I Will Never Give Him Away
What would it be like to become the most precious person to someone who would give everything for the woman he loved?
At first, it was nothing more than curiosity. The kind of fondness a child feels when they want a toy that has caught their eye — a simple, greedy little desire. That was all I thought it was.
"If you let out too much string, the kite will fly too far away. Here. About this much should be perfect, Lia."
The grey-haired young man smiled at me with that easy, good-natured face of his.
Spending time with him, I came to understand. This man was extraordinarily kind. Not because of anything I did for him. Not because I made myself useful. Even if I had nothing — even if I were broken and struggling with some disability — Abel would have treated me with the exact same kindness he shows me now.
"I tried baking a meat pie with four kinds of cheese on top... I'm not sure if it'll suit your taste, Lia."
His cooking was so delicious that I kept eating and eating until I'd put on a little weight.
"Today I brought something called jacks."
The endless stream of new games he introduced let me forget everything complicated, if only for a moment, and simply enjoy myself like a child.
"Are you having fun, Lia?"
"This is the carving of you riding a dragon that you asked for last time."
"I can't draw like a famous painter, but... I hope you like it."
He drew pictures for me. We rode a raft together. He brought me hand-carved statues as gifts...
"Yeah! I'm having fun, Abel."
Every single one of those moments was new and delightful. Abel truly had so many talents, knew so many things, and was so gentle. Whether he was a commoner, whether his body was impaired — none of it mattered in the slightest when it came to how I saw him.
I like watching Abel. I like talking with Abel. I like eating the food Abel makes for me.
I just... like the time I spend with Abel.
Not because he brings new games or has so many talents. Simply because having Abel by my side makes me happy.
Ah... I've fallen for Abel.
The moment I realized it, the world felt different.
In all my life until now, I had never loved anyone as a romantic partner. That was why I noticed so late. I had only wanted to sample the experience of being loved by him — a little taste born of curiosity.
But that taste was so sweet, so powerfully addictive... I thought I might go mad.
And I hadn't even received his love completely. Abel still hadn't escaped the shadow of a woman named Seraphina.
His feelings for her seemed to have fully faded. But the experience of being betrayed and humiliated before his own eyes by the woman he had devoted his entire life to loving still crushed his self-worth.
The self-loathing thought that no woman could ever love a man like him. The fear that even if he entered a relationship with someone, he would only be betrayed again. Despite being such an exceptional person, he tormented himself by believing he was worthless.
When I understood what was in Abel's heart through our conversations, I was furious. Furious that a woman like Seraphina was causing pain to the man who had become so precious to me.
And yet, on the other hand, I was grateful for Seraphina's stupidity. She had received Abel's love without the slightest effort, only to be blinded by worthless illusions and push him away. Thanks to that, my turn had finally come.
When they parted, there hadn't been a shred of human warmth in the Hero's eyes as he looked at Seraphina. The thought that Seraphina, discarded by the Hero, might come crawling back to Abel did cross my mind.
"I will never give him away."
It has to be Abel. Nothing else will do. I can say with absolute certainty that this moment — being with Abel — is the happiest of my entire life. So how could I possibly hand him over to another woman?
Before I open my eyes one day and find him stolen from me, I have to make certain he is mine. Securely, completely, in my arms.
First of all...
Yes. I would lift Seraphina's shadow from him.
The moment of her betrayal had become a trauma, and Abel still couldn't find the courage to move forward with another woman. To restore his confidence, I would start by repairing his Mana Road.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
When night fell, a cautious knocking sounded at the door.
"Heh..."
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I rose slowly from where I had been sitting on the bed and walked toward the door.
Rustle—
The front of my gown-style nightclothes loosened slightly under my hand, exposing the upper curve of my chest.
Swish. Swish.
With every step, cool air brushed against my thighs, my calves, my bare feet — the sensation of uncovered skin.
Creak—
Even looking like this, I opened the door without a moment's hesitation.
"Lia. The appointed time—"
As Abel opened his mouth mid-sentence, I saw it clearly: his dark eyes flicked, just for an instant, across the valley of my chest.
"...!"
"Abel! You're here! Come in, quickly!"
I snatched his hand — his cheeks already flushed with surprise — and pulled him inside.
Creak—click.
Clack.
The moment he was through the door, I shut it and locked the bolt. Now, no matter what happened inside, no one could interrupt us...
"I was just about to fall asleep. Perfect timing."
"Uh... yeah..."
Abel answered without looking at me, eyes averted. How adorable... That flustered awkwardness only made him more attractive. At the very least, it suggested he hadn't been intimate enough with Seraphina to be used to a situation like this.
"Really, Abel... sneaking into your half-dressed mistress's room in the middle of the night? What kind of butler are you? Honestly."
"Th-that's not what this is!"
The way he panicked the moment I teased him was endlessly entertaining.
"Ahaha... Sorry. Sorry."
"Hah... I'm already exhausted and we haven't even started..."
Right. The real game hadn't even begun — he couldn't wear himself out yet.
"Abel. Take off your shirt."
I pointed to the center of the room, away from the bed.
"...Okay."
Abel turned his back to me and began undressing. The black outer coat, the white shirt — and then the bare expanse of his back. Not bulky, but solid, every muscle packed tight and well-formed with no wasted space. Across that surface ran a long scar, as if raked by a beast's claws. Probably the wound left from when he had been hurt saving Seraphina.
