The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 2 Part 13
Soon the carriage was ready, and they headed to the Empress’s palace. In the imperial palace, whether it was the Emperor’s or Empress’s residence, the Emperor’s and Empress’s bedrooms were adjacent. Thus, Rahil didn’t need to prepare a separate resting place; they could each freshen up in their own rooms.
After her bath, Anais, dressed in a robe, lay down on the bed. She was grateful to Rahil for not getting angry at her suggestion to delay their union for a few hours.
‘Rahil is kind of… strange. Obedient and kind.’
That was apparent even during the moment in the ballroom. He had given up on speaking to Angelica and rushed to Anais instead. Anais appreciated that gesture.
As a sub male lead in the novel, Rahil would naturally prioritize Angelica’s dignity over that of the Empress.
‘Today is our wedding day, so Rahil must have considered my dignity.’
However, Anais didn’t expect such consideration from him in the future. Regardless of what they did, she resolved not to fret over it and instead find her own joys in life.
With the temple having methods to verify paternity, she didn’t worry about any issues regarding the child’s lineage. Nonetheless, Anais planned not to have any lovers until her first child with Rahil was born.
It would be more prudent to take a lover after the child’s birth to avoid any gossip. Rahil, too, could then pursue Angelica guilt-free.
‘Well… I could start looking for a suitable lover even now.’
If no men approached her, she could subtly spread the word through her close noblewomen friends. Anais drifted off to sleep, recalling the noblewomen at the ballroom discussing true love found through consorts.
Seeing her asleep, the maids quietly left the bedroom.
In the Emperor’s chamber, separated by a sliding door, Rahil was also unwinding in a bath. Though not as physically tired as Anais, he felt mentally exhausted.
“Anais?”
“She just fell asleep.”
“Is that so?”
He was told it took about thirty minutes to bathe and dry her hair. She had instructed the maids to wake her in an hour and a half.
‘An hour and a half.’
This gave him some time to rest, but he felt restless. Anais was sleeping just beyond that door.
“Tell the Empress’s maids they don’t need to wake her. I’ll do it.”
He recalled Anais resting her head on his thigh after the parade around the capital. Her unguarded face was a delight just to look at.
‘Since we’re to share a bed anyway, I can go into her room.’
There was no need for formalities. They were husband and wife, after all.
Having sent the servants away, Rahil was still with his hair not fully dried. His hair was relatively short compared to Anais, so he thought it was fine as it was.
‘But more importantly…’
The door between their rooms opened silently, as did all doors in the imperial palace.
Stepping through the slowly opened door, Rahil first looked for the bed. The room was dim, but not all windows were covered with curtains; only those near the bed were.
He figured Anais had left some curtains open to avoid sleeping too deeply. Entering the dim room, with a faint moonlight seeping in, Rahil moved further inside.
‘Anais is…’
There she was, lying in the middle of the bed, not even covered with a blanket. Rahil internally scolded the maids for not doing their job properly. ‘What if she catches a cold sleeping like that?’
Feeling his heart race again, Rahil quickened his steps. As a sword master, he could distinguish objects even in the dark.
The curtains were drawn, but in this moonlight, it was enough to see clearly.
‘She’s sleeping soundly, whereas, I’m too nervous to sleep a wink.’
He had dozed off a bit during the day, influenced by Anais’s sleepiness, but not now. The thought of consummating their marriage in just an hour and a half made his heart flutter too much to sleep.
Approaching the bed, he hesitated but finally climbed onto it. He was concerned Anais might wake up, but she continued to sleep soundly. She had slept even while he held her and moved her around in the carriage.
‘Still not waking up?’
He cautiously sat beside Anais, who just slightly stirred in her sleep. Still, she slept well. Rahil felt an itching curiosity.
He wanted to touch her. To stroke her soft-looking cheek, to lightly bite those small lips.
‘Why am I thinking like this?’
It was a disconcerting impulse, yet it felt natural as a man. He instinctively thought of the time when he had fantasized about Angelica but felt it inappropriate to do so in front of Anais.
Shaking off the thought, Rahil focused on Anais. As he revisited what was to come, the desire to undress her surfaced.
‘Not yet.’
He remembered her request. It wasn’t so much a request as an agreement, but giving her time to rest, given her frailty, was only right. So…
‘I’ll hold back for now!’
