Chapter 11
Leah was the one who had boldly made the first move, but in an instant, she lost the initiative.
“Mm…”
There was no way she could overpower the strength with which he held her, and she was too busy trying to keep up with his relentless kisses.
Whenever she ran out of breath, he would pull his lips away, only to change angles and continue kissing her again.
“Haa… ha…”
Their breaths mingled fiercely, and their lips slid against each other in a wet, heated kiss.
Carion savored the feel of her golden hair entwined around his fingers as he caressed her slender neck.
He simply could not bring himself to let go of her.
Carion was experiencing that mysterious miracle once again.
The unknown energy that had been rampaging through his body and dominating it was gradually calming down.
It wasn’t merely that his physical condition was improving.
The energy that had caused him so much pain had begun circulating gently through his body.
It was as though an enemy had suddenly turned into an ally.
Haa…
The woman’s hot breath touched his lips through the slight gap between them before scattering away.
Carion felt as though he could laugh from sheer satisfaction.
He couldn’t let go of this exhilaration. Something snapped inside his head.
Supporting himself with one arm, he raised his body, wrapped his other arm around her lower back, and changed their positions.
He laid her down and pressed his body against hers. It was an instinctive act, as though he feared she might escape.
He covered her mouth with his own and continued their deep, lingering kiss.
Both of them were dressed in nothing more than a single layer of thin nightclothes.
Simply holding each other and sharing their heated breaths was enough for them to feel each other’s body heat and curves, pressed tightly together.
The sensation of their bodies rubbing against each other gradually transformed into a languid pleasure.
His tongue traced up her cheek, and he lightly caught her earlobe between his lips.
Her body shuddered from the chill that ran through her.
“Hn!”
His lips moved behind her ear and then repeatedly kissed her neck.
Her heart pounded against his firm chest.
It felt as though sparks had gathered at his fingertips. Every time they brushed against her body, heat surged through her.
“Ah…!”
Leah gasped in surprise.
This man isn’t in his right mind right now.
She repeated the thought to herself.
Right now, calming his rampage was the most urgent thing.
Letting a man she had only met a few days ago touch places she had never allowed anyone to touch before… She could endure that.
She had even been prepared to throw away her life to save this man, so letting him touch her body shouldn’t be that big of a deal.
Ugh…
She squeezed her eyes shut.
If she simply disliked it, she could grit her teeth and endure it. But the sensation of his large hands caressing her body felt strangely unfamiliar.
Her fingertips and toes tingled as though they were ticklish.
It was similar to the prickling sensation of a limb going numb from poor circulation, yet different somehow.
Her head grew hot, and her breathing became inexplicably labored.
His hand stroked down her lower abdomen and began moving farther downward.
W-Wait!
How far was she supposed to let him go?
In her previous life, Leah had generally lived impulsively.
Whenever something happened right in front of her, she often had no choice but to deal with it immediately.
Because of that habit, when she kissed him, she honestly hadn’t thought about what would happen afterward.
But the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
She almost felt as though she could hear a mocking voice saying,
“So you can risk your life, but you can’t give him your body?”
Even so, those are two completely different things!
She tried to push him away, but suddenly, his body went completely limp.
“Huh?”
Pinned underneath him, Leah waited for a moment.
His breathing near her ear was regular, and his body didn’t move at all.
Leah put strength into both arms.
He was too heavy. She couldn’t move him even an inch.
Help me. This time, you have to help me.
The moment Leah pushed with all her strength, a gust of wind slipped through the gap and flipped his body over onto his back.
As the crushing pressure of his weight disappeared, she stared at the ceiling and took several deep breaths.
After calming her breathing, she sat up and properly pulled her nightclothes back into place, which had nearly slipped open enough to expose her chest. Her hands were trembling slightly.
I brought this on myself. I know. I know.
She fanned her face with her hand.
Her heart was still pounding, and her ears felt hot.
It was as though she could still feel the explicit movements of his hands.
Leah stared blankly toward the end of the room, deliberately avoiding looking at Carion’s face or hands.
The wind gently circled around her.
After calming down a little, Leah cautiously approached him.
His sleeping expression was peaceful, and his breathing was calm as well.
He didn’t look as though he had passed out because he could no longer endure the pain. He simply looked as though he had fallen asleep.
Is he really okay now? Is he not going to explode again?
