Chapter 14

He swept her upper lip with his thumb, then pressed down on her lower lip. Her lower lip was crushed beneath his fingertip. Wherever his touch landed, heat spread.

His dreamy teal eyes stared straight into hers.

Adela inhaled.

After kissing him twice, she thought she understood what he was about to do, but she still felt uncertain.

Caught by his gaze, she couldn’t move at all.

It had been like this when they first met. His gaze had the power to bind a person completely.

He leaned in, and their lips drew close. His fingers brushed her temple and burrowed deep into her hair.

His wine-scented breath slipped between her parted lips, and then their lips overlapped.

Her lips were pulled into his hot mouth. His heated breath mingled with hers, their breathing entwined.

His teal eyes, now ringed with black, burned with overt desire. The deep, gleaming eyes of the man were intensely captivating.

It was dangerous.

She felt as if she’d be swept away, unable to resist. Unable to withstand his fiery gaze, Adela closed her eyes.

His strong hand wrapped around Adela’s slender waist. With a firm pull, she was drawn into his embrace.

Her palm landed on his chest. Beneath the robe, she could feel the solid, overwhelming body of the man.

His scent enveloped her, and Adela slowly opened her eyes. It was a sensual, intense masculine fragrance.

The sensation of his skin under her hand, the scent stimulating her nose—she felt as if they were being imprinted deep in her mind.

He extended his tongue and slowly licked Adela’s lips.

Compared to the burning intensity of his gaze, his movements were gentle, almost soothing. Quite different from their previous, stormy kiss.

He traced her lips with his tongue, licking and sweeping upward, while his fingers softly stroked her cheek.

It tickled—her lips, her heart.

He sucked her lower lip and released it. His lips exploring her were thrilling.

“Haa.”

Her previously dry mouth now exhaled damp, heated breaths.

Perhaps aroused by that sound, his gentle attitude changed. His tongue parted her lips and plunged inside without hesitation.

His hot tongue wrapped around hers. He bit and sucked her tongue, rough and passionate. The sensation was both familiar and strange.

It felt as if her whole body was melting.

The heat blooming from their joined lips, entwined tongues, and pressed bodies melted her like candle wax. Her tightly closed eyes burned with heat.

She tried to resist the unfamiliar pleasure, but it was not easy.

“Hnnn….”

A strange moan escaped her deeply joined lips, but even that was swallowed by his mouth.

He held her waist tightly, but as her body melted, Adela gripped the front of his robe.

His tongue rubbed the sensitive flesh inside her mouth. Each time heat passed her gums and palate, her fingertips tingled.

Was her tongue always so sensitive?

The sensation of his wet tongue winding and sucking was vivid. Just kissing, yet it felt as if she was surrendering her whole body.

“Hnn, wait….”

She tried to push him away to regain her composure.

“Just a little more.”

He murmured lowly and caught her lips again.

His half-lidded eyes, voice thick with desire, sent a shiver down her spine.

He bit her soft lips and swept through her mouth, exploring passionately.

“Hnn!”

Strange sounds kept spilling from her throat.

He turned his head and pressed his lips to hers from a different angle.

Churup, chup.

The wet sounds from their deeply joined lips were provocative.

Her chest, pressed tightly against his, was squeezed and rubbed, adding another layer of stimulation. Her whole body tingled with this strange sensation.

Blue and red flames seemed to flicker, igniting her veins—a strange mix of embarrassment and arousal.

She feared this unfamiliar sensation. Afraid she might be consumed because it felt too good.

Adela hadn’t planned this for pleasure. It was for her younger sibling, for political reasons. She had never intended to sleep with a man.

To deceive perfectly, she agreed with his assertion that they needed to sleep together, but she couldn’t let herself be swept away by pleasure.

“Enough!”

Adela pushed him away again.

This time, he obediently lifted his lips. As their lips parted, a sticky sound lingered. It sounded incredibly suggestive.

Adela parted her flushed lips and gasped lightly for breath. Her lips, now thoroughly wet, had plumped up.

“Are you still thirsty?”

His languid voice belied the burning flames in his dreamy, deep eyes.

What was given to Adela in place of a drink was his lips.

