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'How can a human be such a brick wall? I thought I was born without any manners because I'm a child of a demon.'
'Do you know how hard it was to get the Captain to open up?'
It was true that Rahan did not easily let people into his inner circle.
Therefore, whenever his subordinates spoke that way, he would either feel awkward or chuckle, saying, 'Be proud of it, you punk.'
But now, Rahan began to seriously doubt himself.
Was the wall he had built actually quite flimsy? Were his whining subordinates actually just ants looking up at a sandcastle built by a child on a beach?
If not, there was no way to explain Iris Achen, who had torn down this wall so easily and approached him.
She had demolished the wall Rahan had worked so hard to build in an instant and closed the distance. At first, he had thought of her as just a cute and eccentric girl.
But look at the victory this small country girl had achieved. She had caught the greatest knight in the Grand Duchy—perhaps even the Empire—off guard, entered his fence, and gripped his heart directly.
Their breaths intertwined. Rahan hungrily devoured Iris's lips. However, because the woman held in his arms was far too precious, his embrace remained gentle and slow.
His chest throbbed.
Small hands clutching his clothes wrapped around his back. Feeling Iris rise on her tiptoes, Rahan leaned down, supported her hips, and lifted her up in one swift motion.
“Ah,”
Taking advantage of the small gasp of surprise that escaped her, he entwined his tongue with hers. The woman fluttered for a moment before surrendering her body to Rahan as he sucked on her lower lip.
Both of them were far more proactive than in any kiss they had shared before. Rahan could feel everything—how Iris opened her lips for him as he licked and swept through the inside of her mouth.
Damn it. She was beautiful, and he felt like he was going crazy wanting to swallow that beauty whole.
Iris was not composed either. She hadn't realized how terrifyingly stimulating it would be to have Rahan delve into her.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have thought about it a little longer before answering 'yes'.
Of course, it wasn't that she knew absolutely nothing.
‘Iris, accept the changes in your body. It will be far more dramatic and overwhelming than you think, but you won't dislike it.’
But hearing about it and experiencing it were two different things. Being held within a man's broad arms, mixing breaths, mixing tongues...
Rahan's hot tongue filled her mouth overwhelmingly. And the fingertips gripping her hips were so ticklish.
“Nngh...”
It didn't take long for her to struggle for breath because of Rahan, who was pouring himself into her greedily. When she lightly tapped the nape of his neck, the man immediately pulled his lips away.
A thin strand of saliva stretched between their wet lips before dropping to her chin. Rahan's Red Eyes seemed somehow redder than before.
“...Are you okay?”
As he spoke, the man sat Iris down on the table, appearing calm at a glance. But Iris saw his fingertips tremble slightly as he lightly wiped her chin.
His clumsiness almost made her laugh. To think people called a man like this a libertine. It was absurd.
“Why are you laughing?”
Rahan asked cautiously, watching her. She smiled, her eyes crinkling.
“Because I like it...”
Of course, she had no idea what result those words would bring.
“...I'm going to lose my mind...”
Moist eyes and bright red, wet lips. The light in the cabin certainly wasn't that bright, yet he couldn't understand why Iris's pupils sparkled so much.
The man eventually kissed Iris again. Wet flesh met and rubbed together. As their lips entwined, he felt the scar at the corner of the man's mouth.
Without realizing it, Iris lightly licked the scar with her tongue. Whether the sensation of licking the protruding scar was ticklish, Rahan let out a faint sigh.
Haa.
Hot breath scattered.
It didn't seem like the way her lips were moving now was that different from the everyday acts of eating, speaking, or drinking water. So why did she feel so exhilarated?
“You're beautiful...”
Rahan whispered between feverish breaths.
I like you. I like you. This is insane...
Rahan didn't seem to know what he was saying, but Iris actually liked that.
His voice, lowered deeply from kissing her, was intensely erotic. She felt a strange tightening deep inside her belly—no, even lower.
“Haa.”
