Those words rang in Sepia's heart like a kind of oath. She may have been bound by the gaze that wanted her.
She was no longer an Empress.
Above all, Demios's authority did not reach here.
The love she thought she had lost.
That feeling came to her when she had given up everything and kissed him.
Their noses were close enough to touch.
His sharp profile tilted and his breath touched the tip of her cheek.
Even though she closed her eyes at the gaze that seemed ripe, she could feel him looking at her.
Her eyelashes curled like golden threads, fluttered.
It was a trembling she felt for the first time.
Hot breath touched her slightly parted lips.
A soft, hazy flame.
It was the first kiss that branded each other.
'Ah.'
His lips were longing for her breath.
Her lungs, filled with heat, struggled to breathe.
She seemed to have taken a step back without realizing it.
A large hand wrapped around the back of her head, and her shoulder blades touched the wall.
There was nowhere else to run.
It was finally a sweet bondage.
'I feel like I'm being hunted.'
The lips that touched.
The breath that was being taken away, and the skin that overlapped.
Goosebumps.
Goosebumps like shivers enveloped her body.
In the black vision filled with heat, there was only her male.
She wanted to touch a little more.
Sepia wrapped her arms around his neck.
Roxanne, who stopped at that movement, pushed her even more roughly. Because of every small contact. Every subtle tremble was the ultimate stimulus to him.
The sensation of her eyes flashing.
However, rather than being afraid of the flames she had experienced for the first time, she began to look forward to them.
A little more. A little more.
Unknown pleasure.
Their breathing, which only wanted each other, became more intense. It was hard and hot.
As her mind began to fade, a small gap appeared between their lips that had touched.
Sepia gasped like a creature on land.
"Breathe, I need to breathe."
The low voice was just a pause.
But her fever was rising.
Roxanne slowly stroked her cheek to help her catch her breath.
Such a distant sensation.
If even the touch of her cheek felt thick, was there something wrong with her?
It felt like some circuit in her body had broken down.
She was sure of it.
Otherwise, this kind of feeling wouldn’t exist.
‘Is this what a kiss is?’
Suddenly, memories from the other side came to mind.
A dark banquet hall.
The secret meetings of lovers in the garden beyond. Did those kissing under the streetlights feel this too?
Their kisses wouldn’t have ended in one go.
Just like they did now.
The breath she had barely managed was once again taken.
He had only given her a moment to rest, but the predator’s hunger had not yet subsided. On the contrary, the beast showed signs of thirsting even more. It was as if a drop of sweet rain had fallen on the ground that had dried up and cracked after a long wait.
'It's dangerous.'
When Sepia realized that fact, it was already too late.
The breath she had been longing for suddenly felt fearful.
It was as if she would become addicted.
It was because she realized that this kiss would not end until it completely soaked the wilderness.
The storm that would soon come.
It was the beginning of raindrops.
Their lips slowly parted.
The taste of an adult was on the tip of her tongue that lingered in her mouth.
Perhaps because Sepiq had experienced it once, it didn't take long for her to calm her breathing.
The hand that pulled away her hair that was tangled with flush and tucked it behind her ear was delicate.
The graceful fingers were wearing a mask that seemed not to be controlled by the heat.
However, the closed breath, and the golden eyes that contained the heat, let her know what he was feeling.
And yet.
"Is this your first time?"
The eyes that were wet with the heat contained suspicion.
That lovely jealousy pulled the trigger on the patience of the beast.
"All my firsts are you."
Even now, and in the future.
The overlapping lips made her forget the passage of time and space.
It was the moment when they were exploring each other.
Something kept bumping into each other under the heated sensation.
'What is it?'
At first, she thought it was an illusion, but now it was more than just annoying,
it was annoying. Above all, it was gradually...
Sepia's gaze turned downward.
Wait a minute.
It took a moment for her to realize what it was.
Her face, redder than a blush, lowered her head.
She was not a woman who was ignorant of everything, just inexperienced.
'It's hot.'
Sepia tried to cool the heat with the sea breeze.
That was no use either.
Barely avoiding his gaze, Sepia looked down at the floor and said.
"... I heard that the Count Louvre's family was exiled to the northernmost tip."
"I know."
