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T/N:
•Italics for thoughts (+apostrophes for the first one) and sound effects.
•Multiple "-" represents flashbacks and memories (unless dependant on time signatures like "* * *").
To normal readers, I apologize for the (two days) late update. School work has been piling up, and I tend to get writer's block for my assignments, forget important things, and struggle to keep myself from getting distracted.8
To Golden Knight Readers, I also apologize again for lack of productiveness and inefficiency in getting chapters done for you. I hope you know I am remorseful for breaking my promise. My lack of motivation has often led me to procrastinating, indulging myself in browsing social media instead of getting my work done like I should. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding, I'm extremely fortunate to not receive any complaints so far.
Enjoy reading!||
. . .
It was inside a room, the sunlight was blocked due to the tightly-closed curtains.
The light that came out like gold between the curtains was not pale white, but pale orange.
". . . Kalia?" Simon said in a hoarse voice, which was like that after calling her name all night.
His sensual voice, which had been hushed and subdued, rang through the empty space.
It appeared Kalia chose to remain quiet, but she seemed to still be asleep when he found that she had not answered the call. Yeah, she deserved it. Because last night was awesome.
With a slightly dumb face, Simon laughed to make him less sleepy.
He was so enthusiastic until the morning sun came up that his whole body was limp as if it had been beaten.
The pleasure of the first time was amazing all around, and the night of the two did not end quickly. Everywhere the lips touched was burning.
The more a spot was touched repeatedly, the more sensitive it was, which made the two go crazy.
And yet, there was nothing they could do about it.
'Oh, my God . . . but even for Kalia, last night must've been too much. I can't believe she hasn't woken up yet.'
He was a little proud of what had happened before with Kalia, and had a bit of a momentum that she was tired to the point of being asleep.
No one, no one, no one, nobody but Kalia Tacskate!
The strongest woman in the Empire. Monster-like endurance. Superb stamina. A symbol of perseverance and strength.
. . . And now the woman of Simon.1
Simon buried his face into the pillow to cover his mouth that had a large smile, and he reached his arm to where the empty spot was.1
"Kalia."
I wanted to touch her firm, soft naked skin.
For years, this had been what Simon was longing for.
I wanted to hold Kalia's scarred body tightly and gently caress her.
I wanted to hug her more warmly and more powerfully than anyone else. ||*1||
With his two hands, his two arms.
". . . Kalia?"
However, nothing touched the outstretched hand, and there was no answer to the call of a name.
Feeling the need of an embrace, Simon opened his eyes and looked around.
Nothing.
No matter how he looked around, there was no Kalia in sight. As a result of last night, the large bed was messed up, but only Simon was the one who occupied the bed. For a moment, Simon was confused. With his vague memory, even he thought that last night's events might have been all a dream.
But soon, after discovering long hair strands with loose waves that fell off the white linen of the bed, the anxious thoughts faded away.
It didn't matter that it was just hair strands, he patted his chest with relief.
Whoo, I almost . . .
". . . . . . . I almost went crazy."
He got up from where he sat with a long exhale.
He walked straight onto the terrace, pulled the curtains away, and bathed in the orange sunshine.
Simon also exercised despite being a mage, and because he was conscious of a certain someone, he was diligent to make sure he exercised everyday.
I didn't know what was going to happen at any time, and I didn't want my body to look thinner and weaker than yours.
Even if the muscles were not as large and expanded as those of the knights, the moderately well-sculpted muscles slithered and creased with Simon's movements.
He looked beyond the Imperial Palace with the red sunrise behind it, and couldn't stand it because he felt pathetic.
'. . . Did I even stretch today?'
There was no humor in it, nevertheless, only loud laughter emerged. ||*2||
As usual, or after waking up much later than usual, she was probably embarrassed for a long time and went back to her mansion.
I've been sitting there for a long time, not knowing what to do . . . .
It was obvious without looking.
She was absent-minded as she recalled last night while seeing both herself and the sleeping Simon naked.
He burst into laughter so many times and searched for clothes in a lazy gesture.
Kalia probably hid her presence and carefully walked out of this room so that he wouldn't wake up when he fell asleep.
'. . . Should we take it easy tomorrow?'
Simon happily anticipated Kalia's reaction.
Would she be embarrassed with her cheeks flushed?
Or cutely hiding from him?
Maybe, maybe not . . . Or did she play with him last night?
Thinking that far, Simon's lips curled.
'I don't care. I've already left traces that you can't deny.'4
He kissed all the wounds on her body, licked and sucked all of her rough fingertips and her lovely, peach-tinted frame.
Last night's Kalia belonged to Simon from head to toe.
She lived every moment with heat, and she was brave, never withdrawing even at the first move.
After every moment, Kalia wanted more and urged Simon for more.
As a skilled general, the tactics of encouraging, inspiring, and advancing were great.
She was a natural strategist, a conqueror.
'Oh, Kalia. Kalia.'
Simon was in a good mood when he recalled his warm embrace with Kalia, who was just as honest as her simple personality.
Well, he was until he found someone waiting for him in the lobby of the tower.
