Saving My Childhood Friend Through... Questionable Means... - Chapter 24
“Haa…”
Standing in front of the Duke Lucas’s bedroom door, Seria’s heart pounded as if it were about to burst. Once again, night had come, and with it, the time to fulfill their arrangement. She couldn’t understand why she’d initially thought s*x was no big deal. After experiencing it, it was clear this was something she could never get used to.
It was already the third night, and there were still more nights to go. On top of that, they’d be heading to the imperial palace together soon, and it would continue there too…
The thought was driving her crazy. The reason? Because being with Lucas felt far too good. Spending so much time physically entwined was inevitably creating emotions. Lucas was no longer ‘just a friend’ in her eyes—her mind was a tangled mess, and her daily life was becoming impossible.
‘When will that curse mark finally disappear?’
“Let’s stop overthinking,” she muttered to herself. “Just remember the original goal. This is a holy mission—to save Lucas’s life, nothing more.”
She repeated those words like a mantra, trying to steady her flushed face before cautiously opening the door.
Lucas wasn’t in the bed.
“Huh?”
Peeking her head in, she scanned the room. Lucas was seated at the marble table in the corner, chin resting on his hand, deep in thought. On the table sat a wine bottle and a half-filled glass of crimson liquid.
Despite the sound of the door opening, he remained lost in thought until Seria cleared her throat. Startled, he snapped his head up, the chair screeching loudly as he quickly pushed back.
‘He knows I’m the only one who’d come at this hour, so why does he look so surprised?’
Feigning nonchalance, Seria straightened her back and walked toward the bed with deliberate steps. But her confidence faltered as she neared, her body instinctively curling in on itself.
In the end, she sat hesitantly on the edge of the bed, her expression conflicted as she watched Lucas let out a heavy sigh and bury his face in his hands.
‘What’s his deal now? Is he going through another repentance session or something?’
She couldn’t understand why he would pray for forgiveness when they both knew they’d inevitably proceed with this again. According to Lucas, repentance was like cleaning—it didn’t matter if things would get messy again—you cleaned for the temporary satisfaction of tidiness.
What a joke. The maids were the ones who cleaned anyway, not him.
Thinking back to that old conversation, Seria stifled a laugh. Suddenly, there was a clatter as Lucas stood up abruptly and approached her.
“Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Lucas climbed onto the bed and gently pulled Seria’s slender arm, causing her to fall forward onto him.
The sudden motion left her sprawled on top of his large frame, a position that made her face flush with embarrassment. It felt as though she were the one pinning him down.
Lucas, whose thick lashes trembled slightly, avoided her gaze. Despite being the one to pull her into this position, he seemed flustered about what to say.
“It’s nighttime.”
“Yeah, it’s nighttime.”
Their exchange was as awkward as ever. It was no surprise—they weren’t lovers but friends forced into this situation. The dynamic lacked the sweetness of romance or the fiery tension of passion—just an awkward and uneasy air that refused to dissipate.
Seria bit her lip nervously as Lucas, avoiding her eyes, hesitated before asking,
“Um… If we do it… the same way as before… that’s fine, right?”
“Do it the same way? Like last night?”
It took Seria a moment to process his question. Of course, we’d do it the same way. What else would we do? Rolling her eyes, she nodded vigorously.
“Yes, just like last night!”
She forced a bright smile to mask her unease, but her voice betrayed her tension, cracking slightly. As her soft answer reached his chest, Lucas’s broad torso rose and fell with a quickened breath.
Wanting to change her position, Seria tried to shift off him, but her movement caused her hips to brush against his center. She froze instantly, narrowly avoiding sitting directly on top of his arousal. Like touching something scalding hot, she hastily scooted forward instead.
“Oh! Um…”
But her relief was short-lived. Instead of his g***n, her bottom now rested on his firm abs, which wasn’t much better.
“What’s with the overreacting?” Lucas murmured in his low, rumbling voice.
“N-Nothing,” she stammered, willing herself to calm down.
It was embarrassing to straddle her friend like this, but since they’d be having s*x soon anyway, making a fuss over her current position felt pointless.
As Seria remained silent, Lucas’s calloused hand reached for her waist, fumbling slightly as he untied the sash of her robe. The faint rustle of fabric filled the space as the robe slid off her shoulders, revealing the smooth curves of her bare skin.
“Ah…”
Lucas’s face turned bright red, like a ripe apple, as he noticed the crimson marks scattered across Seria’s rounded chest. His blue eyes trailed downward, admiring her slender waist and the delicate curve of her navel, before finally stopping at the barely concealed area beneath her thin undergarment.
