Chapter 18
018
The place Henesstia followed Riad to was the first tent that had been completed.
As she stepped inside, she saw other tents being set up around hers.
No matter where she went, it felt like the knights would be standing there, eyes wide open—not so much a feeling of protection, but more of surveillance.
“You said you didn’t have a proper dinner.”
Still, the inside of the tent gave off a somewhat cozy vibe.
As Henesstia hesitated at the entrance, Riad—who had pulled her all the way in—did the first thing that came to mind: he placed a piece of fruit in her hand.
“Even if you’re just riding, covering long distances is a battle of stamina. Eat.”
She didn’t know who had peeled them, but the fruit was beautifully prepared and neatly cut. Awkwardly, Henesstia accepted it.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I heard you only had two pieces of jerky for dinner.”
Henesstia’s face turned pale.
In truth, even eating that jerky had been a struggle on her part, but it didn’t seem like he appreciated the effort at all.
“Do you always eat this little? I heard you didn’t touch the breakfast I sent either and instead nibbled on some dried fruit.”
Unlike the neatly sliced fruit in her hand, Riad held a whole apple and finished it in just two bites. Watching the fruit disappear into his mouth so easily, Henesstia instinctively covered her own.
“If venison isn’t to your taste, say so now. That way we can hunt something else tomorrow.”
Tonight’s meal had been venison.
Since they hadn’t brought provisions, the knights had butchered fresh game on the spot. Not just one deer—six.
“…Meat’s not really to my taste.”
That was a lie. Henesstia actually liked meat.
But with her stomach feeling off, eating venison now would definitely make her sick.
Besides, the smell of blood that had started creeping into her carriage even before dinner was enough to make anyone turn down even the most perfectly roasted venison.
Riad looked her up and down, then rubbed his brow as if he couldn’t understand.
“So you’re planning to keep going through the mountains on just fruit and leaves?”
If she absolutely had to eat something, random greens picked from who-knows-where honestly sounded more bearable right now.
Rather than forcing down something heavy and upsetting her stomach—and becoming a burden—it seemed better to just quietly nibble on some fruit, even if it left her a bit weak…
But it didn’t seem like this man was going to back down just because she insisted. Wanting to smooth things over, Henesstia lied again.
“Th-then… I’ll try to eat a bit tomorrow.”
Well, not a complete lie. If she really did feel better tomorrow, she might manage a bite… If the meat was pushed in front of her, she’d consider trying it.
Henesstia’s thoughts started racing.
Riad shrugged off his heavy robe and plopped down on the bed. It was the one she’d assumed was hers, and she was caught off guard.
It didn’t look like he was just sitting for a moment either—now that she looked properly, the room didn’t just have her clothes laid out. There were some that looked like his, too.
“You’re sleeping here too?”
At that, Riad rested his chin on his hand and let out a dry laugh.
“I told you earlier, didn’t I?”
Ah… Henesstia instinctively grabbed her earlobe.
He had said it. But the idea of sharing a room with someone was so foreign to her that she’d forgotten. Her ears started to burn with heat.
“There are a lot of wild animals here. We even found traces of a wolf pack. Honestly, it’s not the best place to rest for the night… but all the roads ahead are like this, so we don’t have a choice.”
He crossed his legs and spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Even though there was talk of a wolf pack nearby, neither Riad nor the knights outside showed the slightest hint of concern.
The danger of the wolf pack felt about the same as the danger of having to sleep near Riad. At a loss for words, Henesstia stared down at her fruit.
He reached out. A cherry from the plate she was holding ended up in his hand.
“If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve brought a maid.”
“……”
“You need to bathe and change clothes, but there’s no one to help you.”
Henesstia didn’t respond.
She began to suspect he might seriously think she couldn’t even walk on her own.
‘Well… to be fair, the first time I washed up alone, I made a mess of it.’
As she continued staring at the fruit, something suddenly touched her lips.
Riad pushed what he had in his hand right into her open mouth. The cherry burst against her lips and slipped inside.
It was sweet. So sweet it almost numbed her tongue.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Riad wiped the juice from her lips with his fingers, then snatched the tray out of her hands.
“Ugh…!”
An arm wrapped around her waist, and Henesstia was pulled helplessly toward him. As her body tipped forward, she fell against him, sitting on the bed.
