Chapter 88 : Secret (85)

It is difficult to express that smell in words.

Objectively speaking, it’s hard to imagine that the smell of a person’s sweat could be pleasant.

Noble people, who have the means, bathe every day and generously use expensive perfumes and oils.

All of this is to mask their own scent.

We, on the other hand, have been sweating from the afternoon until just before dinner, only changing clothes without washing.

If there is a smell coming from our bodies, it would undoubtedly be unpleasant.

The reason Ayla made me smell that scent is probably just to tease me.

But… it’s strange.

I kept smelling it.

The sensation on my face feels soft.

That softness doesn’t simply end as “softness.”

Even though it’s the same sensation, I know the part of my face that touched Ayla’s chest, and I know that area is something that isn’t carelessly shown or touched by others.

And because of that knowledge, I feel both embarrassment and pleasure simultaneously.

The smell is the same.

It’s something I want to hide from others. Something I don’t want to be found out.

But at the same time, it’s a smell that Ayla lets me smell.

…I must not be the first.

Ayla said she received such “training.”

To put it bluntly, she probably kept her purity until the end, but maybe she had done other things.

Has Ayla already experienced what she did to my body with someone else? If so, then Ayla’s touch and smell must have been taken first by that person.

That thought bothers me.

Even though I always think “It’s fine,” I also wish it hadn’t been like that.

And because of that, I want to have it.

I want to get closer, and I really want to engrave that this smell is Ayla’s smell in my mind.

If someone else had been first, then I would have rather wanted to know Ayla better than anyone else.

After inhaling several times, I suddenly realized that my hands were trembling.

I was rubbing my thighs together while kneeling.

My body felt strangely cold, and I twisted my waist in all directions.

Ayla was only gently stroking my back.

Ayla’s hand traced up my spine, slowly moving from my neck down my back.

It wasn’t the whole palm, but her middle and ring fingers gently raised, stroking.

When it brushed against the back of my waist, I felt an odd sensation, as if my body were ticklish inside.

I rubbed my thighs, and suddenly I thought that it must look like I was shaking my hips.

“Heh heh.”

And that thought was immediately confirmed by Ayla’s reaction.

“You’re wagging your tail. Does it feel that good?”

Of course, I don’t have a tail.

But didn’t Ayla call me a “dog”?

When a dog wags its tail energetically, its rear also shakes.

So, my butt must have been doing the same.

If I had a tail, it would be wagging vigorously. It might even break my bones.

I realized that I had raised my hand slightly at that moment.

Maybe I had done that because I wanted to pull Ayla closer.

Since Ayla was holding me, wasn’t it okay for me to do the same?

Ayla just called me a “dog” now.

Could a dog hug a person? Would Ayla allow that?

I hesitated, just twitching my hand, and Ayla’s hand came back up.

And she pressed my head against her chest.

My nose sank deep into Ayla’s skin.

Up until a moment ago, Ayla’s clothes, though soft, were still dry, but they became slightly damp from my breath.

It was as if Ayla was trying to make it so that I couldn’t breathe without going through her skin.

She held me tightly for a while, not letting go.

I kept inhaling Ayla’s scent.

“Ugh.”

The sound I made wasn’t intentional.

But even to me, it sounded like something a dog would make.

“Phew!”

Finally, Ayla let go of me, and I tilted my head back and took a deep breath.

After filling my lungs with fresh air, my head finally started to clear.

My heart was racing, and the blood rushed to my face, so my face was probably bright red.

I calmed down a little and looked at Ayla.

Ayla’s clothes, the space between her breasts, were damp with sweat.

Ayla had also sweat a little, but that was probably from the breath I exhaled.

“How is it?”

Ayla asked, cupping my face with both hands.

“Can you remember it?”

Ayla’s face, smiling playfully.

But her eyes strangely glistened.

I thought it was possessiveness, just assuming.

After all, Ayla had told me several times that I belonged to her.

A personal maid, a doll, a dog.

