Chapter 82
The comfortable clothes she’d worn to feign sleep for her knights were now undone, the fastenings having come loose during the long, tangled embrace with Seikan. Beneath, she wore only a thin slip, and even that had slipped from her shoulder, the strap falling away as she clung to him.
The tips of her full br3asts, like ripe apples, and their dark pink n1pples peeked out with each breath she took. An overwhelming urge to pull away the tantalizingly draped fabric and take her soft br3ast into his mouth consumed him.
“Ha, haha. Madman.”
Seikan covered his face with his hands, a self-deprecating curse escaping his lips. He was acutely aware of Adelina’s state, why she had come to his quarters, yet even now, lvst burned within him. He remembered the news of Adelina’s collapse from the withdrawal symptoms, the agonizing fear when he couldn’t see her, the oveLeahrd whispers that she truly didn’t have much time left. The deep despair he felt in those moments remained, sharp shards piercing his heart. Yet, he was aroused by the vulnerable woman lying before him, conjuring the convenient excuse that he had to embrace her to save her.
“What am I to do, Adelina?” Seikan murmured sorrowfully, gazing at the sleeping face of the woman he had loved for so long. She was the only woman he had ever wanted to spend his life with, and he desperately wished for her to live. But for her to live, he had to break her stubborn will, the will that had led her to this state.
“I love you, Adelina.”
Seikan lifted her hand and kissed her pale fingers. The calluses from her constant writing were a testament to her diligent nature. He pressed his lips to each finger with fervent devotion. “I love you. The moment you dared to scold me, the Count’s only son, striking the back of my head, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I always thought of myself as a dried flower hanging on a wall, but then…” He trailed off, the heat in his eyes forcing him to swallow his emotions.
He had believed that if he could just hold her, even against her will, their platonic relationship would change. When he and his comrades fought tooth and nail to obtain the succubus’s blood, he thought he was the luckiest man alive. He hadn’t known it would become a blade threatening the woman he loved. The kisses weren’t enough, and watching her wither away felt like he was dying alongside her.
Seikan tightened his grip on Adelina’s hand. Her fingers, thin enough to feel the bones beneath, were heartbreakingly frail. He couldn’t do this alone. If he told everyone and held her, even by force… “Then you would simply choose death, wouldn’t you? So, while you’re unconscious like this…” His blue eyes drifted, lost and confused.
“Seikan! Can I come in?” A booming voice preceded the unceremonious parting of the tent flaps. With lightning reflexes, Seikan sprang to his feet and quickly covered Adelina with the sheet.
“What?” But the newcomer possessed physical prowess rivaling his own; one of the few on the continent.
“You, you bastard…” Reynard, who had come to discuss the protocol for their meeting with the Western Grand Lord the following day, roared and charged forward. “What are you doing! Did you d**g Adelina? Why is she like this?!” She was limp and unconscious, her clothes disheveled, her br3ast exposed – it was an understandable misunderstanding. Seikan met Reynard’s furious emerald gaze as he was grabbed by the collar.
“Reynard.”
“What, you bastard!”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Are you going to try to excuse yourself?! Go ahead, try!” Reynard released Seikan’s collar as if throwing him aside and went to Adelina’s side, checking her condition. As Reynard carefully peeled back the sheet, Seikan spoke, his voice heavy. “The answer is already decided, but tell me. Would you choose Adelina hating you to death, or Adelina dying?”
Reynard froze, his hand hovering over Adelina. He slowly turned, his eyes wide with shock. “What… what do you mean?”
“I tried to hide it as long as I could, because I didn’t want her to hate me. But I think this is the end.” At first, he’d been relieved that he was the one who saw her secretly meeting with the elven mage. Foolishly so. He had been blinded by the joy of having her to himself, even for a little while. He hadn’t known he would see Adelina wither away so quickly.
“Tell me clearly, Seikan. What are you talking about?!” Seikan grabbed Reynard’s wrist as he bellowed and grabbed him by the collar again. The hell he would walk into with his comrade, the one he’d trusted with his life, fighting for justice, would be both terrifying and sweet.
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