It was late afternoon, with a broad desert wind carrying grains of sand through the air as birds sang overhead.

Leisurely gazing out the bedroom window, Ophelia suddenly frowned.

A man had caught her eye.

Beneath the blazing sun, he wore rare ornaments and flowing layers of cloth, his deeply tanned skin exposed without the slightest concern.

“…What on earth is he doing?”

As though she had witnessed something she shouldn’t have, Ophelia muttered under her breath, blinking her pale lashes several times.

Judging by the attendants gathered around him, he appeared to be discussing matters of state. Yet it was his sluggish steps and the back of his neck—flushed so red that even his dark skin couldn’t conceal it—that immediately drew her attention.

Unable to watch any longer, she flung the door open and strode straight toward him.

Dragging her injured leg behind her, she stopped in front of the man and demanded.

“What are you doing?”

“Hm? Whatever brought this on so suddenly?”

The man, Kapkan, answered with his usual easygoing smile upon noticing Ophelia. Even the attendants nearby looked puzzled by her sudden appearance.

‘So that’s how you’re going to play this.’

Lifting a brow in irritation, Ophelia grabbed Kapkan’s wrist without hesitation.

“Come with me.”

His skin burned beneath her touch.

She couldn’t believe he had remained so unconcerned until he’d reached this state. The absurdity of it left her speechless, but there was no time to argue with him now.

As soon as they reached the marble garden inside the nearby royal palace, Ophelia glanced around to make sure no one was watching before dragging him into a quiet, shaded corner.

“Hey now, don’t you think you’re being a little rough? I’m a rather important man, you know…”

Ophelia ignored him.

With a loud bang, she shoved Kapkan against the wall.

“You. What’s wrong with you?”

Her expression remained rigid.

Meeting her cool gray-blue eyes beneath half-lowered lids, the corner of Kapkan’s mouth curved into the faintest smile.

Watching him merely shrug as though nothing was wrong, Ophelia reached toward him without hesitation.

Her pale hand rested against his forehead before sliding to the back of his neck. She ran her fingers over his forearm and the exposed skin beneath his clothing, confirming what she had already suspected.

Every place she touched radiated a heat so intense it scarcely seemed human.

It was a dangerously high fever.

Exactly as she’d expected.

“You’re burning up, and you’re still acting like nothing’s wrong?”

“Don’t tell me… you’re actually worried about me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m this close to leaving you here.”

Apparently, the fever had already clouded his judgment.

Seeing there was no time to waste, Ophelia reluctantly loosened his outer robe, spread it across the ground, and eased him down to sit.

“…That was expensive.”

“Be quiet.”

She scolded him as she settled herself onto the lap of the Kapkan leaning against the wall.

The heat pouring from his body burned against her skin at such close range.

Looking down, she met his deep violet eyes, heavy beneath lowered lids.

Silence lingered between them for a moment.

Gently cupping his chin, Ophelia pressed her lips against his.

A soft, damp sound escaped between them.

Their breaths mingled as warm exhalations intertwined, filling the quiet space.

Their tongues met through parted lips, moving slowly and tentatively as they explored one another.

Her small tongue glided gently against his, teasing him with light, fleeting touches.

It was an inexperienced kiss, clumsy enough that she had to pull away again and again for breath, yet the sincerity with which she guided him was more than enough to leave him yearning for more.

When the tip of her tongue brushed the sensitive roof of his mouth, a low groan rumbled from deep within his throat.

“…Ha…”

Scorching heat poured from him, washing over Ophelia.

The overwhelming warmth that had built up inside him slowly flowed into her.

Even someone like her, whose body was filled with an unnatural chill, could clearly feel the intense heat. It made her wonder how he had managed to pretend he was fine while enduring a fever this severe.

Ophelia slowly drew back.

At the same moment, a quiet sigh of disappointment slipped from his lips.

“…Ah…”

When Ophelia looked at him again, the composed man from moments ago was nowhere to be found.

His easygoing facade had vanished.

In its place was a man utterly starved for more.

“So you’ve finally run out of composure.”

A faint smile tugged at Ophelia’s lips as she rested her hand over the unmistakable bulge pressing insistently against her.

Unlike its owner, it made no attempt to hide its agitation.

