“What? I do too.”
“No matter what, this is non-negotiable: I like you more. Always have, always will.”
This was Lacius’ special way of confessing.
He expressed that he loved me more, that he considered himself in the lesser position, and that I was the more precious one. That’s what he meant by saying this.
“You’re getting greedy, aren’t you?”
As I grumbled, Lucius wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the corner of my eye.
“I think so too.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s because you’re here with me. My greed is solely for you, and with you by my side, I have nothing more to ask for.”
Why is he so good at talking?
While I pouted with a slightly reddened face, Lacius tilted his head.
“No, I do have one other desire.”
“What?”
“Well… … .”
Lacius laughed softly, shaking his head. It was the sexiest laugh I’d ever heard, and as I stopped breathing, he slowly trailed his lips along my collarbone.
“Ah!”
The sensation was unfamiliar. After Lacius grazed my skin with his teeth, he sensually licked it. The stimulation sent shivers down my spine, and as I winced in response, Lacius slid down the straps of my dress.
The eyes looking directly at me, as if telling me to slap him if I don’t like it, are unmistakably ‘man’s’. I’ve imagined this scene a few times, but now that is happening, I can’t help but freeze.
He traces his lips slowly over my shoulder, which is spotlessly white. Then he kissed his way up my straight collarbone. A place invisible to others, known only to the two of us. A red flower bloomed on the flesh the fabric of the shoulder strap was covering.
“Ah… … !”
The problem didn’t end there. I feel something thick and hard under my thighs. A ‘thing’ that holds heat on a different level from that of the hand or chest. It stabbed me with a presence that could never be ignored.
‘No way, no way… .’
That’s right, ‘that’.
I can feel my face turning red. Lacius looked up at me and smiled strangely.
“If you’re already this embarrassed, we won’t be able to progress any further.”
“… … !”
“So I guess I’ll just have to stop here for today. You might get startled and run away.”
Wait, what? I’m pretty sure I was the one who initiated this, so why does it suddenly feel like the tables have turned? I climbed on top of him, so why…
“Or we could continue further today.”
“What are you saying!”
Lacius lightly pinched my cheek, his tone teasing. I pushed him away and tried to escape to the bedroom.
‘No, I shouldn’t run away to the bed, should I?’
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but there was nowhere else to go here.
“Earlier, you asked me what my desire was.”
However, it seemed like this time, my provocation had gone too far. Lacius didn’t let me escape this time. He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around my waist, and whispered softly in my ear.
“Shay. I want you.”
Want. That word contained many meanings.
It might simply refer to the physical aspect, but that was the most superficial interpretation. What Lacius meant ran much deeper. Like a single strawberry hidden inside a crepe cake, the word “want” held the most profound meaning. That was what he was offering me.
“We are already lovers.”
“That’s not enough.”
“What more do you want?”
“I want to marry you, build a home together, and be known as husband and wife.”
I want you so badly.
Lacius repeated these words, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. This time, it was a light touch of lips, almost ticklish, but it carried a distinct feeling of being loved. I felt so content that I stretched and yawned, squinting my eyes.
“Let’s go to sleep, Cat isn’t coming.”
“Since he’d been locked up in a cage for so long, he probably doesn’t like being in a room again.”
“That’s right.”
The occasional commotion seemed to be over as the party had now subsided. I slipped nonchalantly away from Lacius and into the bathroom to freshen up first, plunging my face into the cold water and holding my breath as long as I could before releasing it, feeling the fever in my head begin to subside.
‘You pervert, get a grip!’
I scolded myself, shaking as if an evil spirit had possessed me. I’ll sleep with him when I’m free of my perverted demons.
Unless I wanted the succubus to come back, I needed to get a hold of myself. It was just holding hands and sleeping together; it shouldn’t be so difficult. But thinking about the touch I’d felt earlier, my mind started to go blank, and I feared my nose would start bleeding.
After thoroughly washing up, I looked in the mirror several times to make sure everything was in order and then left the bathroom.
“Hurry up and come to bed.”
“Okay.”
When I spoke awkwardly as if to break the tension, Lacius chuckled softly, as if he knew everything about my current state of mind. Trying not to feel self-conscious, I lay down on the bed. Of course, I’d look pretty whether I stretched out or curled up, but there were aspects of myself I didn’t want to show. Lacius had probably seen it all before, but still.
Lacius lay down next to me like he did that night on Shay Island. He propped himself up with his hand under his chin, positioning himself so I would be fully in his line of sight. Because he is tall.
“If you stare so intensely, how am I supposed to sleep?”
“Just five more minutes.”
“That’s too long. You need to sleep too. You’ve been working non-stop even on the plane.”
“I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”
“You also had a sword fight with the leader of Kun earlier.”
“It was just a ploy to spice up the evening. He told me to deal with him properly, but he was just playing around.”
“… Playing around twice might get him killed next time.”
I don’t understand the psychology of people who use swords. I buried my head in his arms and curled into a ball. He smelled familiar, like the soap he’d brought with him from the mansion. My favorite is his smell. Lacius gently stroked my back.
“So, I suppose we should talk about what happened earlier.”
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