Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Hold Me, So I Can Have Your Baby (3)
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"Hee hee, can't hold back anymore?"
"It's fine. Today it's just you and me, all alone."
"So fill me up with everything you are, with all your potential."
"The night isn't long... I've offered myself to you like this, so now it's your turn to take the lead. Jonathan."
In the hushed silence, the soft weight and warmth of her body pressed against my shoulder from behind. My reason teetered on the brink of flight.
I desperately tried to pull myself together.
And somehow, I managed to squeeze out a question that felt absurd even to me.
"...Why?"
"Hm?"
"Why go to such extremes? For someone who's not even a central noble—just the son of a mere count. There's no need for Your Highness to lower yourself like this."
"..."
"Saying it's just to see an imperial descendant doesn't explain why the Princess of a nation—the future sun of the Empire—would humble herself to the son of a vassal."
My out-of-left-field question made her chuckle softly. Playfulness returned to her crimson eyes.
"Curious about that now? With your face about to burst?"
She gazed at me, chuckling, then lifted her body slightly from my shoulder.
As the searing heat pulled away even an inch, the cool night air finally seeped into my lungs.
"You're truly stranger than any man I know."
She no longer pressed me.
Beneath the moonlight, her damp crimson eyes fixed on me quietly as she spoke in a low voice.
"Any other man would have already devoured me by now—before even asking why while holding back like this."
She let out a faint sigh.
Not one of disappointment, but of resignation—or perhaps resolve to finally lay everything bare.
"But even in this moment, you're asking for reasons. Not about my shell, but what's truly inside."
She stepped closer again, but this time she met my eyes directly instead of pressing her body against mine.
"...You're the first for me."
In the silent garden, lit only by moonlight, she leaned on my shoulder and began to whisper softly.
"From childhood, I've always had to prepare to sit on the throne."
There was no more playfulness in her voice.
This was her candid soliloquy, one I'd never heard before, under the moonlight.
"Everyone saw the Empire's future in me."
"My father saw me as his sharpest sword, the ministers as the highest rung on their ladder of ambition, the people as an unreachable sun. No one ever saw just me—Lorensia."
"They all expected something from me on their own terms, grew disappointed on their own terms, judged me on their own terms."
"All while I didn't even know myself, trapped in this dazzling golden cage."
Leaning on my shoulder, she tilted her head up to look at me. Deep loneliness dwelled in her damp crimson eyes.
"But you were different. That first day we met, you saw the lord trapped by the weakest pawn on my chessboard. The only man who pierced through not my status or power, but my solitude."
She gently rubbed her cheek against my chest.
Through the thin negligee, I could faintly feel her heartbeat again.
"That's why I wanted you. The one who truly saw me. The one who looked past my mask at my real face—and didn't run, but met my gaze."
Her confession hit harder than any seduction.
It wasn't mere desire, but the raw truth of one person's thirst and loneliness.
The defenses of my reason crumbled helplessly.
Instinct screamed to claim this crimson rose, to lose myself in its intoxicating scent and forget everything.
Sensing my reaction, she smiled with satisfaction, lifted her head from my shoulder, and slowly stood.
Standing before me, she bathed in the fading moonlight, gazing at me.
"The night is ending, Jonathan."
Her voice no longer pleaded—it sounded like an ultimatum.
"Now it's time for you to choose. Will you embrace me, make me yours, and claim half—no, the whole Empire?"
"...Or will you watch dawn break and return to your dull fief and your waiting fiancée?"
She leaned in slowly, ever so slowly.
As she rose on tiptoe, her crimson lips approached like the final gateway to oblivion.
I closed my eyes. My mind went blank.
No chicken, no egg, nothing came to mind. Only her scent and breath dominated everything.
Just as I thought it was truly over,
I mustered the last shred of reason and turned my head aside at the very last moment, right before her lips met mine.
Her hot breath grazed my ear.
"......"
She didn't move.
With my eyes still closed, I forced open my trembling lips.
"Your Highness."
My voice cracked pitifully.
"If I embrace you now, I would no longer be the man who first piqued your interest."
A brief silence.
"The man who solved your riddle and refused your offer would vanish. I'd just be another one of those men who succumbed to power and desire."
"..."
"Is that truly what you want?"
She was silent for a long time.
Finally, as her body slowly pulled away from my ear, I cautiously opened my eyes.
She had stepped back, looking at me with an enigmatic expression.
Not anger, not disappointment—just deep, quiet crimson eyes that seemed to hold everything.
She smiled faintly. A soft smile mixed with resignation and admiration.
"Pfft... You really are..."
She shook her head, unable to continue. Right then,
Far to the east, the pitch-black sky began to fade, tinged with faint blue.
The end of night, the dawn's beginning.
I had won. But there was no joy in victory.
"I concede defeat, Jonathan."
She admitted it gracefully. And just like that, she regained her imperial poise and leisure.
Ignoring the scattered remnants of her dress on the ground, she clasped her hands behind her back, facing the rising sun.
"As promised, I'll send you back quietly today. But remember this."
Playful light returned to her crimson eyes as she turned to me.
"I lost today, but it's only made things clearer."
"You're the only man in this Empire who can say 'no' to me. The only one unmoved by my power or beauty."
She smiled faintly and took a step closer—not in seduction, but with pure delight in her gaze.
"That's precisely why you're the only man who belongs by my side."
Her smile shifted from seductive allure to one of satisfaction.
