Chapter 47: Sexual Desire Expression – 2

The rain continued for two more days.

For two entire days, Vivian hadn’t seen Kailo.

Truthfully, it would have been fine if she’d gone to see him.

If she was that curious about how he was doing, she could have gone and checked on him herself.

All she had to do was secretly visit the punishment unit dormitory, meet with him, and talk.

The problem was that she had nothing to say once she got there.

In the past, she’d hardly ever gone looking for him intentionally.

If there had been a reason, it was probably to discuss changes in meal times.

But now, since she was dining with the young ladies of Dubois, she couldn’t even use that as an excuse.

In the end, Vivian had no choice but to wait for the rain to stop and for the young ladies to leave.

Why had she gone to such lengths to keep him hidden from the young ladies?

She couldn’t precisely figure out why she was missing him so much.

The very fact that she felt this way brought a sense of shame.

Could it be because of the memories they’d shared over the past two years?

It certainly hadn’t been a time without hardships.

They had endured countless hardships, tangled up with each other along the way.

At times, they’d pushed through obstacles with gritted teeth, driven by competitiveness or even resentment toward each other.

Perhaps, in the process, some affection had developed.

… Though she didn’t want to admit it, it seemed Kailo had become the most comfortable person for her.

Vivian tossed and turned on her bed, then got up to clear her head.

Sleep just wouldn’t come.

Wearing only her thin nightgown, she left her room.

She thought a brief stroll around the castle might help bring on sleep.

The rain continued for another two days.

***

For two entire days, I hadn’t seen Vivian.

Well, truthfully, it would have been fine if I had gone to see her.

If I was that curious about how she was doing, I could have gone to check myself.

The problem was that I had nothing to say once I got there.

And to avoid her anger, I would have had to visit at night… but that was entirely impossible.

Besides locking her door every night, she recently seemed to think of me as some sort of lecherous monster.

What would happen if I visited her at night?

The result was predictable.

Rather than enduring that discomfort, I chose to wait it out, telling myself, “Just one more day… one more day,” but the damn rain wouldn’t stop.

I tried to relieve the frustration through training.

Spending all day wrestling with Valon, Wallace, and Martin, I found I needed these brief moments outside just to keep sane.

The pouring rain posed no obstacle.

If anything, with enough determination, the rain brought a refreshing feeling.

However, there was one unexpected aspect of this entire process:

“Ah, so refreshing!”

That girl, Lani, had been by my side for two days straight, through this downpour.

Whether she was in love with adventure or simply craved something fresh and free, I wasn’t sure… but there she was, the young lady of a noble family, grinning like a village girl delighted by the rain.

I shouted at her,

“You’ll catch a cold! Get out of here!”

I had no desire to take responsibility if she got sick and became bedridden.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

But Lani, pretending not to hear, continued to hover around me.

Our relationship, which should have ended two days ago, was dragged out by the rain.

It wasn’t Lani’s fault that it rained, but it was her fault that I couldn’t meet Vivian.

The thought of being kept from Vivian by some girl like this made me furious.

Sometimes, I wanted to give her a good smack, but I knew she’d just start crying, so I refrained.

The five days had felt excruciatingly long.

It felt like double the time had passed.

Even Vivian’s voice was fading from my memory.

To clear my mind, I swung my wooden sword.

At that moment, Lani came up to me, patting my arm with a wet splat every time her foot touched a puddle.

“Ah, stop training and let’s just have some fun!”

In response to her cheerful suggestion, I repeated the same words I always said.

“Get lost!”

But as always, if something was unfavorable to her, she didn’t hear it at all.

“Kailo! How about this? How about a dance here? Doesn’t it sound so romantic?”

She stealthily took my hand in hers.

• Smack!

I roughly shook off her hand and swung my sword again.

Lani just laughed, seeming to find even this amusing.

Today, there was a strangely intoxicating air about her.

When my father or his knights drank, they had a similar vibe.

With each day, Lani inched closer.

In our first meeting, she was merely curious about me.

In our second, we became friends.

In our third, she revealed one of her secrets to me.

In our fourth, she insisted on learning how to swing a sword, so I taught her the basics.

On the fifth, today, she stayed by my side, prattling away in the rain, as if something thrilled her immensely.

I didn’t like her boldness.

It was a relationship that felt far too fast and unnatural for me.

While I was swinging my sword, Lani suddenly moved in front of me, causing my wooden sword to halt just near her forehead.

“Hey!!”

Finally, my irritation boiled over, and I shouted.

But, as always, she seemed entirely unconcerned.

Running her fingers through her wet, brown hair, she shouted at me over the noise of the rain.

“Do you know, Kailo? Honestly, I didn’t believe you were really Kailo.”

“… Hah.”

I sighed, unsure what nonsense she was talking about now.

