A Breathless Kiss
The second time was new and thrilling too. Ilena had asked me to take her home, but we walked side by side for quite a while without a word. Before long, her house came into view.
“You,” Ilena called to me quietly. “What did you mean by that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you remember? You said it yourself. Take your time to think about it, and if you don’t want it, you don’t have to take it.”
I had said exactly that. I was worried that pushing my feelings on her so suddenly and one-sidedly might burden her.
“What do you mean by ‘if you don’t want it, you don’t have to take it’?”
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I heard a hint of anger in her voice.
“You said it yourself, Ilena. That you wanted to have me. That’s what I was talking about.”
“You said it too, didn’t you? That you liked me. So why did you suddenly start acting so ambiguous?”
Ilena stopped walking and pressed me with the question. It was true that my attitude had become ambiguous. I had acted on impulse in the wine cellar, using the alcohol as an excuse, only to turn into a coward afterward. It wasn’t a proud or cool look, but I had no choice but to say it.
“I’m sorry.”
“There you go again. Saying sorry means you know what you did wrong, right? Tell me. What does ‘if you don’t want it, you don’t have to take it’ even mean?”
“……”
“I was scared.”
“Scared……?”
Ilena tilted her head, clearly not understanding.
“Yeah. Scared. Right now, you’re far more terrifying than the enemy I faced back then.”
“Are you saying I’m scaring you? I haven’t threatened or pressured you since that day. If I did, I’ll apologize……”
“No, don’t apologize. That’s not it, so don’t say sorry!”
Once again, she had completely misunderstood. Ilena was angry at my ambiguous attitude, but she was also angry at herself for unknowingly making me afraid. This was exactly her biggest flaw. Where else would you find a Demon King with such a warm and gentle heart? It was pathetic that I kept dodging the issue in front of someone like her because I couldn’t overcome my own fear. If I kept avoiding it, she would only get more confused and hurt. The answer was clear. Being completely honest was the best path for both of us.
“I’m scared you’ll leave me.”
“You keep saying strange things. Me leave you? Why?”
“Because…… I can’t look at you the same way I used to.”
Even though I was laying my heart bare, I couldn’t meet her eyes and lowered my head instead. Those beautiful eyes of hers, filled with confusion and curiosity.
“How was it before, and how is it now?”
“When I met you after returning to the village, you were just a kind and grateful woman. But now……”
“Ugh.”
Ilena leaned in slightly, looking up at me and forcing our eyes to meet again.
“Now?”
Here I was, burning with impatience, and she was making such an adorable gesture right in front of me! I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.
“I keep wanting to do this……!”
With that pleading cry, I pulled Ilena tightly into my arms.
“Wah…….”
She seemed startled for a moment, but soon wrapped her arms gently around me. Patting my back like she was soothing a child, she spoke softly.
“You. Is this what you’re afraid of? Wanting to hold me all the time?”
“Yeah. Because it would burden you. You’re……”
The next words were painful to say.
“You’re not even my lover.”
“L-Lover……”
Ilena flinched at the word, her arms tightening around me.
“I see. So you want to be in that kind of relationship with me?”
“You’re only realizing that now……?”
“But I’ve never been in that kind of relationship with anyone before! So please understand if I was clueless.”
Ilena let go of me and stepped back slightly, looking at me. Then, out of nowhere, she burst into laughter.
“Pfft……”
“What’s so funny?”
“Your face right now. I didn’t know you could make such a cute expression.”
“Cute expression……!”
Being called cute as a man somehow wounded my pride, but hearing it from Ilena’s mouth left me with a strangely pleasant feeling. Just as Ilena had never had a lover, this feeling was new to me too.
“Plenty of people have told me they like me or asked me to marry them. But……”
Ilena gently caressed my cheek with her soft hand.
“None of them made such a cute face while saying it. If you’re curious, should I show you mine?”
“I’ll pass. I don’t think I could handle seeing my own expression right now.”
“Hehe…… I really want to show you someday.”
