Chapter 9 (Part 2)

Celestia, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why he was acting this way, and it only frustrated her. Why was he now behaving like someone who had been betrayed? If anything, she was the one who should be asking questions. But she was too exhausted to argue over right and wrong.

Whether she had encountered Kayev today or not, nothing would have changed. She planned to leave this place in three days, and she wanted to leave as quietly as possible, especially considering the debt she owed to the Countess of Glemming.

“Ha…”

She suddenly felt incredibly tired. She buried her face in her hands briefly to gather herself, then raised her head. She decided to think as lightly as possible. She was someone who had left behind any future in this place.

Her foolish heart raced at the sight of the face she hadn’t seen in so long. Perhaps it was time to complete the farewell that had been left unfinished two years ago.

After being certain of Kayev’s change of heart, she had dreamed of a beautiful goodbye. Celestia wanted to be remembered by the man she had loved without looking pathetic. Couldn’t she take one last memory with her?

Facing the end, she decided to think freely.

“Kayev, Kayev…”

Seeing her, as if she had made up her mind, Kayev stiffened even further. At the sound of her tender voice calling his name, his heart reacted before his ears. He had thought he could never trust her again, but that sweet voice melted a corner of his frozen heart.

He found himself pathetic. He was always weak in front of Celestia.

“Damn it, don’t call me that. You shameless…”

His attempt to stop her with insincere words was quickly thwarted. She had approached him without warning and gently cupped his cheeks with both hands.

“…What are you doing?”

He spoke with feigned ferocity, but he couldn’t push her hands away. It wouldn’t have been difficult to remove her small hands, which rested lightly on his cheeks, with his strength.

But how could he push away the hands he had missed so dearly? How could he remove them with his own hands? The soft touch of her palms felt as though they were gripping his heart, not his cheeks.

“You’ve been through so much over the past two years. I heard you returned safely, but are you hurt anywhere? You probably won’t believe me, but I’ve truly worried about you all this time.”

Kayev closed his eyes tightly, unable to suppress the emotions surging from deep within. Even if her affectionate words and actions were entirely fabricated, he desperately wanted to believe them like a fool.

“What does… what does that have to do with you?”

He made a final attempt to resist. But it was a futile effort.

“How can it not matter? I’ve always been worried about you. No matter what, you could at least tell me that much.”

Celestia pulled his face closer and kissed his dry lips, parched from tension. She felt like crying but held back.

For her, this was meant to be the final gift of their farewell. She didn’t care about his reaction now that she was leaving. But to Kayev, her action was nothing short of an explosive trigger.

If this was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up. The treasure he thought had slipped through his fingers had somehow rolled back into his hands. Kayev witnessed a thrilling glimpse of hope and joy.

There was still a chance. The moment he thought so, resistance became meaningless. He surrendered far too easily.

“Mm…”

The light kiss Celestia had initiated was soon swallowed entirely by him. His tongue pushed in roughly, and his overpowering force made her stumble backward.

Kayev, supporting her head and waist to prevent her from falling, eventually lifted her up entirely. Celestia’s legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. Both of them were on the verge of tears as they felt each other’s long-missed warmth.

Kayev slammed the door shut behind them. In typical fashion, he locked it securely.

“Where’s the bed?”

Celestia had barely parted her lips when Kayev asked a question. Despite the bed being in plain sight, his eyes were solely focused on Celestia. His heart felt as though it would burst with a mix of resentment, affection, obsession, and love for her. 

He no longer cared about what Celestia might have done in his absence. Perhaps it had simply been a moment of poor judgment on her part. After all, no one goes through life without making mistakes. Kayev decided he would willingly forgive her.

Even if she no longer loved him, that was fine. He would cherish the memory of having been loved by her and return that love in kind. 

Two springs, from the age of sixteen to eighteen. 

Kayev cursed himself for having squandered such happiness. But self-loathing could wait. What mattered now was Celestia, gasping for breath in his arms. 

Gently laying her frail body on the bed, Kayev placed his strong arms on either side of her head. 

“You must know what I’m about to do. If you want to refuse, say so now. Begging later won’t change anything.”

He posed the question with a look that suggested he might kill someone if she said no. 

Trapped in a hot and solid prison, she looked into his desire-filled gray eyes. Yes, what burned in his gaze was unmistakably desire. She was now confident she wouldn’t confuse love with lust. And if it was lust, not love, she was willing to throw herself into this final memory game. 

