Side Story 3: The First Night
Translator: RaidenTL
Side Story 3: The First Night
After their wedding, Harriet and Cedric departed for Uliden, a renowned resort town, for their honeymoon. For Harriet, it was the first time in her life she had ever seen the sea.
"Wow...!"
At her request to play in the water, they headed straight for the private beach as soon as they had unpacked. As the horizon came into view through the carriage window, Harriet could do nothing but gasp in admiration.
It was nothing like a lake. There was no greenery embracing the coastline, no swans or ducks floating on the surface—there was only the deep blue sky, the vast ocean, white cresting waves, and the sandy beach. That was all.
Yet, Harriet found the sight beautiful to the point of being violent.
"I never imagined it would be like this, even after hearing so much about it."
If she were asked to describe the scenery, she could only repeat what she had been told: that it was blue and white. But hearing of it and seeing it for herself were as different as heaven and earth.
Cedric wrapped an arm around Harriet’s shoulders.
"I considered going to Clayburn or Kerkesa, but I decided on this place even though it was a bit further. It seems I made the right choice."
"I don’t think I’ll ever forget this until the day I die."
"You shouldn't say that yet. The truly unforgettable moments are only just beginning."
He chuckled at Harriet’s expectant gaze. At times like this, she seemed like a child—so unlike his own carnal, depraved self.
But his desires could wait a little longer. Now was the time to present his wife with the gift he had prepared.
*
Upon arriving at the Kailas Ducal House’s private beach, Harriet, who had been breathless with awe, immediately decided to try the sea bathing she had always dreamed of.
The swimsuit she had brought from Genoa was merely a slightly shorter, simpler version of everyday clothes. It was cumbersome enough to be dangerous in an emergency, so she couldn't venture into deep water.
Still, it was wonderful. Who knew that plunging into sun-warmed seawater and swimming about could be so exhilarating?
"Cedric! Look at this! There are fish!"
"Cedric! I think I have a talent for swimming! I’m floating right now!"
"Oh, this must be heaven."
She chattered incessantly, peering into the water and floating around, reveling in her happiness. Cedric merely followed her, echoing her excitement like a dignified father indulging a young daughter.
Perhaps annoyed by her husband’s composed demeanor, Harriet suddenly stood up and splashed water at him with both hands.
"Are you going to be the only one acting so dignified and elegant?"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Cedric was drenched in salty water before he could even defend himself.
"Pfft! Harriet, stop...!"
"Take that! Hiyah! Hiyah!"
As Cedric turned his head and tried to block the splashes with his arms, Harriet grew even more emboldened, continuing her teasing. Her unrestrained behavior, heedless of anyone’s gaze, might have seemed childish to some, but it was also utterly free.
It was a kind of freedom Cedric Kailas, who had lived a life wanting for nothing since birth, had never experienced. Through the dizzying spray of water, he gazed at her as she laughed like the sun.
My wife. My wife.
Before meeting Harriet, he had never associated the word 'wife' with anything positive. But now, the fact that he could call her his own felt incredibly good. To be honest, it felt so good it was almost maddening.
In this moment, with her laughing so happily, this place truly was heaven, just as Harriet had said.
"To provoke a hero of the battlefield... you have no fear, do you?"
"What was that? I can't hear you!"
Instead of explaining, he scooped up water with his large hands and splashed it back at her. His reach was long and his movements quick, leaving Harriet utterly defenseless.
"Kyaaa!"
She turned away, hunching her shoulders, yet she still burst into peals of laughter. Her joy was so infectious that Cedric couldn't help but join her.
*
Harriet, who had dozed off after lunch, woke to find her surroundings growing dim. The sea bathing, enjoyed before her travel fatigue had even subsided, had resulted in considerable exhaustion.
"What time is it...?"
"It’s eight o’clock."
Cedric’s composed voice came from beside her, as if he had been sitting there watching her the entire time.
"Gasp! I... I slept for five hours?"
"You had every reason to be tired. Playing in the water takes more energy than one might think."
"Haa, but it was so much fun. Still, I slept too long and ruined dinner. I’m sorry."
