The Age Of Arrogance

“Asha…?”

 

“What? Oh, yes, Your Highness!”

 

“No, from now on, you should call me Carlyle.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Once again, saliva gurgled down her throat.

 

They had already rehearsed how to behave when Gabriel arrived.

 

Calling each other affectionately by name, breathing heavily as if they had just completed a sparring session, Carlyle kissing her on the forearm…

 

‘This is a mission. Pull yourself together, Asha Pervaz!’

 

Her face burning with frustration was pathetic.

 

Then, there was a knock on the wall.

 

“The High Priest must be here. Come here, Asha.”

 

Carlyle quickly pulled Asha towards him and got on top of her.

 

Even Carlyle felt like he was going to die.

 

‘Do I really have to endure this?’

 

Asha, who was avoiding eye contact, looked innocent yet somehow embarrassed. Whether it was because of her pale forehead and tidy eyebrows, sparse yet long eyelashes and light eye color, or her plump and delicate lower lip, he couldn’t tell.

 

He kept thinking of the Asha from that night, who innocently licked his fingers.

 

‘I want to hug her again…’

 

Honestly, he wanted to throw away his pride and cling to Asha. If he was sure it wouldn’t be rude to her, he would have done it.

 

But since he couldn’t understand Asha’s thoughts at all, all he could do was endure.

 

While pondering these thoughts, he carefully examined Asha’s neck and shoulders. Then, there was another knock on the wall. It was a signal that the High Priest would soon enter the room.

 

Lowering his head, Carlyle kissed Asha’s forearm where he embraced her.

 

Her skin was so sweet, while his was slightly salty with no scent at all.

 

Feeling Asha’s tension even with just a slight embrace, Carlyle whispered in her ear.

 

“Asha, relax a little…”

 

“Ah…!”

 

Asha had already plunged into “acting,” letting out a faint moan.

 

He was a little surprised because she had seemed so tense, but she was doing so well. He even felt a bit excited by her excellent acting.

 

“A, Asha…”

 

“Carlyle…”

 

Still, hearing her call his name felt good.

 

He actually didn’t like his name all that much.

 

The only people who could call him by his name were his father and stepmother, but he had never felt happy or pleased when he heard his name.

 

Telling Asha to call him by his name was a half-impulsive decision.

 

Partly because he wanted to tease this stern woman a bit, and partly because he was curious about how it would feel for her to address him by his name only.

 

“Oh…! Carlyle!”

 

“Ahh…”

 

It felt good, as always.

 

It felt good enough to hear it over and over again.

 

Carlyle brushed down Asha’s back and rested his forehead on the tangle of her hair on the pillow.

 

Accidentally, his lower lip grazed Asha’s collarbone, and at that moment, Asha’s body flinched.

 

‘Damn it!’

 

Suddenly, he felt the urge to throw everything away, including Gabriel, and just indulge in Asha’s body.

 

At that moment, Asha’s hand slid up his forearm and embraced his neck.

 

As he became intoxicated by her touch, he sensed a signal from the door.

 

‘The High Priest has arrived. Well, then, is this all… an act?’

 

Realizing that Asha’s embrace was an act to deceive Gabriel, he felt a little bitter. At the same time, he felt proud.

 

‘You’re not shaken at all, are you?’

 

Asha was as indifferent as ever. No matter what he did, whether they shared a bed, whether she received expensive gifts from him, or even if he stayed with other women on the same floor…

 

Every time, it was Carlyle who seemed to be hanging on.

 

‘Why do I always end up being the one who clings?’

 

In a situation where he couldn’t even lick the delicious bait in front of him with his tongue tied, his arrogant nature even prompted him to feel self-pity.

 

‘Asha, how far can you endure?’

 

He pretended to kiss her forearm again on which Asha embraced him. But this time, his lower lip touched Asha’s neck before falling away. This time, it wasn’t a mistake.

 

“Ah!”

 

Once again, Asha’s body flinched.

 

Ignoring it, Carlyle kissed Asha’s hair again. This time, his lips grazed her earlobe.

 

“Hmm!”

 

Realizing that Asha’s ears were sensitive, Carlyle felt a little delighted.

 

Now it was time to start the “performance” of the “husband and wife relationship.”

 

‘A blessing bestowed upon a couple’s relationship. No matter what you think about it, it’s such a perverse thing.’

 

Mulling over these thoughts, Carlyle pulled Asha’s nightgown away and let it fall off the bed.