His voice was low as if he was holding back something.
The longing of someone who had finally become a lover.
However, the beast had to endure.
Everything was her will.
"Will you bring them to me? I have something to ask them."
There was still work to be done to stand side by side with him.
Even though she had become the deposed Empress, the business department was still in her name.
The fact that the administration of the imperial palace was paralyzed but there was no riot meant that the department was still running.
She had to act as long as she could take responsibility.
To do so, she had to find out about Titie and the people behind him.
Also.
What had driven the Emperor mad, and how long had he been mad?
“As you command.”
Her lover was a faithful beast.
He once again gathered his hunger for the reward that would come soon.
Two days after Dyling had visited. Even if she had been revealed to be the deposed Empress, the attitude of the employees had not changed from before.
Was it because of her mood that she had become more positive?
The beastmen in the castle seemed more surprised that Sepia was the star of Ishtar than that she was the deposed Empress.
The increased number of eyes looking at her was burdensome.
Lucy seemed to be aware of this and explained the reason.
“This is close to the coast. You can encounter beastmen from the sea, even if it’s only occasionally.”
The sea creatures all serve the goddess.
The land creatures who witnessed her mystery came to believe in the existence of the goddess.
Leopold had personally witnessed the beings of the sea, so perhaps that was why they believed in the fate of the stars even more.
Lucy, who had tied a ribbon to the curtain and fixed it, turned around and said,
“The weather is nice. How about taking a walk? The garden inside the castle is also beautiful.”
“Yes. Please guide me.”
“Yes!”
Lucy guided Sepia to a different place from the coastal path.
Summer roses were in full bloom in the central garden inside the castle.
In addition, plants and flowers that bloomed in warm places took up the space, and even those were mostly colorful species.
“That doesn’t seem to be Roxanne’s taste.”
Her cheeks naturally turned red when she thought of him.
Sepia focused on the garden to forget the memories that were popping up.
The beauty of the empty space subtly oppressed those walking by.
Lucy, who was guiding the garden, opened her mouth as if she suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, His Excellency told me to tell you that you can decorate it as you wish. After all, this is where Lady Dyling had her hands....”
The hand that was caressing the large rose petals suddenly stopped.
‘You’re talking about when Dyling Daerdis lived in the castle.’
An extremely splendid garden.
However, Dyling would have certainly lived a life worthy of others even before she became a Saintess.
If only she hadn’t gone up to the capital.
‘I heard that the Queen’s maternal family has fallen into decline.’
Thanks to her brothers squandering the family fortune, the temporary lord was one of them.
Sepia asked Lucy, who was enjoying the flowers here and there.
“Lucy, have you ever been sick?”
“Oh, yes! Twice.”
Sepia suppressed her surprised expression. She had asked just in case, but she hadn’t thought Lucy had been sick twice.
“I’m fine now. I got better after drinking the tea that Lady Dyling gave me the first time, and Your His Excellency gave me the second time.”
“You said that Lady Daerdis cured you?”
“Yes. I was a maid in this castle back then. I was serving the young lady closely, and I got sick, so I was able to receive care. It was only once.”
Lucy smiled bitterly.
“At first, I also believed that the young lady was a Saintess. No, I wanted to believe that. But... They said she couldn’t treat me anymore without donations, and the second time I got sick, I was kicked out of the castle.”
Lucy was sad, but there were more than a few beastmen who had been kicked out like that.
Those who couldn’t even donate had to go to other realms and endure hard labor for their sick family members.
Lucy shrugged and continued.
“Still, I did receive grace. It was just for publicity.”
“Why didn’t you believe her?”
The villagers believed that Dyling was a Saintess because of her healing powers.
However, Lucy didn’t seem to believe that.
“I was treated by a sea beastman. So I knew what her powers were.”
Those who had experienced her powers firsthand could clearly distinguish between the real and the fake.
Lucy explained why she had kept quiet at that time.
“Anyway, I did receive grace from them. Even if I told the truth back then, it was obvious that no one would believe me.”
Currently, Dyling, who had fled from the castle, was hiding in a village within Leopold’s territory.
Together with those who believed her to be a Saintess and followed her.
‘To clear up the misunderstandings of the territory’,
Sepia had to find perfect evidence that Dyling was a fake.
