Chapter 174: Garden Rendezvous (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: Garden Rendezvous (3)
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
At my words, Sylvia shot up with a fierce reaction.
Being half-naked, her large breasts bounced with the movement.
Noticing my gaze was on her chest, she hurriedly covered herself.
“What nonsense?”
“Don’t play dumb! You promised we’d be done if I used my mouth…!”
“What promise?”
Of course, I might have implied it, but I never actually promised anything.
“You despicable bastard…!”
Grit. Sylvia ground her teeth, glaring at me with murderous eyes.
“What a strange thing to say.”
But from my perspective, it was just absurd.
“Wasn’t our contract for you to serve me for a year?”
True, we hadn’t stamped or signed a contract yet, but it was unnecessary. The contract was as good as active.
The proof was that Sylvia, who despised not just men but all of humanity, had serviced my cock with her mouth.
She couldn’t have possibly thought of it as some kind of down payment.
Even Sylvia herself must have implicitly believed the contract was in effect.
“You didn’t really think you’d just be using your mouth for the entire year, did you?”
No matter how little she knew about sex, she couldn’t be completely ignorant.
More importantly, the way she freaked out when I told her to take off her pants proved she knew something about it.
“…I refuse.”
“Are you really doing this just because we haven’t stamped the contract yet?”
If that was the case, I could have it stamped right now.
“I am not an animal!”
“Watch your tone.”
When I pointed it out in a low voice, Sylvia’s lips parted and closed repeatedly, as if she’d lost her words.
She probably wanted to say something like ‘You vile wretch!’ or ‘You utterly vulgar man!’, but according to our contract, she had to call me ‘darling’ when we were alone.
She didn’t want to call me that, so she was left speechless.
“If you have nothing to say, I’ll continue.”
As I reached for her chest, Sylvia backed away and shouted.
“I-I don’t want my first time to be like an animal, rolling around outdoors…!”
“What?”
Sylvia’s face turned beet red, as if it were about to explode.
“…A-at least in a bed.”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback as she mumbled with her head down.
It was the first time I’d heard such a feminine complaint from her, and this time, I was the one left speechless.
With no other choice, I took off my cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
Sigh…
If Sylvia had acted like her usual self, I wouldn’t be having this dilemma. I swallowed a sigh and pulled up my pants.
Forcing her now would only leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Sylvia stared at me with a strange expression, puzzled by my sudden 180-degree change in attitude.
“…You’re right. I can’t take the first time of the noble lady of the great Duke Winterbane in a shabby place like this.”
Perhaps she took it as a provocation or mockery, because Sylvia scowled and threw off the cloak I’d given her.
I silently watched her as she quietly buttoned up her shirt.
“I offer a kindness, and all I get in return is the cold shoulder… I’m starting to feel hurt.”
“…What do you want?”
“In short, you don’t want to have your first experience outdoors.”
I walked over to Sylvia and tapped my lips.
“You can at least give me a kiss instead, right?”
“Th-that’s…!”
“You choose.”
Have sex with me here, or kiss me.
The choice was Sylvia’s.
Of course, it still seemed like there was only one real option.
“…If we just kiss today, will that really be the end of it?”
“Well, that depends on you.”
I slowly bent down to meet her eyes.
She was still breathtakingly beautiful.
Especially that cold, hate-filled gaze of hers—it was addictive in a way that was hard to describe.
After a long moment of hesitation, Sylvia seemed to make up her mind and slowly approached me.
The way she supported herself on her tiptoes showed her determination not to lean on me, no matter what.
Her bright red lips drew closer.
“You’re not going to close your eyes?”
“I’m not your lover.”
Of course you’re not.
I smirked and leaned in, noticing a faint blush on her face.
“If you ‘forget’ the proper address again, I might just have to kiss you in front of Iris.”
“…Darling.”
In response to the dry, affectionless address, I wrapped my arm around her waist.
“L-let go of me!”
Startled by the sudden contact, Sylvia struggled, but I wasn’t about to let her go.
“Don’t resist uselessly. Do you think we can go a whole year without any contact?”
“…Hmph.”
Her resistance was stronger than I expected.
No wonder she’d taken so long to decide between sex and a kiss.
Forcibly stealing a kiss from her resisting lips was an attractive scenario, but we couldn’t continue like this for a whole year.
Most importantly, what Iris wanted was Sylvia’s happiness.
[The Sex Expert skill has been activated.]
[Sensitivity Correction +20%]
It was only skin contact, so the effect would be minimal, but it wouldn’t be nothing.
“Hngh?!”
Just as I thought, Sylvia reacted instantly, just like before. She looked startled and struggled again to break free from my embrace, but I held her tight and cupped her chin.
Her eyes, which had been filled with loathing just moments ago, were now trembling faintly.
“Focus.”
“Mmph?!”
I crashed my lips against hers. I could feel their soft texture.
But she seemed to have no intention of opening her mouth, so it remained a series of light pecks.
“Are you trying to break the contract again?”
Of course, her resistance was probably instinctual, but I had already conceded too much to let that slide.
Besides, it was about time I made our hierarchy clear.
