Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The First Imperial Princess's Bedside Visit (5)
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Shwaaaah—.
Vail's bedroom, filled with the sound of pouring rain.
The empire's First Imperial Princess collapsed on the floor.
She panicked at the sight of the man covering her body.
"V-Vail... Get up. That's an order!"
Any other person would have scrambled to obey the princess's command.
But this young, sturdy man didn't budge an inch.
"Are you really passed out...?"
For the first time, Leah squeezed her eyes shut against someone she couldn't control.
She strained to push Vail's body off her somehow.
"Hnng...!"
But.
The more she did, the hotter her own body grew, and the more her strength drained away.
"Haa..."
The thicker the musky scent became with every breath she exhaled.
Leah swallowed hard at that fragrance.
She had always demanded impeccable cleanliness from her knights, so she rarely had occasion to smell a man's scent.
That raw, masculine aroma she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
It left the princess's mind in a haze.
A woman who had overcome her frail days and grown healthy.
Pressed close to a healthy man in that state.
But the man was unconscious.
Only Leah could feel their chests pressed together, their heartbeats resonating.
Because of the body pinning her down, she parted her lips and barely managed to breathe.
The more she did, the more their bodies clung together...
Soon, Vail's sweat began soaking through to Leah's dress shirt.
"So heavy..."
She murmured in a plaintive voice.
Exhausted, she could no longer resist.
All she could do was feel Vail's sweat and body odor seeping into her.
The princess squeezed her eyes shut.
She focused her mind to avoid getting lost in the scent of his skin.
But the more she concentrated, the more she felt the reality of her situation.
"W-Wait... Does that mean right now I'm embracing a man...?"
Leah, faced with a scene straight out of the novel.
Her heart pounded as her long-dreamed-of situation crashed over her.
*The Northern Grand Duchess toyed with her slave knight as she pleased.*
And right now, Vail was just as defenseless as that slave knight.
With that, Leah cautiously extended both arms.
And...
She placed them on the bare body of a man for the first time in her life.
"So firm..."
She gently rubbed Vail's shoulder with her fingers.
Then slid down his solid muscles to his spine.
With trembling hands, she gripped his shoulder blades.
The perfect grip in her palm.
The unfamiliar sensation made Leah's heart thump wildly.
She swallowed hard, afraid the vibration might wake the unconscious Vail.
"Are all men like this...?"
He had clearly been skinny at the appointment ceremony.
But in just a few months, he had bulked up considerably.
Feeling this, Leah breathed shallowly so Vail wouldn't notice.
But soon, at Vail's twitching movements pressing down on her, a plaintive moan escaped her unbidden.
"Eek...!"
A shameful sound she had never made before.
Startled by it, the princess covered her lips with her palm.
Then, the restless Vail...
Buried his face in the princess's bosom while still keeping his eyes closed.
"...!"
The sensation of someone's skin against her breast.
At that feeling, Leah's radiant golden hair stood on end.
Her once-pale skin flushed completely red, her face turning crimson.
She nearly cried out without thinking.
The princess clamped both hands over her mouth.
And stared down intently at the rude knight four years her junior.
"You... you really...!"
Was it because his face was pressed to her chest?
Her heartbeat began to race madly.
Afraid the sound would wake Vail, Leah slipped both hands between his armpits.
And pulled his face up above her chest.
"Hah...!"
In doing so, their faces ended up touching.
She had succeeded in prying him off her chest, at least.
But face-to-face was another kind of humiliation.
The man's lips, breathing roughly like a child.
His breath tickled the princess's nose.
"..."
Was it because she had seen the illustration of them face-to-face in the novel?
Her emotions grew strangely complex, as if she had become that grand duchess herself.
Thanks to it, she could observe Vail's face with the composure of someone treating him like a slave knight.
His face definitely hadn't stood out at the appointment ceremony.
Dull black uniform, black hair.
She had just seen him as an averagely handsome commoner knight.
But he had saved her from the curse.
And grown strong on his own, without seeking any reward.
Strong enough to defeat the Knight Commander.
The princess projected herself onto him.
She who had boldly broken away from her mother, refusing to be toyed with.
And risen to this position through her own growth and recognized abilities.
Was it because he resembled her so much?
Unlike the idiotic knights she had despised until now, his extraordinary insight and actions intrigued her.
For the first time in her life, a man had caught her interest.
That feeling peaked today.
Because of it, his face, which she had thought ordinary...
"Now that I look at you, you're more handsome than I thought."
After that, the princess no longer felt embarrassed by the situation.
Instead, she subtly rested her hand on Vail's back and pursed her lips.
"Well... your body's not bad either, it seems..."
Ever the strategist, Leah adapted to the situation quickly.
Her racing heart soon accepted the feel of Vail's firm chest against hers.
And their heartbeats began to resonate in harmony.
Between their skin were only undergarments and the wet dress shirt.
Yet, mingled with Vail's sweat and the rainwater, perhaps.
It felt indecently as if their bare skin was touching.
Now calm, the princess felt that sensation even more vividly.
Thanks to it, she recalled the next part of the novel she had read.
"So this is what it feels like to share body heat."
She had always tried to analyze passages she didn't understand while reading.
But without a slave knight of her own, it had been impossible.
She never imagined she'd understand it this way.
Realizing knowledge she hadn't known, the princess instinctively advanced.
"After sharing body heat..."
*She lifted the slave's chin with her hand.*
*And ordered him to close his eyes.*
*Then, she ordered him to part his lips.*
The princess stared blankly at Vail's lips as if entranced. Inside them was the tongue that had mocked her so often.