She was no longer an Empress.
Above all, Demios's authority did not reach here.
The love she thought she had lost.
That feeling came to her when she had given up everything and kissed him.
Their noses were close enough to touch.
His sharp profile tilted and his breath touched the tip of her cheek.
Even though she closed her eyes at the gaze that seemed ripe, she could feel him looking at her.
Her eyelashes curled like golden threads, fluttered.
It was a trembling she felt for the first time.
Hot breath touched her slightly parted lips.
A soft, hazy flame.
It was the first kiss that branded each other.
'Ah.'
His lips were longing for her breath.
Her lungs, filled with heat, struggled to breathe.
She seemed to have taken a step back without realizing it.
A large hand wrapped around the back of her head, and her shoulder blades touched the wall.
There was nowhere else to run.
It was finally a sweet bondage.
'I feel like I'm being hunted.'
The lips that touched.
The breath that was being taken away, and the skin that overlapped.
Goosebumps.
Goosebumps like shivers enveloped her body.
In the black vision filled with heat, there was only her male.
She wanted to touch a little more.
Sepia wrapped her arms around his neck.
Roxanne, who stopped at that movement, pushed her even more roughly. Because of every small contact. Every subtle tremble was the ultimate stimulus to him.
The sensation of her eyes flashing.
However, rather than being afraid of the flames she had experienced for the first time, she began to look forward to them.
A little more. A little more.
Unknown pleasure.
Their breathing, which only wanted each other, became more intense. It was hard and hot.
As her mind began to fade, a small gap appeared between their lips that had touched.
Sepia gasped like a creature on land.
"Breathe, I need to breathe."
The low voice was just a pause.
But her fever was rising.
Roxanne slowly stroked her cheek to help her catch her breath.
Such a distant sensation.
If even the touch of her cheek felt thick, was there something wrong with her?
It felt like some circuit in her body had broken down.
She was sure of it.
Otherwise, this kind of feeling wouldn’t exist.
‘Is this what a kiss is?’
Suddenly, memories from the other side came to mind.
A dark banquet hall.
The secret meetings of lovers in the garden beyond. Did those kissing under the streetlights feel this too?
Their kisses wouldn’t have ended in one go.
Just like they did now.
The breath she had barely managed was once again taken.
He had only given her a moment to rest, but the predator’s hunger had not yet subsided. On the contrary, the beast showed signs of thirsting even more. It was as if a drop of sweet rain had fallen on the ground that had dried up and cracked after a long wait.
'It's dangerous.'
When Sepia realized that fact, it was already too late.
The breath she had been longing for suddenly felt fearful.
It was as if she would become addicted.
It was because she realized that this kiss would not end until it completely soaked the wilderness.
The storm that would soon come.
It was the beginning of raindrops.
Their lips slowly parted.
The taste of an adult was on the tip of her tongue that lingered in her mouth.
Perhaps because Sepiq had experienced it once, it didn't take long for her to calm her breathing.
The hand that pulled away her hair that was tangled with flush and tucked it behind her ear was delicate.
The graceful fingers were wearing a mask that seemed not to be controlled by the heat.
However, the closed breath, and the golden eyes that contained the heat, let her know what he was feeling.
And yet.
"Is this your first time?"
The eyes that were wet with the heat contained suspicion.
That lovely jealousy pulled the trigger on the patience of the beast.
"All my firsts are you."
Even now, and in the future.
The overlapping lips made her forget the passage of time and space.
It was the moment when they were exploring each other.
Something kept bumping into each other under the heated sensation.
'What is it?'
At first, she thought it was an illusion, but now it was more than just annoying,
it was annoying. Above all, it was gradually...
Sepia's gaze turned downward.
Wait a minute.
It took a moment for her to realize what it was.
Her face, redder than a blush, lowered her head.
She was not a woman who was ignorant of everything, just inexperienced.
'It's hot.'
Sepia tried to cool the heat with the sea breeze.
That was no use either.
Barely avoiding his gaze, Sepia looked down at the floor and said.
"... I heard that the Count Louvre's family was exiled to the northernmost tip."
"I know."
His voice was low as if he was holding back something.
The longing of someone who had finally become a lover.
