Table of Contents

Color Gallery

Title Page

Characters

Copyrights and Credits

Table of Contents Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Newsletter

Chapter One

A SHARP HISSING SOUND, LIKE SOMETHING CUTTING through the air, roused me from my slumber.

“Nngh…”

I pushed myself up from the bed. The feeling of linen sheets beneath me was unfamiliar, as was the nameless scent that hung in the dry air. But as I glanced around the room, the vibrant, exotic decorations reminded me that I was, without a doubt, in Majaar.

“Don’t let any other woman touch you!” I’d blurted out, heedless of how vain a wish it was, and by doing so, I, Cecilia Cline Herbst, found myself bound by divine contract to my husband, the Hero Lucas, bearer of the sacred sword Eckesachs. We’d succeeded in thwarting Prince Akeem of Majaar’s plot to assassinate Lucas. And that was all thanks to one unbelievably capable, handsome, and sadistic knight.

I had been recognized by the goddess as the sheath of Eckesachs, the one who soothes the Hero. And due to my new status, I was officially required to stay by Lucas’s side, which is why, yes, I very much remembered that we’d come to Majaar together just the night before.

Lucas had returned to the kingdom to bid a formal farewell before returning to Bern, seeing as his previous departure had been so abrupt. Instead of receiving a proper welcome from the crown prince, Islan, however, or from Lord Dirk, who was also already in Majaar, we were escorted in secret by Lord Barnabash to this luxurious palace garden.

The building itself was stunning—exotic and elegant, its beige walls adorned with colorful tiles that contrasted beautifully against the sky, which, as it approached twilight, took on the same deep hue as Lucas’s hair. I was basking in the view when he picked me up from my seat and casually set me down on the grass. Then, as he gently smoothed the wind-blown strands of hair away from my face, he whispered, “We’re here.”

I looked up at him anxiously. “Um, Lukie? Where exactly is ‘here’?”

This…doesn’t seem like the right place to stop, does it?

Sure, it was extravagant. But the people bowing to greet us in the entrance clearly were the Bern Imperial Knights, not anyone from Majaar. That could only mean one thing…

A bad feeling washed over me as my mischievous husband responded with the precise words I’d feared. “This is the Bataar Palace. They arranged it specially for us. It’s a bit removed from the main Malik Palace, so it’s quieter, and thanks to the nearby waterfront, it’s much cooler as well. The views are incredible, too.”

“W-wait, Bataar Palace?!”

In the Majaar language, bataar meant “hero.” This place is named for the Hero, and it’s a place so rarefied that even Majaar royalty can’t simply come and go as they please. Guests here would have complete autonomy—and we’re staying here?!

I knew Lucas was the legendary Hero, but Prince Islan was being way too generous, putting us up somewhere like this. It wasn’t just the VIP treatment—it was head-of-state hospitality!

I wondered if it was a political move to try to secure Lucas’s backing. Still, I had to admit it was a nice change of pace to see someone’s ulterior motives pushing them to treat us so lavishly.

It was probably also meant as an apology for Prince Akeem’s insult, and honestly, receiving such courtesies did improve my opinion of him a bit. I felt a little relieved, but even so…

He’s not planning to just hole up in our room without making a single courtesy call, is he?

“But we are going to greet the king of Majaar in the Malik Palace after we get changed, right?” I asked.

“We’ll get around to it after we enjoy our honeymoon. Seeing as they put us up here, I’m sure they’re fine with us doing as we please for now.”

Wow… When he said “honeymoon” just now, he had the most dazzling smile ever.

He was one hundred percent here for vacation. He must’ve threatened them—er, I mean, negotiated for this.

We were basically staying at a VIP suite at a hotel without even having to check in. Classic Hero situation. Wait…hang on.Did he say, “We’ll get around to it”?

“Um, maybe we could take a little walk around the palace and…”

“We’ll get around to that, too. But for now, go inside and up those stairs. You’ll find the bedroom right at the top, Cece.”

Cutting me off?! He didn’t even let me finish my sentence, and he explicitly said “bedroom”!

If I don’t act fast, not only will I lose my chance to see the sights of Majaar, but I won’t even be able to set foot outside that suite the entire time we’re here!

We already had a very intense night before coming here, and now he was planning even more? I had a feeling we’d never get around to those courtesy calls…

Not to mention, that gentlemanly sadist of mine had explicitly stated he wouldn’t stop at just one night. If he kept that up, I’d end up bedridden in a foreign land, suffering from embarrassment overload!

“Wait, Lukie. When you say we’ll get around to it, when exactly…”

I didn’t even get to finish my protest, because before I knew it, I was in front of the bedroom door. In all the commotion, I’d completely forgotten I’d flipped Lucas’s forbidden switch while we were on the way here with Lord Barnabash…something I definitely shouldn’t have done.

“Ha ha. Still so adorably flustered, even after all this time. You really know how to turn me on, Cecilia. So you want a timeline, hm? Want to know how long you’ll be bedridden?”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant!”

“You’re the one who said you wanted me to be affectionate with you, remember? And now you’re trying to slap a deadline on our honeymoon? Push me any harder and I might forget we’re in Majaar and make love to you right here.”

Wait, setting a time limit makes things riskier?! Only a top-tier sadist like Lucas could twist my words like that.

Still, the Hero had brought his wife to another kingdom. And even if hosting us at the Bataar Palace did imply they were giving us free rein, they’d almost certainly invite us to a banquet within a few days.

And if I were conspicuously absent at that banquet, no one would even be able to check on me since this palace was restricted.

In other words, I’d be labeled as some kind of harlot, heedlessly indulging her appetites, and worst-case scenario, I’d probably end up fighting off another woman who was trying to flirt with Lucas again!

I had to prevent that from happening, if nothing else for the sake of my sanity.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant! I just…I wanted to know how much time I’ll get to spend with you here…”

“You were thinking about how much time you’d get with me, huh?”

Wait, why is he suddenly blushing like that? Is this my chance?

“Y-yes! I mean, given the demands of our station and proper etiquette, it’s rare for us to have this kind of alone time, right? But since we’re in Majaar and they have different customs here, I thought it’d be nice if we could go out a bit, since we’ve been granted some freedom. I just wanted to know our schedule in advance, that’s all,” I said, lowering my face to hide my burning cheeks.

I was so eager that I’d accidentally revealed just how needy and lovesick I really was. I was practically begging him for a date! Ugh, this is so embarrassing! I was clearly enjoying this situation way more than I’d first thought.

Even though I’d come for Lucas’s sake, I wasn’t free from my duties as princess, so I had to be careful.

Just as I was trying to regain my composure, he tipped up my chin and gave me a quick kiss. I felt a scream welling up deep inside me, but then he let out a massive sigh that smothered the scream in my throat. Um, excuse me? First you kiss me, then you sigh? That’s totally rude, husband of mine!

“Haah… Of course. You’re so unbelievably cute. All right, I’ll try not to keep you in bed too long. Although I guess since I can have you whenever I want, I’ll just keep you in bed even more afterward, until you get used to it.”

I almost cheered…until that last part hit me and a wave of heat surged through me.

Those words were all too familiar, and the moment he said them, the memory of our last time together came rushing back. A cold sweat dripped down my spine.

“Wh-what do you mean, ‘until I get used to it’?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” Lucas said. “You’ve got such a strong sense of duty that you hardly let your guard down, even when we’re alone. That makes sense, given your position as the second princess of Bern, but we’re not in Bern now, are we? So I was thinking if we did things you don’t typically do in a more open place like this…then maybe I could see more of the real you.”

“Th-that’s…”

What exactly do you mean, the “real me”?

It was true that I’d wanted to come to Majaar because I wanted to repay Lucas for everything he’d done for me, and yes, I did secretly want to treat this like a honeymoon.

But that didn’t mean I could just forget my position as the second princess. And no matter how delicately he worded things, it was clear he was plotting something. Something new. “Things you don’t typically do,” he’d said. Is this some kind of new training?!

“B-but as your wife, I have a responsibility to act in a manner that’s…”

I didn’t realize the words I’d chosen to try to convince him otherwise were exactly what he wanted to hear.

My sadistic husband’s golden eyes softened seductively as he smiled at me. I could already feel tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

“That’s right. That’s why I want to see you, my wife, being open and honest with herself, even if it embarrasses you…just for me. I’m so happy you said you’d do anything for me.”

“I-I’ll do my very best, my husband…”

Ahh, I’m completely drowning in this man…

It’s so unfair! He tricked me into saying that, and still…still, the way he totally disarms my resistance makes my heart pound!

What kind of sadist wears such a tender smile even as he bullies a girl into accepting her own undoing?! And I just know that little moment he’s giving me to catch my breath, however romantic it sounds, is just a trick to drag it all out even longer—and still I can’t refuse. He’s too good at this! Way too good!

“All right. Time’s precious, so let’s waste no more of it, my beautiful wife. Since it’s the first night, the words wait and stop are strictly forbidden.”

“Eek! N-no, wait! At least let me take a bath first!”

“There’s no need. You’re only going to get dirtier, so you can take one afterward.”

He swept me off my feet and, declaring those rules with the weight of laws, began to smother me with love. I’d really gotten into trouble this time.

Don’t whisper, “I love you, you’re so adorable!” like that! And the way he acts as if I weren’t a lady, specifically when we were in bed? I’d like to lodge a complaint! Not that I could, of course, when he makes me feel so good.

But let’s return to the present day. Where is Lucas, anyway?

I turned my head at the sound of a man’s voice coming from outside.

“How was it?” he said teasingly.

“Don’t underestimate me,” came Lucas’s irritated reply. “I’m not done yet.”

“That’s my star pupil. All right, now double both earth and stone.” It was Marshal Webber, Lucas’s mentor.

A deep rumble shook the ground, followed by the sound of boots scraping on stone. Panicked, I looked around the room, trying to find my nightgown, but it was nowhere in sight.

I gotta hurry, or I’ll miss it!

I urgently grabbed a sarun, the fabric that Majaar used for bathing, from atop the desk and wrapped it around myself before sneaking toward the voices.

“Oh, Lady Cecilia! Please wait here, and I’ll fetch your clothing!” I’d scarcely reached the bedroom door and already there was Anna, approaching with a gown in her hands. The only other people around would be our trusted attendants, so I threw the sheer white gown over my shoulders and slipped into the shadows of a nearby pillar.

What I saw in the courtyard below was just what I’d expected. Lucas was in his training gear, a wooden sword in hand. From the way his sweat-soaked shirt clung to his skin, it was clear he’d been training for quite some time. Nearby, Finn held a magical device that projected a visual communication feed from the marshal back in Bern.

There was a huge earthen wall in front of Lucas, several times his own height. I guessed it was meant to simulate a monster, with thick earthen barriers surrounded by a layer of stone. There was no way a wooden sword could cut through that.

Lucas wiped the sweat that trickled down his temple, then took a slow, deep breath and focused his gaze on the wall of earth in front of him.

The air, quiet and calm just a moment before, was suddenly thick with tension. Lucas’s golden eyes intensified, and his broad back tightened with a fearsome energy, as if he were facing an enemy he had no choice but to defeat.

God, how is he this handsome?

He was already renowned as the greatest knight on the continent, but still, he pushed himself to even greater heights of strength. It brought hot tears to my eyes.

I clasped my hands together over my chest. My heart pounded and my breath caught as I watched with rapt attention.

A sharp hiss of air caught my attention, but whether it was the sound of his breath or the sword slicing through the air, I wasn’t sure. His wooden blade arced upward faster than my eyes could track and then slammed down, splitting the ground with a whistling crack.

I was expecting a cloud of dust to rise up, but instead, shimmering shards of ice filled the air.

They scattered with a soft swish, scattering light in a faint rainbow before dissolving. I sighed with admiration just as the marshal’s voice cut in, low and even.

“Nice follow-through. Did the whole thing freeze?” he asked.

“Most of it.”

Hm? Lucas sounded grumpy, like he had to force the answer through his teeth.

Well, that’s unusual…

“Ha ha. Playing it cool, eh? Fine, then. Tell me what the inside of the golem looks like.”

“It’s not destroyed. I defeated it.”

“Yeah?” the marshal pressed. “You remember I told you the key to that technique is after the blow, right?”

Oof. He just clenched his wooden sword so hard that it broke!

“Some of the earth fell off,” he muttered.

Oh my god, Lucas Herbst is pouting, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

“Ah ha ha! So it didn’t freeze all the way! Thought as much. I’ve still got you beat when it comes to swordplay, kid.”

“Shut up, ya old goat. I will surpass you.”

Ohmigod, omigod, omigod!

Lucas, my ridiculously overpowered knight, was treated like a trainee! And he was just letting it happen!

“Big talk for a brat. All right, how long’s it gonna take ya to master it this time?” Marshal Webber asked.

“I’ll have it down by the time I get back.”

“Ha ha ha! Lucas, I really admire that relentless drive of yours. Now, listen up. This technique I just taught you is a killing blow. You use it only when there’s no room to back down. When you’re ready to finish a fight. No hesitation. Let your power flow through the blade, and follow through completely, so the cut freezes and your opponent never gets back up. If the cross-section crumbled, that means you held back. Some of the power was stuck in your body, so it couldn’t freeze your target fast enough to get all the way through. Still, it’s not bad at all for your first day learning it. Keep up the drills I showed ya. Check your form slowly, make sure it’s balanced, and if you catch any mistakes, fix them before they become a habit.”

“Understood.”

I knew Marshal Webber was a talented swordsman. They called him a sacred swordsman, after all. But the way Lucas acted so obediently around him really drove home just how completely he trusted the marshal.

They must’ve trained together like that ever since Lucas was ten, like father and son.

“I’ll check your form when I’m back,” Marshal Webber continued. “Also, I’m putting you on desk duty when you return. Oliver can’t handle that paperwork all on his own. Later, little Lukie!”

“What?! Are you kidding me? I signed off on everything, and he’s still behind schedule?!” Lucas shouted. “Don’t screw with me, old man! When I get back there, I’m using this technique on you to make damn sure you never treat me like a kid again!”

It really was a beautiful mentor–student relationship, but I was starting to wonder if Lucas’s skill set had come from growing up watching the marshal dodge his office work.

Poor Leon’s probably got that dead fish stare going on again. Please Lucas, help Vice-Captain Oliver out when you get back. And maybe spare me a sliver of your time, too!

Lucas stalked off toward a nearby fountain, pulling his shirt off as he went, and I caught myself staring.

At some point, Kate had appeared by my side and handed me a thick towel, smiling brightly. I took it from her, my gaze still fixed on Lucas as he rinsed the sweat from his body. Without looking my way, he raised an arm toward me and said, “Haah… How embarrassing. I really didn’t want you to see that.”

His sigh was genuinely so pathetic. I couldn’t help but laugh as I approached and gave him the towel.

“He he. But it was so refreshing seeing you get treated like a kid, Lukie.”

“This is the worst…” he groaned, hanging his head as he dried off. And just like that, I melted again.

“You’re working to catch up to the previous Hero and surpass him. You were really amazing, sweetheart.” I meant every word, my heart full at the sight of him striving so hard. His long lashes lifted as he looked up at me.

“Not yet. Andreas is still stronger, but I’ll match him. I swear I’ll surpass him.”

He tilted his head up, water beading on his wet hair and trickling down his body like so many twinkling stars. And as he gave voice to his ambitions, his eyes reflected the stars aglow in the sky. Without thinking, I reached out to him.

Don’t leave me behind. But please, don’t stop either. Just keep going, exactly as you are.

“Is s-something wrong?”

Conflicting emotions swelled in my chest, and I wrapped my arms around him from behind. He whirled around, clearly startled.

His eyes, now round and bright like full moons, locked onto mine, and my throat tightened with a sudden heat. I blurted out something teasing just to cover it up.

“Something wrong, huh? Are you ticklish, maybe?”

“You’re having fun, aren’t you, Cecilia?” he grinned. But then, as he pulled me tighter into his arms, he flinched. Suddenly, his body went stiff, and a sullen shadow came over his expression.

It wasn’t the face he showed in battle. Nor was it the face he used with Marshal Webber, which had made my heart flutter with how out of character it was. I realized with a start just how much I enjoyed seeing all these sides of Lucas, just like he’d said he wanted to see of me. I panicked and too quickly answered, “I’d just be surprised if you were ticklish, that’s all!”

“You’re surprising me, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s unusual for you to hug me like this.” The teasing way he said it made my face heat up. With his free hand, he gently patted me on the arm and then whispered something that nearly made me pull back in a flustered mess.

“I’m almost done, so just hang tight, and I’ll give you exactly what you want.”

“I-I wasn’t trying to start anything! I mean, I’ve never seen you right after training, and I thought maybe you’d let me hug you just this once!”

I didn’t mean it like that! And yet he goes and says he’ll make sure to give me what I want… Lucas, your idea of meeting expectations is always way beyond anything I’m prepared for! It’s terrifying! What kind of bratty sore loser is always so desperate to get the last word in?

As that comeback echoed in my head, his eyes narrowed just slightly.

“You hugged me just because I finished training?”

“Y-yes, that’s right!”

Uh-oh, that look, that scary vibe… Did he somehow hear my inner monologue just now?!

“So you’re saying this was all on purpose?”

“Um, no. I mean, I didn’t hug you just to tickle you or anything, I swear! I was just really moved. You work so hard, and I realized again just how much you’ve been protecting me this whole time, and well, I just thought, ‘Wow, I really love him!’ and I wanted to be the one to reach out for once…” I dropped my gaze as my words trailed off into a mumble.

Then his voice broke the silence. “You’re really trying to turn me on here,” he muttered. The unmistakable sound of snapping wood jerked me back to my senses. Did he just break what was left of his sword?!

I mean, wait! Did I just say that out loud?! Did I seriously just say I wanted to make the first move because I love him? Oh my god, I’m dying! I want to crawl into a hole and die!

The silence that followed made my heart pound. I wrung my hands, trying to escape the moment, mumbling a pathetic “I just…couldn’t help it.”

Then he let out a huge sigh and turned to face me.

“Couldn’t help it, huh?”

“Th-that’s right…”

Please let this be the end of it! I prayed as he tossed the remains of his sword into a box across the courtyard and ran the towel roughly over his hair.

Then with a sudden flick of the towel, he muttered in a voice so low, it sent shivers up my spine. “You’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you?”

Huh?! No! But I guess it does look like that…

“You were even considerate of my post-training adrenaline. You’re the kindest wife a man could ask for. Now go on and take that sarun off for me.”

“Wh-why should I take it off?”

He wants me to strip out here in broad daylight?!

I shook my head violently, panicked tears brimming in my eyes. But before I could bolt, his arms were around me, pulling me close.

“You hugged me from behind because you wanted me, didn’t you? Don’t deny it now, Cece.”

“That’s not… I wasn’t thinking, okay? I just reacted!”

“You don’t even realize how much you’re teasing me, do you? Then tell me, why did you hug me without thinking?”

Not this again?!

But maybe…maybe if I give him a real answer, he’ll stop asking me to strip?

“B-because I just felt… I love you so much, and I wanted to be close to you, so I moved without even thinking…”

Saying “I love you” this many times was mortifying. Couldn’t he at least say it back to me already?!

But of course, his merciless love could only grant that little wish of mine in the most twisted of ways.

“Oh, so if I go a little overboard because I love you too much, you’ll forgive me, won’t you?”

“Th-that depends on the level of overboard we’re talking about…”

We definitely have way different criteria for what counts as overboard!

“You’re not allowed to say no, but I will let you squirm instead.”

I know saying anything only ever makes it worse, but really, not allowed to say no?! Argh, he’s even more sadistic than usual! This is practically a horror show!

Still, I can’t deny that even this forceful side of his thrills me…honestly, I’m starting to terrify myself!

I tried to look away from his chest, only for him to tilt my chin up, denying me any hope of escape.

“It depends, huh? My wife truly knows how to handle me. You do realize I’ve been holding back, don’t you, Cecilia?”

His eyes locked with mine, reading me like an open book. You don’t hate it, they seemed to say. My face burned, and I trembled under his gaze.

“I-I’m just not…used to it yet…mmph!” He silenced my apology with his mouth on mine, tongue pushing into my mouth, less a kiss than a demand: “Give me more. Love me harder.” My body burned in response.

“Nngh, ahh…”

At my gasp, his golden eyes narrowed with a predatory glint. His smoldering gaze stirred me to my core, and I clung to his neck. His fierce kiss dissipated into a flurry of cute little pecks, in the midst of which he flashed me an almost-wicked grin.

“See? You’ve gotten used to kissing.”

“S-stop teasing me! We’re right in the wide open, and it’s so bright! My heart’s going to explode!”

“Oh, I know. It’s pounding like crazy.”

He laughed and held me tight, looking positively thrilled. I pouted, and he caressed my cheek and whispered, “If you keep making that face, I might just take you right here.”

I smacked his chest playfully, which only stretched his wicked grin wider.

Before I knew it, he had swept me into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom. My emotions swirled like a tempest inside of me, until they spilled over in the words, “Does your heart race when you’re around me like mine does with you, Lukie?”

“Are you doing this on purpose now? You’re way too good at turning me on,” he groaned. “I’m so in love with you, I can’t even think straight.”

His soft, smiling eyes filled suddenly with passion, and the hint of a frown tugged at his brow. He’d scarcely set me upon the bed’s edge before pulling me onto his lap so that I straddled him.

“Make my heart race even faster, Cecilia.”

“What?”

The golden sunlight poured through the open windows, so that his hair seemed to glow with it, taking on a devilish tinge as he slid my gown off my shoulders. A thrill zipped down my spine.

Maybe he could sense the way my heart was pounding, because he began to slowly glide his hand down the curves of my body, tracing the shape of my legs.

“When you came downstairs dressed like that, I honestly thought you were a goddess. You looked so beautiful, I panicked. I wanted to pin you down before you flew off somewhere, rip off your wings, and chain you to me forever. Cecilia… Now that I’ve touched you, just looking isn’t enough anymore.”

“Ahh!”

He may as well have declared he would take me then and there. He tipped his head to the side with that familiar dark, dangerous desire simmering in his eyes, as if daring me to resist or say no. My body trembled between fearful and abashed.

But I liked being wanted, and I liked that he was mine.

Still, there was something so wrong with the way those hands, which had held a wooden training sword mere moments ago, now glided slowly up my bare legs.

As I hesitated, Lucas doubled down, stoking my yearning to a boiling point in spite of the cool morning air. The tears welled up before I could stop them.

It was morning, and the sun was out, but he didn’t care at all.

How like a knight to charge forward so heedlessly. Couldn’t he close these gaping windows first, or at least draw the curtains?

I opened my mouth to beg him to do as much, but then his thumb, which had been stroking my thigh slowly and purposefully, abruptly brushed against the sensitive crease where my leg met my body. And just like that, my mind went blank. My body, remembering the night before, responded instinctively, with a desperate sigh spilling from my lips.

“L-Lukie, wait, I…ahh!”

“You’re so sexy, Cecilia. You make my heart pound.”

I clamped my hands over my mouth, embarrassed by the shameless sounds issuing from it. His golden eyes narrowed in delight.

Once more, he drew me in, soft hair brushing against my breasts as he rested his head against my heart, feeling its frantic beat. My thoughts were spiraling.

If I really wanted to be enveloped in this man’s love, I had to stop running from my own desires.

I braced myself. He lifted his dark lashes, and there they were…those full moons that always drove me mad. They shone with such love that it bordered on madness.

“I love you, Cece. I love you so much that if I had to break you just to make you mine, I’d embrace even the most twisted parts of myself, as long as it meant we were together.”

The weight of his words and the boundless depth of his love made my eyes sting, and my skin simmered at his touch.

“You know the fear of losing your beloved, of being left behind when they die, better than anyone else!” I’d yelled at him before. I’d been desperate to keep him from hurting himself any further. And he’d accepted it.

You’re the one who deserves to be honored more than anyone. You’re not twisted. You’re stronger than anyone, and unshakably honest, through and through. It’s just that your heart’s so big that people can’t always see it clearly. And well, maybe that slightly unhinged, deviant nature of yours doesn’t help either…

“So Cecilia, will you love me too?” he whispered, his head tilted like an eager puppy’s, even as his rough fingers traced the exposed line of my slit. I swallowed the mingled fear and love that welled up inside of me.

This whole adorable act is really just his way of saying, “Give up and get dirty with me” isn’t it? This meanie…

He’s not even alternating between sweet and rough—he’s drowning me in them at the same time. What kind of twisted technique is this?!

But I didn’t vow to spend my life with you for nothing! Even if you don’t beg, I want to give myself to you. I want you to have every bit of my love, and I’m going to make sure you know that.

Mini Cece was cheering me on inside of me, saying, “Go for it! Be bold! Shame is dead!” and I grabbed Lucas’s wrist.

His golden eyes widened a fraction in surprise. I met his gaze head-on, then slid my hand over his, guiding his fingers between my thighs till their tips brushed against my insides.

“Ah!”

Just that was enough to make my sensitive, needy body respond. The heat surged inside of me so suddenly, my shoulders shuddered.

I couldn’t hide my wetness. The amount of slick that was clinging to him said it all, never mind the reason: Shame didn’t matter anymore. And judging by the way his shoulders twitched sharply, he must’ve felt the way my insides sucked his fingers in, like a baby hungry for milk.

A crease etched itself into his brows, and the bliss in his eyes sharpened into lust.

That heat thrilled me. My heart pounded, and before I could give it a second thought, I leaned in slowly, until our lips were almost brushing, and whispered my plea like a secret.

“P-please can you kiss me like you always do?”

I love you, too. And I can push through the embarrassment because it’s you, so just this once, go a little easy on me!

