Chapter 2.2

When I reached the fountain at Promise Square, it was bustling with couples who had come out for weekend dates. This place was such a famous dating spot that “Let’s meet at the fountain at [x] o’clock” had become the typical way couples in the capital arranged to meet. That’s exactly why I’d wanted to come here with Kai. I never imagined I’d end up coming with His Imperial Majesty instead.

Today was particularly clear. Under a sky that looked like someone had dissolved pure blue paint in it, rainbow droplets of water spread out over the evergreen trees. It was a scene like the smile of a carefree child. It was the kind of smile that made you feel like you owned the world with nothing but cotton candy in your right hand. It was the kind of smile that made even onlookers feel happy just watching.

Maybe that’s why my heels kept lifting off the ground and the corners of my mouth kept tingling. The closer I got to the fountain, the more pronounced it became. Even though I knew full well that this buoyant feeling was clearly excitement, I kept trying to convince myself it was just because the atmosphere was so nice and I was in a good mood.

However, the moment I caught sight of the black-haired man standing alone in front of the white fountain, I could no longer deny my feelings. Even though I could only see his back—dressed in a well-fitted white shirt and dark navy pants, holding a jacket of the same color—heat rushed to my face so intensely that my vision grew hazy. Thump-thump-thump-thump, my heart beat three times faster than my footsteps pounding against the ground.

This was an undeniable warning sign.

Even the fact that I found myself thinking this.

His Imperial Majesty must have somehow sensed me approaching from behind, because just before I could call out to him, he turned his head and met my eyes. Those crimson eyes I’d only seen in dreams curved gently without a trace of their usual cunning. Perhaps it was the refreshing atmosphere created by the fountain that made me feel this way, but today he seemed different somehow.

Rather than His Majesty the Emperor whom I always met in his office…

It felt like meeting my first love—someone I’d dreamed of and longed for over many years. Not because he resembled Kai, but because of the atmosphere he radiated today.

He approached me through the droplets of water that scattered like jewels in the sunlight. His movements seemed to slow, as if time itself had warped. Then, seeing him standing right in front of me, I was startled and swallowed a gasp.

He gazed down at me with eyes filled with rapture, then gently pressed his lips to the bridge of my nose. It was an elegant and light kiss, like a butterfly alighting on a flower.

“Rosalyn, you look especially beautiful today.”

It was just the usual compliment I always heard, yet my heart pounded so hard I was left speechless. I could keenly sense how flustered he was by my beauty. Wherever his crimson gaze brushed, a tingling haze bloomed. I couldn’t possibly meet his eyes.

My gaze fell diagonally to his shirt cuffs, rolled up to his elbows. Though it was deep enough into autumn that everyone else had bundled up in jackets, he alone seemed to be running hot. A bead of sweat trickled down his forearms, veins visible even without flexing. Without thinking, my hand moved.

The droplet of sweat that had formed on his protruding wrist bone fell with a soft plop onto my fingertip. Though not even a hair had brushed against him, his body flinched dramatically. Immediately, his large hand gripped mine, almost as if to cover it. His palm was so damp that I couldn’t even feel the sweat from my fingertip anymore. It seemed he was even more nervous than I was.

‘What a strange man.’

Last time we met outside, he’d brazenly pulled his perverted stunts with such a shameless face, yet the more accustomed he became to his perverted behavior, the more bashful he seemed to grow. I couldn’t make heads or tails of how his mind worked.

But the problem was that I couldn’t bring myself to dislike this strange man.

As he gazed at my face as if tracing its contours, he suddenly poked the area beneath my left eye with his index finger. The fact that even this meaningless mischievous behavior didn’t annoy me proved I wasn’t normal either.

His gaze alternated between my nose bridge and the area under my eye, and his expression immediately turned lecherous. I had no idea what trigger had activated his pervert mode, but he was definitely transforming into his perverted self. When I glared at him with wary eyes, he spoke up as if making an excuse.

“Rosalyn, you have two beauty marks I haven’t seen before.”

“Oh, yes.”

So that’s why he was staring like that. He said he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off me—the makeup teacher was right, wasn’t she?

Only then understanding the reason for his intense gaze, I blinked in surprise. The spots where the beauty marks were drawn felt hot, as if they’d been burned.

He pressed the beauty mark on my nose bridge firmly enough that it wouldn’t smudge, then whispered in a voice tinged with amusement.

“I’ve received reports that drawing beauty marks like this is trendy these days. I didn’t know Rosalyn could draw them.”

“I didn’t draw them myself—actually, the landlady’s daughter did my makeup. She’s the one who drew them.”

“Ah.”