“It’s just, I heard you were supposed to be quite small. But look at you now. You’re huge. And, way more handsome than I thought.”

Raindrops repeatedly splashed against her face.

She moved one step closer to me, her expression radiant.

“You’re… totally manly.”

In her characteristic disregard for personal boundaries, she placed her hand on my chest.

The uncomfortable warmth of her palm pressed against me.

I quickly grabbed her wrist and removed her hand, but even that didn’t seem to faze her.

“Look, your chest muscles are huge too. The rain makes them look even clearer.”

Though she was full of playful mischief, today, there was something strangely seductive about her.

It left me feeling deeply unsettled.

“Did you eat something strange?”

She always ignored unfavorable stories.

“I thought about what you said last time. And I realized… it wasn’t that I wanted adventure. I think I just wanted to escape my current situation. I hated the thought of my future being sold off to some strange man.”

Lani was still smiling.

But now, for some reason, a hint of sadness seemed to be etched onto her face.

She spoke up more cheerfully.

“Today’s memory will last for a long time! Playing in the rain with a friend from the Kingdom of East won’t be easily forgotten.”

“…Sigh.”

I looked at her without a response.

A faint feeling of sympathy slowly rose within me.

Perhaps it was because I understood the feeling of being dragged somewhere I didn’t want to go.

As I kept silent, Lani also closed her mouth, as if she had nothing more to say.

She met my gaze without avoiding it.

In a place where nothing but the sound of rain could be heard, we just stood there together.

Before long, Lani’s demeanor changed.

Her expression became briefly serious, her eyes slightly drooped.

The nervous look on her face was unmistakable.

She swallowed and asked quietly.

“Sir Kailo, do you have someone you like?”

“…You.”

“If not… would you leave me with just one more memory?”

Lani approached with a serious expression.

Each of her steps carried an odd intensity.

Her face changed from that of a girl to that of a woman.

Perhaps due to the thick, pouring rain, it felt as if we were in a private room, even in the wide training ground.

It seemed Lani might have been slightly intoxicated.

She spoke.

“…Kiss me.”

An unexpected request.

But with the expression she had just shown, it was a request I somewhat anticipated.

“Honestly… ever since you saved me from falling on the first day, I think I’ve already lost part of my heart. In just a few days, that feeling has grown.”

She claimed it was affection, but I knew it wasn’t that.

This was simply clumsy desire.

It was the same feeling young soldiers had for the maids.

“I know it’s sudden. I also know you don’t feel the same way about me. But even so, please, just leave me with a good memory. They call it a fleeting romance, right? I want to experience it, just once.”

“Before I’m sold off to someone in the distant future… I want my first kiss to be with someone I choose.”

Like the young soldiers, both Lani and I were at an age where we were awakening to such feelings.

Just as one’s own changing body became fascinating, there was an emerging interest in the opposite sex’s body as well.

Lani seemed to feel the same.

“Have you never kissed someone before? Let’s share that first together. Doesn’t it sound exciting? To have each other as our first, even until the day we die. A secret between us…”

As she traced each of my muscles with a curious touch, her hand brushed against me intentionally, yet seductively.

After a moment, she suddenly came closer.

Close enough that I could feel her breath on my skin.

“…If it’s with you, I think I’d be satisfied.”

She tried to embrace me.

My heart skipped a beat as she threw herself at me completely, yet instinctively, I pushed her away.

-Thud.

Both she and I were startled at the same time.

My hands were already on her shoulders, pushing her back.

As Lani’s warmth gradually left my fingertips, a wave of embarrassment washed over me.

My body had moved before I was even aware of it.

Lani blinked in disbelief, looking at me.

In her eyes, a faint hurt and confusion flickered.

At that moment, something inside me broke free.

“…There is.”

My words, a quiet confession, spilled into the air.

Even I could hardly believe I’d actually said it.

“…What?”

Lani hesitated for a moment, then asked again.

I continued, not even fully aware of what I was saying.

“…There is.”

But the emotions I’d been holding back had already started to leak out.

“What…?”

I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of feeling it was, but my mouth already knew what to say.

“…I have someone I like.”

“…Kailo.”

At that moment, I doubted my own ears.

A familiar yet slightly missed voice struck my ears.

I slowly turned my creaking head toward the direction of the sound.

Red hair.

A breathtaking appearance.

Even in this darkness, her red eyes shone brightly.

…The person I had just been thinking of.

The one I’d wanted to see the most in the past five days stood about ten paces away.

“…Why are you… here?”

I murmured, almost unconsciously.

The distance between us felt like it could not be farther.

The only thing filling the gap between us was the sound of pouring rain.

-Shaa…

Drenched in the rain in her thin nightgown, Vivian looked between Lani and me.

She asked.

“…W-what are you doing here?”

Vivian, seemingly furious, stammered as she questioned us.