Lucas let out a frustrated laugh. “Ha. So that’s how you’re playing it, huh? Not seeing what you’re doing does add a certain excitement.”

Obviously, you mean the dirty kind of excitement, I muttered in my mind, but I couldn’t keep a little smile of triumph from tugging at my lips.

Then in a single instant, he took both my smile and my breath away, sliding his tongue into my mouth. I clung tight to his wrist and slowly sank down onto his fingers, slick with my own arousal.

Maybe it was the comfort of not being watched. Or maybe I’d just been waiting for him to connect with me like this.

His fingers slid in so easily that it startled me. His thick knuckles pushed against me from within, and a delicious shiver ran up my spine. My hips bucked involuntarily against him, chasing that spot that felt so good.

“Nngh, Lukie…your fingers are so thick… Mm!”

“Argh, your voice sounds so amazing when you’re enjoying yourself. It’s perfect… Give me more. Let me hear you.”

“H-hang on a second, please don’t look at me… Ahh! Mmm!”

“You’re so sexy and adorable when you’re embarrassed, Cecilia… Say my name. I want to hear it, over and over.”

He cradled the back of my head, pulling me into his gaze. His golden eyes narrowed as if in pain, and the look on them nearly made me cry. I nodded, my hips jerking as I tried to find that perfect angle.

“Mm, Lukie… I love your fingers… And I love it when you do it to me right there… Yes, I love it!”

“Damn it… This is bad… I’m not sure how long I can last…”

“Wh-what? Ahh, nngh!”

“Nothing, just keep your tongue in my mouth, baby. I’ll hit all your favorite spots.”

“Oooh!” It felt so good. So, so good. But it wasn’t enough.

His fingers kept hitting the perfect spot while he kissed me, all the while whispering into my ear. “You’re so adorable… I love you. I love you so much.”

It was too much for me. I felt desperately in love. I wanted more, and I wanted him to love me hard.

“Ahh, mmm! When you curl your fingers in me, it feels so good…”

“Does it?” he whispered.

“Yes! More, do it more… I love your fingers… Please!”

“How about that?”

Almost there… I was so close. All I wanted to do was come. And I was sure if I came like this, he’d want me too. I thought if I gave myself that pleasure, I could hide how badly I wanted it and make him happy in the process. But my darling husband could read my every emotion, and more importantly, he was a sadist who always defied my expectations.

“Nngh, I’m gonna… Ahh!”

Just as I was about to come, he swirled his fingers and pulled them out. The rising wave of stimulation and its sudden loss hit me all at once. My body trembled, reeling in confusion. I had been right at the precipice of climax, and he snatched it all away.

That mounting ecstasy I’d been chasing scrambled for release, writhing against my skin, searing me like fire.

“Wh-why? Hah, nngh! You’re so mean! You awful, nasty, evil tease!”

All I wanted was to make you happy, you bastard! I tried so hard, and this is how you repay me?! And worse, I’m still horny! And I still love you! I’m so mad!

Furious and flustered, I turned my gaze on Lucas, only to realize he’d gone quiet for some reason. I clenched my thighs, fighting the urge to grind down in search of those fingers again, and instead grabbed his head and…

Bit him right on the lips.

“You stupid perv—nngh, Lukie!”

He let me carry on, nipping softly at him, hurling insults between bites, until abruptly, he lifted his lashes and glared at me with golden eyes that gleamed with jealousy. I yelped and pulled away. This is way too complicated!

“My darling wife… You know how childish and jealous I am, don’t you?”

“O-of course, my dear husband…”

Wow, so you really do have some self-awareness… But fortunately, my feeble response helped me suppress both that comment and the scream that nearly followed.

I accidentally agreed out loud, didn’t I?

A cold sweat broke out on my back, and as panic rose up within me, Lucas calmly raised his hand in front of me, and for some reason, glared at his fingers while bringing them to his mouth.

“Mm, I’m soaked all the way up to the wrist, huh? You must really love my fingers.”

I gasped as he licked his wrist that was still dripping with my arousal, sucking his fingers into his mouth.

And just like that, my brain exploded.

I’d used his fingers to make me feel good, and now he was driving it home. The shock of seeing my shameless behavior laid bare had scattered every last doubt as to why he might’ve been angry or jealous.

I only ended up like this because of you! I wanted to give myself to you!

Tears welled in my eyes. I glared at him, trembling with both rage and yearning, ready to snap back, but then I remembered.

My husband doesn’t respond to normal logic.

“L-Lukie, you’re the one who…who…!”

Crunch.

Suddenly, he bit his own finger, and I froze, baffled as to what he was doing.

He watched his blood trace a faint line down to this knuckle, then licked his next finger and bit down again, hard.

It was like he was trying to eat his own hand. Blood mixed with my wetness, and it wasn’t till I saw it trickling down to his wrist that my senses returned to me and I screamed, “L-Lukie, what in the world are you doing?!”

I snatched his hand and immediately cast healing magic, frantic to stop the bleeding. Rainbow light enveloped not just his injured fingers but his entire body, shimmering around his broad frame before fading into his skin. The sight caught me off guard, but once I saw that his bleeding had stopped, my tension evaporated in a heavy sigh.

I opened my mouth to scold him again but stopped short as he gently ran his tongue over those lips of his I’d nipped at in frustration. As if even that was precious to him. A terrifying possessiveness burned in his eyes.

I felt a jolt in my lower belly.

“That’s right. I want you. And I want you to want me, not my fingers. I’m the one who has the right to receive your love. Your gaze, your breath, your tears, even your anger when you scream at me. I want all of it for myself. Love only me, Cece.”

He leaned in, slow and possessive, and ran his tongue along my collarbone and up my neck. He wasn’t kissing, he was claiming. I felt my cheeks flush with heat.

I know he wants me. He’s never been subtle about it, and I know better than anyone how jealous he can be.

I know the only reason he’s stopped hiding that cruel streak of his is because he trusts me. Because he knows I’ll never betray him. He trusts I’ll keep loving him, no matter what. And let’s not kid ourselves, it was barely hidden to begin with.

But still, he acted so selfish and unreasonable, and the worst part was that it made my heart pound! I could hardly believe myself. And seriously, jealous of your own fingers, darling husband? I never would’ve even imagined that!

This is when he’s supposed to say, “Sorry, I got jealous of my own fingers,” and act all cute, right?!

Unless this is actually my fault? Is it because I’m not wife-ing hard enough?

Ugh, okay. I’ll do better. But I’m definitely going to need just a little more time!

“Th-that’s not what I meant!”

“Well, that’s how I see it. That’s why I’m not letting you keep a shirt around you anymore. I mean, I never would’ve thought you’d be so eager to watch me train that you’d show up in nothing but a sarun, but honestly…you looked better than I even imagined. You’re surprisingly bold, Cece.”

There’s no way this convo is just about a shirt… And that was not a compliment!

Also, not letting me keep it around me? Does that mean he deliberately put the sarun there, assuming I’d want to watch his training?! He hates being seen, yet he always manages to use it to his advantage. I should really learn from… Wait, no! That’s not supposed to be the takeaway here!

“Y-you hid my shirt and nightgown on purpose?! That’s so childish!” I said.

“Yep. You always call for me the moment you wake up, right? So I figured if you needed anything, that’s what you’d have done.” He shrugged, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He was so shameless, yet he looked so pleased with himself that all I could do was give in. I turned bright red and buried my face in his shoulder.

He’s too much…and so were my feelings.

The ring’s enchantment worked so perfectly in this situation that it made me want to cry. And the way I was instinctively clinging to him for comfort? Well, I never wanted to know that about myself!

“Y-you didn’t come when I called…” I said in a quiet voice. But the second I said it, I felt his laugh rumble in his chest as he hugged me tighter with affection. And that only made me realize how childish, selfish, and clingy I’d just been. I wanted to disappear.

“I really am sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you feel alone, my sweet Cecilia.”

He apologized and said I was lonely!

I was the one who overslept! He had a schedule to keep, duties and obligations to fulfill. Still, he didn’t even protest. What kind of gentle sadist just takes the blame like that?! It’s so unfair!

And the way he looked at me as he spoke was so loving, so full of sweetness, that I knew there was no turning back from here.

“I-I’m still not used to this…”

Lucas was honestly a bit monstrous, and normally, I’d need prep time, but today, I was prepared, and that was the problem. What was I supposed to do?!

If I let him in while I was already this close to coming, there’s no way I’d last. The moment he moved, I’d lose it. Worst case, I’d end up writhing on top of him, screaming in pleasure, and making a sloppy mess all over him.

I’m not emotionally prepared to witness myself sinking to such debauchery!

“I don’t mind.”

“L-Lukie… You say that, but…I’m so embarrassed to have someone see me looking so…indecent! It’s too much!”

I blinked instinctively from the tension, and my lashes brushed against his skin.

He laughed in response, his breath brushing my ear as his hand slowly traced my body, as if scribing the question, “You want this, don’t you?”

My face felt like it was on fire.

“I know. That version of you…the one I saw just now… That’s mine. And mine alone. That’s why we should take this slow, together. Step by step, so you’ll get used to it.”

Ugh, he’s right… But if you know that, then why don’t you meet me halfway, you smug bastard?!

“I-if we’re doing this together, then this time…”

“Cece, you hugged me just now and told me you loved me, right?”

“Yes…”

Do you have to lay it all out like that?! That’s emotional warfare!

“All I’m asking is for you to show me that again. Just once more. So come on, Cecilia. Stop resisting and take it off,” he said. Then, in a voice low and dangerous, “We’re about to get messy.”

H-how can a direct threat be that hot?! Where did he learn those skills?!

And of course, the undressing penalty is still in full effect, with no exceptions! Argh, this man, I swear!

“You’re such a mean, perverted, shameless jerk, Lucas!” I snapped without thinking, and he just laughed a soft, playful laugh, while his eyes smoldered with a boundless maelstrom of love and madness.

“The reason your husband has lost his mind, my sweet little wife,” he whispered, “is because he can’t resist the thought of being the only one who gets to ruin you like this, again and again, until you can’t take it anymore.”

My shoulders began to quiver. This sadistic man wasn’t satisfied with tying me up, body and soul. He wanted to wrap his coils tighter and tighter, until he’d wrung out the exact words he wanted from me.

When I hesitated, he kissed me, nudging me toward that decision, his touch so maddening that I could barely think straight. I let out a shaky breath and gave in. The feelings I’d long carried for him rose to the surface, as if they were just another of my body’s instincts, and at last, I let myself speak them.

“I-I’m yours, and only yours.”

My fingers tugged clumsily at the fabric between my breasts. My arms trembled as I raised them and let the sarun slip from my shoulders and cascade down my back. His hands moved in with practiced ease, gliding along the curve of my waist, catching the cloth and my body in one sweeping motion.

His touch was so careful, so achingly gentle, it sparked something like fury in my chest. The way he handled me made my heart throb, and I looked up to glare at him.

But his golden eyes shone with such intensity that my eyes welled with tears meeting their gaze.

Why is it the more I face him, the more it feels like he’s about to destroy me?

“Heh… Ah ha ha… Oh, god… You always give me so much more than I hoped for. I don’t deserve this. You’ve really gotten used to how insatiable I am, haven’t you?”

There’s nothing to thank me for! No, sir, I am not used to your terrifying love at all…or to the perverted reactions it draws out of me!

I regretted showing even a scrap of defiance. Because now Lucas was pressing a trail of hot kisses to my lips, my neck, all the way down to my collarbone, painting me with hickeys. I braced myself.

Then suddenly, he sucked so hard that it hurt, and just when I flinched, he lightly bit right into the same spot.

“Nngh, Lucas… Ahhh!” I gasped, and then he froze.

“Mm, that’s incredible.” His voice dropped to a reverent hush.

I followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. My nipple was swollen and hard, reacting shamelessly to his touch.

“S-stop, d-don’t look at it…” My body had already forgotten the pain, but still I burned with such embarrassment that my head spun. Desperately, I threw my hands up to hide myself, but his hands seized me firmly by the hips, clamping down hard, as if driven by a relentless hunger.

“Mm, you moan like that and still try to tell me no? God, Cecilia, the way you’re squirming right now is driving me mad. I was planning to let you take me in yourself, but I want you too damn bad. I can’t hold back!”

Smack!

He yanked me down hard, our skin meeting with an obscene, wet slap that echoed throughout the room.

“Nngh, ahh!”

A wave of pure force struck deep in my core, and my vision blurred. I was keenly aware of his sheer girth and weight stretching out my insides, and my thighs trembled on instinct.

I couldn’t make sense of what was happening, so I looked up and clung to those golden eyes.

He pulled me into his chest, tight and protective…like he wanted to reassure me, or maybe even apologize.

“L-Lucas, you’re inside of me…”

“That’s right, baby. I’m right here,” he said softly, pressing his palm against my lower back, guiding my hips with a slow, firm pressure.

“Oohh!”

His hand moved just enough to make me gasp, pleasure sparkling through me like a jolt of lightning and leaving me breathless.

And there was no pain or discomfort. Just the overwhelming sensation that even without preparation, the pleasure was so sharp that it sliced right through my shame and reason.

He had stripped me bare and made me into something that existed just for him.

“Nngh, n-no, I just thought you being here is enough to make me…make me… Ahh, I’m coming!”

After craving him for so long, the bliss of his filling me lifted me straight to heaven before plunging me into hell. Sparks filled my vision. I couldn’t even tell if I was moaning or holding my breath at this point.

“You say you love me too much to stop, and then you make that face while moaning and come anyway! You have no intention of stopping me, do you, Cecilia?”

The overwhelming pleasure sent my body into spasms. He thrust so hard into me that I couldn’t escape and clung to him, crying, begging him not to make me come again.

“Ahh, w-wait! I just came! I just came, so please, please don’t go deeper! If you do, I’ll just keep coming! Mm!”

“Ha… I know you love it when I grind deep and slow after you come. Your pussy’s clinging to me like it’s kissing me. You’re about to come again just from my dick being inside of you… You’re so damn cute.”

I hiccupped and moaned, still trembling from my orgasm, clinging to him as he nuzzled gently against my neck. It was like he was comforting me, although perhaps it was just for his own gratification. Whichever it was, it only made me tremble even harder.

There’s no point protesting when your body’s already responding like this, he seemed to say, with his smoldering cock grinding deep into me with vulgar, wet sounds. The stimulation made my womb twitch, and I flinched.

“N-no, not again! Please take it out! Just stop moving! I’m scared of coming again, Lukie!”

I tried to pull away from the onslaught of another orgasm, but his hand slipped behind my head, forcing me to meet his gaze, and I froze.

“You’ll be fine. I’m going to make every last part of you mine. So look at me, Cecilia, and see how happy it makes me when you’re like this. Just get used to it, okay?”

“Look at you?”

You’ve got to be kidding me! He’s seriously trying to reassure me by telling me how much he enjoys watching me from what he does to me!

Sure, I knew Lucas would never make me do something if I truly didn’t want to. He was always showing me how much he loved me, and I wasn’t afraid he would stop.

But that’s not the point!

I don’t want the man I love to see me losing control like that, and now he wants me to get used to the fact that it turns him on? How does one even get used to that? No wait, that’s not the issue here!

“I-I can’t! I love you, and that’s why it’s scary, Lukie, you idiot!”

I buried my face in his shoulder, shaking my head over and over as another orgasm welled up inside. He fell silent, then suddenly he pushed so deep inside me my hips groaned in protest.

My head whipped up. What is wrong with you, husband?!

“Wh-why do you feel bigger?!” I gasped.

“So, being in love with me’s what makes it scary, huh? That’s why you’re so embarrassed? I get it now. That makes sense.”

His gentle gaze softened his golden eyes, and he blushed all the way up to his ears. He mumbled to himself, blissed out and happy. And somehow, that made me even more embarrassed, and I felt myself blushing as well!

Did he really only just realize that now? He’s like some clueless teenage boy discovering love for the first time…and honestly, it’s kind of cute!

Come to think of it, we are each other’s first loves… But for someone who’s always got women fawning all over him, he really doesn’t understand what girls are thinking. It’s like all six years of EXP he earned didn’t boost his stats where it counts.

Maybe it was because our relationship started physical and that’s how we’ve shown love since then, too. Maybe we needed to do more of the stuff normal couples did.

Still, Lucas was definitely unhinged. He’d touch me in public like it was nothing. Wait, what if we went somewhere where we couldn’t have sex, even if the mood struck? Yeah, since we’re in a foreign country and no one knows us, we could plan a real date!

I was halfway through plotting it in my head when I suddenly heard him mutter, “Okay, stay calm. I need to calm down…”

I looked up, thinking it was finally over, but then I saw his eyes. They were glowing with lust.

“E-eep! Lukie?!” I let out a little shriek.

What is that look?!

You look completely serious… Were you seriously calming your breaths just to focus your attention on ramping up the sex?! Oh, husband of mine, you choose the strangest things to be diligent with!

“Yeah, okay. I’m good now.”

No, you are not!

Why are you gently pushing me down onto the bed?! And why are you uncrossing your legs and adjusting your position like that?! Why are you hooking your arms behind my knees and spreading my legs like so?!

Sure, lying down was easier on my body, but being pinned down like this between the bed and Lucas meant there was nothing I could do to escape the sensation. There was no way out… I’d just keep on coming.

“Wait, Lucas! No! Please don’t thrust in, or I’ll come right away!”

The bed creaked as his weight shifted slightly, and I felt a jolt down my spine so sharp, it made my toes curl. All he did was change positions, but I came undone like it was nothing. It was ridiculously easy. My body was so hopelessly sensitive, I could feel my eyes start to tear up.

“Haah, no, stop… Please don’t look at me, please don’t…”

It hurts, but it feels so good…

But he was literally looking at all of me. And even as I pleaded with those golden eyes, they fixed me with a look that could only mean he would continue. Tears streaked my cheeks at the sight of it.

“You love me, and I love all of you. So there’s no problem. I do get a little rough sometimes when you cry and moan, but I’ll try to be more careful about that.”

That’s the part you’re going to be careful about?! You’re missing the actual problem!

“No, that’s not—mmph! Ohh!”

“I love you, Cecilia. Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Just feel everything.”

He smothered my protests with a kiss, so I started whacking him on the shoulders. But all it accomplished was making him smile and say, “You’re so cute… Do it again,” before kissing me deeper, as I lay pinned helplessly underneath him.

The mere pressure of his body made it hard to breathe, but when I realized he was doing it to keep me from escaping, my body instinctively clung to him.

I was loving him back with everything I had. And although I begged him to pull out, I couldn’t help but yearn for more.

He pulled back slowly and deliberately, with barely a sound…then eased back in just as gently, lining himself up to tease my opening each time.

He didn’t even thrust, but even with such gentle motions, the pleasure didn’t stop. Somehow, that alone was enough to make me arch into him.

“Ah, no… Everything you do feels too good. Please, Lucas…”

Is that what he’s waiting for?

“I love you. I love you so much it hurts, Cecilia.”

Then he pushed in deep, all the way, thrusting as hard as he could. The pleasure was too sharp, too much, and my whole body tensed up.

“Nngh, wait! Stop, I’m scared! Please don’t look! You’ll hate me!”

“You’re so beautiful… Nngh, I’m gonna come too…”

The moment his grip on my legs tightened, my ears rang, and I arched my back so sharply, it lifted off the bed. He came right after me, his muscular body pressing down over mine as the heat from his come spread slowly inside of me.

Well, at least he hadn’t seen me, since his face had been buried in my neck. The moment I relaxed and tried to catch my breath, he pulled out and slammed into me again. Screams spilled from my mouth.

“Nngh, why?! You can’t… I always lose control when you… Lukie, stop! I can’t!”

“You’re gorgeous. So gorgeous and so filthy, I can’t get enough. Every time you cry out, I get so happy. So happy, I think I’ll lose my mind, Cece!”

Excuse me! I’m the one losing my mind over here! And so much for being gentle! That was just his usual sadistic self with a sprinkling of sweet-talking!

“Nngh, n-no! Don’t…! If you pound me right there like that, I’ll come…!”

Every time he moved, my juices sprayed wildly, splattering loudly against his chest. That alone made me want to crawl into a hole and die, but when it landed on his lips and he happily licked it off, the sight made tears streak down my face.

“W-waah, I-I’m so sorry! I-I can’t believe this… I can’t…”

“You’re squirting so much more than you used to. I must’ve hit that sweet spot again. You’re letting out so much… I’ve always wondered what it tasted like, and now I know. Come on, give me more. Drown me in it. Let me taste everything.”

“No! No, no, I can’t take anymore! I’m going to die from embarrassment! You perverted, insatiable idiot, Lucas!”

I’m never forgiving you for this, Lucas Theoderic! Even if you beg me to!

Tears streamed down my face as I shouted every insult I knew. But then he clamped his hand over my mouth.

He became suddenly expressionless as magical energy rolled off him in waves.

“Mmph! If you don’t stop, I’m not talking to you for—mmph?!”

Uh-oh.

He’d never reacted like that when I said I wouldn’t speak to him again. Wait, no, that’s a lie. He’s shut me up plenty of times. And come to think of it, I’ve been overworked in orgasms more times than I can count on both hands. Yeah, this…has definitely happened before.

But not even sadistic, unreasonable Lucas would get so mad in the middle of sex. He’d been all smiles while pushing me to my limits, so what could’ve possibly happened?

Wait, no… If he covered my mouth suddenly in the middle… Don’t tell me there’s someone outside?!

The moment I gasped, Lucas raked his damp hair with frustration and snapped toward the window, “Seriously? What do you want, Prince Islan? I don’t recall giving you permission to come here, or any reason to drag my idiot brother along with you.”

“Someone’s in a wretched mood. All this pressure from your mana is making me nauseated,” I heard Dirk say.

“Lord Dirk had a word with the guards, and they let us in,” Prince Islan said. Then he muttered to Dirk, “This isn’t what I signed up for, Lord Dirk! The only reason I came along is that you said he’d be in a good mood because his wife would be with him! But what the hell is this pressure?!”

Nooo! Lord Dirk and Prince Islan are here?!

And Lucas, my darling husband, is about to crush them with magical pressure while he’s still inside me! I have to stop him! But first, I need to get him to remove the lethal weapon currently lodged inside of me…

“Heh. Throwing your weight around as usual, royal shield? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Bern’s knights with the gate. Anyway, the agreement was that we’d be left alone for a while. Leave,” Lucas ordered.

Oh, gentleman mode is off.

But honestly, I kind of loved it when Lucas ran his mouth so crassly. When he talked like that with such a pretty face, I couldn’t help but imagine what he must’ve been like growing up, surrounded by the knights. And it made my heart flutter.

“Sure, but please, can you at least ease off the magic pressure, Lucas?” Dirk begged, sounding like he was on the verge of death.

“Argh! Lord Dirk, you kept bragging about how much your little brother adored you, but he clearly loathes you, doesn’t he?! What in the world did you do to him?!” Prince Islan’s reaction was spot-on.

Dirk did try to protect me a bit during the audience with Prince Akeem, but in the end, he still used me as bait, and I was there when Lucas found out.

So Dirk brought Prince Islan with him as a shield. Real smooth. Lucas wouldn’t actually do anything to a foreign dignitary, right? Right?

“Argh, my knees can’t take it… Even my hands are sinking into the ground! Apologize already, Lord Dirk!”

“Well, I would, but I’ve got so many things to apologize for that I’m honestly not sure where to start. Ahh, now he’s buried my limbs as well. Wait a minute, isn’t this how Majaar punishes criminals?!”

Yep, confirmed sadist. He shows no mercy, even for VIPs. Wait a minute, did he say his limbs were buried? What kind of position are they even in?! Have they been forced to bow face-down in the dirt?!

It’d be physically impossible for them to leave, then, no matter how much Lucas tells them to!

“If you’re going to keep whining instead of leaving, I could always bury more of you. Then you’ll be quiet.”

He’s going to bury them alive?!Uhh, nope! We’re officially past reasoning with him! I need to stop him before someone dies!

“Lukie!” I tapped on his arm to get his attention and gave him a pleading look. The deadly gleam in his golden eyes eased just a little, but for some reason, he began casually fondling my breasts with his other hand, breaking my chain of thought.

“Sorry,” he said, “I’ll focus now.”

“Mm? Nngh, ahh!”

Okay, I appreciate the tender touch, but now is not the time!

He squeezed my breast like he was savoring it, and I came almost immediately, blushing furiously. Throughout all this, I imagined Dirk being forced into a bow, and Prince Islan on the verge of panic, having realized what sort of trap that pretty Herbst face had lured him into. Honestly, the whole thing was just pure chaos.

“Wait, wait, Lucas! This is the first time my nose has ever touched the ground!” Dirk yelled.

“Argh, my legs are stuck! That’s it, I’m done with this family! We’re reevaluating our entire relationship with House Herbst!”

“What a coincidence, Your Highness. My lovely wife and I have also decided to stop getting involved in Majaar’s problems. Also, I have a full schedule, so I can’t spare you any time today.”

Um, Lucas? I’m not sure you can call fondling my boobs a “full schedule”!

I’ve basically been wrapped around him since I woke up this morning, and now he says he can’t spare any time… He means he’d rather just have sex, and with his hand on my mouth, I can’t even shake my head in protest!

“Haah, nngh, mm!”

The slow, creeping pleasure kept building up until I started tapping his arm again in desperation. But the man who knew my body better than anyone else just gave me a big old grin as he backed me further into the corner.

“Mm, you’re gripping me harder. Are you close? You’re so adorable, Cece. Don’t worry, it feels just as good for me. So just let it happen. Then let’s do it again, okay?”

The blend of that soft, golden voice and those eyes like honey made my whole core throb. Tears pooled in my eyes, and when he gently lifted my hips onto his lap, kissing me so sweetly, I could barely breathe.

