Chapter 28

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: An Intimate Lesson
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He drew it between his lips, licking and rubbing it with his tongue. The thin fabric, soaked with saliva, clung tightly to her nipple, which had grown exquisitely sensitive and pronounced.

With one nipple trapped between his lips and the other between his fingers, Aileen was on the verge of tears. The sensation of his soft, wet tongue lapping at her and the feeling of his hard nails scraping against her skin were doing strange things to her body.

A part of her she usually forgot even existed was becoming more and more sensitive. The more she became aware of the sensation, the more heat pooled in her lower abdomen. A hot, tingling stimulation spread like wildfire from her lower belly to the flesh between her legs.

It was a feeling Aileen couldn’t explain with any of the knowledge or experience she had accumulated in her life. Even breathing felt unfamiliar and difficult. Aileen panted for breath as if she had just finished a full sprint.

The sight of her nipples, standing erect beneath the thin chemise, was utterly wanton. Had Aileen been able to see herself, she would have let out a stifled scream.

But Aileen had no time to observe her own body. She was too busy enduring the unfamiliar pleasure washing over her.

“Ah, ahh, Your Excellency, I… please stop. This feels strange…”

“You should use my name, Aileen.”

“Ngh, Your Excellency, but still.”

“My name isn’t ‘Your Excellency,’ is it?”

*How dare I,* the thought flashed through her mind. But when he gave her nipple a wicked pinch and twist, she immediately surrendered and called out his name.

“C-Cesare…”

“Yes.”

“Stop, I want to stop this.”

“No.”

“Hngh, please…”

“You need to get used to it.”

Cesare met Aileen’s tearful gaze and whispered mischievously.

“You don’t want to get used to this?”

“But, ungh, but.”

She repeated the same word, dazed. She needed to say something else, but her mind was a fog, and no thoughts would form. The words that finally tumbled out were raw and unfiltered.

“It’s so hot… down there.”

It was throbbing and tingling, so intensely hot that it felt swollen. When she said it almost felt like it hurt, he kissed her again.

The hand that had been caressing her breast moved lower, lifting the hem of her dress. He slid his hand between Aileen’s legs.

The moment he touched her, Aileen belatedly realized her underwear was soaked and clinging to her. The sticky, damp feeling was so embarrassing she wanted to change her undergarments immediately.

His long fingers rubbed lightly over the damp fabric. A sudden gush of warmth flowed from between her legs.

“Ahh!”

Aileen squeezed her thighs together in surprise. The posture made it seem as if she were trapping his hand, but she was too overwhelmed by the new sensation to care. Aileen frantically tried to explain her strange state.

“Something… something came out.”

The sensation of the slick fluid flowing from her, soaking her underwear, was vivid. But Cesare didn’t stop his hand despite Aileen’s urgent words. Instead, he began to rub his fingers over her. He relentlessly teased the plump, swollen nub of flesh.

His touch, slow at first, gradually quickened. The strong, pressing friction made her insides clench involuntarily.

“Th-this is strange. It’s so strange.”

Aileen grabbed his forearm for dear life, but she only felt the hard muscle beneath her fingers and couldn’t stop his movements.

“Hngh, ngh, ungh, Cesare, ahk.”

She tried calling his name earnestly, but he tenaciously pushed her onward. She shook her head back and forth, trying to withstand the strange sensations washing over her, but it was impossible.

Just as she was being driven to the edge, panting and losing her mind, he pressed the palm of his hand against her, rubbing hard against that sensitive peak. The simmering heat coiled in her belly burst.

“Haaah…!”

Aileen arched her back sharply, her legs straightening. Her toes curled and trembled as if in a spasm. A loud moan escaped her throat.

With her head thrown back, her whole body shuddered. His long fingers continued to gently stroke her, and the heat that had consumed her body did not easily fade. An agonizingly long afterglow lingered between her legs.

He only pulled his hand away just before Aileen burst into tears.

Cesare kissed her flushed face all over. Aileen went limp, catching her ragged breath as she received his kisses.

