# Chapter 48
As Asher swallowed dryly, Luke pressed their lower bodies together. In this stimulating act where their bodies fully touched and slid against each other, Luke removed the finger that had been exploring Asher’s mouth and licked his fingertip.
“They say the more a person wants something, the deeper their desire becomes.”
“…Haa.”
“I, too, am looking forward to how sweet this spring will be.”
With a look that said not to disappoint him, Luke slipped his hand into Asher’s pants. Then, with his other hand, he stroked Asher’s spine and brought his lips to his ear.
“Asher.”
He touched Asher’s earlobe and gently chewed it with his teeth. It was such a strong stimulus that Asher’s body jolted. As if he’d been waiting for this, Luke circled Asher’s navel with his finger and kissed his ear.
“S-stop it.”
Asher grabbed Luke’s wrist with a voice tinged with desperation. It was an action meant to restrain him, but Luke readjusted his grip on Asher’s hand and pulled it down below his pelvis.
“Before controlling me, how about controlling yourself first?”
“T-this is…!”
Before Asher could speak, Luke pressed against his center. The already swollen area was stimulated by the pressure, and just the touch of his hand was enough to drive Asher mad. His body, contrary to his reason, throbbed and created tension.
“Sometimes it’s good to be honest with yourself.”
Luke’s lips curved smoothly into a long arc. Feeling heated just by looking at him, Asher tried to hide his face against his shoulder, but Luke tapped his lower body with a finger. It was a signal to look at him directly without hiding his face. Asher, irritated by Luke’s mischief, tensed his thighs to prevent Luke’s hand from moving, but this seemed to excite him more, as the cool mint-scented pheromone wafted through the forest path.
“…Haah.”
Asher’s thighs trembled at the thick concentration of pheromone. Indeed, being a recessive, his body found it hard to endure a dominant’s pheromone. Finally, as Asher’s body weakened, Luke, as if he’d been waiting, grabbed his buttocks and wedged his leg between Asher’s to straighten his body.
“Didn’t you say you liked meeting outdoors? Though I’m not particularly fond of the outdoors, I don’t think it would be bad to do this with you.”
“T-that’s…!”
Back then, he had meant it would be nice to come out with Luke, have a meal, and spend time together. But he never dreamed it would backfire like this. Asher hurriedly tried to correct his statement, but Luke devoured his lips and narrowed his eyes seductively.
“I’ll be looking forward to it. To having traces of you and me imprinted on every path we walk.”
*
It seemed like just yesterday that they had wrapped up the year, but already the end of January was approaching. Asher had received a reply to the letter he sent to Aria.
To be honest, he had sent the letter right after parting with Shaki. But she had seemed reluctant to meet him, not responding, and Asher, thinking she must have her reasons, hadn’t pressed by sending another letter.
“And now a reply has come…”
It seemed she didn’t want to show him her ill appearance, different from her healthy past. Even if their positions were reversed, he wouldn’t want to show his weakness to others if he were sick. Feeling somewhat sorry, Asher instructed his servant to prepare warm porridge and boarded the carriage.
Since February hadn’t arrived yet, snow still covered the paths. Asher recalled meeting Luke a few days ago. Luke, who had warned that his rut would come soon and then left, had said it was up to Asher whether they would spend the night together. Of course, Asher had refused the offer, and Luke had accepted without forcing the issue.
“That date was probably today…”
Asher looked out of the carriage window with thoughtful eyes. A few days ago, a letter inquiring about Asher’s well-being had arrived from the Western Tower of the Bulldog Kingdom. It was a letter from Kan, but seeing him consistently use the seal of the Western Tower made Asher think he must not be an ordinary person. Asher realized that his farewell to the Empire was not far off and smiled faintly.
The carriage entered some forest path and stopped nearby. Looking at the shabbily built cabin-like house, it seemed to be Aria’s home.
“She was definitely said to be the daughter of a declining Count’s family…”
Unlike the information he had gathered, the house she lived in was the kind that wouldn’t be surprising if it collapsed at any moment. Why was she living in such a place? Somehow, it seemed Aria had a story he didn’t know.
“Is this definitely the place brother told me about?”
“It seems the place I had known about before was a cover house.”
