Chapter 5: Chapter 1: The Strange Bride (4)

"Yes. ...That is what I was called as a child."

Tia. It was a fine nickname. As Erwin kissed Letiana’s hair repeatedly, he swiftly stripped away her nightclothes. Beneath the simple cotton garment, she wore nothing; her soft skin was laid bare before him.

"Tia..."

In the room filled with artificial light, Erwin swallowed hard.

Feeling the man's gaze, she likely tried to hide herself. Clad in nothing but her lush chestnut hair, Letiana clung to him. The plush sensation of her breasts pressing against him sent a sudden surge of heat through his entire body.

"Look at me."

Letiana, who had been resting her head against his broad shoulder, looked up in response.

Her face was flushed crimson down to her chest, and she was trembling slightly. No matter how intelligent she was, she was still a maiden. It was only natural to be frightened by her first time. And yet, as if she had steeled her resolve, she looked straight back at him.

A fear of ghosts that outweighed her own terror.

Erwin felt as though his heart had been gripped tight.

A lonely Earl’s daughter who had come to an enemy nation all alone. Bold yet fragile, brilliant yet naive—Erwin's wife, who tried to hide a beauty that was almost frightening.

Everything about her was unbalanced, maintaining a precarious equilibrium like walking on the edge of a blade. Whether he wanted to shatter that balance or protect her so it wouldn't break, Erwin no longer knew.

"Tia."

His voice came out impossibly sweet. He kissed her as he watched her anxious eyes close, gently kneading her full breasts.

They were soft. He nipped her upper lip, caught her lower lip between his, and slid his tongue into the thin gap. A thrill of numbness shot through his head. He entwined his tongue with hers, which touched him hesitantly, rubbing their surfaces together.

"Nnh... ah..."

She patted his shoulder lightly, and he pulled back, breaking the kiss. Loath to let go, he rested his forehead against hers, eyelids fluttering in the lingering afterglow.

"...What is it?"

"Don't touch me... so strangely."

Looking at her from this distance, he could see tears pooling in her greenish eyes.

"...Strangely?"

"It is strange. To touch me there..."

Letiana glared at him, gripping his wrist in protest.

"Hmm? ...This?"

"Ah!"

As he kneaded her, he pinched her nipple—now hard from the stimulation—between his fingers.

"S-stop... that..."

"What's strange about this?"

"Ah, nnh... because, you don't have to touch me—"

"It's necessary to get a man in the mood."

She looked at him with a gaze mixed with doubt.

"...Really?"

"Yes, really."

Having said that, Erwin lifted her and pressed her down onto the bed.

"...Erwin?"

"But this alone isn't enough."

Her glowing white naked body traced voluptuous curves; even lying on her back, her breasts did not flatten, and her cherry-pink nipples poked out sharply.

Her waist was so slender it looked as if it might break, reflecting her delicate frame. However, her abdomen was toned, suggesting she moved her body quite a bit.

"It's embarrassing... please, don't look so much..."

Unable to bear the intensity of his stare, Letiana covered her face with both hands. Was her refusal to hide her body a way to get the man "in the mood"?

Erwin reached out, tracing his fingertip from her armpit to the side of her breast. He caught the wrist of the woman who jumped at his touch and slowly forced her hands away.

"Tia, you are—"

As her face was revealed, the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes rolled away and were absorbed by the pillow.

Erwin grit his teeth and leaned over. Careful not to put too much weight on her, he sucked the tears away with his lips.

Letiana stared intently at the lips that had touched her gently and then pulled away.

Hazel eyes met grey-blue eyes, and soon, the distance between them vanished.

He tilted his head, kissing her so there wasn't a sliver of space between them. He explored her mouth, swallowing every leaked breath. His entire body felt hot, like molten lava. As if searching for any spot that had grown cold, he slid his hot palms across her smooth skin.

"Haa... ah..."

He pinched her nipple sharply, and as Letiana took a deep breath, he traced her ribs with his fingers. Erwin's lips followed the trail his fingers had blazed.

"Erwin, ah..."

When he sucked on her hardened nipple, her white body leaped. He pinned her slender arms down with both hands and toyed with her nipples alternately. A primal animality surged from the depths of his gut.

"Ah!"

He forced her knees wide apart, and Letiana used her freed hands to cover her crotch.

"No."

Gently but firmly, he moved her hands away. There was only a small amount of chestnut hair on her pubic mound; the rest was completely smooth.

Did she groom herself? However, in the Empire, the only people who typically removed pubic hair were military veterans—due to hygiene—or prostitutes. A flicker of doubt crossed Erwin's mind for a moment, but the pale pink slit was tight, proving that Letiana was a virgin.

"Please."