She felt like the most wanton woman in the world. She couldn't believe she would have to do such incredible things from now on. No, to be precise, she would be doing things far more intense than this. After all, he hadn’t even entered her yet.

It had certainly been a thrilling, pleasant sensation that made her mind go blank for a moment, but it was so, so very strange…

Lost in a daze, Aileen finally met Cesare’s gaze. And she nearly fainted at the words he whispered with a pleased smile.

“Next time, I’ll use my mouth on you.”

***

Aileen was completely drained by the most intense experience of her life. But even as her eyes fluttered shut, she pleaded with Cesare.

“Your mouth… you don’t have to do that. A Grand Duke shouldn’t… you can’t…”

She mumbled for a while longer before finally drifting off to sleep.

Cesare watched the sleeping Aileen and let out a low laugh. He changed her underwear, which was soaked with her fluids, and tucked the blanket snugly around her to keep out any drafts.

Cesare gazed intently at the deeply sleeping Aileen. She was so still, it was as if she wasn’t breathing, so he caressed her cheek with his hand. Aileen leaned into his touch, letting out a soft, “Mmm,” a quiet moan that confirmed she was alive.

His red eyes, steeped in the bedroom’s darkness, slowly grew somber. He remembered Aileen crying, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t… Please don’t go…”

He had thought he would comfort her when he returned. But when he came back to the capital after the war, he hadn’t been able to recover even a piece of the child’s body.

Her tear-filled voice continued to haunt him. It was an illusion from a time long past. But even knowing it was a phantom sound, he wanted to wake Aileen right then and there. He wanted to meet her gaze, to hear her voice speaking to him.

Cesare expertly suppressed the impulse. Instead, he untied the knot of the bandage wrapped around his palm. The white bandage slithered onto the bed.

The stab wound on his palm was long but not deep. This was thanks to the dagger’s dull blade and the leather glove he had been wearing.

Focusing on the soft sound of the sleeper’s breathing, he slowly clenched his fist. His nails dug into the wound, and a sharp pain blossomed.

It was a pain that told him all of this was not a dream or a fantasy, but reality.

He pressed down until blood seeped under his clean fingernails, then opened his hand. After repeating the action a couple of times, blood trickled down his wrist.

He glanced down at his bloodied palm with impassive eyes before looking away. Cesare looked at the sleeper’s face and gave a faint smile.

“This is the world where you exist.”

And it was also the first and last chance Cesare had been given.

He braced his uninjured hand on the bed and kissed Aileen’s forehead. He also kissed the tip of her round nose and her parted lips before whispering softly.

“Sweet dreams, Aileen.”

He hoped Aileen would have happy dreams. Even if he himself could never awaken from his nightmare.

***

Mattio’s trial was held. The verdict was death. He was the first nobleman in the empire to be sentenced to death for distributing drugs.

Until now, all executions for drug-related crimes had been carried out on commoners. With this execution, the Traon Empire firmly established that punishments related to drugs would not make exceptions, even for high-ranking nobles.

However, there were some whispers about how Marquess Meneguin, the chairman of the Upper House, had cleverly slipped through the cracks of the law. Still, the matter ended without major repercussions because of the Marquess’s swift and cunning response.

Just before the scandal broke, Marquess Meneguin’s daughter had sent Mattio divorce papers, quickly severing their ties. After the scandal erupted, Marquess Meneguin himself issued a public statement.

It stated that while the House of Meneguin currently had no relationship with Mattio, he was taking full responsibility for the scandal by resigning from his position as chairman of the Upper House and relinquishing his title as Marquess.

It was a desperate move to give up everything just to save his own life. People clicked their tongues at his groveling surrender, calling it cowardly, but they accepted it nonetheless.

In the process, a strange rumor began to circulate that Marquess Meneguin had gone blind. However, since the Marquess had immediately moved to the countryside with his daughter after his resignation, there was no way to confirm it.

Mattio’s trial and execution took less than a week. Mattio’s execution was carried out in the small square next to the central plaza.