Chapter 67
67. Courtship (3)
“……!”
Liene almost stopped breathing.
“What… You weren’t asleep?”
“No.”
In the darkness, his pale eyes, even more distinct, stared at Liene. Like a wild beast looking at its prey, with a gaze that didn't waver in the slightest.
“Princess is awake as well.”
“I… I couldn’t sleep.”
“I understand.”
…Right, she couldn’t sleep, so she came to someone else’s room at this hour to peek at their face. Liene hid her troubled expression and measured the distance to the door. She had to run before he asked why she came. Because she had nothing to say.
“Excuse me. I’ll be going now.”
Liene tried to leave the room as if nothing was wrong. But it was no use.
“Why did you bring a blanket?”
“Yes… Yes?”
She had forgotten. Just like he had done, she had brought a blanket, thinking of brazenly sleeping next to him.
“Ah, it’s nothing… I thought you might be cold at night. You might not have a blanket.”
…What on earth am I saying? Why wouldn’t he have a blanket? Is that man currently covering himself with a carpet instead of a blanket?
“I’ve woken you up with unnecessary worry. I’ll go back now.”
“Is that what Princess wants to do?”
Black rose from the bed. The blanket he had been covering himself with slipped down, revealing the gown he wore to bed. Embarrassingly, the tie wasn’t fastened. Liene desperately held her breath, afraid he might hear her swallow.
“I was… worried.”
“Are you done worrying?”
“I think… so.”
“I understand. Do as you wish.”
He spoke as if nothing was happening, as if he would lie back down and sleep, but he only sat there, looking at Liene. …What do I want to do right now? If I go back like this, I probably won’t be able to sleep. He will also be listening, wondering if I’ve fallen asleep. And tomorrow morning, it will be awkward, and we won’t be able to make eye contact. I will miss him even more than tonight.
“……If it’s alright, please move over a little.”
As if it were no trouble, he moved to the side. A space opened up on the bed. As if telling her to come and lie down quickly.
“No, not that way, the other way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Black, who had moved to the edge of the bed, moved back to the center. Liene measured the space left next to him with her eyes and nodded.
“I’ll sleep here too. I can’t sleep alone.”
“……If you wish.”
Liene took the blanket and climbed onto the bed where Black was lying. The space was cramped because of the large man lying in the middle. That was fortunate. It gave her an excuse to stick close to him. As Liene rustled and lay down next to him, Black tilted his head and met her eyes.
“Is this how you want to sleep?”
The moment they lay side by side in the same bed and made eye contact was like magic that stopped time. Liene stared at Black, unaware that she was licking her lips.
“Yes.”
“It will be cramped.”
“It’s better than having plenty of room.”
“…….”
For a moment, Black’s breathing seemed to become rough.
“Is there anything else you want to do?”
There was a lot.
“If I say there is, am I allowed to?”
“How about we take turns?”
Liene’s eyes fluttered busily.
“What… What do you think I’m going to do?”
What do you want to do? To me.
“I don’t think it will be anything bad… Am I wrong?”
What about you? What you do could be bad for me in any number of ways. Like in the bathroom just now.
“Then let’s agree not to do anything bad to each other.”
“……Alright.”
He answered after frowning slightly for some reason.
“Princess, you go first.”
“Hmm…….”
What should she choose? Out of the many thoughts that came to mind while lying here together. Liene reached out and touched Black’s face. Her fingers moved carefully, caressing his skin as if playing an instrument.
“Is this what you want to do?”
Even as he said this, Black lowered his head and brought his face closer.
“Yes. Because it’s the first thing I can do. Lord Tiwakan?”
“I want this.”
Black reached out and swept Liene’s hair back. The nape of her neck and shoulders, which had been hidden by her hair, were revealed.
“I want to see Princess disheveled in front of me.”
“…….”
Before she could even grasp the meaning, Liene swallowed hard, feeling that it was terribly lewd.
“Next?”
Black asked. The hand that had swept back her hair remained on her shoulder.
“Next… this.”
Liene lifted Black’s hand, which was lightly pressing on her shoulder. But it wasn’t to tell him not to touch her anymore, but to ask him to raise his arm. Liene slipped her body under Black’s arm. Black looked down at Liene, who was snuggled close to him. Because she had curled up like a cat, all he could see was the top of her head. So Liene couldn’t see what kind of expression he was making either. He clenched his teeth, holding back the laughter that was about to burst out.
“This is not allowed.”
“……Yes? Why?”
“Because it’s a bad thing.”
“Do you not like this?”
“Yes. You’re too close.”
“Ah…….”
…I like it, though. Does this man not like it? He didn’t used to be like this… Liene hesitated and pulled away.
“It’s my turn.”
Black reached behind her neck from a distance where their faces could be seen. Pop. One of the buttons on her nightgown came undone. That much more skin was revealed, and the nape of her neck felt cool.
“Ah, wait… Why are you doing this…”
“I told you. What I want to do.”
“So, being disheveled means…”
“Is it not allowed?”
“…….”
I don’t know. If it’s really not allowed. She swallowed again.
Is this a bad thing?
“It’s my turn now.”
Liene didn’t say it wasn’t allowed, but that she would do something else.
“Go ahead. Just don’t get too close.”
“That’s a bit unfair.”
“If Princess is stuck to me like you were just now, I can’t do anything.”