Only then did he seem to understand, tilting his head as he let out a low chuckle.

“Do you know what the beauty marks mean?”

“They have a meaning?”

“You’re even more adorable for being so innocent…”

His lips touched the spot beneath my left eye before quickly pulling away, as if afraid of smudging the beauty mark. My eyelashes fluttered at the surprise kiss.

“It means ‘kiss me here.’ That’s what they signify.”

“You just made that up.”

“It was in this month’s capital cultural report three days ago.”

“Really?”

“It’s written on page 18, second line. Check it when you get to work.”

“Oh…”

Both my cheeks flushed hot. The thought that I must have looked like someone desperately wanting to be kissed made me want to crawl into a mouse hole. I had even applied lip gloss that practically screamed “kiss me,” so even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn’t have a word to say. Worried he might notice the lip gloss too, I bit down on my lips, curling them inward. My gaze had somehow dropped all the way down to his feet.

I don’t understand myself. Why I’m acting like this. But everything from breathing to moving my eyes felt unbearably embarrassing. Just standing there under his gaze made my heart tremble inexplicably, leaving me unable to move a muscle.

This isn’t normal. It was too strange to call it simple excitement. Something had to be wrong with me. I even thought it would be better to cancel the date right now and go home to recuperate, but it seemed His Majesty had no intention of letting me go.

He pressed his lips to the back of my hand and smiled, his lips stretching into a long smile. My heart plummeted straight down. Even his lightest smile was lethal to my health.

“Rosalyn.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Shall we go now? It’s almost time for our restaurant reservation.”

“Y-Yes.”

My voice trembled like a goat’s, which really annoyed me, but I couldn’t help it. I had no idea I’d react like this. I don’t think I’d ever felt this flustered, even with Kai, whom I’d liked so much. Maybe it’s because I’m older now, but I feel completely at the mercy of hormonal chaos.

Unless it’s something else…

I shook my head quickly, trying to erase the thought that had suddenly occurred to me. I could feel His Majesty’s gaze watching me with interest. Honestly, all my attention was focused on our joined hands—I had no idea where I was going or what was in front of me. I probably wouldn’t even know what I was eating once we got to the restaurant. Maybe the whole day would pass like this.

I wish he’d go back to his sinister, perverted ways from before—at least that would snap me back to my senses. His Majesty has been excessively gentlemanly since yesterday. Even the act of holding hands is as chaste as someone who’s never imagined anything remotely indecent in their entire life. How troublesome.

“Rosalyn.”

“……”

“Rosalyn?”

“……”

“Rosalyn!”

His voice calling my name repeatedly brought me back to reality, and when I looked ahead, I found myself standing in front of the wide-open carriage door. I blinked dazedly as I stared into the carriage interior. I had no idea why I was standing here, nor could I understand why His Majesty kept calling my name. The only thing I could be certain of was that I was being an idiot right now.

But His Majesty didn’t seem to mind my foolishness. He looked down at me with honey-sweet eyes, then suddenly lifted me up in his arms.

“I have no choice.”

“……!”

“Making a lady climb steps—that was my mistake.”

The coachman clicked his tongue and turned away after hearing His Majesty’s embarrassingly affectionate remark. Finally grasping the situation, I frantically poured out excuses.

“N-no, it’s not like that. I was just thinking about something else for a moment…”

His Majesty’s crimson eyes sparkled with interest.

“What were you thinking about?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll tease you until we reach the restaurant.”

“……”

That doesn’t sound so bad either.

I kept my mouth shut, essentially inviting him to tease me, but His Majesty simply held me like a mother bird cradling her chick, not attempting anything indecent whatsoever. Even though the carriage was a perfectly private space.

In the blink of an eye, the carriage arrived at the restaurant. He carried me out of the carriage like a princess and walked toward the restaurant. No amount of struggling to be put down worked. He seemed determined to become the greatest lover in the capital. I was too embarrassed to lift my head.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, countless eyes blatantly followed us. I naturally assumed they were all united in gossiping about us.

But how wrong I was. The women were looking at us with envious eyes, while the men gazed at us with reverence. Everyone must have lost their minds.

A waiter approached with an awkward smile to show us to our table. Despite his polite tone, there was an unmistakable hint of bewilderment mixed in.

“Welcome to Loarel Restaurant. May I have the name for your reservation?”

Only then did I realize that the place I’d visited was the capital’s most popular ‘Loarel Restaurant.’ I’d heard it takes six months just to get a reservation, and there’s no way he would have made a reservation six months ago planning to date me. I could smell the abuse of power. I started to worry that he might have made the reservation under the Emperor’s name and listened intently, but then a completely unexpected name flowed from his lips.

