Chapter 3
Stripped of everything but her black lingerie, garter belt, and stockings, which contrasted sharply with her pale skin, she shivered slightly as the cool air touched her. Yet, his relentless gaze caused the heat that had momentarily subsided with the removal of her restrictive clothes to surge back like a wave.
“Oh my. You’re already so wet. Can you feel it? Your panties are soaked.”
“Hah… mmm…”
The man smiled with satisfaction, his fingers tracing the damp fabric of her panties. His touch drained the strength from her legs, and as she began to collapse, he caught her firmly.
The touch on her exposed waist and thighs was gentle yet dangerous. He caressed her everywhere except the place she craved, making Isabelle clutch his collar and look up at him imploringly.
“You seem to have forgotten. Tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything.”
“Ngh… Hnn!”
He showed no intention of removing her remaining lingerie, instead focusing his touch on her bare skin.
The upper curve of her full breasts, the outer thighs where the stockings ended, her slender waist, and the crest of her hip bones.
The man’s hand traced her skin with agonizing slowness. Her nipples, hardened into points, strained against the fabric of her underwear, screaming to be freed and touched.
No, more than that, the real problem was below, where she was already so soaked that fluid seemed ready to trickle down her thighs.
“Hurry. Tell me. What do you want?”
“T-touch me… please…”
“Oh, you have to say it properly. Where do you want me to touch, my Young Lady?”
He rubbed her earlobe with his tongue, whispering low against her ear. His hot breath seemed to spread from her ear throughout her entire body.
“My breasts… and…”
“And?”
“D-down there…”
“Ah. You mean here.”
The hand that had been caressing her plump buttocks suddenly slipped inside her panties, grazing the crease of her ass before reaching down to touch the drenched cleft.
“Hieek! Ah, ahh!”
“So this is the spot. Isn’t it?”
As the man gently rubbed the plump flesh with his finger, a gush of arousal poured out.
Her panties were already soaked. The fluid she spilled dripped down his hand and onto the floor, drop by drop.
“My, my. We’ll be flooded at this rate.”
“…D-don’t say such things…”
“Are you embarrassed? It’s far too early to be this shy.”
With a light chuckle, he stripped away the rest of her underwear. Laid bare on the bed, Isabelle’s feverish body glowed with a faint blush, losing its usual porcelain whiteness.
“The drug is making you suffer, but for me, it’s nothing short of a blessing. Should I give a reward to that bastard who deserves to be killed?”
His low murmur was laced with a thick, suffocating murderous intent that sent a sudden chill down her spine.
“What do you mean…?”
“Ah, it means this has finally turned out to be a fortunate matter for you as well, my Young Lady.”
Whether the icy dread she felt from his murderous aura was merely her imagination, the man—still wearing the same gentle smile as before—tossed aside his restrictive jacket and chuckled softly to himself.
Isabelle tried to press him for an explanation, but the hand gripping her breast made it impossible to think.
His large hand kneaded her breast like dough. The pressure was entirely different from when she had gripped it herself, and Isabelle let out a moan.
“So beautifully ripe,” he murmured. “Already hard and erect with arousal.”
“Hngh… ah!”
His calloused fingertips caught her nipple, now as hard as a seed, and rolled it before taking the peak into his mouth. He sucked it fiercely, like a nursing babe, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud.
Each time his teeth grazed her nipple, Isabelle arched her back in a jolt of electrifying pleasure. After teasing her breasts until they were flushed with red blossoms, he pried her thighs apart.
“N-no… not there…”
“Didn’t you ask me to touch you earlier? Now, relax. Go on.”
Under his gentle yet firm touch, her clenched legs gradually yielded. As they parted, her drenched folds opened to reveal their tender, pink flesh.
He gripped her pitifully trembling thighs, holding them firmly as he pressed light kisses to the soft skin of her inner thighs, gradually moving lower.
Even the lightest, feathery touches sent jolts through her hypersensitive skin. The obscene sensations made her body writhe, and her core twitched, leaking hot fluid like a broken faucet.
“I’ll have to take care of this before it flows out any more.”
“Hah… ah, not… there… ah! No… hngh.”
He pressed his lips against the plump folds of flesh, his tongue darting out to taste the overflowing moisture. Finding it insufficient, he slid his tongue deeper, moving it inside. He sealed his lips over her opening, sucking as if demanding she yield more.
Suck, slurp.
The obscene, wet sounds echoing from below made Isabelle want to cry. But contrary to her feelings, her body remained unsatisfied, demanding more. She rocked her hips, grinding herself against his face. The hand that had been clutching the bedsheets now tangled in his dark hair, pressing him down, refusing to let him escape from beneath her.
When his straight nose rubbed against her clit, Isabelle trembled as a jolt of pleasure shot through her from head to toe.
Squelch, squelch.
