Side Story 3.8

Sophie held her breath for a moment. She couldn’t think at all. All her efforts to restore Diana and Ian’s relationship, all her hard work, were not just denied—they were shattered.

“If the Aliph family line ends, it’s all your fault!”

Finally, Diana shouted, raising her voice. At that moment, the door burst open.

“You should’ve adopted an heir sooner.”

A cold voice, similar to Diana’s, echoed in the drawing room. A man with fierce golden eyes strode in.

“Ian, Ian!”

Diana stood and grabbed Ian’s hand, tears welling in her eyes.

“Please, come back even now. Your place has always been waiting. Your room, your title, everything…”

Ian coldly shook off his mother’s hand, then gently supported Sophie, who sat frozen in shock.

“Ian, not that girl! No!”

Despite his mother’s protest, Ian gently embraced Sophie. Her feet lifted off the ground. Ian started to leave the drawing room, then turned and looked coldly at his mother.

“Today will be the last day I see you. And even if we have a child, I won’t give them the Aliph name, so know that.”

He left without looking back.

“D-Darling?”

With Ian’s quick, determined steps, Sophie knew he was furious.

“I’m sorry.”

“You know what you should be sorry for?”

“I just wanted to help you and your mother reconcile.”

“Why do you try to deal with someone like that alone? She enjoys hurting others.”

“She’s your mother.”

Tears fell from Sophie’s cheeks. She wanted to get along with Diana for no other reason than that she was Ian’s birth mother. That was all. Diana was the one who brought Ian into the world—of course Sophie wanted her approval.

“You always give your heart to people who don’t deserve it.”

Held in Ian’s arms as she climbed into the carriage, Sophie couldn’t recover from Diana’s shocking words.

“S-she said I can’t have children.”

She tried to speak calmly, but her voice was already trembling with tears. She waited for Ian’s reply, but he said nothing. As she felt herself about to break down, Ian’s large hand gently patted her back.

“So what?”

His low voice sounded like rain. Sophie gripped his coat tightly.

“And didn’t I tell you? Even if we don’t have children, as long as we’re happy together, that’s enough.”

Ian held her tightly until Sophie admitted how hard it was. She leaned into his embrace and cried as much as she needed, letting go of all her anxiety and fear.

“And the Aliph family has always been small in number. Guillaume has no siblings, and it’s the same with me.”

Ian stroked Sophie gently to help her calm down, then signaled the driver to stop the carriage.

“Ian?”

As Sophie wiped her tears, she realized the carriage had stopped in the middle of a bustling street.

“This isn’t the way.”

They had already passed the road to the Lisner residence. Ian opened the door and helped Sophie out. He took her to a hotel in the city center of Lohandra.

“Do you want to go back with your face all swollen from crying?”

“Is my face really swollen?”

“A little. But your eyes are much redder. Let’s calm down a bit. I’ll ask for an ice pack.”

Sophie nodded and entered the room with Ian. He’d brought her to the hotel specifically for the ice pack. There was nowhere else to get ice quickly, but a city hotel always had it ready.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Sophie lay comfortably on the bed, pressing the ice pack from the hotel staff to her cheek. Ian helped her take off her hat, coat, gloves, and shoes, so she had nothing to do.

“Of course, the Modotos Procia Hotel was much nicer.”

The hotel they’d stopped at was one of the bigger ones in Lohandra, but compared to Modotos Procia, it was just a country inn.

“I want to go back to Relsingfors.”

Sophie closed her eyes. She could almost see the night view of Relsingfors.

“Let’s go, after all this is over.”

Ian squeezed Sophie’s small hand and replied gladly. Relsingfors was special to him too. That was where he’d always encountered turning points in life—and where he’d met Sophie.

“We’ll ride the gondola, join the spring festival we missed, burn mistletoe this time for sure. That’s what I want.”

“Alright, let’s do that, my wife.”

Ian brought Sophie’s hand to his cheek. His cheek was hot. Maybe he needed the ice pack too.

“It’s cold.”

Sophie suddenly pressed the ice pack to Ian’s cheek, and he flinched in surprise. She laughed like a child and sat up in bed.

“I think I’m okay now. The swelling’s gone down a lot.”

As Sophie pushed off the blanket to get up, Ian held her hand tightly.

“Isn’t it a shame to leave now we’re here?”

