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If her voice had been too quiet for him to hear, it meant she would have to repeat that embarrassing question.
Yevgenia's hand, which was gripping Yulan's collar, trembled slightly.
'Should I just press my lips against his? Maybe then he'll get the gist of what I want to say?'
Honestly, if it were the usual him, he would have easily picked up on what Yevgenia wanted to say even without the physical contact.
However, because she had confessed such an intimate secret, she lacked confidence.
No matter how great his abilities were, she couldn't believe he would remain perfectly unfazed after she had unearthed a trauma buried deep in his mind.
Closing her eyes tight, Yevgenia began to agonize a thousand, ten thousand times over whether she should utter that embarrassing question again.
Fortunately, Yulan had not failed to hear her.
"Imperial Princess, you truly surprise me in so many ways."
"……?"
Yevgenia tilted her head at the cryptic remark.
It didn't take long to realize his true intention.
His hands, faster than his words, pulled her waist firmly into his embrace.
"Ngh……."
The distance vanished completely.
As Yulan's breath brushed against her nape, a small sound escaped her lips involuntarily.
The way her shoulders hunched and the way her body naturally leaned into his embrace were all actions far removed from her intention.
However, it seemed Yulan didn't perceive it that way at all.
His voice, now infinitely lower, seeped into Yevgenia's ear.
"Where did you learn to provoke a man like this, hm?"
"No, this, I didn't mean to do that……."
"If you didn't do it on purpose, that's even more surprising."
He murmured, his lips still buried against the nape of her neck.
"If you wish, I don't think it would be bad to maintain such a relationship, even if only temporarily."
"Huh……?"
"Weren't you about to propose that we become partners? If not, there would have been no need to ask such a question."
"That's... true, but, I mean……."
Yevgenia was flustered by the negotiation(?) that had progressed far too quickly.
Her original plan had been as follows:
Ask if the physical attraction remained—that is, if he still felt that way about her.
Confess a truth mixed with lies: that every time she erases a name, it feels as if she is seeing the future.
Suggest that if he hasn't perfectly finished his experiments with erasing names, they should continue the experiments together.
Voila! Persuasion complete!
It was a simple yet surprisingly convincing plan, wasn't it?
Above all, it was important to stimulate his curiosity by replacing the word 'original story' with 'fragmentary future.'
Or so she thought.
Until the moment he readily accepted the first step—the question that was essentially just a prologue.
"I know I'm the one who asked first, but, um, doesn't this make me look too consumed by lust?"
"I wonder. If you were truly consumed by lust, I imagine you would have lifted my dress by now."
"……That wouldn't be lust, that would be being shameless……!"
No matter how much she knew of the original story or recalled fragments of her past life, the identity she had built as a noble Young Lady throughout her life did not simply collapse.
The act Yulan described was something a noble Young Lady would not do even with a knife to her throat.
Yulan gazed at Yevgenia, whose ears had turned bright red, and spoke with a smirk.
"I'm quite curious to see you act shameless; do you have any intention of trying?"
"Of course I don't!"
"What a shame."
Even as he spoke, Yulan continued to toy with the nape of Yevgenia's neck before slowly straightening up.
As he moved away, her nape, which had been burning hot, suddenly felt cold, causing her to shrink back.
"We're short on time today, so it can't be helped, but next time, it would be better to set aside plenty of time."
"……."
"You're quite greedy in that regard too, aren't you? You're not satisfied even after a long time."
"That wasn't me, it was you……!"
"It's better if we're both perfectly satisfied. Right?"
Yulan completely ignored whatever Yevgenia said.
Realizing this belatedly, she shut her mouth tight in a gesture of defiance.
It might have looked childish, but this was the only thing she could do at the moment.
Yulan let out a chuckle and slowly stroked her back as if to soothe her.
The absurd part was that her anger actually began to subside after just a few strokes.
"……Stop it. It tickles."
"Are you not angry anymore? Then I'll stop."
"I'm not, I'm not, so just stop."
Yevgenia's brow furrowed deeply when she realized she sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.
Yulan didn't push her buttons further and cleanly withdrew his hand.
Instead, he moved his hand to her thigh, which was exposed because she was sitting on his lap.
He gripped her thigh firmly, the pressure felt even through the thick fabric of her dress.
"I won't pry into where your heart truly lies. I'll just remember that our night together was that ecstatic."
It was a statement that left her unable to refute him.
If she said it wasn't true, he would ask why she proposed being partners.
But her pride wouldn't allow her to admit it was true.
'It was good. It was good, but not that much……!'
Unable to say it aloud, Yevgenia grumbled internally and let out a sigh instead.
She couldn't help the frustration in her chest, but it was right to be happy that she had achieved everything she wanted for now.
Just as Yevgenia was about to get off Yulan's lap, she paused.
'Wait. Now that I think about it, isn't there something I can try right now?'
One of the hypotheses Yevgenia had formed:
Does recalling the original story happen when the contact time exceeds a certain length?
If it was a matter of time rather than depth, it was worth a try.
And for that 'attempt,' her current position was very appropriate.
As Yevgenia remained still, sitting with her thighs raised, Yulan held her waist to keep her from losing her balance.
Aided by that consideration, Yevgenia lowered her head.
Gripping his shoulders with both hands and leaning in, she took a deep breath, conscious of the narrowed distance.
Then, tilting her head slightly as if to kiss him immediately, she asked.
"Um, I'm asking just in case, but would it be okay if I kissed you now— mmp……!"
Before she could even finish asking for permission, Yulan lunged for her lips first.
At first, it was just a light brushing of lips, but after several audible pecks, she began to wish he would just kiss her deeply.
It was because the excessive pecking sounds, like those of a small child, were far too embarrassing.
When she couldn't take it and opened her mouth, Yulan invaded her mouth instantly, as if he had been waiting for it.
He explored the inside of her mouth meticulously, as if checking to see if anything had changed while they were apart.
Yevgenia felt somewhat relieved as the movements remained somewhat dry despite the kissing.
However, she soon found herself regretting her lapse in vigilance.
"Ah, nng……."
After drawing her focus by lightly nipping the tip of her tongue, he began to stir through her mouth completely, their lips sealed tight without a single gap.
The sounds filling her mouth tickled her ears and echoed in her head.
In a situation where it felt as if her entire body was consumed by the act, her hands gripping his shoulders tightened instinctively.
"S-stop, already……!"
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