With deliberate slowness, she gave it a light tap through the fabric and asked,

“It doesn’t seem like you need this anymore… I can go back now, can’t I?”

As Ophelia shifted as though she were about to stand, Kapkan let out a strained groan, his brows knitting together in helpless frustration.

He caught her before she could leave, his voice rough with barely restrained desperation.

“…Help me. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”

Ophelia slowly looked him over.

The hand gripping her arm trembled uncontrollably, and his black hair, brushing against his shoulders, clung to the back of his neck, soaked with cold sweat.

Perhaps it was the price he had paid for that brief moment of relief from the overwhelming heat, but he could do nothing except gasp raggedly, unable even to close his saliva-dampened lips.

His arousal had long since dampened the front of his clothing.

Without hesitation, Ophelia drew back the fabric covering him.

A bead of clear moisture escaped from him.

She carefully wrapped her hand around him and slowly stroked downward.

“…Ngh!”

His body jerked involuntarily.

At her continued touch, he squeezed his eyes shut and bit hard on his lower lip.

Without breaking her rhythm, Ophelia continued the steady motion of her hand while pressing gentle kisses to his neck and collarbone.

A soft, wet sound filled the air, and his taut muscles trembled as though enduring exquisite torment.

As if soothing the tension gathered in his rigid body, she lightly nipped at his shoulder.

Unable to endure her relentless teasing any longer, Kapkan let out a strained groan and urged her on.

“How… much longer are you going to keep tormenting me? Just because I teased you a little earlier… don’t you think this is a bit much?”

“You shouldn’t have acted so confident.”

Pressing her lips firmly against his sensitive skin, Ophelia chided him, the corners of her mouth lifting into an unhurried smile.

At last, drenched in cold sweat, he released a long breath in quiet surrender.

“…I’ll behave… so please…”

Whether intentionally or not, her movements slowed even further, and he could no longer endure them.

Driven to his limit, Kapkan reached out and swiftly loosened the white cloth wrapped around Ophelia.

Grasping her by the waist, he drew her down against him.

As he pressed himself against her and gently parted her with his fingers, clear moisture trickled down his knuckles.

“D*mn it…”

His vision swam from the fever.

His body ached with desire left only half-satisfied.

With her soft body shifting restlessly in his arms, the last remnants of his restraint finally gave way.

He spread the moisture coating his palm over himself before slowly easing into her.

“…Ngh!”

“Ah…!”

As he slipped past her tightly closed entrance, her inner walls quivered around him.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden intrusion, a startled cry escaped her lips.

“W-Wait…!”

Overwhelmed by his size, Ophelia squeezed her eyes shut, a strained gasp escaping her.

He continued forward with deliberate patience, his sheer breadth forcing her body to gradually give way.

A dull ache spread through her as though she were being stretched to her very limit, making her thighs tremble uncontrollably.

“You… you…”

“Please… bear with me. I really… feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”

Catching Ophelia before she could slump forward, Kapkan held her firmly and drew her down against him.

The overwhelming heat burning deep within him urged him to pull her even closer.

When he finally pressed forward until the last trace of resistance melted away, her body slowly yielded, accepting him completely.

“Ah…!”

The sensation was beyond anything that brief kiss could have prepared them for.

The blazing heat that had consumed him seemed to have finally found its destination, pouring into her all at once.

Her head shook instinctively beneath the overwhelming intensity, but through the fever clouding his vision, Kapkan barely noticed.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Ophelia, as though he would never let her slip away.

As he began to move, soft, damp sounds echoed in a steady rhythm, and each slow thr*st through her warmth sent an unfamiliar pleasure spreading through him like fire.

For a moment, the pounding of his own heartbeat seemed to ring in his ears.

The growing pleasure left his thoughts hopelessly intoxicated.

‘It’s not enough…’

His violet eyes glimmered through the haze of fever.

Beads of sweat slipped from his tightly furrowed brow, trailing steadily downward as he struggled to hold on to what little restraint remained.

The steady rhythm and overwhelming warmth drew them both deeper into a dizzying bliss.

Unable to resist any longer, Kapkan sought out Ophelia’s lips once more, breathing a hot sigh into the kiss.