She tried to sit up, but his strong hands around her waist and back offered no way out.
He casually swept aside her fallen hair with one hand and slid his fingers into the opening of her robe.
With one smooth tug, his large hand pulled the garment aside without resistance.
Henesstia flinched sharply.
“Let me go! There are so many knights outside…!”
She squirmed, but her struggling looked more like the helpless flapping of a caged bird.
One side of his mouth curled up. He traced kisses up her neck and pressed his lips to her chin, his eyes heated as they locked with hers.
“What? Did you think I’d shove my dck in you and start hmping like a dog out here?”
“……!”
The vulgarity—language she’d never heard from anyone before—left her stunned and humiliated. Her face flushed red, and he clearly enjoyed it.
She glared at him, eyes wide, but he just narrowed his own as if he’d devour even that.
“I’m not a beast. What kind of animal would do it in a place like this?”
“W-why would you say something like that…!”
“Not exactly something you’d say to a lady of high status, is it?”
Henesstia nearly screamed the words.
“Then don’t say it at all!”
“How can I not, when you make that kind of face?”
Her face was already redder than the cherry she’d just swallowed.
Then a bold hand moved to the buttons on her back—click—undoing them one by one. She twisted her body, but it was no use.
As the robe slid off, revealing her round shoulder, he sank his teeth into it.
“Ah…!”
His gaze shifted to her other shoulder, sweeping over it.
What had been a purplish bruise now looked a gentle blue, as if the medicine had worked well.
Riad gently bit and massaged her shoulder.
It didn’t hurt, but the thick, hot tongue brushing her skin and the faint sting of teeth made her head spin.
“I’m not planning to do anything, so just stay still.”
The more she squirmed, the more tightly he held her. He casually bit the nape of her neck and loosened her clothing.
With each button undone, more of her body was revealed.
Her skin was delicate. So delicate it seemed like even the slightest touch might leave a mark.
He traced his fingers along her swan-like neckline, down the deep dip of her collarbone.
Through the thin, nearly transparent n*gligee under the lamp’s glow, her beautiful chest and flat stomach stirred his lust.
It was obvious—if he put himself in her, her stomach would bulge.
As if suppressing his urge to curse aloud, Riad clenched his teeth, trying to hold himself back from the sight of her body wrapped in thin silk.
The veins on his neck bulged. For some reason, unbuttoning her dress felt harder than expected—his hands kept missing.
He wanted to rip it off, to tear it with his hands, but worried that even the fabric scraping her skin might leave a wound.
“Haa…”
Even after a day of riding without sweating, a bead of sweat now rolled down his forehead.
Faced with such raw desire, Henesstia’s body stiffened.
Riad pressed a kiss to her tensed shoulder and finally relaxed his grip on her waist.
Her clothing slipped and fell to the floor.
She may have spent all day inside the carriage, but her scent only stirred more desire.
Riad gently stroked her chin, exhaling a slow, hot breath.
“Open your mouth.”
His breath warmed the air between them.
Henesstia clenched her mouth shut and turned her head sharply, but Riad didn’t give up. He gently patted her back, coaxing her softly.
“I won’t hurt you. Come on.”
She looked at him with deep suspicion, but he just waited patiently.
After hesitating, Henesstia slowly parted her lips. And in that moment, he leaned in and claimed them.
His tongue entered her mouth as if conquering it. Startled by the sudden invasion, she reflexively dug her nails into him.
Scratches appeared along his arm where Henesstia touched him, but instead of flinching, the sensation only seemed to provoke him further.
As his tongue skimmed the roof of her mouth and teased her delicate inner skin, he caught her tongue—trembling and trying to escape—and tangled it with his own.
Her mouth was open wide, and breathing became difficult, making her exhale short, gasping breaths. Every time their tongues intertwined, saliva messily dripped out between them.
Kissing was supposed to be sacred and sweet, but the way he kissed her was so unlike anything she’d ever learned—it left her utterly confused.
It was hard to breathe, and strangely, each time he came closer, her body kept going limp and twitching.
Her red tongue, caught in his grasp, couldn’t move at all.
He pulled back slightly and murmured,
“Haah… Just this much is enough to drive me insane.”
“Hngh…”
“Open your mouth more. It’ll make it easier for me to suck your tongue.”