“I love you more than anything in this world. I love you. You’re mine, Cecilia. And mine alone.”

The way his tongue tangled with mine made it clear he didn’t care at all about the two men outside. Nor could I untangle myself from him, wrapped around his neck as I was. Sorry, Lord Dirk and Prince Islan! But I’ve got zero willpower!

I clung to him, wanting more, and he gently teased my nipple: first with the edge of his nail, then by rubbing his thumb over the sensitive skin of my stiff areola. My body brimmed with his thick, searing heat, and clung tighter in its desperation for him.

“Nngh, ahh! L-Lukie!”

“Mm, you’re so damn sweet. Keep going. Crave me more. Cling to me even more.”

Every time my body throbbed, his burning length twitched deep inside. And when he whispered that request between kisses, it felt like he was everywhere, inside and around me, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

But more than that, I hated that his attention wasn’t mine alone.

“W-we’d just like to reevaluate things moving forward! We just need to talk a little!”

“Lucas! Your brother just ate sand for the first time in his life! Blechhh!”

“Shut the hell up already! Cece, ignore them. Soon enough, you won’t even hear them at all. Just look at me.”

His hand gently cupped my cheek, but it was clear from the low volume he spoke in that he was still thinking about what was happening outside. Ugh, I know I’m way too possessive, but seriously, just focus already! I couldn’t take it anymore. Fine, you want my full attention? I’ll end this stupid mess myself!

“Mm, I love you… Lucas, I love you!”

I kissed him again and again, whispering my love between ragged breaths. The more I professed it, the stronger he pushed against me beneath the sheets, his weight bearing down on me. His grip on my hips tightened, and even that simple pressure redoubled my tears and sent them spilling down my burning cheeks.

He stirred deep inside me with wet, relentless thrusts, and when I pushed my soaked pussy against him to show my urgency, he let out a deep groan.

“Nngh, you’re so mean, but I still love you. You’re such a jerk, Lukie…”

“Damn it, you’re too cute! You’re gonna make me want to slam into you again.” He gritted his teeth, his handsome face taut with restraint. The way he held back made me want to possess him all the more. Now’s my chance!

Courage, guts, hidden potential…come forth!

“C-Cecilia, what are you…?!”

I pulled him in, locking my legs around his waist as I kissed him deep, our bodies pressed flush together. His thick penis hit just the right spot, sending a shiver up my spine like an electric shock.

“Mm, that feels so good! My hips won’t stop bucking!” I clung to him tight, rolling my hips as I chased ever deeper bliss, and just when Lucas started to get close, I shook my head quickly to stop him.

“No, Lucas, don’t move!”

“Wait, what? I can’t move with you teasing me like this! You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

You can suffer a little, too, Lucas Theoderic! If you don’t like it, maybe end this stupid conversation with the guys outside already!

“L-Lukie… Oh, Lucas…” I rocked slowly against him, a slippery sound quietly rising between us, whispering his name with every breath. Each of my movements stirred up more pleasure, till I seemed to float in it. It was so gentle, but it wasn’t enough.

Lucas was panting harder with every passing second, sweat beading on his furrowed brow.

“Haah, damn it! Cece, I love you. I love you so much…” He said hoarsely, trying to keep up. Strands of his dark hair were stuck to his damp skin. He looked so breathtaking, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I wanted more. I needed more.

Just look at me, drown in me. Let those golden eyes melt until I’m the only thing you see. Until you want me so badly, you’d kill for it.

I leaned in, drawn to the trail of sweat running from his temple to his neck, and licked it without thinking. He froze in shock, then blushed furiously before shooting me a glare.

“H-hey! That was on purpose, wasn’t it?! Are you serious? You’re way too good at this. Now, could you please just say, ‘That’ll do!’ before I completely lose it?!”

Welcome to my trap, cutie pie!

But if you’re not giving me your full attention, then no, I’m not letting you tap out.

Time to learn your lesson.

“No.” I bit down on his lips a little harder this time.

“Ow, that actually hurt! Why are you so freaking adorable today, Cece? I swear, when you resist like that, it makes me wanna tie you up just to see you struggle harder… Can I?”

I knew he’d like that.

But the expression he wore as he described his depraved fantasies was even more ecstatic than I’d expected. Danger alert! My husband is unhinged!

And before I could protest, he’d already bound both my wrists in magical chains.

Excuse me? Shouldn’t you be doing something else before tying me up? Look at me! I’m mad right now!

“Absolutely not!”

“God, I love how fiery you are. Way too much…”

He covered his mouth like he was trying to regain his composure, but those lust-drenched golden eyes were practically sparkling with bliss as the pressure of the magical chains on my wrists tightened. I tried to ignore how much my foolish heart fluttered in response and shot him the fiercest glare I could muster.

If you want anything else tonight, you better go deal with those two outside first! I pressed my lips together tight and turned my head away with a pout. Lucas blinked, then gently gathered my hair and pressed a soft kiss to it, as if in apology.

“Oh, I see.” He lifted a lock of my amber-colored hair so that it caught the sunlight, then let it slip through his fingers. When he spoke next, it was slow, as if to confirm something. “What you can’t accept is this situation. You were jealous, weren’t you, my Cece?”

My face flushed bright red as I blurted back in protest, “Y-you’re talking to them like nothing’s happening! I’m the only one losing it here! We’re having sex, and you’re just chatting calmly with Dirk and Prince Islan! How am I supposed to be normal about it?!”

I tried to hide my pathetic jealousy by burying my face into the pillow, but of course, my husband would never miss even a single word I spoke, which just made it all worse.

“You’re so cute…”

The soft ends of my hair brushed against my skin, making me twitch. He dipped his head down beside my temple and murmured quietly into my ear like he couldn’t help himself.

He pressed a kiss onto my brow, not as an apology or consolation, but as an expression of pure delight. And just like that, my anger dissolved, and I couldn’t help but glance up at the man I loved.

Then, his rock-solid arms suddenly pulled me upright, and before I could even scream, his mouth was already on mine.

“Nngh, ahh! Mmph!”

He thrust deeply into me all over again, and the intense jolt combined with the way he kissed me nearly left me senseless. I grabbed his shoulders, shivering, trying to hold on somehow. Lucas looked straight at me as he lifted a handful of my hair, held it out toward the open window, and let it flutter in the breeze.

“Prince Islan, I’ll send a message later today regarding our next steps. My people will handle the guards and security for the bazaar. I expect you’ll take care of the rest?”

“Ha, I knew it. I knew she was in there,” Dirk said, sounding amused.

I immediately buried my face in Lucas’s chest, mortified.

A moment later, he patted my back gently. I heard Finn’s voice and the crunching of sand. Then I found myself mentally clenching my fists.

“Lord Dirk, utter a single impertinent remark and I’ll personally put you back in the ground.”

“Come on, Finn. I didn’t give you that crystal so you could record me. Now help me out here. Niklas isn’t exactly built for manual labor.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t explicitly told to help; I was focused on preparing your tea instead.”

Niklas is here, too?!

The fact that he had silently stood by while his master was buried simply for a lack of new orders was incredible.

“Niklas, why are you giving Finn a thumbs-up?”

“No reason.”

He’s so cold even to his own master.

Oh, I see. He intentionally let Dirk flounder to stop him from crossing the line again. The rare case where the attendants have more loyalty to each other than to their employer.

“This was given to me by Lady Anika in case your lordship ever caused trouble. Why on earth do you keep provoking Lord Lucas like that?”

Wait, what? Lady Anika gave Finn a recording crystal with explicit instructions?! The Herbst siblings are in a full-blown power struggle!

“My sister knows her older brother well.”

“And what exactly are you so proud of, my lord? Ever since you took the position as deputy prime minister, work at the main estate has been piling up. And still, you followed Lord Lucas here just because it sounded fun. Hannah’s going to have to keep a very close eye on you when you return.” Niklas’s dry commentary said it all. I doubted Dirk followed us “just for fun,” but he did adore Lucas, so it was hard to say.

Please just don’t cause trouble for Prince Leon or my father, the prime minister! Got it, big brother?

Just as that thought appeared in my head, I heard a loud noise and then Prince Islan’s voice. “Argh, I can’t believe this happened. Thanks. You’re never far from Lord Lucas, are you?”

“Yes, I’m Finn, Lord Lucas’s personal attendant. I’ll relay his message. And if you could also inform your wife, we’d appreciate it.”

“Understood. I’ll pass it on to Yana.”

Yana? Isn’t that the name of the woman who’s basically running Prince Islan’s entire harem right now?

If I recalled correctly, she was a tribal princess from Aram, so yeah, she was a big deal.

I definitely need to have Anna look into this…

That’s when Lucas spoke again, his voice like ice.

“Prince Islan, my wife will be handling these matters from here on out. Please take utmost care not to direct them to the wrong person.” I heard a bit of restrained fury in his voice. I reached up and pinched a lock of his dark hair, which still clung to my cheek, then poked his cheek twice in protest. He scowled, the lines between his brows deepening.

But I hit him with my sweetest smile, and at last, with a sigh, my husband yielded to my silent coaxing.

“Apologies for my rudeness,” Lucas said. “I’d appreciate it if you could overlook it just for today.”

“He he.”

“Very well, I’m sorry for interrupting while Her Highness was present. Please enjoy your time together.”

I leaned in and kissed Lucas on the cheek. Good boy. I finally understood why he hadn’t wanted to apologize in the first place.

Prince Islan struck me as the kind of guy who immediately thinks he’s won once you apologize. He’d grown up expecting to be in charge, and that arrogant streak in him reminded me of Prince Akeem. He was going to be a handful.

Our crown prince Leon was way humbler by comparison, and just thinking that brought another sigh to my lips, as I remembered who exactly had caused this whole mess in the first place.

“Prince Islan, I’d love to visit the bazaar as well,” Dirk said. “Would you be willing to show me around?”

“I decline. I’m a very busy man.”

“Oh, come on. There’s no need to get so worked up. You know we’re in charge of supplying magical devices for defense and detection from Bern this time, right? Well, I’ve got a letter here from Leon about that.”

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place?! What’s the point of—ugh, never mind!”

As Dirk and Islan’s voices faded into the distance, one cheerful and the other irate, I found myself staring at Lucas’s golden eyes again.

Leon must’ve had no choice but to play humble, huh? And it’s all thanks to the unruly Herbst clan. Poor guy…

Still, no matter how bad I feel for Prince Leon, the only person I can manage is the one right in front of me. And honestly, he’s more than enough… I mean, he’s still inside of me. And he’s still…very hard. Isn’t that weird?!

“Cece, you’re being unreasonable.”

Unreasonable? Yeah, right! I grabbed his cheeks and stretched them out to show my displeasure.

“You’re such a jerk, Lukie!”

“Bwhy?”

Did he just say bwhy?! Is he serious?! That’s okay… Wait, no, that’s adorable! But still!

“Please don’t blow off important duties!”

“Cheche ish my mosht important duty. Noshing matters more than ewe.”

The way he said it was so calm and smug, with his cheeks still being stretched apart… Ugh, don’t go saying stuff like that so sweetly!

My heart completely melted, and my fingers lost the strength to grip. And to make matters worse, my body started heating up like it knew exactly where this was going.

“Nngh…”

“Heh…”

Noo, you stupid, traitorous body! It’s not like he did anything to get you tightening like that! Look what you’ve done! Now his dick is getting hard again!

“Ah, wha—wait, no! Why is it getting bigger?!”

The bed creaked as I shifted, and I could feel him swelling in my core from how deep in he was. I was still on top, and his massive length was reaching in too far. It hurt a little, but my body had already started to react, twitching and dripping uncontrollably.

And of course, my sadistic husband couldn’t be more thrilled by that.

“What do you mean, why? You know why, Cece.” He looked at me with his molten gold eyes and teased me in a wickedly sweet voice.

“I don’t know why!” I said stubbornly, my face bright red.

Then I heard his voice, so kind and dangerously soft it made my skin prickle.

“You really don’t know?”

Uh-oh. That’s the tone of voice that says if I don’t say it, he’ll get it out of me the hard way!

“I-I know! Okay!”

“I knew it. Up we go!”

Gah, why’d I say that? He shifted us right into a whole new position!

“I do know. But there’s a time and a place, you know?!”

“You’re loving it, though, aren’t you?”

Ugh, yeah. Can’t exactly deny how stupidly happy I get when we’re alone like this.

But still, don’t look down like that! You’re totally acting like “You’ve been soaking this whole time,” and that is not the point!!

“It’s because you’re always acting on your urges! The way you act, my brain gets scrambled, and I can’t think straight! That’s why I’m like this. It’s normal!”

I tried to fight back, but then I caught a glimpse of his drenched chest and immediately felt a tear welling up in my own inner monologue. What even is normal, anyway? Honestly, if someone called me a nympho, I don’t think I’d have the energy to argue.

Still! I may be sinking deeper into depravity each passing day, but if Lucas wants me that way, then what choice do I have but to call it normal? I’m his wife, after all!

But the more I got used to it, the more my self-control started to slip—not that I would admit to that out loud. I found myself scrambling for justifications that no one asked for. To justify myself to absolutely no one. Then, all of a sudden, my very much not-normal husband suddenly flushed red, leaving me perplexed!

“So, your head full of thoughts of me and your body full of me. That’s what normal looks like now? Got it!”

“Argh!”

He looked so ridiculously happy. The pure, innocent joy on the face of my husband was too much. My heart was about to explode! I suppose the reason I can never flat out reject him, no matter how he gets under my skin, is because of moments like this.

I would catch a glimpse of that pure heart of his that needed only me, and I’d see how the love I gave him blossomed in its unblemished light. It was a kind of joy nothing else could match, and it completely swept me away.

The way he returned my feelings with such sincerity… No flower could compare to the way my husband bloomed.

No wonder Marshal Webber doted on him so much. I was busy admiring his handsome face, tinged with the perfect flush, when suddenly the Knight of the Blue Rose spouted yet another statement in his twisted logic.

“So if I work even harder, you’ll go even more insane than you already are in this normal state, huh?”

I just about burst into tears. “Wait, no… I can’t anymore! I’m done for today—mmph!”

“Shh, I love you, Cecilia. Let me fill you up even more. Lose your mind to me, and only me.”

“Nngh, but I’m already so full! I’m full of you Lukie, so please don’t thrust anymore! Please don’t push me over again! Please show me a little mercy, please!”

He gives his all even in bed! What am I supposed to do with that?!

I clung to his neck, bliss flowing out of me in tears, as I let myself be swept away into a world of blinding white love.

Chapter Two

AS WE CROSSED THE BRIDGE FROM THE OLD CITY into the new, my eyes were drawn to a grand building up ahead. I was so entranced by its imposing figure that I barely noticed when a soft shadow fell across me.

“What is it, Cecilia?”

A swish of white silk fell across my face, along with a curtain of dark hair.

The white scarf Lucas wore was a typical Majaar garment, used to block out the sun. A black band threaded with gold secured it around his head, with markings that denoted his rank. Only the most distinguished elites were permitted to wear gold and purple, while black designated foreigner status.

Because we were in the country as honored guests under Prince Islan’s protection, however, the tassels tied beside our temples were dyed a deep purple. Anyone who saw us would immediately know we were the equals of Majaar’s royalty.

I’d heard that the headbands were made from metal and decorated with jewels in some formal settings or ceremonies. That was something I definitely needed to see Lucas wearing someday…not that I’d ever say it out loud.

Lucas’s silk shirt was of a simple cut, with a crisp collar that flattered his gorgeous profile. The flat, gold-embroidered stole draped across his shoulders was cinched in place with a wide black belt. The whole ensemble gave him this unmistakably exotic, aristocratic air.

Lucas looked good in anything, but honestly, the colors and patterns of Majaar’s clothing might as well have been made just for him.

With his tall frame and those dangerously good looks… It was total eye candy.

For my part, I was dressed as Majaar noblewomen often did when going out. I wore a light, breezy dress paired with a long, draping scarf to keep the sun off my skin.

Not wearing a corset made me feel a little exposed, but the airflow was incredible. It was so comfortable!

Lucas had said he liked the Majaarian-style shirts too, so maybe I’d pick up a matching set as a souvenir.

As I daydreamed about that, Lucas gave me a curious look, which I answered with a smile.

“Ah, it just feels like it’s been a while since we got to go on a walk together.”

“Yeah, we really haven’t had the chance to, aside from Kastel-Kues. But since Prince Islan’s covering everything this time, we may as well cut loose.”

Oof, that smile…that carefree tone of voice… He knows exactly what he’s doing.And the way he said Prince Islan’s covering everything, it’s obviously about more than just money.

I had a feeling it meant the prince wouldn’t just be footing our bill but also smoothing out any problems, should they happen to come up.

Sure, Lucas looked like the calm and diplomatic type, but in reality, he was a battle-hardened knight and as callous as they came. He was the type who’d say, “Why waste time fighting when I can eliminate the threat beforehand?”

Letting him off the leash with a “Do as you please” was practically asking for unsolved disappearances. And yet somehow Prince Islan had given him a broad smile and an invitation to do just that.

Although I had to admit, it seemed like he understood Lucas. Keeping him happy might actually be the best way to keep casualties low.

Or maybe Prince Leon had pulled some strings, and Dirk had seen to the rest. That seemed more likely.

Either way, it was nice to know there were people willing to share responsibility for my unhinged husband. That was much appreciated!

Mentally, I shunted my burdens onto my brother-in-law’s shoulders and tilted my head at Lucas, who was still looking at me.

“What about you, Lukie? Is there anything you want to do?”

“Me? I think I’d like to check out the bazaar up ahead. It’s not just the local tribes trading there. You know, there are caravans from all over. They say you can find half the world’s goods there. You’ll never see anything like it back in Bern. And you like that kind of thing, right? It’s indoors too, so we won’t need to worry about sunburn. I think you’ll have fun.”

His voice lifted with excitement, and childlike curiosity shone in his golden eyes, bright as the Majaarian sun.

“What about you, Cece? You can do anything you want. Just say the word.”

He leaned closer, though we were already holding hands, and brushed a kiss to my bangs like it was nothing. You’d think him the picture of innocence, walking along like he didn’t know how he set my heart racing. It made something ache in the softest part of my chest.

If we’d met under normal circumstances, maybe we could’ve spent our days like this all the time. It wasn’t regret exactly, just a small ache. The quiet kind of ache that made you want to reach into the past and rewrite it just for a moment.

“I want to do normal couple stuff with you,” I said softly.

I wanted to do things we couldn’t do in Bern with all those eyes on us…things that would let me express how grateful I was to have chosen this life with him. But now that we were here, just the two of us, I wanted nothing more than to relax and smile alongside him.

That longing had grown too strong to ignore. My next words tumbled out shy and clumsy.

“I mean, we kind of already are, in a way. But back at Kastel-Kues, everything was so new and awkward, and now that we’re closer, I just thought maybe this time we could actually have a more intimate date.”

Lucas suddenly stopped, his eyes wide. I panicked and looked down at the shadows on the ground. His and mine were practically fused together.

And realizing I’d basically asked him to get even closer made my cheeks burn.

And then my shadow vanished under his.

“Eep!”

He scooped me up without warning, and all I could do was blink up at him as that warm, golden sunlight framed his glowing smile. The way his eyes sparkled made me forget everything else. They weren’t aglow with sunlight but with something deep inside of him. I found myself lost in the warmth of his smile and accidentally gazed a bit too long. But then the whispers started, getting louder and louder. Uh-oh.

“Oh, my! Look at how handsome he is! The tassel on his cord is purple!”

“Could it be the Hero and his wife? The ones from Bern that everyone’s talking about? They look way cozier than the rumors made them sound.”

“The Hero is even more handsome than I heard, and the princess’s hair is such an unusual color! She looks like a nymph from an oasis. If I looked like that, I could’ve snagged a national Hero too. But otherwise, they’re your everyday lovey-dovey couple.”

“They look like newlyweds! How sweet!” said a group of older ladies who were out shopping, and their cheerful voices made me blush.

Not that I can blame them for talking. Lucas just swept me into his arms right in front of the bridge to the market! Sorry to disturb you all!

Lucas’s dark hair didn’t stand out much here, but my amber hair practically screamed “foreigner,” even though I tried to hide it with the sun veil I wore. Not that hair color mattered much when it came to Lucas. With his striking looks, he’d stand out anywhere.

His pale skin, the way he proudly displayed our rank… There was no hiding that we were the royal couple from Bern.

And those theatrical maids of mine were to blame.

“Prince Lucas has Princess Cecilia in his arms again! Even if they are madly in love, that must be quite embarrassing for someone as modest as the princess,” Anna said dramatically.

“Sure, Princess Cecilia followed His Highness all the way to Majaar to protest the latest incident, but she doesn’t need to flaunt their love in public to do that. Don’t you think so, Elsa?” Kate said.

Really, Anna, Kate?! First they casually drop both of our names, and then they summarize our entire backstory for the whole market to hear!

Come to think of it, there was that misunderstanding that had convinced a certain Majaar envoy that I was some kind of temptress.

It wouldn’t be surprising if such rumors had already spread across the kingdom, which means Lucas would’ve picked me up like this specifically to draw attention, while our maids spun a story to run counter to the gossip. He’s good.

But the surprise twist was that she handed it off to Elsa! I’m not sure about that one…

I watched anxiously as Elsa clenched her fists and stared at the ground, trembling slightly, only to suddenly throw her head up and shout.

“That’s what it means to love someone with all your eyes! They’re a vision of bliss in Majaarian attire, and I am blessed to look upon them! We should totally buy a full set of Majaarian wedding attire! Someone go roast a goose Majaarian-style, right now!”

She’s definitely hungry. Majaarian food uses way more spices than we do in Bern, so I guess it must suit her tastes…

“Oh, Elsa, you’re so bold! Too bad our purse is right over here, though.”

Elsa shamelessly rummaged through her pockets while Lord Barnabash blushed and pointed at his pants pocket. I looked on, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Anna and the others faced each other, arms crossed, locked in a serious debate.

“Ugh, I don’t get it. Kate, Finn, do you have any idea what ‘loving someone with all your eyes’ means?”

“All your eyes? Like, taking up all of them? Oh, maybe it’s like ‘I love you so much, I’d trade my eyes for you!’ No wait, more like I love you so much, I’d let you crawl into my eye socket,’ right? And since this is Prince Lucas we’re talking about, not only would he declare that wouldn’t hurt, but that he’d want to keep her in there forever, right?”

“Oh, yeah. That does sound like something our unhinged boss would do,” Finn said, sounding genuinely impressed.

None of this even remotely makes sense! But…

Finn wasn’t wrong. Lucas did speak volumes with his eyes, and given his yandere streak, Elsa’s bizarre phrase actually worked. But I didn’t think it was something we needed to take seriously, right…?

“Then it’s decided. Finn and Anna got it wrong, so you’re the ones on grocery duty today!” Kate said triumphantly. “Elsa eats a lot, so make sure you buy enough!”

Wait, they were gambling over Elsa?! Maybe Elsa agreed since it’d mean more food for her…

“Argh, you got me, Kate. Talk about frustrating,” Anna muttered gravely. “I need to work on my lateral thinking! Oh, right. Didn’t Lord Dirk ask for a bottle of something to bring back for Prince Leon? We should check on that.”

Her disappointment was so…sincere. She’d always been incredibly capable, but now I realized it was because she applied herself to every situation, just like this…

“Good idea. Majaar’s got an impressive selection. Let’s stock up on some as a gift for after the talks. Lord Barnabash, can you carry stuff for us? Oh, and we’re buying spices too, so once we’re back in Bern, we’ll be able to make Majaarian-style roasted goose.”

“Piece of cake!” Lord Barnabash said. “I could carry a whole traveling caravan if I had to!”

So, roasted goose was enough to motivate him… Well, tasty food did lift the spirits.

But honestly, Finn was so casual about everything, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was actually a nice guy. Taming the crown prince with first blackmail, then a bribe… A true master of the carrot-and-stick technique. No wonder he was Lucas’s right-hand man. He was terrifying.

As Finn’s unsettling interpretation of Elsa’s phrase rattled in my mind, I felt someone gently tug on my bangs.

The familiar move made me snap my head to the source, only to find Lucas, of course, giving me a molten look that demanded a kiss. I clenched my jaw.

“Are you sure? You’re pulling me closer, leaning in…and now a kiss? Are you really okay with all that?”

I appreciated the thought behind this whole let’s-kill-the-gossip plan. I really did. But wasn’t it demanding a bit too much in the execution?

You have zero sense of shame, you know that?! I’ve tried to act thick-skinned like you, but if I take any more strain than this, I might never recover!

My lips trembled. He gently tucked my bangs behind my ear, then brushed his fingers down to my chin, coaxing me closer.

His calm demeanor and unwavering gaze stoked the fire in my chest, and I refused to back down. I reached up and ran my fingers across his lips in return.

If I said it, I meant it. When it came to standing firm and loving Lucas, I wouldn’t lose to anyone…

“Well, then, I’d be happy to do anything but a kiss,” I said.

“Wait, if you’re okay with all that, why not a kiss?” he asked.

He blinked at me in surprise, with that beautiful face of his tilted at the perfect angle for a kiss, and I was immediately persuaded. So I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him in close.

“I mean, we’ve kissed before in secret. If we’re this close already, then…”

I kissed him.

Mwah.

Our lips parted with a soft sound, and I opened my eyes to see his, stretched wide in shock.

His flawless, sculpted face flushed, and his lips trembled slightly.

“Cecilia…?”

“Yes, Lukie?”

“This was a k-kiss, wasn’t it…”

Oh, my love…

Lucas, the strongest knight in the world, was completely undone by the kiss I gave him, pouring in everything I felt in this moment.