 

Of course, Asha had her chest wrapped in cloth and was wearing short shorts, so she wasn’t completely naked. Still, it was quite disappointing for Carlyle.

 

“Asha, ease up a little.”

 

He whispered as if recalling the memories of their previous intimacy, so there was no awkwardness at all.

 

But Asha felt so embarrassed that she covered her eyes with one hand. From beneath her hand, her parted lips emitted shallow, panting breaths.

 

Carlyle pressed his body tightly against Asha’s, considering it very erotic.

 

“Ah!”

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

It couldn’t possibly hurt. In reality, his lower body didn’t even touch her skin. But Gabriel would mutter something about this perverse blessing from now on.

 

Carlyle twitched his waist slightly.

 

He thought it would be embarrassing, but feeling Asha’s arousal through her thin clothing inadvertently prompted his own waist to move.

 

“Mm, mm!”

 

Asha’s moans continued.

 

“Ah!”

 

Even though it wasn’t a genuine intimate moment, their breaths became heavy. It felt like the desire to go further was creeping up to their throats.

 

Trying to suppress the desire, Carlyle closed his eyes. But remembering the night they shared a bed made his body even more excited.

 

How hot that night was. The woman, who resembled the chilly air of the northernmost region of the empire, was fragile as if she could break, yet as hot as molten metal, and as beautiful as it was chilling.

 

“Really… it’s too good.”

 

His true feelings spilled out involuntarily.

 

“Uh, ah!”

 

Even though they had agreed to stop at this point, Carlyle inadvertently collided with Asha’s body. He realized it, but he couldn’t stop.

 

“Asha!”

 

“Ah…! Carlyle!”

 

Asha’s waist twisted and turned slightly. She looked like a fish swimming underwater.

 

Despite being covered up, the two of them, clinging to each other, eventually succumbed to excitement and kissed each other passionately.

 

They didn’t even realize that Gabriel had left the room for quite some time.

 

***

 

Returning to the room, Gabriel opened a small basin containing holy water, dipped a handkerchief in it, and wiped his eyelids and ears.

 

Having heard lewd noises, his ears felt quite dirty.

 

However, apart from that, Gabriel was somewhat surprised by the unexpected nature of Carlyle and Asha’s relationship.

 

“It’s strange. It seemed so real, not like a play to deceive my eyes.”

 

He wasn’t so naive as to miss the fake intimacy. That’s why he had come to bless their union with confidence.

 

However, the scene of intimacy he had just witnessed was no different from that of a newlywed couple deeply in love.

 

‘Could it be that Prince Carlyle actually cares for Countess Pervaz?’

 

When he had heard from Beatrice that Carlyle had slept with Asha before, he had thought it was a one-time affair.

 

He had assumed that Carlyle, being capricious and enjoying novelty, had simply toyed with her for a bit.

 

But the Asha he had met in person wasn’t the kind of woman to flutter her eyelashes for a few coins.

 

[Throughout the war, I prayed whenever I had a chance. Many have died, and we’ve endured terrible days… But still, I believe God has watched over us.]

 

Recalling Asha calmly speaking in front of the wisdom tree on the shabby prayer room wall, her bright smile still vivid in his mind.

 

A person with such a pure smile couldn’t possibly be engaging in deceitful acts.

 

‘But would Carlyle Evaristo, who has only married to escape for three years, actually have feelings for her?’

 

As he pondered silently, Gabriel reached a conclusion.

 

‘Countess Pervaz has sincere feelings for Prince Carlyle, but Prince Carlyle is just playing with her.’

 

It wouldn’t be an easy situation for Carlyle.

 

He would increase his loyalty to Countess Pervaz, while also having some fun.

 

Gabriel’s disgust for Carlyle deepened even further.

 

‘So this is why he was so confident about receiving the blessing.’

 

It was difficult to argue that their marital relationship wasn’t normal.

 

While it could be argued as a transaction based on money, that money could be justified as war compensation.

 

The annulment card was truly unusable now. Matthias’s whining voice seemed to already be ringing in his ears.

 

‘It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do. I have to find merits elsewhere.’

 

In fact, he hadn’t come to Pervaz to find evidence for an annulment. That ship had sailed.

 

Right now, the more important issue was that he, who could use black magic, was right in the heart of enemy territory.

 

‘I don’t know who they’ve brought into their sanctuary.’

 

A smile crept onto Gabriel’s lips.

 

‘I should focus on winning over Asha Pervaz a little more. She may seem indifferent, but she seems subtly weak to love.’