Is there anything else to add? Should I name some furniture next time?

“Still, well…”

I realized belatedly that Ayla was waiting for my response, so I muttered something vague.

“Is that so?”

Ayla said nonchalantly, pulling her hands away from my face.

As her warmth left, I felt a little disappointed.

“Well, fine.”

Ayla shrugged and replied.

“Anyway, our bodies will keep moving, and we’ll be living in the same room.

If we get used to it, you’ll probably manage it.”

“Wouldn’t even a person who killed a dragon be able to do something like that?”

Even a dragon-slaying person probably couldn’t do that.

But I realized I had spoken the wrong words to Ayla, and if I had, my throat might really be squeezed.

So, I just lowered my head.

Today, I was fixated on the word “dog.”

Ayla had referred to me as a “dog” or “puppy” several times.

Of course, it wasn’t like in novels where people were treated like dogs and beaten.
Rather, it was as if I had really become a puppy she was raising…
…She found me cute.

Since it was directed at a person, it was closer to teasing.

“Here.”

Ayla went to the end of the sofa, sat down, and patted her thigh.

“Ayla-nim?”

“You don’t seem very affectionate for a dog.”

Ayla pouted her lips as she looked at me.

It was a face that seemed to be imitating Seila.

But it was only a slight imitation, and her sharp, observant gaze remained unchanged.

Was this Ayla’s way of testing me? To see if I was truly trustworthy?

Tap. Tap.

Ayla patted her thigh again.

I hesitated for a moment before cautiously climbing onto the sofa.

I had never raised a dog before.
But I had some idea of how dogs behaved—especially dogs that craved human affection.

So…
Should I lay my head on her thigh?

At first, I wondered if I should crawl on all fours like a real dog and place my face on Ayla’s thigh.

But that seemed like too much.

More than anything, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself together.

So, I simply chose to rest my head on Ayla’s thigh and lie down facing the ceiling.

I opened my eyes and looked up, meeting Ayla’s gaze.

No, I tried to meet her gaze.

But I couldn’t.

Ayla… she had quite the figure.

Lying down like this, I couldn’t see her face properly.

More than half of my view was blocked by her chest.

Ayla quickly lowered her gaze and met my eyes for a brief moment.

Her partially obscured face showed an unmistakable look of surprise.

Did she think I would hesitate longer?
Or did she not expect me to lie down this way?

But unlike me, who had been in a constant state of surprise, Ayla soon regained her composure.
Then, she placed her hand on my head.

“I see,” Ayla said.

“This is how a puppy shows its belly to its owner.”

And with that, her other hand moved straight toward my stomach.

“Uh!?”

I instinctively lifted my knee slightly, but Ayla’s hand had already reached my lower abdomen.

Rub, rub.

As if trying to let the sensation seep in, Ayla gently pressed and rubbed my lower stomach.

Just like petting a dog’s belly.

“A-Ayla-nim…!”

As it was, I was already overwhelmed by the feeling of being in Ayla’s embrace.

More than anything, lying like this made her scent even more prominent.

Ah, right.

As a man, I had never really thought about it before, but if she had a body with this kind of shape, she would naturally sweat underneath too.

The scent from between her chest would linger.

Maybe even more strongly.

It was a place that was hard to wipe clean, after all.

“You’re being a bit cheeky,” Ayla said.

“I told you, you’re a dog. So why do you keep talking like a person?”

“Ugh.”

I shut my mouth and let out another muffled sound.

Ayla seemed to get even more into it.

She leaned forward slightly, her hand moving a little lower on my stomach.

The sensation was one thing—

But something soft and plush, yet slightly heavy, was blocking my vision.

From my forehead to my eyes, then my nose.

The scent was strong.

I tried to hold back a groan, but an odd sound escaped me.

As my mind grew hazy, the scent completely filled my thoughts.

Maybe, just maybe…

I could actually do as Ayla said.

That thought drifted through my slightly dazed mind.