* * *
A dim light seemed to illuminate the bedside. Anais stirred, assuming a maid had come to wake her. How long had she slept? She felt somewhat refreshed from the sound sleep.
“Mary, what time is it?”
Without even opening her eyes, she mumbled something, and a voice tinged with laughter responded.
“It hasn’t been long. I lit the lantern just in time for the hour you promised.”
Uh….
Her consciousness snapped to attention upon hearing that voice. And the fact that it was coming from right beside her made her almost scream in surprise. If Anais hadn’t sat up so abruptly, she would have bumped right into Rahil. He had to dodge quickly to avoid a collision.
“Why, why is Your Majesty here…!”
“I figured since we’ll be doing it in this room, it made sense for me to come here.”
Anais, who rarely showed surprise, was visibly startled, bringing a grin to Rahil’s face. He thought even her flustered look was adorable. She was beautiful. No matter her expression, she seemed to radiate beauty.
‘Anais has always been beautiful.’
“Can we start now, Anais?”
Rahil had been watching Anais sleep for quite some time. With trembling fingers, he reached out to touch her cheek, their eyes locking. His first intention was to kiss her.
‘Maybe this isn’t Anais’s first time.’
Though he had asked for information about her, he hadn’t been able to find out the specifics of her past relationships. So, it might not be her first time.
But Rahil was okay with that, even if she wasn’t a first-timer.
Just as Rahil’s face was drawing nearer, and he thought he saw Anais’s eyes widen in surprise…
“Wait?!!”
Her hand pushed him away, but Rahil wasn’t shocked. He had anticipated that she might be shy if he approached suddenly. He even looked at her with sparkling eyes, wondering how she would react.
“No, no kissing!”
What?
“Why?”
His brows furrowed in confusion and dissatisfaction, prompting a spontaneous response from Anais.
“Because my first kiss will be with another man!”
Her words struck Rahil like a bolt of lightning.
Although Rahil had always seen Anais as adorable and beautiful no matter what she did, this time, he couldn’t. He looked at her, radiating anger from every pore.
“What did you just say…?”
Rahil desperately hoped he had misheard, praying that Anais would offer some excuse for what she had just said. But her expression was one of resolute determination.
“It’s my first kiss, so I want it to be with a man who loves me.”
This simple yet natural wish left Rahil speechless. To his frozen state, Anais added an explanation.
“I want it to be with a man who loves me and whom I love in return. So, do something else besides kissing.”
“……”
What could he possibly argue against that? Wanting her first kiss to be with a man she liked was a fundamental wish.
“It’s also my first kiss…”
So what?
Anais’s gaze turned icy at Rahil’s mumbling. Was he implying that since he couldn’t have his first kiss with the woman he liked, she should just be satisfied with him? That was something she couldn’t accept.
Rahil was deeply shaken by Anais’s firm refusal. Regardless of gender, wanting one’s first kiss to be with someone they liked was not a bad thing. He felt unjustly aggrieved, yet it was hard to openly blame her.
“So, the only way I can kiss the empress is… after she’s kissed another man?”
Anais couldn’t bring herself to say it outright, merely nodding her head. She realized that even if he refused to consummate the marriage out of anger, there was nothing she could do.
“Your Highness loves the Duchess Calix, doesn’t he? For my first time to be entirely with you is too miserable for me.”
Perhaps it would have been slightly less miserable if she had feelings for Rahil. But Anais didn’t like Rahil.
This marriage wasn’t her choice either.
Rahil couldn’t understand the source of his current crushing emotions. It was just a kiss, yet his pride felt completely shattered.
‘Was she really planning on having a lover on the side?’
The contents of the contract notwithstanding, Rahil had assumed that Anais was including unnecessary clauses. He had deluded himself into thinking that once they were married, she wouldn’t need any mistresses.
But he was wrong. She had calculated every aspect of their situation and spoken accordingly. Rahil felt a severe sense of betrayal, but at the same time, a sense of determination arose within him.
‘All she has to do is give her permission.’
Kissing wasn’t a condition specified in the contract. So, as long as Anais allowed it, there should be no issue.
‘She might even initiate it during s*x.’
I would definitely make her kiss me first. Then, I would thoroughly indulge in those infuriatingly tempting lips.