Ilena extended her right hand toward me, offering a handshake instead of continuing to touch my cheek.
“Can you handle it? If you become my lover, countless people won’t leave you alone.”
“That doesn’t scare me. Even someone like me has defeated the Demon King before.”
At the mention of the past, Ilena withdrew the hand she had offered.
“Ugh…… What a lame joke. You defeated me, yet you’re scared I’ll leave?”
“The old you was someone I had to defeat. But now, you’re someone I can’t possibly defeat. I want to hold on to you even if I have to defeat you, but I can’t bring myself to do anything cruel to you anymore.”
“Oh, I like that.”
Ilena turned away slowly, murmuring to herself.
“Remember? I definitely said it the day you returned. That I wanted to have you. That was me. And now you’re saying you want to have me.”
I had a feeling. The time of judgment was truly approaching.
“Hehe, the situation has completely flipped in just a few days. What should I do?”
“What should you do?”
“What do you want me to do to you?”
But Ilena narrowed her eyes and deliberately dragged things out without giving her verdict right away. She really was a wicked and terrifying Demon King.
“That’s cruel. You know what I want, yet you’re doing this?”
“But I want to hear it from your own mouth. I already know, but I still want to hear it.”
Once I had confessed my feelings, the initiative had passed to her. In front of this cunning and lovely Demon King, pride was useless. I had no means or reason left to resist.
“Do whatever you want with me.”
“Hehe, are you giving me an order right now?”
“No, let me rephrase. I want you to do whatever you want with me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with that? Do you even know what I might do to you?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh……”
Ilena smiled with satisfaction and gave me an order.
“Then close your eyes.”
“Close my eyes?”
“Hurry!”
I wasn’t in a position to refuse. I obediently closed my eyes as told. But I could feel what was happening in front of me. Whatever magic she had used, Ilena’s body was floating gently toward me. She cupped my face with both hands and tilted her head slightly. Then—
“Hoo…… Ha.”
She took a deep breath and covered my lips with hers, as if devouring them.
“You, snap out of it! You!”
The sensation of someone tapping my cheeks brought me back to my senses.
“What? What happened?”
“What happened? I should be the one asking that!”
When I opened my eyes, Ilena was looking at me with a worried expression.
“That’s strange. We’re standing in the exact same spot, and you’re still as lovely as ever right in front of me.”
“W-What kind of embarrassing thing are you saying!”
Leaving the blushing Ilena behind, I slowly touched my lips with my fingers. My mind was hazy, but this sensation was vivid. The soft, moist feeling that had touched my lips.
“Was that a dream?”
“A dream……?”
“Yeah. I guess I was dreaming. It’s embarrassing, but I dreamed you kissed me.”
“Ugh…… Won’t you come to your senses!”
Ilena shouted, her face even redder than before.
“That wasn’t a dream!”
“So that really happened……?”
“Y-You’re taller than me. So I wanted to try it from above for once.”
“It wasn’t a dream.”
“That’s right. But what were you thinking, not breathing? You should breathe through your nose.”
Ah, now I remembered why I had lost consciousness. The moment Ilena’s lips touched mine, I had been so overwhelmed by the blissful sensation that I forgot to breathe.
“Sorry, but could you do it one more time?”
“Kyaa, what are you saying!”
“You kissing me first…… There’s no way that happy fantasy could be real.”
“I-I told you it wasn’t a dream! You’ve really lost it! Still……”
Ilena carefully cupped my face again.
“You said it yourself earlier. You asked me to do whatever I want. Right?”
“I did.”
“Then from now on, I’m going to do whatever I want. Consider this my way of comforting you……”
Ilena floated up again and slowly brought her face closer to mine, only to stop and make sure to warn me.
“Don’t lose consciousness this time. Got it?”
“I absolutely won’t.”
“A-And close your eyes. I’m still embarrassed!”
“As you command.”
I gently closed my eyes as ordered.
“Hoo…… Ha.”
I felt Ilena’s lips once more. It was the second time, but it was still new and thrilling.