“Kai Everhart.”

“……?”

Huh? Kai… what?

When I stared at him with an incredulous expression, he shamelessly replied.

“I combined both our names by shortening them.”

“Ah…?”

Did he take just “Kai” from Kaiser, dropping the “ser”? Come to think of it, His Majesty’s name also has “Kai” in it.

I’d always just thought of the Emperor as simply “the Emperor,” so I’d never properly recalled his full name. That’s why the fact that his name also contained “Kai” felt quite surprising. Kai isn’t exactly a common name either. For it to be a coincidence, there was an odd sense of déjà vu.

“Yes, Lord Kai Everhart. Allow me to guide you to the VIP seat by the window. Shall I prepare the Special Luxury Couple Set course as reserved?”

When His Majesty gave a slight nod, the waiter guided us to the VIP section with a respectful demeanor. As soon as he realized we were VIPs, his flustered expression disappeared, and his attitude became even more courteous and deferential. He was undoubtedly a true professional. All the shame was mine alone to bear.

His Majesty’s princess-carrying parade finally came to a safe end only after he set me down at the VIP table. After that, His Majesty literally did nothing at all. Even though the table was perfectly enclosed on all sides with fabric—ideal for playing footsie—not even the tips of our toes touched. Considering His Majesty’s legs were at least 1.5 times longer than the average man’s, it was rather odd.

That’s exactly why it bothered me even more. I’d rather he go back to pestering me like usual, pouring out lewd jokes. I just couldn’t get used to this version of him—maintaining a proper distance while gazing at me with eyes so sweet they looked like they could melt and devour me. Knowing what kind of pervert lurked beneath the surface made it all the more unsettling.

‘What is he thinking…?’

Here was a man who’d been desperate to get intimately close to me, now acting as chaste as if he’d suddenly devoted his body to God. I was so busy trying to figure out his ulterior motives that I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or up my nose. I knew it was expensive cuisine, and I’d wanted to savor every bite from appetizer to dessert without missing a thing. But all I could remember was His Majesty cutting my tenderloin steak into neat squares. Every single piece fit my mouth size exactly, which gave me chills.

(Probably) the meal was delicious. Judging by how full my stomach felt, I must have managed to shove food into it. Though I couldn’t remember anything about it. I’m sure it was worth the expensive price tag, at least.

After finishing dinner, I came to my senses to find myself sitting in the most expensive box seat at the capital’s most popular opera. Bang! The orchestra music slapped my ears, jolting me awake. I looked around to see His Majesty sitting beside me with a slight gap between us, his shoulders shaking with laughter. From the scattered chuckles throughout the audience, it seemed there were plenty of other spectators who’d been half-dazed like me.

But it was strange. The couples in the box seats across from us, above us, and below us were clinging together as if they were inseparable, as though they’d planned it, while we were merely holding hands with our bodies perfectly separated. When I shifted my gaze from blankly staring at the opposite side to look at him, the man who had been staring at me in the darkness slowly leaned his face closer. I reflexively closed my eyes, naturally expecting a kiss.

But he remained hovering just close enough that his breath might or might not touch my ear, asking only the most innocent question possible for this setting.

“Are you enjoying the opera?”

“Yes, yes…”

Ever since his breath brushed my earlobe, it was as if I’d gone deaf and couldn’t hear a thing, but (probably) the opera is wonderful. When good actors meet a good play, it’s bound to be excellent.

I thought my hearing loss was only temporary. For the rest of the opera, all I could hear was my heartbeat pounding louder than the timpani and his voice, sweeter than the baritone’s aria. And His Majesty only occasionally kneaded our interlocked fingers, his body still perfectly unmoving.

What good was his proper behavior? The way he lounged back on the sofa was needlessly seductive, and his gaze—never even pretending to watch the opera out of courtesy—was fixed on my face. His thick chest muscles stretched his shirt taut, as if waiting for me to throw myself into his arms at any moment. I couldn’t even count how many arias I’d missed, distracted by the slight gap between the third and fourth buttons from his collar.

He watched me quietly, as if savoring my blatantly desirous gaze, then slowly curled his lips, which looked even redder under the lights.

“Liar.”

“…?”

“You seem to find me more entertaining than the opera.”

I couldn’t dare deny it. Through the noisy ensemble, only His Majesty the Emperor’s voice came through crystal clear. Even as the audience laughed and applauded, I couldn’t even think to turn my head toward the stage. Kaiser Lucretia was that stimulating. Even if all the world’s entertainment were gathered in one place, it wouldn’t be as interesting as watching his shirt buttons that looked ready to pop at any moment.

