Bridal Lessons - Chapter 16
“Mmh.”
But licking up the lewd honey that clung to his fingers was only a temporary fix and far from satisfying. Longing for the sweet nectar he’d tasted moments ago, Iscarion looked around the unfamiliar room for some water, but there was none. He could either pull the bell to call a servant or go fetch it himself, but neither option seemed viable in his current state.
“Ah, nnngh…”
Just then, Rosen moved in her sleep, causing the lewd fluid to trickle from her embarrassedly parted slit. The sight of it running down her perineum and pooling between her folds was unbearably tantalizing. Iscarion shook his head with a low chuckle.
“Sorry, Rosie. Just a little, okay?”
Grasping her soft inner thighs with both hands, he spread her legs even wider and slowly lowered his head between them.
***
Ka-chack—
The door to the bedroom, where only the two of them were, opened again after quite a while.
Leaving the deeply sleeping Rosen behind, Iscarion’s expression was as composed as ever but now also somewhat sharp. Nevertheless, he felt a sense of relief, having quenched his earlier thirst. His finely chiseled features carried a languid air of satisfaction.
“Your Highness.”
As he exited the annex where Rosen was and returned to the main building, the head butler of the estate approached him with hurried steps. Behind him were the familiar maid and guard who always accompanied Rosen, their faces looking grim. The elderly butler with a monocle hesitated before speaking.
“Your Highness, I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“It’s… Lady Rosénia is nowhere to be found.”
“I apologize deeply!”
One of Rosen’s guards, Sir Joshua, urgently reported. It seemed he had been searching all over the vast estate, for his flushed cheeks and the straw clinging to his blonde hair indicated he’d been in quite a hurry.
“It’s all my fault… Last night, the lady said she was returning to her room, so I escorted her to the hallway. I thought she was resting in her room…”
The young knight, newly knighted and still quite young, couldn’t hide his anxiety. Those familiar with Iscarion’s sharp temperament knew this wouldn’t be easily forgiven, especially since it involved Lady Rosen. The thought that something might have happened to her made his heart race with dread.
Iscarion calmly looked over Joshua’s face, which was now red with anxiety.
He remembered hearing that Joshua was three years younger than Rosen. Being the youngest knight in the Lutècian Guard, he was responsible for guarding her when she was at the estate.
Unlike other noble households, which usually didn’t have guards within the house, the estate was vast. When Rosen went out or attended social gatherings, more experienced knights like Sir Elmon and Sir Leonore accompanied her outside, but Joshua was in charge of her within the safety of the estate.
Of course, Iscarion, known for being overprotective of Rosen, wouldn’t have assigned her to a rookie knight, but it was due to Rosen’s insistence.
Sir Joshua was a distant relative of the vice-captain, and he lost his parents young and had been living with the guard since childhood. He was small and timid during his training, making it difficult for him.
Perhaps because of his circumstances or because Rosen lacked friends her age, she showed him special attention and treated him kindly from the beginning.
“Rosen, a knight’s duty is not a mere game.”
“Still… I want to give Sir Joshua a chance. He was seriously thinking about quitting the guard over a minor mistake. He seemed so defeated… And he feels more like a younger brother to me.”
Rosen, with her bright and warm personality, couldn’t overlook the personal circumstances of the servants. She had pleaded earnestly, so Iscarion reluctantly allowed Joshua to guard her within the estate.
But… a younger brother.
Iscarion took a renewed interest in Joshua, whom he hadn’t paid much attention to before.
The young knight, who had been smaller than Rosen just a few months ago, had suddenly grown taller. His once high-pitched voice now carried a deeper tone, likely due to a late-coming puberty.
He had ignored Joshua because he hadn’t shown any signs of manhood, but…
It’s time to keep him away.
“It doesn’t seem like she left the estate. We’ve checked all the bedrooms except for the separate quarters. With your permission, we’ll search there immediately.”
As the butler reported, Iscarion pondered where to send Joshua. The maid, standing behind with a distressed look, cautiously spoke up.
“Your Highness! While Beth was cleaning the third-floor hallway, she said she saw the lady with you last night…”
“Yes, Rosen was with me, so you don’t need to worry.”
