Side Story 2: The Knight and the Lady – If (Part 2)

Now, Kayev turned the blame inward.  

Yes, the love of a noblewoman was probably only ever this shallow. If there was any fault, it lay in his own belief that her love would remain unchanged.  

He, of all people, who knew better than anyone about the hypocrisy of nobles. He had to admit it. He was nothing more than an ant crushed under the innocent cruelty of a young noblewoman’s whims.  

Compared to such pure cruelty, he was…  

Kayev looked down at Celestia’s innocent, clear face once more.  

The ugly emotions of resentment, sorrow, jealousy, and anger contrasted sharply with her beauty, making them reek even more foully.  

I… I was sincere.  

“Kayev, what did you just say?”  

Sensing something off in his expression, she asked again, even as she endured his rough treatment.  

“It’s nothing. Forget it.”  

Despite his dismissive answer, he thrust into her as if punishing her, making Celestia cry out once more. Even as she gasped for breath, she urgently pressed him with another question.  

“Did you hear about the engagement?”  

As the truth spilled from her lips, it felt like his head might explode. At the same time, a hellish pleasure gripped his lower half. The intense sensations overwhelmed him, making him feel like he might lose his sanity.  

Engagements were arrangements between families. He had considered the possibility that it might have been arranged without her knowledge, but that was just self-deception.  

Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t the one who had toyed with an innocent noblewoman. He was the one who had been played. By Danverton—both the father and the daughter. Twice.  

“I was going to tell you about it anyway, but ugh!”  

Not wanting to hear another word, Kayev silenced her by covering her mouth with his lips. His large, slick c*ck, drenched in her fluids, pulled out only to slam back in to the hilt.  

The bed creaked under the force of his thrusts, and Celestia let out a high-pitched moan, muffled by his kiss.  

“I don’t want to hear it.”  

He wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to hear her words or her sensual cries. Either way, he knew that soon, she would be lying beneath another man, crying out and writhing like this.  

A whirlwind of emotions swirled in his chest: betrayal, disappointment, jealousy, desire, self-loathing, and… an insatiable longing for the woman he could never truly have.  

He couldn’t let her go easily. He had to have her as much as he could, perhaps even break her completely, before he could let her go. Otherwise, he felt like he might fall apart first.  

He moved his hips one last time, fiercely. His c*ck struck deep inside her, reaching the furthest it could go and stimulating her intensely. With her lips and lower body locked with his, she reached a thunderous climax.  

As her walls contracted tightly around him, he too let out a rough groan and released himself deep inside her. For a while, only the sound of their ragged breathing filled the room.  

“Kayev, listen to me.”  

After a moment, her clear voice snapped him out of his fevered daze. Kayev turned his head away from her, unwilling to hear the unpleasant topic she was bringing up again.  

“I was planning to tell you soon, but I didn’t expect you to find out first. Like you said, I have a fiancé now. If things continue as they are, I’ll have no choice but to marry him.”  

When Kayev tried to pull away from her, Celestia clung to him, preventing him from leaving. As she burrowed deeper into his embrace, he found himself unable to push her away.  

Yet her words still infuriated him. He wanted to distance himself from her, fearing he might truly do something reckless if this continued. But the next words out of her mouth stopped him cold.  

“So… let’s run away together. Can’t we do that? Please, Kayev…”  

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, bringing his senses back. He couldn’t tell if he was shocked by her words or overjoyed by them.  

You weren’t planning to leave me…?  

“What about your engagement?”  

Ignoring the joy bubbling within him, he forced himself to ask in a calm tone.  

“Well, my father can deal with it. How could I marry another man when I love you? I’ve already told them several times that I absolutely refuse. I really don’t want to get married, Kayev. Please? You’re the only one for me… I only want to be with you…”  

Due to the affectionate young lady rubbing her face against his chest, Kayev found himself utterly disarmed. Thinking back, he realized how absurdly excited he had become. It seemed he was still just a novice.  

