CH 5.13

Fortunately, it seems that it contains no poison, seeing the meticulous princess drinking it as well.

Rather, it was so sweet that I wanted to drink several bottles of it by myself.

“The wine is very sweet and delicious. Where did you buy it?”

“Oh, this?”

“It’s the same one we drank in the engagement ceremony, isn’t it?”

If I know where to buy it, even if it’s a limited edition, I’ll pay double or triple to buy it.

With that thought in mind, I reached out for a freshly filled wine glass—

“Peridot dedicated this to the God of the sun temple. I also received several bottles.

“… Lady Crisiona?”

“Yeah. Wine made from grapes from the Crisiona family’s vineyard is really sweet. I’m not a big fan of wine, but I drink sometimes when I receive them as a gift.”

Uh, this is unsettling.

Suddenly I seem to be able to see an illusion of my ancestors dancing with a warning light stick* in the distance. 

*(A sort of tool to display a signal so others can recognize the current state and danger in an emergency.)

I get cold feet as soon as I hear the name Peridot. This can’t be a simple coincidence.

Since the princess drank it as well, it would be safe to assume that there would be no problem, but…

At that moment, my fingers and Lacius’ fingers grazed.

“Oh.”

“Ah.”

A corner of my chest itched.

There was a great deal of heat on his fingers.

After inhaling, I quickly pulled my hand back and wrapped it with my other hand.

It happened almost simultaneously, Lacius’s expression hardened.

“It’s time to go to bed, isn’t it? There’s no need for you to attend the assembly tomorrow morning, Lacius.

The princess stood up, tidying up the situation.

The lady-in-waiting, who just happened to be looking for the princess, neatly bent her knees and spoke in her ear.

Soon, only Lacius and I were left in the inner garden of the Royal Palace.

“Uh, shall we get going, too?”

“That would be great.”

“If not… Should I go first?”

Although I was anxious because I was not familiar with the imperial palace, it seemed that enduring the uncomfortable atmosphere with Lacius would be more difficult.

However, Lacius grabbed me and stopped me as I was about to leave.

“It’s dangerous. Let’s go together.”

“A-Alright.”

I had a lot of things to blame for wine today.

My cheeks were flushed, and so were Lacius’s. Heat radiates from his body as he approached me.

Although I usually thought that his body temperature was high, the current Lacius felt very hot.

Just like a werewolf.

“A-Are we going this way?”

The inner garden was connected to one of the princess’s chambers. Upon entering, the princess disappeared somewhere and now was nowhere to be seen. But Lacius did not start walking. I looked at him with a puzzled face. Then he quietly held out his hand towards me and opened his mouth earnestly.

“Your hand.”

“Pardon?”

“I wanted to hold it before going.”

Ooh, I’m nervous like crazy. Could it be because of the spell of this unfamiliar place?

My heart is already on the verge of breaking my ribs and jumping out just because we’re not in the mansion, the place I’m most familiar with. 

It was all the more because he was holding my hand tightly.

No, he’s not even my boyfriend, so why does he keep on doing this?

While we do have a special relationship, it is not “special” in that sense.

“…….”

He said it was dangerous here, but both of us knew that was just an excuse.

If this place, protected in Dioles’ name, the Royal Princess is dangerous, where else in the world is safe?

No matter how much the ladies who wept throughout the engagement ceremony wanted to crush me to death, it would be impossible for them to do anything here.

An assassin will die before they can even break in here.

So it was safe, but Lacius used that excuse to hold my hand once more.

Finally, in front of the door. We were engaged, but we weren’t married yet, so we had separate chambers.

But that doesn’t mean our rooms were very far away from each other. His room is just next to mine.

Lacius stopped his slow pace in front of my room.

“It would have been nicer if the road was a little longer.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s too short, which was a pity. Because I have to let go of you sooner.”

Lacius looked at me and smiled.

It was so beautiful that I had trouble breathing.

‘It’s breathtaking. I want to draw it—!’ 

How can a man have a muscular body with such a pure face?

He looked very manly when he was under the sun during the day.

However, when the sun disappeared beyond the mountain and night came, Lacius, illuminated by the moonlight, felt different.

No, he might look like that only to me.

“There is no need to act in a place where no one is watching.”

Speaking a little softly, I tried to run away. He then opened his mouth while looking at me affectionately.

“Do you really think I’m just acting?”

“That—”

“You’re just trying to believe that, Shay.”

Lacius hit the nail on the head.

When I looked up at him, speechless, Lacius covered my cheek with a touch that could not have been more affectionate.

As he approaches, the sweet scent of wine wafts from his breath.

Unlike usual, his eyes, which seemed slightly cloudy and dilated, were awfully seductive.

“I won’t force you.”

His clumsiness and anxiety melted away and pooled in me. 

He tried to hide it, but I already noticed from his nearing breathing.

Lacius was nervous.

“…….”

Then, he stole my lower lip very carefully. He bit it gently and from time to time swept over my upper lip. I didn’t resist the gentle pressure of his thumb over my chin. Hot tongue swept through my teeth. As if to soothe me, who was so nervous and stiff, he entangled my tongue with his and gently rubbed it from the root.

As Lacius wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me, I felt his body which was so hot that I wondered if he was all right.

“Hmm.”

It was my first kiss, so I couldn’t figure out how to hold my breath or breathe.

My head was dizzy and my eyes were spinning.

I managed to catch my breath when he let go of my lips for a moment, but I was soon devoured once more. If the first one was gentle, Lacius now is forcefully extorting me of everything. My disorganized breathing was swept through his tongue before I could even let it out. He scraped the soft part of the roof of my mouth, making me shudder, and supported the back of my head as it bent. The obscenely deep kiss made every cell in my body tremble as if waking them up.

“… Shay.”