His lips finally pulled away, and something long slipped inside, scraping against her ridged inner walls. A wet, squelching noise filled the air each time the long, rod-like object slid in and out of her.
Only after a few more moments did she realize that it was his fingers stirring inside her.
Every time his calloused fingers—the hands of a swordsman—scraped against her ridged inner walls, her toes curled and a thrill shot through her entire body.
She felt the ridges of her own inner walls, a sensation she’d never known before, laid bare with every pass of his hand.
“You’re so tight,” he murmured against her thigh, his voice a low sigh. “I want to bury myself in you right now.”
He licked her thigh, his tongue tracing her soft skin as if trying to taste every inch of her, all while his fingers never ceased their movement inside her.
Her juices overflowed, and her core spasmed. The sensation of her walls clamping down on his fingers, as if to sever them, drew a groan from him, as if he could no longer contain himself. Then, he lapped up the spilled nectar with his tongue, leaving nothing behind.
“Sweeter and more fragrant than anything else.”
“Hnnngh… Ahh.”
“And you’re so hot. And so greedy. You’ve already taken two of my fingers, yet you’re still gasping for more. Such a little glutton.”
He pushed himself up, his fingers moving rapidly. Pressing his lips against her prominent collarbone, he whispered. She desperately wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong. But the sensations he was delivering left her moaning, unable to form a coherent word.
“So, how is it? Are you satisfied with this? Or should I give you something even better?”
“Hngh… More… Ah…”
Instinct had overridden reason, and what escaped her lips was not a complete sentence. But he seemed to understand. He smiled softly and pressed a kiss to her swollen lips. Her mind was a whirlwind, her senses overwhelmed by the tongue teasing her from above, while the situation below was no different.
His fingers, buried deep inside her, continued their relentless, rapid movement. As he scraped her inner walls and rubbed her pea-sized clitoris with his thumb, a wave of pleasure, incomparably more intense than before, washed over her. A gush of fluid soaked the bedding completely.
Her mind went completely blank. Isabelle’s body trembled with the aftershocks of pleasure. She didn’t even have the strength to open her eyes.
“Now, I’ll give you what you truly desire.”
“Ah… It’s… not over yet…”
When his lips pulled away and he lifted his body slightly, Isabelle—who had thought it was over—struggled to open her eyes, looking up at him with a half-lidded gaze.
She hadn’t realized it yet, but he was still fully clothed.
As he slowly shed his clothes, layer by layer, Isabelle let out a soft moan.
His upper body, built with hard muscle, was covered in scars of all sizes, but they weren’t unsightly. In fact, the contrast with his smooth, handsome face only made him more alluring. When he finally threw off the last small piece of cloth, Isabelle squeezed her eyes shut.
It was the first time she had ever seen a man’s member. It was far larger than she had imagined—almost the size of a baby’s forearm. Fully erect and throbbing, it stood stiffly upright.
Clear fluid seeped from the tip, making it glisten.
When Isabelle realized that that thing, now so large it reached his navel, was about to enter her body, she felt like crying. As if he knew her thoughts, the man let out a low, amused chuckle.
“Are you worried?”
Her face flushed crimson, Isabelle managed to open her eyes again and gave a slight, hesitant nod. She couldn’t bring herself to look at it again, keeping her gaze fixed on his face.
“Don’t worry. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
“Hngh…”
He added softly, “Though I don’t know if it’ll go as planned,” but Isabelle was too swept away by his movements—his lips pressing against hers, his hand teasing her nipple—to fully hear him.
A thick, wet kiss followed. Tilting his head, the man devoured her mouth, sucking her tongue into his as if to swallow her whole.
His thick tongue swept through her mouth, exploring every inch. At the same time, one of his hands pinched and twisted her hardened nipple, then repeatedly soothed it with a gentle rub. Her breasts should have been aching and sore, but her aroused body told a different story.
Her wet core twitched and tightened, desperate for him to touch her more, to give her something even more intense.
Isabelle wrapped her arms around the man’s neck and rubbed her lower body against his thighs.
Seeing her cling to him, grinding her feverish vulva against his hard, muscular thighs, the man smiled with satisfaction and pulled his lips away.
Then, he pressed his swollen, vein-throbbing cock against her drenched vulva and rubbed it lightly.
“Hngh… ahh…”
As his dark red penis teased the swollen, aching entrance, the fluid she’d already released—as if inviting him in—slicked the head of his cock.
“I didn’t expect such a warm welcome. You’re already so wet, and I haven’t even gone inside yet.”
“Don’t say… things like that… Ah… Hah…”
Tears welled in her eyes at his shameful words. As his cock pushed through her soft flesh, the tears that had dampened her lashes trailed down her face and pooled in her ear.
The man licked the shell of her ear, devouring every drop of her tears as if they belonged to him alone. He then thrust his tongue deep into her ear canal, piercing through. The wet, obscene sound filled her ears.
