Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 202
As his tongue brushed against the soft flesh that touched his lips, Irene’s body shivered. But even then, she didn’t pull away. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed his action, mirroring his movement with a tentative lick.
Feeling her small, warm tongue touch his lips, Burt’s restraint snapped. He pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly as he pressed his lips to hers.
One hand wrapped around her waist, the other cradled her small, delicate head, as they shared breath between them. Their breaths grew more ragged, and after a moment, Irene began to tap lightly on his arm.
Curious, Burt opened his eyes, only to meet her tear-filled, crimson gaze. It was then that he realized his mistake—just like before, she was struggling to catch her breath.
As soon as he broke the kiss, she gasped for air, her face flushed red.
It was time to stop. Burt started to pull back, creating some space between them.
“Do you think the practice has been sufficient?”
His voice, lower and rougher than usual, escaped with a raw edge, like that of a beast. He cleared his throat, trying to steady himself, when Irene hesitated, then spoke up.
“I think… it’s still not enough.”
The unexpected reply caught Burt off guard, surprising him more than he’d anticipated. Irene, her face flushed and glistening with sweat, no longer pushed him away like before.
“…Then, how much more practice would you need?”
This time, she hesitated. Slowly, she raised a fist, and as her fingers unfurled, they stopped just short of four. It seemed she thought that might be a bit excessive.
“You’re very diligent.”
“It’s important not to make mistakes during such a significant moment.”
“That is true. Then shall we change spots for now? Being on a chair might be a bit risky.”
“I agree.”
The two looked around the room before moving over to the sofa. For a moment, their gazes landed on the bed, but they both quickly looked away, as if by silent agreement.
Irene, after seating Burt on the sofa, hesitated briefly before standing in front of him.
“Aren’t you going to sit, Irene?”
“I suppose I should.”
With that, she sat down on Burt’s lap.
‘Why is she being so bold?’
He hadn’t thought she was the type for such forwardness. Burt gazed at Irene nestled in his arms.
‘No, that’s not it.’
It wasn’t that she was being bold; rather, it was that she lacked certain knowledge. Her actions—shyly touching yet not retreating—suggested she didn’t fully understand what might be improper.
‘Does the temple not teach about these things?’
Burt pondered for a moment. In truth, the temple typically provided education on such matters to saintess candidates, ensuring they didn’t stray down the wrong paths. But Irene, being a candidate the temple had looked upon unfavorably, had missed much of that instruction.
And once she became the saintess, everyone assumed she would have gained such knowledge naturally, so there was no further teaching.
Neither Burt nor Irene knew this.
“Then let’s continue.”
Irene said with a determined tone.
‘There’s no reason to refuse, is there?’
Rather than seeing it as a challenge, Burt considered this a welcome opportunity and decided to enjoy Irene’s newfound boldness. The distance between them had grown much closer than before.
“I love you,” he confessed, his voice tender.
Irene, with a shy smile, returned his words.
“I love you too.”
What followed was a time of deep and intimate closeness between them. Even during those moments, Burt never forgot to be considerate. After a thorough session of “practice,” the two of them sat entwined in each other’s arms, savoring the time they shared. And, unbeknownst to them, there was someone who made sure they could enjoy that time without interruption.
“Do we really have to stand here?”
Noah, standing guard outside the saintess’s door, questioned Lani.
“There’s already someone guarding this place, isn’t there?”
“Still, an unexpected guest might arrive. No one should go in right now,” Lani replied firmly.
“Why?”
“Well…”
Because she wanted to protect the private time of the two lovers. But could she really explain that to the still-young Noah? Even though he was nearly grown, Lani couldn’t help but see the boy she first met, making him seem younger in her eyes.
While she hesitated, Noah seemed to catch on, nodding knowingly.
“Ah, the two of them are…”
At that moment, Lani quickly covered Noah’s mouth.
“W-What were you about to say?”
“Well, you know…”
“No, no, it’s fine. I think I get it.”
Where did he even learn such things? Lani, flustered, fanned her face with her hand.
Noah had grown up as an outcast, ignored and scorned by the villagers. Because of this, they often spoke freely about matters in front of him, not considering him as an equal. That attitude had unwittingly allowed Noah to learn many things. His knowledge of what lovers do together stemmed from those overheard conversations.
Seeing Lani flapping about in embarrassment made Noah chuckle softly. Why did she insist on thinking of him as so innocent? He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t mind.
“I know more than you think. Now, let’s continue keeping watch, then.”
“…Okay.”
With the look of someone resigned to defeat, Lani stood beside Noah, keeping watch over the door.