Catching her breath, Iris leaned back slightly. Their lips parted, but Rahan seemed to have no intention of pulling away from her.
A hot, soft tongue licked Iris's cheek, her jawline, and her neck. It was ticklish, but she felt no desire to push him away. Rather, she welcomed it. If she felt she wanted more, would Rahan think she was vulgar?
“I want you to hold me...”
Eventually, Iris whispered this to Rahan, who was kissing her earlobe, while she supported herself with one hand. The man realized the intent behind her words and shook his head.
But Iris had known from the start that he would do that, so she reached out first, cupped his cheeks, and prevented him from shaking his head.
“If you don't, I'll hate you.”
“...Iris.”
“I'll go to House of Ahen crying. I'll tell them that actually...”
As she spoke, Iris kissed Rahan. Between the short, light pecks, Rahan tried to say something, calling her name, but it was useless.
The victory had been decided long ago. Iris whispered as she undid the buttons fastening her chest.
“...That you've never even held me.”
It wasn't that she didn't worry that he might push her away with indifference. The light of conflict was still evident in Rahan's eyes.
However, the moment a single button popped open under her touch, Iris saw a clear thirst emerge on Rahan's face.
Vivid desire.
Her heart tingled. This was clearly a forced marriage, yet she liked it this much. It was unbelievable.
“Will you?”
She pretended to be nonchalant, but her face flushed hot, fearing that the vulgar desire bleeding into her tone was obvious. The man remained silent, but that silence did not last long.
“...It's not because of that that I'm holding you.”
Before she could answer, she was lifted up. When she came to her senses, Iris was lying on the bed.
After laying her down, he went to the window, closed all the shutters, and approached her again. Then, in an instant, he climbed on top of Iris and kissed her.
The intensity was different from the kisses moments ago. Rahan's broad chest pressed lightly against her. It was heavy, but it didn't feel bad.
The scent of sweat and grass. Fresh fragrances one might encounter in an early summer meadow permeated Iris.
“Nngh...”
The tip of Rahan's high nose brushed against Iris's. Along with the wet sound of entwining tongues, the man's hand wrapped around Iris's back.
The palm pressing through the thin fabric was hot. The touch caressing her back was gentle, yet Iris's mind grew increasingly hazy.
All the while, Rahan's lips continued to suck on Iris's.
“Hng.”
She felt as if lust was thickly clinging between their pressed bodies.
Feeling embarrassed, she tried to twist her chin away, but the man, interpreting that gesture in his own way, buried his face in the crook of her neck. It was a completely different feeling from when a village puppy licked her cheek.
“Haa...”
Rahan buried his nose in her skin and inhaled her scent. As goosebumps broke out across her skin, Iris tried to writhe.
But strangely, her body wouldn't move. Only then did Iris realize it was because of Rahan, who had slid between her legs.
Because of Iris's long skirt, Rahan had effectively pinned the fabric between her thighs down with his knee.
“Mm.”
Why was it? She felt trapped, unable to move, yet she didn't dislike it. Iris raised one knee and hugged Rahan's neck.
Rahan let out an involuntary chuckle at the embrace. He, too, was trapped, whether he liked it or not.
The man pulled Iris into a tight embrace. His chest tingled, and he felt a burning longing.
“Iris.”
“Yes...”
“Will you be my wife?”
Rahan had never imagined he would be able to say such words to someone.
His body was certainly drawn to her, but carnal desire wasn't everything. Now that he held Iris in his arms, what became most vivid was the beating of his own heart. A thumping that echoed between their touching chests.
“I will...”
A sweet voice tickled his ear.
A marriage he had never wanted. Something that felt like a cumbersome chore he wanted to get over with quickly—he never thought he would crave it like this.
Perhaps it was because, for the first time in his life, someone actually liked him.
From somewhere deep in his heart, a jealous whisper echoed.
You idiot, you know there's no way something this good would be given to you.
He knew. But even so,
There was no reason to refuse.
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