"Th-that… what, ugh!"
Asha, who was asking back what Carlyle meant, trembled at the touch of hand his hand
However, he didn't look at her in her embarrassment.
"Look at this. Like this…"
Asha couldn't push Carlyle away.
"Hah."
His low laughter made her eardrums feel like they were melting.
"Ugh, ugh…!"
Asha could only grit her teeth and try not to make a sound. Of course, it was no use.
She felt like she was trembling at the stimulation he was giving her, but her whole body was getting hot, sweaty, and slippery.
Asha felt strange as if she had become an eel, but Carlyle held her tightly with his large hands. It felt like she was caught in a trap that she could never escape, but somehow it aroused her excitement.
"Ah! Th-that's enough…!"
"We haven't even started properly and you're already saying stop? Are you going to go back on your word about paying the price?"
Carlyle asked teasingly at the words she had uttered unconsciously out of desperation.
Asha gasped for breath and answered in a daze.
"Ah, no, I'm not. Do… do more…"
"More, you like it?"
"Yes, I, I like it!"
Then Carlyle let out a hot breath, "Haah."
Asha had no idea what she was talking about, but Carlyle knew it too, but her every word and breath was so stimulating.
He was at his limit now.
"Asha, look at me. Look at me."
"Haah, haah!"
Her head was hot and she couldn't think straight, but she could hear what Carlyle was saying clearly.
She opened her tightly closed eyes and saw Carlyle's amber eyes glistening.
The desire in those jewels seemed to drip down on her body like lava.
"Really, are you sure you won't regret it?"
Regret? What about?
"Put aside your sense of duty and answer me. Do you want me now?"
She didn't know why he was asking this at this moment.
Asha realized for the first time that she had this desire as well and shouted at Carlyle.
"You, stop blabbering and just hug me already! I feel like I'm going crazy!"
"Asha…?"
"Carlyle, please…!"
With the last strand of restraint Kalail had been holding onto now broken, his desire, now towering like a bull, shattered the barriers of reason and rushed towards Asha.
"Just a little, ease up! Damn it, Asha…!"
It felt like the world was turning white.
Theory and practice were indeed different, far too different.
Even while asking Asha if she was really okay, pretending to be overflowing with righteousness, was all hypocrisy.
Because he didn't want this ecstatic first experience to be the worst for Asha, nor did he want to be remembered as the worst man by her.
Of course, nothing else mattered now.
"Ah! Ah!"
Without needing to say who went first, they embraced each other's bodies, surrendering themselves to each other's warmth, shaking uncontrollably.
An unimaginable pleasure surged over them like a tidal wave. Whether discovering such addictive pleasure in the world was a stroke of luck or misfortune, was yet to be known.
Either way, it was too late.
Like water spilling over, instincts and desires overflowed from the vessel of reason, dominating their night.
* * *
Asha was completely exhausted, as if the saying "burn everything down" was meant for this very moment, but it was a different kind of exhaustion than she felt after fighting on the battlefield.
'It will be dawn soon, right?'
Asha, who was blankly blinking her tired eyelids, decided that she had to get out of here before dawn, no matter what happened. She slowly raised her body.
The most awkward thing was carefully lifting and lowering Carlyle's arm that was resting on her. But Carlyle seemed to be out of it too, completely sprawled out.
[Did it hurt a lot?]
Just before falling asleep, Carlyle, who was worried about her even when his mind was hazy, came to mind.
She was too sleepy and embarrassed to say anything, but she only shook her head. The pain was almost non-existent, just as he had promised at first.
No, maybe it's more accurate to say that she didn't have the mental energy to feel pain.
'Why… did he say that?'
That wasn't the only strange thing.
Throughout their first night, he was gentle and affectionate.
The man who used to only spit out arrogant and mean words hadn't done so once since they lay down in bed.
On the contrary, he even made her feel sorry for him by saying things like he didn't regret it and he would stop here if she wanted him to.
'Really, it's useless….'
