Chapter 3

In a cozy room where every corner was visible from the other. Right on the bed filled with their scent.

Sitting on the edge of Pado’s bed, Morae undid a couple of buttons on her blouse and struck a seductive pose. As she leaned forward, the upper part of her chest was clearly visible through the gaping blouse.

Her long hair, reaching down to her waist, cascaded loosely, and her well-curled eyelashes fluttered. The round eyes and delicate lips beneath those eyelashes carried a hint of coyness.

Even though a pretty woman was going this far, Pado’s expression soured.

He had completely caught onto Morae’s scheme.

It was the exact same scheme as his own. It was a ploy to enjoy, mock, and gain the upper hand the moment the other person wavered.

At the same time, it was a petty tactic to boast that they were much more relaxed than the other. The desire to pay back the tension he had felt from misinterpreting the situation just moments ago was also clearly evident.

So she wanted to play games now, did she?

Pado and Morae glared at each other and curled the corners of their lips upward. If it meant seizing the initiative in this fight, both of them were more than willing to trade barbs they didn’t mean.

“You let yourself get dragged all the way here because you had feelings for me, yet you’re still trying to prop up your pride.”

“You were shouting around in front of others that you wanted to sleep with me, and I couldn’t just ignore a spectacle that pathetic.”

“How very generous of you. Guess I must be that much of a catch?”

“Well, you’ve certainly got stamina.”

“Were you hoping for that? To think that the princess everyone adores would be so lewd.”

“What, do you want to do it with someone who’s frail and useless? Your tastes are certainly unique.”

It sounded like they were hitting on each other, but every single word was sharp.

Pado glared for a long time at Morae, who wouldn’t yield even an inch, and then straightened his back. With a small flick of his finger, a stream of water swirled and flew out from the bathroom.

The water stream, lengthened like a snake, wrapped around Morae’s ankles and arms and forced her to stand up. The pooled water pushed Morae far away from the bed.

Pado sat down in the spot where Morae had been sitting and rested his right ankle on his left knee. He turned toward her and waved his hand right in front of Morae’s glaring eyes.

“I’m going to sleep, so leave.”

“Leave? You’re not going to do it?”

Morae poked sharply at her own exposed chest. With two buttons undone, her black blouse contrasted sharply against her white skin.

Pado showed no interest in Morae’s body. He tapped his knee and slouched.

“If you beg me to do it, I’ll consider it. Not that you’re going to get the chance anyway.”

“You went out of your way to set the table and even tried to spoon-feed it to me, yet you’re running away? Just how much of a coward are you?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble of self-importance, but you’re not my type. Being a princess must really make you prone to delusions.”

He stuck out the tip of his tongue and waved his hand dismissively. Water droplets moved here and there, trying to chase Morae away.

“Even if you aren’t my type, you’d be worth tasting once, but I hate it because you’d inevitably lose your nerve halfway through and back out. Getting the engine started and then failing to deliver is worse than not eating at all.”

Pado knew Morae quite well. Who else could know her better than the people who had watched her crawl around as a toddler, though Pado had spent the last half-year acting practically as her dedicated subordinate ever since joining the West Sea Legion?

Eun Morae’s pride was no ordinary thing. She was a princess who wouldn’t drop her arrogant posture even when kidnapped.

There was no way such a Morae was being genuine about overtly seducing Pado.

Wasn’t it obvious she was just pulling this stunt to recover her bruised pride?

If he fell for it just because she was acting like they were going to have sex right then and there, he’d only bring trouble upon himself. It was plain to see that if he even kissed her, she’d use it as fodder to tease him about it for days to come.

On the other hand, as far as Morae was concerned, every single detail of the situation was infuriating.

The fact that she had fallen for Pado’s temptation even for a second and ended up in his room. The fact that Pado was trying to kick her out as if she were a total nobody. Even the fact that he hadn’t fallen for her temptation and had just scoffed instead. Not a single thing pleased her.

To top it all off, the fact that he wouldn’t budge even when she tried to seduce him with all her charm! And this from a guy who kept glancing at her whenever he got the chance!

She was sick to death of it, finding Pado’s feigned indifference utterly exasperating.

Her prediction that he would chicken out if she actually went through with it wasn’t necessarily wrong, but shouldn’t she at least try to challenge him?

However, if he remained this stubborn, Morae was rendered powerless. There weren’t any other ways to seduce him left.

Unable to contain her frustration, she snapped her head away.

“Ah— right. You’ve got to talk big like that. You’re probably terrified that once you get a taste, you won’t be able to forget me and will end up crawling around on the floor begging at my feet.”

It was a transparent and childish provocation. Half of it was the desire to salvage some pretext since neither of them actually intended to cross the line, and the other half was the desire to grind Pado down into dust.

The only problem was that Yu Pado wasn’t mature enough to pretend he didn’t hear an explicit provocation. When it came to Eun Morae, he simply couldn’t let even the smallest taunt slide.

“You’ve never even done it before, yet you’re so full of yourself. You’ll be lucky if you aren’t whimpering beneath me.”

And so he sharply shot back at her words.

“What? A virgin like you who’s barely even been near a woman is one to talk! You’ll be lucky if you can even keep it up till the end.”

“You know a lot about this, don’t you! If you’re my partner, it’ll go limp before we even finish. I doubt you’ll even get hard in the first place.”

“You’ll pop right up the moment you strip, so stop putting on a front.”

“There are bikinis and nudes all over the world, you really think your level of exposure is going to make me hard?”

The fake seduction meant to seize the initiative transformed into a real fight.

“What’re you gonna do if it does?”

