Chapter 550
Chapter 550
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 550
Chapter Title: Love and War (3)
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1.
-Gulp, gulp, gulp
"Kuhaaa...!"
Lurue chugged the bottle of ice-cold sterilized milk, her body shuddering in ecstasy.
She drank it so deliciously that even Siwoo, sipping his milk beside her, felt like it suddenly tasted better.
"Refreshing! Yum hahaha!"
Lurue slammed the bottle down with a hearty laugh.
Wrapped in a massive gown over her bikini, she looked full of energy now, with no trace of the dizziness that had made her stagger earlier.
Of course, after an hour of alternating between a tub full of ice-cold water and a steaming sauna, her body shouldn't have any issues.
Besides, her spiritual body wasn't that fragile to begin with.
Still, just to be safe, I wiped the milk dribbling from the corner of her mouth with a towel and asked,
"Feeling okay now?"
"Think We would collapse from a mere sauna? It was just a slight slip of the foot earlier!"
It wasn't a situation where she could have slipped at all, but since she seemed embarrassed, I let it slide.
"It's far more enjoyable with you here. How was it for you?"
Lurue's skin did look softer and smoother—saunas really must be good for the complexion.
She looked so cute that I almost reached out to pat her head but barely held back.
"I liked it too. That languid, drowsy feeling was nice."
"Alternating between the sauna and cold plunge is Our secret to enjoying it from A to Z. When your body is full of heat and sticky with sweat! That refreshingly crisp dive in! Isn't it paradise on earth?"
"I'll make sure to spread the word when we get back home."
No, maybe a little pat wouldn't hurt?
I stealthily extended my hand and placed it on top of Lurue's head.
Why do you always want to pet a cute cat on sight?
It was a similar impulse.
"Thanks to you, I've had so many great experiences."
I rested my hand on her pretty blue-black hair.
Lurue seemed in a good mood, so she wouldn't get mad over this, and if she did, it'd honestly be fun to watch in its own way.
"...Hm?"
Lurue glanced up with just her eyes at the hand on her head.
Her big, innocent eyes blinked innocently, as if she hadn't quite registered what was happening.
-Rustle, rustle
Might as well go for it—I gently stroked side to side.
Her hair was incredibly silky, as I'd noticed before.
It always swayed like a bolt of silk when she walked around.
"Uh... hea... wha...?"
Lurue's mouth flapped open, and her arms stuck out awkwardly at her sides like a penguin's, twitching.
Any moment now, she'd explode...
'How dare you touch Our royal body without permission! The gall!'
'Seeing Her Majesty's fine hair, my hand moved on its own! Execute me!'
'Is that so? Very well! Once a day, you may savor Our hair! Marvel at Our boundless mercy!'
...or some short skit like that.
"......"
Lurue was so quiet that even Siwoo flinched.
She didn't even swat my hand away or stop me.
Did I overdo it?
Spooked by her odd reaction, I quietly pulled my hand back.
As if she'd been holding her breath the whole time, Lurue finally let out a strange sound—an "ah" that could have been a sigh or a gasp.
I'd had a slight feeling it might be too much, but her reaction was way out of left field.
"......"
Still silent, Lurue raised a hand to her head like a squirrel washing its face and bit her lip hard.
Biting her lip that tightly while twitching the corner of her mouth—impressive technique.
"Donmb toubch Our heab wid wibout berbission."
She was biting so hard it was hard to make out, but it probably translated to something like "Don't touch Our head so casually."
"I'm really sorry!"
I hadn't expected her to hate it that much, so I apologized profusely to soothe her mood.
2.
Spiritual bodies don't get hungry per se, but there's such a thing as mental hunger.
After sweating it all out, your mouth just gets restless.
We changed out of our swimsuits into pajamas and had a light midnight snack in the dining room, and before we knew it, the clock read 4 a.m.
Truth be told, it's hard to gauge time's passage on a submarine.
There were no windows except in Lurue's bedroom, and even those just showed inky blackness.
But both Siwoo and Lurue were witches with regular sleep habits, so it was about time to hit the sack for a few hours.
"Dishes are done, so I'll head back to my room."
Siwoo bowed casually and said goodnight.
Watching him, Lurue felt a twinge of annoyance.
About the head pat after the sauna, specifically.
She hated to admit it, but the moment his thick hand gently stroked her hair, Lurue had felt a dizzying vertigo.
More precisely, she'd nearly fallen completely under his spell, grinning like an idiot and ready to grant any request.
She hadn't protested right away amid the chaos, but eating her snack in a daze made her want to yell "Foul! Foul!"
Digging deeper, it was because Siwoo had initiated physical contact out of nowhere.
Right now, the two were locked in a silent battle of wills.