And it was because he gave me all of himself, every emotion without holding back, that I wanted to give all of myself in return.

“He he, I thought just for today I’d be the one to kiss you first.”

I love you more than anyone, and more than anything. You’re what matters most to me. That’s why I want us to clear up the rumors together.

I cupped his cheeks in both hands, beaming at those golden eyes of his, and my darling husband, ever quick to catch on, seized the moment to sate his own desires as well.

“So that kiss just now means you kissed me because you wanted to, right?”

“Wait, what?”

“And you said you’d accept anything other than a kiss, right? So if I did a bunch of stuff to make you happy, that means you’d want to kiss me…right here, on the spot. That’s how it works, right?”

“Wh—no, that’s not… That’s not what I meant!”

If I let him run with that logic, knowing how insatiable this man was by default, we’d end up kissing nonstop the entire time we were out.

“It totally is,” he said with that smug, cocky grin of his. There was the mischievous side I loved most of all.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to kiss him, but what I really wanted was to see him smile. I wanted to see him enjoying a perfectly ordinary date, doing perfectly ordinary things—things we could do here that we couldn’t do back in our room.

Which was why I couldn’t give in to his whims. Today’s magic words were “Shame is my ally.”

So prepare yourself, Lucas Herbst!

“Well, then, does that mean you’ll be spending this entire date focused on making me happy? You must be awfully confident in your ability to please a lady. I can’t wait to see it.”

“Gah…”

Taking advantage of the fact that he was carrying me, I peered down at him with a playful smile, one that made me look just a little wicked. The moment I struck back, Lucas just froze, and then blushed hard, completely thrown off his game.

“Um, there’s a huge variety of stuff, sure, but in terms of what’s being sold, like clothes or food or household goods, it’s not all that different from Bern. The big appeal is in the design and all the unique regional stuff. I did look into what the market’s famous for, and I’ve got a few ideas on what to show you, but wait, is that not enough? Am I screwing up the date? If there’s something you want to see instead or anything you don’t like, please just tell me, okay?”

He rambled all that in a single breath, his face all flushed. I gently reached up and cradled his warm cheeks in my hands, bringing my face so close to his that our noses nearly touched.

Ever since the day we met, he’d given me so much. And now, just watching him try so hard to explain everything made my heart feel like it would burst.

We were two separate people, and there would be times when we clashed, but no matter how well we came to know each other, there would always be those parts we’d never understand.

And that was why I loved the way he kept trying, the way he always wanted to understand me better, even in the smallest ways.

That was the quality, more than any power he had, that marked him as a true Hero.

I wished everyone who called him a monster could see what I saw and how sincere he was.

I took a breath as I watched those trembling lips and those eyes bright with tears, then spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“Just like I swore when we first came together, you’re the only one I’ve ever done any of this with. You know better than anyone that Felix, my ex-fiancé, thought nothing of me. He never gave me any flowers, letters, or gifts. Everything I know about love and how to nurture it, I learned from you. So whatever you do for me, I’ll gladly accept it, Lord Lukie. But please do show a little mercy.”

If the rumors said I was a temptress, then they must’ve heard the other story, too—the one where Felix cast me aside. Because otherwise there’d be no reason for me to seduce Lucas, and no reason I’d need to become the supposed temptress. So I’d lay bare my past with Felix, let them know exactly why I left him to marry Lucas. I’d spell it out nice and clear—because to me, Lucas was irreplaceable.

Yes, it was humiliating to be ignored by my own fiancé. And for a noblewoman, that was a social death sentence.

But because of that humiliation, I was able to understand just how deeply Lucas’s love reached.

Because of that pain, I fell in love. I learned what it meant to be cherished. My life finally had color.

So if I seemed like the kind of woman who clung to her husband in desperation, that was because I was. I was just a woman, one who was terrified of being left behind.

That was why I wanted everyone here to know that I wasn’t someone who captured the Hero—I was the one who was hopelessly, completely in love with him.

And if that makes me the villainess, then fine! Call me whatever you want. But please, beloved husband of mine, could you not glare with such hostility? There’s no need to get riled about it all over again!

“That piece of scum, Felix, is the only one at fault here. He never spared a single thought for you, even as his hands scrabbled for every lady who deigned to call him a friend. But I’m not your friend, I’m your husband. So start getting used to this as being normal,” Lucas said.

Thank you, darling, for picking up on my cues!

But if I could maybe ask one more thing… Could you please turn that clever mind of yours to the tiny matter of controlling the ominous mana spilling out of you and into your every word? The murderous way you said friend just about made my heart stop!

Come to think of it, he never offered me a hand when he was working as my royal guard… If Lukie was being considerate, so I wouldn’t notice his feelings that whole time, then I could see where his anger is coming from. Still, kissing’s supposed to be a special, one-day-only treat! So why do I feel like he’s trying to turn it into a reward system now?!

As I stood there in front of the man who had watched over me for so long, I suddenly wondered if maybe confessing my past publicly like that hadn’t been the best strategy after all. A chill began to seep into my bones, growing colder as our audience began to murmur.

“That wasn’t the story I expected. Wow, she really went through a lot…”

“So the former second prince didn’t just ignore his fiancée; he broke off the engagement on a whim? What a jerk!”

“They made the right decision, chopping his junk off!”

“Yeah, she went from being dumped by some loser to being truly cherished! It’s like a fairy tale!”

Phew, good. So we have reached inspiring story status.

I might’ve pinned it all on Felix, but what they were saying was mostly true, so I’d let it slide and… Wait. There was definitely a line in there we can’t just gloss over…

Elsa had casually joined the conversation with a satisfied smirk. Did something irreversible happen to Felix’s important bits?! Don’t tell me castration magic means literal castration?!

I shot a look at Lukie, wondering if this could’ve happened, considering Felix had already married into Lady Viviana’s family. He answered me with a frosty look and said in a quiet, decisive tone, “Leon was fine with it, too.”

“I see…”

His eyes lit up like a view of purgatory, and my words caught in my throat.

Felix had endangered the kingdom and abandoned his responsibilities to Lady Mia. So even if Lady Viviana’s family didn’t cast him out for the sake of appearances, if he couldn’t produce an heir, he’d never be treated like proper royalty again.

Now, at last, he got the just deserts for all that pride he put in his status.

So I didn’t need to worry about him anymore. I reached up and kissed my husband gently on the forehead to make sure he didn’t slip any further into his dark thoughts.

“Thank you, as always, for carrying such a heavy burden.”

“Was that a reward?” He furrowed his brow a little, like he’d suddenly realized I was spoiling him. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Well, I know you. I figured you’d have someone keeping an eye on him, at the very least,” I said.

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted.

Hmm, knowing how deeply Lukie hates Felix, he’s probably made sure he can’t get out of this by dying, either.

But still, he always used his ridiculous power to fulfill his duties. He took such care to keep me from having to worry, and I was so grateful for that.

“I want to make you happy, too, Lukie. Really happy.”

I reached out and brushed a hand against his flushed cheek, and his golden eyes lit up as they caught the sun.

“Y-yeah, honestly, just hearing that is more than enough. I’ll do my best to be a good escort for you today.”

The gap between this flustered Lukie and his usual attitude is just too cute! All right, Mr. Escort Knight! I’m counting on you.

And that was how, after treating the crowd to a very distinct and public display of affection to set our love story straight, Lucas and I strolled through the bazaar, surrounded by cheers from all sides.

“Oh, it’s the prince and princess of Bern! Please accept a cereus flower, the bloom of eternal happiness! It only grows here, and it wards off infidelity, too!”

“This is the most popular item in the whole bazaar! It’s called jelly chorba! There are no wrappers, no mess! Perfect for dates! You can try this one for free!”

“Just drinks won’t satisfy you. We’ve got chebab and luqaimat in Majaar, but just for you, there’s something even more special! Baklava, made with a secret recipe passed down only among the people of Aram!”

“Oh, thank you.”

I barely held back a dry laugh as I thanked them. Merchants really were incorrigible, no matter where you went.

When it came to potential customers, though, I suppose you could do a lot worse than visiting dignitaries. We’d never get mobbed like this walking around in Bern, though, so it was probably just a quirk of the local culture. It definitely felt like we were on vacation.

Still, I’m pretty sure the generosity is thanks to Prince Islan. Is it really all right for us to be accepting so much, though? Then again, we’ve already eaten most of it, so it’s a bit late to return it…

I glanced down at the luqaimat, which was a fried dessert shaped like a dumpling, and then turned to look at Lukie beside me, who had just made an entire chebab pancake disappear like a magic trick.

Finally, the time I’ve been waiting for has finally come! I chewed for a while, and then my chance came, my mini Cece clutching her fists in victory.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Don’t you like the luqaimat? Is it too greasy for you? I can finish it for you if you want,” he said.

He licked the honey from his fingers as he leaned in, a faint sweetness of dates and nuts lingering in the air.

I did my best to hide how much his squirrel-like nibbling excited me and answered with all the grace of a proper lady.

“No, it’s delicious. I just thought perhaps I shouldn’t eat it all, since I want to try the baklava, too. Lukie, are you still hungry? I know you’re not big on sweets.”

“It’s fine as long as it’s not drenched in syrup like this. The jelly chorba’s bitter, so it balances it all out a bit.”

He reached for it, and I quieted my nerves, chanting my silent spell, It’s fine, I’m his wife. I can do this, over and over.

I did manage this once before with the fried potatoes, even if it was with “Lukie.” I’ve got this. This is your chance. You can do it, Cecilia!

“Here you go, darling. Open wide!”

I delicately pierced the little round pastry with a toothpick and brought it carefully up to Lukie’s mouth. I felt my face turning red even as I flashed the brightest smile I could muster and asked him to eat it. And my perfect specimen of a husband froze, his eyes wide and his hand still outstretched.

It was like he couldn’t process something so unexpected, his golden eyes darting rapidly between my face and the luqaimat in my hand. Finally, he grabbed my wrist and stared at me, as if confirming the reality of the situation, with such intensity that I almost burst into tears.

“I can feel it… It’s not a hallucination?”

“Y-you’ll know once you eat it…” So please, I’m begging you… This is terrifying and mortifying, so just eat it already!

I steadied my arm and held his gaze, doing everything I could to keep my cool. At last, he seemed to realize what was happening. His beautifully sculpted face slowly flushed, bit by bit, the color rising to his neck.

“Open up! Come on, Lukie! Say ahh!”

“Oh, right. Um… Ahhh…” He tightened his grip on my wrist and slowly leaned forward, hesitantly opening his mouth for the luqaimat.

“Mm,” he said softly as he bit into it, and I gasped. As he chewed, he leaned forward and buried his face in my shoulder. That should be against the rules! It was all I could do not to tremble.

“I-I still have more!”

“That’s dangerous. I couldn’t even taste it…” He mumbled something about eating as much of it as there was, even if it was drowning in syrup, before abruptly straightening up. I gazed up at him, my eyes a little watery. And then, his whole expression melted, just like honey dripping from a spoon.

“I feel so stupidly happy, I want to have more, just to keep tasting this. Give me another luqaimat.”

He dabbed the corner of my mouth with his fingertip and then licked it clean. I swear I almost melted on the spot.

You can have them! You can have all of them—just please don’t start reenacting our Kastel-Kues date scene by scene, darling!

“G-go ahead!”

“Mm. Ahhh…”

He was getting used to this way too fast, inhaling the luqaimats like they were nothing. Even when I accidentally gave him two at once, he’d devour both in one bite. Adorable!

I happily fed him the fried donuts until there were none left, then let out a long sigh of satisfaction.

And as I did, Lukie finished his jelly chorba, taking his final sip before casually reaching for the cute little package sitting on my lap.

“All right, let’s split the baklava and eat it together. Open wide, Cecilia.”

N-no way! He’s turning the romance up a notch further?!

And that smug little smile of his was so handsome. But I’ve dreamed of a date like this—with Lucas in his real form and not his Lukie form. I’ve practiced in my head for this exact moment, so there’s no way I’m backing down now!

I tried to ignore mini Cece, closing my eyes as I braced myself. It wasn’t a competition, but still. “Yes, darling,” I said as I turned to Lucas. Then, I slowly opened my mouth. “Aaah…”

But no matter how long I waited, the pastry never arrived.

I opened one eye and…

“Your face and voice… Seriously, you’re trying to kill me here!” Lucas was hunched over, clutching his chest.

I don’t get it.

We handed off the rest of our sweets to our grinning maids and made our way toward the blacksmith Lucas had been eager to visit, eager to reach them before the heat of the day set in.

Sunlight streamed down through a cupola above us, sparkling upon the painted walls that flanked the stone path we followed through the market. The sun was blazing outside, but the air was surprisingly breezy and cool inside the bazaar.

“It’s so cool in here. I wonder if those lattice windows are designed to let the breeze through?”

“Notice the height difference between the shop roofs and the walkways,” Lucas said. “That lets in light, so that even without windows, the walkways are fairly well lit, but at the same time casts shadows that keep things cool inside the dome. We’ll turn left at that fountain. The blacksmith shops are just a bit further.”

I almost nodded but then tipped my head in confusion at Lucas as he gestured down the path. It hadn’t been that long since he’d gone undercover to sniff out Prince Akeem’s plot, posing as a Canaanite to get himself caught on purpose. Other than that, though, he’d been constantly shuttling between Bern and Majaar, so it was hard to imagine he’d had any free time.

“You sure know a lot about this place. Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, I used to disguise myself and drop by after hunting expeditions when I was hungry or on the way home. The forest along the desert border is full of huge rocks. So it’s easy to call Barnabash over to them without drawing attention. Once I make it that far, I can hop on him and be back in Bern in no time.”

So he used his overpowered skills and a giant black dragon to carve out personal time… That’s my perfect Hero…

Still, would that really be enough time to learn the ins and outs of this place? I wondered to myself. But my thoughts were interrupted when Lucas suddenly uttered a familiar name.

“I wasn’t skipping out on the beastmen mission or anything, really. I came to Majaar once before to train with Andreas. I also traveled around the border nations as a guild mercenary with the old man.”

“So you’ve been to the surrounding kingdoms, too?” I asked.

He wasn’t satisfied with hunting at the border forest, so he’d gone off hunting monsters in other kingdoms, too?

“I started training under Andreas when I was ten, but apparently before I became his student, one of his older disciples, who already had something of a reputation as a swordsman, was killed by a monster from another kingdom that wandered into the forest. So Andreas thought anyone with potential should learn how to fight all kinds of monsters from different locales. After all, it would be a huge catastrophe if the next Hero got taken down by something other than a dragon.”

I was already shaken by the lengths he went to for his training, but hearing the reason behind it only shook me more.

But since dragons came from the border forest and the deep abyss, which were so nearby, it wasn’t a risk they could afford to overlook.

It didn’t matter if Bern possessed the sacred sword Eckesachs if there was no one to inherit it, after all. And if the role of Hero wasn’t passed on, monsters would lay waste to our people, and Bern would fall.

“Majaar’s rocky, desert terrain breeds the sort of monsters that you can’t kill with just a bit of sword work. So training here helps sharpen your instincts and judgment, not to mention building stamina. I also learned how to find water and survive the night while camping. Strangely enough, part of our training was basic traveling etiquette, too. Basically,” Lucas said, “the old man taught me how to survive anywhere.”

Hunting monsters was always a matter of life and death, but it was especially challenging when you were up against unfamiliar ones.

I knew at the time Lucas had a ton of potential and was clearly marked to be the next Hero, but I wondered if that was all that inspired Marshal Webber to devote so much to his training. Felix told me once that Marshal Webber was not only raising Lucas as a knight but was also tasked with keeping an eye on him.

And given Lucas’s destructive tendencies, he could easily cause a catastrophe if he ever lost control and unleashed the insane reserves of mana within him. Training someone like that to such a level of skill and knowledge was basically just handing him more firepower.

But Marshal Webber must’ve seen the effort Lukie put in and truly believed that he’d never become that kind of threat.

That must be why he taught him even the sorts of things a knight normally wouldn’t need to know. He wanted Lucas to survive, no matter what.

“Was it hard?” I asked.

“It was really hard. One time, he dumped me in the middle of a wyrm nest with nothing but a dagger and said, ‘Just survive.’ I’ll never do that again.”

He’s slumping at the memory, poor thing… But it’s also kind of adorable…

“Speaking of which, you can’t wield Eckesachs unless you’re trained in hand-to-hand combat, right? I always thought you learned your style from the marshal, but it seems a bit different from how most knights fight.”

“Oh, the old man isn’t from Bern. He’s from Barlefeldt.”

“The Barlefeldt Kingdom? The one still under the protection of the dragons?! I’ve heard that while the people there can barely use magic, they’re born with incredible physical strength, and that the royals are practically immortal.”

The story goes that the goddess created dragons to punish humans when they started slaying monsters using the sacred weapons she forged from her right arm. As the legend tells it, she tore off her left arm and used that to bring dragons into being.

Since the people of Barlefeldt carry traces of the dragons’ power in their blood, they’re one of the few nations respected by the Egrich Empire, which reveres the goddess and sees the dragons as divine beings.

Apparently, their crown prince inherited even more of that draconic lineage and turned out to be extremely wild. If Lord Barnabash was anything like that prince, I understood why people would be worried.

I heard that he had recently married the Archduchess of Vilde, but, because of his dragon blood, had been causing all sorts of trouble. Perhaps every nation had its own share of chaos when it came to rearing the next generation, just like Majaar.

However, Bern’s transition of power was pretty calm, since we already had Leon as our crown prince, and Lucas, as the second prince, had been flattening any noble who dared to complain. It was peaceful, in a sense. I’m just going to pretend I don’t notice how unbalanced that power dynamic is. Cooperation between princes is the most important thing.

Still, when you think about it, on one hand, the Goddess gave sacred swords to slay divine beasts, and on the other hand, she created divine beasts so humans wouldn’t take over the surface. Her mercy ran deep, perhaps too deep for humans to ever understand.

All we can do is keep moving forward, like Lucas does.

“That old man… It’s hard to believe there was anyone he couldn’t beat with a sword, but apparently, when he fought the former king of Barlefeldt, every time he stabbed the guy, the wound would close right up. Since they couldn’t settle it with swords, they switched to hand-to-hand combat, and that’s where he learned a bunch of techniques for breaking the human body efficiently. Apparently, even choking him out didn’t work, so it turned into an all-out brawl.”

His golden eyes filled with admiration, glittering as he looked up at the sky, while his words painted a picture so bloody, my face nearly twitched.

His eagerness is veering into terrifying territory. Is he seriously wondering if the guy really couldn’t die? If Lucas ever runs into that dragon-blooded prince from Barlefeldt, it’s going to be a disaster.

“Ohh, so did you visit the bazaar with Marshal Webber too?”

“We didn’t visit. He dragged me around by the scruff of my neck.”

Lucas got hauled around like a kitten. That sounded pretty rough, but I was curious to see it.

“There’s a coliseum past the blacksmiths, just like in Bern. You can try out anything you buy there. It’s a bit of a walk, though.”

He glanced down at my feet, as if to see if I could keep walking, and I gave him a reassuring smile. My new shoes were a little stiff, and I was tiring faster than I normally would, but I still wanted to walk and chat with him a while longer. And speaking of coliseums, I remembered Marshal Webber showed up at the one in Kastel-Kues and caused quite a commotion…

“Don’t tell me he did the same thing here,” I said.

“Yeah, he’s pretending to be calm now, but Andreas goes wild when combat and booze are on the table. He spent entire days fighting in that arena. They started calling him the General or some weird nickname like that.”

So he went and made a legend of himself in another country, just like he did in Bern?! Sounds like master and apprentice share the same kind of wild streak…

“What about you, Lukie?”

“…”

I leaned in to peek at his face, but he quietly looked away, which only made me lean in closer.

“You fought against the marshal and the others, too, didn’t you? I want to know what happened.”

There was no way that Marshal Webber would let Lucas just sit on the sidelines, and knowing how stubborn Lucas was, there’s no way he would have been satisfied with just watching.

Sure enough, my hardworking husband flushed with frustration, or maybe even embarrassment.

“I didn’t drop my sword, and I didn’t lose to anyone but my damn master. I mean, I couldn’t beat Andreas at the time, but I did after. I’m not someone who leaves a fight unfinished.”

He didn’t drop his sword, huh? He still remembers that practice match from when we first met…

From the sound of it, whoever went up against Lucas back then probably got a proper rematch down the line and lost. That made sense, considering how quickly he climbed the ranks to Vice Captain of his order, where the knights were judged by merit alone.

And that’s how we got here.

“If you hadn’t taken the marshal’s training seriously, and if you hadn’t kept pushing forward no matter what, I might not have found the strength to try being a princess.”

“I really went through hell, but hearing that makes it worth it.”

The way he said it, with his face all twisted like he had just swallowed a bitter bug, I knew he meant it.

But if I told him how his eyes sparkled like a child’s every time he talked about those memories, I wonder what his eyes would reveal then. I think those memories, whether he realized it or not, were dear to him. They were far more fun and important than he probably realized.

After all, they were what shaped the kind, sincere Lucas standing here now.

“I mean, I’m grateful that it made me stronger.”

I squeezed his hand tighter, and he did the same, still wearing that reluctant grimace.

“He heh. Judging by that face, you’ve never actually told Marshal Webber that, have you?”

“Why the hell would I?”

“I don’t think you need to say it. I’m sure he already knows, but I bet he’d be over the moon if you actually told him.”

“What do you really think about that damn master of mine, anyway?” He looked so confused when he asked that, and I had to pause and think about it for a while. Then I glanced up at him.

Maybe because they’d been master and student for so long, Lucas and the marshal had the same quiet, reassuring presence. All they had to do was stand there, and it calmed people down.

Neither of them cared much about their own appearance, but when it came to swords, they were deadly serious. They both had a relentless drive to improve and an almost childish resistance to being deterred. They even had the same bad habits. It was almost like they were father and son.

I thought Lucas’s manners probably came from his blood father, Duke Herbst. But what lay at his actual core, what made him the man he was, felt like an even mixture of the duke and the marshal.

“Hmm… I guess you could say he’s the person who gave me the chance to meet my knight. I owe him a lot in that sense. So when we’re back in Bern, we should go pay him a visit together, okay?” I said with a bright smile, but my beloved husband scrunched his brows begrudgingly and nodded.

“I’ll think about it.”

Wow. He says that but grabs his hilt like he’s bracing himself for another one of the marshal’s childish comebacks. It always drives him nuts when the marshal calls him “little Lukie.” If the two of them ever faced off, the royal palace might actually get destroyed.

As I was thinking that, Lucas suddenly brushed his knuckle against my cheek, right next to my lips, and I jumped a little.

“Nngh, wh-what are you doing?”

“You’ve got such a big smile on your face. What were you imagining, my dear Cecilia?”

Wait, is it obvious how much I enjoy hearing about his past?!

“I-I’m not imagining anything! It’s just fun, walking and talking like this.”

Just saying it made me realize how happy I was, and my chest got all warm and tingly.

“Is it fun? Are you happy?” he asked, but I thought he already knew the answer.

“Y-yeah, I’m really happy.”

“Good.”

We stopped walking at the exact same time, almost like we’d planned it, and I let his fingertips touch my lips. Heat bloomed against them, so gentle I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh! Looks like the rumors are true! You two are very close!”

“Are you looking for wedding garments? There’s a row of shops at the crossroads with just the thing! Go on, Princess! Let him spoil you!”

“Tch…”

Once again, the bazaar’s relentless merchants snapped us back to reality.

That was close! I was so caught up in the mood that I almost kissed him right in the middle of the road!

And I’m pretty sure Lucas just clicked his tongue. Seriously, he’s the one who set the mood for a kiss. Why is his escort game so freakishly good? And how did we even get here?! I mean, I love that people are rooting for us, but it doesn’t quite feel like a normal date anymore…

Everywhere we went, someone would point us to a shop for lovers or some other romantic spot, and even Kate and Elsa had started chiming in with stuff like “Get closer!” and “Kiss her!” which only made it worse.

“You heard them. And didn’t you say I could have a kiss when I made you happy?”

And there Lucas was, with his smug little smirk, just feeding the fire. There was no way out of this one. It was time to apologize before it was too late.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy right now, and honestly, I was having so much fun I could die!

“S-sorry, but can we please not have our usual kind of kiss here?”

No matter how much I wanted to kiss him, I did have limits on how much embarrassment I could handle at once. I buried my face in my hands, blushing like crazy, until he pulled me close by the waist and hurried me along the road.

“Eek! Lukie?!”

“We’ll save the blacksmith for later. Let’s check out the clothing store first.”

“O-okay…”

It was unusual for him to want to look at clothes. He was incredibly picky when it came to my wardrobe, but barely paid attention to his own. All he wore was simple, practical stuff with as few embellishments as possible.

But now he wants to buy clothes in a foreign country? What could’ve stirred his sense of fashion?!

I was looking forward to watching him pick out weapons, but getting to see a living masterpiece of a sculpture try on clothes? Yeah, I was more than okay with that.

I’m feeling very motivated now!

My heart pounded as I ducked under the curtain of fabric hanging over the storefront. Jingle, jingle! A little bell tinkled above me, and I looked up to see a wide strip of purple cloth embroidered with gold thread. That meant the shop was already secured and reserved by our guards.

“Welcome, and thank you for coming. Please, take your time and enjoy browsing.” The elegant shopkeeper bowed gracefully, and just as she raised her head, clothing began arriving from the back of the shop and was quickly lined up in front of me. I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.

Wow, I’m getting the full VIP treatment! It’s not exactly something that would happen to a regular couple, but I guess even Majaar can’t just completely ignore guests of state.