“What else can I do? Not like that’s ever gonna happen.”

“Not like that’s ever gonna happen? You’re hilarious.”

Eun Morae finally stripped off her outer clothing.

A chicken game that could no longer be stopped had begun.

Morae quickly peeled off her jacket and blouse-style dress. The dark-colored dress brushed against her thighs and fell to the floor.

Pado’s eyes swept over her compact and slender body. Even with little fat, her body looked soft.

Her gracefully curved waist was narrow enough to be embraced by one of Pado’s arms, and the areas covered by her bra and panties were quite voluptuous. The flesh pinched slightly by the underwear drew the eye.

However, there was one flaw. Pado wore a smirk as he traced Morae’s upper and lower underwear with a finger.

“Your underwear is cute in a way that totally suits you. The top and bottom not matching makes you look like a kid, absolutely adorable.”

Morae grabbed her panties with a slightly frustrated expression.

Both the top and bottom were cleanly and prettily designed pieces. They were presentable enough that she wouldn’t be embarrassed if someone saw them, but the top and bottom sets didn’t match.

Feeling embarrassed as if her lack of intention to actually have sex had been called out, Morae snapped back loudly.

“What does it matter when they’re coming off anyway? You’re really showing your inexperience with women.”

“One second you tell me not to chase after women’s asses, and the next you call me an inexperienced idiot. Which is it going to be? Pick one.”

“Chasing tails while completely showing you’ve never actually been with a woman is the worst.”

“Look at you running your mouth. Just take them off already. It’ll still be a better sight than this.”

“…”

Pado lowered the leg he had kept crossed the entire time and leaned forward. His gaze never left Morae’s body. Sometimes his gaze drifted up to her face, but only for a brief moment.

The stinging intensity of his all-encompassing gaze made Morae’s hands tremble. Facing Pado’s gaze, her earlobes burned with a late embarrassment.

Taking off just one more layer meant she would be stark naked.

She had rushed into this on a whim, but the reality of showing her bare body to Pado was deeply unsettling. With one hand gripping her panties and the other holding her bra strap, Morae could only fidget.

Realizing that Morae was hesitating, Pado mocked her.

“Why aren’t you taking off the rest? Don’t tell me you thought I’d get turned on in an outfit like that?”

“I am, though?”

“Only adolescent brats would be. If you genuinely think that, you must have learned about men from the internet. If you get hot and bothered by a setup like this, you’d probably cream yourself at a swimming pool or the beach.”

The childish provocation pushed Morae over the edge. It wasn’t a new thing for Eun Morae to possess towering pride, but she especially couldn’t bear to lose to Pado even for a single second.

Seized by a surge of impulse, Morae ripped off her bra. The blue underwear vanished, exposing her breasts fully.

Her pert and pale breasts bounced lightly. The pale pink aureoles perched atop the rounded mounds drew the eye.

“What’s a pair of breasts anyway…”

With a blank expression, Pado swallowed hard enough to make a sound.

Giving the lie to his sarcastic words, he couldn’t take his eyes off Morae’s breasts.

Though he tried to act casual, his pupils were dilated more than usual.

There was no shortage of proof in every aspect that he had reacted to Morae’s body. Not only had he swallowed dryly, but the area between his legs hidden beneath his robe was also jutting out stiffly.

It wasn’t an illusion; something that definitely hadn’t been there a moment ago had suddenly popped up. Seeing this, Morae pointed at him and shouted.

“Serves you right! …No wait, I knew you would!”

Morae, who had been on the losing end the entire time, beamed brightly.

Having seized the initiative, she proudly thrust out the star player of her victory.

Straightening her shoulders and chest made her rounded breasts spread out even more attractively.

“Didn’t you say there was no way?”

“…”

Pado’s gaze never left her breasts. He looked like he had been dealt a heavy blow, but his eyes remained fixed. It was Morae’s complete and utter victory.

Once she figured she had beaten him, showing her chest didn’t feel embarrassing anymore. Excited, Morae hummed a little tune and leaned down right in front of Pado sitting on the bed.

“With zero experience enough to get a hard just from this, you expect to satisfy me?”

Her breasts sagged downward, forming a cleavage. Pado swallowed hard once more and grit his teeth in a sense of defeat.

His manhood stood rigidly upright, completely betraying its owner’s mind.

He lifted his robe, pressed his palm down against his erect manhood, and raised his head. His gaze was filled with a ferocious energy.

“…The fact that I can get hard at even this minor stimulation just proves how full of vigor I am.”

“Ah-ha-hat, what a tacky excuse.”

“You’re awfully confident. It’s nice to look at, but a feast for the eyes isn’t always tasty. There are plenty of women who look fine on the outside, but are a complete mess once you put it in.”

“You really don’t know when to quit! Just admit it already!”

Morae stomped her foot hard and pointed a finger at Pado. Refusing to lose, Pado raised his index finger and pointed back at her.

“You’re the one throwing slander around without even experiencing what I’m like. Do you even know how I perform?”

“Whose fault is it that we don’t know because a certain someone got scared and backed out before we could try?”

“Who’s the one who got scared? I don’t need to try it out to know how a novice like you would act. You’d probably sweet-talk like you’re going to give me everything, crawl all the way into bed, and then chicken out whining that you’re scared.”

“What is there to be scared of? Unless my enthusiasm dies because taking it off reveals nothing special.”

“Is that so?”

Taking a deep breath, Pado shrugged off his shower robe.

The skin that had been tightly concealed was revealed, and his erect manhood appeared right in front of Morae’s eyes. The moment Morae saw Pado’s member, she swallowed her breath.

“——!”