The Lord Of Sinal (2)

‘Even if it were the Emperor, he wouldn’t be welcomed like this.’

Seeing the road packed in this bitter winter and the way people eagerly greeted the duke and the knights, Kaiston began to understand a little what he meant to the people of Sinal.

Liris rode in the carriage. It had been prepared by the lordship’s knights who had been waiting for them near the fortress. They seemed to have decided it was better not to reveal that she came from the fortress since her presence was not yet known.

Once she climbed into the carriage, which was even warded with warmth magic, her whole body relaxed. The small window at the side didn’t offer a proper view of Sinal Castle anyway, so Liris gave up watching and closed her eyes.

‘What will happen now?’

Unlike the Red Moon, Sinal likely had many nobles who traveled the Isles. It would be fine if Kaiston hid her as before, but since he had unexpectedly announced marriage, it would have to be revealed. If so, it was only a matter of time before her identity was exposed.

‘Should I tell them first?’

Things had come to this after all. It was much, much sooner than planned. He had said everything would be fine as long as there was no betrayal. Even if she revealed herself now, he probably wouldn’t cancel the marriage…

‘…Would he?’

She wasn’t certain about that alone. She thought she should quietly gauge how much Kaiston resented the Emperor. Until then, she’d be careful not to attract attention.

She had many thoughts, but perhaps because she was so tired, Liris soon dozed off.

“Your Grace.”

The retainers waiting at the manor gate bowed deeply.

“Have you been well?”

A low, dry voice. The duke looked no different from usual after causing such a stir, and the retainers’ faces twisted.

“Ah. Your faces tell the tale.”

He glanced at the carriage that had arrived late. Not only Kaiston, but everyone’s gaze fixed on it. Until Kaiston slowly approached and opened the carriage door, most people couldn’t even breathe deeply.

A slight smile crossed Kaiston’s face as he looked into the carriage. Liris was sleeping soundly. He entered the carriage without waking her and carried her out. She had been bundled up even more tightly for the long, cold ride, leaving nothing exposed. One couldn’t tell if she was a woman or man, child or adult.

Seeing the duke cradling her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, everyone finally realized that their lord really intended to marry.

“See you in the council room in forty minutes.”

“Shouldn’t you rest first? You must be tired.”

“You’re saying what you don’t mean.”

Though minds brimmed with unspoken words all the way to the top of the manor, he let out a small laugh at their concern.

“Haris, Ban. Let the entire knight order rest until tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Kaiston, who led the knight order, glanced over the lined retainers and strode off. Watching his proud figure until the end, the retainers sighed one after another. They still weren’t sure how to respond. Oppose? Resist? Defy? It made no sense. Yet they couldn’t just leave things be either; they cared deeply for their lord.

“Master…”

She had slept fine in the carriage and in his arms, but when laid on a soft bed she tossed and turned, and by the time he had changed, she called him with a drowsy face.

“You must have been very tired.”

Sitting at her side and gently stroking her hair, his touch made her sleepy eyes drift shut again and again. Still, she clung to his arm and wouldn’t let go.

“We have to leave soon.”

He lightly kissed her lips.

“Rest a little before we go. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

She pleaded, and he smiled softly.

“All right. Just a little.”

Unlike Liris, his stamina wouldn’t be affected, but he thought staying like this for a moment wouldn’t be bad. When he lay beside her, she clung to him and licked his lips. Her puppy-like licking was endearing; the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Liris.”

Heat gleamed in his violet eyes. He swallowed her offered tongue and lips in one move. They entwined tongues dearly and exchanged saliva as they explored one another.

“Mmm…”

The thin moan from her throat sounded pleasing. Kaiston, having naturally trapped her beneath him, unbuttoned the stiff jacket one by one. Slipping his hand into the sweater, he felt her heated, rapid breaths. He had made this small, fragile woman suffer too much.

Kaiston broke the kiss and lifted his torso slightly to look down at her. Liris, breathing heavily, bundled in an oversized jacket almost to her knees and a thick sweater covering her hips, looked unbearably cute.

Liris drooped languidly under his touch, but Kaiston, who hadn’t held her for days, grew so excited that mere contact was hard to bear.

“Ha. Why are you so beautiful?”

“Master…”

Time was tight, but if he left, she’d occupy his thoughts the whole meeting. Noticing his look, Liris hugged his neck and lifted her hips slightly. Thanks to that, Kaiston easily pulled down her quilted thermal pants and small white lace underwear at once, then unfastened his own waist.