This area must be where the nobility shopped. The clothing was definitely top quality. I should probably check out some dresses for formal events.

All the designs were completely different from what we had back in Bern, and I already wanted to buy everything I saw.

“All these dresses are so vibrant, with the embroidery and metal detailing…”

“Dancing is quite popular at Majaar’s evening parties,” the shopkeeper said. “The fabrics are made lightweight for easier movement, and the decorations on the arms, chest, hips, and hemline are made to accentuate the flow of the body.” She held up a dress to demonstrate, the little ornaments tinkling softly like wind chimes.

I’d heard that in Majaar, the royal harem’s women are always competing with each other, so they danced solos to catch their partner’s eye.

Even outside the harem, there was constant competition for attention, which probably explained why the dresses showed a lot of skin. The one she was holding wouldn’t bear the stomach, but some of the others were basically lingerie.

When would someone even wear that? It doesn’t seem like something appropriate for a public party…

“It’s beautiful. This fabric’s lighter than anything I’ve seen in Bern. Is it made from a farasha butterfly, the ones you only find in Aram?”

“You’re very well-informed. That’s correct.”

I lifted my hand and let the fabric float a little, and then it rose on its own like a feather. The shopkeeper seemed surprised I knew, and she also seemed a bit nervous, which confused me.

She’d known state guests were coming, and judging by her behavior, she wasn’t just a clerk. They would make her the owner and perhaps even a noble herself. Conversations like this should be completely normal for someone like her. So what was she reacting to?

Wait, is it Lukie’s glare behind me that’s scaring her? No way. Is he seriously pouting just because he’s the one who wanted to shop, and now I’m the one getting all the attention? Oh no, this is exactly what that man would do! Okay, I’ve gotta fix this now.

“Look,” I said, picking a shirt from those on display. “The colors remind me of you. Like sunrise with gold embroidery… Eep! L-Lukie, what are you…?!”

Just as I turned to show it to him, he swept me off my feet.

“I’ll be borrowing a fitting room,” Lucas said. “Finn, Anna, pick out anything that looks good.”

“Understood.”

“Please, take your time.”

Lucas didn’t even glance at the startled shopkeeper as he shoved aside the lavish curtain and marched straight into the dressing area. Was he that excited about clothes?

“What’s wrong? Did you see something you really liked? You don’t have to decide right now.”

“I want it right now.”

Oh wow, so he’s really planning on wearing it out of here, huh? I mean, I don’t know about going into the fitting room together, but if he’s feeling this bold, I definitely want to see him try on everything!

“Then how about those over there, too? The black ensemble with the gold and green embroidery was gorgeous,” I suggested nervously.

He was still holding me as he dropped onto the cushioned seat inside and gently set me down in his lap.

The curtain was made of deep violet velvet, and the glow of the colorful hanging lamps around us shimmered like stars across the fabric.

But Lucas’s golden eyes, locked onto mine, were brighter than any of those lights. That was when I saw it—the raw, swirling desire in his gaze. It hit me like a wave, and I froze up.

“I’ve been holding back.”

“Huh?”

“You looked like you were having fun, so I held back. I teased you a little, and then I let you go. But when you looked at me like you wanted to kiss me, but said, ‘Not here,’ I knew I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m doing it now. No more waiting.”

Oh god, when he said he wanted something right now, he meant a kiss!

“I-I mean, here? Really?”

“No one can see us here. We’re indoors, and as usual, I’ve already put up a barrier. So what’s the problem?”

He’d learned way too much from our Kastel-Kues date…Wait, don’t tell me he reserved this whole place for that?!

“I-it’s not like there’s a problem, per se, but springing this on me after that buildup is so unfair!”

“I already held back once, and if there’s no problem, then it’s not unfair. We can buy the clothes afterward, but if we drag this out too long, people might get ideas about what we’re doing in here, Cecilia.”

You’re absolutely not helping!And you totally didn’t let it go! You’re the one ambushing me right now!

But I knew if I didn’t respond properly here, I’d be in serious trouble later. I said what I said, so I’ll take responsibility for it, but still!

“F-fine, but you’re not allowed to put your tongue in, Lukie! Got it?”

“Ha ha… I know, I know. My sweet, sweet wife. No tongue, I promise. No tongue.”

That sounded so suspicious. If I didn’t get this over with fast, I had a feeling that things would turn in a direction I was definitely not ready for. I tipped my face up toward him, only for Lucas to just freeze altogether.

Oh no. You’re not planning on being even more of a tease, are you?

“Darling, I can’t reach you from there,” I said.

“But we agreed that you’d be the one to kiss me, remember?”

Wait, so because I’m the one who said I wanted to kiss, now I have to do all the work?!

“You’re seriously the worst!”

“Sorry, but you’re the one who got me all worked up, saying I couldn’t kiss you like usual, not here anyway. What else am I to do but hold myself back, hm?”

Apologizing then blaming me in the same breath! Ah, but that ridiculous smile is way too cute, I hate it. Ohh, it’s on.

“Fine. Close your eyes.”

“Of course.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close enough so that I could feel his breath on me. His lashes fluttered before his golden eyes warm with love. Then, as his eyes shut, I whispered into a kiss, “You’re such a terrible person. I love you so much I could scream…”

Our lips met slowly and softly. I saw his eyelids tremble and felt his lips stiffen just a little, like he was trying to contain his reaction, but I could feel the heat beneath my hands where they rested on his skin.

Mwah, mwah…

I shifted position slightly with each kiss, enjoying how adorably awkward he got. And just when I thought he was too dazed to respond, he mumbled something against my lips that made my heart twist.

“You’re so unfair.”

“Mm, but I’m being honest. I love all of you. Mm!”

I gave a soft little laugh and slipped my tongue into his mouth, and that was all it took. His arms suddenly tightened, and the pressure of the kiss doubled.

“Haah, L-Lukie… What?”

He curled his arms around me tighter, one hand sliding right over my chest and giving a light squeeze. The other slipped down to pull my skirt up, exposing my bare thigh, and then slowly caressed my skin. I felt my whole body flush with heat.

“No stockings today, hm? Guess that explains why you feel different in my arms. Man, Majaar’s fashion is kind of dangerous, isn’t it?”

“I-it’s just how the outfit’s designed, okay?”

It’s not like I wasn’t self-conscious about wearing something so revealing. I just hadn’t thought about it. Not really, anyway. Not when I was with him. It didn’t occur to me how I might look to anyone else. I shook my head, eyes stinging, and Lucas’s face softened into something sweet and seductive all at once.

“Yeah, but it’s fine. Because you’re mine.”

“…”

I suddenly couldn’t look at him. I’d grown too accustomed to living with someone I could drop my guard with, considering how I was, letting him expose my skin like it was nothing. I turned my head, flustered and guilty, only for his lips to brush against my neck.

“It’s because it’s me, isn’t it? That makes me so happy. You look incredible today, too, you know. My Cecilia…can I leave my marks on you?”

I knew he wanted to leave a mark right there on my neck. Something to show everyone that I belonged to him. I should’ve said no. I should’ve told him that was way too embarrassing. But instead…

“Just don’t make it hurt…”

Not only did I not refuse, but I basically gave him permission to go even harder.

“Don’t make it hurt, huh? Then you’ll have to tell me how much is too much.”

I couldn’t even look at him since he was so overcome with hungry desire. I just nodded.

And then his lips latched on and sucked, sharp and sudden and hot. I gasped and grabbed the back of his head without thinking.

“Ahhh!”

The burning feeling on my neck made my lower stomach clench, and my legs twitched reflexively.

He rubbed my leg gently, trying to calm me, but at the same time coaxing me for more. I was already anticipating the pleasure and tipped my neck back.

“Mm, that reaction… You okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just do it again…” I nodded again and again, like I couldn’t help myself, and he groaned and pulled me in even tighter.

“Damn it, I just want to devour you, Cecilia.”

“Ahh!”

He sucked hard on me, lightly nipping at my skin. A sudden pain blossomed on my skin, far sharper than a hickey would have caused, drawing a moan out of my lips. But I wasn’t afraid. I almost felt intoxicated that I could drive Lucas to this kind of fervor.

“Nngh, mm… Lukie…”

“Cecilia… You’re mine, all mine.” His voice trembled with emotion, like he was desperate for me. And every part of me yearned to respond.

“Y-yes…” My fingers slid into his soft, dark hair, and he flinched, then let out a long, ragged sigh.

“Sorry, I lost control. Did I hurt you?”

His lips brushed the sore spot, and I felt the warm tingle of healing magic set in. Then he shyly buried his face against my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“I’m fine, really.”

Just the idea that he cared this much about leaving a mark on me made my heart ache with love for him. I tried to calm down as I watched him breathe slowly, leaning in to try to kiss him again.

His eyes met mine, gold and glossy, and the second our tongues brushed against each other, his hand slipped down inside my panties, rubbing right against my slit and making me yelp.

That’s not allowed!

“Ah, w-wait! Not there! This is a fitting room, remember?!”

“You already said yes. You were clinging to me and moaning. What, do you think I can stop now?”

Oh, that pout… That fake wounded look… Oh, don’t you dare…

I opened my mouth to yell right as I heard the storefront bell jingle and the door slam open.

“Sis! Is it true the Hero’s at the bazaar?!” a kid’s voice cried out loud enough to drown out the bell’s jingling. “Do you think he’s gonna beat the General’s record at the coliseum?! Who do you think is stronger?!” I just stared, frozen.

Hero… the General… He’s talking about Lucas and Marshal Webber…

I glanced over at Lucas, and he let out an exasperated sigh, staring in the direction of the curtain with a dead look in his eyes. I quickly scrambled off his lap.

“Talk about ruining the mood. Who’s out there?” he grumbled.

Uh-oh. I might’ve been saved, but Lucas’s mood just took a nosedive…

I’d fix my disheveled clothes later. First priority was covering up what happened here—and covering Lukie up while I was at it. I grabbed one of the dresses I planned to try on and spun toward Lucas.

“Lukie, why don’t you try something first?”

My first mistake was trying to change the subject to protect myself.

“Heroes are strong,” the kid was saying, “but they only use swords, right? That’s why I was hanging around the blacksmith’s shop, hoping he’d show up. I wanted to show him weapons from Aram. But he never came! The General only fought with a sword, too. Maybe they just can’t use anything else? Oh! Or maybe he slipped off to one of the brothels while his wife was out shopping, like Prince Islan does…”

The boy’s voice started out cheerful but quickly trailed off just before another voice spoke up, calm but terrifying. “How dare you utter the word brothel when my mistress is right by Prince Lucas’s side? Such an offense is punishable by death.”

Anna?! She got there even faster than Lucas! What triggered that?! And is she threatening to execute a child?!

“Wh-what’s your problem?! This shop belongs to Princess Yana, one of Prince Islan’s favorites from the Aram tribe! You think you can just bring weapons in here?!”

Did she have her sword out, too? That’s going too far!

“I-I’m sorry! My little brother doesn’t know any better. He just really admires the Hero! He was really excited to see him today, that’s all. Please, forgive him. I beg you!” the shopkeeper, who must have been the boy’s sister, pleaded.

“We’re truly, truly sorry!”

I heard the sound of the shopkeeper and the other employees falling to their knees. Uh-oh. This is getting worse by the second, and I still can’t get dressed properly because I don’t know how to put these clothes on yet!

I didn’t expect that the owner of this boutique would be Princess Yana of the Aram tribe, the woman who was rumored to be Prince Islan’s favorite.

So was she scared because she’d been warned not to upset us? Since she was royalty, she should have been used to dealing with other nobles, but she still seemed nervous.

I reached for the side clasp on my dress, but the voice that spoke next made my hand freeze in midair.

“You’ve insulted him twice now, Yana Salkishan.” Finn’s voice was perfectly level, but the fury in his words chilled me to the bone. “My master personally brought Princess Cecilia here to give you the chance to make things right, and you allowed them to endure such disrespect. Do you even realize how much he suffered because of you? And now, instead of gratitude, you show us this? You should be grateful you’re still breathing.”

“Ahh! P-please, I beg you! Have mercy!”

He said “twice.” That means she did something to Lucas during his last stay here. Something that pissed Finn off, and that took a lot…

Suddenly, it felt like the air inside the tent was freezing, like a blizzard raging on an icy mountain. I could see the murderous aura hanging over Lucas like the breath of the grim reaper. I had to stop this. I moved to step outside, but Lucas stopped me.

“I already dealt with the emblem issue, so I don’t know why he’s still so mad. Anyway, those shoes are a terrible fit, and your hair’s a mess. Let’s get you fixed up. I’ll call Anna, so you just sit down and wait.”

“Wait, but…!” He noticed the blisters on my heels? That’s so sweet… Wait, that’s not the point! Even Lucas, who is always clueless when it comes to reading the room, has to sense this terrible atmosphere right now. So why does he sound so casual?!

I didn’t know the full story, so maybe it wasn’t my place to say anything. But reacting to a kid’s comment with that kind of intensity seemed totally excessive. I shook my head emphatically when he gripped my arm, silently pleading with him.

He looked startled for a moment, but then his eyes softened into a gentle smile.

“Your heels are all red. There’s no way those shoes will last the rest of the day. Don’t worry. I’ll walk you to the blacksmith shop later. Just wait here for now.”

He fixed my clothing with one smooth motion and kneeled to help me out of my shoes. Meanwhile, mini Cece was screaming and kicking her legs like a schoolgirl.

He told me we’d buy shoes here, and then we’d go to the blacksmith.

So he’s not even mad anymore… He’ll stop Finn and Anna for me. Oh, this man. This perfect, deadly, terrifying man! I fall in love with him over and over again every single time!

I slowly sat down, my heart fluttering, and nodded.

“I’ll be looking forward to whatever shoes you choose for me, Lukie.” I timed my comment right as the curtain swished aside, and he groaned under his breath, just as I expected.

“Ugh, why’d you have to go and make this even harder…”

He gave me a defeated little smile and then, as casually as if he were dusting himself off, dispelled Finn’s oppressive mana away with a single flick of his hand.

“Finn, Anna. Sheath your swords and bring me every pair of shoes they’ve got,” he ordered.

How is it that Lucas can never read the room but still manages to save the day? And why is that such a turn-on?! What am I supposed to do with this man?

How in the world does a tree that size even grow out of bare rock?

The mescat tree was massive, unfazed by the scorching sun as it towered over the coliseum for which it had become a symbol. From my own vantage point in the VIP box carved into the cliffs above the arena, I watched as Lucas dispatched an opponent with a bored flick of the wrist.

The clang, clang of hammers and chisels nearby rang out through the air, joined by the gentle trickling of a nearby man-made stream. The steady rhythm nearly lulled me into spacing out. But I had to keep my attention on the woman in front of me. A breeze rushed by and caressed my cheek, cooling the sweat I hadn’t realized was covering me. Just then, the woman before me dropped into a fretful bow so deep that her forehead looked like it might touch the plush carpeting underfoot.

“I sincerely apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused to Prince Lucas and Princess Cecilia! Please forgive me!”

The woman currently prostrating herself before me was none other than Princess Yana Salkishan, the owner of the shop we’d visited earlier on.

She rattled off a list of incidents that occurred during Lucas’s previous stay in Majaar, and before long, I felt a headache coming on.

Just like Prince Akeem had mentioned, Prince Islan had tried to bring Lucas the Hero over to his side by sending one of his most beautiful harem girls, Yana herself, to visit his room…repeatedly.

“I knew she’d try to sneak in, so I made sure I was really filthy and drenched in blood from my latest monster kill. I scared the hell out of her when I showed her its freshly severed head. I did a few other things…and she screamed and fainted,” Lucas had casually told me one night.

But somehow, the full story turned out to be even worse than his version had painted it. A few other things, huh? You abridged the hell out of that story, Lucas!

Talking hadn’t been enough to deter her, so maybe he did have to take harsher measures to scare her off, but still…dislocating her shoulder just to prove a point? That was totally unbecoming of a knight. Insane, actually!

Not only that, he hid it from me because he didn’t want me to hate him.

Princess Yana and Prince Islan’s plan hadn’t simply been vulgar; it had been an affront to Bern itself. If it had wrecked Leon and Shireen’s engagement, it could’ve destabilized our kingdom and violated the agreement between our kingdoms.

So yes, Lucas had been justified in putting them in their place and asserting the balance of power. And if that meant hiding the dirty details to preserve the peace his actions had achieved, then so be it. It wasn’t ideal, but I could let it slide.

I stared at her hair, which was rich brown with streaks of rare gold. The person Lucas had hurt was the daughter of the Aram tribe chieftain, whose people made a living out of slaying monsters. If the Aram tribe turned against us because of this, it would spell disaster for any Bern mercenaries crossing their lands.

And yet he had hidden that fact from me, hadn’t apologized, and continued indulging in royal treatment. Don’t think I’ll let you get away with forgetting your promise to handle things the proper way, Lucas!

This was going to require a conversation…but first, priorities.

I clenched my hands tightly in my lap, keeping my voice gentle as I spoke.

“Please raise your head, Princess Yana. If Prince Lucas has already resolved the matter, then you have no reason to apologize.”

This is between me and Lucas. All you have to do is reflect on what you did to him.

And as expected, she looked up with tearful eyes and immediately goaded me the way only aristocrats could.

“But I still tried to threaten your position, even knowing how painful and humiliating that must’ve been for you…”

Even as she apologized, she alluded to the broken engagement incident, and on top of that, she said outright that she tried to steal someone else’s husband knowing full well what that would do to me.

Basically, from her perspective, I wasn’t fit to be Lucas’s wife. Not after nearly having my fiancé stolen by Mia and Lady Viviana. I wasn’t on her level. Still, that pride of hers wasn’t arrogance. It was hard won from years of experience.

The autonomous region governed by the Aram tribe bordered both the desert and the monster-infested boundary forest. It was one of the harshest lands in all of Majaar. And even though she was in line to become the Aram chief, Yana had decided to join Islan’s harem, seduce him, and in doing so, secure his support for her people.

Because really, she was the only one clever and daring enough to win over someone like Prince Islan, or even Prince Akeem, for that matter. Both men who saw women as nothing more than political pawns.

Yet even in a harem notorious for its backstabbing and power struggles, she’d managed to stay in Islan’s good graces for years. That took serious skill and serious sacrifice.

To be honest, I preferred her personality to Viviana’s smug little superiority complex. I might even say I respected her. Actually, I kind of wanted her to teach me how to be that good at the art of seduction.

Okay, time to win her over and give a certain husband of mine a taste of poetic justice while I’m at it.

“Princess Yana, do you want to leave the harem?” I asked.

“Huh?”

That must’ve caught her totally off-guard, because her polite mask slipped for a second. Her brows knit tightly over, eyes alight with suspicion. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ha ha, don’t be so surprised. You said you understood how painful my position was, didn’t you? Then isn’t it only fair that I try to understand yours as well?”

I gave her a thin, composed smile. She winced a little. Why does she look so scared?

“Are you doing this on purpose?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what you mean. I simply asked if you want to cut ties with Prince Islan, given your circumstances and the cards I happen to be holding. As you know, I am Bern’s second princess. Diplomatic matters are my responsibility. I could speak directly with Crown Prince Leon and Princess Shireen on your behalf. And I may be able to help with the Salkishan family’s concerns.”

What’s really got me worked up is how Islan seems to think all he has to do is host us like royalty and we’ll consider his debt to Bern paid.

The Aram tribe’s military strength was one of Majaar’s greatest assets when it came to fighting monsters. If Islan kept them close, he would gain leverage. In other words, if Bern was ever in trouble, he could lend us the Aram tribe’s aid to put us in debt to them, then use that to screw us over later on.

I wanted to believe he wouldn’t do that, though. He was Shireen’s brother, after all. But if he was shameless enough to try replacing another kingdom’s queen, there was a good chance he saw even his own sister as his pawn.

Now that Akeem had been pushed aside and Islan’s path to the throne was clear, losing the support of the Aram tribe would definitely hurt him. But that wasn’t my problem. If anything, he could stand to be knocked down a peg. Plus, this was a great chance to earn a favor from Dirk.

He was probably trying to plant the Herbst family’s intelligence agents in the Aram tribal territory through the guild. That was likely why he tagged along to Majaar in the first place. I guessed he wanted to crush the Tikrit family while he was at it, since they might be at odds with the Salkishans, and score political points that way, especially since there was a good chance the Tikrits were in bed with the Egrich Empire.

So really, if I could just nudge things along and smooth things over, I’d be doing Lucas a favor and cutting down his stress at the same time.

And no way am I going to owe one to Dirk! That is not happening.

I laid it all out to Princess Yana about how Bern could help directly and not just with Majaar, and for some reason, she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“You look so delicate, but you’re seriously something else…”

Am I really that easy to underestimate? Is that why people keep trying to pick fights with me? Because of my face?! I’m a little shocked!

“I guess that makes me a villainess, then,” I smiled sweetly. “I might as well use it to my advantage!”

Princess Yana’s eyes went wide, and then she suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ah ha ha! I can’t believe it! You look so fragile, like you’ve been wrapped up in silk and locked in a birdcage by that Hero of yours, and then you go and pull this!”

“Well…”

She’s not wrong, exactly, though it’s not a birdcage. It’s more like a magical prison built from raw mana, and I’m shackled with red chains. And since I walked in willingly, I have to be tough if I want to make it out alive.

As I silently lamented, Princess Yana clutched her stomach and slapped her thigh, still laughing. Then, after one last sigh, she brought one hand up to cover her face.

“Well, no wonder the rest of us never stood a chance. He loves you because you’ve earned it.”

She seemed lost in thought, her shoulders slumping a bit, so I figured she’d need some time to process all this. I turned my gaze back to the coliseum just in time to see Lucas blast his opponent right off his feet.

“Whoa! That’s forty-five in a row, and he’s not even using a weapon! So that’s what a Hero looks like in action…”

“Heh, it’s amazing, right? Hey, Alfred! Don’t lean over like that or you’ll fall!”

Little Alfred was Princess Yana’s younger brother, and he was practically hanging over the railing to cheer for Lucas. Finn, who’d been watching Lucas with a grin as wide as any proud father’s, reached out to stop Alfred from flipping over.

Apparently, Alfred had been hanging around the arena for a while. He was all starry-eyed when he told Lucas that he wanted to grow up and fight monsters to protect his people, and of course, he’d begged to see Lucas fight in person, so much that he finally gave in.

Seeing Lucas and a little boy in that situation made the Bern entourage collectively lose their minds. Even Finn had broken down. “Lord Lucas is talking to a child…outside of his duties?! Is this the end of days?!” And then he whipped out a recording crystal.

Anna, who’d been raging only a few moments earlier, muttered, “Could this be…training for the future?” and then went oddly quiet.

I thought she was getting ahead of herself, but watching Lucas with the little boy had stirred a little flutter inside me. I’d keep that a secret, though…

That was why I brought Princess Yana along. We made a little detour before the blacksmith shop so that Lucas could make a very dramatic entrance and exercise his royal privilege.

“Just like that, he’s broken the record he set as a young boy when he defeated thirty-five opponents!” Finn said. “They used to call him Captain, you know. And now he’s poised to break the General’s record of fifty-five!”

“Oh, right. I forgot they called me that… And what do you mean, the General?! I’ll crush that old man’s record!” Lucas said.

Uh-oh. He just launched his opponent into the air. Is that okay? That can’t be safe…

But I couldn’t ignore what Finn just said.

Captain? So, even as a child training in the arena, Lucas already had a nickname?!

“This guy’s a Hero! As if a mere general could stop him!” Anna said.

“I’m recording this and taking it back to rub it in the General’s face!” Finn said.

“Let him seethe with regret! Oh, wow. This baklava is incredible! Bleugh!” Elsa began to say, but then Kate smacked a mouthful of pastry into her mouth, making me wince.

Maybe feed her a bit more gently next time?

Honestly, what do all of them have against Marshal Webber? It sounds like they’ve really got an axe to grind.

Maybe they had been with Lucas during those days when he was training, too? That would explain the intensity. Even Lucas went pale when he thought back to that time in his life.

I glanced down at the arena again, just in time to catch him crushing his fiftieth opponent. His fists clenched and his lips curled into a tiny smirk.

He heh. So that’s why he agreed to come here. He wants to beat his master’s record. He really is just an overgrown kid sometimes.

“I’ll raise him with my love. I’ll protect him. I’ll cherish him in my own way…”

When will I finally see the version of him he promised me that day? It might take years, but I still look forward to it.

I was mid-daydream when a sigh caught my ear. I turned my gaze from Lucas’s cheering squad, who were going crazy after he crushed one opponent after the other, and back to Princess Yana. She paused and then spoke nervously.

“If you don’t want an apology, then what do you want? What are you trying to figure out here?”

Wow, no wonder she managed to charm someone as difficult as Prince Islan. She’s not afraid of anyone, not even Lucas, who’s arguably more powerful than Majaar’s prince.

I had a feeling she was the kind of person who never lost sight of what was truly worth fighting for, and I thought maybe we could build something strong together.

I shed my smile. “I want to know exactly what kind of conversation Prince Akeem had with the emissary from the Egrich Empire back in Canaan,” I said in a voice of cold command.

Princess Yana flinched, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes widened. “Why do you…?”

I couldn’t help but let the fury seep into my stare.

“Why? The Aram territory borders Canaan. You served as Prince Islan’s eyes on Prince Akeem in order to protect your people, didn’t you? So do you really need to ask why?”

“But you’ve already heard my reports from Prince Islan, have you not?”

“Princess Yana, I’m not naïve enough to trust Prince Islan. He turned a blind eye to Akeem’s crimes against civilians. Nor would I trust the Egrich Empire, who deem others subhuman just because they follow different faiths. And I certainly don’t have the grace to forgive the people who tormented my husband until the goddess herself intervened!”