It was effective. Both her tension and thirst vanished instantly. The only problem was that her body began to heat up and grow sensitive.

“No.”

He licked Adela’s nape with his tongue, slowly.

“Ugh.”

Why was this happening?

With a short moan, Adela scolded herself. She couldn’t control the sounds she made.

To think such a small touch could provoke such an unusual reaction.

She must have underestimated intimacy.

“You smell wonderful.”

He stroked Adela’s hair with his hand and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply.

She felt embarrassed to have bathed in scented oil for this moment. She wished he didn’t notice.

“That’s…”

She searched for an excuse, but her mind seemed to freeze—she couldn’t think of anything.

“Did you get my message, Princess?”

Braden lifted his head and met her gaze. The curve of his eyes was gentle, but his pupils gleamed like a hungry beast.

“To bring a change of clothes?”

“From now on, always bring extra clothes, even if I don’t say so.”

He subtly stroked Adela’s cheek, lips, jaw, and neck with his fingers.

“What’s the reason?”

“So you’ll have something to wear when you leave.”

Braden gave a small laugh and slipped his fingers through the neckline, pulling downward. The dress tore easily, revealing her pale chest halfway.

“W-What is this?”

Startled, Adela reflexively covered her chest with her arms.

“Do passionate lovers ever have the patience to undress slowly?”

His smiling eyes were sweet—so sweet they made her want to hiccup.

Words like ‘passionate lovers’ and ‘undress slowly’ floated in her mind. It took her a moment to understand what he meant.

“So this is all for show?”

Adela blinked rapidly.

She had never felt so foolish before. No, since entering this room, she’d felt clumsy all along.

How was she supposed to interpret this?

Lack of experience?

Would it always be like this?

Being swayed by someone else was harder than she thought. If she let go of her instinctive power struggle, it might be easier, but she’d never done that before.

Intimacy, and losing—both were new.

“That’s right, it’s for show. Also…”

“Also?”

“I’d like to set some rules.”

“What kind of rules?”

She didn’t show it, but she was a little nervous about what he’d say.

“First, when we’re alone, I want to speak informally. Not as Princess and slave, but as woman and man.”

“……”

“Second, when we’re alone, I’ll call you by your name.”

“……”

“Third, when we’re alone, let’s set aside all the etiquette we’ve learned. Express what we feel, ask for what we want without suppressing it. Do you agree?”

“If I don’t agree, will you break the contract? We’ve already signed everything.”

Adela’s gaze turned skeptical.

“I can’t break it. But you should agree—for our enjoyment.”

Braden smiled gently again.

Adela’s eyes trembled slightly.

He’d found her weakness. She was the kind of woman who was easily swayed by his smile. Whenever he smiled like that, her mind seemed to shut down for a moment.

“Fine. But only when it’s just us.”

She definitely hadn’t agreed because of that smile.

What did it matter if they spoke informally? Even when speaking formally, he sounded arrogant.

What they were about to do was intimacy. Seeing each other n*ked, touching, and becoming one.

What did their statuses as Princess and slave matter here?

What harm was there in calling each other by name?

The third condition seemed to mean being honest during intimacy, which also wasn’t a problem.

During intimacy, it was only the two of them. There was no reason not to accept his requests.

“Of course. Only when it’s just us, Adela.”

The way he said ‘Adela’ in his low voice sent chills down her spine.

Just saying her name was as thrilling as a kiss.

“It’s strange. No one’s ever called me just by my name.”

It was the first time a man had called her by name alone. Even her grandfather always added ‘Your Highness’ after her name.

“Will you call my name too? I want to hear it.”

Braden immediately spoke informally, as if he’d always done so, without a hint of awkwardness.

What kind of man was he?

A truly bold slave. Yet Adela complied with his request.

“Braden.”

“Yes, Adela.”

He looked into Adela’s eyes and called her name sweetly.

For some reason, her heart fluttered. Just calling each other by name made them feel close.

“Should we go to the bed? Or would you rather undress first?”

His gaze lingered on the torn neckline. He meant to finish tearing the dress.

Only then did she realize she’d removed her hand from covering her chest. His eyes slowly traced her exposed skin.