Chapter 101
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 101
At first, I hadn't noticed.
How could I have been aware of my loosely tied robe coming undone when our lips met in fervent passion, when our souls seemed to scatter as we desperately sought each other?
Between our joined lips, ragged breaths exchanged urgently. Lucas Black's tongue, licking and sucking with fervor, drove me into a frenzy. Our lips parted deeply, and our flushed tongues clumsily tangled and stimulated each other.
Lucas Black sucked hard on my rigid tongue. I caressed his aggressive tongue gently, as if soothing it. At that, a scalding moan escaped from Lucas Black's throat.
Unable to resist as I clung to him desperately, gasping for breath, Lucas Black pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine once more. His tongue, tracing my teeth, delved deep into my throat, stealing away my very essence.
"Grace, Grace...."
He whispered my name as if in agony, nibbling at my earlobe.
Lucas Black was clumsy in some respects, yet remarkably bold and refined in others. Particularly in the way he tasted and nibbled at me, he moved with exquisite subtlety between tenderness and sharpness, catching me off guard.
"Ah!"
At the electric sensation grazing my nape, I shuddered and clung to him. Sounds I didn't know I could make kept bursting from between my lips.
So this was truly the beginning.
Just one glance, and such an intense flame ignited. My head spinning, I pulled him close by the shoulders with all my strength.
But then came that moment.
Above where our bodies met, I felt something unexpected—a strange, subtle discomfort I hadn't anticipated.
A warmth that was somehow familiar yet utterly foreign.
Was it when I'd transformed Lucky back into Lucas Black? I remembered feeling something similar in the Forest when we'd tumbled together.
'What on earth is this...?'
I hesitated and lowered my gaze to look at whatever was making me uncomfortable.
In that instant, my thoughts came to a complete halt.
"...."
Though the alcohol had its effect, my reason hadn't been completely paralyzed—I could still feel it moments ago. Yet now, as something entered my field of vision, my remaining rationality evaporated entirely.
"Wh...?"
That was the only word I could manage.
My lips hung open dumbly, gaping uselessly. They say shock stiffens the body, and that was precisely my state now.
"...Oh dear."
Lucas Black, completely absorbed in our kiss and unaware his belt had come undone, only now realized his robe hung open.
As he moved to retie his belt, he hesitated for a moment.
An impulse surged through him—to simply shed the garment and surrender to instinct. The resolve he'd made just moments ago, that this couldn't happen here, wavered ridiculously easily at the sweetness of that single kiss.
Above all, Grace's response shook him.
She hadn't been afraid, hadn't hidden away. Instead, she'd wrapped her trembling hands around his neck and pulled him even closer, embracing him.
Her delicate tongue, like a tender blossom, had tamed his savage one, caressing it gently. At that bold movement, Lucas Black nearly lost all reason. Perhaps Grace desired this moment as desperately as he did.
Yet the moment Lucas Black met Grace's gaze, he had to carefully set aside the hopeful thoughts that had just blossomed.
'...This won't do.'
Grace, her face drained of all color, stood rigid, barely breathing from the shock.
With her eyes wide open as if she'd fainted, her gaze—quite boldly—refused to leave Lucas Black's lower body.
"If you keep staring like that, I might get the wrong idea, Grace."
Lucas Black gently kissed her cheek and closed his robe, covering himself. Grace flinched and looked up at him.
"Are you alright?"
My intimate place had been exposed, yet for some reason, Lucas felt compelled to ask if I was alright.
But even after that, I remained motionless for a long while, frozen like a statue. Lucas waited patiently for me to recover.
How much time had passed?
Like a princess released from an enchantment, warmth gradually returned to my face. Lucas carefully reached out and caressed my cheek.
In that instant, the breath I'd been holding shattered completely.
Hic—!
The problem was that this forced opening came from hiccups.
"G-g-g-gah... hic!"
I quickly pressed my lips together and stepped back. I felt as though I'd seen myself like this once before, long ago.
Back when Lucas and I had only just met a few times.
"H-hic! Hic!"
"Are you alright? You seem quite startled. Let me fetch you some water."
Lucas poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and brought it over.
But as he approached with long strides, I retreated backward just as steadily.
"...Why are you running away?"
"W-w-w-well...."
"Well?"
"You don't seem to be... human... Hic!"
I hesitated, yet the words tumbled out without restraint.
Lucas laughed in exasperation, then shrugged nonchalantly in agreement.
"Well... I suppose there are times when I'm not entirely human."
"Just asking to be sure, but is there perhaps a part of you that didn't transform back from your animal form...."
"Grace."
Lucas called my name quietly, as if to halt my runaway imagination.
"R-right? Of course, that wouldn't be the case, would it? No, but I was so startled... and confused.... Anyway, I'm terribly sorry. I-I didn't mean to see this...."
My back finally touched the wall as I shook my head and continued retreating.
There was nowhere left to go.
Despite my intentions, my eyes kept drifting toward that part of Lucas.
"...Hic!"
The hiccups still wouldn't stop, and Lucas approached with the water glass in hand.