Ever since that day, I had been haunted by the image of Lucas gasping for breath, the black vines choking him.

But if not for that ordeal, I would never have been acknowledged by the goddess as his sheath, his healing half. However, that didn’t mean I would simply endure any pain if I didn’t have to. He’d given everything to protect others. And strangers—people who knew nothing about him—had judged him a monster. I could never forgive that.

Princess Yana’s lips began to tremble when I turned my fury on her.

“I-it’s the Egrich Empire we’re talking about! Even with a Hero on its side, Bern would be foolish to challenge them!” she said.

“I never said that’s what I wanted. I just want to shine a light on the people inside it who targeted my husband.”

And I would. I’d make them atone. They’d answer to Bern and to Lucas. When I put that out there and locked eyes with her again, she let out a pained breath and raised her hands in surrender.

“All right, fine. I give in. What are you, anyway? You’re more intense than I expected…which I guess makes you two perfect for each other.”

She pointed a finger at me, then mockingly tapped her neck while grinning broadly. I panicked and quickly covered the marks on my neck.

“D-did you overhear it?!”

“No. But it was way too quiet in there, which I thought was quite suspicious. And honestly, I figured your husband probably did it just to shut me up. Still, you’re nothing like the rumors.”

“In what way?”

Her blunt way of speaking was honestly kind of refreshing, and I found myself talking more freely with her. But then she dropped a name I wasn’t expecting to hear.

“Why didn’t you say anything when that loser Felix dumped you? You’re a clever girl. You could’ve easily turned the tables on him.”

Her words hit me like a thunderclap.

She’s right. Why didn’t I fight back?

I could have. Even if Felix and I didn’t belong together, I still could’ve stood up for myself. As a daughter of Marquis Cline, I should’ve never let him get away with that kind of cruelty, especially not after my memories of reincarnation returned. I could’ve run if I’d wanted to.

So why had I stood there on the stage like that, and let myself be cast aside without a fight, without argument, without even a single word in my defense? Why did I just let myself be cast as the villainess as I felt Lucas’s hostile gaze upon us?

Why did I accept being discarded, even though I knew it was coming?

I knew…

The realization hit me.

I would’ve remained trapped in Felix’s grasp unless the story ended, never able to truly belong to anyone, not even Lucas. Because I was born a villainess, a pawn meant to serve the heroine’s love story. Nothing more, and nothing less. For such a pawn to be loved, truly loved, by someone like Lucas, the secret character from the hidden route, would have been unthinkable.

I had to start from scratch to overturn that fate. So I let the story unfold exactly as it should have. I let myself be cast aside so that when Lucas saw me, he’d choose me, and I would be his.

But was that it?

A chill enveloped me. My teeth chattered, and in the back of my mind, I heard the agonized cry of a dragon who had received divine punishment for not choosing its true love.

“I’ll find you right away after I’m reborn, and this time I’ll give you all of myself, just as I am…”

That was the vow the dragon in my dream made after sacrificing its lover in order to change their fate.

What if it wasn’t a dream, but a past life? And if my very birth as Cecilia Cline, the villainess in an otome game, was the punishment the goddess gave me in the life that came after…

“Is loving someone so deeply a sin?”

Felix abandoned me, so why should loving Lucas be wrong?

We’d been through hell together since then, and our bond had only grown stronger for it. And when the goddess tried to take him from me, I proved my love was real.

The divine didn’t act without reason. So if the goddess let those memories return to me now, perhaps it was to prepare me for what was coming.

But what if our love and our vow angered someone who blindly worshipped the goddess?

“The Holy Emperor, the mouthpiece of the goddess…he’s the one behind all this.”

“You really are terrifying, Princess Cecillia. Correct. That emissary from Egrich reports directly to that smug Holy Emperor. He said something like, ‘Not only did the Hero enslave a dragon, who is a messenger of the goddess, but he and his wife refuse to swear true love, and we cannot abide that.’ Oh, and something about your current suffering not being enough to cleanse your past life’s sins. He said you needed to atone as a Saint. His face was covered by some creepy mask, but he was flaunting the Holy Emperor’s crest. I’m sure of it.”

“A Saint…”

In the Egrich Empire, there was a sacred spring known as the Depths, and the one chosen to pray for peace there was called a Saint.

No one knew how they were chosen because the process was a closely guarded secret, but apparently, priests called Apostles found girls with the right qualities and took them away. And once they were taken, those girls were never allowed to leave the Empire again.

That was why people whispered, behind closed doors, that the Saints were just sacrifices. It was said the Saints gave up something to the Depths each time they prayed, and by doing so, they kept the monsters from running rampant across the continent.

And so, when the girls were taken, no one resisted, and the Saints prayed and prayed until they died.

It was impossible to dig belief out of someone’s heart once it had been so deeply rooted, just like vows and faith couldn’t be shaken easily.

That meant it wasn’t something even the Hero could fix. If we challenged the tradition of sainthood, we would risk alienating any and everyone who believed in the goddess, which counted for more than half the world’s population.

And if that happened, even Bern would have to abandon me. And Lucas wouldn’t accept that. He’d turn the world upside down for me.

How could I stop them? How could I make them leave us alone?

Slaying an ancient dragon had nearly cost us our lives. Lucas made it back only to be cursed, called a monster, and shackled by divine power. We broke that curse, but if they pronounced our love false, would I just lose him anyway?

What if I were the one who would push him too far? What if I were the one who would lead him to his death?!

My body shook, and I gritted my teeth as I clutched my arms tightly around me.

Then suddenly, someone grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Don’t look so scared! They won’t get to you that easily! Think about it: your husband already foiled Akeem’s lurid scheme to turn you into the next Saint, right? So come on, smile already. Please? Just smile right now!”

“Huh?”

I blinked at her pale face. Her reddish-brown eyes were filled with tears, and her lips trembled. I turned to see what had frightened her so much. It was a demon, gliding toward us with black mana swirling around it like a storm. No, wait… It’s Lucas! I realized, suppressing a scream.

He was dragging what I could only assume was his final opponent behind him.

That wasn’t a prince. It was a cold-blooded killer, and he was headed straight for me.

Who even cared how many people Lucas took down in the end? That wasn’t the issue right now!

“Princess Yana, do you have any idea when he started watching us?” I asked.

“No clue! But the guy he’s dragging around was supposed to be one of the strongest soldiers in Majaar, and everyone’s saying the match was over in a split second! Princess Cecilia, please save me! I’ll do anything! I’ll cooperate, I swear!”

Oh, a verbal contract? There’s nothing like a brush with death to make someone reassess their priorities… But hey, if this lets me knock down a few of Prince Islan’s pawns, then so be it.

I very pointedly avoided looking at my absolute menace of a husband while plotting my counterattack. Princess Yana clung to me tightly.

“Eeeep! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

The sound of heavy footsteps cut through her pleading. And then a shadow fell over us. Lucas stood on the railing above, looking down at us with golden eyes full of hostility. I instinctively pulled Yana closer, shielding her.

It’s Lucas, after all. He definitely noticed that something’s bothering me, and no doubt concluded that ‘something’ was Yana.

But even if I tried explaining the whole dragon memory flashback thing right now, it wasn’t like he’d just believe it. I mean, I wouldn’t believe it if someone else told me the same thing. No explanation in the world would calm him when he saw his beloved’s face so twisted in pain.

Karma sucks, so I need to be careful!

That meant I only had one possible move here…

“That was the third time now. What happened?”

The moment Lucas’s quiet voice stirred the air, Finn and the maids went sheet white.

“U-um, Alfred, you’re a little young for this part. Time to head out now!”

“W-Wait. What about my sister? Why? What’s…”

“Just come with me!”

They scooped up Alfred and jumped off the edge of the viewing deck into the arena below.

How rude! I wanted to escape, too!

But the fact that my husband, already bloodthirsty by default, was feeling this murderous over my well-being lit a little fire in me. Because I cared about him just like he cared about me, I’ll explain eventually, I promise! But first, you’re getting a taste of your own medicine, dear husband!

“What do you mean, what happened?” I narrowed my eyes and gave him the iciest expression I could muster.

That caught him off guard. His gaze lost its edge and became soft and adorable. “So nothing happened?” His murderous aura shrank back into his body, and he silently stepped down from the railing.

I rose to meet him as he approached, trying to be as elegant as I could.

“There was something that troubled my thoughts a little.”

“Did she do something?”

Lucas tilted his blade, a dagger I didn’t even realize he’d drawn, and pointed it directly at Yana. She flinched, her eyes wide, and shook her head furiously.

Haah… Unbelievable. He’s the second prince and Hero of Bern, and yet he handles people with zero delicacy at all…

“Prince Lucas.”

“Yes, my dearest wife?”

By addressing him formally, I’d hoped to signal that he was in for a reprimand, but he answered with the sweetest expression and a voice like honey, before planting a gentlemanly kiss on the top of my hand.

His behavior changed so drastically as he regarded me that I saw Yana just about collapse in the corner of my eye. Sorry, he just really enjoys being scolded.

I glared daggers into Lucas’s face.

“Did you really mistreat a Majaarian noblewoman who happens to be both a princess of the Aram tribe and a royal consort?”

“…” He blinked and then glanced coldly at Yana, who still kneeled on the ground, trembling. Then he fixed his gaze on me as I reached out toward his cheek.

“Lucas, answer me.” I stared him down, but with my hand cradling his face, assured him I wasn’t angry and definitely wasn’t resentful.

He hesitated a bit, then blushed furiously as he gave me a sheepish look.

“I did.”

“What?!”

He wrapped an arm around my waist like he needed the comfort and practically whimpered. I heard Yana’s breath catch in her throat, probably surprised to see him acting so vulnerable.

“Why?”

“That bi—er, woman snuck into my room several times. And I got angry.”

He was about to call her a bitch. So, he admits it. And he’s holding a grudge, too. It’s gonna take him sooo long to apologize.

“She only did that because Prince Islan ordered her to. He was trying to make something happen between the two of you, wasn’t he?”

“Y-yes, but listen! I didn’t touch her, and she didn’t touch me, either! I dislocated her shoulder with the sheath to make sure there was no contact! So don’t get the wrong idea!”

He pressed his forehead against me while giving me a pleading look, and I just had to grit my teeth.

He actually remembered when I said not to let other women touch him… It was the wrong kind of devotion, but he was so earnest about it that it was hard to stay mad!

But hey, maybe now’s my chance to set him on a better path. Like, ‘don’t assault women at any stage of growth!’

And I would die before letting it be known I swooned over the part where he tried not to let her touch him.

“I know that. I know you’ve always been faithful to me. That you could never love anyone else, and I know it’s not your fault that they didn’t believe you when you said you couldn’t love another. Still, didn’t she already apologize back at the shop? I know she kept coming back each time you sent her away, but she was under royal orders. You knew as much, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…”

He nodded like a sad puppy, his eyes sparkling with devotion as he leaned in for a kiss.

Nope, not so fast!

I pointed at Yana. “Then you’ll be apologizing, right?”

He froze, halfway to the kiss. His mouth was still slightly open.

Yeah, not getting out of this one with affection.

“Lukie, you’re the Hero of Bern.”

“…”

“Prince Lucas?”

“…”

He looked away in a huff, not wanting to apologize. Unbelievable!

Was that sweet little “yeah” earlier just him basking in my trust? You are unbelievable, Lucas!

“My beloved knight, surely you understand that our eminent status demands we hold ourselves to certain standards of conduct, yes? Princess Yana is a member of the Aram tribe, who are close allies of Bern’s mercenaries.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be more careful. Sorry for causing trouble.”

That was fast. But also, that apology was directed at me. And I don’t think he cares about being the Hero. I think being my knight means more to him than anything else.

And judging by the subtle shift in how people were looking at me now, he absolutely did that on purpose. He knew what he was doing.

Was this his plan all along? To get mad on my behalf, make a scene, and when all eyes were on me, show everyone that I stood as his equal, if not his better?

“Then, Lucas… Please apologize to Princess Yana like a proper knight.” Even though I was fairly sure what the answer would be, I asked it out loud, and to my surprise, Lucas offered her a deep, formal bow.

“My actions as Cecilia’s knight were inexcusable. I vow to make amends, Princess Yana Salkishan, heir of Aram.”

A stunned silence settled upon the room, and I wanted very badly to bury my face in my hands.

He didn’t just make the Hero of Bern owe the Aram tribe a debt, but made it look like I, his wife, was the one who had extended that favor. And since it was I who had shown them such respect, the Aram tribe would probably start seeing the people of Bern more favorably.

That would be great for negotiations with Prince Islan, but lately it was like Lucas enjoyed handing me the reins.

The same man who was a total sadist kept handing me the reins right when our road led to chaos. I needed to figure out how to rein him in before we ran ourselves right off a cliff…

While I was silently panicking, Yana waved her hands and offered me a mortified bow.

“N-no, I was the one who was in the wrong. Please, there’s no need to…”

I was about to say I hoped we could be friends moving forward, but then Lucas’s hand suddenly reached around to the back of my head and casually turned my face toward him. Then, with the most self-satisfied smirk he could muster…

“See? I wasn’t wrong.”

“Lukie!”

We were doing so well! Why would you say that now?! I shot him a glare, but froze when I saw his golden eyes flare, dark and ready to devour me.

“…!”

“If you really trusted me, don’t you think it’s a little unfair that I’m always the one getting scolded?” He whispered into my ear in a voice filled with desire, gliding his lips across it so no one else could see, and I felt my shoulders jerk in response.

“Nngh… Th-that’s not what I meant! So, wh-what do you want me to do?”

I knew he wanted a reward. That much was obvious. But Yana was standing right there, so I couldn’t exactly just throw myself at him.

So instead, I leaned into his fingers, which brushed against my lips, wordlessly telling him I’d accept it if he did it.

He blew a warm little laugh right into my ear.

“Heh… You only act that soft when it’s just me. It’s infuriatingly cute, you know? It makes me want to ruin you, Cecilia.”

“Wh-what?”

“You’ve got your mouth open for a kiss, right?”

“Wait, what—”

Oh, no! Oh no, I completely forgot about that rule! We’re already the center of attention, standing right in the VIP box of a freaking coliseum. I really don’t think we need to make out on top of that!

“W-wait, Luc—mmph!”

He held my face in place, and the next thing I knew, his tongue was in my mouth, and I let out a moan, tears in my eyes.

He must’ve noticed, because he shifted his hand over to discreetly obscure my mouth, which was probably soaked from our kiss. And that only made me cry even more!

That’s the wrong kind of consideration, Lucas! Don’t make out with me like this in public!

“Nngh, mm, ahh…”

The sensation building up inside of me made my heart race.

My body was still primed from our kiss back in the dressing room, and this amorous encore fanned my flames back to blazing life. If he kept this up, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to stay on my feet. Through my tear-filled vision, I gazed at his golden eyes staring right back at me and pleaded in a breathless, trembling voice.

“Nngh, I-I’m done, p-please…”

And my sadistic husband just swept my hair back from my neck to display the marks he’d given me earlier, before running his wet tongue over them, which had everyone around us blushing in embarrassment.

“Guess I’ll stop here. I trust you’ll reward me properly later, but this’ll do for now.”

I can hear everyone whispering about the hickeys! I want to disappear!

“Y-you should go back! Everyone’s waiting!”

“Ha ha. All right, all right.”

He tapped his chest lightly and flashed me a naughty smirk before turning back to the arena, waving at the opponents, who were now whistling at us. Then he glanced back at me, his voice dropping low. “Cecilia. I’m not gonna let anyone lay a finger on you.”

“Yes, you’ve made that very clear!”

Just hearing him say that enveloped my heart in such warmth, I thought I’d burst.

“Are you okay now?” His voice was so gentle and full of concern that it actually hurt.

How much does he see? How deeply does he feel for me?

If I could, I’d stay his beloved forever and never leave his side. But I was beginning to get the inkling I would end up hurting him soon because of how badly I wanted that.

I loved him too much to let him fight alone. Too much to ever lose him. So just for now, please let me stay in this peaceful moment. Let me lie to you a little longer…

“Yes. Thank you, my knight.”

Lucas vanished back into the cheers of the arena and crushed the General’s record without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, I smiled through the ache in my chest, grateful for his trust.

I sighed as I watched him bask in the applause. Beside me, Yana chimed in sympathetically.

“Honestly… Everybody loves him, young or old, huh? You’ve got your hands full. I think even Islan might’ve been easier. Islan’s great with kids and old people, but young people can’t stand him.”

“That’s not…”

…True… I didn’t say it, but the look on my face probably gave it away.

I hesitated, then asked what had been tugging at my mind. “Princess Yana, have you ever considered leaving Prince Islan?”

“Wh-what kind of question is that?!”

Oh my, she’s flustered! That’s adorable!

Also, Yana’s way of speaking is refreshingly blunt. I really like her. Come to think of it, I’ve never really had a girlfriend my age I could talk to like this.

Even my so-called friends kept their distance because I was the second princess. Had I secretly been a lonely, noble daughter this whole time?

Felix used to ditch me at parties all the time, so it made sense that I never learned how to handle romance. I couldn’t ask Anna or Finn for advice, because the former was a terror and the latter was somehow worse. So Yana, please! I’m begging you! Teach me the ways of romance!

“Weren’t you the one who said you’d do anything to help me? I’d love to chip away at Islan’s influence while I have the chance, but if that’s going to put you in a tough spot, I need to plan accordingly, right?”

“What? You’re terrifying! Really terrifying. No wonder you’re married to the Hero. You two are a perfect match…”

When I clasped my hands together and brought up the request, for some reason, her cheek twitched as she backed away from me.

Excuse me?! Lucas and I are nothing alike, I’ll have you know!

But I wasn’t about to let her give me the slip. I had so many questions.

“You and Prince Islan don’t seem that compatible, but am I to assume you’re happy with staying lovers?”

C’mon, teach me all about love, Professor Yana!

“L-Lovers?! Gah, that’s not what this is! We cooperate under contract, and he’s just my sponsor!”

Seriously?! So if you’re not into him, then why risk pissing off Lucas of all people?

“Didn’t you already know Lucas would reject your advances and that we’d sworn to be each other’s one and only love?”

I watched as she sucked in a sharp breath, and her face crumpled.

“Ugh, you’ve got such a sweet face, but your words can cut like a blade. I’m begging you, please stop… It’s not like I knew for sure. I just wanted to believe he wouldn’t, that’s all. And in the end, I made him angry anyway.”

“Princess Yana…”

She gave a breathy, bitter little laugh, and I lowered my head before I realized what I was doing.

Even though there were cushy benefits to being in a harem, it was hell for the women who fell in love with the man at its center, especially if he refused to settle on one of them. The heart wears thin, and then it breaks.

And in her case, the man she served told her to go to bed with another.

I couldn’t imagine the despair she felt.

“I apologize.” I placed my hand over my chest, regretting how casually I’d pried into matters that were none of my business.

“It’s not like that. It really isn’t. If you bring love or romance into a harem, you’ll just destroy yourself. And if you don’t act, more and more wives will join the harem, so you can’t afford to let yourself get carried away by such feelings anyway. That’s why I had to go along with Islan’s request. I’m a chieftain’s daughter, you know. The pressure is insane!”

I couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to compete day in and day out for a fickle man’s favor. If something were to happen, and things spiraled out of control, and Lucas ever told me he needed a concubine, there was no way I could compartmentalize like that, even if I remained the only one he truly loved. The thought of sharing him with someone else was just completely unthinkable. I’d totally break.

And then, the man who once swore to give his all to protect everything I held dear would bind himself to that promise and hold my hollowed-out self while cursing the world. No way! I could never let that happen.

No one would be happy in that kind of future, and more importantly, I refused to let him suffer like that. That meant it was on me to make sure I could stay by his side no matter what happened, even if I couldn’t give him children. I just had to hold onto him, like Yana held on to Prince Islan.

“You really care about your subjects. I have a great deal of respect for you and the people of Aram,” I said with genuine admiration.

She gave me a gentle smile in return this time. “Thanks. And I’m really sorry for going after your husband. Will you accept my apology?” She sounded a little tentative, but sincere.

Without even thinking, I reached out and took her hand. “Yes, of course! I gladly accept it!”

Her right hand was firm like Lucas’s, with a sword fighter’s callouses. No doubt it was proof of her hard work as one of Aram’s monster-hunting warriors. I contained my admiration, which apparently embarrassed her.

Her cheeks flushed, and she glared at me. “H-hey, don’t look at me with those sparkly eyes! That’s exactly why you’ve ruined that man, you know. You’re all sweet and innocent on the outside but totally calculating underneath!”

“Am I?”

I guess that implies I actually have some game, doesn’t it? But I don’t. If I really had that kind of charm, I’d have Lucas totally wrapped around my finger by now.

And between the two of us, he’s the one who’s more calculating, which is quite frustrating as his wife!

But if I were good at it, I might as well start putting it to good use. Where was this supposed charm, anyway? I glanced down at myself and heard a big, dramatic sigh coming from Yana.

“Honestly, what’s with you two? You’re both totally oblivious. He must be working hard to keep up…”

Okay, now it just sounds like she pities us! Or maybe she’s just afraid of Lucas…

I was still trying to figure it out when Yana smirked at me with a teasing laugh.

“Well, I guess a supposedly pure and innocent girl wouldn’t be able to act all composed after a kiss like that, let alone walk around with those obvious marks on her neck. You’re pretty bold!”

“Wha—huh?!” My whole face went up in flames.

Bold? Bold in what way?! You’re not trying to call me a pervert, are you? I mean, yeah, people do say married couples start to resemble each other, so maybe some of Lucas’s, er, tendencies have rubbed off on me, but…

I grabbed at my collar in a panic and ducked my head, only for her to floor me with a follow-up remark.

“You’ve got way more moves than I do. I figured a husband that pretty would be easy to seduce, but with kisses like that, it’s clear he’s taught you some tricks of his own. There’s no way I could’ve stood a chance against you.”

“Huh?”

“What’s with that face?”

I was staring at her in astonishment, even though I knew it was rude.

“Um, actually, Lucas is the first and only man I’ve ever been with. And I didn’t really have any experience at all when we met. So every time he wants it, I just sort of go along with it. But sometimes I get a little worried that he’ll get tired of me…”

Sorry, but I have zero seduction skills over here!

I looked up only to see her face frozen in utter disbelief.

“Ohh, so that’s what happened in the dressing room. Wait, hold on…”

“What?”

“You said ‘every time’… You mean that, right?”

“Y-yes, um, the thing that usually happens at night. Yes, that…”

Did I say something weird? Uh-oh. Should I even be talking about this?!

“Usually? Wait, are you telling me that ‘the usual time’ isn’t enough for him? Are you telling me that insanely jealous man is also that insatiable?”

“U-um, yes…”

“Goodness… How often?!”

She sounds pretty interested for someone acting so horrified!

“Um, just whenever he wants to…”

“Wait, wait, wait. You mean, even during the day? Every day?”

“Y-yes. I mean, we’re married. It’s not that strange, right?”

I wanted to die, to just curl up and disappear on the spot. This whole encounter was not going where I’d intended at all. My cheeks flushed as I slumped over, bracing myself for judgment.

And sure enough…

“Ahh, yeah. Sure.” Her tone was clearly disapproving. Disturbed, even. I wanted to cry.

“Nngh…”

Please bury me. I want to disappear! I’ll never recover from this, but someone is going to suffer with me. One day, I swear I’m going to make Lucas say, “I’m dying of embarrassment” too!

“Please teach me,” I said.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t fair that only I had to suffer such mortification! Yes, I was the one who asked, but still! The reason I’d become so hopelessly obsessed with making that man happy was because he was the clingiest, most affection-starved husband in existence, so it was all his fault!

“Princess Yana, please teach me the tricks you used to seduce Prince Islan!”

I grabbed her hands and pleaded like my life depended on it. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then flashed me a wicked grin.

“Sure. I’ll teach you one of my best tricks. And I’ll even set up a place for you to try it out. But if it works, you’d better put in a good word for me with that Hero of yours.”

As I listened to the sound of Lucas taking a shower, I changed into an outfit of thin fabrics that had been prepared for me.

I fixed my hair in the mirror and twisted and turned, making sure nothing looked off. As soon as the sunlight fell upon my clothes, illuminating my skin through the sheer fabric, I felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Princess Yana said these clothes are for this exact purpose, so there must be a reason she gave them to me…” I muttered.

The cloth, which was meant to cover my chest, was a plain rectangle, without contour or structure. Just a flat piece of fabric with beaded decorations hanging like raindrops at the bottom edge.

It fastened with a gold ring at the center of my cleavage, so it was basically a wrap and a clip. Because it was so simple, and because I was so, well…blessed in the bosom department, the cloth pinched so tightly into me that bits of flesh seemed to spill over. It looked truly scandalous!

Every time I moved, the beads swayed and shifted, offering little glimpses of underboob. It had to be intentional. But the bottom part was even worse…

There was a golden ornament over my stomach, from which a sheer, practically non-existent piece of fabric hung down to my thighs. It was held in place by even more gold decorations, almost like garter belts. The terrifying part was that the fabric only covered the sides of my body. So that meant the front and back were in full view. This bottom piece of fabric is totally obscene!

There’s no way this counts as underwear, right? Yana said something about how the panties would be small and hard to notice, so I panicked and peeked into the basket again…and that’s when I found them.

And I just sank to my knees, truly at a loss.

The so-called panties were a tiny piece of gold work shaped like an upside-down triangle, designed to cover my most intimate areas…but it was crotchless.

In other words, no matter how you looked at it, this outfit screamed, “I came prepared for sex!”