“Ah, it hurts… Ah, it hurts… Hah…”
Isabelle whimpered, struggling to accommodate him even though he had barely entered halfway. He felt a twinge of pity for her, but if he stayed still, it felt as if his member might be severed. Her inner walls were clamping down on him, squeezing tight.
“It’ll be better if I just push it all in at once. Just bear with it for a moment.”
Isabelle shook her head, certain it would never fit, but the man thrust the remaining length in deep, all the way to the root. Her entire body stiffened as she felt her insides being forced open.
“Relax. Try to breathe slowly.”
He began to move slowly, stroking her body to soothe her. Her tense muscles protested the pain, but soon, a feverish heat began to mingle with her moans.
“Ah… It’s… too big… Haaah…”
“That’s not true. It fits you perfectly.”
The man soothed Isabelle, claiming she was a perfect fit, but in reality, she was far too small and tight for him. If she hadn’t been flushed with the drug’s effects, it would have taken hours—no, days—to stretch her open enough to accommodate him.
But the drug-induced arousal had made her body hypersensitive, her entrance softening and yielding. Thanks to that, she had taken him in much easier than expected.
His movements grew rougher as he thought of the bastard who had drugged her. He withdrew until only the head of his cock remained at her entrance, then slammed himself inside with a single, powerful thrust. Isabelle let out a choked sob.
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
As he drove into her again and again, the sobs were replaced by dizzying moans of pleasure.He grabbed one of her legs and lifted it, forcing her open to the absolute limit. The wet, slapping sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the spacious room. With every thrust of his hips, Isabelle clung to him, whimpering and sobbing. Each time her hardened nipples brushed against his body, her walls tightened even further.
He swallowed a curse as her inner muscles clenched around him, as if trying to snap his cock in two.
“Damn… I’m the one who’s going to get eaten alive at this rate,” he panted.
He straightened his back, sitting up to grip her buttocks firmly. Gazing down at her round breasts bouncing with every movement, he drove his hips forward with renewed vigor. A thick drop of sweat fell from his chin, trickling down his defined abs to the point where their bodies joined, mixing with the white froth.
Every time his cock, buried deep inside her, scraped against her inner walls on its way out, Isabelle felt as if something in her mind was about to snap.
Their joined bodies were so hot they felt as if they would melt. Overwhelmed and terrified by these unfamiliar sensations, Isabelle instinctively tried to pull away. As if punishing her, his firm fingers dug into her folds, finding and rubbing her swollen clit.
“Hngh!”
Isabelle shuddered as waves of pleasure swept through her entire body. Before she could even adjust to the onslaught of sensation, the man began pounding her inside, his rounded head striking her deep and hard.
Isabelle gasped, drowning in the pleasure he gave her. As her slick, wet walls spasmed and clenched tightly around his cock, a moan of ecstasy escaped his lips.
Isabelle stiffened, her hips twitching as the intense sensation erupted deep within her. He leaned down, his lips meeting hers in a deep, lingering kiss. After pulling back, he began to plant soft, soothing kisses along her still-trembling jaw, her earlobe, and her neck.
Isabelle blinked slowly, wondering if it was finally over. But he hadn’t withdrawn from her body.
“Please… get off…”
“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not finished yet.”
“What?”
Despite her gesture for him to move, he ignored her, kneading her breasts and licking her neck and collarbone. Isabelle soon understood the meaning of his words.
The penis, which she felt had shrunk slightly after his first release, was swelling again.
“My lady, the night is still young,” he whispered languidly, his hips beginning to move once more. A slick fluid trickled down the crease of her buttocks.
***
Isabelle only opened her eyes when it was nearly noon. Rapidly sitting up at the unfamiliar sight that greeted her the moment she opened her eyes, Isabelle groaned, knitting her brows at the pain shooting through her entire body. Yet, as she sat up, the duvet slid down, revealing her bare skin—a sight so startling that the aching pain instantly took a backseat.
Red blossoms bloomed profusely across her pristine breasts, which had once been without a single flaw, and her nipples were so swollen, chafed, and hypersensitive that she didn’t even dare touch them.
She lacked the courage to peer into the marks hidden beneath the duvet.
Last night, a man had gazed upon, touched with his hands, and pressed his lips against the secret places she herself had never properly looked at.
Recalling once more those sticky, dense hours that had stretched on until dawn, her entire body flushed hot. Though under the influence of an aphrodisiac, the realization that she had spent a night so hot it felt ablaze with a man she had met for the first time made her emotions surge.
She had never done such a thing in her life, but she resolved to view this incident as a secret, one-night indulgence at a ball, just as other nobles did. Thinking of it that way eased her mind slightly, granting her enough composure to look around.
Although it was a lavishly grand room, no matter how many times she scanned it, this was not the room she had fallen asleep in at dawn. The room from last night had carried a much stronger masculine aura than this one. This room, however, boasted a delicate lace canopy, soft cream-toned furniture, and pale peach bedding—exuding a distinctly feminine feel everywhere she looked.
