Chapter 4

“Is it unpleasant for Your Highness when I touch you?”

His voice and tone were no different than usual, yet it somehow felt subdued—as if he was disheartened. But surely, that was just her imagination. This man wouldn’t be shaken just because he got slapped a little.

“It’s not that… I was just startled…”

“If I touched you slowly, would you still be startled?”

He had been looking down at the table, but now he turned his face toward her. His clear golden eyes, sharp and penetrating, locked onto Charlize. She blinked slowly, caught off guard by his intense gaze.

“What do you mean…?”

Ah.

Achilles slowly reached out and cupped one side of her face. Despite his cold and composed appearance, his hand was warm—almost hot. In his glassy, amber-colored eyes, which looked like jewels, her flustered reflection trembled.

Charlize’s eyes widened as Achilles slowly leaned in closer. When his soft, rose-colored lips neared hers, she couldn’t even take a proper breath.

Before she could speak, his lips brushed gently against hers.

Achilles wanted to deepen the kiss, but he stopped himself. If he did more, she might actually punch him this time—and truly come to hate him. So instead, he placed a light, careful kiss on her lips.

When he pulled away, her face was flushed deeper than a blooming rose.

He then took Charlize’s hand and placed it against his chest. His clothes weren’t thin, so she wouldn’t be able to clearly feel his heartbeat—but that didn’t matter.

“My heart,” he said as he pressed her palm against himself. “It’s beating.”

That was when Charlize’s entire face turned crimson, as if it might burst from embarrassment.

‘That was my first kiss!’

She had feelings for the young Duke Valter Bianchi, but Valter had never kissed her. So this… this was her first kiss. If that could even be called a kiss.

Startled, Charlize tried to pull her wrist away. Achilles briefly thought of holding her tighter—but he let go. For now, he needed to let her believe she could still escape.

“Why?! Just because of that doesn’t mean you can—!”

She looked like she might jump out of her seat, her expression one of panic and confusion. Achilles began to wonder if even this kind of physical touch was new to her.

‘Has she never even kissed Valter Bianchi?’

If that was the case… then what just happened may have truly been her first kiss. And that realization stirred something in him—he suddenly felt the urge to give her a real, unforgettable one.

He didn’t want Valter to have that from her.

Charlize was going to be his wife, and Achilles fully intended for them to have children—more than one, if possible.

When he wrapped an arm around her waist, Charlize looked up at him in surprise. Even though they were sitting side by side, she had to lift her chin to meet his eyes—he was that much taller.

This time, there was no hesitation. The moment their eyes met, he kissed her again. When Charlize gasped, he didn’t wait—his tongue slipped into her mouth.

‘His tongue…’

Charlize froze. Her body was stiff, but her cheeks grew burning hot. Achilles tasted the soft, sweet warmth of her mouth, feeling her energy through the delicate lining of her lips.

The mana she emitted through that contact was so dazzling, so intense—it made his heart pound for real.

“Mm… ah, mmh…”

Charlize’s eyes shut tightly as her body trembled. She didn’t even think to push him away. There was no disgust—only the sensation of her heart racing wildly. Their tongues tangled, creating wet, sticky sounds, and she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes.

‘This is… too embarrassing.’

Their bodies were pressed together, and with Achilles leaning over her, she was pinned completely to the back of the sofa. His slick tongue explored her lips, her tongue, and every corner of her mouth. She could barely stay conscious.

Inside the silent audience chamber, the only sound was the soft, wet echo of their lips and tongues.

Achilles suddenly realized that if he didn’t stop, he might lose control and completely devour her. With effort, he finally lifted his head.

“…”

“Hah… haah…”

Charlize looked up at him with wide, unfocused eyes, her face dazed and tearful. But surprisingly, her expression brought Achilles a deep sense of satisfaction.

‘…Why didn’t she stop me?’

It was a question that lingered in both their minds.

Achilles couldn’t understand why Charlize hadn’t resisted—not even when the kiss deepened. She clearly had feelings for another man.

But while Charlize was overwhelmed with confusion, Achilles had a sense of clarity.

He thought he might know the reason why.

‘Because she once absorbed my mana, she must not feel much resistance now.’

