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“I’ll take care of it myself.”

That’s what I said.

Even though I started pondering whether I should leave Vivian, I buried my true feelings under a layer of lies.

Vivian still had a lot of enemies.

If I were to leave now, she would probably die.

She was like a flickering candle, swaying in a rough wind, and without my body to block the wind, it would be cut down.

This was my first experience, and love turned out to be quite a brutal emotion.

Reina stayed silent for a while before finally smiling.

“Okay, I’ll support you, Kyle.”

“…Thanks for letting me know.”

“…Can I ask for just two things?”

“Go ahead.”

Reina blinked while smiling, looking at me.

“If you ultimately decide to leave Vivian and become the head of the Allen Family… if there’s an opportunity for me to escape this land because of my marriage proposal… then, will you become my knight?”

“Huh?”

“The Allen Family used to serve us, right? If you choose to abandon Vivian, will you serve me then?”

It seemed so far in the future that I couldn’t give any certainty. I didn’t even know if I could leave Vivian. But if everything worked out as she said, it wouldn’t be impossible.

It had become so challenging to stay by Vivian’s side, and if the only escape route was through the princess’s help, then I would need to repay that favor.

“Alright.”

Reina smiled and made her next request.

“…And about that next request… I’m actually trying to stir up jealousy in Prince Thread.”

The sudden comment made me chuckle.

“You, Princess? Do you like Prince Thread or something?”

“…It’s Thread who likes me. So I need a weapon to get an upper hand.”

“I’ve been feeling this since earlier, but Princess, you seem surprisingly cunning.”

“To survive in a foreign land, you have to do whatever it takes. Haven’t you done that?”

“True.”

I glanced at Prince Thread for a moment.

And I also noticed Vivian, who was seething next to him.

Seeing Vivian made my intention to hear Reina out waver for a moment.

“…So what is it…”

“A kiss, do it right now.”

Reina requested.

I looked at her and let out a suppressed laugh.

“You’ve got quite a sense of humor.”

Reina giggled in response.

“…I guess it wasn’t funny.”

She looked a bit bitter for some reason.

I didn’t think too long.

I slowly raised her hand.

And then I pressed my lips to the back of her hand.

Reina nodded and said.

“…Either way, it was fun, Kyle—”

-Thud!

And then Vivian appeared.

…

“Hah… Hah…”

How long had that kiss lasted?

Even now, the taste of Vivian’s saliva was becoming clear in my memory.

Sweet and fragrant. It felt addictive.

“Do you like it?”

Vivian whispered.

“Do you like it, Kyle…?”

Contrary to my expectation that the kiss would stop after a while, it was only deepening.

As we shared a passionate kiss, the heat of our bodies rose, and our breaths quickened.

Especially Vivian, who wasn’t in great shape, started to wobble slightly as if she was getting dizzy.

It was pathetic.

I tightly shut my eyes.

Could I really be this foolish?

I had just come from hearing all that from Reina, and now I had to find a reason to leave Vivian, yet I didn’t even know why I had fallen in love with her.

Father. My siblings. All of this was pulling me in…

…But as if following Vivian’s wishes, she was tightening the leash on me more and more.

I couldn’t reject her kiss at all.

It felt as if my head was melting in ecstasy.

The grown woman’s chest pressed against me, and her firm, soft legs were writhing atop me.

Vivian’s arms wrapped around my neck as if to never let go, and her tongue and mouth endlessly explored me.

This couldn’t go on.

Like resisting the temptation of a drug, I finally lifted Vivian off me.

She must have thought I was the one pinning her down, but in reality, I hadn’t moved.

Yet still, Vivian wouldn’t detach from me.

Since some time, Vivian had passionately kissed me with her eyes tightly closed, as if she were only getting rougher.

Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist, and her elbows pressed down on my shoulders to support herself.

Her hair spilled across my face, and beneath it, we shared even deeper kisses.

And as Vivian’s advances became more relentless, I could feel it more.

Her desperate kisses were far from normal.

Was she really doing all this tormenting on purpose?

Was there really no other intent?

I closed my eyes and accepted her again.

Raising her hips, I kissed her.

The more I embraced her, the more Vivian seemed to relax.

It felt strange that she was getting happier.