She wondered why on earth she was in this room, but Isabelle was entirely alone. Gazing around, there was not a stitch of clothing in sight, leaving her unable to even leave the bed. As she scanned the bedside with a troubled expression, she finally found what she was looking for, causing her gloomy face to brighten considerably.
Giving the bell pull a light tug, a maid impeccably dressed in a uniform entered almost immediately, as if waiting just outside, and bowed politely.
“Where am I?”
“I was instructed to provide you with a meal first once you awakened, My Lady. Shall I bring it in now?”
“Answer my question first. Where is this place?”
Despite Isabelle’s query, the maid remained awkwardly silent, offering no answer. Sensing that no amount of asking would yield a response, Isabelle changed her question.
“Where are my clothes?”
“I was told to give you this should you look for your clothes.”
At the maid’s brief hesitation and call, another maid waiting outside stepped in, carrying a white garment made of fabric—clearly prepared in advance. While the item they brought was made of fine-quality fabric, it was hardly the attire she had hoped for.
“This is a chemise. I was asking for the dress I wore here, not this.”
“My apologies, My Lady.”
To her request for her own clothes, the maid offered nothing beyond a repeated apology.
A single thin chemise, worn without undergarments or anything else to cover herself.
No matter how slow-witted Isabelle might be, she could easily grasp the underlying intention. The man clearly did not want Isabelle leaving this room. Since staying completely bare was out of the question, he had granted her a single chemise as an absolute minimum.
The tightly tight-lipped maid seemed unlikely to grant her demand. Accepting that she would have to make do with the chemise, Isabelle swallowed a sigh.
The maid offered to prepare a meal, but rather than filling her stomach, Isabelle wanted to wash up first.
She asked the maid to prepare bathwater and fell into thought.
It was true that empty rooms inside the Imperial Palace could be used freely during balls. However, that room she had seen yesterday—grandiose as the palace might be—hardly seemed like a place casually lent to nobles. It was jaw-droppingly magnificent.
Which meant he had to be a member of the Imperial family.
To Isabelle’s knowledge, there were only two men of that age range among the Imperial family at present. She pondered if he might be one of the two princes, but shook her head as she recalled the man’s pitch-black hair from last night.
Who on earth could he be, then?
Immersed in thought once more, Isabelle set her doubts aside when the maid announced that her bath was ready.
Recalling the marks scattered across her body, Isabelle dismissed the maid who offered to assist with her bath and cautiously slid out from beneath the duvet.
Not just her waist, but her entire body throbbed so severely that taking a step proved a struggle.
Moving as slowly as a turtle, Isabelle barely managed to slip into the bathroom, where she nearly let out a scream at the reflection in the mirror.
‘Th-This…’
A rush of intense shame flushed her face and the nape of her neck a bright, flaming red. It wasn’t just the visible spots; red marks densely covered not only her chest, but also her neck. Seeing the distinct marks trailing down the insides of her thighs left Isabelle feeling dizzy.
Barely gathering her senses, she submerged herself in the bathtub, but with her entire body stinging and the tips of her breasts throbbing, washing properly proved difficult.
It was her first time bathing without a maid’s assistance, making it awkward, and finding a spot on her body that didn’t ache was so hard that it took a considerable amount of time just to wash up.
Still, soaking in the warm water made her body feel considerably better. Isabelle wiped off the moisture and slipped into the chemise.
However, the moment the soft fabric brushed against her nipples, Isabelle’s face darkened with dismay.
Having been sucked and bitten by the man all night long, her nipples—now slightly larger than their usual size—poked out prominently beneath the thin chemise.
Proclaiming their presence as if fully aroused, their appearance was thoroughly embarrassing, yet there was nothing she could do about it.
Carefully lifting the fabric with her fingertips so the hem wouldn’t brush against her chest, Isabelle returned to the bed.
She then pulled the duvet tightly up to her neck, hiding her body beneath it. Though she was wearing a garment, albeit a thin one, it felt hardly any different from being completely bare.
When she pulled the bell, the maid brought in a tray with soup and a light meal. Unable to leave the bed due to the bright red blossoms on her chest, Isabelle could only slide out from under the duvet after dismissing the maid.
“Haah… What on earth is happening?”
Isabelle let out a sigh as she ate spoonfuls of soup. The moderately cooled soup suited her palate well. She hadn’t felt particularly hungry, but eating the soup sparked her appetite.
Isabelle ate heartily while lost in thought.
It was glaringly obvious that the townhouse must be in total disarray, searching for her after she vanished from the ballroom yesterday. She didn’t even need to confirm that Elena would be frantically searching for her as well.
Had she even a set of clothes, she would have returned immediately, but she couldn’t possibly step outside dressed like this.
