ICM Chapter 127

“It’s not like it’s the first time, so why are you making such a fuss about it? We’re going to be married soon anyway.”

 

“Even so…”

 

Her face, pale from the cold, hesitated, unable to find words to respond. Seeing Ashika’s hesitation, Drushia turned his back.

 

“I won’t look, so take off your clothes and wrap yourself in this blanket.”

 

There was a rough blanket on what could barely be called a bed—just wooden planks. Drushia approached the fireplace with his back turned.

 

There was no other choice. While he lit the fire in the fireplace, Ashika undressed. She couldn’t remove everything, so she kept only her smallest undergarment on and wrapped the dry blanket tightly around herself. A damp, grassy smell wafted up from the blanket.

 

Drushia looked at Ashika, who was standing awkwardly buried in the blanket, and laughed.

 

“Why… why are you laughing?”

 

It seemed the cold had numbed even her mind. While Ashika stood there dazedly, Drushia began removing his own clothes.

 

“Drushia!”

 

Ashika quickly turned her head away. Whether she looked or not, Drushia threw off his clothes. He removed his coat and tore off his soaking wet pants and shirt that clung to him, then stripped off even his underwear.

 

“I’m not embarrassed. If you want to look, feel free to look all you want.”

 

Drushia was naked in an instant. Ashika hurriedly averted her gaze, but she could sense the pale flesh flickering nearby.

 

“Put… put something on quickly!”

 

“There’s nothing to wear.”

 

“You’re doing this on purpose. You could at least drape the blanket over yourself.”

 

Deep, resonant laughter echoed through the cramped cabin. Drushia approached Ashika’s side, holding a dry towel.

 

“Put something on, I said!”

 

“There’s only one blanket.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Shall we share that blanket? That would work, wouldn’t it?”

 

Drushia’s hand tried to grasp Ashika’s hand that was clutching the blanket closed. He meant to spread the blanket wide so they could share it. Ashika hurriedly dodged his hand and turned her body away.

 

“Come here. Water is dripping from your hair.”

 

Ashika couldn’t lift her head. She could feel the heat from the naked body that had come right up to her. Even with her eyes closed, the sight of his firm, muscular chest and pale naked body flickered before her, making her dizzy.

 

Meanwhile, Drushia began drying Ashika’s wet hair with the dry cloth.

 

“I’ll do this myself.”

 

“Should you? Then give me the blanket?”

 

Ashika gasped and drew in a sharp breath.

 

‘I don’t have enough hands.’

 

If she let go of the hands holding the blanket wrapped around her, Drushia would immediately pounce and strip even that away.

 

“You’re teasing me right now, aren’t you?”

 

“I’m doing it because I like you.”

 

With soft chuckles, a brazen confession followed. For a moment, Ashika was speechless.

 

She felt a sense of déjà vu. She had a similar memory from somewhere before.

 

When was that? The memory of warm warmth tickling her chest and a man who laughed as fresh as a boy.

 

“You’ve turned completely pale. You’ll collapse at this rate.”

 

The smile never left Drushia’s lips. He pulled the dazed woman to sit by the bed and shook the moisture from her hair. His touch was both skillful and tender.

 

‘Could it be…’

 

A very small suspicion and a remote possibility. Ashika couldn’t take her eyes off the laughing man. When her gaze lingered, Drushia’s face also flushed.

 

“Mm, it’s nice. But isn’t it too hot?”

 

“Ah, what?”

 

A large hand gently stroked her now-dry hair. Her jet-black hair contrasted starkly with her snow-white skin. Her slender, white neckline was wrapped in black strands.

 

Drushia took her hair, which held the scent of water, in his hand and quietly lowered his head.

 

She should have asked what he was doing, told him to stop, but Ashika’s lips wouldn’t part. The lips touching her hair were so careful and tender. At the same time, the man’s fully exposed naked body was sensual, stirring a strange heat within her.

 

The lips that had been nuzzling her hair slowly moved toward her neck.

 

“Do you know? When I see this white neck of yours, I want to bite it.”

 

And he wanted to lick it thoroughly and leave plenty of red marks. His barely audible whisper and tickling breath touched her skin. Ashika’s shoulders hunched up and the strength left her hands gripping the blanket.

 

Drushia’s hand quietly took hold of Ashika’s hand. With a gentle pulling force, the blanket slipped from her grasp. When she tried to pull back, his other hand slipped between the blanket and traced her bare skin.

 

“Mmh.”

 

The lips that had been nibbling at her neckline licked her collarbone and moved further down. The bitter cold had disappeared, and a strange heat began rising from her body.

 

“Wait…, ah…”

 

Pushed by Drushia’s weight, her upper body tilted back onto the bed. As his lips moved further down, the blanket that had been wrapped around her body slipped away helplessly.

 

The shadow of the large man fell over her collapsed upper body.

 

“Ahh…”

 

The lips that landed on her cold skin were hot. The burning sensation rolled over her bare skin, leaving tingling stimulation in its wake.

 

A large hand gently stroked and lifted her buttocks, then pulled down her thin underwear. With no chance to escape, the stripped underwear dangled from one ankle.

 

“Drushia, here… someone might come…”

 

“…No one will come.”

 

His voice, thick and husky, muttered while breathing hotly. In truth, Drushia couldn’t be certain either. With Talion’s knights scattered everywhere searching for Ashika, anyone could find them at any time.