As if answering her with I’m fine, a small breeze brushed against her cheek before passing by.
Leah folded her arms and fell into thought.
Let’s assume this was the first time he went berserk in the forest.
If he had gone berserk before that, he would have already died back then.
He came out of the forest, kissed me, temporarily recovered, and then went berserk again after some time had passed…
One question after another continued to arise in her mind.
Why was his awakening unstable?
Had his rampage been completely subdued this time?
If this was only a temporary calm, when would he go berserk again?
Did he need physical contact to calm down?
How much contact was necessary?
After thinking deeply for quite some time, Leah suddenly looked up in surprise and turned her gaze away.
The sky visible through the window had already turned a deep blue-black.
Oh no!
Leah hurried back to her room.
As soon as she confirmed that there was no one inside, she climbed onto the bed and slipped beneath the covers.
Phew.
She had been so nervous about running into Penny in front of the bedroom door.
She had loudly declared that she was going to sleep obediently, so if she got caught sneaking out at night, her dignity would be ruined.
And what excuse could I possibly make?!
As the cold bed warmed with her body heat, everything that had happened earlier came vividly rushing back into her memory.
There was no way she could fail to notice—or forget—the heat and excitement lingering on the sculpted face of that man.
Silently screaming Ah! Ah! inside her head, she eventually fell asleep.
Sunlight streaming through the window fell across his face.
Carion frowned and turned over, but a moment later, he abruptly sat up.
He quickly looked around.
No one was there.
He checked what he was wearing.
Fortunately, he was still dressed in his nightclothes.
A dream?
What kind of dream had been so vivid…
Wasn’t that the sort of dream one only had when they were first discovering their sexuality?
And on top of that, the person in it had been Princess Zephyros!
He swore he had never harbored lustful thoughts toward her.
He had thought about wanting to touch her, but there had been a legitimate reason for that.
As he pressed one hand against his brow and sank into self-loathing, something glinting caught his eye.
He picked it up between his fingers.
It was a single strand of long golden hair.
In the sunlight, the hair shone brilliantly like a strand of gold thread.
“Ha!”
Like a dam bursting open, all his memories came flooding back.
Everything from what had happened in the forest last night to the conversation he had shared with her at dawn.
Good heavens.
It might have been better if it really had been a dream.
What on earth did I do?
The fact that his memories had abruptly cut off made him even more uneasy.
He had no idea what terrible things he might have done.
Carion had been waiting in his office since early morning.
The princess might come looking for him.
He had been sitting at his desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands for some time now.
As time passed, he grew increasingly anxious.
Time seemed to move painfully slowly.
I’ll wait one hour. Then I’ll either go to her myself or send someone.
It felt as though his mind had broken down.
The same scenes kept replaying endlessly.
The sensation of her soft skin beneath his palm, the sound of her startled breathing, her little moans…
He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the heat gathering in his lower abdomen.
He had always been confident in his willpower, but he had never realized that his own body could be this weak in the face of instinct.
“Your Highness.”
Carion flinched and raised his eyes.
Cedric was standing in front of him before he had even noticed.
“What is it?”
“These are the documents regarding the assessment of the wildfire damage and the restoration efforts.”
Carion gestured for him to bring them over.
He opened the topmost document first.
“Was there any damage?”
“The forest village was completely burned down. Other than that, the property damage was minor. There were several people with minor injuries, but none required treatment. We intend to form an investigation team to determine the cause of the fire.”
“Put the investigation team on hold.”
Carion had not yet decided how long he would remain at the garrison.
If they formed an investigation team, it would take at least a month to complete the investigation.
“Yes, Your Highness. Regarding the guests in the annex…”
Carion’s hand stopped as he turned the page.
The “guests in the annex” referred to the Zephyros delegation.
The fact that a Zephyros delegation was staying at the garrison was a secret.
It would be best to minimize their exposure as much as possible, but the main residence contained too many confidential documents to accommodate all of them there.
For the time being, rooms in the residence had been given only to the princess and her attending maid.
The rest of the party had been sent to the annex.
The commander-in-chief’s personal guards were stationed around the annex.
“Last night, they disobeyed our orders and gathered in front of the residence. Many soldiers witnessed them.”
“Why did they gather at the residence?”
“We looked into it, and apparently, it was on the orders of the delegation’s representative.”
“The princess?”
“Yes.”
