The Red Witch - Chapter 84

TN: "Rayne" -> "Laine"

‘I… I just… It felt like I was losing my mind… That’s what scared me…’

If she had to choose whether she liked it or not… well, she definitely liked it. So why not just go with it?

It’s not like she could get pregnant anyway, so what was the problem? It healed her wounds, made her feel good, and was probably great for her physical and mental health… Right?

Either way, maybe being soulmates really was a divine decision.

How else could you explain how much the bond seemed to insist they stay close? Even letting them enjoy intimacy without worrying about pregnancy… Ah, no, that probably wasn’t it either.

‘But still… What happened earlier… was that really… real?’

Upon hearing Ael say he wouldn’t do it after all, Kiara couldn’t help but glance with disappointment at his lower body.

Maybe it was the way he was sitting on the bed, but the large thing that had been nudging insistently against her thigh earlier was nowhere in sight now.

Something that big… surely it couldn’t just disappear like that… right?

Unconsciously, Kiara licked her lips. Just imagining something that size stirring things up deep inside her made her feel oddly parched.

“What are you looking for?”

“Huh? Wh-what? N-no! I wasn’t looking at anything…!”

Startled by Ael’s question, she flailed her hands wildly.

But no matter how much she denied it, there was no hiding the fact that her head had clearly been tilted in that direction for a while now.

Ael followed her gaze, and his face flushed just as red as Kiara’s.

“W-what… What were you staring at…?”

“N-no, it’s just… I mean… It’s… so… big…”

Ah, she really should’ve just brushed it off. But Kiara was a terrible liar, especially when flustered. Even Raelin had sighed and said this once:

Lady Kiara, lying is bad, of course… but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you must, I think it might be best to just… say nothing at all.

And truly, staying silent would’ve been far better here. But when even Ael started looking just as flustered, Kiara panicked and felt she had to say something.

Which led her, inevitably, to start babbling.

“Th-this morning, when I accidentally brushed against it, I realized you’re just too big! I-I mean, when I saw it before… well, it was dark, so I didn’t get a good look. And when I, uh… when I went down on you, my jaw did ache a bit, but it didn’t seem that big. But now, I don’t even think it’d fit in my mouth at all. I started wondering…is it even okay for a person to be that big? And how did I not notice until now…”

Kiara rambled on for a while before sneaking another glance at Ael.

He had his large hand covering his face, so she couldn’t quite see his expression, but the tips of his ears had gone noticeably red.

Oh no… did I hit a nerve? Maybe he’s self-conscious about it?

‘But why would he be…’

If anything, it should be a good thing… right?

She furrowed her brow slightly, then remembered how she used to feel awkward about her own large chest.

And hadn’t Raelin told her once? That men could be surprisingly sensitive about “that sort of thing”? Exactly what “sort of thing” Raelin meant, Kiara still wasn’t sure—but either way, there was no helping it now.

With a quiet sigh, she softened her voice as much as she could and continued gently:

“It’s just… I’m curious how something like that’s supposed to fit inside me. It felt like a stretch before, but now, seeing how it’s gotten even bigger… I can’t help wondering what it’ll feel like.”

“…You’re curious?”

Ael’s voice cut through the silence, making Kiara blink wide-eyed in surprise.

His hand still covered most of his face, but at least he was talking now. And for that, she was a little relieved.

So he had been worried about it after all.

‘Honestly, men really do need a lot of handling. Just like when he got injured and came stumbling in.’

With a helpless shrug, Kiara lifted her shoulders, then grew increasingly pleased with herself as she began to pile on the compliments.

“If I had to choose, I think I’d prefer bigger over smaller. Not that I really know, but still. So don’t worry about it, okay?”

“You prefer bigger, huh…”

Ael let out a short laugh and moved his hand away from his face. Seeing the corner of his mouth curl into a lopsided grin, Kiara blinked in confusion.

‘Wait, wasn’t he embarrassed just a second ago?’

That expression didn’t look shy or flustered anymore. If anything, he looked poised, like he’d been waiting for something.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind. Back when they were living in the woods, she’d once seen a large wildcat hunting. The way it silently observed a tiny rabbit from a distance, then, in one swift motion, pounced.

Right now, Ael’s face looked exactly like that wildcat’s.

Oh no. I must’ve completely misunderstood something here.

“N-no, I-I mean, I said I don’t really know… I just thought maybe… that might be the case…”

Flustered, Kiara started inching her bottom backward on the bed, scooting away from him little by little. She didn’t even realize she was leaning her torso away, trying to create as much distance as she could.

But there was no way Ael was going to allow that.

In a flash, he reached out and caught her arm, pulling her toward him.

“Now, now… where do you think you’re going?”

“Eek!”

Startled, Kiara let out a small yelp as she flopped backward onto the bed, but Ael paid no mind.

Bracing his hands on either side of her shoulders, he leaned over and looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“We could always run an experiment.”

“W-what? E-experiment…?”

She echoed his words, but it wasn’t because she actually wanted to know what he meant. She was just trying to stall for time, maybe find a chance to escape.

But it was no use.