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But to Iris, who now had to entrust the rest of her life to him, he seemed like a quite decent person.
He was handsome, but of course, that wasn't the only reason. Rahan was a considerate person.
‘If it's someone like this, then maybe...’
Eridrahan had not granted her wish to live in Wind Rock Monastery for the rest of her life.
Thus, Iris had resented God a little. But seeing Rahan now, a thought occurred to her.
‘But maybe He felt a little sorry for not granting my wish.’
And that was why He had sent a second groom.
“I heard that in weddings, the bride and groom are supposed to kiss. But we...”
As she spoke, Iris's cheeks turned reddish. For some reason, she felt several times more embarrassed than when he had unraveled her wedding attire, claiming they should spend their first night together.
Yet, Iris did not avoid the other's eyes.
“We haven't done anything.”
Beautiful red eyes.
‘I heard she was abandoned by her mother because those Red Eyes made her the child of a demon.’
Mothers were truly strange. They abandoned their children for all sorts of reasons.
Iris had been told she was abandoned because she was a precious daughter. She grew curious.
‘I wonder if someone abandoned for being the child of a demon also missed their mother in their childhood?’
Is that why he is kind to others?
Looking at him with such thoughts, Iris summoned her courage once more.
“...Would you kiss me?”
She had forgotten that she was tightly gripping Rahan's collar.
Looking at her, the man's face flushed red and pale repeatedly for a long time, alternating between sighing and looking at the ground.
It was a considerable amount of time before he spoke.
“Hey. Are you really okay with this?”
She nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, I'm okay.”
The answer was immediate. Her voice trembled, but her tone was firm.
Rahan hesitated for a moment.
Because of that hesitation, Iris could once again infer that the words he had told her were sincere.
The words that he didn't want to steal someone's first time like a highwayman.
But at the same time, it was something that had to be done eventually.
Even if it was a kidnapping marriage, this union was strictly a marriage.
Iris stepped a little closer. Rahan flinched, then carefully reached out and tucked Iris's soft silver hair behind her ear. The young man's straight, handsome face became much clearer.
“Close your eyes.”
As soon as she thought it, the man whispered lowly. Iris slowly closed her eyes.
The moment she closed them, Rahan's hand gently cupped her cheek.
It wasn't entirely comfortable to have a hand calloused from holding a sword for a long time caressing her cheek.
It wasn't because the fingertips were rough. It was likely because her heart was beating too fast.
However, unlike Iris, the man's fingers did not tremble or flinch.
He silently toyed with her earlobe, and then, suddenly, he kissed it.
“!”
Iris shrugged her shoulders, but Rahan kissed her earlobe and then her cheek in succession.
The sensation of slightly rough lips brushing against her and then pulling away. The feeling of hot breath tickling her fine hairs.
Iris found it hard to breathe and unconsciously clamped her lips shut. The man carefully pressed his lips once upon those clamped lips and then pulled away.
It was a sensation as light as a feather, but for some reason, it felt like a distinct press.
“Huu.”
The moment the man's lips parted, the breath she had been holding burst out. But in the next instant, Iris opened her eyes in surprise.
“Hup.”
This was because the man had kissed her chin and the nape of her neck in turn. However, it was completely different from when he had kissed her lips or cheeks.
He used his lips... well, in a way that was entirely different from what Iris knew.
The moment he gently sucked the tender flesh beneath her earlobe, Iris unconsciously gripped his shoulder tightly.
“Ah.”
The man paused for a moment but did not stop.
Before she knew it, the hand that had been wrapping around Iris's shoulder slid down to grip her waist. Then, he slid his lips along the line of her neck.
Iris was shocked.
‘How... how scandalous...’
She felt embarrassed and shy. She knew instinctively that this was a part Auntie Laura hadn't told her about.
If Iris pushed him away right then, the man would undoubtedly be pushed back.
But for some reason, Iris didn't want to do that. Not only that, but all the embarrassing and surprising acts Auntie Laura had mentioned suddenly bloomed in her mind one by one.
‘Just... like this...?’
While she was racking her brain and confused by the strange feeling, the man slowly and lightly sucked and released the nape of Iris's neck, her shoulder, and then her collarbone in succession.
Why was it?
The act she saw with her own eyes was extremely simple. Using lips to suck the skin.
But that simple act felt excessively erotic.
Every time his lips passed, a tingling itch bloomed along with a dull pain.
After the lips departed, a bruise formed, as if stained with pink flower water. She didn't know when to breathe.
Suddenly, Iris realized the man had stopped and shifted her gaze. Rahan had stopped just below her collarbone, near the curve of her plump breast, and was looking up at her.
The reason was clear. Iris hesitated for a moment, but then nodded clearly.
“It's okay.”
Rahan raised an eyebrow slightly and then slowly sucked the skin above Iris's left breast.
“Hngh.”
Iris let out an involuntary whimper. Through the half-undone laces, she could see her skin turning red.
Rahan kissed the area a couple more times before lifting his head.
“I think this should be enough.”
“...Ah.”
Iris flinched, then blushed as she realized the meaning of the man's words.
In other words, the man seemed to have misunderstood her request for a kiss... as a request to leave bruises.
‘That's not what I meant.’
But she didn't dislike this situation triggered by the man's misunderstanding. Rather...
“If it's as you say, this much should be fine. Even if the Empress's ladies-in-waiting perform a physical examination, it won't be beyond a certain point. If we go further...”
As he spoke, Rahan raised one eyebrow.
“You wouldn't want more than this, would you?”
He gave a small smirk.
Iris just blinked.
Didn't she... want more?
But the man, seemingly not wanting to talk at length, personally tidied her wedding attire.
His touch in tying the dress laces was clumsy, but Iris just let him.
The man lifted Iris's hand and kissed the back of it.
“For now, I look forward to working with you.”
Really, why was it?
Compared to the several kisses that had sucked her skin moments ago, the sensation of that press on the back of her hand felt far more dangerous.
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