Ariadne truly felt as if she were seconds away from losing consciousness.

‘How… when… why?’

She had told Jay everything that had frustrated her, including things she should never have said and things she should have said. Now, after Kieron said that he had ‘heard everything he wanted to hear’, she wished she could faint on the spot. At least then there would be a chance that he hadn’t heard it all.

But no.

Jay left, and Kieron approached her, picking up the comb from her dressing table. She remained painfully alert throughout.

Completely against her deepest, most desperate wish.

‘I want to disappear. Just disappear.’

She even had the ridiculous idea that if she closed her eyes, he might think she had fallen asleep.

She kept her mouth shut, as though she had swallowed her tongue.

If he hadn’t started combing her hair, she would have remained frozen like that forever. However, the sudden sensation on her scalp made her sit up straight again.

“Wh–what are you doing?”

“Oh. You said you were displeased that I never did anything, yet suddenly carried you today.”

“…What?”

What on earth was he talking about?

He had her head caught between his fingers, so she couldn’t move, escape or even protest. All she could do was look around helplessly.

“If you were unhappy that I never did anything, you should have told me.”

“T–told you what?”

“That you wanted me to hold your hand. Or hold you.”

“H–how… h–how would I say something like that?”

Kieron spoke calmly and matter-of-factly as he combed her hair, but Ariadne felt like dying on the spot.

She realized that he had heard everything from the very beginning.

Her face fell as she whispered.

“D–did you hear… all of it?”

“Every word. You have quite a lot of complaints about me.”

Ariadne let out a silent scream and kept staring at the floor.

Of course! He had heard everything after all.

Why had he appeared at that particular moment? Why had he caused this chaos now?

“Why did you even come here in the first place?”

“I told you—I came because I wanted to talk. I didn’t expect to hear that kind of conversation, however.”

“No, I mean… what kind of talk…”

He never came unless he had a specific reason.

Why talk now, suddenly?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Kieron put down the comb. Then, with gentle fingers, he took a handful of her dry hair and let it fall loosely across his palm.

“I wanted to ask. Was it truly so unpleasant when I held you?”

The loose strands of hair brushing against the nape of her neck made her shiver. His low voice drifted into her ear and goosebumps rippled across her skin.

Without meaning to, Ariadne found herself wanting to lift her head to see his expression reflected in the mirror before her.

“I said I would wait until you were ready, but every now and then, I wondered. Do you dislike it when our skin touches? Or is it that…”

‘You hesitate for the same reason I do?’

With only a few strands left in his palm, he slowly raised his hand.

It passed over her chest, neck and chin before finally reaching her lips.

He lowered his head and gently touched his lips to the ends of her hair.

A shiver ran through her body. The sensation that began when his lips touched her hair travelled along each strand and spread throughout her body.

And, caught in his unwavering gaze, she stood in silence.

Gulp.

She could hear the sound of her own breathing in the stillness of the room.

Frozen to the spot, she met his eyes in the mirror, unable to move a muscle.

His gaze held her — so intent and consuming — that for a brief moment, she wondered if he intended to devour her whole.

He didn’t look away.

Not even once.

She had no idea how long they remained like that, lost in each other’s reflections.

The first to move was Ariadne.

“Th–thank you for brushing my hair!”

The thought that something irreversible might happen if she looked at him for even one second longer made her leap to her feet and practically flee the chair.

Kieron seemed startled. Or perhaps he was just a little amused.

As she pressed a trembling hand over her racing heart, he let out a soft laugh and murmured.

“So I was the only one hesitating.”

If the line carried a hint of bitterness… maybe that was only her imagination.

She stood there, clutching her chest, lips trembling before she finally managed to speak.

It happened just as he turned to leave.

“Th–that’s… not true.”

Her voice was so quiet that anyone not paying attention might have missed it. But Kieron heard it perfectly. He stopped walking.

Surprise, confusion, and a flicker of hope mingled in his eyes as he turned back to face her.