But since I couldn’t admit to his words so straightforwardly, I finally turned my head toward the stage. Surprisingly, the opera had long since ended and curtain calls were continuing. He asked teasingly in a voice tinged with amusement.

“If you saw an actor you liked, I’d have you get their autograph.”

Surprisingly, all the actors on stage were faces I’d never seen before. He added, as if he could see right through my thoughts.

“I thought there might be at least one, but I guess not.”

He was right. The stage was packed with dancers famous for their good looks and physiques, yet none of them caught my eye. Without realizing it, my gaze drifted back to the Emperor.

‘Wow…’

It felt like my eyes were being opened.

Entranced by that face, my mind grew hazy again. My mouth kept going dry.

Today’s Emperor was truly dangerous and troublesome.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was inside a gondola. The cramped interior meant his solid forearm brushed against my shoulder. Even though we’d been trapped in a chamber floating high in the sky for twenty minutes, he hadn’t laid a finger on me.

The autumn mountain scenery visible outside the gondola was (probably) magnificent. All I could remember was that his shirt button had finally come undone. Of course, he quickly buttoned it back up before I could really admire his chest muscles.

I bit my lip in disappointment, and before I knew it, we were inside a swan boat. Even in the dim interior of the swan boat, we did nothing but pedal earnestly. We weren’t even racing, yet our boat moved the fastest.

His Majesty quickly claimed the prime spot in the middle of the lake, then pointed his finger toward the sky. His eyes, filled with the soft moonlight, were incredibly beautiful. They seemed to sparkle like luminous red gems. This man, like a sculpture crafted with divine care, spoke to me.

“Rosalyn, the moon is quite beautiful.”

“…Yes, it’s lovely.”

The moon was (probably) quite beautiful indeed. If he were his usual self, he would have been too busy lifting up skirts to tell whether the moon was full or crescent, but today I was in exactly that state. If all of this was the Emperor’s scheme, then I was nothing more than a mouse caught helplessly in a trap. A foolish mouse that wavers at temptation even knowing it’ll be caught the moment it bites the cheese.

But I stayed loyal to Kai until the end of the date, mustering every bit of patience I had in me. Every time I wanted to touch the Emperor, I pinched my thigh and clenched my teeth, and the results were impressive. Today, I gave him nothing but my hand. As a side effect, though, my mind grew hazy and my memory is spotty in places.

I finally came to my senses when the carriage pulled up in front of my house. The moonlight was still beautiful, and his face was so striking that it almost felt pointless to keep praising it. He looked unbelievably refreshed for someone who had just finished what could only be called an epic, grueling date. Other than a slight reduction in puffiness that made his features even sharper, he looked exactly the same as when we first met.

But maybe that’s why… for some reason, I didn’t like it. Maybe it was because I was used to seeing him all disheveled, but seeing him sitting there, perfectly composed and just watching me, rubbed me the wrong way. And it bothered me even more because I thought I knew exactly why.

‘I absolutely will not fall for that trick. I held out well today, so I can make it to the end.’

His Majesty glanced sideways at my room visible through the window, then opened the carriage door without so much as a goodnight kiss.

“Rosalyn, you must be tired from today. Please go inside and get some rest. That way we can enjoy our date tomorrow too.”

I should have been pleased by his words, which contained not a trace of impure intent, but an indescribable disappointment lodged itself in my chest. If I went back to my room and tried to sleep like this, I probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep easily. I’d obviously spend the whole night tossing and turning, having strange dreams.

But I am rational, and I’m this era’s one and only guardian who knows how to keep fidelity to first love. So I can shake off mere physical desires that are nothing more than hormonal tricks. Even knowing how sweet that temptation is.

However—

Smooch.

The moment his moist breath touched beneath my left eye, a blazing heat surged up my throat and instantly consumed my cheeks. The skin where his lips had touched throbbed as if burned.

As I lowered my gaze, not knowing what to do with myself, his heated shadow descended once more along the bridge of my nose. When his lips made soft contact, a flutter like butterfly wings trembled against the spot they touched. The seemingly insignificant stimulus felt strangely intense and sensitive. Perhaps because I had unintentionally abstained for so long, my body’s reactions were overly responsive.

“Ah…”

My faint, excited sigh tickled the tip of his chin. With his forehead and nose pressed against mine, he quietly savored my breath. The look in his eyes that said he was overwhelmed by just that, not knowing what to do with himself, was an added bonus.

Even amidst all this, he couldn’t dare claim my lips, as if some barrier had been cast around them. My lips, just two finger joints away, seemed impossibly distant today. Though just a slight tilt of the chin would let us taste that sweetness, neither of us readily made the move.