"A man as strong, noble, and foolishly upright as you—I've never met one before. Breaking you by force or taming you with power would be pointless."
"So I'll withdraw for today. But don't misunderstand."
Lorensia approached slowly and lightly brushed her bare hand—glove removed—against my cheek.
The first touch of her skin beneath the lace. Her warmth.
"I'm not abandoning my resolve. It's only grown firmer."
A dark, dangerous smile curved her lips.
And then, her bold, provocative declaration.
"I won't break you. I'll make the world you have feel insufficient for you."
"Your petty peace, the little fence you protect, even that cute fiancée by your side. I'll make you realize how paltry they all are compared to your vessel."
Her ruby-like eyes shone brighter than ever.
"I'll prepare the grandest, most magnificent stage in the Empire for you. One where your talents and ambitions can run wild—a stage where only you can be the star."
"And you'll come to see it. Who truly belongs by your side. Who can carry your blood. The only woman who can fully understand you and hold your worth."
She turned away from me slowly, ever so slowly.
Like a phoenix reborn, the rising sunlight enveloped her crimson hair and form.
The phoenix smiled confidently and proclaimed to me, blazing like the morning sun.
"So I won't try to have you. I'll make you want me."
"And on the day you become my man and I your woman, the child we conceive will be the Empire's new sun."
"Hee hee, I'm looking forward to it? The day you make me wholly yours, and our child—born of your potential in my most sacred place—grows."
Her declaration burned fiercer than ever. But the tone held no more sensuality.
It was the resolute command of a conquering monarch who had found new horizons—or a dragon more avaricious than any other.
With a satisfied smile, she lightly gestured into the air.
"But I can't return like this."
Then, something astonishing happened.
A blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
The scattered flows of time around her body began rewinding, like footage playing in reverse.
"!"
The red dress fragments on the ground silently rose and flew toward her. Torn threads and fabric stitched and wove themselves back together in an instant, restoring the gown to its original splendor.
Time reversal magic. The imperial secret art, known only by rumor.
I could only stare blankly at the surreal sight.
Perfectly restored, she turned gracefully before me as if nothing had happened.
The sultry black negligee was gone, replaced by the dignified red dress symbolizing the Empire's sun.
"Well then, my Jonathan."
As she passed by my side, she left one final whisper in my ear.
"For the day you fully desire me, I must make my own preparations."
"I want to witness the sights in the new kingdom you'll create, together with you."
And then, very slowly, she pressed her crimson lips lightly to the nape of my neck, then pulled away.
It felt like a hot brand searing her body heat and scent deep into my skin.
I flinched back in surprise, but she had already stepped away, wearing a cheerful smile.
"Hee hee, next time, come embrace me to forge the new sun of the Empire. Got it?"
"And I didn't think you'd fall for it, but no one's around anyway, so you can head back to your quarters without worry of being caught."
"I half-expected you to see through it and turn away immediately, but your innocence let me learn even more about you."
"Well, I'll be off then? My dear Jonathan?"
With that, she turned without regret and left the garden.
Her crimson silhouette vanishing into the dawn's blue light resembled not a defeated foe, but a lion heralding a new hunt.
More than that—her scream about people being around was just a bluff? This woman.
"..."
Alone in the aerial garden.
The eastern sky was now fully bathed in morning light.
The dizzying rose scent that had ensnared me all night faded slowly, replaced by cold dawn air.
"...Time to head back."
.
.
.
Somehow, I made it back to the guest room in the annex where my father, father-in-law, and Erika were staying.
I swallowed dryly and gripped the doorknob, trying to act casual.
As the door creaked open, Erika—seated on the sofa—jumped up in alarm.
Her usual graceful beauty caught my eye, but her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept a wink all night.
"Jonathan! Are you okay? Where were you all night? I was so worried!"
She rushed to me, grabbed both my arms, and scanned me up and down frantically.
Checking for injuries, making sure nothing bad had happened—her hands moved with urgency.
"Sorry. I got caught up talking with Her Highness—"
But before I could finish, Erika's gaze sharpened.
"...Jonathan."
"Hm? What?"
"What's this?"
"?"
As my hand followed her gaze to my nape, I felt something there.
Bringing my fingers to my eyes, I saw a familiar scent and color.
"?! Th-this—"
I recognized this shade.
The same red from the lip mark on my name in the letter from Her Highness before.
And that provocative, intense rose fragrance.
Panicking and frozen, Erika began trembling violently.
"...I can't forgive this."
"Wh-what?!"
Then she advanced on me.
Unlike her quivering body, she showed no hesitation.
She grabbed my collar with both hands and yanked me toward her.
And pressed her lips hard against my nape—right where Her Highness's crimson mark blazed.
"Gah?!"
As if to erase another woman's scent, to wipe it away, she desperately worked her lips.
Her frantic marks layered over the red, smearing into a mess.
"E-Erika! Stop! Just wash it off!"
"I can't! I'm making sure everyone knows whose man you are!"
"Our fathers are here too! It's about time they wake up!"
But cruelly, voices came from beyond the door.
"Oh, looks like those two are on excellent terms. Isn't that right, Peter?"
"Heh heh, no worries about heirs then, George. We had quite the time securing Erika ourselves."
"Ah, Father! Father-in-law!"
"Mmmph! Don't look!"
It took another sleepless round of bickering and commotion before the chaos finally settled.