<Episode 108>

Eveline felt as if she were witnessing a breathtaking masterpiece.

His jet-black hair, damp from the splashing water, clung to his skin, making him look more like a sculpted statue than a man. The way the droplets slid down his face reminded her of the fountain statue in the central square, eternally bathed in cascading water.

“Elkais.”

His low voice made her stare at him even more intently.

Water dripped from his hair, running down his forehead and into his eyes, yet he did not blink. He only looked at her.

His garnet-red eyes, dark and deep, reflected nothing but Eveline.

As he took in the sight of her pale, bare skin—marked with the possessive traces he had left upon her—his grip on her tightened instinctively.

“Elkais, look at me.”

At her words, his gaze met hers again, clouded as though he were intoxicated.

The lingering heat between them, mixed with the water trickling over his skin, made Eveline’s body prickle with a sensation she couldn’t describe. It was as if invisible scales had risen upon her flesh, sensitive to even the faintest touch of air.

“Haah…”

He exhaled roughly, locking eyes with her. Eveline found herself mesmerized by the way the water glided down his neck, trailing over his chest in gleaming rivulets.

The water reflected the chandelier’s light, shimmering like scattered diamonds.

Perhaps that was why he looked like a sculpture made of glass.

“How does it feel when I touch you here?”

Eveline placed her hand over his firm chest, watching as he bit his lip in response.

His gaze was both terrifying and tender, making her shiver with a strange mix of fear and satisfaction.

Even as he moved his hand upon her, his restraint was evident in the taut lines of his face.

Eveline dragged her nails lightly down his collarbone, and his entire body shuddered.

Still perched on his lap, she lifted herself slightly onto her knees, momentarily pulling away from his thighs.

His eyes instinctively followed her movement.

“Ah.”

Reaching toward a shelf near the bathtub, Eveline picked up an hourglass before settling back onto his lap.

“This is something I often used during my beauty treatments.”

She smiled as she held up the hourglass, its delicate frame encasing fine, blue sand.

Elkais barely heard her words. Just seeing her smile made him want to mark her skin all over again.

“It runs for ten minutes.”

“…What exactly are you planning?”

He let out a heavy breath as his hand drifted toward her chest, but she caught his wrist, stopping him.

“If you last the full ten minutes, next time, we’ll do it five times.”

“…What?”

“And you can’t stop midway.”

Elkais was so stunned that he actually paused.

Eveline, seeing his hesitation, continued smoothly.

“So? Want to make a bet?”

“…Fine.”

Eveline took his hand and moved it away from his lower body before flipping the hourglass over onto the shelf.

The blue sand began to trickle down with a soft, steady sound.

Elkais felt strange.

The way she had touched him just now… it was more intense than anything he had done to himself.

“I feel like I’ve already lost.”

“If you do, you’re banned from touching me for a whole month.”

“…I’ll endure, no matter what.”

The determined look on his face made Eveline laugh as she pressed her body against his.

Then, slowly, she wrapped her fingers around the very place he had been holding moments ago and began to move.

“I don’t think I can last.”

Elkais gritted his teeth, his expression tightening.

Eveline leaned in close, her lips brushing against his ear.

“A whole month.”

“Ugh…”

As he struggled to hold on, she nibbled at his earlobe, her breath warm against his skin.

Her lips trailed down, teasing his ear before moving to his neck.

The moment she bit down on his throat, his grip on the bathtub tightened so much that she heard a faint cracking noise.

“If you break the tub, we won’t be able to bathe together anymore, will we?”

“…I’m holding back.”

At her words, Elkais reluctantly loosened his grip, his fingers trembling with restraint.

He clenched his fists, refusing to grab onto anything, and instead fixed his gaze on the hourglass Eveline had placed.

The sand within fell at an agonizingly slow pace.

Had this been any other time, Elkais might have questioned whether it was truly a ten-minute timer.

But right now, he was struggling just to hold on to his sanity as Eveline’s hands moved over him, her touch pushing him to his limit.

So he didn’t notice.