She had no choice but to wait for the man—the one who had undoubtedly brought her to this room—to arrive.
“If it really comes down to it, should I just wrap myself in a duvet and slip out…?”
Pulling the duvet tighter around her chest, Isabelle let out a long, heavy sigh.
***
Isabelle gradually woke up to a ticklish sensation brushing against her hair, cheek, and ear. As she slowly blinked her eyes open, a half-unbuttoned shirt and the firm chest peeking through its gap met her view.
‘What is this? Why is a man’s chest…’
With a dazed head, Isabelle began to ponder the identity of the chest right before her eyes. Her mind, not yet fully awake, refused to function properly.
“Is it that dream again? No… something feels a bit different…”
Isabelle muttered to herself, blinking lazily. Then, a quiet laugh scattering above her head snapped her wide awake. Because she had often seen a man’s bare chest in her dreams, she had assumed this was merely an extension of one, but the sound of laughter brought her true predicament rushing back, instantly banishing all sleepiness.
Bolting up into a seated position, Isabelle whipped her head toward the source of the sound.
“I was planning to wait a bit longer before waking you, but it seems you are up.”
“Y-You!”
Just as Isabelle had expected, the man from last night was lying on his side, propping his head up with one arm. Beneath his disheveled black hair, blue eyes sparkled as they gazed at her. The man reached up, playing with Isabelle’s red hair as a languid smile spread across his face.
She flushed crimson, looking at the man whose lips were as red as her own hair. Memories of all the places those lips had touched last night came flooding back.
“How is your body feeling? Are you in any pain?”
“N-No, nowhere.”
Her waist throbbed, her nipples were still sore, and above all, the space between her legs burned with pain, but she lacked the courage to say such things aloud. When she hesitatingly shook her head and claimed nothing hurt, he nodded as if accepting it, though the look in his eyes suggested he didn’t particularly believe her words.
Pushing himself halfway up, he moved on from her hair and began to toy with her hand. At the trace of his lingering, velvety touch caressing the back of her hand, her face began to flush with heat. Thinking she would be swept away by him if she stayed like this, she pulled her hand out of his grip.
“Where on earth is this? I really must head back now. I would appreciate it if you returned my clothes.”
“It is late at night. The roads at night are dangerous, so it would be best for you to stay like this.”
He briefly cast his gaze toward the window where the moon had risen, then looked back at Isabelle, replying with a gentle smile.
“If you would lend me a carriage, I can still make it back despite the late hour.”
“Oh dear… What ever shall I do? I am afraid I cannot grant that request.”
“Why on earth…?”
At her request to borrow a carriage, he feigned a sad expression and tilted his head to the side. Smooth black hair trickled down the side of his forehead. Isabelle’s fingers twitched with an urge to stroke that hair. Barely holding back the impulse, she stared at him with a puzzled expression, wondering why it was impossible.
“You see…”
“…”
The man lightly caught Isabelle’s fidgeting hand, pressing his lips to the back of it as he murmured. The lips moving against her back-of-hand felt both ticklish and hot, making Isabelle shiver.
Lifting his lips from her hand, the man raised his head and smiled brightly at Isabelle. As if genuinely delighted, his blue eyes scattered shimmering light, and the corners of his mouth curved upward into an arch. Staring at him blankly for a moment as an overlapping, faint phantom image threatened to surface in her mind, she snapped back to her senses at the feeling of being pulled forward.
In just a split second, Isabelle was lying on the bed, and the man was looking down at her from above. Startled, Isabelle tried to sit up, but with both of her wrists captured and pinned above her head, she couldn’t move.
“What on earth…”
“Shh. I have no intention of hurting you. I am merely trying to let you know.”
“What does that…”
“You can no longer escape from me. Things didn’t go according to plan, but I rather like this, too.”
The man uttered nonsensical words before offering a sweet smile. A plan? What on earth did he mean by that?
“What do you mean by that?”
“My Lady. You will find out soon enough, so do not be impatient. Right now, I would prefer it if you focused on me.”
Lowering his head, the man pressed his lips against Isabelle’s slender neck. Over the red marks he had left last night, he left another deep imprint.
As if pleased with the vividly marked trail, he lightly swept his tongue upward over it, then kissed the corners of Isabelle’s eyes, where tears had gathered from the stinging ache. The pooled tears vanished into his mouth along the tip of his tongue.
“Please, don’t do this.”
“You are saying something quite different from last night. Did you not cling to me in tears, begging me to thrust myself deep inside you?”
“How can you say such… such embarrassing things…?”
“I could tell you far more explicit things. Do you happen to remember how many times you took me into your mouth and swallowed it yesterday? You clamped down so hard I thought it might snap off.”
“Ah. N-No… That was… because of the aphrodisiac…”
Isabelle retorted that she hadn’t done so of her own free will but because of the drug, shaking her head. Every time she shook her head, the red hair spread across the bed billowed like waves.