Her voice was thin. Erwin looked up through the gaps of the bangs falling over his eyes.

"Please... just make it end quickly."

"Not yet."

He dismissed the plea of the trembling Letiana, who held her hands clenched at her chest. A sadistic urge he had never felt before welled up within him.

"Why? Please, quickly..."

"You aren't ready yet. You wouldn't want it to hurt."

He wanted to make her cry more, to make her cling to him. Erwin slid his hand down from her thigh and brought his face close.

"Erwin...? What are you—ah!"

As he parted the tightly closed slit with his tongue, he found the inside already moist. It looked like it would work even without the perfumed oil. Erwin was genuinely relieved, not wanting to inflict any pain.

"No, no, stop... ah, ah...!"

As his tongue flicked back and forth, love juices dripped from deep within. After carefully licking the folds, Erwin pulled away and slowly buried his middle finger inside.

Immediately, the inside tightened around him. The fierce constriction made his member surge. He imagined how wonderful it would feel to enter this wet, warm place.

"Does it hurt?"

Watching her shake her head with a bright red face, he gently moved his finger back and forth. He added more fingers, searching for the rough spots of the ceiling and the sensitive spots that reacted to his touch.

"Haan!"

Her hips lifted off the bed. It was because Erwin had sucked her small clitoris.

"Ah...! What, ah, aahn!"

As Erwin toyed with her flower bud while sliding his index and middle fingers into her honey-flesh, Letiana's heels kicked at his back in her struggle. When he gripped one of her ankles with his left hand, Letiana grabbed his blonde hair with both hands, trying to push his head away.

"Ah, ah, ah... nnh...!"

Despite her gripping his hair almost painfully, he sucked her hard, and her slender waist convulsed violently before going limp.

Siding a glance at Letiana, who was dazed by her first orgasm, he sat up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cast off the nightclothes that had been tangled around his arm.

Broad shoulders and bulging biceps. A powerful chest and a stomach with clearly defined muscles. It was a perfect physique, forged by his hobby of boxing and the swordsmanship he had dedicated himself to as an aide to the next Emperor.

—How long had it been since he had been this aroused?

He was so erect that the tip nearly touched his navel. He lightly stroked his member, which was hard enough to drive a nail into, and hovered over the still-dazed Letiana.

"Tia."

He brushed away her sweaty bangs and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Her closed eyelids lifted, and after a few blinks, she focused on him.

"Are you scared?"

She likely understood immediately what he meant; Letiana thought for a moment before answering.

"A little. ...But."

She reached out, pressing her fingertips—cold, perhaps from tension—against Erwin's chest.

"...I want to know."

What came next.

Facing those eyes full of determination, Erwin felt his own heart being stripped bare. He buried his face in her delicate shoulder, which smelled sweet for just a few seconds, and pushed himself up from his elbows.

"...Tell me if it hurts."

Placing his hand at the base of his raging member, he let the tip touch the wet place.

"Ah...!"

"...Nnh,"

The honey-flesh, having been loosened and sufficiently prepared, clung to the hot stake the moment it touched, inviting him deep inside.

A sharp pleasure shot up his spine. The muscles in his upper arms bulged, and his plan to proceed slowly vanished in an instant.

Erwin took a deep breath and, gritting his teeth, thrust his hips forward in one go. Multiple sparks of light scattered behind his eyelids.

Sweat erupted from his entire body. He held his breath, tensing his lower abdomen. Only after weathering the great wave did he finally relax slightly.

That was close. Drenched in sweat and panting, Erwin looked down.

Letiana had her lips pressed tight and her eyes closed firmly. Even if he had prepared her, it must have hurt. As he brushed a few strands of hair from her cheek with his fingertip, she tentatively opened her eyes slightly.

"Does it hurt?"

After a few beats, she shook her head. Her flushed cheeks looked delicious. Erwin licked his lips and pushed back his sweat-soaked bangs.

"...I'll go... as slowly as I can... nnh."

His voice trailed off because the slick inside had given him a surprise squeeze.

Just by swaying his hips, the flesh writhed, and his brain was struck by pleasure. Erwin let out a low growl in the back of his throat.

He couldn't finish this quickly. Diverting his consciousness from the heat pooling deep in his pelvic bone, he gradually increased the speed and depth of his thrusts.

"Ah, ah, ah...!"

"Ugh... damn it!"

Sweat poured off him like a waterfall. The honey-flesh was narrow and hot, sucking him in, with countless folds writhing separately to torment him. Erwin closed his eyes and looked toward the heavens.

Sweat traveled down the grooves of his abdominal muscles and fell where the two were joined. A sound so obscene it made him want to cover his ears echoed through the room. Erwin swung his hips frantically.

