CH 106

Glup.

The sound of swallowing saliva was loud as Lariette looked at the cream that had stained Asrahan's collarbone with trembling eyes. Her gaze gradually rose and landed on his face. Underneath his red lips, there was pink cream. His beautiful blue eyes were slightly curved, looking directly at her. She felt a strange sensation from his gaze.

"That's what you taught me, right? I remember it very well," Asrahan gently touched Lariette's wrist with the thumb of his hand. At that touch, she felt a tingling sensation, and her body shook and trembled. "It seems you've forgotten."

"Oh!" Lariette whispered softly and pulled her wrist gently. She was fascinated by Asrahan's temptation and was pulled in with a single tug. His sculpted face was right before her eyes as she blinked. Her eyes widened at the unexpected situation. They were so close that their lips could touch.

Lariette's face instantly turned as red as a tomato. After a moment of hesitation, her heart started pounding wildly. She tried to avert her gaze for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed. Asrahan was so pleased with that reaction that the corner of his lips curved. Sometimes when she looked at him, she moved closer, and other times she moved away as if she were fleeing. He was surprised by her behavior; she was so adorable. A laugh escaped his lips.

His eyes narrowed even further, satisfied that he had been able to get his revenge. He was proud of his success, and the appearance he displayed increased Lariette's nervousness.

"Do you think I can't do this?"

The fighting spirit within her ignited. The embarrassment that had reddened her cheeks had vanished, and instead, her determination to make him feel embarrassed grew stronger. Lariette smiled cheerfully, her eyes curved like a fox, and then whispered in a sweet voice.

"I must have forgotten."

Her sudden change in attitude made Asrahan shudder. The gentle touch of her palm on his cheek tickled him.

"Just as our Asrahan wants it, I should clean it."

Lariette's face changed after her speech. Something wet touched the corner of her lips, sending shivers down her spine. But she didn't stop there; she continued licking his lip and soon increased the pace. A wet sound reached their ears as she bit her lower lip and swallowed, sucking the tender flesh. It was she who cleaned the pink cream with her tongue, an irresistible act. When Asrahan instinctively tried to enclose the flesh that had entered his mouth, Lariette withdrew, opened her eyes with dissatisfaction, and her face displayed a gentle smile.

"Whoah..."

Suck!<

When Lariette parted her lips, emitting an intoxicating sound, Asrahan let out a sigh. A feeling of regret or relief reflected in his eyes. Of course, she had no intention of ending it there. Without hesitation, she lowered her head and buried her lips in Asrahan's tense neck.

"Lari..."

"I haven't finished cleaning yet."

Asrahan was surprised and grabbed her shoulder, but since she had pulled him earlier, she was almost on top of him, so it was easy to continue their movements.

"It's so sweet," Lariette whispered as she sucked on his neck, enjoying the sweet taste of the cream on her tongue.

Her lips gradually descended along the trail of cream, moving from his neck to his collarbone. Asrahan's body trembled, feeling the urge to escape.

"Why would I run away? You started first, so I won't let you go so easily."

Lariette smiled and shifted her body. With her legs in the air, she crossed them and settled onto Asrahan's thick thighs, sitting on his lap.

"Lariette, wait..." Asrahan said, furrowing his brow. His face was flushed.

"What should I wait for? If you start, you have to take responsibility," Lariette laughed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As a result, Asrahan changed his words.

"Haven't you cleaned it all?"

"Really? I think there's a bit still inside..."

She showed a very shameless attitude, even though the cream had not completely disappeared. Lariette had no intention of ending this game, whether there was cream or not.

"Even better!"

Her lips now touched his thick chest, giving it a light kiss. But it aroused Asrahan even more, and it seemed like he wouldn't be able to control himself if she continued a little longer. After resolving himself, he felt it was impossible not to get involved. With Lariette sitting on his thighs, their hips rubbing against each other, heating his body, he bit his lower lip hard and tried to maintain his sanity. The beast inside him was ready to come out, and his voice was filled with lust.

"I'm sure, wait for me..."

"Yes, I'll wait. But didn't I say I would touch you while I wait?"

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"I don't want to force you. I'll touch you only if you want me to."

"... "

"I don't know if you can handle it," Lariette added, laughing heartily. Then she reached out and touched his strong chest. It seemed bigger than before. "As I already knew, Asrahan's heart is the best..."

The plan to tease him no longer existed. Lariette was fascinated by his perfect muscles and moved her hands, her white fingers naturally tracing his skin. There wasn't a single place that wasn't perfect. Asrahan gritted his teeth and gripped the leather of the sofa. His arms trembled with excitement.

Lariette leaned in to appreciate his body more closely. As a result, her rear slid back, and finally, it touched something hot and large.

"Wow!"

"Hmmm!" At the same time, a moan escaped.

Lariette looked at Asrahan's confused face. It was red up to his ears, his eyebrows twitched, and his gaze sparkled as if he were about to devour her. Being in contact with his skin increased the heat in her body. It seemed like a situation that would happen someday, but she couldn't get used to it at all.

"... Please."

"Yes? Yes?"