Asha clenched her teeth.
Then she silently got up, picked up the nightgown that had fallen to the floor and put it on, picked up the gown and robe hanging on the chair and put them on, and then quietly left his room.
The banquet must have been over a long time ago, as it was quiet as a mouse everywhere.
'Fortunately. I don't want to be seen today.'
It was okay to be seen by others on the morning after the fake first night. They knew what to imagine, but nothing actually happened.
But now…
Even though those who met her might not think it was strange anymore, she didn't have the confidence to pass them by indifferently.
Asha quickly returned to her room and headed straight to the bathroom.
"Humph!"
She filled the bathtub with cold well water and immersed herself, scrubbing her whole body that was still feeling Carlyle's touch.
Her teeth chattered and her lips turned blue.
But Asha didn't even think about getting out soon, instead she plunged her head into the water.
'Come to your senses, Asha Pervaz! Don't act like a mess!'
Her head felt like it was going to freeze with the cold water, but her chest felt like it was on fire.
'It's a temporary feeling. It's because it's the first time. That man was just caught up in the moment. He'll be better with other women.'
The moment she clashed with Carlyle kept coming to mind and sinking over and over again.
Despite the fact that he had given a lot to Pervaz, he was a very unlucky person in most cases when he opened his mouth.
He had no qualms about insulting people and thought of everything in a self-centered way.
To him, the Pervaz lords were 'trash', and it was clear that their current lord herself was not much different from trash.
'Why was he so affectionate and nagging!'
Asha, who had raised her head from the water, was so angry that she hit the surface of the bathtub hard.
Water splashed everywhere and the surface of the water rippled like waves. Just like Asha, her inner self.
"Ha, ha..."
Asha, who was standing still dripping with water, rubbed her face with both hands and pulled herself together.
'Let's not be mistaken. The fact that he was affectionate has nothing to do with me. He'll probably forget all about it when the sun comes up.'
Yes, it could have been just to set the mood for bed.
'I just sold my body to him tonight and paid the price. Let's not be mistaken.'
Asha forced such a determination into her head.
However, no matter how much she suppressed herself, she couldn't control the fact that her body kept getting hot.
* * *
"Hmm..."
Carlyle opened his eyes, feeling like he had slept well for a long time.
The sun was already at its zenith.
"What time is it...?"
He was still groggy and fumbling around on the bed when he suddenly opened his eyes wide as he brushed the cold, empty space next to him.
"Asha?"
He hurriedly got up, but there was nothing else on the bed. As if it had been his own bedroom from the beginning.
He didn't feel so good seeing the empty space, as he had expected to spend time with her at least until morning.
Then he shook his head as he looked out the bright window.
'It's my fault for waking up so late. Maybe she waited for a while and then went back?'
If so, that was a shame.
For a man to make a woman he spent the night with wait and then go back first, that might be the worst bedroom manners in history.
'I should ask her to have lunch with me. I don't know if she's mad at me.'
Carlyle felt worried, but a smile came to his face and he felt happy.
Last night was unexpectedly great.
He didn't know if all first experiences were like this, but it felt like a new horizon had opened up in his life.
'Is it because you feel closer to the person you sleep with?'
It had only been a few hours of being tangled together, naked, but suddenly Asha felt closer to him. More accurately, she felt more precious to him.
He wanted to cook her a delicious meal, have a conversation while looking into her eyes, kiss her, and sleep in the same bed again.
No, right now, he just wanted to hug her tightly.
Carlyle immediately called the attendant and offered Asha a meal.
'Would you allow me to kiss you on the cheek when we meet?'
Asha would probably be embarrassed but pretend to be nonchalant. He didn't know that would make her look even cuter.
'I look forward to it.'
He took his time washing his body and tidying up the surroundings, happily waiting for the meal.
However, his imagination did not come true.
"Thank you for inviting me to lunch, Your Highness."
Asha, who appeared at the dinning table, was surprisingly indifferent, as if she had erased last night from her life.