The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 9 Part 7
“Even though you’ve taken off the contraceptive ring, I won’t do anything. You wouldn’t want to with Francis in the same building, would you?”
Anais quickly nodded. While, Rahil, who had been thinking of acting on it if she agreed, clicked his tongue and closed his mouth.
“I’m only going to hold you while we sleep… It’s true I want to touch you, but I won’t do anything you dislike.”
Adding that he was really ‘serious’, Rahil took Anais’s hand and led her to the bed. He laid her down first, turned off the lamp, and climbed in. Anais instinctively turned to look at her husband, who settled beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She couldn’t see his face because the light was off, but just from his scent and the feel of his hand, she knew it was Rahil. That realization felt strange.
‘We haven’t even been married for a year.’
Rahil, who had come under the blanket, hugged Anais. As she felt his body warmth pressing close, Anais lowered her head and rested her face against his chest. Having Rahil by her side made her feel at ease. It was a different feeling from having Francis as her escort knight.
Even the slightly fast thumping of his heart was comforting. Realizing that she was more frightened than she had thought, Anais burrowed deeper into Rahil’s arms.
‘Huh?’ Rahil was surprised.
He had tried hugging her, prepared to be told to go away. But he hadn’t expected Anais to hug him back, and he felt a sudden rush of warmth.
‘I shouldn’t hold her too tightly, should I?’
He knew he shouldn’t be greedy or expect anything more at this point. Still, unable to suppress his fluttering heart, Rahil stroked her hair and whispered softly.
“Good night, Anais. …I love you.”
“……”
Huhhh?!
When she didn’t respond but instead pinched his side, Rahil spent quite a while trying to decipher what that gesture might mean.
* * *
“Since I held back all night, can I have a kiss now?”
“……”
It was the third day since Francis had taken over as her escort knight. Anais gave Rahil a subtle look as he, as if it were the most natural thing, asked for a morning kiss. She hadn’t thought much of it when she agreed yesterday and the day before, but now that it was the third day, she felt something was off.
‘It’s like we’re lovers.’
She had firmly resolved that they weren’t in that kind of relationship, but the reality told a different story. At night, they slept closely embraced, and in the morning, after preparing for the day’s duties, they shared a kiss.
It was like newlyweds sharing a goodbye kiss before heading off to work.
“Do we really need to do this today too?” Anais said, slightly avoiding his gaze.
Rahil looked as if he’d lost the world.
“Why?! I was so well-behaved yesterday! Can’t you at least kiss me as a reward? I barely even touched you all night….”
Seeing Rahil complain with a pouty expression, Anais was glad that the maids were dismissed out of the room beforehand. While Rahil had dismissed them with ulterior motives, it spared him the embarrassment of being seen like this. He was the Emperor, after all!
‘He says he hardly touched me, which means he did touch me!’
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he was referring to. Perhaps it was when he stroked her cheek, patted her back, or gently ran his hand through her hair.
“We’ve been kissing every morning. I don’t think we need to do it every day; that’s why I said it,” she explained.
Rahil, however, looked at her as if she had just uttered the most nonsensical statement in the world. His tone was resolute.
“I don’t care about yesterday. I want to kiss you today.”
With that, Rahil stepped closer to Anais. She knew her face was turning red. As Rahil, taller than her, lowered his head to meet her eyes, her face felt even hotter. But Rahil in front of her wasn’t as flushed as she was.
The way Rahil looked into her eyes with such seriousness made him appear even more handsome than usual—not that she could ever deny his good looks.
“Let me kiss you. I’ve been holding back all night. Once I head into meetings, I won’t see your face for hours. Can’t I at least have a kiss?”
‘Kiss, kiss! He’s so persistent!’
She felt her face burning, and Rahil’s composed expression only irritated her further. She instinctively tried to step back, but she realized too late that his arm was already wrapped around her waist.
“Just a little. I’ll just l!ck you lightly.”
“Y-You never stop at that”
Rahil’s eyes widened slightly as if considering whether that was true. But soon, his eyes curved beautifully as he smiled.
“I’m sorry. You’re just so sweet, I always can’t help myself. Forgive me, Anais.”
He whispered, tilting his head and bringing his lips close to her cheek as if to kiss her. Anais could feel her heart pounding and she knew Rahil could probably hear it.
She was annoyed, but there was no way to slow her heartbeat while in his arms. Unless she could somehow make his heart beat faster than hers.
Unable to overcome her tension, Anais impulsively turned her head and captured Rahil’s lips with hers. His face lit up instantly.
Though he had said he’d just l!ck, it was Rahil who slid his tongue into her mouth. By the time she thought his body temperature felt twice as hot as hers, they were already sharing a deep kiss that felt like she was being devoured.
“Haah, mm… Nngh…”
Her increased sensitivity applied to her mouth as well, so kissing Rahil felt so good it gave her goosebumps. She’d once thought it terrifying how her body’s reactions seemed beyond her control, yet this kiss was an exception.
Her heart pounded, and she could feel their heated body temperatures where they touched. Wrapped entirely in his embrace, her once-clear mind began to grow hazy under the intensity of Rahil’s kiss.
“Haah… Anais.”
Rahil’s delight was evident as he sighed with pleasure. It was so embarrassing she felt like dying, but the sweetness made Anais surrender her lips to him.
“Mmm…”
The sensation of their tongues intertwining was so stimulating that the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Unable to collect herself, Anais simply received his kiss, which only made Rahil adore her more.