My god. If only she weren’t gasping for breath, Henesstia would’ve screamed at him first, then corrected his vulgar words.
Her position shifted, and she ended up straddling his thigh in a mortifying posture.
His solid thigh felt like it wouldn’t even budge under her full weight.
But something kept brushing against her leg, and Henesstia shifted uncomfortably, lifting her hips slightly.
“Mmph… Hnn…”
She squirmed like a worm trying to get away, but he didn’t give her the chance.
As he leaned in to kiss her again, he scraped past her teeth and pressed deep inside her throat, making it ache.
Tears welled up and rolled down her flushed cheeks from the overwhelming sensation.
With his mouth covering hers, her breathing grew more and more erratic.
Whenever she tried to breathe through her parted lips, he seized the opportunity to crush her mouth with his and shove his tongue in roughly.
“Mm… Mmph!”
“Breathe through your nose.”
His low voice spread inside her mouth like a whisper.
He bit, licked, and sucked her small tongue, drawing out her soul. As he slowly rubbed the roof of her mouth, Henesstia desperately followed his lead.
“Uuh…”
With the w*t, sticky kiss, her body gave out completely.
Riad pulled her tighter in his arms, savoring every reaction.
The squelching sound of saliva mixing echoed obscenely in her ears, making her want to cover them.
There may have been only a single layer of fabric between them, but outside, the knights were everywhere.
What if someone came in? What if someone had passed by and heard them?
Anxieties welled up from deep inside her chest—but Riad swallowed even those fears whole.
“Hngh… hnn… mm.”
By the time Henesstia’s face had turned as red as a ripe tomato, he finally pulled his lips away. A string of saliva glistened between them.
Like a satisfied predator, Riad gazed at her with pl*asure and slowly licked his lips.
“Stick your tongue out. Makes it easier for me to suck.”
“Y-you really need to stop saying things like that…!”
Her sentence never finished. As soon as she opened her mouth, Riad seized the chance and invaded it once more.
This time, he deliberately targeted the sensitive part of her throat that twitched each time he touched it.
She desperately wanted to escape Riad’s intense gaze as he adjusted his angle again and again, so she shut her eyes tightly.
But that was her mistake.
With her sight blocked, all her senses concentrated on the place where their lips met.
His touch, roaming over her body, grew more blatant—dripping with desire.
He stroked her skin lightly, as if to tickle her, then slid his hand up to her chest.
“Mmph—mmph!”
At the sudden touch, Henesstia’s body jolted violently.
As if he expected it, he firmly restrained her trembling body and entwined his leg with hers.
“Haah…”
A moan—whose it was, she couldn’t tell—slipped out.
The thin fabric was of no help at all.
Riad began to knead the soft curve of her chest in his hand, savoring the sight of her flushed face.
Feeling his gaze, Henesstia squirmed and placed her hands over his in an attempt to push him away.
As his voice rumbled low from his throat, color bloomed unevenly over Henesstia’s pale skin.
His fingertips brushed over her n*pple and added just a bit more pressure.
His rough touch kept sapping the strength from her limbs.
She flailed, trying to find something to support herself—and her hand landed on Riad’s thigh.
In that instant, a strained moan escaped him.
“Kh…!”
“……!”
Startled, Henesstia looked up at him.
Riad’s face was flushed red as he gripped both of her arms.
His lips trembled slightly and parted as if gasping, then closed again as if trying to suppress his breath.
His golden eyes were filled with heat.
The sharp line of his jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes took on a faintly dangerous look.
“Why, what’s wrong all of a sudden…?”
Henesstia’s eyes widened.
The whites of her eyes were tinged red, and not knowing where to look, she turned her head away slightly.
Then she saw where her hand had landed—his thigh.
Only then did she feel something she hadn’t noticed during the kiss.
“…Hiiik!”
His trousers were bulging, clearly outlining the shape of something.
Even as she hurriedly pulled her hand away, her eyes wouldn’t leave the spot.
She couldn’t help it—whatever that was, it was shockingly large.
‘No way… Is that really…?’
Riad clenched his jaw and tried to steady his breathing, a vein visibly bulging on his forehead.
“R-Riad?”
A tiny voice escaped her lips—and that was the end of his patience.
He pressed his forehead to hers.
“What are you staring at like that for?”
His hurried hand moved carefully down her back as he whispered low.
“Want to take a look?”