Perhaps that’s why his lips, without even a touch of lip gloss, looked so tempting. Was this how Eve felt with the forbidden fruit before her eyes? His lips were more dangerous to me now than poison itself. If I dared take even one bite, I might have to pay a price far worse than being cast out of Eden.

Our eyes, meeting at such close range, locked as if drawing each other into their depths. Eyes don’t lie. Thirst, longing, the desperate desire for each other—all of it was laid bare in both our gazes.

But I couldn’t choose the Emperor over Kai by my own will. That would mean tearing down the strongest pillar that held up my very core. Rosalyn not loving Kai—it would be a catastrophe greater than the sun rising in the west. I didn’t have the strength to endure such upheaval. My fear of change outweighed any momentary attraction.

Just as I was about to turn my gaze away from the face that scattered my reason and move my face away, an earnest confession burst from the cunning man’s lips.

“I love you, Rosalyn. I cherish you more than anything else in this world.”

Ah, that’s cheating.

Though I’d heard those words countless times before, today they made my heart tremble like never before. It felt as if someone had gripped my heart tightly, making my chest ache, and my racing pulse hammered at my throat until I could barely breathe.

Yet the face of the man who had thrust his emotions upon me looked impossibly fresh. It was the privilege of those who could wholly express their feelings.

“My feelings for you could fill entire days of poetry and song, yet still fall short… but I’ll save some for tomorrow.”

“What on earth are you planning to do tomorrow?”

Tomorrow was the last day of the promised week. I knew His Majesty wouldn’t just let it go. As I glared at him with anxious eyes, his gaze curved beautifully.

“It’s a secret. Sleep well, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Against the backdrop of the black sky, starlight settled quietly in his eyes. The galaxy captured in those crimson pupils sparkled mysteriously. There was no escaping the pull of those eyes. Warning bells clanged in my head. I had to get away from him immediately, or I’d be in danger. Forget tomorrow—I was struggling just to suppress the urge to unbutton his shirt right now.

I fumbled around, reaching for my bag. But in that moment, my trembling fingertips caused the contents to spill onto the floor. Among them was a lip gloss.

Lip gloss that calls for a kiss.

“Ah…”

“…Ha.”

Two sighs with completely different meanings burst out simultaneously. Though I had discreetly hidden the lip gloss among other items in my bag, there was no way His Majesty, well-versed in the capital’s culture, wouldn’t recognize what it was.

My wrist was suddenly seized. It burned like fire. Familiar lust blazed in those crimson eyes.

“Tempting me like this is cheating.”

My lips were devoured roughly.

The carriage door slammed shut violently.

***

Once a fuse is lit, there’s no turning back. Whether it’s gunpowder, emotions, or anything else—it only dies down after exploding everything to ash.

But His Majesty released his suppressed desires in a relatively restrained manner. He only persistently coiled his tongue around mine and bit at my lips, never letting the burning heat below his waistband burst forth. For me too, it was woefully insufficient stimulation to resolve my pent-up heat, though it was enough to put out the immediate fire. Actually, that’s a lie. It wasn’t enough at all.

Chup, chuup—wet lips met hungrily, then parted with a lingering, regretful sound that tickled my ears. It was just a light kiss, yet sharp pleasure spread through my heart. My lower belly throbbed, making my body curl up instinctively. Our pressed-together lower halves stirred on their own. In my hazy, unfocused eyes, a passion that was already a step ahead flickered.

He was undoubtedly undressing me and devouring me greedily dozens, hundreds of times in his mind. Though his hands were bound by invisible handcuffs, as a faithful priest’s would be.

‘Ah… it’s not enough.’

I might not have minded when I didn’t know the pleasure that pierced through my entire body, but now that I knew, it was hard to be satisfied with just kisses. My body kept twisting restlessly. The more our lips overlapped, the worse it got. Like someone drinking seawater while parched, no matter how much I savored his lips, there was no end to it.

That’s when it happened.

Clatter—

My unfocused eyes snapped back at the shattering sound from outside. It came from the direction of my house, of all places.

‘Could someone have broken into my house?’

His Majesty seemed to be thinking the same thing as well. Without hesitation, he rose to his feet and threw open the carriage door with force. The hazy, pleasure-dazed look in his eyes from just moments before had vanished, replaced only by wariness and anger. Even his muttered voice carried traces of fury.

“I doubled the guards… what’s going on?”

He got out first, and I followed after him out of the carriage. Holding my hand, he used magic to conceal our presence. It was rare to see him use magic. The Emperor had to reserve his magical power for protecting the Empire, so he usually conserved it. But today, he seemed intent on using magic without hesitation.

