“So, you ran away all the way to this place.”
Exhausted from the arduous journey, Stella, while inhaling Theo’s macarons, explained the circumstances that led her to come this far.
While we were settling in on Ios, Stella got engaged. Her fiancé was the eldest son of a prominent aristocratic family, a core part of Xenos power.
While it was an unfortunate situation for Stella, from the perspective of the family, it was a crucial engagement to fully assimilate into Xenos due to the conservative Xenos aristocrats, who still viewed Asha-born individuals with distrust.
“He was a very cunning and unscrupulous man. I have no idea how he managed to win my father over, but I certainly will not fall for it.”
Stella grimaced as she expressed her frustration. She seemed to harbor strong negative feelings towards her fiancé, or perhaps her future ex-fiancé.
Her father, Count Clemiere, unable to bear having a daughter who had passed marriageable age, forcibly tried to arrange her marriage, ignoring Stella’s wishes.
Facing her father’s tyranny, Stella, similar to Leyla, found herself in a situation she couldn’t accept.
Rebelling against her father’s autocracy, Stella went to her fiancé’s house on her own, delivering a sharp notice that she would never marry their son. Naturally, Count Clemiere couldn’t take this lightly.
The Count confiscated all her privileges, urging her to stay away from the Priodos organization. Stella, unable to withstand the pressure, left her home in frustration.
Well, my dear Stella, there’s more to her than meets the eye.
“I’ve been confined in the mansion for a while now, but I managed to come out. I’ll stay away for a while, then I’m going back. Once my father realizes I’ve disappeared, he’ll give up.”
Stella nibbled at her snack with a nonchalant face.
“So that’s why you escaped in this guise.”
Theo said, glancing at Stella’s outfit.
“It’s a skill I secretly learned when I was a maid in the Empress’s residence.”
Stella was referring to the time when I used to disguise myself and go out, a memory that now I could laugh about. It’s amazing to be able to laugh about something I used to walk on eggshells every day. I still felt like I was dreaming sometimes.
I took Stella’s hand and sincerely spoke,
“Anyway, I’m so glad you’re here, Stella. Stay here and rest for as long as you need.”
We chatted happily for a while, sharing everything, since it was hard to find a friend with whom I could understand and talk about everything. It had been a while since I felt this uplifted.
While Theo briefly went to attend to something, Stella, as if she had been waiting, pulled something out of her pocket.
“It’s a gift for both of you. I couldn’t come all the way here empty-handed.”
What she presented was a small, ordinary lavender-scented candle.
“It’s a magic-scented candle.”
I sniffed the candle after receiving it. It didn’t have a specific scent, and Stella noticed my confusion.
“You have to light the candle for the magic to work. The effect is excellent, so never use it just anywhere.”
“What is this for?”
Stella narrowed her eyes and grinned mysteriously.
“It’s an essential item to heat up the relationship between a couple. Xenos mages developed it recently, and it’s so scarce that even with a hefty sum, you can’t buy it now.”
“No, I don’t really need this…….”
“Oh, are you already having such blissful days that you don’t need something like this?”
“W, what?”
I wanted to immediately block Stella’s embarrassing words. She lowered her voice and whispered in my ear.
“They say that the moment you use it before bed, you’ll feel ecstasy you will never feel again in your entire life. Too bad I don’t have any use for it.”
Honestly, I was slightly curious about the effects, but would the day come when I’d actually use it?
“Oh, and…….”
“Huh?”
“I’ve heard that occasionally these types of stimulating magic don’t work on some people. So, if you use this and there’s no change, don’t be disappointed.”
Suddenly, Stella’s mischievous smile deepened.
“Those people probably have an abundance of energy to the point where they don’t need something like this.”
I glanced at the scented candle once again. It was an ordinary candle, so no one would know what it was for unless I mentioned it.
But persistent, warm imaginations kept popping up in my mind. I quickly hid it somewhere in a drawer before Theo could see it.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
The next day, Raon visited, carrying small gifts like eggs, fruits, and a bouquet of flowers.
“Good morning, Jin.”
“Wow, what’s all this?”
“Just… wanted to give you something.”
Raon scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Although I felt Theo’s expression freeze momentarily, Raon seemed completely oblivious to him.
He must have an ulterior motive, seeing as how today wasn’t the day he was supposed to send the package. As expected, Raon coughed and carefully cut to the chase.
“Um… your friend isn’t here now, right?”
With that simple statement, I could easily guess why Raon had come here again today. The innocent young man from Ios seemed to have a crush on the charming lady, who suddenly appeared like a comet one day. Perhaps Stella’s disguised appearance made quite an impression. For some reason, Leyla’s grumpy expression seemed to flash before my eyes.
I subtly lifted the corners of my mouth and said to him,
“She went for a stroll by the seaside for a bit. She went out a little while ago, so she couldn’t have gone too far…”
“Ahaha, I see. I forgot. I have some urgent business to take care of at the ranch; I’ll be off now.”