I threw on a robe for the moment, but the thought of taking it off made me want to disappear. My courage was diminishing by the second. Please hurry up and get out of the shower, Lucas!

Miserable, I turned to the mirror again.

“He’ll be happy, right? I don’t look strange, do I?”

My ever-competent maids made sure I was polished from head to toe every day. But this time was supposed to be a surprise for him, so I’d gotten dressed all on my own. I wasn’t sure if I’d done it right, or if I could even pull it off properly.

I fidgeted nervously as I reached up with my finger to fix the pink tint on my lips. Then I locked eyes with a pair of golden ones in the mirror, startling me.

“L-Lukie! You could at least say something if you’re done!”

I spun around and raised my voice, only to fall silent under the weight of his gaze. He leaned against the wall and watched me, water droplets sliding down his chest from beneath a silk robe so beautiful it made my breath catch in my throat.

The thought that I had to seduce this beautiful man sent shivers of anxiety down my body. I bumped into the vanity and somehow ended up pushing my breasts toward him.

He closed the distance between us, muscles shifting with feline grace as he approached. His golden eyes shimmered from between the strands of his dark, damp hair, fixed on me like they’d never let a single inch of me go unnoticed.

“I just wanted to watch you. Thinking you might’ve been waiting for me like this… Touching you right away would’ve been wasteful. I was just so happy.”

He reached out to my chin, his touch so gentle you’d think that I was made of glass, that I was the most precious thing in the world. His caress coaxed warm tears to my eyes but also stoked my guttering courage back to life.

If something this simple could make him so happy, then I’d do it a hundred times over for him.

“S-sorry if it looks weird or anything. I’ll fix it,” I whispered.

His golden eyes softened. “If anyone looked at you right now and thought something was wrong, they ought to have their eyes gouged out. You’re beautiful, Cece.”

That’s supposed to be a compliment? That’s way too much coming from this sparkling, gorgeous yandere.

He probably meant it too, thinking the more people had their eyes gouged out, the fewer others there would be to look at me, and that meant he’d get to have me all to himself! It’d solve his problems all in one go.

There goes the romance, flying right out the window! But hey, I’m a bit more relaxed now, I guess.

“You’re really beautiful too, Lukie,” I answered playfully, as I tapped on his lips, still tinted with my lipstick, trying to hide my embarrassment.

But instead of getting all flustered like I expected, his gleaming smile curved slyly, and he turned the tables on me.

“Oh, yeah? That’s good, because I was planning on seducing you, so this works out perfectly.”

“Wait… Eek!”

I let out a tiny shriek as he tugged my sash loose, unveiling the scandalous outfit I’d been hiding.

If I moved even a little too fast, my breasts would pop out, so all I could do was shrink back and try desperately to cover myself, glaring at him as I went red with embarrassment.

“Wait,” he said, looking suddenly bashful himself, “You were planning on seducing me in that?”

Sure, there’s hardly enough cloth to this outfit to count as clothing, but why are you getting shy about it now? I’m the one in the position to be embarrassed here! This is all out of order!

He’s too cute when he acts like this, and I hate that it’s rubbing off on me! No, get it together! It’s your move, Cece!

“Y-yes, I just thought I’d try my best as well, since we’re on a trip together…” I steeled myself and took a step back into the sunbeams pouring through the glass ceiling, turning slowly so my robe floated gracefully around me.

The ornaments on my chest chimed with the movement. Then, with the faintest of whispers, my robe drifted to the floor.

You could practically see through to my nipples in this light. And after my little flourish, there was no doubt he’d taken note of the undergarments’ questionable design.

“Won’t you let me seduce you now?” I asked him, face blazing. There’s no backing down now!

Lukie stood frozen in place and stared at me like I was a statue before giving me a tiny nod like a little kid.

“P-please do. I mean it. Do whatever you want to me.”

Success, Yana and my brilliant maids! Right in his own words!

“Since we’re on a trip, this is what they call, um, the magic of the honeymoon effect? If this is a dream, I swear it’s the best dream ever…” He murmured through a hand covering his mouth. His starry-eyed gaze was so intense that I had to look at anything but him.

The walls were beige, and the floors were blue Majaarian tiles adorned with white floral patterns, like the ones I’d seen at the bazaar. The ceiling was made of glass, and I could only imagine how beautiful it would be after sunset, as you lay beneath a sky of stars. It was totally captivating.

This place felt less like a room and more like a fantasy.

Yana had set us up in this leisure hotel, one of the most exclusive lodgings near the bazaar. Supposedly only two couples a day could book it, and only with the endorsement of a high-ranking noble. And judging by the sheer size of the building, this room had to be the most extravagant one.

I had my hesitations about staying in a room this fancy, but Yana insisted that it was a bargain price to pay, if it meant deepening her friendship with someone who could sway the Hero (i.e., me).

So that’s how the experts balance their books! I should take notes.

And that was how I ended up putting everything Yana taught me into action, playing off the pride of my sweet, sadistic knight, who’d been feeling a little grimy after the arena matches.

“I didn’t sweat much, I can run back to the palace and change if you want,” he said, his cheeks flushed.

And in that moment, every part of me screamed, “I love this man!” So today, I was going to fully commit to the role. It was time to play the wicked seductress.

“Lukie…” I placed a hand against his chest. His robe was partly open, secured by just enough clasps to keep it from falling.

“Yes?” he replied, his voice trembling slightly.

I smiled, then I slid my hand through the gap of his robe, touching his bare skin with the back of my fingers, and mimed the motions of undoing the clasps. “Don’t you want me to undress you?” I tipped my head as I asked, and suddenly his abs tensed up.

Do bodies really do that?!

I couldn’t keep my hands away. His skin was just so smooth and warm. As my touch trailed upward, he suddenly grabbed my wrist, looking faintly troubled.

“Where’d you learn how to seduce someone like that?” he demanded.

“From you. Who else could have taught me how to undress someone?” I pouted a little, and he tipped his head cutely in return, making me blush this time.

“Do I really tease you that much?”

Why is he trying to laugh it off? He’s way too good at playing innocent now!

“You begged so sweetly for me to undress you more than once. How can you not remember?!”

“Sweetly, huh? Well, then. I’ll undress myself this time.”

He popped the clasps open before I could even react and shrugged off the robe like it was nothing. And the body he revealed underneath left me completely speechless.

“Wha…”

His broad shoulders, strong arms, and sculpted chest…all were somehow graceful. Maybe it was because his waist was so lean and tight.

I’d seen him shirtless plenty of times, obviously, but seeing him standing there like a living sculpture, along with that ridiculously beautiful face of his… Well, I just couldn’t handle it. My cheeks burned, and I had to look away.

When I realized just how far the bed actually was, my lips began to tremble. And then, as if to fluster me even more, my cute husband hit me with a very not-so-cute line.

“Would you prefer if I begged sweetly too?”

“Y-you can’t go throwing me off by flirting back like that! It’s not fair!”

I love that soft, gentle smile he gives when he leans in, but behind it, he’s got a personality of pure evil! For once, I manage to take the lead, and he steals it back just like that.

Frustrated, I tried to give him a light smack, but he caught my wrist.

Then he guided my hand onto his cheek, down to his neck, along his chest…and suddenly I was drenched in sweat.

“I thought maybe cute alone wasn’t enough. So I’ll behave… Would you undress me?”

“W-wait, please… No more teasing…” I couldn’t even tell if the pounding in my ears was his heartbeat under my palm, or my own. He slowly came closer, his golden eyes locked on me, and I looked up at him through tears, pleading.

He pressed his lips against mine and released a quiet laugh.

“Ha ha… Your husband will stop at nothing to seduce his wife. You wore this outfit because you wanted to love me, didn’t you, my sweet little wife?”

“Th-that is…I mean…”

There was no way I could deny it in this outfit. It was obvious. But I also couldn’t just blurt out, “Yes, I was trying to jump your bones!” so all I could do was nod, mortified.

But why did my dear husband start undressing with such confidence the moment I did that?

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Well, I thought maybe if I stripped first, it’d be easier for you to invite me to bed.”

He started untying his sash without a bit of hesitation, prompting me to panic and cover my face.

I don’t know what goes on in his head! How am I supposed to walk hand in hand with a stark naked Lucas over to the bed, it’s just…normal? Please just stop, stop, stop!

“No! Absolutely not! That just makes it harder! Wait, Lucas!” I shrieked in desperation, trying not to look as his pants threatened to slip down. I barely managed to grab his hand.

“So is it because the bed’s far? Well, then, I guess I’ve got no choice. I’ll make love to you right here.”

“Wh-what?”

Instead of stopping, he took my hand and spun me around. I stared dumbstruck in the mirror at my own shameless reflection.

He slipped his hand up under the hem of my chest piece, then hooked a finger on the clasp. My eyes widened, and Lucas murmured in a low and threatening voice from behind. “If you’re embarrassed, I can’t force you, can I? That’s why I’ll do it right here, where I can see every inch of you. Let me make love to you here, and maybe I’ll be able to forgive you for forbidding me from it earlier.”

“Th-that’s not fair!”

Forbidding him from it earlier?! He’s making it sound like he’s bound by some kind of curse!

And yet even in the mirror, those unrelenting golden eyes made it clear he wasn’t backing down. I gave in with a whimper.

“It’s your call, Cecilia. You said you wanted to love me. So tell me, what do you want me to do?”

“Undress,” I said tentatively. “I want you to undress.”

He’s really going to strip right here, isn’t he?

But then my utterly beloved husband decided to be wildly indulgent in the most sadistic way.

“No, Cecilia,” he said in the sweetest voice imaginable. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

“Y-you’re the worst! Get on the bed right now and sit!”

“Ha ha. Yes, darling.”

So that’s why he said, “Is it because the bed’s too far?” He was trying to draw it out and coax me into asking, wasn’t he?! Thanks a lot!

But seriously, why do you always back me into a corner like this, Lucas?! If you were going to walk over to the bed this easily, you could’ve just taken the lead and offered your hand, then let me seduce you, like a proper gentleman would!

I smacked his outstretched hand.

“Are you mad? You just looked so lost. I was wondering what you’d do. Honestly, I’m kind of torn. I wouldn’t have minded doing it in front of the mirror with—ow!”

“We are not doing it in front of the mirror!”

“Ha ha!”

Ugh, even his laugh is cute, the jerk! And he’s seriously considering the mirror! He didn’t even try to say “Just kidding”! He’s so blunt it’s dangerous… But that hint of sweetness at the end’s actually got me going again!

All right, Lucas Theoderic. Get ready. I’m going to take my time enjoying just how adorable you are.

“I’m sitting. What next?”

The way he plopped down on the bed was almost too precious, and I had to focus to keep my voice firm. “Stay right there, Lukie.”

“Cecilia?” He tipped his head in his usual adorable way. Nope, I’m not answering you!

Instead, I reached up and grabbed the beautiful glass bottle on the nightstand.

Then, I gave him a gentle push on the chest and straddled him.

“Cecilia.”

Is he nervous? Maybe things aren’t going how he expected…

He shifted like he was about to sit up, so I decided to switch up how I talked to him to throw him off.

“What is it, Lucas?”

“Um, what’s that?” Just as I expected, he blushed and pointed at the bottle in my hand. I smiled sweetly.

“It’s oil from a plant called myrrh.”

“Oil…”

“It’s supposed to help with massages once you’ve warmed it with your hands. They say it feels really good, and it’s harmless even if it gets in your mouth, so I thought it’d be the perfect reward for such a hard worker.” I explained what I’d learned from Yana, as I slid the ribbon loose from his pants, and then poured a few drops of oil onto my palm before warming it between my hands.

“What do you mean, it feels really good? This is going to be embarrassing, isn’t it?!” Maybe he imagined what I was about to do, or maybe that one line just really stuck out to him. Either way, Lucas froze and started dragging himself up the bed in a panic.

I pressed a kiss to his chest while I stroked it gently with my oiled hands, keeping him in place.

“Cecilia, wa—mmph!” He shuddered but didn’t resist. He just accepted it like always. He was so earnest…and so utterly devoted to me.

“I love you, Lukie. So much.”

“Ugh, I love you too, damn it…”

Even when I blurted it out suddenly, he always said it back. That little habit of his only made me fall harder.

Our tongues entwined, and as I gave in to the desire burning inside of me, I slid my oil-slicked hand down to his pelvis and found his heat waiting.

Lucas inhaled sharply when I gently wrapped my fingers around his already hard shaft and stroked just enough to confirm it. I carefully kept my hand moving while applying oil to myself, too, doing it out of his line of sight.

Then I sat up and took a good look at him. His cheeks were flushed, his lips were wet, and his eyes were dazed and glistening. He wasn’t rejecting me. He was pleading for more.

The hoarse sounds escaping his throat, and the hot throbbing of his rigid cock were all the invitation I needed. I flipped the bottle over with a determined little smile.

“Is…is that it?”

“No. Now the real fun begins.”

I poured the oil slowly over all the places our bodies would meet, making sure it trickled all the way down to my thighs.

I felt a little chill and warmed him with my palm before settling back on top of him. Lucas immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

“Y-you’ve got to be kidding me, Cece! Hang on a minute!”

“You’re not supposed to move. You said I could do what I wanted, didn’t you, my beloved knight?”

“Y-yes, I did, but this…this is a bit too much…!”

His breath came hot and ragged between trembling lips, and his eyes glistened as he looked up at me. I felt a greedy rush of satisfaction swell inside of me.

“Mmm…” I tipped my head, then deliberately ran my fingers down his thick, pulsing shaft, which pressed up against me. “What do you mean by that? Does it hurt?”

I slowly rocked my hips, rubbing my slick folds along his hardness, gliding from base to tip, and swirling teasing circles over the sensitive opening there, spreading oil all the while. He jolted in my grasp.

“S-stop! Seriously, that move…the way you’re touching me…it’s insane! Nngh, ahh!”

I couldn’t believe it. Lucas was always the one who had me completely undone, and now he was falling apart under my hands now.

“You want me to stop? You’re even bigger than before, and you’re starting to drip, too.”

Am I really saying this out loud? Love is terrifying! Or maybe this is just the result of his relentless training… Thinking that made me a little mad, but seeing him trying to bear with it was really adorable, giving me a newfound burst of motivation.

Well, I’ve come this far. I might as well take it all the way with my husband!

I looked down at him as he panted, trying to hide his face in his arm. I rubbed myself against his thick cock again, and with my finger smeared the drop of precum at its tip.

“Haah, hnngh…”

“Tell me, Lukie.”

My teasing made his golden eyes gleam fiercely.

“Damn it. You’re usually so shy, and then you pull this out of nowhere… Of course it feels good! You’re looking at me with that filthy little face, giving me exactly what I want! Who put you up to this, Cecilia?!”

The jealousy in his voice sent shivers down my spine, a smile curving on my lips. It pleased me so much that I could feel myself getting wet.

I wanted more. I wanted all of him, just for me. Consumed by desire, I swept my hair back and arched a little, making sure he had a good view of me.

“Who? Lucas Theoderic Herbst. You.”

I felt a little shy as my nipples went taut beneath the thin fabric, but I ran my fingers across the part of my Promise Mark that spelled out his name, and I heard him gulp.

A bead of sweat rolled down his chest between us, and I traced it with my finger before popping it into my mouth. He tried to sit up, but I pressed my other hand flat against his stomach to hold him down. His cheeks flushed as he looked at me, waiting.

I moved my hips again, recalling Wifely Technique #3, and whispered his name.

“Mm, Lukie…”

“N-no, don’t…mmgh… Don’t move…”

The way he pouted as he tried to resist only spurred me on. His hands gripped my thighs but never tried to stop me. It was exhilarating.

“You made me like this, Lukie. So take responsibility, okay?”

“Of course I will, damn it!” he shouted, and I nearly burst out laughing.

Oh, darling, you don’t have to grit your teeth like that.

I loved how he always took me seriously no matter what, and how he always responded to me.

“I love you, Lucas. I love you so much. Only you… Mmm…”

As I pressed down and slid along his shaft again, his lashes fluttered and his throat rose and fell with a visible swallow.

“You can’t say that now! Damn it! Haah, I love you, too! I love you… Wait, wait, wait! I mean it!”

His body tensed up as he grabbed my thighs and bucked slightly, the head of his cock slipping against my entrance, which was already wet to receive him.

Even just that tiny contact felt mortally sweet, because I wanted him so badly.

My legs spread, inviting his thick cock inside, as if to kiss the innermost part of me. I felt myself clenching and couldn’t help but call out his name, longing for him. “Lukie… L-Lukie…” I moaned.

It was dirty. It felt so good. But it was so naughty.

I was embarrassed at how vulgar I was being right now, but the joy of seeing him come unraveled at my touch had totally ruined me.

“Haah… Haah… Damn it…”

He must have been on the edge, because he bit his lips hard. Sweat beaded on his brow. His voice was raspy, and when his eyes met mine, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I felt you twitch, and that made me so happy.”

“You’re happy? Ugh, please. Cece. Please let me come inside!”

“No. If I let you in, I’ll come right away.”

“Argh, why is it so cute when you say no?!”

He looked like he might cry. My poor, sweet husband looked so adorable. But I wasn’t giving in.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to let him. I did. But if I did now, all my effort would go right down the drain. And lately, just a whisper from him had my body short-circuiting. I was losing it just from thinking about him. Sometimes even my panties got weirdly uncomfortable!

It was really troublesome that I’d grown able to come just from him pushing inside me.

It was like I was literally always ready! I deserved an award for being such a good wife!

But that was exactly why I had to take the lead today, just this once. I wasn’t letting him win this round.

“I want to see you come because of me, Lukie. Say it. Tell me it’s because you love me. Say you’re gonna come because of me.”

“You want me to say that while you’re watching me shoot all over my own stomach?! How cruel, ugh… Cece, you’re too perfect at this. It’s so damn embarrassing…” He grumbled under his breath. My husband is so adorable!

But too bad, Lukie. I’m not stopping.

“Please, Lukie. Indulge your hopelessly-in-love wife?”

“Argh, damn it! That’s the best request you’ve ever made, Cece! Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll give you everything. But don’t take your eyes off me.”

I held my breath. My request had been so utterly perverted, but I had to push aside my nerves. I told him exactly how I felt, determined not to back down.

“I love all of you, Lukie. When you’re embarrassed, when you’re strong, and even when you’re scary. Give yourself to me.”

“Damn it, even losing to you makes me so happy! I-I’m seriously gonna come! I love you, Cece! Please, do it harder!”

The moment those words left his lips, I felt a jolt against my entrance, and Lucas clenched his teeth, jerking my hips down. The motion sent the clasp at my chest flying, and my breasts bounced free right in front of his face.

“That’s too rough!” I yelped. “Wait! Eeek! No, stop!”

“Are you kidding me with that view?! That’s what I get right now? Are you seriously trying to drive me mad?!”

My hips kept rocking smoothly back and forth in the oil, so there was no way I could even try to cover myself. I even almost arched back, only to quickly brace both hands on his thighs for balance. But that only shoved my breasts forward even more, bouncing indecently with every movement, almost like I was tempting him on purpose. I shook my head furiously, blushing from head to toe.

“N-no, that’s not it! I didn’t mean to… It’s not on purpose, I swear, Lukie!”

“Gah, you’re gonna act all shy now? You’re a maniac, you know that? You’re so hot, it’s like you’re melting into me! You’re so sexy and beautiful… No, don’t look away, Cecilia!” he growled, tightening his grip around my waist. He yanked me back down against him so hard I thought I might actually get penetrated, and when my soaked underwear twisted and pressed right on that one sensitive spot, I panicked.

“Whaa?! Y-you’re looking! Don’t! If you press there, the panties will… Ahhh!”

You’ve got to be kidding me! What kind of evil design is this underwear?! The more I try to make him lose it, the more that tiny scrap of fabric rubs against me right on that spot, and I start getting way too into it!

“Ugh, the way your slit is clinging to me… Damn it… You’ve got that totally dazed look on your face, too… And I still can’t be inside of you?! You’re a damned demon, Cece.”

“Ahh, stop! Wait, wait, wait! Lukie, please, I’m gonna…!”

He kept me grinding back and forth against him, and each time the cloth dragged against my clit, sparks shot up my spine. The rush of pleasure had me gushing slick honey, which made it even easier for him to maneuver me. When I looked down and saw his flushed, panting face, my heart wanted to come right along with my body.

“Don’t even joke. How the hell am I supposed to stop now?! Nngh, I love you… I love you so much… I’m gonna…come…because of you, Cece!”

“Lukie! I love you too! I…!”

But the moment he surrendered to that overwhelming pleasure, a thick burst of hot white come spurted all over his own stomach. His cock pulsed a few more times beneath me.

“Haah, haah…” His breath came in gasps, and his back trembled.

“Ahh, nngh…”

My pussy throbbed and my hips twitched involuntarily, still desperate for more. I had been right on the verge of coming. And when I stared down at his abs streaked in white, I saw that his dick was still hard. I couldn’t look away. My fingers moved on their own.

A bit of his come stuck to my fingertips, and it was still warm. This stuff had always brought me such bliss when it filled me. Just thinking that roused something greedy within me.

“L-Lukie…” My voice sounded so needy, I clamped my mouth shut in embarrassment.

Lucas still had his arm draped over his flushed face as he struggled to catch his breath. Then, his mouth tensed, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Haah… I’m so embarrassed right now… That just felt way too good. Insanely good.”

“U-um… I’m glad…”

He really just said that? I blinked in shock, but then he peeked out from under his arm, and his gorgeous face softened into the happiest smile. His golden eyes shimmered with love, and I had no choice but to swallow my plea and bite my lip instead.

Since I told him no just now, I could hardly ask him to make me feel good, too.

I tried to hold still, but my body wouldn’t obey. My hips twitched. I looked away, but my gaze drifted right back down to the come on his stomach—and then traveled even lower.

Even after all that, he was still rock hard.

He’s still hard… Is it really okay to just end things like this? What if it’s, like, a breach of royal etiquette? A failure as a princess and a wife?! What should I do?!It’s not weird to want the rest, right? I mean, he’s still hard…

Get a grip, Cece! You’re literally trying to use your role as a princess and wife to justify being horny! Besides, today was supposed to be about getting him to say he was so embarrassed he could die. That was your goal!

He did say he was embarrassed and that it felt insanely good, and yeah, he did look incredibly adorable when he acted like he didn’t want me to see him coming… In the end, though I did lose my cool when he said, “Look at me,” while he came, it’s still technically mission accomplished.

So yeah, we can end it here. I should stop now.

But that’s when I looked over and saw his neck. It was still bare, without a single mark on it. And then that greed stirred to life again.

I wanted proof. Proof that this vulnerable, desperate version of Lucas was mine and mine alone. Driven by that need, I pressed my palm against his chest and leaned in.

“Wait, Cecilia. It’s slippery. I was just reaching for the—”

I shut him up with a kiss. One kiss and those golden eyes turned dark and molten. He started to pull back, but I leaned down and brushed my lips along his neck.

“Mmm…”

Lucas might be beautiful, but he was still a man. His skin was smooth, but beneath it was hard muscle and a thick frame that I could never have. I thought making marks on his neck would be easy, but it was firmer than I expected, and stubborn against my mouth. He offered something in that absurdly gentle voice of his.

“You can bite me, if you want.”

“Mm…mm…”

Absolutely not! I am not leaving a bite mark on the Hero of Bern! He’d show it off everywhere, I know he would. But this isn’t about that…

“I want us to match,” I whispered, feeling possessive.

I felt him freeze under me.

“Mm, haah…” He sighed when at last a mark bloomed beneath my lips. I looked up tentatively.

“Technique? No, you’re probably not even doing this on purpose. Either way, it’s way too effective…”

“Huh?” I blinked and lifted myself slight to see what he was looking at, and then I saw it. A white, sticky string running from his abs to my breasts.

“Eep!”

“You even helped me make it look like I came on your tits, Cece. That’s so damn hot…”

His sexy smirk sent me scrambling. I grabbed the cloth from his hand and threw it over myself, glaring at him with all I could muster.

“S-stop it! That’s not what happened, you perv!” Lucas narrowed his eyes with amusement, his hand reaching for the back of my head. He never messed up my hair, but this time he gently tangled his fingers in it, and a chill ran down my spine.

“Did you forget?” he said in a low murmur, pressing a light kiss to my lips, but holding his tongue back. There was nothing sweet about the kiss, and instead, I felt a little scared. I tried to pull away from him.

“Forget what?”

Then he grabbed me and pulled me down onto the sheets, tearing the cloth from my hands. My eyes went wide with shock as he immediately thrust his face against my bouncing breasts.

“That I’m a pervert who’s obsessed with you alone.”

“…!”

He maintained eye contact the entire time as he slowly, deliberately licked the spot where his come still clung to me. He licked the milky white from my skin and then caught my nipple in his mouth, sucking it and rolling it between his teeth. The sting of it sent my back arching off the sheets.

“Ahh, mm! Nngh, ohhh!”

As my body arched toward his face, he cupped my breast and gently pushed me back down. And then he let me go with a wet, naughty pop to show me what he’d just done. My face turned so red that my breasts were flushed, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“Haah… If a bit of touching is what it takes for you to let me fill you up, I’m more than willing to do it. And if it’s not like that, then I’ll just have to love you until you say it is. You knew that, didn’t you, Cece?”

“Nngh!”

Yes, okay! Fine! I do know that! But the fact that I’m the one pushing him even deeper into depravity really doesn’t sit right with me!

Still, today of all days, I was the one who unleashed his feral perversion, so I couldn’t even argue. My body trembled, flushed from head to toe.

Lucas raked a hand through his hair, still damp from sweat. All he did was gaze down at my weak, helpless body, then press a tender kiss to my skin like he cherished it.