Being with His Majesty meant I wasn’t afraid of any intruder. But thinking that someone might have broken in when I was alone sent chills down my spine. My grip on his hand tightened. I was truly grateful he was by my side.

He stood with his ear pressed against my front door, listening for any signs of movement inside. The house was silent. No sounds could be heard. But His Majesty’s vigilance remained unwavering. Quietly gripping the door handle, His Majesty used magic to unlock it. At the same time, he threw the door wide open in one swift motion.

Whoosh—!

As if it had been waiting for the door to open, a black object shot out like lightning. I reflexively swallowed a scream and leaped into His Majesty’s arms, and he pulled me close protectively. But what had burst out of my house was—

“Meow.”

A cat with glossy black fur.

The cat went limp as the Emperor grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. Its mischievous yellow eyes blinked as if recognizing me.

“…A cat?”

“A cat would make sense.”

We stared at the cat in silence, then burst into laughter at the same time. My legs, weak from the released tension, wobbled. His arm gripped my waist firmly. In an instant, my body was moved inside the entrance. The cat came with us.

The black cat landed gracefully on the floor, glanced at us warily, then quickly darted back outside. The intruder was far too fast for humans to catch. So, no matter how much they increased the security personnel, they were bound to miss it.

‘To think the intruder’s identity was really just a cat…’

Unlike me, who felt relieved, he still seemed to maintain his guard. He turned on the lights, brightly illuminating the house, and entered. Only after discovering the broken flowerpot beneath the slightly open window did his expression finally soften.

“It seems it came in through the slightly open window and broke the flowerpot.”

“That’s right.”

“Looks like the inside of the house got messed up too.”

“That’s right.”

The state of the house after the cat had torn through it was beyond description. The floor had already been a complete mess from my hurried departure that morning, and with dirt scattered on top of it all, it was absolute chaos. Fortunately, I could pin everything I had messed up on the cat too.

“Still, I’m relieved that the worry we’ve had for the past few days has been resolved.”

“Now that I know the culprit was a cat, I feel a bit deflated. I guess I overreacted.”

I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly as I looked at him, but somehow an obscene gaze bore into me. It was the look in His Majesty’s eyes right before he transformed into a pervert. As I traced the path of his gaze over my body, I realized that at some point, my white legs were plainly visible through the torn sections of my skirt. His rigid face instantly flushed red. Normally, this level of stimulation wouldn’t even make him flinch, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one who had grown sensitive after being deprived for so long.

Our eyes met in the air and ignited. In the silence, our breathing grew heavier. The bright lights made his desire even more obvious. His pants were stretched so tight, they looked ready to burst. But he showed superhuman restraint, forcing himself to step away even though it was clearly difficult.

Today, it really seemed like he wouldn’t make a move unless I was the one to pounce.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

I replied quickly, trying to calm my pounding heart. This time had been truly dangerous. Honestly, even now, it was torture to keep my hands trapped under my thighs, desperate as they were to reach out and touch him. If I let my guard down for even a second, I’d end up grabbing his sleeve and rolling around with him on my floor.

His long legs brushed past me, barely grazing my side. I kept my head turned away from him, waiting for him to leave my house. Being alone together in a private room where anything could happen was far too dangerous. Even if the Emperor was acting like a holy knight who’d sworn chastity to God right now, who knew when he might suddenly turn back into a pervert…

Today, I was the problem. I guess being toyed with by a pervert made me catch his perversion.

I pressed down hard on my thighs once more and clenched my teeth tight. The only way to escape the lustful thoughts painfully churning through my entire body was to think of something else as much as possible. Like the blue waters of the eastern sea, snow-covered high mountains, and flocks of sheep running around innocently. It would be best to avoid thinking of anything black and focus on white things instead. But—

The moment his fingertips brushed the crown of my head, tracing a diagonal line.

“…Ah.”

Oh no, I was screwed.

Along with the lights going out, I lost consciousness completely.

I felt wronged.

I truly couldn’t remember what I had done.

“Rosalyn, not there… mmph.”

When I came to, all I knew was that His Majesty was beneath me.

***

Your Honor, I swear on my life this wasn’t intentional. This was manslaughter—no, an act of God comparable to a natural disaster…

“Nngh, hah.”

I was straddling His Majesty’s arm-thick cock, desperately rolling my hips. For some reason, I’d been naked for quite some time, while His Majesty only had his pants unzipped. No matter how much I moved, the buttons on that damn shirt wouldn’t come undone. He must have glued them on or something.

The wet slapping sounds of flesh rubbing together filled the air as lewd sensations boiled up from below. This was the pleasure I’d craved all day, but it still wasn’t enough. It was all because of that damn dream. If it felt that good even in a dream, my expectations had secretly swelled with anticipation of how much better it would feel in reality.

