Episode 3

“What… what did you just do?”

Yvonne was flustered, feeling that the ribbon on the back of her dress had been torn off. But Yurian looked even more flustered than she was.

“The ribbon was too weak.”

“Pfft…”

As Yvonne laughed, realizing he’d lost control, the bed creaked softly beneath them.

Yurian, hearing her laugh, felt a small sense of relief. But at the same time, he wondered if he was just too easily excited—and felt foolish because of it.

“I wish I were a physical-type ability user like you.”

“That’s not allowed.”

“Why not?”

“Because I like carrying you around. If you didn’t need an excuse, you wouldn’t let me do it.”

Yurian meant it. Yvonne, whose stamina wasn’t the best, had grown quite used to being carried by him.

“Don’t you think I have poor stamina because of you?”

“I suppose I contributed. I’d like to believe it’s not entirely my fault…”

“Pffthaha.”

She laughed at the way his words trailed off awkwardly and how he tried to shift the blame—it was amusing to her.

“Nope. It’s all you, Yurian.”

“Then I’ll reflect on my actions. Still, this is strange…”

Yurian glanced at the torn ribbon and began wondering how to remove her dress. With the most important part now broken, taking it off cleanly without tearing it further looked complicated. The dress was tied at the center of her back, and somehow, the knot in the front had tightened as the ribbon came off.

“I’m doing all the moving—so why are you the one tired, Yvon?”

“Good heavens. That sounded so shameless.”

“Why?”

Yurian had been staring at her back. But when their eyes met, his heart started pounding again. He smiled reflexively—and Yvonne, too, smiled in return.

“Yurian, look around this room. Ever since I became Empress, we’ve spent most of our time right here.”

“That’s true.”

He did as she said and looked around. But honestly, the only thing on his mind was the thought of seeing her bare body soon, making the furnishings feel utterly trivial. Still, he made an effort to inspect the room properly.

“See that table over there?”

“I’m looking.”

“Why is it new?”

She was baiting him. Normally, Yurian would catch on and respond playfully—but his mind was preoccupied with the ribbon still clenched in his hand.

He truly loved making love with Yvonne. He was the only one now allowed to see her that way. And he loved the way her eyes sparkled with pleasure when she looked for him.

“Because it broke recently?”

“Right. And who broke it?”

“‘We’ did.”

“Say it properly. It wasn’t ‘we’—you broke it, Yurian.”

Yvonne tugged on his cheek. But his cheek was so firm that it made her laugh.

“Technically, it broke because the table was weak. I didn’t think mahogany would be that fragile.”

“Seriously? Two people got on it—of course it broke.”

“I didn’t get on. Only you did. I just… applied repeated impact from below.”

“My god.”

Yvonne realized he was flustered and decided to tease him further, widening her eyes in mock shock. He grew even more awkward, now reading her every expression nervously.

“Then why do you think we changed the bed?”

“Because that’s where we do it the most? The mattress wears down quickly.”

“I wasn’t talking about the mattress! I meant the canopy breaking!”

“Then let’s get sturdier posts for the canopy. Might as well make them structural supports for the ceiling.”

Yurian answered seriously, clearly trying to keep up with her.

“What about the vanity? Why did we have to replace that?”

“Yeah… I think we might’ve gone a bit too far watching ourselves in the mirror.”

“Pfff.”

She burst into laughter again, seeing that he was finally beginning to truly look around the room.

Yurian slowly took in the scene, letting his head cool. They had broken quite a few pieces of furniture over time—what with how often they ended up in the bedroom. The bed had worn out often. Last time, the canopy post snapped when Yvonne leaned against it.

The side table holding the flower vase? Shattered. Because she’d been on it.

Even her favorite red leather sofa had been replaced several times.

Once, they’d even done it on the vanity—only to discover that the railing was weaker than expected. Just a little pressure on it had been enough to break it, despite how light Yvonne was.

Still, he remembered how good it felt, sticking close to her in front of that mirror. She had acted all aloof, but in front of the mirror, she’d been adorably flustered.

“T-The mirror… no… I hate it…!”
“Why?”
“Because… I can see everything…”

Just as he loved looking into her eyes—she did too. And sometimes, that sudden flood of shyness would make her squirm.

They’d even done it against the window once. The way her soft, full figure had pressed against the transparent glass was something to behold. But that ended with the glass doors to the garden getting shattered.

“I’m just glad you’re only bringing up things from the bedroom.”

“Right? We’ve broken a lot in the bathroom too.”

“Let’s leave that one out. Bathrooms are built weaker anyway.”

“Heavens…”

She laughed again at his reasoning.

“So… which one was your favorite?”

Seeing the flush spread across her face, Yurian couldn’t help asking. Her expression made his heart beat out of control again.

He wondered how it was possible that even the smallest, most familiar things never felt familiar when it came to her.

Every time he looked at her, he discovered a new version of himself—helplessly drawn in, clinging to her every word.

“Are you asking about the place?”

“Yes.”

Yvonne thought about it for a moment. They’d done it in nearly every corner of the palace—bedroom, bathroom, the corridor to the back garden, the inner hallway, the audience chamber, the study…

“Oh! That one time—I fell asleep in this room for the first time.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you remember what you did the moment you opened the door?”

“…I was a beast back then… yes.”

“You threw down your cloak and pounced—when the bed was right there.”

“I… did. You were just so beautiful, I lost control.”

Yvonne smiled to herself, remembering. The bed had been right in front of him, but he’d still lunged at her like a starved animal the second he shut the door.

“Are you making excuses?”

“I’m begging for forgiveness.”

At his words, Yvonne gave a soft laugh and beckoned him with her hand. Yurian climbed onto the bed and reached his arm over her body.

Soon, Yvonne was laid flat on the mattress, his thick arms like iron bars caging her in as he leaned over her. She liked how the bed tilted more under his weight than hers and how the springs let out a soft bounce.

“I think the person matters more than the place.”

“Says the one who tried to seduce me in the garden.”

“The garden’s fun too.”

Yvonne stroked his cheek with her hand, her touch seductive. Then, as if to test whether her magic truly had no effect on him, she poured power into it. But Yurian effortlessly dispersed it and smiled.

“I like it when you look at me like this, Yurian.”

At those words, Yurian briefly glanced toward the mirror—then realized what kind of expression he was making.

“Why are your ears red?”

“Yours will be just as red soon enough.”

With that, he began lowering himself onto her, resting his weight carefully. Yvonne, used to it yet still a little flustered, wrapped her arms around him and smiled.

“I like it when you carry me while we do it.”

“Why’s that? Weren’t you the one who always said you were scared you might fall?”

He remembered her clinging to his neck, terrified she’d fall. She had been completely unraveled at the time, yet still genuinely afraid of crashing to the floor and getting hurt.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it goes deeper like that.”

She chuckled, and Yurian let out a long sigh, wiping his face with both hands.

“I’m going to… rip this dress.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll tear the stockings too.”

“Fine with me.”

“I’ll ruin all your hair ornaments.”

“I don’t care.”

He had gotten into the habit of getting her permission beforehand—always.

“And am I not going to ruin you, too?”

Yvonne asked that as she pulled his lips down to hers, biting them playfully, almost provocatively.