Coming down the stairs, Simon spotted a stranger sitting on a spacious sofa reading comfortably as if she were in her own study.
Dressed in a rich blue dress, she glanced up and looked at Simon as if she felt his presence.
"You're finally down here. I almost finished reading my book here. I only have this one book, too."
It was a confident, resonant voice.
The woman, who gathered the few remaining pages of the book with a loud thump, stood up from her seat and met eyes with Simon.
Her red eyes, like rubies, looked straight at him. It was a distinct look as if she were looking at someone she knew.
It was strange, but she had a long face that showed she clearly knew.
She seemed to have been introduced to him at one point, but it was obvious that she was not a significant figure to him as he could not think of a person who immediately came to mind.
"Finally, I can meet with you. Did you sleep well?"
At the provocative woman's voice, Simon took out the monocle he had put in his inner pocket and wore them. ||*3||
On a particularly tiring day, only his right eye sight used to be weak, so he wondered if he didn't recognize her because today was such a day. ||*4||
However, even with a clear perspective of her, he still could not recognize the woman who was so confident in herself.
He then remembered where he saw a woman with a peculiar smile that pulled up one side of the mouth at an angle.
'She said she was Ains's third Royal Daughter.'
It was at the victory party last night when Kalia just had her 26th glass of wine.
No matter how Kalia was, it was obvious that she would get drunk if she drank like that.
Kalia would laugh when she was drunk, and then Simon would feel annoyed.
He didn't want to let anyone see that precious smile.1
'I need to stop her right now.'
It was Louismond who caught Simon in a hurry.
"This is Princess Luina from Ains, she must be bored. Do you happen to have any special events to attend to?"
Surrounded by the talkative Marquis Carlo, his son, and foreign guests, he pursed his lips so that only Simon could see.
'Help me, please.'
He didn't really care about Louismond, who was panting and sweating.
But Simon also needed something to distract everyone.
That was how he'll get Kalia out of the way.
Without saying anything, he reached over the terrace sky and performed fire magic without an incantation.
Boom! Boom! Paghhh!
"Oh, look at that! Fireworks!"
"Oh my, I've never seen such brilliant colors!"
"They're as beautiful as flowers!"
Soon everyone's eyes were focused on the sky.
The gazes of the idiots who were encouraging Kalia to drink wine, and the eyes of the Royal Princess, Luina, who was watching from across Simon, attached to the Prince's side, were all caught up in fireworks.
Taking advantage of the moment, Simon quickly dragged Kalia away.
That was where the memory of Ains's Royal Princess was. The Royal Princess, Luina, and Simon had no other interaction besides that.
"I've been waiting for you since this morning, but you didn't come down. Other mages would lie with nonsense that they didn't know where you were. General Kalia, who is close to you, left some time ago, but I've been waiting for you with hope that'd you come."
. . . That was not really a reason to wait for him from morning to evening.
Facing the glaring golden eyes of Simon, Luina smiled.
Ruby-like red eyes and sparkling honey-blond hair that was rumored to be extremely beautiful fluttered in front of him, but Simon was neither interested or impressed.
What he loved was simply not the dazzling beauty before his eyes.
Luina, who did not lose confidence while looking at the indifferent expression of Simon, got up in front of him and stood straight to look at him face-to-face.
"Do you have any idea why I was waiting for you?"
"Well, I have no idea why."
I'm not interested.
Luna's eyes twitched very subtly at his deep-seated look of disregard.
But quickly, after a short deep breath and sharpening her eyes, she pushed out a trembling voice and grabbed him by his collar.
"I'm here to propose marriage to Duke Simon Mado Terroan."
Those unexpected words caused Simon to furrow his eyebrows, creases forming between them.
". . . Will you not marry me?"5
Marry her?
It was the most ridiculous thing he heard since this morning. ||*5||
It was as if it was the first time.
Since the Rojas Empire was a country well-known for gender equality, of course it was not rare to see women proposing. ||*6||
Simon, too, had already received dozens of proposals, so it shouldn't have been such a shock that she had proposed.
But this was such an improbable approach.
It was so absurd that any lingering kindness left in him was sucked, leaving a freezing chill.
Without a moment's hesitation, Simon replied coldly, as if rejecting an offer for any deal, "I apologize, but I can't accept your proposal. I refuse. I'll pretend I didn't hear your offer for the sake of Princess Luina's honor.
He bowed his head lightly to make her proposal seem like nothing.
As if a little humiliated, Luina's face was slightly red, but she did not back down either.
Rather, she stabbed his weak spot.
"Is it because of General Kalia?"
Simon looked at Luina, his eyes directed downwards.
Suddenly, he felt degraded.
No, it was a feeling of dirtiness.
It was because Kalia's name had been so rudely said by some random royal princess.
But, as if she could not read the cold glare of Simon, the Royal Princess smiled and said in a pretense of benevolence, "I saw her coming down here early in the morning. It was too early to visit a friend. But well, it's fine. I have no intention to bring up something you don't remember." ||*7||17
The indifferent expression was wiped off Simon's face.
. . .