"Lia. Should I sit...?"
Abel, still facing away, had no idea I was staring so intently.
"Sit. I'll get ready too."
He gave a small nod and settled into a cross-legged position.
Rustle...
Without delay, I undid the clasp of my gown and let the single garment fall open.
Soft thud—
The white fabric dropped, and my naked body was fully revealed. I hadn't worn anything underneath, so my pale skin and every intimate part of me were completely exposed.
When I turned my head toward the full-length mirror in the room, I saw the reflection of a nude woman standing behind a shirtless man. Flawless milk-white skin, smooth and gleaming where the light of the luminescent stones caught it. Round breasts shaped like water droplets, pink tips trembling at their peaks. An adult woman's developed hips and backside that somehow looked obscenely inviting.
I'm... standing naked in a room with a man...
Even though I had done this many times before, I couldn't stop my heart from racing. Especially since the person in front of me was someone I had feelings for. I checked the mirror again and again, making sure nothing about my body looked strange.
Still, I'm glad...
A noble young lady's body was a commodity for trade with other houses from the start, so I had been forced to maintain my figure since childhood. I had always circulated mana through my Mana Road, working to keep a body that was attractive as a woman. There had been a time when I considered giving it up — after all, I would never meet a man anyway. What was the point?
I'm so glad I didn't stop...
Because I had confidence in my figure, I could act with at least a little boldness even in a situation this thrilling.
Slide...
I sat down facing Abel's back as well.
"I'm starting, Abel."
I whispered it against his ear, near the nape of his neck. And before he could even answer—
Squeeze—
I spread both arms and wrapped them around him from behind.
Soft—!
Of course the pliant flesh of my breasts crushed against him—
"Nnh..."
—and the tips, my nipples, scraped against the hard plane of his back.
Abel's back is so firm and broad...
Hummm...!
Before I could be thought of as nothing more than a lewd woman, I drew up my mana and began the work of restoring his Mana Road.
Whooosh—
I poured in the mana of the Ice Soul, sending it racing along the channels of vivid blue ice.
Thud—!
At a certain point, the mana hit a wall and could go no further. That would be the current limit of the upper-body Mana Road that had already been restored.
"Hah..."
With a breath, I poured more Ice Soul mana into the channels, expanding them.
Crack-crack-crack—!
The cold radiating from my body froze the air solid.
"Hooo..."
Abel, too, was approaching a half-frozen state; I could hear him gasping for breath.
In truth, I was consuming an enormous amount of mana — but I still had some room to spare. So for the past several sessions, without telling Abel, I had been secretly...
Slide—... Slide—...
I pressed myself flush against him until the round shapes of my breasts flattened, rubbing them up and down against his back.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The tips — my nipples — scraped against the hard ridges of his back.
"Nnh...!"
Ah... my nipples feel so good...
Swell...! Swell...!
Heat flooded my chest; blood rushed in, and I felt my nipples harden into stiff little peaks.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap....
"Nngh... nn... hah..."
I bit back the moans rising to my lips and kept grinding my hardened nipples against Abel's back. Using an oblivious man's back to pleasure myself — a vulgar, shameless act. I knew it was wrong for the young lady of a ducal house.
...But I'm helping Abel. So this much should be fine, right?
I made that excuse to myself and kept feeding the lust that kept rising.
"Haa... haaah..."
As time passed, the heat climbed higher and my breathing grew ragged.
Tingle...! Tingle—!
Every time the tips of my nipples pressed firmly into his back, a sharp spark raced from my chest all the way up to my head. Secretly, I let both palms roam over Abel's abs and the muscles of his chest.
Twitch...! Twitch—!
Rub. Rub.
As the sensation in my most private place grew more desperate, I squeezed my thighs together.
Trickle...—!
Deep between my pressed thighs, I began to feel wetness.
It was fine. At first I had worried that some strange scent might give me away to Abel, but—
"Haah... nngh..!"
—during this process, Abel was practically half-unconscious. There was no way he would notice. Probably.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap...
Tingle—! Spark-spark..!!
Without a care, I kept rubbing my hypersensitive nipples against Abel, continuing my self-pleasure. Abel's scent... Abel's solid body... everything about the man I loved...! Every element that stirred my desire drove me right to the edge.
Twitch...!!
"Haaang....!!"
...I came.
Twitch...!! Twitch...!!
"Aah.. ah.. hah..."
My body was slick with cold sweat. My nipples, my groin, my entire body trembled in small waves — but—
I... I made too much noise...!
The thought that Abel might have heard the moan I couldn't suppress at the peak of climax — even in his half-frozen state — flashed through my mind.
"Um... Abel? I used so much mana that I accidentally... screamed a little..."
Even as I said it, I knew how absurd the excuse was for such a vulgar cry.
"Abel...?"
Fortunately, Abel seemed focused on his Mana Road; no answer came back.
"Haaaah..."
The tension drained out of me as I exhaled.
Soft.
I rested my head against Abel's back and leaned my upper body into him. Drowsiness and languor washed over me in waves. I kept pouring mana into him, feeling the warmth of his body.
...I wish I could stay like this forever.
That was the thought that came to me.