He was so surprised that he couldn't hear her voice properly. Asrahan gritted his teeth and spoke slowly, as if he was savoring each letter.

"Get up, please."

As if demonstrating that he had reached the end of his patience, his thick neck bulged with a prominent vein. Lariette was surprised and cautiously stood up and moved away. As soon as her body was completely separated from his, he stood up, took a big step, and left the room, almost as if he was running. It was good to escape from there. Finally, Asrahan's revenge ended in a terrible failure, which only strengthened his determination to propose marriage quickly.

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The next day, Asrahan met with Erzebut, while Lariette went to meet with Zenvier and Juana. She just wanted to show off and prove that she wasn't someone easily intimidated. However, since she still needed the princess's help, the duke tightly closed his mouth and swallowed his threatening words.

"Duke Candel, why do you have such a gloomy face? Like someone who couldn't sleep well last night," Erzebut smiled and taunted Asrahan.

She mocked him, saying that he seemed to have stayed up all night. It was true that he couldn't sleep well. However, the reason was not jealousy towards Erzebut, but his burning physical condition. The excitement he experienced yesterday resurfaced. Asrahan narrowed his eyes. If he didn't want to go through that kind of thing again, he had to propose quickly.

"Don't say anything else. Do you have any ideas?" he asked.

She had mocked him, and Asrahan's cold gaze said it all. If she didn't say anything useful, he felt the determination not to let her off the hook.

"First of all, she doesn't like anything excessive, like proposing to fill a room with jewels or giving away lands. Well, I don't know who would give such a cliché gift these days."

Asrahan remained silent. The conversation was productive. He thought that if he hadn't asked Erzebut, he would have been rejected.

"Instead of doing something excessive... It would be good to propose marriage sincerely, just the two of you."

"And what if it's a special place?"

"Well, maybe. Where was the place where you first met?"

Asrahan shook his head firmly. The first place he met Lariette was on the street, and Blanche's carriage had helped him. It was impossible to propose marriage on the street. Even their second meeting was on the street, so he didn't want to talk about that.

"Hmm... Well, if that's the case, then it won't work. Among all the things Lariette told you, you don't know if she wants to go to a special place. I think you can decide based on that. Every person has an important place," Erzebut advised, considering that Asrahan was inexperienced in dating. It wasn't for his sake, but for Lariette's.

"Well, someone who tries to please the other person is much better than someone who pretends to know something. Lariette is not someone who likes extravagance."

Erzebut nodded, thinking that Asrahan was a man who would consider Lariette something very important. It would be a waste to see her taken by another man.

"I understand, thank you," Asrahan said as he winked at her for the hint she had given. His pure appearance was still repugnant to Erzebut.

"Now that we're done with the exchange, you can go. I feel like I'm getting drained just being in front of you."

"I don't feel comfortable either. I was going to leave anyway, so I'll take my leave," Asrahan stood up as if he had been waiting, having obtained valuable information. There was no need to continue seeing the Princess.

Erzebut also organized the documents without even looking at his departure. There was a lot of work to be done and people to meet, and she had little time. Every minute and second were important.

"...Princess," just before walking out of the salon, Asrahan paused and spoke. "I hope your plans go well."

Erzebut's eyes, which were focused on the papers, suddenly widened. She thought she was being careful, but the monstrous Duke seemed to have noticed. She laughed and asked, "Why? Do you have a desire to help me?"

It was clear that things would be much easier if Duke Candel joined her side, but he had no reason to help her because he couldn't guarantee a satisfactory benefit.

"...Think of it positively. If you have helped me, it is my duty to repay the favor," Erzebut's mouth opened at his words.

"Just because I gave you that kind of advice, you said it was a great help? It doesn't make sense."

Asrahan continued speaking as if he had read her mind. "To me, your help was the most important."

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What Lariette had told him was what she wanted to do. There must have been several things, but he couldn't remember them due to his impatience. Still, the reason Asrahan could smile was that he had something in his possession that he could check immediately. It was a notebook where she had written her wish list. As soon as he arrived at the mansion, he searched his drawer and found the notebook.

Before she returned, he was thinking of quickly reviewing it. When the luxurious cover came into his view, he frowned. Just a few days ago, he had a massive headache because of the information written in it. Asrahan flipped through his notebook, trying to get rid of the nagging discomfort. He flipped through a few pages and saw the wish list she had written.

『Swim, go to a hot spring, the sea, attend a festival, stroll through a night market, go to a ball.』

Some were things they had done together, and others were things they hadn't. Asrahan kept the list in mind and continued flipping the pages.

『Things to do before leaving.』

When he saw the word "leaving," his heart felt a sharp pain. The sadness of losing her seemed to return to his mind.

『I. Help free Asrahan from the curse』

『II. Rest the mind! Eliminate the trauma!』

But as he read it, the pain turned into grief. He was so grateful and remorseful that she had worried about his condition until the end, even when her death was imminent. Asrahan gently caressed the paper with his fingers, as if Lariette's handwriting could be her. Each of those words was precious, and when he found the next entry, his heart trembled.

『III. Go on a trip with Asrahan.』

It seemed he had found what he was looking for, but he could only clench his fists.