Her breath was stolen again.

Just as before, when only a wall had separated them and they had shared the same air, his tongue invaded her mouth once more, probing deep inside. Unlike his steady grip, the hot, living muscle took every trace of lingering alcohol from her mouth.

“…Haa.”

The flame passed from him into her breath as though the fire had caught the last traces of wine lingering within her. A scorching, unrelenting heat spread through her body.

Her gentle eyes drooped and their corners flushed crimson. Yet the fire smouldering there was nothing like the defiant gaze she had once turned so brazenly on her parents. This was a different blaze, spilling from the tips of her lashes like molten drops.

Despite having a face that might stir desire in anyone who looked upon it, Delphius’s expression did not waver. His hand, which had been idly stroking her chin as though it were a cat’s, shifted suddenly. He slid his index and middle fingers between her lips and pressed them inside as though to take the place of his tongue, seizing the heat within as his own.

“Not bad.”

His hand, moist with her breath, moved downwards and brushed over the soft curve of her br*ast. His touch circled her *reola, teasing her lightly. The yielding n*pple quivered beneath his fingers, losing its shape with each stroke, only to regain it again.

“Mmhh…”

The slightest movement prompted an immediate and unmistakable reaction from her. How could he not be pleased?

This was how her true parents must have cherished her.

This thought flashed through his mind — something he would never say aloud — as he grew bolder and cupped her entire br*ast in his palm.

“Is this enough for you?”

“What is?”

“…To have as many children as possible.”

“That?”

Delphius let out a quiet laugh.

“If bearing children is something you can so easily count as just that, then yes—clearly my calculations were wrong.”

How many women had lost their lives in childbirth despite every effort being made to save them? Even with medicine now advanced enough to prevent obstructed labor, saving both mother and child was still far from certain.

This was especially true in the countryside she had come from, where such help would have been scarce. Did she truly not know this? As he studied her, her body flushed hotly beneath his gaze.

“I—I never thought having children was easy! My mother tried all her life and couldn’t… so she raised me instead. I only meant—it’s what a wife should naturally do.”

“In other words, you want to repay me however you can.”

“…”

Her small face nodded beneath the weight of her full chest.

‘She wants to stand as my equal.’

He looked at her for a moment longer before dismissing the thought. This woman was too guileless to hide anything from him. She always revealed herself in ways that he could read effortlessly.

Like now, for example, when she clung to his arm with her fingers and brushed her elbow against his, as if unconsciously seeking closeness. He didn’t even need to see her expression to know how she felt.

As if in reward for her earnestness, he brushed his cheek against hers. Her skin carried a faint fruity fragrance.

“I don’t mind. If there’s something you want to do, then do it.”

“…Truly?”

“Why treat this as though it were a new issue? I made that clear when I set out the terms of our contract.”

Of course she knew. The generosity of that condition had once been enough to stir her suspicion. Yet Delphius had never gone back on his word.

Her parents.
Her marriage.
And the vow to live as one family for the rest of her life.

So when he promised she would lack nothing as the wife of House Lukehardt, it had to be sincere.

But what about Ilenia herself? What more could she possibly give to a man who already possessed everything? In the whispers that swirled around her, not a single word was spoken in her defense. Every voice echoed the same judgment—that she did not belong at Delphius’s side.

“It doesn’t matter if I bought you with money, took you from Count Kebeman by force, or if others use that information to gossip about you.”

Then, as though he had read her thoughts, he spoke softly to her in a low, beguiling voice.

“The fact that you are Lady Lukehardt is undeniable.”

“…Of Lukehardt.”

“Yes. So there’s no need to let the words of the worthless trouble you.”

The thin strap clinging to her shoulder slipped loose, baring the flushed curve beneath the gauzy fabric. Under the coaxing of his fingers, the tender peak slowly lifted its head.

This was the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

He could not have been blind to her origins. Delphius knew well enough that her family background offered him nothing—perhaps even posed a hindrance. Yet despite that, he looked upon her with affection.

What he sought was a woman who would remain at his side all his life—walking in step with him, raising his children. Someone who would smile brightly without needing to know everything, who would be his quiet, steadfast presence.

And in that sense, this innocent, inexperienced girl fit the role with perfect precision.