 

“It’s okay. It’s fine…”

 

If anyone comes looking, I’ll just chase them away. His lips, muttering this, slipped further down.

 

A moan like an exclamation escaped Ashika’s lips. The burning body temperature and the intense, clinging stimulation. From the tingling pleasure rising from below, her mind went completely blank. So much so that she couldn’t even hear the increasingly heavy sound of rain.

 

In the cabin where only a single candle flickered, breathless sighs and the wet sounds of flesh meeting continued. Even until the heavy rain subsided and the dark clouds that had filled the sky receded.

 

Warm heat settled over her face. The soft, tickling sensation was the warmth conveyed by sunlight.

 

Her long, black eyelashes fluttered. Before she could even open her eyes, a warm and smooth sensation touched her lips. Moist lips clung to hers, gently pressing apart her lower lip as a soft tongue pushed into her mouth.

 

“Mmm…”

 

The tongue movements that woke her from deep sleep poked at every corner of her mouth, as if urging her to wake up quickly. She tried to turn her head to push away the intruder, but a large hand was holding her chin.

 

His thick tongue entangled hers, sucking deeply and stirring inside her mouth. As she awakened, sweet stimulation flooded in. It was a kiss as intense as their passionate lovemaking.

 

When Ashika struggled, the tongue that had been rubbing inside her mouth withdrew and the lips that had been greedily sucking created a gap.

 

“Haah, Drush…”

 

“Mmm… don’t speak. It’s too stimulating.”

 

Drushia whispered while gently rubbing his lips against hers.

 

“You slept soundly and left me behind, so now you have to compensate me.”

 

Every time their touching lips spoke softly, it tickled. Unable to bear the tickling, laughter escaped from Ashika’s mouth.

 

“Drushia, please…”

 

“What?”

 

“If you want to… talk, move away a little.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Their breaths mingled as their lips touched with soft pecking sounds. Even their laughter, heavy with moist breath, touched and mixed with each other’s lips.

 

“It tickles.”

 

“Mm, me too.”

 

This languid feeling as if she might melt away. The sensation of skin gently intertwining every time they moved was so good it made her sigh. Thanks to his hot body temperature, even the cold air from the extinguished fire didn’t feel chilly.

 

The lower part of their touching bodies was particularly hot. Growing hotter and harder, something pressed against her lower abdomen, writhing.

 

“This isn’t the time to be doing this, is it?”

 

“When else would we do this if not now? You’re always distracted by being busy, putting even marriage on the back burner.”

 

He’d been making such remarks from time to time, so quite a bit of resentment had built up. Drushia pressed down the squirming slender female body with his weight, making it impossible for her to move. The more he did so, the harder flesh below grew larger, pressing against her center.

 

His hips moved instinctively. He rubbed and pressed against where they touched below, stimulating sensitive areas. Even the feeling of the rough blanket rustling and brushing against skin was stimulating.

 

“Haah…, Drushia.”

 

“Say my name more. Hah… I like it.”

 

The thoughts spinning in her head about how they should stop, how there were more urgent matters, were swept away by the intense stimulation. However, the two entwined naked bodies soon stopped their movements.

 

“What… what is that sound?”

 

Ashika was flustered and Drushia cursed quietly. The sound of horses neighing could be heard not far away. The sound quickly approached near the cabin.

 

Drushia reluctantly got up after hesitating.

 

“It’s probably my knights. I deployed knights throughout this area.”

 

Ashika drew in a sharp breath.

 

“Clothes, my clothes, Drushia.”

 

“Don’t worry. They won’t just barge in rudely.”

 

Before Drushia could even leave the bed, Ashika was already struggling to get up first.

 

“Give me my clothes first.”

 

The white naked body writhing to escape was terribly stimulating. Drushia frowned in conflict.

 

Should he let her go, or not?

 

‘If I just ask the knights to wait a little…’

 

Below, where they were still touching, his center was still stiffly erect. Reading the unresolved passion in his deep blue eyes, Ashika became even more flustered.

 

“People are coming! Drushia!”

 

“Hah… it would only take a moment. Ashika, we…”

 

“Drushia!”

 

She slapped away the arm that was subtly wrapping around her waist. A moment or not, what was he thinking of doing with knights waiting outside?

 

‘He’s crazy, he’s crazy.’

 

Only after getting his arm slapped did Drushia reluctantly withdraw his hand. His narrowed eyes were full of unsatisfied desire and discontent.

 

“My wife is only cold to me.”

 

And she has workaholic tendencies too. The position of Young Duchess Igraine plus the position of Duchess. Looking at it carefully, he realized Ashika’s work would double.

 

‘This is a serious problem, isn’t it?’

 

Drushia, who realized this belatedly, fell into worry. While he was lost in thought, Ashika covered herself with the blanket and hurriedly escaped from the bed.

 

The clothes hanging neatly on the table, chairs, and shelves were fortunately mostly dry. The dress was terribly wrinkled, but it seemed it would be adequately covered if she put on the thick coat.

 

While Ashika hurriedly put on her clothes, Drushia quietly watched her.

 

‘She’s busy, so busy.’

 

Her hands were so hurried as she put on clothes, throwing aside even dignity. His sulky mood subsided and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up. He wanted to tease her a little more, but held back, thinking she might really get angry if he did.

 

As Ashika finished putting on her clothes and Drushia pushed one leg into his pants, a knocking sound was heard.

 

“Is anyone inside by any chance?”