Chapter 79
The bracelet, painstakingly woven strand by strand with her small hands as a token of gratitude, was frankly, a pathetic sight compared to anything bought with coin.
How old was she now? It had been three years since she’d given me those roots, and if she was entering the Academy this year…
“Twelve? Thirteen?”
Frowning as I tried to recall the child’s age, I abruptly stood.
Knock, knock.
“May I enter? Her Highness requests your presence for dinner… Eek!”
The maid, mid-announcement, shrieked as I flung the door open.
“I’m so sorry. I have somewhere I need to be. Please tell Her Highness I apologize, but I’m not feeling well enough to join her for dinner tonight.”
“Wait!”
Ignoring the maid’s call, I ran back the way I’d come, racing towards the second floor where the royal library was housed. Bursting through the grand doors, I found that idiot standing exactly where I’d left him, frozen in the same position.
“Adelina?”
Seikan’s eyes, which had seemed fixed on the spot where I’d disappeared, widened in surprise at my return.
“Hey, Seikan.”
I strode towards him and grabbed his collar, having to stand on tiptoe to reach.
“Let’s start with a kiss.”
“What? What are you…!”
Still gripping his collar, I crashed my lips against his.
Seikan’s startled eyes softened as he closed them, a strong arm wrapping around my waist as another supported my back, tilting me into the embrace.
“Hngh…”
During a brief pause for breath, a hot tongue slipped into my mouth the moment my lips parted.
The sensation sent shivers down my spine. Even as my breath hitched, my mind raced.
Just how far did things go last night for him to be this skilled?
Trembling at the caress of his hand on my lower back, I consciously tried to relax into the kiss, focusing on gauging the limits of my body’s tolerance. I had no idea how far we’d gone while I was drunk, but I needed to figure out how much intimacy I could handle without… well, dying.
A few kisses had bought me about two weeks; this had to be enough to keep me going, right?
Seikan, however, seemed to have other plans. His lips moved against mine, nibbling at my lower lip as his tongue explored my mouth with an intensity that stole my breath. While his hand continued its exploration, tracing the curve of my back and waist, igniting hidden sensations, it suddenly dipped lower, cupping my bottom before I could react.
“Hngh!”
He pulled me flush against him, and the alarming hardness of his arousal pressed against my stomach. The pressure on my chest became suffocating, and I pushed against his arm. Seikan reluctantly broke the kiss, panting as he whispered against my lips.
“Let’s…hah…continue this somewhere else. This isn’t exactly… the right place.”
“Hah…hah…what?”
An arm as thick as my thigh scooped me up into the air.
“I know this is a difficult decision. Thank you, and I’m sorry, Adelina.”
“W-wait…”
“I’ll be even more careful, I promise.”
A chaste kiss landed on my forehead, a stark contrast to the fiery passion of the previous one. His expression was serious as he carried me, the look of a man who had made a momentous decision. I couldn’t let this go unchecked.
“Wait! Seikan Ferdian! Stop!”
“Adelina?”
“What are you thinking?! I said just a kiss!”
Seikan’s brow furrowed slightly.
“But the elf mage said…”
“I need to assess my condition first. I’m not going straight to bed!”
My struggles finally convinced him to put me down, though his hands remained on my body.
“I doubt one kiss is going to magically fix everything.”
He had a point.
Since I couldn’t exactly confide in anyone else, physical contact with Seikan was my only lifeline, which meant it needed to be frequent. The problem was, Seikan, along with the others, were leaving for a distant land. And I needed Lumiere nearby to monitor my health.
It seemed that the moment I’d resolved to survive, no matter how desperate the measures, new obstacles arose.
***
“I’ll go too.”
Lumiere agreed to join the western expedition with surprising ease.
“It’s going to be dangerous. Are you sure?”
“No one expects me to fight, do they? I’m here on a personal contract with His Highness, and even if things get dangerous, I’m stronger than I look.”
His words weren’t exactly reassuring.
Lumiere, with his slender frame and boyish features, seemed to sense my doubt. He smiled gently and took my hand.
“Thank you for your concern, but you should focus on your own well-being, Adelina.”
A cool energy flowed from his hand, washing over me.
“One kiss, you said? And the timing? There’s a slight improvement, but it’s like pouring a bucket of water onto a desert.”
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