“There’s no need to be anxious. You only have to put effort into one thing.”

“….”

He smiled faintly as his hand moved lower. The fingers that had lingered on her br*asts now wandered across her stomach. Gliding past the delicate hollow of her navel, they found the silken ribbon guarding her most intimate place. At his caress, her shoulders tensed, tightening with unspoken strain.

“It’s the simplest proof, visible even from afar.”

Wherever his hand swept, garments slipped loose. They had been tied with ribbons for that very purpose.

“To carry a child.”

The fabric above, like that below, fell away with ease.

As if unwrapping a precious gift, his deliberate hands bared her shame. Reflexively, Ilenia’s own hand flew down to cover herself.

“Light…”

“What about it?”

“It’s… too bright.”

“From a single lamp?”

To him, the room was already dim. Beyond the two of them on the bed, the rest of the room was cloaked in shadow, with shapes barely discernible. Yet this bashful young lady seemed to crave an even deeper darkness.

“I don’t mind.”

In truth, it was a suggestion he welcomed.

Delphius reached for the lamp upon the nightstand, covering its flame. Starved of air, it flickered a few times before fading into darkness, leaving only the pale glow of moonlight behind.

Through the half-fallen canopy, their faces were hidden from one another—yet her white, bare form beneath him was clear as day.

When he coaxed her tightly pressed thighs apart and brushed against her most secret place, a breath escaped her—half sigh, half m*an.

“Ah…”

“Why so tense? Where’s the girl who stripped so eagerly a moment ago?”

“I thought… I thought once I undressed, it would happen right away.”

“Happen? What exactly?”

“Well, that… that you would…”

“If I go in without you being wet, you’ll tear.”

At the word tear, her thighs locked rigidly, trembling from fear. Tch. He hadn’t meant to make her seize up further.

“Don’t worry. I’ve no taste for ripping you open and drawing blood.”

Of course, this was dependent on her cooperation. Even then, taking her fully in was another matter altogether. He swallowed his remaining thoughts to spare her already fearful state.

“So relax, Ilenia.”

“I’m… trying.”

But her delicate legs, quivering pitifully, refused to part. As he toyed with the folds clenched as tightly as her heart, Delphius bit down lightly on his own lip.

Patience only lasted so long. His body clamored for more, urging him to push forward.

“Ilenia.”

“Yes? Hhh—”

The sensation of his lips devouring hers was unlike anything she had ever experienced: it was urgent, feverish and almost frenzied. His teeth tugged at her lower lip and his tongue entwined with hers so quickly that she could barely keep up.

With each sweep beneath her tongue, he stole her breath and her saliva, along with her sense of self, until she found herself clutching at his neck.

At that moment, Delphius forced his way inside her.

“Hhh…!”

A muffled cry slipped from her nose as the wet heat clamped down. The tight walls sucked greedily at his fingers, pulling them deeper as if unwilling to let go.

‘So d*mn narrow.’

Even he could not help but mutter inwardly at how impossibly tight she was. Her body was untouched and impenetrable, resisting all attempts at entry with desperate force.

“W-wait…!”

Her trembling shoulders shifted against his chest, and her small hands fumbled as though trying to push him away. While her arms shook pitifully, his long fingers showed no such hesitation, relentlessly probing her most intimate places.

“Ah!”

The shock of an unfamiliar sensation left her gasping and wide-eyed. When his knuckle sank all the way in, she glared up at him, tears in her eyes.

“You… you pervert!”

“What?”

Her sudden outburst left him blinking in disbelief—until her feeble fist thudded weakly against his shoulder.

“Where do you think you’re putting your fingers?!”

“What else? If I’m going to prepare you, this is only natural.”

“T-then just put it in…”

“And rip you open so you bleed?”

“…”

Her words faltered. When he resumed the steady rhythm of his slow, deep thr*sts, her clenched fingers trembled even more against his shoulder.

“But… the way it feels, it’s… it’s strange.”

“How strange?”

“Every time you push up, it’s… it feels wrong. Like something I shouldn’t be doing.”

Her voice wavered with panic and grew so quiet that it almost disappeared. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed that she had started speaking informally.

“Is that so?”

Delphius’s voice dropped low, amusement curling at the edges.

“Then feel it even more.”

With those words, he pushed another finger inside.