Chapter 78
Sharp lines of his nose caught the morning light, casting a long shadow.
The man who had bound her until late last night was now lost in a deep sleep.
His lips—which had sucked until they bruised Floria’s delicate flesh—were now neatly closed.
She gazed at his face for a long while.
Though he was said to command all under heaven, his expression in slumber was gentle.
A wound, grazed by a stone that flew back from the northern mountains just recently, marked his left cheek above a sharp jawline.
“That must hurt…”
Her heart throbbed at the sight of the still-red wound.
Floria remembered how frightened she was when she first saw it.
Every time he went out, her heart clenched.
Understanding her worry, he had tried never to stay out past nightfall.
But even in that short time apart, her anxiety festered.
Still, she was grateful.
The war with Kaluitt had ended before autumn.
The victory belonged, of course, to Sieff.
The settlement gave Sieff a portion of Kaluitt’s territory.
Now that the war had quieted and things were relatively peaceful, the Grand Duke scarcely left the bedchamber.
Rumors spread beyond the castle walls that the Grand Duke was smitten with his new bride—not the cold tyrant he once was.
The arrival of peace—and his absence from outside the castle—was a great comfort to her.
No more danger now, right?
If he were to be wounded again… Floria thought she might not survive it.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, his once-closed eyelids fluttered.
His dark eyes, half-shadowed, caught the sun and turned brown.
“Awake?”
Still resting her cheek against his firm chest, Floria spoke.
The man paused to orient himself, figuring out where he was and who was whispering in his ear.
A lazy smile curved his lips.
“When did I wake?”
“Just now.”
Floria always fell asleep first and woke later. So moments like this—when she could study Aidan’s sleeping face—were rare.
“You woke up quickly.”
Pouting in disappointment that he had awoken so soon, Floria’s lips pushed out slightly.
Perhaps knowing this, Aidan lowered his head and kissed her lips.
A firm, lingering kiss that he pressed and released.
Though simple, the effects of last night’s heat remained—her discontent melted away in that small gesture.
“Good morning.”
After the kiss, his relaxed laugh brought color back to Floria’s cheeks.
“…Yes, the weather is lovely.”
“Is it? Is the weather good today, too?”
He asked as if the weather mattered little to him.
Floria’s lips twitched again.
“The sun is nice… Well, if you don’t even know the weather, why did you say ‘good morning’?”
“Because you’re here in front of me.”
Before she could blush at his sweetness, he bent over again and brushed her lips with his.
Sip.
His soft tongue parted her lips, entangling with hers as she, startled, tried to pull away.
Aidan stroked roughly as though he meant to suction away every drop of her saliva.
Each tease of his tender flesh stole her breath.
“Mm.”
Even at mid-morning she let slip soft moans.
His rough kisses stole the air from her lungs. Just before her vision blurred from the lack of oxygen, his lips pulled away.
“Haa…”
Floria exhaled long and slow as she gazed at him. Aidan brushed moist lips aside.
“This is a good morning because we can kiss any time. Isn’t it?”
“You say ‘isn’t it’ and—…”
She didn’t know how to answer.
When he’d first spoken, he was clumsy with words.
Whatever she said, he replied in curt, monosyllabic answers. Now, he enjoyed conversation more than Floria did.
“Maybe life was so dull because I had no one to converse with.”
As he had said once before, Aidan enjoyed the time he spent with her—and he didn’t hesitate to show that love as much as that joy.
Aidan drew near again, kissing his wife. Sweet kisses followed one after another.
His firm thigh slid between Floria’s legs.
His bristly hair brushed against her soft skin, pressing and crushing with every movement.
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