In the past, he had infused his own magical energy into the princess’s body to heal her, lending his will to help her survive. It seemed that moment had left a powerful imprint on her.

For Achilles—who planned to share her bed often after they were wed—this was a favorable discovery. As he played with her lips, still wet with his saliva, he spoke.

“Princess.”

At the soft call, Charlize flinched sharply, snapping back to awareness.

“Was that your first kiss—with me?”

Her eyes widened as if something had clicked in her mind. Tears began to well up in her clear, blue eyes, and for the first time, Achilles looked genuinely taken aback.

“Princess?”

When their lips had first touched, the only thought in her mind was, “This is my first kiss!” She had desperately convinced herself it didn’t count—he hadn’t used his tongue, so it wasn’t a real kiss.

But then, that damned mage kissed her again—and that time, he definitely used his tongue! What embarrassed and confused her most was the fact that she hadn’t found it unpleasant at all.

‘That man…’

It was the way he looked at her—like she was something brilliant and precious. His golden eyes held a clear, sincere expression as he stared at her so intently, and she couldn’t look away.

‘That look… does he really like me?’

Anyone else staring so directly at her might’ve been scary—but not him. Not when he was kissing her. In fact, the intensity of his gaze felt almost like a fierce kind of affection, or maybe even obsession.

‘My heart…’

It was racing. So much harder than it ever had with Valter. From the moment Achilles had taken her hand and placed it over his heart, it had started beating for him.

“N-No!!”

Shaken by the rush of emotions, Charlize suddenly shouted. This wasn’t right. It was too easy—she couldn’t fall in love this easily.

She shoved him away, scrambled to her feet, and practically leapt off the sofa. With her face bright red, she rubbed at her lips with her sleeve.

But no matter how hard she wiped, she couldn’t erase the memory of his tongue moving inside her mouth.

“Princess? What’s the matter?”

Achilles looked confused, unable to guess at the storm of emotions inside her. His expression was still fairly blank, but Charlize could see a small crack in it.

And that surprised her even more.

‘Why… why can I read his face so clearly now?’

Was it because she’d grown so lonely, accustomed to Valter’s habitual indifference? Or was it because, in her past life, she had died alone after the age of thirty—never knowing love again?

Achilles began to stand.

“What do you mean ‘no’? Are you hurt, or—”

As soon as he rose from the sofa, Charlize panicked. She bolted for the doors of the audience chamber, throwing them open and running out without looking back. Achilles stopped in place, frozen.

Why?

He had no idea.

“Princess! Princess!”

It had been years since she’d run like this, ignoring the calls of ladies-in-waiting and attendants behind her. Not since she was a child. Now, at last, she came to a stop, and the palace staff chasing after her arrived, breathless.

One of the senior ladies-in-waiting looked at Charlize, still panting.

“Princess… did the Tower Master behave inappropriately toward you—?”

“No! It’s not like that… Just—don’t bring it up!”

Charlize yelled, her face flushed bright red. But her tone didn’t exactly help her credibility, and the attendants exchanged uncertain glances.

“No one is to speak a word of this, understand? If this reaches Their Majesties or my brother, I won’t stay quiet about it!”

“But Princess, there are guards and attendants stationed at the audience chamber. It may be difficult to—”

Ah.

Charlize froze as the realization hit her. If she wanted to shut this down, she’d have to go back and handle it directly… but Achilles was probably still there.

‘What do I do? I… I don’t think I can face him again.’

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him. It was that she was too embarrassed to.

It wasn’t just the kiss. It was the fact that… she’d pushed him away and ran off.

‘What a mess. He’s going to think I’m completely strange.’

“Do I look weird right now?”

She quickly turned her head and asked one of the maids. The young woman replied with practiced loyalty.

“Your hair is only slightly out of place, Your Highness. You look stunning.”

“So beautiful, Your Highness,” added another.

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

Charlize sighed internally, reminded of how close she’d grown with all of her attendants. And now, even in her embarrassment, they were still trying to flatter her.

‘I just need to find a mirror.’

She sighed again and began walking. But as soon as Achilles’s face came to mind, her cheeks flushed all over again.