"I can't stand it anymore."
"If you can't stand it...?"
As she quietly looked down at the back of his hand, where the veins were bulging, Shioana whispered.
Etienne bit his lip tightly at the dizzying whisper and gripped her hand even tighter. His movements to stop Shioana were desperate.
"In a place like this..."
I can't hug you.
Etienne's ears turned bright red as he swallowed the words he could not bring himself to say. He did not want to act like a beast unable to control its desires.
If it were just mere lust, there would have already been several opportunities.
It might have been easy to deal with the innocent noble lady who clung to him, saying she liked him. Had it not been for his unfathomable feelings, he would have desired Shioana to his heart's content.
'Do you know, Miss?'
Etienne was cautious about everything, from holding her hand to kissing her. He was worried that the light Shioana held in his hand might fade.
'That's how precious you are.'
He let out a long sigh as he turned his head to examine the moldy walls of the basement. Etienne had to keep thinking of other things so as not to be defeated by his seething desire.
He meant it when he said he was not a clergyman.
At some point, just thinking of her became painful. When he opened his eyes and the breeze from Regbell brushed against his cheek, Etienne was swept up in excitement.
He could sense her wherever he went, and if he happened to meet the real Shioana, he had to struggle to suppress his impulses.
'I can't disappoint Shioana.'
He was afraid she would find out about the unrefined thoughts filling his head.
"Etienne, I don't want to regret it."
Shioana's lips trembled as she watched him try to turn away from her.
"I don't want to remember only your back."
Shioana was swept up in a more urgent feeling than usual.
Now. If they missed this moment, there was no telling what might happen to the two of them.
"I don't want to put up with it anymore. So I'll decline to wait either."
Shioana parted her lips as if she had spilled something.
"Do you even know what on earth you're talking about?"
At Shioana's confession, his voice split into many parts.
There wasn't a single thing wrong with what she said.
Because the words he casually said to his younger sibling, "Let's do it later, let's go next time," became a promise that could never be kept in a lifetime.
'But even so, I cannot welcome her like this.'
Shioana, staring straight into his trembling eyes, said.
"Etienne, I want to be with you."
"Hah. But I am a slave, and I have nothing."
Etienne, who had been crushing his eyes hard with one hand, let out a rough breath.
"Yeah. You're a very arrogant slave."
"Because you are a noble lady..."
The only barrier separating the two was their difference in social status.
Shioana wondered what meaning her status held, as she wasn't even treated like a noble. All she wanted was this man standing before her.
No matter how many gifts the wealthy and noble Count Noah brought, she could not even kiss him.
"Etienne, I really like you."
She liked him so much that she couldn't express her feelings in words.
Shioana snuggled tightly into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. For some time now, whenever she thought of Etienne, she felt as though her lower abdomen were twisting. Her heart racing was a given, and her mind went completely blank.
"So please hug me."
"...Oh my god."
As she pressed closer, Etienne could not breathe properly. He wanted to believe that she was just saying it without thinking, but he knew for sure that was not the case.
Shioana, who had been watching him hesitate, wondering if it was okay to do this while swept up in impulse, put her arms behind her back and untied the dress strings.
"..."
The only light shining in the damp and dark basement was Shioana's blue eyes. Etienne could only watch her touch and could not stop it.
The dress was loose. A glimpse of soft breasts was visible through the hem. Just as he was about to squeeze his eyes shut, Shioana grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"Etienne, don't you want me?"
At Shioana's question, he trembled slightly. It was a ridiculous question.
"Even if the sun becomes the moon, my heart will not change."
He was the person who made him lose his entire family and break the firm resolve he had made.
"So please do not have such doubts again."
He gripped Shioana's waist tightly, lowered his head to lightly kiss her lips, and traced his gaze down her neck. A moan escaped Shioana's lips every time his hot breath touched her neck.
"...Ha."
As he pressed his lips against her exposed shoulder, a sigh escaped from both of their lips simultaneously.
"E, Etienne."
"I will prove my feelings."
Shioana's body trembled slightly at his terribly low voice. She desperately longed for the unknown night to come, while fear surged through her.
As if sensing her fear, Etienne spoke firmly.
"You cannot back out now."
"Etienne, kiss me."
Shioana pleaded as she burrowed into his arms to hide her embarrassment. Etienne lifted her up and approached the old bed.
"Please stay exactly as you are for a moment."
He stood Shioana by the bed for a moment and slowly took off his shirt. With every movement of his veined hand, glimpses of Etienne's chest were visible.
The basement, which had been filled with humidity, was suddenly covered in thick, stuffy air, and Shioana scratched her neck hard with her hand.
“Please sit here.”
Etienne spread his removed shirt on the bed and knelt on the cold floor.
"Eh, Etienne, what are you trying to do?"
Etienne, with one hand on his chest, spoke in a low voice.
"I offer myself to you today. Will you accept me?"
It was the groom's vow on the wedding night with his bride in Urcheka.
Shioana pressed her hand firmly against her thigh as she looked at the reddened corners of his eyes. She felt suffocated by Etienne's serious expression. It was clear she liked him much more than she had thought. Her trembling lips parted as she finally managed to speak.
"...Yes."
Upon hearing Shioana's answer, he slowly rose to his feet.
It was a modest ceremony without guests cheering and scattering grain. However, the people to share with from now on will certainly not be shabby or lacking.
“You gave permission.”
Etienne, leaning toward her with his arms on the bed, let out a rough, beast-like voice.
"...E, Etienne."
The rough, masculine aura emanating from him made her mouth dry. Then, as she lowered her head, she caught sight of a scar running across his chest and abdomen beneath his twitching muscles. Her eyes soon welled up at the not-so-distant scar.
“...It must have hurt.”
As Shioana reached out to feel Etienne's wound, he kissed the back of her hand and shook his head.
"It didn't hurt at all."
In fact, it wasn't that it didn't hurt, but that it was a wound that should not be forgotten. Etienne composed his sorrowful expression and once again buried his lips deeply in the back of Shioana's hand.
"Don't get hurt again, Etienne."
"...I will obey your command, Miss."
He spoke affectionately and looked down at Shioana's body as if to completely engulf her. Etienne's red eyes rested on her chest, which was panting up and down.
"It’s rude to look at me like that."
As Shioana reached out to cover her disheveled dress, he smiled.
"What should I do? I feel like I'm going to do even more rude things."
Etienne kissed her just as he was and carefully untied the straps of her chemise. Only faint moonlight hovered over Shioana's upper body, and his large hands tightly gripped her bare shoulders.
"...Ugh."
Shioana's thick, bushy eyelashes trembled uncontrollably over their locked lips. Just when they felt they couldn't breathe anymore, their lips parted, and the two, gasping for breath, gazed at each other's flushed cheeks.
“Is this a dream?”
His voice was hoarse as he looked down at Shioana's swollen lips. She nodded, tightly hugging Etienne's neck. She couldn't bear it; her heart felt like it would burst if she didn't believe it was a dream.
"Right. This is a dream."
At Shioana's words, he sat up and tugged at the dress forcefully. A moment later, there was a thud as it fell to the floor.
Shioana, wearing only a chemise below the waist, looked breathtakingly alluring.
With her disheveled hair clinging to her cheeks, reddened eyes, and swollen lips, there wasn't a single part of her that wasn't pretty.
Etienne gently stroked Shioana's hair, then held her cheeks in his hands and kissed her eyes and cheeks.
He, who had been kissing various parts of her body with smacking sounds, stopped still and stared intensely at Shioana.
"I told you not to look at me like that earlier..."
She tried to cover her chest with both hands to shield herself from Etienne's gaze, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't be picky about anything."
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