Chapter 153
“Ah, mmm…”
His tongue was caressing mine. The back of my neck tingled. For some reason, I willingly responded to the kiss, letting out pleasurable moans.
Chup- chup-
He sucked and entwined my tongue. My body twitched each time he touched different parts of my mouth. Every point of contact felt good.
A little more, just a little more…
When I pressed my body against Luwen, he caressed my lower back. I closed my eyes tightly at the dizzying sensation.
“Hah! Mmgh…”
I wished this moment would never end.
But the end came suddenly. Luwen grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away. Bewilderment had settled on his face.
“I’m, I’m sorry. I was dreaming… I made a mistake.”
Luwen hastily wiped my lips with his sleeve and rushed out before I could say anything, as if escaping.
I lay there alone, dumbfounded, before breaking into a hollow laugh.
‘A mistake? With whom?’
My mind cooled. Did Luwen have someone he cared about enough to dream of? There hadn’t been any sign of that. If there was a possibility…
‘Rona?’
But I immediately shook my head. It wasn’t her. Throughout our journey, Luwen had been with me, and even more so after I became ill. He had only met Rona for a very brief time.
‘He couldn’t have fallen in love that quickly.’
Then who? The only other people were Linder and his subordinates. There was even less connection there, so I couldn’t guess at all.
‘Maybe he just had an erotic dream?’
It might be because I kissed him first. I touched my lips and then deliberately coughed.
‘Don’t run away because I’m sick. Stay by my side.’
Don’t look at anyone else, I meant.
“Young master!”
Fortunately, he heard me… Luwen came in, bringing a cold breeze with him. I continued coughing with one hand covering my mouth. Though the coughing had started as fake, now real coughs kept coming. They wouldn’t stop, making it hard to breathe.
“Can you drink some water?”
“Cough, huff, cough cough.”
When I shook my head, Luwen helped me sit up and rubbed my back. I gripped his clothes tightly. So he couldn’t go anywhere.
By the time the coughing stopped, I was feverish and disoriented. Luwen held me in his arms, gently rocking me as if I were in a cradle.
“…Did you have an erotic dream?”
I felt him freeze. Fearing he might run away again, I tightened my grip on his collar. Even so, if he pulled away, I would lose my hold, but I needed to hold on like this to feel secure.
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you find someone you like?”
“No. You are still everything to me, young master. So please get well soon. And scold me for my disrespectful behavior.”
Luwen doesn’t lie to me. So this must be the truth. He’s still in my arms.
“It’s okay… These things happen. But don’t make this mistake with anyone else.”
While reprimanding him, I leaned on Luwen. It was becoming difficult to maintain consciousness.
“Please don’t keep permitting such actions. I’ll develop bad habits.”
“You’re allowed to…”
I’m not sure if I answered properly as my consciousness was fading. But even if my pronunciation was slurred, Luwen would have understood. It was something I said often.
* * *
A week had passed since returning to the Duke’s residence. Of that time, I had spent three days behaving quietly at the mansion after confessing to my sister that I had been kidnapped, earning a great deal of worry. I wasn’t specifically prohibited from going out, but because her reaction was different than I expected, I restrained myself.
I thought she would scold me fiercely, but surprisingly, my sister only stroked the back of my hand.
‘I’m glad you’re safe…’
Then she tightly grasped my hand while muttering. Pangs of guilt pricked my heart.
As a bonus, I glanced sideways at Rona, who was with me to introduce to my sister. I had asked her to keep the fact that I had been bait a secret, and fortunately, she kept her promise well. Though she later looked at me with eyes full of words, I pretended not to notice.
Afterward, I visited my master. She glanced at me and then put me to work with natural gestures and nods. It felt as if there had been no year-long gap.
I was only able to have a conversation with my master after all the medical treatments were finished and the sky had darkened. I had expected this, but I deliberately visited earlier to help my long-unseen master.
As we caught up, I casually mentioned Rona. At first, she showed little interest, but when I said I wanted to make her my sister’s personal physician, she glared at me with fierce eyes.
‘My disciple only thinks about using his master!’