Kaiston chuckled as he slid his hand down between Liris’s legs. Had she been secretly waiting for him? Her slit was already damp. He noticed this mischievous ‘lady’ had sparkling eyes; amber eyes full of eager anticipation were utterly endearing.

“Did you want me too?”

At Kaiston’s gentle question, Liris nodded as if it were obvious, then spread her legs herself.

“I wanted you, too.”

Passion flared in his previously calm eyes.

“Good. I couldn’t hold back.”

Settling between Liris’s legs, he pressed her knees to his abdomen and slowly pushed his body in. The vivid sensation of his hardness parting her flesh made Liris’s lips part.

“Hah… Master…!”

Skipping foreplay caused a bit of pain, but she welcomed even that. As he pushed in endlessly and struck that deep place, her whole body trembled. She unconsciously clenched around him, making Kaiston frown slightly.

“Don’t beg. I’ll give you enough anyway.”

“It feels… so good.”

With innocent eyes, she set his chest alight. Fully aware of the lack of time, he, already fired up, drove into the heated woman strongly from the start. The slightly tight inside loosened under his brisk thrusts and slick fluids flowed.

“Ah, uh, hng!”

Moans burst from her without thought. She liked how he claimed her without any respite.

Half-folded, his member stimulated a sensitive spot hidden deep inside. Repeated rapid stabs to that erogenous zone quickened her breath and thrilled her.

“Master… hng, ju-just a moment…”

“Liris.”

He called her name low and rough, and gripped the headboard tightly. Far from stopping, he drove in even harder. A powerful tremor starting from her belly began to spread through her whole body.

“Ugh, ah, I can’t…”

Before she could finish, unbearable pleasure surged like a tidal wave. Her vision flooded white and her ears rang.

“Aah…!”

Her head fell back and her entire body tensed. Her meltingly soft, hot inner walls gripped him crazily and convulsed, and he, unable to hold back, poured the essence of his pleasure into her.

“Ha… Liris.”

‘Why are you so sweet and delicious?’

He resented having to finish because of the dangerously short time. If time allowed, he would hold her again and again and indulge in this beautiful body.

The retainers gathered in the council room sat quietly lost in their own thoughts. The interior and exterior ministers, as well as Kamel, the captain of the manor’s knights, and Haris and Ban from the Red Moon, also sat at the long table. When Steward Damon entered with a tray of refreshments, several officials stood to assist him.

Steward Damon had served Kaiston since the days he was the crown prince. He also played the largest role in tracking down and summoning the former retainers who had left a fallen kingdom and wandered the continent after being absorbed into the Empire. True to the literati of a scholarly-leaning nation, they greatly contributed to making Sinal prosperous.

Of course, when they were first accepted, the native administrators’ resistance wasn’t small, but once they realized the exiled literati hadn’t come to Sinal to steal their interests, they maintained a reasonably good relationship.

Newton, the duke’s deputy and overseer of the manor’s household, was a native of Sinal and a noble-born bureaucrat. He was a very strict man who ordered the interior and exterior ministers about regardless of their origins.

Staring at a few piled folders before him, he crossed his arms and ground his teeth, creating a tense atmosphere.

Of course, there were those who paid no mind to such looks.

“Haris, is Saik doing well?”

Kamel, the knight commander, asked cheerfully as always about the knights remaining in the Red Moon.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. He’s been very prickly lately.”

At Haris’s answer, Kamel hummed and stroked his prickly chin.

“Do the knights know that His Grace is getting married?”

“No. They don’t yet. Only the captains have been informed.”

An official who pretended not to listen but had been eavesdropping cautiously asked.

“Do you know anything about the person he’s marrying?”

“I only know her name is ‘Liris’ and that she’s twenty years old. In a few days she’ll be twenty-one. Her birthday is January 7, they said.”

“Is she that pretty?”

“Ah. None of us have seen her face even once.”

Only Saik had seen Liris’s face, but he hadn’t told the captains anything about her appearance either.

“Huh? Once?”

“Yes. The Commander wrapped her up so tightly.”

“Hmm.”

The retainers sighed here and there. There was too little information to go on.

“How much do you think His Grace likes that ‘lady’?”

“Uh…”

Haris and Ban looked at each other at the same time. For all else they might not know, when it came to how much their lord loved his ‘lady’…

“A great deal.”

“He’s clearly completely smitten.”

It was an easy conclusion. Among the roughly four hundred knights at the Red Moon, there wasn’t a soul oblivious to it.

“So please, as much as possible, do not oppose it.”