He didn’t realize that the hourglass Eveline had set was actually a thirty-minute one.

He didn’t realize that more than ten minutes had already passed, and that Eveline was well aware of it.

“Elkais, you must really like it when I bite you.”

“Yes. I like it so much I might go insane.”

His voice came out in a breathy sigh, and Eveline chuckled at his response before sinking her teeth into him again.

There was not a single soft part on his body.

The only things remotely pliant were his lips—and what she currently held in her hands.

Even his neck was firm and unyielding.

She suddenly realized how much thicker his skin was compared to hers.

Thinking back, she recalled how, back on the island, she was always covered in small cuts and bruises, while he remained untouched.

Even in the freezing cold, he endured it far better than she ever could.

It was fascinating.

After all, she could never do the same.

“Mm…”

Just as he had relentlessly teased her earlier, Eveline bit into his neck, her lips latching on seductively.

She tightened her grip over his hand as he moved, quickening the pace until the water splashed around them.

His hands twitched, as if about to grab her shoulders—but instead, he clenched them into fists again, forcing them back down.

He couldn’t trust himself to touch her right now.

If he did, the last of his self-control would be gone.

One month.

There was no way he could last that long.

She was too beautiful to resist, and his love for her weighed too heavily in his chest.

And they had only been together twice.

A sudden thought struck him.

He remembered when Eveline had once dreamed of marrying a Royal Alpha and had even sent him a proposal.

Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it.

But now, even if he had to sacrifice an arm, he would exchange it to erase that moment from history.

“I can’t last a month.”

“It’s only been five minutes.”

Fifteen minutes had passed.

Yet Eveline spoke as if only a fraction of the time had gone by.

The hourglass was already halfway empty, the blue sand pooling at the bottom.

Elkais was growing increasingly frustrated with the blood rushing downward, yet he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Eveline’s teasing expression.

“If you bite that hard, you’re going to taste blood when we kiss later.”

Eveline stroked his cheek as she spoke, making him pause his own biting.

“Elkais.”

“Yes.”

“Bite my neck again.”

“That would be uncomfortable for you. And if I let go of this, it’ll be easier for me to hold back.”

Without waiting for her response, he guided her hands away and took over.

“Like this?”

“No.”

When she placed her hands back over his, he let out a sharp breath, his teeth scraping his lip. But the moment he met her eyes, he froze, no longer able to bite down.

“Hold my waist.”

“You might bruise.”

“I’ll be mad if I do.”

“…Then I’ll make sure not to leave a mark.”

Reluctantly, he moved his hands to her waist.

She shifted, resting her weight against him, one hand bracing against his shoulder while the other remained in place.

To keep her steady, he gripped her gently, ensuring she wouldn’t slip.

“Mm… Elkais?”

“You’re adorable.”

As he held her, his thumb instinctively pressed against her navel.

“You’re such a pervert.”

“Only with you.”

Despite his words, he resisted touching her further. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Why aren’t you touching my chest?”

“If I do, how am I supposed to hold back?”

His dead-serious tone made Eveline giggle. She responded by sinking her teeth into his neck again.

“Haah…”

His breath stuttered, and Eveline pressed closer, but her raised position made it difficult.

His hand was still between them, keeping some distance between their bodies.

Even so, when the soft curve of her chest brushed against his shoulder, Elkais shuddered.

“Mm… What are you doing?”

“If you touch me too much, I won’t last.”

“Should we extend the time, then?”

“…No. No, just finish it.”

Eveline pouted mischievously.

“Your chest is so hard. Every time I touch it, it feels like I’m rubbing against stone.”

She pressed against him deliberately, teasing him further.

Elkais felt like he was going to explode.

The heat pooling in his head made his ears burn.

“If you close your eyes, do you stop seeing me? You can still see everything, even with your eyes shut, can’t you?”

She giggled as she released her hold and gently stroked his cheek, bringing her face close to his.

Elkais swallowed, staring at her.

So close.

As if inviting a kiss.

“Love you, Elkais.”

That was it.

He couldn’t hold back any longer.