It was as good as permission. I tried to match my master’s mood with all sorts of flattery and aegyo. I got a knuckle tap on my head for deliberately trying to charm someone, but her hand that afterward stroked my head was affectionate.
The next day, I went to meet Taran. I was surprised at how much more robust he had become compared to a year ago. It made me wonder if he had been doing physical labor rather than studying medicine.
‘I gathered herbs every day and had the Count inspect them.’
But his cute smile remained the same as before. Since he would need to source herbs directly when he went to the Kans village later, developing an eye for herbs was indeed an important skill for Taran.
When I advised him to select Kans with excellent memory or good eyesight as herb gatherers, he nodded with a grin. I thought he was already planning to do so.
The next day, I went to the Imperial Palace because the Fifth Prince’s messenger had arrived. I couldn’t ignore a summons from the royal family, so I had no choice but to visit the palace.
For some reason, Luwen was in a bad mood that day. I asked why, but he withdrew, saying it was nothing, so I couldn’t understand and it worried me. However, after returning to the Duke’s residence and having dinner, he acted as usual, which put my mind at ease.
Yesterday, I stopped by the clinic to check the delivered medicines and do a major cleaning. Rona, who came along saying she was bored, Luwen, who naturally joined us, and even Taran came, making it bustling.
Rona and Taran unexpectedly got along well, and Taran’s medical knowledge had improved remarkably in the past year, reaching almost the same level as Rona’s.
I thought it might be time for him to graduate, but I planned to keep him until he expressed his intention to return. Just as I still had much to learn, so did Taran.
And now, although it was early morning, I headed to the study before my sister went to the palace. My sister’s daily routine was exactly the same as my father’s, so at this time, she would definitely be processing documents in the study.
Knock knock-
“Sister. It’s me, Fei.”
“Come in.”
Permission was granted as soon as I identified myself. The barren winter forest spread widely beyond the window.
“Seeing Fei’s face in the morning makes me feel good. Maybe something good will happen today.”
Irene moved with a refreshing smile. After exchanging morning greetings with Irene, I shared my business.
“Hmm. Certainly, with the Emperor’s permission, Luwen could take the advanced knight exam. If it’s the Sword Dance Department’s opinion, there won’t be much opposition.”
“So I was wondering if I could get information about the Sword Dance Department?”
Since the Sword Dance Department was closely related to the Imperial Knights, Irene’s information would be quite accurate.
“Are you planning to move directly? Wouldn’t it be faster to ask the Second Prince?”
I felt puzzled by Irene’s casual mention of the Second Prince.
“He would definitely help you.”
My sister’s eyes rippled affectionately. Moreover, she was speaking as if the Second Prince bestowed kindness without conditions. The only person he treated that way was my sister.
‘It seems there’s been progress in their relationship.’
It seems Irene has also somewhat accepted the Second Prince’s feelings.
But I thought she would tell me if they had started dating, so perhaps they were still in the preliminary stage.
“That’s true, but the First Prince will soon be in rumors.”
It’s not good for the Second Prince to step forward in such a situation. If the Second Prince were to request special treatment while people were gossiping about the royal family’s dirty rumors, the Emperor wouldn’t be pleased. There’s a risk they might be viewed unfavorably together.
Once denied, it would be difficult the next time, so it was better to go through the Sword Dance Department.
“You want to take the safe route.”
“Half right, and half because I’m worried about the Second Prince. What if he falls out of favor with the Emperor? It’s a sensitive time, so it’s better to be careful.”
If he wasn’t my sister’s match, I would have just gone the easier way, but I didn’t want my sister to worry or be upset because of me.
Irene smiled gently as if she had anticipated everything.
‘Oh dear. Second Prince, you seem far off. Sister still likes me more, it seems.’
Honestly, it felt good. Of course, the background to her choosing me might include the trust that the Second Prince wouldn’t be harmed by such matters, but still, in a way, she prioritized my feelings.
I came forward out of guilt, but my sister doesn’t care whether Luwen’s promotion to advanced knight is delayed by a year or not. So her help is purely because she knows why I’m acting.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