“Ahh, mm!”

“You’re so soft… Unbelievably soft…”

And with slow, deliberate kisses, he inched his dark head lower. All I could do was watch as he left a trail of little marks in his wake.

He pushed my legs apart, and the moment he exposed my soaked, glistening folds through the gap in my underwear, I panicked and tried to cover myself.

Then my perverted husband gave me the sweetest smile in the world. “I can’t believe you came up with such a tempting way to seduce me, Cece. You worked so hard for me, and I owe it to my precious wife to give back everything I can. I’ll be gentle, I promise. So don’t worry, okay?”

“W-wait, Lukie! You don’t have to do that!”

I was just about to come! If all he gives me are these casual caresses with no intent of getting me off, I’ll be so desperate I’ll end up begging for it! Please don’t taunt me!

Just as I was about to reject the offer, his golden eyes locked onto me, his carnal gaze wrapping around me like invisible chains.

“This is my right as your husband, Cece. I would want to die if I thought I’d ever hurt you. So move your hands.”

I was just trying to make him happy, so how did that end up with Lucas worrying to the point of wanting to die?! Isn’t this completely backward?! And to top it all off, he makes being mean to me sound like some kind of marital right?! Can he not? When my poor, overly trained body hears that soft growl in his voice, it gets all excited and ready to go. Please stop doing that, husband!

“I-it’s fine. I’m fine…”

If I give in to this, I’ll end up begging. I’ll be a complete and utter mess.

And that terrified me. My hands trembled as I covered myself, but Lucas just narrowed his eyes and repeated himself. “Move your hands, Cece?”

“Ahh!”

Even though he phrased it like a request, the firmness of his tone left me no choice. My hands slipped away from between my legs. I moved them to my hips instead and ended up spreading my legs apart all on my own. I was blushing so furiously it seared my face. I just wanted to disappear because I was so embarrassed.

He reached out his fingers, hard and calloused from swordsmanship, and laced them through mine.

He pinned my thighs apart as if to signal that we would make love right that instant and then dragged his thick tongue up my slit until it was right beneath my clit. Big, hot tears spilled from my eyes.

“Nngh!”

“You’re a little red. Does it hurt?” The concern in his voice didn’t match the way his tongue was teasing me, clearly trying to stoke my desire till it boiled over once more.

He licked up both sides of my lips carefully and thoroughly, and I thought I felt a healing spell working at the same time. But he never touched my sensitive clit directly. The growing warmth and pleasure—and embarrassment—were all tangled up inside me.

“I-it doesn’t hurt, so p-please stop…”

“You were so feisty just a second ago, and now you wanna act all proper? I can’t stand it… Is it starting to feel good now?”

“Mm, aah! Oooh!”

Waves of pleasure swelled higher and higher within my core. My hips jerked wildly, and every time they moved, the golden charms on my outfit jingled shamefully.

I weakly shook my head, unable to answer. Then his voice dropped deeper.

“Cecilia.”

His lips glistened with oil mixed with my nectar. He licked them with the clear intent of arousing me further, and my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

Don’t give me that excuse about healing! You’re doing this on purpose. You want me to beg!

That was why I couldn’t bring myself to nod, even though I knew exactly what he was doing. And when I denied it, he looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world and then buried his face right between my legs again.

“N-not yet! I’m not…”

“Then get there already.”

“Huh? Ohhhh!”

His tongue had been stopping just short of my clit, but now it suddenly slid up and over it. Pleasure lanced through me. My back arched off the sheets, but my bucking hips stayed pinned beneath his strong arms. His tongue circled my nub right over the rough, wet fabric, sending me close to the edge. It felt so good, I spread my legs as wide as I could, and they began to spasm.

“N-no, not there! Ooh, not that spot, no, mmm!”

The way I lay there moaning with my legs spread wide and my pussy lips on full display was so filthy, I thought I could die of embarrassment. I clamped a hand over my mouth.

Lucas tipped his head to the side and murmured curiously, “That spot, hm? That’s a cute way to say it. Wait, don’t tell me that Wifely Duties in the Bedroom didn’t cover this?”

“Huh?”

Wifely Duties in the Bedroom… Oh, he means the handbook that gives tips for wives for, you know, nighttime activities…

I’d only made it partway through Volume 2, and it mostly covered what I was supposed to do to him. And this most recent technique was something I learned from Yana.

Wait, did I mess up somewhere?!

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked hesitantly.

“No, not at all. Are you telling me you really didn’t know? Wow…”

His golden eyes were as big as full moons, sparkling with curiosity. He looked at me like a puppy who had just found a brand-new toy, which made my skin crawl with dread…

Uh-oh, that’s the look of a man who’s about to teach me something…and it’s going to be a loooong lesson.

Mini Cece held up a big red banner that said, “Welcome to Orgasm Hell!”

And at that exact moment, Lucas clamped down on my hips. “I’ve been studying, too. I thought I’d try out some stuff I haven’t done yet. And since we only have each other, I figured it would be good to sample new things together every now and then, you know?”

If he’s worried I’ll get bored of him, that’s actually really sweet…

Sweet and terrifying. Because that shy smile of his is clearly hiding all sorts of schemes behind it.

Should I be relieved he hasn’t done it yet, or be horrified about what’s going to happen?

“Wh-what do you mean, sample?” My cheeks twitched as I forced a smile, only to see his golden eyes staring back at me, warm and very serious.

He leaned in like he was about to whisper a secret, and then his fingers slid between my legs as he started to explain. And all the blood boiled in my body at once.

“You know that part you always call ‘here’ or ‘that spot’? You know it’s called the clitoris, right? It’s actually really sensitive, like a penis. And it swells up when you’re turned on. That makes your vagina get wet. But you have to treat it very gently.”

“W-wait! Don’t explain it with a real-time demonstration!!”

O-okay, I know what it’s called—I just don’t like to say it out loud! Also, are you giving me a guided anatomy lesson right now?! I think Husbandly Duties in the Bedroom might be a little more intense than my handbook!

“You like it when I use a little pressure, don’t you?”

“A-aah! N-no, Lucas! Stop it, please!”

“Mmm, it’s swelling up. When I tease the base of it, your hole clenches. Your little lips twitch. And because you’re so pale, your pink pussy stands out so clearly… It’s adorable and sexy. I’m going to push my fingers in now.”

“N-no, ahh! Don’t!”

So much for just checking things! He’s not listening to me at all! With this enthusiasm for learning new techniques, no wonder he did so well as a knight!

Even Marshal Webber praised Lucas for his dedication, which made sense. He was amazing, and I respected that. But why do I have to be his training dummy?!

I shook my head, trying to refuse both his touch and his explanations, but he just flicked my clit, and my hips bucked wildly once more.

He slowly slipped a finger inside of me, and my body lifted off the bed like it was just begging for more.

“Going past the first knuckle always has you wanting more, huh?”

“Ahh, mm… Ohhh!”

“You’re so adorable. I love you, Cecilia.”

I turned my head away, too embarrassed to look at him. And when his lips grazed my ear and said those words, my heart pounded so hard it hurt. My body responded right away, the naughty sounds of my wetness growing louder and filthier.

I wanted him to do it harder, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close.

“Mm, ohh… Lukie…” I was begging. There was no denying it now, and he knew exactly what I wanted.

But instead of indulging me, he kissed me lightly and said, “What is it, Cece?”

I gritted my teeth. Ugh, that is so against the rules!

“N-nothing at all!”

I bit my lip in frustration, but I couldn’t stop bucking my hips from the pleasure. He watched me with his molten golden eyes, then started moving his fingers fast and rough, whispering dirty things right into my ear. My body burned, and I wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or pleasure.

“Nothing, huh? You’re still saying it’s nothing right now, even though I’ve got my fingers inside of you? That means you want my cock, doesn’t it?”

“What?! A-ah, no, I can’t say that!”

“Maybe next I’ll make you call your vagina your pussy… The idea of your pretty little body having such filthy names attached to it turns me on so much. Say it for me?”

He was smart, determined, and a degenerate. This is the worst combo ever!

“No way! You’re a pervert, Lukie! A sadist! Stop teasing me like that, please!” Even though I cursed him, the pleasure overtook me. I could feel my pussy twitching. All I could do was lie there with my legs splayed and try desperately to cover my face as I succumbed to the pleasure of his fingers. Closer and closer he pushed me, but then he suddenly stopped. I was left stranded at the edge, with the climax canceled just like that!

“H-hey! Why?!”

I wanted to come. I wanted ecstasy. I wanted Lucas to give it to me.

Desire burned through my body, consuming me so thoroughly that I couldn’t even think straight. Then my sadistic husband curled his lips into a smug smile, swept some of the sticky wetness off his stomach with his fingers, and casually smeared it on his dick, like he was disappointed.

“Don’t tease you like that? Should I show you what feels good and what makes me come, then? All by myself?”

“Ahh…”

You twisted, perverted knight! I cursed him in my head, but the filthy wet noises he made as he stroked his own hard cock sent a current running throughout my lower body. And what really did it to me was the way his golden eyes stayed locked on mine, like I was the only woman in the world. My chest tightened in a rush of heat, and it felt like I was drowning in lust and happiness.

“Are you satisfied now, my sweet Cecilia?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly reached out for his hard, throbbing shaft.

“I-I’m not…”

“Then what do you want?”

His bright, golden gaze softened gently when I answered him honestly. I cupped one of my breasts and then, with my free hand, guided him right to my sweet spot. Then, clumsily and desperate for his love, I begged, “P-please come inside me. Please make love to me.”

I’m dying of embarrassment!

But the second I said it, Lucas froze, blushed furiously, and ducked his head. I couldn’t help but strike an internal victory pose.

“Y-yeah, hold on a second. I wasn’t expecting that. Y-you’re seriously going to show me both the bold side and the shy side at the same time?! I’m so happy I feel like my heart’s gonna break…”

Sometimes, you have to do something you’d normally never do in a setting like this!

Chapter Three

PRINCESS YANA AND I HAD GOTTEN CLOSE ENOUGH to call each other friends after what happened at the coliseum.

On this day, she’d again stopped by the Bataar Palace with Alfred in tow. He stayed behind to take some archery lessons from Lucas, while Yana and I busied ourselves picking out dresses for the upcoming party.

And honestly, I’m having so much fun!

“Since your eyes are bright green, this shade looks amazing on you, Princess Cecilia. Between the teal from earlier and this dark forest green, I think the one you’re wearing now matches your husband’s eye color better, don’t you think? And if we add this little ornament here…” She clipped a charm onto my waist and then turned me toward the mirror, so I could see my full reflection.

Majaarian dresses were made from a single piece of thin, flowing fabric that draped over one’s body. They were then adorned with golden charms to give them a more glamorous look. And because dance held such a prominent place in their culture, the dresses were designed around how they’d look in motion. Often, they had high slits to allow for better movement, which also meant they showed a lot of skin. But the point wasn’t to be revealing. What was more important was how gracefully you carried yourself.

I twirled around in the feather-light fabric, and the dangling golden ornaments sparkled and jingled like chimes.

“Ooh, it’s gorgeous. Now, how about this necklace and these earrings?” I suggested.

“Well, the earrings are perfect. But if the necklace connects under the bust, it’ll hide your cleavage. Although maybe that’s a good thing. We wouldn’t want to upset that jealous husband of yours.”

Yana sorted through the other accessories spread out across the table, casually honing in on the exact thing that might set off a possessive man. I almost teared up. She really understands my struggle!

“You’re incredible, Princess Yana!” Anna gushed. “Please teach me how to do my makeup, too!”

“I can’t believe you’ve won the favor of our goddess herself!” Kate said. “And how do you think we should style this shoulder drape?”

“Hey,” Elsa chimed in, “where exactly in the bazaar did you find that spicy roasted goose you brought yesterday?”

Putting Anna and Kate’s chaotic comments aside for now, Yana was definitely a woman of strategy if she’d won Elsa over with food.

Even Anna and Kate had begun to rely on her, which proved she was dependable and trustworthy.

When I’d asked my maids for advice on this new friend of mine, who I could talk to about romance, they answered gravely.

“Most women who fall for scumbags are good people. They’re driven by their instincts to nurture and care for them.”

“Yeah, women like that are lucky if they find someone who tugs at those instincts but still treats them like an equal. Then they realize the other guy they’d fallen for was trash all along! If she’s really lucky, though, he might even turn his life around.”

“If she’s lucky…”

They said it twice… That means the odds of things not going well are pretty high.

I gave a solemn nod and reminded myself not to get my hopes up. Just then, Team Divine Beast started clasping their hands and squealing with excitement.

“Operation Rescue Princess Yana from Trash Man and Make Her Fall for Princess Cecilia is a go!” Elsa declared.

“Nice name, Elsa! Although I don’t think Princess Cecilia will want to leave her sadistic scumbag anytime soon,” Barnabash quipped.

“L-Lukie is not a scumbag!” I snapped back at his awful comment, then an ominous black chain shot up from my ring, snaking around him at terrifying speed.

“What the hell is this?! Wait, no… Damn you, Master! Damn you! E-Elsa, don’t touch it!”

I recognized that magic. It was far too heavy and familiar. And the fact that it came from my ring made it obvious who was responsible. Elsa shakily reached out to help Barnabash, but Anna and Kate yanked her back, both of them looking as pale as ghosts.

“Don’t, Elsa! If the ring thinks you’re defying Princess Cecilia too, it’ll swallow you up next!”

“Th-this is that forbidden torture spell Lord Dirk and Lord Alphonse worked on together! They gave up on it because it was too complicated and led to some brutal deaths. But now Prince Lucas is using it?! He’s too cruel!”

Barnabash struggled to return to his dragon form while everyone panicked around him. But even when he forced his right arm to transform, the chains just twisted tighter around him. Thick, red blood oozed out where the chains dug mercilessly into his skin, seeping into their black links while his bones groaned audibly under the strain.

Is the chain giving off heat? As soon as the blood touched it, it immediately evaporated into shimmering smoke, leaving me stunned.

Barnabash cried out in agony. “P-Princess Cecilia! Just tell the ring, ‘I forgive him!’”

“Huh?! U-um, I forgive him!” I shouted into the ring, and then the chains vanished with a flash.

Barnabash collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, but amazingly, there wasn’t a single wound on him. It was like his ordeal had never happened, like we’d imagined the whole thing.

As I stared at him in disbelief, he lifted his head and muttered an apology through gritted teeth.

“Damn it… It reacts to her emotions. It sucks out mana and blood, then heals you once she forgives you…all just to crush your soul. That sadistic bastard really went all out. I’m sorry for badmouthing your sweetheart, okay?”

Barnabash was the strongest black dragon on the continent, but now he was sobbing on all fours in front of me. Everyone present averted their eyes in sympathy.

I’m sorry, too… For getting so defensive when you called Lucas a scumbag.

I was reeling in terror from my ring’s brand-new feature, but I still had to prepare for the party in a few days with my new friend Princess Yana.

“All right, I think that’s everything. So are we doing it again today?” she asked.

“Yes. Since I finally have the dress, I thought I should try dancing in it. Would you mind watching?” I asked. I gave the bells on my bracelets and anklets a quick shake to check the sound, then stretched out to get ready.

The maids cleared a spot in the middle of the room with astonishing efficiency, and I moved into position. Princess Yana looked out toward the garden, where Lucas and Alfred were practicing archery.

“You didn’t tell him, did you? This could turn out bad,” she said with a tense expression on her face. She was worried about me hiding this from Lucas. Her kindness touched my heart.

“I think this is the most peaceful way to resolve things,” I replied with a smile. But she was frowning so hard that I couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh.

“I know I’m not one to talk, but if it’s some delusional girl behind this whole mess, that’s her problem. You don’t have to get involved, Princess Cecilia.”

Anna nodded and handed me a dull sword, which had its edges filed down so it couldn’t cut skin. Yana furrowed her brow.

“I completely agree,” Anna said.

“No matter how many warnings people hear,” Kate said, “they never really understand until it actually happens to them.” Both she and Elsa had smug grins on their faces that made Princess Yana blush.

“And when they do mess up,” Elsa added, “Princess Cecilia is always very kind, and before you know it, they’re hers forever!”

“Ugh, you’re all so noisy!” Anna scolded.

I couldn’t help but quirk a smile as I listened to them bickering. Peaceful, playful scenes like this warmed my heart. And that was exactly why I couldn’t back down.

“I don’t have the luxury of letting this go. Most of the noble houses have stopped making moves on Lucas thanks to Princess Yana, so this is the perfect moment for me to take over and keep them in check. He’s a knight, and I want him to only raise his sword against monsters. So if there’s a chance to shut down the humans who’d disturb the peace he’s finally found, I can’t let it slip through my fingers,” I said.

Lucas had continued hunting monsters even here in Majaar. It might’ve started with exterminating the terrifying beastmen, but he’d saved countless lives along the way. And some of those people, including Majaarian nobles, were now scheming to offer him concubines. Even if Lucas didn’t flinch at the idea of hurting people, I’d rather keep him from having to. It was better that way.

I wasn’t going to let anyone call him a monster ever again. His sacred power didn’t exist to crush ignorant people who refused to understand it. That was the one thing I could never allow.

With that decision burning in my chest, I gently drew my blade from its sheath.

As the Hero’s sheath, I didn’t have the power to defeat anyone myself. But still, a sheath had its own kind of strength. It existed to protect the sword as its steadfast ally. I had to prove that I was the Hero’s one true partner.

Even if I was weak, I didn’t want to be someone who just stood idly by, in constant need of his protection. I wanted to be someone who could protect him and heal him.

As I looked down at the sword and sheath, which were made to fit perfectly together, Princess Yana slumped onto the desk with a look of resignation.

“You look so well-behaved, but you’re terrifyingly devoted to him, aren’t you? I can’t believe you’re actually going to perform the Sword Dance. It’s the hardest one in the Majaarian repertoire. No one ever dances it. You really could be the top of the harem,” she said.

“Ha ha. Well, I was a princess candidate for years. I have no intention of letting anyone else be with Lucas,” I said.

I spun around, letting the sash at my waist flutter, and as I lowered myself into a curtsy, it dropped into a perfect circle around me. Then I tipped my head upward, pressing the tip of my sword in my hands against my chest. Anna and Kate rang bells while I closed my eyes and began to move.

The Sword Dance portrayed the story of a maiden who was bewitched by the moonbow spirit, who appeared on moonlit nights.

One night, beneath a full moon, the maiden saw a dreamlike vision in the desert. A rainbow had arched across the dunes, and at its base stood a spirit of otherworldly beauty. The maiden fell in love with the spirit at first sight and begged it to be her lover.

But that beautiful being had no love for humans.

“Even if you truly desire me now, humans are fickle. Their hearts are fleeting. I won’t give myself to something so ephemeral.”

When it came to lifespans and emotions, spirits and humans were far too different.

Too many times had the spirit found a human who desired it, only to be betrayed when that desire went cold. It turned away, trying to disappear.

The maiden was stricken by the sadness in the spirit’s eyes and offered up her life to prove her sincerity.

Then she danced, driving a blade into her own heart, and in the process won over the moonbow spirit’s love.

The Sword Dance was a vow to give your entire being up for the sake of a singular love. It was a dance meant to make yourself irreplaceable in the eyes of another. And if they refused, then they were supposed to take the dancer’s life. It was literally a dance of life and death.

These days, however, the blade was dulled, so it wouldn’t actually kill you. Similarly, rejection simply meant you’d be divorced and shipped off to serve another man as his maid. But getting tossed aside and having the man you love consign you to the whims of another man would probably feel like a fate worse than death, anyway. I doubt I was the only one who thought so.

Princess Yana told me no one had performed the Sword Dance in decades. The harem was a dark place.

But even though no Majaarian woman would dare perform it now, it was practically cheating for me.

I twirled and made the golden ornaments on my hips jingle, then thrust the sword toward a stained-glass lamp hanging from the ceiling. The vibrant blue and gold of its glass caught the sunlight and scattered it, bathing me in a warm glow, and I found myself smiling.

I knew my fierce, beautiful knight wrapped in moonlight would do anything for me, because I was the only woman he loved. Such was the love he gave me that I trusted it beyond doubt, and that devotion moved my arms, legs, and heart.

I would perform the dance with everything I had. I felt like it existed for me alone, to perform for Lucas.

I crossed the sword and sheath in my hands, turned on one foot, then dropped to my knee. I brought my arms in a circle above my head, then gently sheathed the sword in front of my chest like I was cherishing it.

I offered the blade and with it my love, praying for my beloved to accept them both, and then lowered my head, waiting for the sound of the final bell to fade.

My heart was pounding out of control, but it felt oddly pleasant. I stood up with a soft sigh.

“Here you go,” Anna said, giving me a towel to wipe down my sweat. When I looked up, Princess Yana was staring at me with such intensity that it took me off guard.

“Did I mess up the choreography?” Even if I thought it went well, someone who grew up with Majaarian dance might see something I missed.

But when I looked at her nervously, she just sighed and waved her hand. “No, it’s perfect. I don’t have a single complaint about the way you used the sword or even your glances. I just can’t believe the Princess of Bern just danced the Sword Dance—the one only Princess Shireen ever managed. It’s a life-or-death performance. If you do it perfectly, any Majaarian woman will have no choice but to shut up.”

“So then…”

It worked! I did it! I smiled, thrilled that my plan had succeeded, only to jump in surprise when Princess Yana slammed her hands on the desk and stood up, shouting.

Eek! Did the current top dog of the harem just lose her mind over my Sword Dance?!

“And that’s exactly why I’m telling you, you shouldn’t do this! It’s bad! The elegance and sex appeal you’ve got on display are way too dangerous! The way your husband obsesses over you, he might end up killing people just to keep you to himself. There’s no way he’s going to let this slide peacefully! I mean, he’s jealousy made flesh!”

You can say that again, I thought as I winced.

Lucas’s handsome, genteel exterior led most people to believe he was kind and tolerant, but really, he was short-tempered and bloodthirsty. It was kind of a relief that Princess Yana picked up on it so fast, but I did feel a little bad about it, too.

“Wait, are you saying it’s the sex appeal that’s the problem?” I asked, glancing over at my maids.

They all nodded in turn, and I had to cover my face.

“I completely agree with Princess Yana. It’s a very real possibility that the dance will trigger a jealous frenzy,” Anna said.

“Your dress is sheer and accentuates your movements, but the fact that you’ll be dancing for Prince Lucas will make it even more alluring,” Kate pointed out.

“Who cares about a little leg through a slit when your whole body is a weapon of seduction?! Every guy who sees that is gonna be on the edge of their seats!” Elsa said.

“I can’t wait to see all their heads get chopped off! Don’t you agree, darling? Keep up the good work, Princess Cecilia!”

Oh, no, now Barnabash thinks he’s one of my maids, too. And he fit right in. He was even mimicking slicing off people’s heads with his thumb, and I was not looking forward to seeing that in real life!

“Fine, I guess if that happens, I’ll just have to use his own words against him,” I said.

He’d told me before to do whatever I wanted, as long as I told him what it was. He said it on our date, but I was fairly sure it would apply for the entirety of our stay here.

And Lucas was surprisingly good about keeping his word, which I was really counting on in this instance.

I felt a little guilty for using his kindness like this, but it was better than a party full of decapitated nobles…

Sure, he could be brutal and cold, but deep down, he was patient and gentle. I just wished he’d extend that kindness to other people once in a while. But honestly, if he did, I’d probably get jealous.

I’m really no better, am I? I should probably reflect on that before criticizing him…

I sighed, covering my mouth with both hands as I tried to exhale these hopeless feelings of love while Princess Yana patted me on the shoulder.

“I actually feel bad for you, but if you’re dead set on this, I won’t stop you. Besides, no one can interfere once a dancer starts, so you’re safe on that front. Just make sure you’re ready to deal with your husband after the dance. That’s the real challenge. Everyone’s lives depend on it, after all…”

Did she really just say that? For a second, I forgot why I was even doing this. When it came to anyone but me, my dear husband was so cruel and tempestuous that it made me want to cry.

“Only one noble house might get punished if you don’t dance. But if you do, either all of them will get crushed or all of them will survive,” Anna said. “So dancing is the only path that leads to your goals, Princess Cecilia.”

“You’re the only one who can stop Prince Lucas, Princess Cecilia,” Kate agreed.

“It’s definitely dangerous, but the payoff is that you get to keep him all to yourself! There’s no backing down now!” Elsa said.

Ugh, as much as I hate to admit it, Anna and Kate are right. If we want everyone to make it out alive, I have no choice but to stop that sadistic knight from going off the rails. But Elsa, you’re going a bit too far…

And Kate, why are you just standing there smiling? Step in and help me already!

“Y-yes, Lucas is sweet to me, but I’m not doing this just because I want to keep that sweet version of him all to myself,” I said.

“You say that now, but in the end, that’s exactly why you’re doing it. Don’t try to play coy, Princess.”

Ugh, I hate it when Barnabash is so logical. Why is it that an ancient dragon can read between the lines better than Elsa?!

“Hang in there, brave tamer of beasts and Heroes!” Princess Yana said. “Actually, how about I teach you a few tricks?”

“Thanks, but I’ll have to pass…” I said.

It wasn’t that the technique itself was a problem, but it did end up putting me in a really humiliating position. Those techniques worked wonders on Lucas, but the moment he loosened up, he was impossible to handle. I never thought he’d turn the tables on me and shame me right back!

And this time it wasn’t just flirting behind closed doors. I’d be dancing in front of a whole crowd just to keep Lucas from going berserk, which meant I’d have to calm him down afterward. Letting him vent his jealousy might be the safest route, but unfortunately, even in that scenario, I was still in danger.