The slippery precum rubbed against the soft head before sliding down the shaft. As it caught on his balls, I gasped for breath, and His Majesty gripped my waist again, lifting me up over his navel. The tip twitched as if it might pierce through my entrance at any moment.

However, unlike the rogue in my dream, His Majesty was far too patient. He only stoked my arousal until the words “please put it in” would spill from my lips, but his relaxed lips made no pleas whatsoever. Though his glistening eyes had long been clouded with murky desire, he seemed to enjoy watching me squirm, which was a bit irritating.

“Rosalyn, wait, ah…”

In the midst of frantically rubbing against him, semen suddenly poured out from his flushed tip without warning. Despite appearances, he seemed to be just as lacking in composure. He’d climaxed first from my clumsy hip movements. There had been no change in his expression right up until he came, so I hadn’t noticed at all.

He seemed to fall into self-loathing for losing control of himself, slumping down with both hands covering his face. His hands—with fine lines but an overall masculine shape—trembled faintly. Somehow, it felt like I was the one who had done something terrible to him.

“Your… Your Majesty…?”

When I reached out to stroke the back of his hand, his body jolted as if struck by lightning. I heard a sharp, hissing breath—“Sss, ha”—and then slow, heavy breathing from beneath his palms. He didn’t answer for a long time, then muttered as if he were sobbing.

“Not today. I have to hold back.”

It was barely audible, but the outside was so quiet that it rang clearly in my ears. So he really had been restraining himself on purpose. Judging by his behavior up until now, it seemed he hadn’t even planned on kissing today. Whether he was saving himself for tomorrow or had some other reason, I couldn’t tell.

Whatever the case, it was utterly infuriating, but honestly, it was effective. When someone who had been acting like a dog in heat every day suddenly turned ascetic, it was only natural that I, who had been conditioned by that dog, wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Even now, my body was burning up, my hips swaying on their own. I knew in my head that I shouldn’t be doing this, but I absolutely couldn’t stop my body.

“Ah, ah… Rosalyn. Stop…”

As I kept rubbing his cock, still sensitive from climaxing, he let out a pleading moan. But with his lower half still standing stiffly erect, his lust-soaked voice telling me to stop had no persuasive power whatsoever.

Through the gaps between the large hands covering his face, I could see his lower lip rolled into his mouth and bitten. He was clearly waging his own battle against pleasure. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed fiercely above his fully buttoned shirt. The veins on the backs of his hands and his jaw grew thicker and more pronounced as time passed.

Finally, his patience reached its limit, and he reached out for me. Strong hands encircled my neck and back, pulling me toward him. As I collapsed on top of him, his rough tongue forced its way between my teeth and sucked at the root of my tongue as if trying to tear it off. At the same time, fingers that had slipped between my ass cheeks pierced through my tight hole like they were prying it open. My waist trembled violently.

Despite being thoroughly soaked, my hole still struggled to accommodate even one finger. It was hard to believe I had taken his cock in my dreams. His hooked finger scraped along my inner walls, spreading the ridges inside as if pulling them apart. My hair stood on end from the pleasure I’d been waiting for. A thick glob of my juices that had pooled inside splattered out through my twitching hole. As if pushing the flowing liquid back inside, another finger forced its way in, persistently pushing itself deeper.

“Ugh, mmh…”

Maybe it was because it had been so long, but even just two fingers were hard to take. The thought of his cock—thicker than ten fingers bundled together—going in and out of my pussy hole made my vision blur. He gripped my right ass cheek with his left hand, pulling it to the side, and a cool breeze brushed against my tightly closed vulva. His third finger didn’t miss the opportunity and pushed its way in.

I bit down on his neck, my shoulder blades going rigid. It was only three fingers, but it felt like his entire right hand was shoved inside my pussy hole. His fingers, pushed in up to the second knuckle, writhed like waves before pushing even deeper into my sensitive inner walls. Just the tips of his fingers tapping against my soft inner walls made my toes curl from the tingling sensation. If he touched me just a little more like this, the dam holding back my climax would break.

I gripped his shoulders as if pleading, letting out excited moans. I wanted him to do something to me, anything, and fast. As his firm fingers mercilessly dug up and down my sensitive hole, my ass trembled sweetly and I gushed endlessly. His pants had long since been soaked through.

The louder the wet splashing sounds became, the faster my vaginal muscles contracted. My clit twitched and pulsed as if I was about to piss myself. Hah, ah, I panted with my eyes rolled back—

“Ugh, haah, ahh!”

