The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 173
He wanted to make Amber cry.
Not from sadness, but from feeling too much on this bed… he wanted her emotions to overflow.
Eventually, he grabbed her soft, rounded behind and slowly pulled back before thrusting forward again.
The sight of her beautiful body, glistening with excitement, made him nearly lose his mind. Just looking at her was enough to drive him wild.
“Ah…”
Igmeyer let out a low breath and began to slowly re-enter her.
The rays of sunlight streaming into the dim bedroom glimmered on her skin. Her responsive body, reacting to his every movement, remained lithe and full.
Igmeyer swallowed hard at the sight of her bouncing br-asts.
Once upon a time, they were full of milk. He remembered the moments when she had nursed their baby, feeling aroused as he watched her.
Lying with Amber brought back all the memories of their time together.
From their first meeting to the birth of their child and everything in between.
With each moment they shared building up, he finally felt at ease.
‘Although I’ll never truly know what it was like before time returns, I still find that regrettable.’
I love her. He must have loved her back then as well.
How could he not love this woman?
It was as natural as the sun rising and the moon setting, as inevitable as the waves crashing and the wind blowing.
Every time he buried himself deep within her, he felt the song of the earth. Each time he penetrated her, the universe seemed to belong to him.
“I love you. I love you, Amber.”
He devoted his entire heart to her.
He worshiped her.
He revered her.
In that way, he loved himself.
Amber writhed as Igmeyer’s warm whispers enveloped her. Yet, he did not let her go.
Everything I am belongs to you, and may everything you are belong to me.
As he buried himself within her, Igmeyer reached his peak.
Even now, his heart raced wildly.
With excitement and trembling. With love.
The afternoon of love was still far from over.
* * *
Another year passed.
During this time, the Emperor had died, and a civil war broke out quietly in the capital.
Factions formed, and daily, someone was killed.
Despite the chaos, the North remained peaceful. However, after about six months, it seemed the princes could no longer endure the situation, as they discreetly reached out.
Their message was the same: they wanted the North to side with them.
The military strength of the North remained formidable, with skilled knights and a young, strong Igmeyer.
Everyone wanted him on their side.
As the imperial family approached with such humility, Igmeyer calculated rationally.
Should he use this opportunity to make the North a fully autonomous region? Or perhaps elevate it to a kingdom?
If that happened, there would be no reason to be beholden to the imperial family.
He could pass down complete governing power to his children.
Amber listened to Igmeyer’s concerns and made a political judgment.
In Asgard, there were five princes.
The first and third were allied, while the second and fourth formed another alliance. The youngest, Loki Asgard, remained on the outskirts, unable to align with either side.
“Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Igmeyer followed her advice.
As the seasons changed and Camelot turned eight, the first and fourth princes died.
The third prince had always been frail so the advantage went to the second.
At that moment, Amber chose to support Loki Asgarden.
The Northern army, having prepared for war for several years, surged into the capital, and the second prince was caught off guard.
Loki Asgarden, who had seemed confused, survived due to his weakness and became the one to wear the crown because of his weakness.
He would never bring harm to the North until the day he died.
Confident in that, Amber gave the crown to Loki Asgarden.
On the day the radiant crown was fitted onto Loki, Igmeyer secured an oath to completely separate the North from Asgard.
He had taken it at swordpoint, so it was akin to coercion, but Loki also gained much from the arrangement.
Thus, the North, Niflheim, became a small kingdom.
“My king.”
Next, Igmeyer crowned his wife.
From the start, he had no intention of becoming a king.
Politics, diplomacy, and caring for the people all suited Amber far better.
The idea of someone like him, a commoner, aspiring to a crown was something he had never imagined.
His final decision to take up his sword and aid Loki was solely to restore a place worthy of Amber.
“You look great. I’m glad to be able to help you regain the royal status you lost by marrying me…”
Just before sunrise, during the darkest hour, Igmeyer stood on the castle wall, intertwining fingers with Amber.
As time had passed, his features had become more defined, his body stronger, and his gaze deeper.
Amber took in the sight of her husband. A man who seemed as if he embodied the vastness of the North itself.
“That crown really suits you.”
“I’m happy that one day we can pass it down to our Camelot.”
“Yes, one day that will happen.”
Igmeyer responded softly, kissing Amber on the cheek.
Now, the people of this land served Amber as their queen.
Though she hadn’t changed much apart from wearing a crown, this made her even more beloved as a monarch.
What would happen during Camelot’s era remained uncertain, but as long as Loki Asgarden was alive, and that weak fool sat on the throne, Amber would reign as queen until her peaceful passing.
As the commander of the North, as the head of the knights, as the leader of the military, he would support and protect her.
Until the day he drew his last breath.
“I never knew I could love someone this deeply.”
Amber murmured, nestled in Igmeyer’s arm. He held her tightly and kissed her.
Their warm breaths intertwined, tongues mingling as he poured his love into her.
“Hah, mmm…!”
Each sound that escaped her lips sent his heart racing.
Perhaps this feeling would continue until the day he died.
As he caressed her beautiful face and continued kissing her, Igmeyer suddenly noticed the light brightening behind Amber.
Watching the sun slowly rise as if it was tenderly embracing the North, Igmeyer smiled sweetly.
The rays of light spilling over the ridges seemed made of gold and honey.
It was the moment when true peace finally arrived in the kingdom of Niflheim.
<The End>