Raon’s acting skills were pretty bad. Without giving me a chance to say anything, he hastily left.
As I watched him quickly disappear, a soft laugh escaped me like the sound of wind escaping.
I picked up the basket he left behind and headed to the kitchen.
“You shouldn’t take things from strangers like this. It’s dangerous.”
Theo said, squinting at the basket.
“Is Raon a dangerous person?”
“Very much.”
Surprisingly, Theo seemed to lack as much intuition as Raon. He didn’t seem like this in the past.
Ignoring Theo’s skeptical look, I opened the basket wide. Inside were a bunch of deliciously ripe apples.
Taking a bite, the refreshing scent of apples spread pleasantly in my mouth. Chewing the apple, I spoke.
“I think I’ll make an apple pie with this and have it with the black tea Mrs. Roweben gave last time.”
Sure enough, that evening, drawn by the fragrant aroma of apple pie, my steps involuntarily led me to the kitchen.
Whenever I expressed a craving, Theo, like a spirit from a lamp, would effortlessly conjure it up. Well, he did have a spirit-like quality.
“What day is it today?”
Seeing the table adorned more splendidly than usual, my eyes squinted involuntarily. The golden embroidered tablecloth, the centerpiece made from Bonneflower, silver candlesticks, and a neatly wrapped gift are on one side.
“Didn’t you know it’s our anniversary today?”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
When Theo showed a slightly disappointed expression, my face was filled with even greater bewilderment. He then chuckled as if teasing, making me sit on the chair.
“Stella is going to be late today. She mentioned she’d be visiting a nearby ranch and disappeared like the wind.”
It seemed Stella had become quite close to Raon during this time.
With eager eyes, I glanced over what Theo had prepared.
“But today’s food seems to have peaches in it.”
“Peaches?”
“Yeah. I smell something similar from somewhere…”
Theo looked puzzled. Then I realized that the sweet peach scent was coming from a familiar candle on a silver tabletop. No way…….
“Hey, where did you get this?”
“It was in the drawer.”
Theo’s eyes widened as if to ask why. Oh, no. A strange warmth began to rise in my body.
“Oh my goodness.”
A sensation that was too awkward to put into words surged through me. My face heated up, and my heart pounded.
“Why is your face so red?”
Theo touched my cheek with a concerned expression.
“A-Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Theo seemed completely calm, as if he couldn’t sense anything.
<Occasionally, there are people on whom this type of sensory magic doesn’t work.>
Meeting his eyes, I remembered Stella’s words, ‘Someone overflowing with energy who doesn’t need this kind of magic,’ and I felt like a firework display exploded in my mind.
Radiant emerald eyes, a perfectly sculpted nose, and lips with a subtle, enchanting color… Oh, I want to devour those tempting lips. No, what am I thinking?
“Are you… always this handsome?”
Without realizing it, seductive words slipped out of my mouth, and Theo slightly furrowed his eyebrows.
“……Yes?”
As time passed, the scent became more intense, and warmth spread throughout my body. A bizarre sensation, almost unbearable, swelled in my chest, and my breath became irregular.
I couldn’t control myself anymore. I forcefully pressed him against the wall with rough hands.
“Why, why are you doing this?”
Theo, visibly flustered, stumbled over his words and assumed a defensive posture. I growled, cupping his face in both hands.
“Hold still.”
Sensing an imminent explosion, Theo stiffened like a statue. My warm breath added an eerie touch to the atmosphere. His pupils were dilated.
Even in his confusion, why does he look so adorable… Unable to endure any longer, I unleashed an instinctive kiss, akin to a wild beast.
It was like a starving person in the desert finding a sweet oasis.
‘Why did Stella bring something like this?’
Despite my desperate inner turmoil, my body acted on its own.
Initially unsure, Theo, who seemed hesitant, soon quietly accepted my actions.
And not long after, my impatient yet inexperienced movements were effortlessly replaced by his more skillful control in every aspect.
Red flowers blossomed here and there on my fair skin. He understood my body perfectly, making it impossible for me to resist.
Barely able to contain my screams, I dragged myself along with him.
As I became soaked in sensuality, an irresistible urge to cling to him intensified.
With each contact, sensual sensations surged, and every time his lips grazed my ear, shivers ran through my entire body.
Perhaps my provocative demeanor intrigued Theo because he momentarily paused and stared at me intensely. Then he made a move that made me squirm even more than the one he’d just made.
“Ha…….”
He moaned in a cracked voice. I was the only one who reacted to the scented candle, but somehow it seemed to heat him up even more.
The clandestine act—something that should not be heard by anyone—persisted relentlessly as we moved from the kitchen to the bedroom.
It was, as Stella had said, a moment of exhilarating ecstasy that I would never experience again in my life.