“When have I ever refused you?”

At her cheeky acceptance, his gaze grew even wilder. His rough hands, veins bulging, immediately began tearing off her clothes. 

Though embarrassed by their intimacy after such a long time, he seemed utterly indifferent. Whatever urgency drove him, Kayev charged at her without subtlety or teasing. He couldn’t even wait to remove her clothes fully, leaving kisses on every inch of exposed skin and panting heavily. 

Celestia, not to be outdone, responded just as passionately. She hadn’t intended for things to escalate this way, but now that they had, she found herself irresistibly drawn to the man before her. She hastily stripped off his shirt and caressed his bare skin. The firmness of his body and the warmth of his flesh made Kayev’s presence feel all the more real. 

As if spurred on by her touch, he began kissing her even more aggressively. Her ample chest, now exposed, was already crushed in his hands. 

“Ah… Kayev.”

Burying his face in her pale neck, he inhaled her familiar scent deeply, his eyes glazing over as if intoxicated. Without hesitation, Kayev lowered his lips to her chest, his tongue flicking over her still-soft n*pples, causing her body to tremble. 

With his free hand, he kneaded her other br*ast, rubbing her n*pple until a shrill moan escaped her lips. Kayev suddenly realized how desperately he had craved her body. 

He couldn’t comprehend how he had managed to breathe and live without her. At that moment, he felt as though he’d sell his soul just to have her. 

Celestia, too, was losing herself in his relentless hands and lips. The faint memories of their past physical connection returned with stunning clarity. Yes, being with him had always felt like this. She was overcome with emotion. 

While she was lost in tender nostalgia, Kayev had already surrendered to his instincts. He nibbled and licked every inch of her pale skin, leaving his mark wherever he could. The urge to bury himself inside her overwhelmed him. 

This was the reunion of lovers long separated. Kayev’s self-control was hanging by a thread. He briefly worried that his lack of restraint might frighten Celestia, but his mind couldn’t process anything beyond that. 

Rising, Kayev spread her legs apart, gazing down between them with eyes darkened by desire. 

“Ah, Kayev, wait, not so…”

His gaze, almost black with lust, fell between her legs. His chest heaved like a beast as he took in the sight of her flushed and swollen womanhood. 

There were so many questions he wanted to ask. 

Had she been with another man in my absence? Had she shared a bond as deep as ours with Marquis Fenel? Had she ever shown this lewd, flushed state, legs spread wide, to anyone but me? 

The mere thought filled him with violent impulses that made him want to kill someone, but Kayev suppressed them. Such patience was uncharacteristic of him. Yet, for Celestia’s sake, and to keep her by his side, he buried his anger. 

What was done was done. What mattered was the Celestia before him now. If there was blame to be assigned, it lay with his absence and his past actions that had ruined her family. 

Putting everything else aside, Kayev reached out to claim the woman before him. No matter what had happened until now, from this point on, only he would touch Celestia’s body and see her disheveled state. He decided to be satisfied with that. 

As he steadied himself and aligned their bodies, Celestia let out another sharp breath. 

“Kayev, slowly… please, take it slow.”

Perhaps it was due to their long separation, but Celestia seemed oddly apprehensive. Seeing her hesitance, Kayev gently caressed her exposed womanhood. 

“Ah, ah… Kayev…”

“Shh, there’s nothing to fear, Celestia. Why are you so tense?”

As he moved his hand and leaned down, her arms wrapped around his neck like a collar. Her trembling yet affectionate gesture softened his expression. 

“Is it because it’s been a while? For someone so nervous, you’re already plenty wet.”

His deep, soothing voice whispered into her ear, and Celestia shook her head. 

To Kayev, her reactions were always innocent and endearing. Slowly, he slid his thick fingers into her wet folds, making way for himself. Her tight entrance clenched around his invading fingers. 

Kayev resisted the urge to thrust himself into her warmth immediately and instead focused on loosening her up. He remembered exactly what she liked and how she liked it. Savoring the texture of her inner walls, he began to move his fingers gently. 

“Did you ever miss me? When you longed for this feeling deep inside, what did you do? Surely, you must have touched yourself down here alone, didn’t you?”

His wicked tongue teased her ear, sending shivers through her body and heightening her sensitivity.