As Toms said, the house Aria had mentioned was likely a cover house for entering the Anest family. Asher nodded in understanding and entered the cabin where Aria would be.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
As if she didn’t want to show signs of illness, Aria sat on the bed with her makeup meticulously done. Wearing a bright dress that was rarely seen on her, she smiled prettily at Asher.
“Thank you for visiting such a humble place.”
“I heard you’re very ill. Are you feeling alright?”
“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, I’m fine.”
Despite her words, Aria’s complexion was poor. Although she was hiding her face with makeup, her face was completely pale, and she had become much thinner since he last saw her. Asher, noticing her sunken cheeks, gestured to Toms.
“I brought some porridge just in case. Please eat it before it gets cold.”
“…Porridge?”
Aria’s voice trembled at the word “porridge.” As if moved by the porridge, she bit her lip once and gave Asher a warm smile.
“…Thank you.”
“I’ve been wondering something… Is your natural hair color light pink?”
At Asher’s words, Aria looked at her neatly tied hair with a bewildered expression. Then, with a contemplative look, she put her hair down and held her words for a moment.
“My hair color has always been pink.”
“…”
“The reason I pretended it was a different color was because of the dying wish of the second madam.”
As if she had no intention of hiding anything now, she put the porridge aside and folded her delicate hands together. Then she slowly raised her downcast eyes and stared directly at Asher.
“By the second madam, do you mean my mother, Daiole?”
She was actually Braden’s mother, but Asher pretended not to know and stared at Aria.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Aria responded with a calm gaze, as if telling him to ask anything he wanted to know. With that look, Asher even had the reasonable suspicion that Aria might be his birth mother. He had thought his birth parents would be different people, but the fact that the suspected person was right by his side made Asher unable to hide his confusion. However, he quickly erased his expression and waited for her answer.
“It’s truly strange. I can see myself in you…”
“Do I resemble you a lot, Young Master?”
Aria questioned back at Asher’s inquiry. He had only spoken indirectly because the situation wasn’t confirmed yet, but she just gave an enigmatic smile with her eyes.
“May I ask you one question, Young Master?”
At Aria’s question, Asher gestured for her to speak. She then stared at Asher with steady eyes and slowly parted her lips.
“I told you that I was acquainted with your mother, the second madam. Why aren’t you asking anything about it?”
Asher’s blue eyes wavered at Aria’s words. Indeed, as she said, if he were the real Asher, he would have many questions for someone connected to his mother. But he didn’t particularly want to ask about that story. Just as he had his own circumstances, he felt she must have hers as well.
“If my question seemed rude, I apologize.”
“It’s alright. I, too, am curious about why you entered the Duke’s family and why you had to hide even your hair color. But I just didn’t want to ask about it.”
If his guess was correct, there was a high possibility that she was Asher’s birth mother. He didn’t particularly want to hear the confirmation from her own mouth. He refrained from speaking because he thought it would be mentally burdensome to hear it, but Aria looked down at her fingertips like someone hurt by his action.
“Now that I’ve seen you’re fine, I’ll be heading back.”
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“…Thank you. For coming like this.”
“…”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart…”
Aria’s voice, expressing gratitude, seemed to be filled with tears. Her voice seemed so sad, as if she was apologizing, that Asher unconsciously approached her and gently patted her shoulder. He thought that was the best comfort he could offer.
“I hope you get better and we can meet again.”
“…”
“And if you ever need help, please feel free to come to me anytime.”
“Yes, I will.”
At Aria’s words, Asher smiled faintly and left the place.
A man who had been quietly watching Asher leave opened the door and entered, approaching Aria who was sitting. She, like someone who had known the man was there from the beginning, didn’t seem surprised and quietly stared at the bowl of porridge Asher had given her.
“Is it okay to let him go like this?”
“Yes. It’s fine… What about you?”
“Wouldn’t it be strange if I were fine? I’ve wasted my life in vain.”
At the man’s words, Aria clutched her skirt tightly. No matter how much Daiole wanted it, it was something she should never, ever have done. But regretting it now wouldn’t change anything about the current situation. Aria coughed up blood-stained phlegm, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and smiled faintly.
“Still, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to see that child once more.”
“…”
“It’s shameless of me, but may I ask you for one last favor?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