Ian smiled lazily, gently rubbing his thumb over Sophie’s palm. The sensation made Sophie shiver for a moment.

“To be honest, we couldn’t do anything at the Lisner residence because we had to be careful.”

Ian carefully sat up and moved closer to Sophie. As he leaned in, Sophie found herself lying back on the bed again.

“I can be a bit rough sometimes.”

“Well, you did break the bed once.”

“That was because the bed was old.”

Ian began unbuttoning Sophie’s wool dress, one button at a time. Her chemise underneath was revealed, and as he undressed her, Sophie ran her fingers through Ian’s hair.

“Honestly, I wanted this too.”

It wasn’t simply about satisfying physical desire—she wanted to touch the person she loved. She wanted to feel the warmth of their skin, listen to the sound of their heartbeat, and sense the vitality of that person.

“Hold me tightly tonight.”

“You’re so small and delicate, I’m afraid you’ll break if I use too much strength.”

“I want to forget everything I heard today.”

Ian pressed his lips against Sophie’s slender nape. As he gently kissed and sucked her soft skin, a red mark appeared.

“Not there! I didn’t bring a scarf.”

When Sophie tried to block Ian’s lips, he playfully licked her palm. The soft, moist touch of his tongue tickled her hand.

“Hmm!”

Everywhere Ian’s hands touched, Sophie reacted sensitively. He kissed her thighs down to her slender ankles. Red flowers bloomed on her pale skin. Overcome by the rising heat, Sophie twisted her waist. Ian, feeling the heat pooling below, lifted Sophie and seated her on his thigh. Now sitting face to face, Sophie suddenly felt shy. It was still daytime, and the light streaming through the white curtains filled the room. The l*st mixed in Ian’s burning golden eyes made it hard for Sophie to meet his gaze.

“It’s too bright here.”

“It’s not your first time, though.”

Of course, it wasn’t their first time during the day. But the room was much too bright. Sophie could even spot a tiny mole on Ian’s chest she’d never noticed before. Ian gripped the back of Sophie’s neck and kissed her deeply. His skilled tongue made her frail body tremble. As his tongue explored her mouth, the forceful passion almost took her breath away. Eventually, a strained m*an escaped Sophie’s lips.

“You’re the one who asked me to hold you tightly, Madame.”

Ian looked at Sophie with a warning. In one hand, he held his aroused manhood, its thick head already slick with clear moisture. Sophie gently grasped the tip with her small hand.

“You’re already wet, Ian.”

Between her own legs, Sophie’s tender flesh was already soaked and sensitive too. Without much preparation, Ian’s manhood pushed roughly inside.

“Haa!”

A m*an, almost a gasp, burst from Sophie’s lips. The sensation of being completely filled was overwhelming and unfamiliar. As Ian moved rapidly back and forth, Sophie’s breathing grew heavier.

“Just a little slower, gently…”

Sophie didn’t like making loud noises during love, so she always tried to stifle her m*ans.

“You’re the one who asked for it rough.”

The sound of skin slapping mixed with wet movements. Even knowing Sophie was struggling, Ian didn’t hold back this time. Or perhaps, he simply couldn’t.

“That’s not what I meant… ah!”

Actually, it was what she meant, but the pleasure rising quickly was almost too much to bear. Ian took longer to reach cl*max, so Sophie had to endure intense pleasure for a long time.

“Stop!”

Sophie regretted asking to be held tightly. She was always satisfied by Ian’s gentle movements, but the pleasure now was almost violent. With her limited stamina, Sophie couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to stop.

“Please, Ian… it’s too much.”

The pleasure tingled all the way to the top of her head. Normally, Ian would have stopped by now, but tonight, he seemed determined, moving slowly again inside Sophie’s tender body.

“Ah, Ian!”

From their seated position facing each other, Ian laid Sophie down on the bed again. Their bodies were still joined, and Ian moved gently.

“Relax, you’re squeezing too tightly.”

“I’m not… giving any strength…”

Her soaked, swollen flesh squeezed Ian’s manhood as if wringing it. After holding back for a long time, Ian finally couldn’t resist and hugged Sophie’s shoulders tightly. A storm of pleasure crashed over them. Sophie clung to Ian’s waist, sobbing as she let go. Amid her cries, all the shocking words she’d heard today seemed to evaporate from her mind.