Yet, instead of reproaching himself, his mind continued calculating.  

Just as Celestia had come of age this year, Kayev too had celebrated his eighteenth birthday. By winter, he planned to leave the Danverton Estate and secretly rendezvous with Prince Jacob in the northern region.  

The Prince was gathering forces there, preparing for his return to the capital, and was awaiting Kayev’s arrival. Until the right moment came, Kayev had been lying low at the Danverton Estate, preserving his strength.  

…Taking one more woman along shouldn’t be too much of a problem.  

Though the fact that she was a daughter of the House of Danverton might not sit well, the Prince would have no choice but to accept her if Kayev requested it.  

Kayev began formulating a more detailed plan. Although she currently bore the surname Danverton, if she married him, she would become the Duchess of Ruden. Of course, this would only be possible if Kayev reclaimed his title.  

Once his status was restored, the first thing he would need to do was marry her. They might even hold the wedding in the North if things moved quickly enough…  

Celestia’s suggestion to run away had set Kayev’s mind into motion, constructing plans. Even if they held a ceremony, it would be an elopement, with no consideration for the Earl of Danverton’s consent.  

The long-planned purge of the House of Danverton… would likely require significant revisions. No matter how ruthless he might be, he couldn’t completely destroy the family of his future father-in-law.  

Though Celestia herself hadn’t mentioned the word ‘marriage,’ it was the only thought occupying his mind.  

He didn’t think there was anything odd about himself. Anyone who sought to protect such a delicate and innocent lady would naturally think of taking such legal measures.  

In Kayev’s eyes, Celestia was a greenhouse flower, fragile and destined to be trampled if left exposed to the world. He felt he could only rest easy after reclaiming his title and status and fortifying her with a position no one could challenge.  

At one time, he had thought of her as merely a pawn to use and discard, withholding his affection. But human emotions rarely followed plans.  

The very idea that he had intended to use her in the first place seemed absurd now. It was only then that Kayev admitted he had been justifying his feelings for her with excuses.  

“Kayev? Do you not like my proposal? Hmm… I suppose it is a bit sudden. I’m not asking you to decide right this moment. I was just curious about what you thought… Since you said you liked me too, I thought you might be heartbroken if I got engaged…”  

“I will go.”  

Celestia stared at him with wide, surprised eyes.  

“What? What did you say?”  

“I said I will go. I will run away with you from this estate.”  

His subsequent answer made her cover her mouth with her hands. She couldn’t believe it. All the time she had spent that afternoon agonizing over how to bring this up with Kayev, wondering how he would react, had been worth it.  

“Still, Kayev… shouldn’t you take at least a few days to think about it? After all, you’d be abandoning your position as a knight and becoming a fugitive… It’ll be a hard life for you too… Are you really okay with choosing such a difficult path because of me?”  

“That’s what I want to ask you. Are you truly willing to abandon everything you have now to come with me?”  

“Of course, I am! Do you think I’ve been chasing after you for two years with a light heart?”  

“Then I have no objections. I’ll prepare for our departure, so you should make your own preparations carefully to avoid being discovered.”  

Even her last question, thrown out as a matter of conscience, was met with his resolute response. Celestia felt as though her heart might burst with joy.  

Even after confirming their mutual feelings, Kayev had always been somewhat cold and reserved. Sometimes, she wondered if he truly liked her or if he was merely humoring her out of exasperation.  

But Kayev’s firm answer dispelled all her doubts.  

“Kayev, I think… I think I love you so much…!”  

Her voice trembled with emotion as she buried her face in his chest. Kayev wrapped his arms tightly around her.  

Celestia was the first lady Kayev had ever served. And he was her first knight. For all knights, devoting their lives to protecting their lady was both their destiny and their wish.  

“I feel the same, Celestia.”  

Thus, Kayev silently vowed to keep his lady by his side and protect her forever.  

〈Side Story 2: The Knight and the Lady – If〉 End