Chapter 68
Moonlit reading was literally the act of reading a book with the moonlight as a light source. My two siblings and I, who loved books more than anything, would sneak around reading at night to avoid our parents’ constant pleas to stop reading and go to bed.
Eventually, our parents, exhausted from trying to stop us, changed the entire ceiling of the attic on the third floor of our house to glass. They allowed us to read only on nights like this, when the full moon was shining brightly. That was what we called “moonlit reading.”
I think I heard that a particularly large full moon would rise for the next five days starting tonight.
“Is Remington sitting by the window at the end of the corridor?”
“Yes.”
“Then he’ll be reading all night. After all, His Excellency gave him a good book as a gift, so he must be thrilled.”
When I shook my head and said there was no way I could stop Remington, Stephan laughed loudly.
“The three siblings of the Burke family must never have been bored.”
“Being twins, we didn’t even have the chance to learn what boredom was. After Remington was born, I had to help with raising him, and every day felt like a battlefield.”
“…No wonder, I envy you.”
At Stephan’s strange reaction, my gaze instinctively turned to him.
“But Your Excellency is also from a family with three siblings.”
“Having three siblings doesn’t mean that we all get along well.”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
I nodded vigorously in agreement, and Stephan innocently asked,
“What was different about Edmond’s three siblings compared to the Burke family’s?”
“Well, Your Excellency was—”
“Are you trying to say that I’m unlucky?”
“Oh, no, I meant that it was just uninteresting…”
That didn’t seem to be a pleasant comment either, as I noticed his eyes narrowing. So, I quickly said something else.
“Tonight, I’ll sleep on the sofa, so you should sleep in the bed.”
“Tonight?”
“Since Remington’s moonlit reading will continue for five days.”
With a big hand pressed to his forehead, Stephan made a bold suggestion.
“Let’s not do that. Let’s sleep together in the bed.”
“…”
“I won’t touch you, so don’t worry.”
“…Really?”
“I promise.”
It had been more than four months since we got married, but hearing such a remark while I was feeling disheartened because of the lack of pregnancy made me realize he had no idea how much I longed for a child.
Well, after coming to believe that pregnancy could only happen on a rainy late summer night, I had lost a bit of my motivation as well.
Every time we tried to make love, it wasn’t easy to stir Stephan, who was logical and patient.
I gave him a sideways glance before heading toward the bed. With a deep sigh, I sat on the edge of the bed and spoke.
“I’ll sleep on this side. You sleep on the other side.”
“Understood.”
We each took a spot at the opposite ends of the large bed, and we remained silent. Since there was only one blanket, we both had to cling to the edges to cover ourselves.
Then I quietly closed my eyes. I didn’t think I would fall asleep easily, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to Stephan either.
How much time had passed? I heard what sounded like the soft breath of a cat. Goro-ron, goro-ron.
‘Has he fallen asleep already? Even men can make sounds like that. And he’s sleeping even though I’m right here?’
Suddenly, my pride was hurt, and I jumped up from the bed.
Stephan was still lying there, looking like a painting. His overly white skin glowed softly in the moonlight, and his silver hair shimmered with radiant light. His high nose cast a shadow, making his face look even more alluring.
‘Even if he were a corpse, I’d still be captivated by his beauty.’
I lay back down, intending to admire him a little more, and, without thinking, placed my finger on his face.
My finger, gliding gently from his forehead to the tip of his nose, felt his smooth skin. His skin, which I never paid much attention to, was surprisingly flawless. His appearance was perfect, and his skin was too.
I moved my finger past his moderately full lips and down to his chin. The sensation of his stubbly skin was refreshingly different from my father’s rugged chin, which seemed almost sensual.
As I reached his arm, his muscles stood out, and impure thoughts began to arise within me. I remembered the sensation of his large hands grasping my chest, making me forget about the duty to have a child, lost in pure pleasure.
I felt a shiver run through my entire body, as though my body still remembered the sensation from that time. It was strange that just looking at him as he slept could make me feel so excited.
My hand, which had been tracing his body, had somehow moved to mine. As my fingers traced down my neck and followed the curve of my chest, my nipples stiffened. I swallowed the moan that threatened to escape, and my fingers began to move deeper.
‘Am I out of my mind? What am I doing? This is wrong…’
Did I fall asleep then?
I was startled by the sound of a click and opened my eyes wide. It was still before dawn, and it seemed Stephan had returned to his own bedroom.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
Letting out a sigh of relief, I covered my burning cheeks with my hands. I must have had a very intense dream last night, as I was still feeling highly sensual.
My chest, which was swollen and taut, and even the sensitive tips were visibly reacting. Between my legs, I felt a dampness, as though I had just been held in my husband’s arms.
‘Is this what they mean by a starving beast?’
I gave a small laugh, then reached under the pillow Stephan had been resting on. The warmth radiating from it felt just like his body heat, and it made me feel good.
After repeatedly sharing a bed with him, my body had begun to respond to Stephan before my mind could. So, this must be what they mean when they say that the body can be more powerful than the mind.
Burying my face in the pillow, his scent overwhelmed me. I feared I would lose myself again, so I quickly pulled my nose away from the pillow. This must be what they call pheromones.
‘This is awkward. I’m here doing this by myself, while the one who should be shaken is nowhere to be found.’
Feeling a little insulted, I was at least relieved that Stephan hadn’t noticed. I made my way to the bathroom.
It was early morning, but I needed to wash off his scent, which clung to me. I feared that if I left it like this, I’d be in a restless state all day.
***
Worried about Remington, who had been reading late into the night under the moonlight, I grabbed a simple breakfast and headed to his room.
Remington, who was sound asleep, looked so adorable that I gently stroked his face, but I accidentally woke him up. Surprised, he opened his eyes, saw my face, and then made a sad expression.
“Sister, am I late for breakfast?”
“It’s okay, Remington. I brought your breakfast, so go ahead and sleep a little longer.”
Still lying on the bed, Remington pulled me into a hug and whispered.
“I’m so happy to see your face right after waking up. It feels like we’re back to the time when we lived together.”
“I’m happy too.”
Hugging him affectionately, I didn’t forget to give him a little advice.
“Tomorrow, we have a pre-interview, so I’d prefer if you don’t read under the moonlight tonight.”
“I won’t, hehe.”
As Remington rubbed his head against mine, acting like a spoiled child, he suddenly said something unexpected.
“By the way, sister, did you have a scary dream last night?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard you sobbing in the middle of the night.”
“Sobbing?”
“Of course, it stopped after a while. I think His Excellency must have patted you.”
“…!”
A chill ran through my body. The sobbing Remington heard must have been my own moans.
Moreover, if Stephan had patted me, it meant that he had been watching all of my suspicious movements.
‘No way, no way…’
A wave of anxiety hit me, and I broke into a cold sweat.
‘What did he see? When did he start watching?’
I felt ashamed that even actions I didn’t remember doing had been noticed by him. No, it was so embarrassing that I wanted to disappear on the spot, as if sinking into the ground or flying into the sky.
‘No wonder he left so early this morning.’
When I went downstairs for breakfast, I noticed that Stephan’s seat was empty. I asked Thomas, and he said he had urgent business and left without having breakfast.
‘It wasn’t urgent; he just didn’t want to face me. Oh my god…’
My nervousness seemed to have spread to Remington, who was still hugging me. The child looked up at me with a worried expression and asked.
“Sister, are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Did you remember the scary dream you had last night?”
His innocent question made me flinch like a thief caught in the act. My heart sank with fear.