Meeting his gaze, Ariadne felt something steady inside her, something like courage welling up. So she shut her eyes tight and forced out the thoughts she’d held back for so long.

“You weren’t the only one hesitating, my lord. I’ve also been hes—”

She never finished the sentence.

Something collided with her tightly shut lips — firm, warm, and unmistakable. Something else pressed against her mouth.

Warmth settled on her stiff shoulders, and a new tension came over her heart — hot, firm and clumsy, mirroring her own.

She didn’t hate it.

So Ariadne reached out and grabbed the hem of his coat — small, but steady and sure. That alone was almost the beginning.

She felt as if she might collapse from the force with which he pressed into her; his lips nearly bent her neck back.

“M–my lord… your gra—”

She managed to push him back just enough to breathe, but he came at her again—far more frantically than she expected.

‘Why?‘she wondered—but only for a moment.

Even as she gasped for breath, she welcomed him crashing into her time and time again, holding her tightly.

She stumbled backwards under his weight, step after step, until her back finally hit the wall behind her.

From its softness… a bed? Or maybe a sofa?

It didn’t matter.

What mattered was what was about to happen: taking him in completely.

She clung to him as though he were a lifeline.

***

The night felt impossibly long.

In fact, if she were being honest, it had begun well before nightfall.

The sensations came in waves, leaving her with no opportunity to steady herself or gather her thoughts. She couldn’t tell whether time had passed or if she had simply lost awareness for a moment.

Before she could fully process what had happened, it was already over, leaving behind a strange, tingling feeling that was far from unpleasant.

The aftermath, however, was unmistakable.

“…Are you all right?”

“Don’t talk to me…”

Thirty minutes had passed since Ariadne had woken up, yet she was still unable to sit up.

Her entire body ached as though she had been beaten black and blue.

He must have tortured her mercilessly, she was covered in bruises, and even the nape of her neck was covered in embarrassing bite marks.

They had to attend the princess’s wedding soon.

Would these bruises fade in time…?

“Honestly… weren’t you too much? I told you to slow down several times yesterday…”

“Hm. I didn’t realize you were this fragile—no, wait. My apologies. I misjudged my strength.”

Kieron muttered something under his breath as he looked her over, but fell silent when she shot him a murderous glare.

He had wielded a sword all his life.

He knew exactly how to injure someone — and how not to.

Yet Ariadne was far more delicate than he had expected. He thought he was barely holding her, yet the slightest pressure had left bruises blooming across her skin.

‘It looks like I’ll have to feed her every restorative and tonic known to mankind.’

If she knew what was going through his mind, Ariadne would have passed out.

Wrapped tightly in blankets like a cocoon and groaning pitifully, she looked—

… adorable.

Utterly, devastatingly adorable.

Covered in his marks, whimpering and pouting, she was so precious that he could hardly bear it.

The more he thought about it, the more his mouth softened at the corners.

He admitted that he had lost control last night. He also admitted that the moment he realized she had been uncertain too, he had all but lost his mind.

But the instant he became aware of how wildly he was moving, she had wrapped her arms around his waist — tentatively, tremblingly, but willingly.

Even as she gasped for breath, she tried with all her might to take him in.

Those trembling eyes.

Those unsteady lips.

Recalling how intoxicating and lovely she had been, he realized that yes, he had been rash, but he had made the right choice.

Even if he could turn back time and return to that moment, he would make the same decision again.

She was that lovable.

That deeply, achingly satisfying.

Kieron watched her writhing weakly beneath the blankets and gently smoothed her hair.

“I’ll bring you something to eat. It’d be troublesome to call for the servants now, wouldn’t it?”

“You know that very well.”

“I’ll bring something warm for the bruises too, so just wait here a little. You can sleep if you want. All right?”

He comforted her softly, already thinking about what to fetch next.

Preoccupied with this, he didn’t notice how peaceful and gentle his face had become as he spoke to her.