“I can’t do it if we’re this far apart.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“That’s…….”
…Kiss. A kiss requires lips to touch, right? Liene ignored Black’s words not to get close and pulled his neck towards her.
“If this is a bad thing, tell me not to do it.”
Their lips touched. At that moment, Black hugged Liene and rolled over in a swift motion. He trapped Liene between the bed and his body and eagerly devoured her lower lip. The arms that held him tightened. As she swallowed her heated breath, she could taste Black’s skin. The sound of him sucking on her was terribly sweet. Strangely, she felt like crying. What is this? He left as if this would never happen again. What is this? It’s still the same. The kiss was like a wave. It kept pushing her somewhere. Her body felt completely soaked, and she felt like she was being carried away by the wind.
“…….”
“…….”
The mind-numbing kiss continued for a very long time. When their lips parted and they were catching their breath, tears embarrassingly streamed down her face.
“……Why are you crying?”
Black seemed flustered and wrapped his arms around Liene. He put his lips to her ear and tried to soothe her.
“Don’t cry. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that……”
A sob burst out. Black froze, beyond flustered. The smile he had when Liene burrowed into his arms vanished in an instant.
“Was it not what you wanted, in fact?”
“……?”
“Were you just enduring something you disliked to appease me?”
……? What does that mean?
“Don’t do that. Do what Princess wants.”
Black unwrapped his arms from around Liene.
“Get up. I’ll take you to your room.”
“What are you…… saying.”
“You don’t want that either?”
What is he saying, really? What did I do?
“I don’t want to.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Don’t…… Don’t ever do that again.”
“Do what?”
“What you did just now.”
Actually, you didn’t turn cold. The moment of the kiss was the same. So, you can be hot again. Don’t be cold to me again. Until you know I’m the daughter of your enemy.
“What did I do?”
Black’s voice was rough, as if a layer had been peeled off.
“I didn’t touch you except for one button.”
This man doesn’t even know what he did.
“Not that. Pretending not to hear when I knocked.”
“……What?”
Then his neat jawline twisted in an amusing way.
“What are you telling me not to do?”
“You did it on purpose. On purpose…… as if you hated me.”
Thinking about it made her feel sad again.
“If you don’t really hate me, don’t pretend to hate me. That’s too…… cruel.”
Now she knew why she couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because Black wasn’t there, but because her heart was hurt by his actions. She remembered the way he avoided her eyes and closed the door indifferently. He turned his back and left as if she would never see him again. That was really too…… bad.
“Princess.”
“……Hoo.”
Liene gathered the emotions that were about to spill out. Liene was awkward at emotionally relying on someone. It felt like there were still a lot more tears left to shed, but the habit ingrained in her body forcibly cut off the feeling of wanting to cry.
“I hope Lord Tiwakan will consider that I was upset not about anything else, but about what happened in the bathroom. I don’t want to feel like I’m being ignored by my fiancé if possible.”
Liene pretended to fix her hair, subtly wiping her eyes with her sleeve, and then stood up.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep here either, so I should go back now. Then, have a peaceful night, ……Ah.”
Her feet didn’t get tangled. She didn’t misstep. Black just pulled her. He caught Liene, whose upper body was leaning back, with one arm, and lifted her up with the other arm supporting her under her buttocks.
“Put me down.”
Liene, who was unexpectedly held in his arms and lifted off the ground, touched Black’s shoulder.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I thought you might leave if your feet were on the ground.”
“……We should sleep. Both me and Lord Tiwakan.”
“You won’t be able to sleep. I know.”
“Even so, what……”
“So, cry some more.”
“……Pardon?”
“You don’t seem to have cried enough yet. You’ll be able to sleep if you cry some more.”
……What. It was as if he was saying that on purpose to make her cry.
“I’m okay, I am.”
“You won’t be okay.”
“No. I’m okay……”
“Princess also did that to me often.”
“……? Did what?”
“Ignoring me.”
“……That’s not true.”
“Don’t deny it. It’s true.”
“When did I……”
“Do you remember pushing me away because I wasn’t good at it?”
“I told you I had a reason for that……”
“Didn’t I have a reason?”
……Right. That’s the problem.
“Why did you do that?”
“I wanted to know.”
Black bit his lower lip lightly, matching his eye level with Liene, who he held in his arms.
“Couldn’t you have just asked?”
“It was Princess who didn’t answer even when I asked.”
“When did you ask? What did you ask?”
The sensation of being bitten lightly between words was erotic. Liene’s fingers, which were on Black’s shoulder, kept tightening.
“Are you telling me to believe that you ruined the dress because it didn’t look good on you?”
“……”
When Liene couldn’t speak, Black bit her lip a little harder this time.
“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. I’ll let you off the hook for that. But I won’t give up anything else.”
“What…… else?”
“Telling you to cry more.”
Black, who had deliberately left a bite mark, gently rubbed it with his lips.
“I mean that sincerely. Cry more. From what I see, Princess doesn’t seem to have ever cried properly.”
“What’s the point of crying? It’s not a good thing.”
“Were you upset because I pretended not to know on purpose?”
“……”
Those words pricked the sensitive area that she had barely managed to calm down again. The tears that she thought had stopped flowed down again like a lie. ……Why am I like this?
“If you know that…… then you shouldn’t do that……”