Harriet lowered her eyebrows, feeling guilty that their schedule had gone awry. Because she had slept for five straight hours, their dinner banquet was out of the question. If she had trouble sleeping tonight, they would have to clear her morning schedule tomorrow as well.
But Cedric, far from scolding her, spoke with a look that seemed to ask, 'What's the problem?'
"Sorry? I put you to sleep on purpose."
"What? Why?"
"So I wouldn't have to let you sleep tonight."
As he stretched, his shirt—barely clinging to his frame—shifted, revealing glimpses of skin through the gaps. He seemed to have napped a bit himself.
No, there was something more important than that right now. She felt as if she had just heard something terrifying.
"Do we... have something we need to do?"
"What do you think people do on the first night of a honeymoon, Harriet?"
"Huh?"
Harriet, feeling a sudden chill, looked around. In the bedroom, only a single orange lamp cast a warm glow. Exotic flowers placed throughout the room exuded a heavy fragrance. On the white sheets, two figures lay together, clad only in light nightclothes. From outside, only the gentle sound of waves breaking on the sand could be heard.
"Are you scared?"
His voice was chillingly sweet. Harriet swallowed hard. The midsummer night air, imbued with the sea breeze and floral scents, began to grow hot.
"Oh, no. I just... asked."
Cedric chuckled at her visibly flustered demeanor. She was cute, but he had no intention of backing down.
"Then that’s good. Because I intend to be compensated tonight for everything I’ve held back until now."
"Gasp!"
He suddenly lowered his body over hers. The chemise, which she had already considered a bit scandalous, now felt far too thin.
His hot lips descended upon her nape, sliding down slowly as if savoring a long-awaited dessert. His knees parted Harriet’s legs, settling firmly between them.
"Ce-Cedric!"
Even though she knew what was coming, she couldn't stop flinching. Cedric, who usually considered her feelings with delicate care, was now revealing his desires without the slightest retreat. It was enough to make her realize just how much of a gentleman he usually forced himself to be.
"Marriage... it truly is wonderful. To be in a relationship where such acts are willingly encouraged."
He exhaled a hot breath, sounding as if he were laughing. Each time his teeth brushed against her skin, Harriet trembled like prey offering its neck to a predator. But her trembling wasn't from fear; it was from an immodest anticipation.
He hadn't even truly begun, yet the space between her legs grew hot and unpleasantly slick. Realizing this, she wished he would move quickly. If things continued like this, she would be caught having grown damp all on her own.
"Haa... Q-quickly..."
"What...?"
As he playfully drew out the moment, Harriet wrapped her arms around Cedric’s neck and kissed him first. Even though she was at the limit of her patience, his habit of making her show her hand first was vexing.
But then, the man pounced as if he had been waiting for that very gesture.
"Ah! Wait...!"
As he approached her with unrestrained, penetrating intensity, Harriet realized her mistake. This man hadn't been taking his time to assert dominance. Rather, he had been waiting, holding back until she gave the command.
Loosening his leash herself had been the fatal mistake of an amateur master.
The hands that swept up her thighs, bunching up her chemise before stripping it over her head, showed no intention of teasing. Even as he unbuttoned his own shirt, there was no leisure left in him. Could there be anyone else in the world who could make this man so desperate?
In a flash, the two became entangled in their primal forms.
Thump, thump.
Even as the headboard began to meet the wall in a rhythmic beat, Harriet wasn't worried about anyone hearing the noise. The cries escaping her own lips were far more embarrassing.
*
Shhhwaaa. Shhhwaa.
The faint sound of waves drifted in.
As her consciousness slowly returned, Harriet lifted her heavy eyelids, only to be dazzled by a light brighter than she had expected.
"Harriet..."
A low, husky voice came from behind her.
"Mmm..."
Harriet’s voice was equally muffled. Only then did she begin to worry if she had screamed too loudly the night before. It was hardly a romantic first remark for the morning after, but Cedric merely chuckled. Harriet never reacted quite as he expected, and he genuinely found that amusing.
"Let them hear it," he said, a satisfied smile lingering on his lips. "The rumors of our discord will surely die down now."
Striking a blow against his enemies in such a manner was, evidently, something he would never tire of.