However, the beast had to endure.
Everything was her will.
"Will you bring them to me? I have something to ask them."
There was still work to be done to stand side by side with him.
Even though she had become the deposed Empress, the business department was still in her name.
The fact that the administration of the imperial palace was paralyzed but there was no riot meant that the department was still running.
She had to act as long as she could take responsibility.
To do so, she had to find out about Titie and the people behind him.
Also.
What had driven the Emperor mad, and how long had he been mad?
“As you command.”
Her lover was a faithful beast.
He once again gathered his hunger for the reward that would come soon.
***
Two days after Dyling had visited. Even if she had been revealed to be the deposed Empress, the attitude of the employees had not changed from before.
Was it because of her mood that she had become more positive?
The beastmen in the castle seemed more surprised that Sepia was the star of Ishtar than that she was the deposed Empress.
The increased number of eyes looking at her was burdensome.
Lucy seemed to be aware of this and explained the reason.
“This is close to the coast. You can encounter beastmen from the sea, even if it’s only occasionally.”
The sea creatures all serve the goddess.
The land creatures who witnessed her mystery came to believe in the existence of the goddess.
Leopold had personally witnessed the beings of the sea, so perhaps that was why they believed in the fate of the stars even more.
Lucy, who had tied a ribbon to the curtain and fixed it, turned around and said,
“The weather is nice. How about taking a walk? The garden inside the castle is also beautiful.”
“Yes. Please guide me.”
“Yes!”
Lucy guided Sepia to a different place from the coastal path.
Summer roses were in full bloom in the central garden inside the castle.
In addition, plants and flowers that bloomed in warm places took up the space, and even those were mostly colorful species.
“That doesn’t seem to be Roxanne’s taste.”
Her cheeks naturally turned red when she thought of him.
Sepia focused on the garden to forget the memories that were popping up.
The beauty of the empty space subtly oppressed those walking by.
Lucy, who was guiding the garden, opened her mouth as if she suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, His Excellency told me to tell you that you can decorate it as you wish. After all, this is where Lady Dyling had her hands....”
The hand that was caressing the large rose petals suddenly stopped.
‘You’re talking about when Dyling Daerdis lived in the castle.’
An extremely splendid garden.
However, Dyling would have certainly lived a life worthy of others even before she became a Saintess.
If only she hadn’t gone up to the capital.
‘I heard that the Queen’s maternal family has fallen into decline.’
Thanks to her brothers squandering the family fortune, the temporary lord was one of them.
Sepia asked Lucy, who was enjoying the flowers here and there.
“Lucy, have you ever been sick?”
“Oh, yes! Twice.”
Sepia suppressed her surprised expression. She had asked just in case, but she hadn’t thought Lucy had been sick twice.
“I’m fine now. I got better after drinking the tea that Lady Dyling gave me the first time, and Your His Excellency gave me the second time.”
“You said that Lady Daerdis cured you?”
“Yes. I was a maid in this castle back then. I was serving the young lady closely, and I got sick, so I was able to receive care. It was only once.”
Lucy smiled bitterly.
“At first, I also believed that the young lady was a Saintess. No, I wanted to believe that. But... They said she couldn’t treat me anymore without donations, and the second time I got sick, I was kicked out of the castle.”
Lucy was sad, but there were more than a few beastmen who had been kicked out like that.
Those who couldn’t even donate had to go to other realms and endure hard labor for their sick family members.
Lucy shrugged and continued.
“Still, I did receive grace. It was just for publicity.”
“Why didn’t you believe her?”
The villagers believed that Dyling was a Saintess because of her healing powers.
However, Lucy didn’t seem to believe that.
“I was treated by a sea beastman. So I knew what her powers were.”
Those who had experienced her powers firsthand could clearly distinguish between the real and the fake.
Lucy explained why she had kept quiet at that time.
“Anyway, I did receive grace from them. Even if I told the truth back then, it was obvious that no one would believe me.”
Currently, Dyling, who had fled from the castle, was hiding in a village within Leopold’s territory.
Together with those who believed her to be a Saintess and followed her.
‘To clear up the misunderstandings of the territory’,
Sepia had to find perfect evidence that Dyling was a fake.
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