7.2

As soon as she gave her consent, Kartan kissed her again, devouring her lips.  

“Mmph…!”  

This kiss was more intense, expressing his raw desire.  

“Haa… Ah…”  

His heated hand slipped under her top, grabbing her chest.  

Each time he pinched and teased her hardened peaks, the area between her thighs grew wetter.  

“Huff, ahh!”  

“Haa, Delia.”  

Her underwear was soaked to the point where it was no longer functional. It felt as though a flood had broken loose between her legs.  

Kartan hastily unfastened his pants, revealing his large manhood.  

No matter how many times she saw it, she could never get used to its size.  

But Delia knew the pleasure that came from having that massive pillar fill her completely.  

“Hurry… please.”  

“You gave me permission. So…”  

As Delia pleaded, Kartan immediately pulled down her damp underwear and positioned the tip of his member at her entrance.  

“This is all because of you, Delia.”  

Press—  

The thick flesh pushed into her, filling her completely.  

The hot, enormous length seemed determined to leave no space unfilled as it continued to press deeper.  

“Hngh!”  

As the weight settled in her lower abdomen, Delia couldn’t help but let out a moan.  

Squish, squelch—  

As he began to move his hips, the lewd sounds of their joined bodies echoed in the room.  

“Ahh.”  

Before she knew it, the overwhelming pleasure awakened every cell in her body. Instinctively, she clenched tightly around him.  

“Delia, haa. Delia.”  

Kartan’s voice, filled with ecstasy, repeatedly called her name as he moved inside her.  

It was so sweet, like a confession to a lover.  

“Hngh, ahh!”  

Thud, thud—  

Each time their wet bodies collided, Delia melted into the fiery passion.  

Smooch—  

When Kartan lovingly kissed her forehead, her heart fluttered.  

‘Why is he being so kind?’  

In his warm embrace, Delia felt both happiness and confusion.  

Why was he so warm, so gentle? 

She couldn’t understand.  

The kiss, asking for her permission, even the gentle kiss on her forehead—all of it was new.  

The only thing that had changed between them was today’s incident.  

So, was it pity after all?  

Even so, it was fine.  

Delia couldn’t erase her affection for Kartan.  

Even if he didn’t feel the same, she was content to receive his pity.  

As long as she could continue to be with him, nothing else mattered.  

“Kartan, ahh, hngh. Kartan…”  

As Delia called his name, unable to contain her overflowing emotions, it happened.  

“Delia, I like you.”  

It was like a miracle.  

Delia’s eyes widened.  

Had I misheard because I wanted it so badly?  

“Hngh, w-what did you just say…?”  

“I like you. Haa… so much.”  

His confession, accompanied by a loving gaze, continued.  

“I want you so much, I can’t stand it.”  

It wasn’t a mishearing. It wasn’t a misunderstanding.  

Kartan Roxen had just confessed that he liked Delia Acremen.  

Delia’s heart pounded. Her body, already close to its peak, felt like it was about to explode.  

“I like you, Delia. I’m sorry for pretending not to feel this way.”  

Squish, squelch—  

Even as he confessed, Kartan’s movements didn’t stop.  

As if he wanted to claim every part of her, he embraced her even tighter.  

“Hngh! Kar…tan!”  

Delia cried out in a dizzying climax, tears falling as she smiled happily.  

She clung tightly to Kartan’s broad, firm back, her heart overflowing.  

“I like you too.”  

“Hngh. Haa. Delia. Delia.”  

Even as he groaned through his release, Kartan continued to call her name.  

The evidence of his passion flowed into her.  

Delia hugged him tightly.  

And finally, she spoke the words she had been holding back.  

“I like you.”  

***

The faint moonlight shone through the window as dawn broke.  

Delia and Kartan, their bodies drenched from their repeated intimacy, showed no intention of letting go of each other’s embrace, even though it wasn’t cold.  

“Kartan.”  

Delia felt as if she could forget any terrible event as long as Kartan kept holding her like this.  

“Thank you.”  

She was grateful—grateful that he had stayed by her side.  

Even now, Delia couldn’t believe it.  