*Once their lips met, their tongues...*
Following the novel, Leah slowly drew near Vail's lips.
And half-closed her eyes without realizing it.
Like a girl led by instinct.
Just before their lips met.
"No!"
The princess's eyes flashed open as she jerked her face away.
She was the empire's First Imperial Princess and the Chief of Operations, after all.
She had nearly surrendered her lips to a mere commoner defense knight.
Regaining her senses, Leah covered her face with both hands.
And let out a groan of shame at herself for being led by instinct.
"Aah..."
The princess kept her face covered until such thoughts would never arise again.
But that didn't last long.
Her body, defenseless with only her face covered.
Vail moved atop it once more.
"Urgh..."
Vail, who had reacted when she shouted "no" and pulled away moments ago.
He twitched his face in his sleep.
His nose had originally been against Leah's collarbone.
But instinctively seeking softness, he...
Slowly slid down and buried his nose in the princess's bosom.
"So soft..."
Leah's lips parted.
She channeled mana into her palm, intending to slap his cheek.
But.
His following words made her hand freeze in place.
"The finest women in the East...?"
Vail murmured.
"Well... I'm not sure if they're the most beautiful in the world."
Leah silently waited to hear what he was saying.
"Compared to the ladies I've seen usually... they don't seem to be?"
The ladies Vail had seen usually.
At those words, Leah furrowed her delicate brow.
With his cheek pressed to the princess's breast, the man smirked faintly.
"Unlike you, they only think of the empire's welfare."
Hearing his sleep-talk, Leah put on a serious expression.
And mulled over what Vail had said just before his battle with Hakim.
"Why the long faces... Hakim... Try to keep up..."
A conviction different from any man she had met.
A conviction that beauty couldn't sway.
In other words, Vail burying his nose in her breast was just an accident.
With that, Leah pursed her lips tightly.
And made a decision.
"Vail... You really..."
She would watch this boy a little more closely from now on.
Bolstered by her resolve, the princess concentrated all her mana in her hands.
Then, somehow lifted Vail up.
"Haa..."
Exhausted from overusing her mana, she didn't care that her dress shirt had come undone.
She focused only on somehow leading Vail to the bed.
"Hnng...!"
Squeezing out her last strength, Leah laid Vail back on the bed.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and gazed down at him intently.
"Vail Mikhail. Your sleep-talk saved you."
The princess clasped her hands together.
Then, squeezing out all her remaining mana, she emitted a strong blue light.
―――!!
Leah's somewhat disheveled dress shirt fluttered.
Her golden hair danced along with the mana's vibrations.
The princess extended the condensed mana toward Vail's chest.
And infused it so he could gather his strength more solidly without feeling pain.
"I'll watch just how far your vaunted patriotism goes."
Once the infusion ended, the First Imperial Princess let out a deep breath.
Her eyes gradually unfocused...
And she collapsed beside Vail.
Time passed—who knew how much.
I slowly opened my eyes to the fierce sound of rain.
"Still raining..."
I gazed at the noisy window outside with half-lidded eyes.
Pouring rain and a still sullen sky.
I checked the clock to see how long I'd slept.
"Strange. To recover this much after just two hours of sleep..."
My whole body had ached before I fell asleep.
I felt something off about my body, light as if I could fly.
"What the hell happened?"
I twisted to get up from the bed.
Then, unthinkingly, my palm grasped something soft.
"...?"
A chill ran down my spine at the sensation.
I definitely lived here alone.
I cautiously turned my head.
But in that moment.
My heart nearly exploded with condensed mana.
What I had gripped was none other than the First Imperial Princess's thigh.
"Wh-What...?!"
I jolted back in shock.
And retreated a good distance before looking down at the sleeping woman.
But no matter how many times I blinked, the figure on the bed was Leah.
And...
Her dress shirt, soaked and clinging tightly.
Through it, her black undergarments and sensual curves were visible.
My eyes twitched beneath at the sight of her completely defenseless form, one I'd never seen before.
*I definitely parted ways with the princess yesterday, didn't I?!*
I cupped my cheeks with both hands.
And looked down at Leah with wide, shocked eyes.
"A-Are you asleep?"
"Who's asleep here?"
Leah slowly opened her eyes.
She looked up at me with a feral, bewitching gaze like a dark lioness.
"Pr-Princess..."
For now, I dropped to my knees reflexively, all thoughts forgotten.
And bowed my head deeply.
"I-I'm sorry, but... how is Your Highness in my bed...?"
This time, I couldn't keep my composure.
All I could do was ask Leah in a trembling voice.
"You really don't remember? What you did to me yesterday..."
Leah sat up with a weary voice.
And turned her head sharply to button her dress shirt.
"N-No, I don't remember at all."
I lifted my head slightly.
And blankly stared at her back, soaked through and translucent.
Even with the buttons done, the shirt clung from the intense situation earlier.
Thanks to it, I glimpsed the princess's ample bra.
Leah looked at me indifferently in that state.
"Well—. I don't remember either."
The princess narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin proudly.
As if toying with me.
"Bring me a cup of hot tea, and maybe it'll come back to me—."
"Y-Yes, understood."
I rose to comply.
And slowly headed to the kitchen, keeping my distance from the princess.
The princess gazed intently at my back as I left through the door.
Then, she pulled her wet dress shirt to her nose.
"..."
Leah inhaled deeply, savoring the sweat scent.
She watched the man warming tea, reveling in that smell.
As if she might see this scene often in the future.