A thunderstorm-like pleasure suddenly crashed over me. Lightning flashed and sparked across my vision as it turned pure white. He held my flailing limbs in a binding embrace as I thrashed helplessly. Even then, his right hand kept rapidly rubbing the sensitive spot on my inner wall. The curve of my orgasm would subside only to surge up again, repeating several times. I didn’t even have the capacity to beg him to stop. I could only howl like a beast driven mad by instinct.

After convulsions like chills swept over me, all the strength drained from my body. As the afterglow of climax took a step back, guilt crept in like an uninvited guest. It was because Kai’s face suddenly came to mind.

‘Kai…’

Belated self-loathing washed over me. I couldn’t meet Kai’s eyes, even in my imagination. Far from reproaching or being disappointed in me, he was looking at me with the same tender affection as always. But I could hardly bring myself to lift my head in front of him.

Because I couldn’t face him with a clear conscience.

Even when I’d been swept along by the Emperor before, giving my body to him, guilt had always followed—but this time it felt different. I had desired him first. I wanted to touch him, to press my lips against his. And if I’m being completely honest… I wanted to be with him. I wanted to roll around all night, pouring out all the desire I hadn’t been able to express.

With His Imperial Majesty, not Kai.

Not with my pure and innocent first love, but with the most handsome pervert in the world.

I even thought that whatever happened after this, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

Was this simply lust?

Was I only shaken because the Emperor resembled Kai?

If that wasn’t the case…

My heart plummeted at such a terrifying possibility.

I love Kai. For me, there’s only Kai. I was just helplessly caught up with the Emperor, and eventually I’ll return to Kai as if nothing ever happened. That’s how it had to be.

I tried to steel my resolve like that, but the fundamental doubt wouldn’t fade away.

“Rosalyn.”

The Emperor’s voice reached me sweetly, as if it could melt my ears. My heart sank once again. Just hearing him call my name made my whole body burn hot, as if all the heat had rushed to my ears.

“Rosalyn, Rosalyn.”

Ah, ah.

A breath I liked so much I didn’t know what to do touched my ear and then fell away. An unquenchable flame spread from my ear to my cheek. The arms that held me tightly pressed in with gentle strength.

Apart from the confusion I felt from my guilt toward Kai, I was glad to spend time with His Imperial Majesty. I wished he would keep calling my name, keep holding me like this, that this unbelievably sweet time would never end…

Even if I couldn’t respond with the same feelings, I hoped his heart would never change.

It was the awareness of a selfish desire.

“Your Majesty…”

“Yes, Rosalyn.”

“Do you really like me that much?”

The answer to my question was obvious. It wasn’t even a question seeking confirmation of affection. I just wanted to ask it.

And he, as if he had been waiting for my question, placed his sincerity—too much for me to handle—into my hands without hesitation.

“If I had to choose between saving you and the Lucretia Empire, I would save Rosalyn without hesitation.”

“…You don’t really mean that, do you?”

“I mean it. Rosalyn is more precious to me than the empire.”

I was so flustered I was left speechless. I was just an ordinary secretary who had only worked for three years. I couldn’t believe he liked me enough to compare me to the entire empire.

Even if someone was madly in love, could it really be like this? It wasn’t like with Kai and I and our childhood promises; His Imperial Majesty and I had simply shared ordinary daily life together. Yet in the midst of that, such deep affection could bloom.

Moreover, he’s an emperor who could have any woman in the world. An emperor who’s handsome, has a great body, is young, has a nice personality, and is even skilled in bed. He could find a woman who wants him every second of the day. For someone like that to like someone as utterly ordinary as me enough to trade me for the empire—it doesn’t make sense. That point only now caught my attention.

“What is it about me that makes you like me that much?”

I was curious. I wanted to know what aspect of me was special to him. I even felt a hint of anticipation, wondering if I had some advantage I didn’t know about—something worth trading for an empire.

But his answer wasn’t the kind I had expected.

“Because Rosalyn is Rosalyn.”

“…Not that kind of answer.”

“I love everything about Rosalyn. Just talking about your soft, silky hair and your gentle, bright, sparkling eyes would take over an hour. Would you like to hear it all?”

I thought for a moment, then answered firmly.

“Yes. Tell me. I need to hear it.”

“Should I start with how the red flecks in Rosalyn’s eyes sway seductively when you get excited?”

That takes some mental preparation.

But once you’ve drawn your sword, you have to cut something—even if it’s just a radish. I buried my face against his neck and nodded quietly. His Majesty’s hand gently ran through my hair. His gentle voice tapped against my ears in a steady rhythm.

“First of all…”

Before he could even finish that one phrase, my eyes fluttered shut.