“You haven’t taken an aphrodisiac today, so why are you already this excited?”
“Haah, th-that is… Ah!”
Through the chemise, he slowly rubbed her peak-erect nipple with his thumb. Fully aroused, the nipple hardened stiffly at even his light touch. When he lightly rasped the tip of her nipple with his fingernail, a jolt of pleasure mixed with pain surged through her entire body.
“Even at dawn when the drug had worn off, you still asked me to thrust into you, to lick you, didn’t you?”
“Ah-ng. N-No, I…”
“Do not be shy. You may demand anything and everything from me.”
She squirmed, wanting to escape his hands kneading her breasts over her clothes and teasing her nipples, but bound by her hands, she couldn’t flee.
“Please, my… my chest… stop… Hng!”
“Ah, you preferred me sucking it with my mouth.”
“Ah! No, that’s… Ha-ang.”
Speaking in a deliberately theatrical tone, he lowered his lips toward her chest. A wet tongue pressed against the fabric over her skin. As the tip of his tongue poked and rubbed against the raised nipple, the thin chemise quickly became soaked. Feeling even more provocative than when directly touching her bare skin, Isabelle couldn’t bring herself to say the words to stop touching her chest.
As the tongue gliding over the wet cloth stimulated her chest further, her toes naturally curled inward. Sensing the moisture gathering below, Isabelle raised her knees, pressed her thighs together, and wriggled her body. Because of that, the hem of her chemise slid down, exposing her fair thighs and leaving her intimate area peeking out, but she was too consumed by the feeling of the man’s lips sucking her chest like a child to notice.
A hand slipping beneath her slidden clothes grabbed and kneaded her plump buttocks. Whenever long, firm fingers occasionally passed through the crevice of her buttocks to brush past the folded opening and sensitive flesh, clear moisture trickled out.
Having thoroughly tasted one side of her chest, he moved his lips to the other. While one hand fondled her buttocks, the other hand teased the breast soaked with his saliva.
Isabelle gradually crumbled under his touch. Her hands had regained their freedom long ago, yet she couldn’t think to push him away.
Rather, intoxicated by pleasure and letting out moans, she was pulling him closer to her chest. Only after the chest area of the chemise she was wearing became thoroughly soaked and turned transparent did he push himself up. Wetting his lips with his tongue, he greedily took in the sight of the thoroughly disheveled Isabelle.
Lowering his gaze from the red hair spread over the pure white bedding and the hazily unfocused amber eyes, the pink nipples showed through beneath the wet fabric. The hem of her skirt had hitched up endlessly, leaving her flat belly and the forest between her legs completely exposed, while red blossoms he had left bloomed profusely wherever skin showed. At the obscene sight, his smile deepened.
Looking down at the trembling Isabelle, the corners of his lips curled up gracefully.
How long had he waited? Just for the day they would meet again.
As if rewarding him for that long, tedious wait, he devoured her, who had grown up so beautifully, like a beast. No, he intended to keep devouring her continuously from now on. And he had no intention of ever letting her leave his side again.
“You are beautiful. Now, please be endlessly obscene just for me, Belle.”
“I’m… H-Hggh.”
The words “I’m not obscene” vanished inside her mouth.
A soft tongue invaded, swimming through the inside of her mouth. Tapping lightly against Isabelle’s teeth, it gave chase to her fleeing tongue and entangled it.
As if intending to inspect every single spot inside her mouth without exception, from the roof of her mouth to beneath her tongue, he moved his tongue with delicate precision. Meanwhile, the hand that had been stroking the soft mound slid down, spreading her thighs apart, and poked its way inside the opening as if finding its proper home.
Caressing the wet entrance and tapping the swollen flesh rhythmically as if whispering for her to open the door quickly, his fingers moved with precision.
As if welcoming his visit, more moisture flowed out, soaking his fingertips before sliding downward. Once his hand was thoroughly wet, the inner walls tightly swallowed and gripped his intruding touch as if welcoming the invasion that parted her flesh.
When he bent his finger to scrape a point deep inside, Isabelle’s mouth opened wider, and her waist arched like a bow. As he stimulated the sensitive spots discovered last night one by one, a dizzying pleasure seeped out, yet he devoured every bit of it so that not even a single groan could escape her lips. When he straightened the finger that had been scraping the inner walls and rotated it in circles, Isabelle wrapped both arms around his neck, trembling violently.
As his lips finally parted from hers, Isabelle, who had been gasping for breath, had to hold her breath once more.
The single finger increased to two, and having granted freedom to Isabelle’s lips, he pushed the fabric upward this time and bit into her fully exposed chest.
“Ha-uggh, ha-ang…”
Hotter than when felt through her clothes, his lips and tongue tip soothed her angry nipple, sometimes biting it with his teeth as if punishing it. Wet, slick fingers slid in and out, making an obscene sound. As that foreign sound accelerated, Isabelle’s sensuous cries grew louder as well.
