The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 3 Part 11
Their honeymoon, although only a week compared to their own six-month journey, was significant. Disrupting even a day or two of it could have major repercussions.
Theodore feared Rahil might resent them if his feelings became more complicated. He listened to Angelica’s nagging-like background music, sipping his tea.
****
In the carriage, only Anais and Rahil were present, with no attendants or aides. Rahil, not sitting across but closely beside her, was already holding Anais’s right arm and hand.
“Your hand is small and delicate.”
Rahil commented, playing with Anais’s hand. She glanced at her hand briefly. Although small compared to Rahil’s, it was average among women.
‘He touched it enough under the pretext of helping me in the bath.’
She wondered why he kept fiddling with her hand. Rahil gently rubbed her fingers and back of the hand, and even felt the shape of her nails.
Intending to pull her hand away with a ‘It’s just a hand,’ Anais found Rahil unwilling to let go. As she looked up into Rahil’s eyes, she frowned.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Thinking about how to get permission to kiss you.”
“That won’t happen.”
Rahil’s brow furrowed as Anais firmly drew a line. She almost reached out to his forehead but stopped, resting her hand on her thigh instead.
“You might want to kiss me too.”
“That’s unlikely.”
“How can I get you to allow it?”
Anais almost blurted out ‘Only when you like me,’ but she bit her tongue, realizing the thought and feeling slightly irritated. She wondered how Rahil would react to that.
“What I hope for is a wish within human possibility. Please don’t ask me to give that up.”
“…”
Rahil seemed crestfallen, his grip on her hand loosening slightly, yet not letting go completely. As Anais tried to pull her hand away, his grip tightened again.
What is he trying to do?
When Anais glared at Rahil, he avoided her gaze. He had a lot of guilty feelings. He had been using contraception continuously since last night and this morning.
So no matter how much they did it, they wouldn’t have a child contrary to Anais’s belief that she might have already conceived.
Rahil had considered contraception long before planning to marry Anais. While he indeed planned to have children with her, he thought of doing so a year after their marriage.
This was to prepare for any changes in the Empress’s attitude or unexpected developments with Angelica.
He reasoned that it was better not to have a child in case of a divorce, as it would be better for the child’s future.
‘In truth, I want to impregn@te Anais now…’
But Rahil instinctively realized that once Anais was confirmed pregnant, she wouldn’t allow him to touch her as freely.
Their physical contact was allowed only for the purpose of pregnancy. Anais had no feelings for him. Although she seemed to have some pity towards him, that was all there was to it.
‘If a b*by comes, there’s no way out.’
Thinking of Anais, who would push him away if he tried to sit next to her, make a disgusted face even if he just held her hand, and refuse to be hugged or touched, Rahil already felt sad.
It wasn’t just because he was deeply immersed in pl*asure. While he was holding her and feeling her bare skin, he sensed something filling his dry heart.
Rahil didn’t yet know what kind of sweet emotion it was. Even if he didn’t know, the drop of it that had fallen shook his heart all over, and he was desperate not to lose it, even if it would be taken away soon.
‘Still….I want to kiss you, Anais.’
Even if what I want is selfish.
****
With the addition of the K-Romance genre’s magic, the carriage ride was incredibly comfortable and soothing. Rahil willingly offered his shoulder when Anais began to doze off, and as she fell deeply asleep, he gently let her rest against him.
‘Even if someone were to carry her off, she wouldn’t notice.’
The thought of needing to protect and watch over her closely crossed his mind. It would be a disaster if someone attempted to kidnap her. Rahil gazed at Anais’s sleeping face, softly stroking her cheek.
Even as he touched her openly, Anais showed no signs of waking, her brow only slightly furrowing in her sleep.
‘She really is pretty. Her lips are pretty too…’
Looking closely, Rahil could feel Anais’s steady and gentle breaths. For some reason, they seemed sweet to him, and he swallowed dryly as he continued to gaze at her face. His fingertips lightly traced her soft lips, which parted ever so slightly.
Gulp.
It seemed like the perfect moment for a kiss. If the carriage had shaken just then, their lips might have met by the momentum.
How wonderful that would be.
Unfortunately, the road to the city was well-maintained, and the royal carriage experienced almost no shaking, even outside the capital.
“Mmm…”
As if startled by his own impure thoughts, Rahil suddenly adjusted Anais in his arms. She nestled deeper into his embrace, resting her forehead against his chest as she slept.
While he couldn’t maintain the same position as before, his mood turned tender and warm.
‘She wouldn’t do this on purpose.’
Rahil knew well how soundly Anais slept once she fell asleep. When awake, she rarely touched him unless there was a significant reason. Therefore, even this incidental contact in her sleep was precious to him.
‘If you were to wake up right now…’
In that moment, Rahil wondered, if she woke up, would she try to escape his embrace? The thought of her moving away from him felt so saddening that he imagined tears might come.
“Your Majesty.”
Just as his thoughts were about to wander further, Anais’s voice interrupted. It was a muffled murmur, but Rahil was startled.
“Ah, A-Anais?”
“Don’t tickle me when I’m sleeping.”
She murmured her complaint and buried her face back into Rahil’s chest. His heart fluttered so intensely at her action that he briefly thought it had stopped.
As he watched over Anais, his heart, which seemed to have paused for a moment, began to pound as if dancing. Feeling so elated, Rahil couldn’t move, holding Anais tightly in his arms.
Until they reached the city where they planned to rest.