My doubts quickly turned into certainty.

I pushed my forehead against hers in an attempt to separate us, but Vivian turned her head and kissed me passionately again.

I tried a couple more times to break free before speaking.

“…Is it jealousy?”

Is this all just to tighten my leash? Vivian was crazy, but not that crazy.

I threw a gamble. She probably didn’t want me dancing with Princess Reina.

“Ugh…!”

Vivian pulled my lips back toward her as if trying to hide her answer.

It was the action of someone who had been hit right at the mark.

Then she forced her tongue into my mouth again.

In the midst of ecstasy, I kept itching to uncover Vivian’s innermost thoughts.

“I… I get it now. Vivian, it’s not just me who feels this way.”

“…Shut up…! Just stick out your tongue.”

“You love me—”

“-Hah.”

She cut me off by sealing my lips with a rough kiss.

Her arms and legs tightened around me even more.

I was curious where this strength came from for someone who seemed so fragile.

“Crazy… Hah… crazy… Do you really think… Hah… that? Ugh… Why… you… idiot…”

“Hah… stop denying it. You love me—”

“-NO!!!”

Vivian yelled, denying it.

And yet she didn’t stop kissing me.

As she screamed so much, my temperature started to rise.

I pulled her along to the bed and laid her down.

“Ugh!”

Vivian groaned as she fell heavily onto the bed, but I wouldn’t stop.

I tore the fabric at her waist and slipped my hand underneath, gripping her bare chest tightly.

The soft sensation transmitted through my hand. I was stunned by her beauty.

“Is this still not enough?”

I asked Vivian.

Vivian didn’t resist at all.

She accepted my hand.

Vivian shook her head.

“No. Absolutely not.”

She acted as if there was a reason to reject my feelings this much.

I couldn’t understand it.

If we liked each other, wouldn’t it be easier to just be honest?

Now it was just the two of us.

It wasn’t like I wanted to share this love all by myself.

You surely wanted it too.

I kept kneading her breasts and pressed my lips back against hers.

Vivian, who claimed to hate this, was the first to send her tongue out to meet mine. She passionately mixed her tongue with mine.

‘Kyle, the more you fall in love with Vivian Rondore, the more you have to leave. Can you withstand it if someone else comes into her life?’

And as we made this love again, Princess Reina’s words lingered in my mind.

What if someone else touched her chest?

What if someone else tasted her lips?

I couldn’t handle it.

Fueled by that rage, I squeezed her chest even harder.

“Ugh…!”

Vivian let out a moan that sounded like she was in pain.

I let go of her and sat up.

Then I asked again.

“…Is it really not true?”

Vivian shook her head once more.

“Am I… Hah… Hah… crazy? To love someone like you? To love my enemy?”

I withdrew my hand and held her face.

Somehow, I was revealing my true feelings too.

I understand that she is my enemy. I also know that we cannot be together.

But I was confident I could endure that obstacle.

I hoped Vivian would feel the same.

We had always expressed our hatred for each other without reserve, but deep down, the affection had been hidden.

As deep as our hatred was, I could finally be sure that affection ran deeper.

She and I were very similar.

If that’s the case, then our hearts must be too.

After hesitating for a moment, I asked earnestly.

“…Isn’t it enough with me?”

But upon hearing my question, Vivian made a sad face.

Her expression looked as if tears were about to spill out at any moment.

No, perhaps she was already crying, but just not shedding tears.

“…You fool.”

Vivian said with a quivering voice.

“…Did you just realize that?”

“…”

“You can’t… die. This is just me pulling your leash. You’re my toy.”

That statement hit me with a realization.

This truly is a curse.

Given that I didn’t hate Vivian despite hearing such words.

This wasn’t my emotion. It was a part of that curse. I had been swaying around like a fool without even realizing it.

“…Ha… Haha.”

That damned witch cast a filthy, tough curse on me.

And realizing it was a curse, I had no intention of continuing to endure it anymore.

I straightened up and wiped my lips.

“Okay, I get it.”

Once it’s safe.

Even though I resolved to resist the curse, I still, like a fool, made one condition.

If Vivian becomes safe… if she can live well without me…

…then let’s part ways.

We finally accept the obvious truth that we cannot be together.

 

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