“Ah!”
With a short gasp, a sudden gush of moisture poured out, thoroughly soaking his hand. Gently caressing the inner walls before withdrawing his hand, he sat up. With the chemise rolled up and bunched at the nape of her neck, Isabelle lay panting heavily with her chest and the space between her thighs completely exposed.
“It is just as sweet and delicious as your lips.”
Extending a red tongue, he licked his fingers—thoroughly soaked with her moisture—and offered a serene smile. Her mind was still so filled with the pleasure she had experienced moments ago that she couldn’t think of anything to say back to him. With a dazed gaze, Isabelle looked up at him.
Noticing the contrast between her own state and his—neatly dressed today save for a few unbuttoned shirt studs—Isabelle turned red. Lightly kissing her flushed cheek, he calmly untangled the clothing bunched near Isabelle’s neck.
“Oh dear, we must change your clothes. Though I would much prefer it if you wore nothing at all.”
Looking at the clothes soaked over her chest, revealing her nipples, he spoke in a tone laced with regret. Failing to understand his words immediately, Isabelle blinked for a long while before finally opening her mouth.
“Th-Then tonight… are we, are we not going to do it?”
Feeling bewildered that he was tidying her clothes after getting her body so thoroughly flushed, Isabelle babbled without even properly grasping what she was saying.
“I intended to be considerate of you after being put through so much all night yesterday, but if you wish for it…”
“N-No!”
Reading the surging desire in his eyes, Isabelle hastily waved her hands, realizing her slip of the tongue. Her body, having learned the touch of a man, was fully aroused from the recent stimulation.
To feel regret—Isabelle was bewildered by the change she was undergoing after just a single day. What’s more, that man was confining her here. Yet far from feeling resentment toward it, a corner of her mind was accepting his actions as if they were entirely natural.
Realizing that fact, Isabelle’s eyes flickered with confusion.
“You do not need to worry about a single thing, My Lady. Just stay quietly in my arms until the time comes.”
Tossing off his shirt, he stripped off Isabelle’s chemise as well, which he had just taken the trouble to tidy up. Seeing Isabelle shrink back with wide, round eyes, wondering if he was doing this because of what she had said earlier, he let out a light laugh and pulled her into his arms as he lay down on the bed.
Finding herself positioned atop his large frame, Isabelle buried her soft cheek against his firm chest. The sound of his heart thumping loudly resonated against her ear. Strangely, a sense of relief began to wash over her. It felt familiar, as though she had been like this once before long ago. As her tense body relaxed, a soft sigh slipped past her lips.
“It would be wise not to stimulate me.”
“Pardon?”
Isabelle fidgeted, about to lift her head as if asking what he meant. Meeting his blue eyes, she immediately understood what he meant. The heavy weight of his hardness poking against Isabelle’s belly was felt all too vividly. Letting out a light sigh, he gently caressed Isabelle’s back. It was a soft, delicate movement, as if handling a glass doll.
“Now that you understand what I mean, sleep quietly. For opportunities to sleep easily like today will be practically nonexistent from now on.”
“Ah…”
With a flushed face, Isabelle nodded, rested her cheek against his chest, and closed her eyes.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Call me Ran. Please.”
“Ah… Um, Ran, I have a favor to ask.”
“So long as it is not about wanting to leave this place, I shall grant it.”
Tracing his fingertips down the line of her buttocks past her back, Ran replied languidly.
“Please send word to the Marquisate… Hah!”
“I told you that you do not need to worry about anything. That includes matters regarding the Marquisate as well.”
“B-But…”
“I intended to put you to sleep gently, but it seems I must punish you.”
Moving his fingertips delicately as if displeased, he roughly gripped her buttocks. Despite the rough touch—so unlike his previously gentle hands—Isabelle ended up leaking warm moisture.
“My goodness! It seems your taste leans toward rough handling like this rather than soft touches.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Isabelle buried her face in his chest and sobbed softly. Gently stroking her buttocks where his handprints remained red, he let out a soft laugh. Every time his broad chest heaved, a strange sensation washed over her.
“If you do not want it, I shall not be rough, so do not worry and go to sleep now.”
Lightly patting her back, he began to hum in a low voice. Though she had felt certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep, strangely enough, her eyes gently closed, and drowsiness washed over her. It was a song familiar to her ears, though she had no memory of when she had heard it. And with the thought that a boy’s voice—one that hadn’t yet broken—seemed to overlap with the melody, Isabelle finally drifted off to sleep.
***
Once he was certain that Isabelle had fallen into a deep sleep, breathing evenly, Ran gently shifted his body to lay her down onto the bed from where she had been asleep slumped over his chest. As soon as she was parted from his warm embrace, Isabelle reflexively furrowed her brow and curled herself into a ball.