"An, ah, ah... haa... nnh."

"...Gh... nnh, Tia, I'm... almost..."

He was reaching his limit. Erwin pinched the slick clitoris with his fingertips. Letiana's legs snapped straight, and her inside tightened sharply.

"W-wait! Inside is..."

Letiana cried out. Erwin, who had been about to make his final push, slowed his movements at the desperation in her voice.

A small part of his brain tried to comprehend her words.

A marriage predicated on divorce. Intercourse to lose her virginity.

In other words, Letiana was telling him not to come inside; she didn't want him to plant his seed.

The male instinct rejected that immediately.

This is my female. I won't give her to anyone. I will absolutely make her pregnant and make her mine.

He ground his hips violently. Letiana was left shaking from the rhythm.

—Just like this, inside... nnh!

His vision flickered from lack of oxygen. His throat made a sound like a bellows. One more thrust and he could pour his seed deep inside her.

However, the faint remains of his reason reined in his instinct. Letting out a suppressed groan, he pulled his hips back sharply. The moment he placed his hand on his raging member, the semen erupted with force.

A shudder ran from his buttocks to the nape of his neck. He lightly stroked himself as he continued to release the white fluid in bursts. Finally, having emptied himself completely, he calmed down and looked around; it was a disaster.

The white fluid was splattered from Letiana's lower abdomen up to her chin. Of course, both were covered in sweat and other bodily fluids, and the bed was in such a state that neither could possibly sleep in it.

Letiana had her eyes closed and showed almost no reaction. Erwin hurriedly shook his wife's shoulder.

"Tia."

"Nnh..."

"Wake up. I'll get the bath ready."

She opened her eyes once, but her blink rate was incredibly slow. Panicking, Erwin lightly wiped his wife's entire body with a dry cloth.

—The bath should be drawn. The problem is the bed... I'll bring a fresh sheet from the linen room. It would be a hassle to ask Casey.

He thought of the head housekeeper who had served the Marquis's house for years.

In truth, he knew that if he called her, she would be delighted to tidy the room. But it was simply too embarrassing, so he decided to handle it himself.

By the time he finished wiping Letiana's body, Erwin looked again at his wife, who had transitioned from a maiden to a woman.

Her white skin had a slick, lustrous glow.

Her plump breasts and cherry-pink nipples. Her indented navel and smoothly extending slender legs.

If he looked too long, he felt he might get aroused again. As Erwin averted his eyes and slid his arms into his nightclothes, he noticed a small voice calling his name.

"Tia?"

"Er... win..."

"What is it? I'll put you in the bath in a moment, so get some sleep."

He knelt beside the bed and brought his face close. As he gently combed through her disheveled hair, Letiana blinked slowly again.

"I have... a request."

"...Hmm?"

He had a bad feeling.

It was said that the beauties who toppled empires manipulated men in the bedroom. Aware that he had been so captivated that his reason had flown away, Erwin braced himself and waited for her next words.

"If... my brother comes looking for me... will you... tell me, without hiding it...?"

Erwin, who had been on high alert, was deflated by such a simple request. Even if she spoke with fortitude, she must have felt lonely being all alone in an enemy nation. Letiana's longing for her brother was endearing.

He had researched that the House of Earl Knowles had advocated for peace until the end in this war and had cautioned against the reckless start of hostilities—they were "white." While some interrogation would be necessary for nobles of a defeated nation, they were holders of extremely sound ideology and were unlikely to rebel against the Empire.

Of course, if that weren't the case, the Crown Prince would never have let his subordinate marry the daughter of that house. Erwin smiled at Letiana.

"Of course."

"Please... okay...?"

"Yes. I understand well the feeling of wanting to see one's brother."

When he stroked her head, the corners of her lovely lips curled up slightly, as if it felt good. Affection welled up in his chest, and Erwin wanted to make his wife even happier.

"...Just between us, the Prince is actually searching for the Duchess of the Grand Duchy."

Her closing eyelashes flickered.

"It seems the Duchess's existence was hidden, so you probably don't know. I just thought you would be happy if the Duchess were found and invited to the Empire."

Having said this, Erwin stood up. He spread Letiana's nightclothes and gently covered her body.

"I'll be back soon, so sleep for a while."

Erwin's mind was full of recalling the location of the linen room—a place he had never once entered—and ensuring he wasn't spotted by the servants; he didn't give much thought to whether Letiana was actually asleep.

Therefore, he never dreamed that she was, in fact, the sole surviving royal of the Grand Duchy of Lindor—Duchess Florentia Luciana Vasquez. Nor did he consider why she claimed to be the daughter of Earl Knowles, or why she had been so eager to surrender her virginity.