“Oh no, Your Majesty. I was just distracted by something else…”

“Really? Don’t you think you’re so mean? How come you are distracted when I’m combing your hair? I feel like I’m getting offended.”

“Oh, well, I don’t mean it….”

I just felt frustrated as I could not move my tongue as I wished. I could not understand why I couldn’t tell him anything like a fool despite my intense nervousness.

He might have thought I was weird by now, but he quietly watched me babbling on, then said casually, “Hmm. Would you like a drink?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

“I’m talking about wine. Don’t you think the maids who brought the wine bottles here will feel sorry if we don’t drink?”

“Oh, I see…”

When I barely nodded, he silently lifted a wine bottle and poured wine into two glasses.

Then he perched on the bed and lifted a cup to me and said, “Come here and have a seat. Come to think of it, I think it’s the first time I am having a drink with you.”

“Ah…that’s right.”

My heart beat like crazy when I thought I would sit with him side by side on the bed, but I caught my breath, pretending to be casual, and sat down next to him. When I received the glass cautiously while hiding my trembling, he said with a smile, “Well, I think I have to say ‘Cheers!’ even if we drink just a little bit. How about this? Cheers to your eyes!”

“Pardon?”

I felt I heard it somewhere, so I blanked a couple of times until I belatedly remembered its origin. Oh my god! Little did I think he would quote that famous phrase!

Cheers to your eyes!

It was one of the well known lines of a conversation in a romance novel that has been very popular among the people these days. I also read it a while ago because Lina goaded me on, saying that it was a must-read. The line in question was from the male protagonist who proposed a toast to his lover. I thought the emperor was funny for doing that. Even though the novel was famous, it was a mere novel, so little did I think he would quote the line from the romance novel usually read by women.

The more I thought about it, the more funny it seemed. So, I forgot I was nervous until a moment ago, and broke into a hearty laugh. How could he utter that like with such a serious look? Indeed, it didn’t fit his image.

“Oh my goodness…Your Majesty, I’m so surprised that you know that line. Have you also read that novel?”

“Um, no. In fact, Earl Penril has advised me to say it to ease my tension… I didn’t mean to say it.”

I smiled again at his embarrassed voice, but I suddenly realized something, as he watched me laughing loudly. I realized that he cracked a joke like that on purpose to make me feel relaxed because I felt so tense that I could hardly move my tongue.

Come to think of it, I found myself relaxed much more than before. Thanks to my hearty laugh, I could feel nervous no longer even though I was close enough to him to feel his body temperature.

When I smiled brightly, deeply touched by his consideration, he cleared his throat and emptied the glass at once.

“Tia, I have one question.”

“Pardon. What is that? ”

“I wonder if you can pick up where you stopped talking with Lina a little while ago. I want to know who was your ideal type.”

“Oh, that person was…”

“Who was he?”

As breathing touched my earlobes, I could feel his heat against me. My shoulders where he touched were heating up as if burned by fire. I barely whispered, with my lips trembling again.

“In fact… he was you, Your Majesty.”

“Me? Are you sure?”

“Yes, because I thought my ideal type would be the man who would kneel in front of me and swear he would never abandon me…”

“Ah.”

He said something in a low voice, then touched his lips to my forehead gently. When I trembled at the thrilling sense of his kiss, he put down the empty glass and said, pulling me gently into his arms, “Thank you for telling me that. And… I’m sorry to have made you think like that.”

“Oh, no, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean it that way …”

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll never abandon you because you’re already the owner of my blood and heart. ”

“Your Majesty…”

He looked down at me with serene eyes. He slowly raised his hands to touch my face gently, then kissed my lips. When I flinched a bit at his soft kiss, he pulled my waist closer, biting my lower lip lightly. Something hot came into my mouth between my slightly open lips.

“Haa…”

I moaned, feeling his hot body temperature when he stuck his tongue into my mouth. I felt a quiver of excitement running through me when he touched my body. While I was carried away with his caressing of my body, I felt the soft fabric of his clothes touching my back.

When I opened my eyes in surprise, his navy blue eyes were up close. Unlike his usual calmness, his face was full of excitement. I was reminded of my past nightmare when he put his body on mine, but his deep blue eyes were gazing at me with lots of mixed feelings in a break with his coldness in the past such as awe, praise, affection, and strong desire.

When I looked at him with his trembling eyes, he asked, slowly reaching out to tie up my disheveled hair.

“Are you still afraid of me?”

“Yes, a little…”

“Actually, Tia. I’m afraid I am going to hurt you too. I don’t want to see you get hurt anymore even because of me. ”

His low voice was also trembling. The moment I heard his very kind words, and I felt he was trembling like me, I let go of my tight grip on the bed.

“I love you, Tia.”

After carefully holding my hand and lifting it carefully, he kissed it slightly.

His breathing, which was soothingly slow and soft like a feather, began to be rough.

As if he enjoyed a delicious dishe, he kissed every part of my body passionately.

I moaned in spite of myself.

The moment I moaned, biting my lip tightly, his breathing began to be more and more rough from his strong desire.

Was he waiting for this moment? Just like the day we confirmed each other’s love, was he waiting for me to make love to him? He had been suppressing his desire with reason, though he wanted to have me so much.

At that moment, my lingering fear of him was shattered, along with my nightmare from the past. Feeling reassured and satisfied, I slowly reached out and hugged his neck. Then I pulled him, who was looking at me as if he was asking me something, and kissed him gently.

“You?”

“Your Majesty.”

Although I wanted to say more, I could hardly move my tongue as if I didn’t have the guts anymore. Apparently, I heard a lot of useful tips from Lina that I could make use of in a situation like this, but I could not figure out anything because I was so absent-minded.

So, I closed his eyes and hugged his neck with my arms tightly. The moment my trembling lips touched his again, he pushed the tip of his tongue into my mouth. Unlike his rough and passionate kiss, he unbuttoned my clothes gently, and I began to let my body relax slowly.

I recalled the moment when he and I walked together under the same umbrella. Rebuking me kindly, citing his authority as the emperor, he took it from me, then wrapped my shoulders with his strong arms, asking me if I was wet. I still remembered his serious look when he asked me when I would be willing to open my heart to him.

I also remembered the moment I breathed in his arms. I remembered his swearing before me, kneeling on the cold snowfield that he would love me all his life, and the snow-covered garden where we left footprints side by side.

“I love you.”

He looked at me with the same affection that he had shown me at that time. My figure reflected in his eyes was fully naked. However, I had no reason to feel fear or shame because I decided to give all of me to him.

The rain of love was downpouring in my heart. Just like many a little makes a mickle, I began to melt into him gradually. And finally he made love to me passionately.