He wanted Lurue to kneel and submit first, while she aimed to tame this wild colt of a Shin Siwoo.
But petting her head out of the blue? Total foul play.
It was too straightforward for their "battle," violating the unspoken rule of "don't show obvious intent to seduce."
If casual physical contact like he'd done was fair game, she was confident she could conquer Siwoo faster.
"Our Grand Minister of the Interior."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
If he played dirty, she'd have to up the ante with something spicier.
One hit taken meant hitting back twice as hard—that was Lurue Nukelavi's creed.
"Sleep in Our bed tonight."
"Pardon?"
"Sleep by Our side."
"...Pardon?"
A demand for bed-sharing—the ultimate power move.
When a man and woman share a bed, the odds of sex skyrocket.
She knew bed-sharing implied intimacy from the start.
By now, Shin Siwoo was probably throwing a mental victory party while holding back cheers on the surface.
"The bed's plenty big anyway, right? No more sleeping on that hard thing every night—rest easy."
But this seemingly coquettish suggestion hid a cunning trap.
Bed-sharing didn't necessarily mean sex.
He'd see it as Lurue waving the white flag first and pounce like a horny monkey.
That's when she'd strike!
'We pitied you dozing off on that hard bed and offered you a corner of Our chamber! Yet blinded by lust, you try to defile Our royal body! You beastly cur!'
Once caught in the trap, Siwoo would be firmly in her grasp, handing her complete control.
Then she could domineer him openly, showing mercy even to her lust-crazed vassal.
Plus, moving to her bedroom neutralized the vicious secret weapon in his room, avenging last night's humiliation.
She was confident it was a strategy Zhuge Liang himself would weep over.
"Mm... sure."
Idiot.
He took the bait.
But contrary to Lurue's expectations, Siwoo accepted so readily not out of sexual intent.
He'd assumed she'd lost all interest in that department.
After sweating buckets, the comfy bed appealed, but most of all, he figured Lurue—who'd been sleeping alone forever—must be lonely.
In their crossed signals, Lurue hid a smug smile.
3.
Lurue's bed was enormous.
Just the width was about 300 square feet.
Deepseaview rolling around on it was such a spectacle that she'd once spent the whole day tumbling about, gazing at the ocean.
But now that Operation Bed-sharing was underway, Lurue realized that captivating view wasn't registering at all.
"Huff! Huff! It's nothing. We must stay calm..."
Alone on the bed while Siwoo stepped out to tidy his guest room, Lurue was left to her thoughts.
She couldn't understand why she was like this.
Having decided to play the magnanimous queen indulging even her whims, keeping him waiting before satisfying his desires would be effective.
So tonight, she'd firmly reject any demands and do nothing.
But no matter how much she told herself that, tension made her body tremble.
She was far more nervous than during their chaotic first nights.
"We pitied you dozing off on that hard bed and offered you a corner of Our chamber. Yet blinded by lust, you try to defile Our royal body. You insolent beast."
She muttered and rehearsed her lines, but her pounding heart showed no signs of calming, and at the sound of him returning, Lurue flinched.
She hoped he hadn't brought that terrifying tool. Looking up, she saw he hadn't—thank goodness.
Shin Siwoo approached, modeling her oversized gown so well it dragged on the floor despite being too big for her.
Each step quickened Lurue's breath.
"Good night."
Siwoo slipped off his slippers and lay on the bed.
Even sharing the bed, its 10-foot length created a spacious gap between them.
"Thanks for the great experience."
"O-oh, yes."
"This bedroom's always so impressive."
"O-oh, yes..."
"Sleep well."
"O-oh, yes..."
Only then did Lurue realize her regret.
Her strategy had failed.
She hadn't anticipated this.
Just lying 10 feet away made her head spin and reason falter.
Seeing his bare body had dizzied her before, but this was worse.
She'd entered a frail state where she couldn't resist whatever he did.
At the rustling sound, Lurue pulled the covers to her chin, squeezed her eyes shut, and waited.
Was he about to kiss her?
Or creep closer with a lewd chuckle like "Heh, pretending otherwise, but you're aroused"?
Would she have to endure... that rough treatment again?
Crushed under his muscled frame, wailing like a helpless girl?
A restless anxiety she didn't hate at all began throbbing in her chest.
"Hm...?"
Lurue's eyes flew open, tears welling from squeezing too hard.
A minute passed, then ten—nothing happened.
She sat up and glanced over.
While she'd been frantically digging her own grave, Grand Minister of the Interior Shin Siwoo of Nukelavi Kingdom was snoring blissfully, lost in dreamland.
"What in the..."
And so, a serene night drifted peacefully over the tranquil lake of her bewilderment, like a paper boat.