After Aldric had asked Violet the previous day whether he could undress her, events had unfolded almost beyond Violetās control.
Before she even had time to understand exactly what was happening, the storm had swept throughāfiercely, and not just once, but several times.
Only after Aldric had undressed her and carefully laid her on the bed did Violet realize that things were taking a rather unexpected turn.
By the time she had vaguely figured out what was happening, she was already caught in the middle of it.
After that, Violet simply let go of everything, like a little boat caught in a stormy sea.
It had been quite a night.
Violet tried to push away the scattered memories of the previous night.
She remembered Aldricās broad shoulders, strong arms, and muscular physique. She especially tried not to think about certain parts of him, but the memories kept resurfacing on their own.
When Aldric had begun undressing, Violet had instinctively wanted to grab her clothes and run away. She had no idea what was going to happen, and an instinctive fear had taken hold of her.
Until then, however, she had actually been comfortable. When Aldric had simply held her gently and showered her with affectionate kisses, his every movement had been careful and considerate rather than forceful.
Little by little, Aldric had been learning what made Violet comfortable.
Somehow, Violet gradually relaxed despite the unfamiliar situation and began to experience feelings she had never encountered before.
But when the situation progressed further, fear returned.
Aldric did not give her a long explanation. In fact, he seemed to have little room to spare for one.
āI’m at my limit now, Violet. Is it all right if we go any further?ā
All right? What did he mean? What exactly was he about to start? Hadn’t they already started something a long time ago?
Violet wanted to answer, but she could barely think.
Without fully understanding his words, she instinctively nodded. After all, Aldric seemed to know what he was doing.
Seeing her permission, Aldric proceeded carefully, visibly restraining himself and trying not to frighten her.
Violet was startled, however, and her fear made it difficult for her to relax.
He repeatedly apologized and whispered that she should relax and stop tensing up, but once fear had taken hold of her, her body would not easily cooperate.
Violet had heard frightening stories about how painful a first experience could be, and those vague memories returned like a nightmare.
As a result, the two of them struggled for quite some time.
Violet thought Aldric would eventually give up. Was this really something they had to force themselves to do? Even if it did not work, couldn’t they simply remain a happy married couple?
But Aldric eventually succeeded in getting through the difficult moment without causing the terrible outcome Violet had feared.
There was still considerable discomfort, but thanks to how carefully Aldric had prepared, it was not the unbearable ordeal she had imagined.
As time passed, the unfamiliar sensation became somewhat easier to tolerate. The initial discomfort gradually faded, and Violet slowly began to adjust.
Even so, it was difficult for her to decide whether the experience was truly good or bad. Her lack of experience meant that she could manage only so much at once.
She was surprised by the passion Aldric had shown.
She had known him for only a few days, yet she had thought she had already gotten a rough idea of what he was like. Apparently, she had been mistaken.
The Aldric of the previous night had not been the quiet, obedient man who simply came whenever she called and left whenever she told him to.
When things became overwhelming and Violet begged him to stop, he was reluctant to let go of her.
Yet Violet could not quite bring herself to resent him. She wasn’t sure whether that was because she truly wasn’t angry or simply because she was far too exhausted to think clearly.
Her whole body felt sore and heavy after being awake through the night. She felt as though she had worked physically all day long.
What on earth did he do to me?
The events of the previous night had opened up an entirely unfamiliar world to Violet.
Fortunately, it had not been nearly as terrible as she had feared.
Her first night with Aldric had been awkward, embarrassing, and incredibly unfamiliar, but it had not been as painful as she had imagined.
And, despite her own exhaustion, Violet had never expected that seeing how happy Aldric was could make her feel strangely pleased as well.
He had seemed almost completely absorbed in the moment.
No. I’m not thinking about this anymore.
At any rate, Violet could not deny that being held warmly in Aldric’s arms had felt comforting. But if the purpose was simply to share warmth, wouldn’t a long embrace have been enough? Whatever had happened the previous night had left her far too exhausted.
So Violet decided to take a neutral position regarding the so-called āmarital duty.ā
After mentally stamping that judgment onto the matter, Violet pushed the whole experience to the back of her mind.
Since we went through something so momentous, surely nothing like that will happen again for a while. Right?
She had no idea how often such things normally happened between married couples.
A little later, Aldric sensed that Violet was waking and soon opened his eyes as well.
Realizing that they were still lying close together, he blushed awkwardly before leaning down to give Violet a gentle morning kiss.
The soft kisses around her eyes and cheeks should have been harmless, but Violet immediately sensed danger.
She noticed that Aldric was becoming interested in getting close again.
Violet now knew exactly what that meant. It was the very thing that had exhausted her so thoroughly the previous night.
Why is this happening again?
Like a chick seeking the warmth of its mother, Aldric kept moving closer to Violet, so she firmly pushed him away.
He looked disappointed, but apparently decided not to press the matter any further.
āShouldn’t we really be leaving now?ā
That was enough to convince Aldric.
They had originally planned to leave in the morning, but the sun was already high in the sky.
This time, Aldric could not argue with her.