The thought that they shared the same feelings felt like a dream.  

“…Delia.”  

As Delia basked in happiness within Kartan’s embrace, his serious voice resonated from above her head.  

“Hm?”  

Delia looked up at him, her lips curling into a smile.  

She couldn’t help but smile, overwhelmed by the happiness of expressing her feelings and being held in his arms.  

“There’s something I want to ask you.”  

“What is it?”  

What could he want to ask?  

Maybe it was a question about when she started liking him.  

“Weren’t you curious?”  

However, his question was entirely different from what she had guessed.  

“About what?”  

Delia asked back, unable to understand his question. 

Curious about what? What was he talking about?  

Delia couldn’t make sense of it.  

But more than the meaning of his question, what caught her attention was Kartan’s demeanor.  

She could clearly see how cautious he had suddenly become.  

He was deeply worried about something.  

‘Why is he so worried…?’  

As a hint of doubt crossed Delia’s mind, the incomplete puzzle of his question was revealed.  

“Why I proposed that deal to you.”  

Delia’s pupils widened.  

To say she wasn’t curious would be a lie.  

Delia had been wondering ever since the moment she first got involved with him.  

Why did he make such a proposal to her? Why did he suddenly change?  

Of course, she wanted to know.  

But—  

“…It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”  

At the same time, she didn’t want to know.  

She was afraid that knowing the reason might change their relationship.  

She feared that the happiness she had finally found would only be temporary.  

So Delia shook her head.  

“…If knowing it would change what we have now, I’d rather not know.”  

“I’m sorry.”  

Delia’s heart sank.  

What was he apologizing for?  

Perhaps, to Kartan, something mattered more than their relationship.  

Anxiety began to creep into Delia’s heart, making it feel heavy again.  

But then—  

Smooch—  

His soft lips touched her forehead.  

Surprisingly, that single gesture made all the burdens weighing on her heart disappear.  

“For making you uneasy. For acting selfishly.”  

Kartan whispered.  

“Will you listen? I want to apologize to you.”  

For my mistakes. For my arrogant actions.  

Delia couldn’t possibly refuse his plea, which sounded almost like a desperate request.  

In the end, Delia nodded as a sign of permission.  

“I never once had anything that belonged to my older brother.”  

Kartan began to speak calmly.  

“Because I was the second son, all the attention went to him.”  

He continued his confession.  

From his stories about how much he resented his family and the household, to the impure motives that led him to approach her and cause such trouble.  

Kartan confessed everything to Delia.  

“…It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Delia.”  

He admitted that his initial approach to her had been driven by ill intentions.  

“If I hadn’t provoked my brother, you wouldn’t have gone through this.”  

His story, filled with guilt and regret, came to an end.  

And after hearing everything, Delia simply hugged Kartan tightly.  

“It’s okay, Kartan.”  

With those words, she comforted him.  

“…Don’t you find me detestable?”  

Kartan was worried that her feelings toward him might change.  

But Delia was so grateful for his honesty, for his willingness to share everything with her.  

“How could I?”  

Detestable? That was impossible. If anything, she felt pity for him.  

He hadn’t been loved by his family either.  

Perhaps that was why she had been drawn to Kartan without realizing it.  

But that wasn’t what mattered.  

What Delia said next wasn’t meant to console him.  

“I’m grateful to you.”  

“For what?”  

“If it weren’t for you, I would never have experienced being first place, not even once.”  

Delia had always been afraid.  

“And I would have continued to crave my family’s love.”  

She had cried out, wondering if anyone could love her for who she truly was.  

“I would have spent my whole life doubting whether I could be loved for just being me.”  

But now, things were different.  

Delia no longer clung to her family.  

“If I hadn’t met you, I’d still…”  

She no longer felt the need to obsess over academic achievements.  

“That’s why I’m grateful, Kartan.”  

“…I love you, Delia.”  

Now, she had someone who loved her for who she was.  

“I love you not as ‘Delia Acremen,’ but as ‘Delia.’”  

Because Kartan was by her side.  

“Whether you’re first or not, it doesn’t matter.”  

With happy smiles, the two of them kissed.