There wasn’t a trace of guilt in his wry smile. I stared blankly at him, unable to grasp the intent behind his words, until the fog fled my brain in a harsh exhalation.
“…Huh? Ouch!”
The sudden pain startled me, and I looked down at my hand to discover he’d bitten my ring finger, sinking his teeth into the base of it. As if that weren’t enough, he changed positions and bit me several times to ensure he made a mark.
I stared listlessly at the marks his teeth had left in a ring around my finger, and as I did, he planted a kiss on it.
“Ahh… You’re going to be mine at last, Cecilia… At long last.”
His mouth made a cute little smooching noise before he pulled away from my hand. A tantalizing smile lingered on his face, his golden eyes large and shimmering, like those of a beast stalking its prey.
Eyes that left me frozen in fear as that beast devoured my lips.
“Nngh…!”
Lucas kissed me deeply over and over again, changing angles as his tongue lapped and slurped, slipping between my teeth to tease the tender tissues in my mouth. He kissed me relentlessly, without even pausing to let me wipe the dripping saliva off my face.
Unable to breathe, I pushed against him, struggling to peel him off me. His grip on the back of my head eased slightly, but then his other arm, still holding his sword in its fist, tightened around my waist.
What’s going on? Is he locking me in his embrace?
Every time I heard the quiet clinking of his sword around my waist, I couldn’t help but gasp in fear, which invariably led to me kissing him back. Well, I can’t help it! That’s the only thing that makes him relax his grip a little!
“Mmph! Nnn, mm, nnpaaah!”
I struggled desperately to draw breath amid his relentless kisses, but eventually I was out of air, so I tapped wildly on his shoulder and he finally let me go.
As I panted for breath, I looked up at him through tearful eyes, and watched as he licked up the threads of saliva that ran from my mouth to his. My mouth was soaked with spit—whose, I didn’t even know at this point—and he wiped it away with his long fingers.
He traced his thumb over my lips, swollen from being kissed so roughly, then lowered his face once more toward mine.
Hang on! I haven’t even caught my breath yet!
“W-wait!” I pleaded. “Please let me rest a minute. I-it was so rough I couldn’t breathe…!”
I hastily took his face in my hands while I turned my own face, burning red with shame, away from him to guard my lips. He buried his face into my shoulder and murmured, “Mm, I can’t hold back…”
What’s with this guy, anyway? I’m over here panting like a dog and he’s completely calm and collected. I thought kissing was just pressing your lips against each other. I had no idea it was so exhausting and so obscene!
My first kiss had been so wildly different from how I’d ever imagined it. I was bewildered. I hid my throbbing lips with a trembling hand. Meanwhile, Lucas stirred by my shoulder and looked at me, his eyes dark.
Hm? I’ve got a bad feeling about this. What happened? Did I somehow push his buttons without realizing it? And it’s kind of scary that he’s still holding onto his sword. I wish he’d do something about that…
I was withering under his piercing gaze, but still somehow forced some words out of my mouth. “U-um… Th-that was my first kiss, so I’m sorry if I—eek?!”
“What? That was your first kiss too? Really? Do you swear to God? Do you swear it on the Cline family name?!”
“Eek—ohh—haah!”
His warm, wet tongue lapped suddenly against my neck, coaxing a spattering of strange noises from me. Goosebumps broke out all over my body, and I clung tight to his expensive-looking suit in spite of myself.
Wait, what was that he said? Swear on the Cline family name… Swear it on my family?
“U-um, L-Lord Herbst… Uh, what exactly do you mean by swearing…?”
“Can you swear it on your family?”
My family…? Huh? Does he mean the aristocratic oath? The one which, if broken, would warrant your whole family’s execution?
I felt the blood drain from my face. His eyes bore into me with such fervor I dared not tear my gaze away from them.
None of this makes any sense. Neither swearing such a sacred oath in a brothel where I’m prostituting myself, nor the absolute nonsense he’s asking me to swear! Why should I have to swear that that kiss was my first?!
In any case, I wasn’t actually a member of the Cline family anymore since I’d been disowned, so technically, any oath I made wouldn’t hold any weight. But this wasn’t the time to say that. And if I just casually said, “Sure, I’ll swear it!” and it somehow turned out to be a lie, then the entire Cline family would be murdered!
“Um…”
“Oh, that reminds me. Call me Lucas, Cecilia. Or you could even call me Lukie if you want.”
Here I was, trembling with fear, and Lucas was cheerily changing the subject like he hadn’t just implied he’d execute my entire family.
The abruptness left me dumbfounded.
“And I’ll call you Cece,” he said with a sparkling smile in an upbeat tone. Meanwhile, he stroked the back of my neck with his huge palm…as his hard, calloused thumb slid around my throat. Not squeezing, just holding my neck lightly in his grasp.