Just as I turned my head to find another escape route.
Lucas's hand pressed against the wall, blocking my way out.
"Are you trying to run away?"
"...Just for a moment."
"Just for a moment to run away?"
I looked up at him with a pitiful expression.
The alcohol had long since evaporated, and the spirited courage I'd gathered had drained away entirely. But fear was unavoidable.
'That's... that's a weapon!'
If I went through with this, I was certain that thing would pummel me mercilessly. I didn't know exactly how, but one thing was abundantly clear—Lucas's member would leave me utterly ruined.
I trembled as I shook my head at Lucas. The damned hiccups still wouldn't cease.
"Why do you look so frightened? Is someone going to hurt you?"
"You're going to hurt me."
"Me?"
"Y-Your Highness is p-part of you!"
Lucas Black, who had been stifling his laughter, gazed down at his adorable wife, who continued to hiccup despite his clenched teeth.
"That's impossible, Grace."
How could I ever hurt you?
His murmured words were undoubtedly tender and gentle. Yet to Grace, who had already witnessed his power, that gentleness inspired little confidence.
Grace looked up at the man towering above her and felt that peculiar sense of pressure wash over her once more.
She found herself thinking anew how truly massive this man was, and she bit her lip firmly. But when she truly considered it, she could not retreat here either.
Whether this man was half human and half something else, had she not already sworn to love him and spend her life at his side? So she could not falter now. She had to find the courage to love him.
"Your Highness, then please give me some time as well."
"Time? What sort of time are you referring to?"
"I need to prepare myself mentally—no, I need to study. It seems this won't be as simple as I thought or prepared for, so I must make thorough preparations as well."
She spoke with utmost seriousness. And she meant every word.
She had tried to face him with the most open heart and boundless possibilities, but this exceeded her imagination entirely. A new resolve was necessary.
Lucas regarded his wife with evident interest and asked politely.
"How much time do you need?"
"S-six months?"
"Rejected."
"A month!"
"Unacceptable."
"A-a week!"
"Denied."
Lucas scooped Grace up into his arms once more.
Startled, she reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck, and he took a single step toward the Bedroom.
Her hiccups ceased, perhaps from the shock of it all.
She clung to his neck with trembling hands, her eyes squeezed shut.
'I can do this. I can do this. This is—this is supposed to be enjoyable! Open your heart. Open it wide.'
As she silently chanted 'I can do this' over and over, her body settled softly onto the Bedroom.
Since things had come to this, rather than wait for him to undress her, the moment she reached for the sash of her robe with her own hands—
"Don't untie it. The moment you do, I really won't be able to hold back."
"...Pardon?"
"One day."
Lucas Black lay back on the Bedroom, cradling Grace in his arms.
A brief kiss brushed across her forehead.
"I'll give you one day. Time to prepare your heart. You don't need to prepare anything else. I've studied plenty on your behalf, so let me handle things for now."
We'll study the rest together.
After kissing her forehead, Lucas murmured drowsily.
As she stirred in surprise, he softly pressed his lips against hers in an unexpected kiss.
It was a brief, tender kiss.
A gentle brush of soft lips—nothing deeper, nothing more intense, for fear he might lose control if he did.
"So... we're just sleeping tonight, then?"
"If that's what you wish."
"And what if I don't wish for that?"
He looked down at her with surprise, questioning her words.
"Truly?"
His eyes darkened instantly, growing heavy with desire.
Grace quickly came to her senses.
She couldn't afford to provoke him with idle curiosity and clumsy seduction—not now, not like this.
He was a man who could transform back into a wild beast at any moment!
"No, I was just asking. What's one day, after all? Let's just sleep like this tonight, Your Highness."
Grace quickly shook her head and nestled deeper into his embrace.
She wrapped both arms around his broad back, holding him as though she would never let go.
Lucas pulled her close with a satisfied smile, embracing her in return.
His hand gently caressed her back.
Soothing, comforting.
As though stroking something infinitely precious.
The warmth and tenderness of his touch made Grace's eyes drift closed of their own accord.
"Say something for me before you fall asleep, Grace."
His voice, heard in that twilight moment between wakefulness and sleep, was achingly sweet.
His broad chest was warm, his strong arms were comforting.
Her tension melted away with impossible ease.
She asked in a drowsy voice.
"What should I say...?"
Sleep was already washing over her, now that her guard had dropped.
Lucas, still stroking her long black hair, whispered his own name.
"Lucas Black."
"...Lucas Black?"
"It sounds lovely."
She felt him smile against her forehead, his chest vibrating with the sound.
It was a genuine laugh, one that spoke of true contentment.
Even as sleep claimed her, she whispered his name once more for him.
"Lucas Black."
"...Once more."
"Lucas Black..."
"Keep going."
"Lucas... Black."
He loved the way she pronounced his name.
Her soft whisper created gentle ripples in his heart, burrowing deep within him.
Lucas buried his face in her hair, savoring the warmth of her body and the delicate fragrance that enveloped her.
It was only later discovered that he had been so utterly fulfilled and content that he had spent the entire night awake without realizing it.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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