I moved the hand on her waist and suddenly grabbed her ass.
“Hmph, mmph?!”
Startled, Sylvia flinched and resisted strongly, but with her hands trapped, her struggles were futile.
I continued to press my lips against her tightly sealed ones while kneading her ass with both hands.
Through her leather pants, I couldn’t feel much texture, but it was clear her ass was just as big as her breasts.
“Open your mouth.”
“O-Okay, just move your hand first…!”
“I’ll see what you do first. And for the record, there won’t be a next time.”
I murmured the warning. I didn’t show it, but Sylvia’s intense scent was so strong it could knock you sideways, and I was barely holding myself back.
If I had my way, I would have stripped her naked and taken her roughly right then and there.
But as they say, life is the art of waiting. Now was the time to be patient.
I gave her ass a firm squeeze to urge her on. After a flinch, Sylvia reluctantly leaned in.
I met her lips and slipped my tongue through the slight opening.
The feeling of our tongues finally touching was warm, soft, and incredibly hot.
“Hoo, oop, mmmph…”
Our tongues naturally intertwined, our saliva mixing.
I tangled our tongues roughly, as if I were trying to devour her, occasionally squeezing her ass or stroking the small of her back.
Clearly not welcoming the contact, Sylvia continued to struggle in my arms without giving up.
But when she realized I wasn’t going to stop no matter how much she fought, she finally seemed to tire and surrendered her body to me.
“Haa, haah…”
“Breathe through your nose.”
“Stop now… hngh, heup… slurp, slurp…”
The pheromones might not have worked well, but the aphrodisiac component certainly did. Sylvia whined with a completely loosened tongue.
I caressed her flushed face and neck as she let out heated breaths.
For a while, we were lost in the kiss, sharing each other’s warmth.
*
The kiss, which felt like it could go on forever, had to end at a reasonable point due to time constraints.
“So? How was your first kiss?”
From the moment the kiss ended until now, Sylvia hadn’t shown me her face, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
“…I feel miserable and horrible.”
Her cold voice cut through the air.
With a faint hint of killing intent, Sylvia walked off toward the annex without another word.
I watched her retreating back as it grew smaller.
My short but passionate rendezvous with Sylvia had come to an end.
“Anyone watching would think I was the only one who enjoyed it.”
As the kiss deepened, it was Sylvia, not me, who had become more actively involved.
Besides, she was the one who sighed in disappointment when I pulled away.
It was a little absurd, but for now, sticking to the plan was the priority.
I made my way back toward the party at a leisurely pace. The bright lights and the clamor of people grew closer.
Even though it was deep into the dawn, the garden at the heart of the party was still bustling.
The auction seemed to be over, but the attendees were still mingling.
Wearing the wolf mask, I walked through the crowd.
In the distance, I saw Lina Hessler.
I headed toward her, surrounded by people. As expected of a sharp woman, she seemed to recognize me even in that large crowd and sent a look my way.
I looked at her and slowly blinked. It was the signal that the operation was a success.
Now, she would have to work diligently until dawn. That way, when morning came, she could lead her loyal vassals and inherit the title.
In any case, my role was finished.
It wasn’t my problem if the plan went awry. Now that Sylvia was on board, crushing a few slave caravans would be no trouble at all.
Taking two glasses of wine from a passing servant, I headed to the corner of the garden where Iris was sitting.
There, I found my illusion and Iris, who was looking up at the night sky.
“Ah, Sir Hyun-woo…!”
Sensing my presence, Iris turned to me with a bright smile. Her face was bright red, a sign she’d had quite a bit to drink while I was gone.
“Haven’t you had a bit too much to drink?”
I dispelled the illusion and sat in its place.
“I only had four more glasses after you left, Sir Hyun-woo.”
“Your face is pretty red for just that.”
As a magic user, she should have a high tolerance for alcohol.
Unless she’d downed all four glasses in a row, she wouldn’t be this flushed.
“Is that so? Hehe, maybe you’re right…”
Iris wrapped her arms around mine and leaned against me. Her eyelids were growing heavy, as if she were about to fall asleep.
Perhaps the wine she hadn’t had in a while had put her in a good mood, as a soft smile played on her lips.
Iris repeatedly rubbed her cheek against my shoulder, as if trying to be cute.
I brought these so we could have one last drink together, but at this rate…
I placed the wine glasses on the table, took off my overcoat, and draped it over Iris’s shoulders.
“…Thank you.”
With that one murmured word, Iris fell asleep.
Soon, I could hear her soft, even breathing.
Gently stroking her hair, I opened my inventory and took out a small key.
“Looks like I’ve got some extra income.”
This was no ordinary key. It was the key I found on Viscount Hessler after dealing with him.
More importantly, it was imbued with a magical effect.
It seemed to be a key related to a barrier, and the magic flowing from it was so faint that even I had to concentrate deeply just to feel it.
The thread of magic leaking from the key pointed toward the mansion’s basement.
“Shall I do a little treasure hunting before the sun comes up?”
Of course, I planned to squeeze what I could out of Lina Hessler before leaving, but that was that, and this was this.