Tucking the cozy duvet thoroughly over her body and lightly patting her, the furrows on her forehead gradually smoothed out. Quietly getting up from the bed, Ran stared at Isabelle with eyes brimming with lingering affection before barely managing to avert his gaze. Sloppily throwing on his discarded shirt, he headed for the door. When he opened it and stepped out, his waiting guard and aide, Halo, immediately fell into step behind him.
Taking swift, long strides, he entered a room situated quite a distance away from where Isabelle lay sleeping.
Piled high with various documents, a massive desk occupied the center of the room. Glancing lightly at the stack of papers with a swift sweep of his eyes, Ran leaned back against the sofa. He then cast a gaze toward Halo, who had followed him inside.
“Any word from the Marquis?”
“It is reported that Marquis Worel passed through the Gate just a short while ago.”
“Is that so? Then he will come seeking me first thing tomorrow morning.”
Thinking of Marquis Worel, who was bound to be furious, Ran crookedly curled one side of his lips upward. While it felt satisfying to have stabbed the Marquis in the back, picturing his face made his mood turn foul.
‘That sly old fox… looking like a bear.’
Clicking his tongue lightly and brushing aside the unpleasant thought, Ran raised an eyebrow at Halo, who stood there with an expression that said he had a mountain of things to say, inviting him to speak his mind if he wished.
“Why on earth did you make matters so complicated?”
“I am not the one who made things complicated. The Marquis was the one who started it.”
Ran knit his brows at the unpleasant memory resurfacing. Even as he saw Ran’s expression harden, Halo pressed on without backing down.
“If the Marquis learns that you took the Young Lady like that, he will not stand idly by.”
“Surely you know as well that it was because of an aphrodisiac?”
“Yes. Quite so, an aphrodisiac! However, as far as aphrodisiacs go, it was a bottom-tier drug with negligible effects—a matter that could have been resolved with an antidote and rest.”
As if reprimanding him that his actions were excessive no matter how he looked back on it, Halo stared intently at Ran. Though it was an impudent gaze, Ran did not punish Halo. For just as he said, it had been an excessive action and, indeed, an impulse quite unlike his usual self.
In truth, had he not questioned it himself as well? It was a matter in which he had no need to step in personally. Yet the moment he entered the room carrying the medicine and met those amber eyes looking at him without her mask, the doubts crowding his mind vanished without a trace.
The reason he had brought her to his own room—when he could have taken her to any other room—was something he realized the instant he came face-to-face with her bare visage. That was also why he had stepped forward himself rather than leaving her to Hailee or a servant.
Foolishly, he hadn’t recognized her at a single glance, but he had known instinctively: that the Young Lady he had rescued was none other than his ‘Belle.’ His precious, lovely lady.
The moment he realized it, Ran decided to take a different approach instead of using the antidote. Though it meant straying considerably from his original plan, he had no intention of letting slip a chance that had walked right into his lap. The innocent Isabelle was completely ignorant about aphrodisiacs. Even though it was a low-grade drug that merely heightened sensitivity, she believed that intercourse was an absolute necessity.
He had picked up on that quickly and taken advantage of it. He knew that forcing himself on her would cause her to run away. Thus, he made her desire the physical connection herself before satisfying his own greed like a beast. Naturally, he had no intention of ever revealing to Isabelle the truth about the aphrodisiac she had consumed that day.
“Halo. You had better keep quiet about anything concerning her. Unless you wish to end up like that fellow.”
“…Understood.”
As those ferocious eyes stared directly at him, Halo had to swallow dryly.
The bastard who had dared to drug Isabelle was no longer among the living.
Using aphrodisiacs at a ball was an open secret. Though accompanied by the proviso ‘under mutual consent,’ most people rarely raised an issue even if mild aphrodisiacs were used discreetly at a ball attended exclusively by nobles.
However, that bastard had chosen the wrong target. Thanks to Ran discovering it, it had ended as an attempt, but had it gone beyond an attempt, not only that man but perhaps even his family’s servants might have been utterly slaughtered. Recalling that fact once more, a cold sweat broke out on Halo’s back.
“When the Marquis comes looking, guide him to a place far away from here.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then leave.”
Dismissing Halo as if he were a nuisance, Ran let out a low sigh as he looked at the stack of papers on his desk.
He wanted to fall asleep just like that, holding Isabelle in his arms until morning. But if he were to return to the room before Isabelle woke up, he needed to finish the remaining work quickly.
Rubbing his weary eyes, Ran made a light gesture, and the stacked bundles of papers floated into the air, piling up neatly beside him one after another. Before long, his black hair gradually began to turn golden starting from the crown of his head. It was a hue clearly distinct from common blonde hair, as if spun from pure gold.
Reading through the documents floating in midair, his blue eyes—unlike when he looked at Isabelle—were utterly chilling and cold.
