.

“Um, Alexander.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you… what are you doing now?”

Whenever Alexander’s touch reached her, Eirin felt a shiver run through her body.

“Hmm…”

Despite her question, Alexander tilted his head slightly but didn’t step back. He didn’t answer. If anything, he moved closer. His thick thighs, honed from horseback riding, brushed against Eirin’s leg. A shiver ran through her slender body.

This sensation… 

It was akin to the thrill she felt when Victoria first gave her a risqué novel to read alone in her bedroom late at night. Only a little more intense, a little more exhilarating. Without realizing it, she instinctively rubbed her thigh against his body. 

“Hmm.”

Her fleshy thigh brushed against his leg, Alexander gently pushed her away. He lowered his head, letting out a soft sigh, and sank into the chair in the study.

“Sit down and let’s…talk.”

With his legs crossed, he looked at her sharply. His sigh lightly tickled Eirin’s cheek. Feeling disappointed by his rejection, she licked her lips.

“Thank you, Alexander.”

Saying so, she moved towards the desk and sat down hesitantly. He raised an eyebrow.

“What are you thanking me for?”

“For not treating me like a fool or a weirdo after reading the novel today. For offering to help.”

While Alexander seemed somewhat taken aback upon learning she had written such a novel, he neither ridiculed her nor treated her as a foolish woman. Nor did he see her as a lewd woman.

Eirin continued.

“And thank you for not telling my brother about me, for everything.”