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~Chapter 37~
I Will Carve It into My Heart
As soon as Regina left the Grand Empress’s palace—after saving the knights from being bullied by the maids and servants—she almost stumbled.
‘Using so much magic wore me out.’
But she couldn’t show weakness in front of the people following her. Regina bit her lip and clenched her fist.
She straightened her back, stood tall, and turned around.
“You know your duty as imperial knights, don’t you?”
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
The knights started to kneel before her. But at Regina’s words, they had to stand up straight.
“If you kneel so easily, you can’t call yourself a knight.”
“…I will remember that.”
“The job of palace knights is to guard against suspicious people entering the palace. The Emperor didn’t send you to the Grand Empress’s palace for menial chores.”
“…I will carve that into my heart.”
Even though they answered, Regina saw their faces were not bright.
Without saying more, she motioned for them to go back, then spoke quietly.
“Find my assistant, Remutan.”
“Yes.”
The closest maid, Lizen, moved right away.
‘The Grand Empress must have done something to the knights…’
She needed to find out exactly what had happened. Regina looked up at the towering emperor’s palace in the distance.
‘There are some serious problems in the Fredericks imperial palace, too.’
If even the emperor’s closest knights were being used for things like that, it meant the hierarchy in the palace was really messed up.
Regina swallowed down the blood that rose in her throat and kept walking.
Back in the emperor’s palace bedroom, Regina sat down weakly in her chair. She had used too much magic.
“Tell His Majesty the Emperor that I want to see him.”
“Lena.”
Before the maid could answer, Conrad entered through the not-quite-closed bedroom door. He already knew she would want to see him and had come early.
He signaled for the maids to leave. As soon as they did and the door closed, Regina’s posture collapsed.
“Are you alright?”
Conrad came close and grabbed Regina’s shoulders. But since his hand touched only her clothes, their magic didn’t connect properly.
Regina swallowed hard, then reached out and bit Conrad’s lips without hesitation.
Surprised, Conrad opened his mouth, and Regina’s tongue gently slipped inside. Conrad accepted her and entangled her tongue with his own.
“Hng!”
Even though Regina started it, Conrad’s tongue moved even more persistently.
Soon his thick tongue filled her mouth, making it hard for her to breathe.
Regina tried to push him away, but she was too weak, and he didn’t move at all.
Only after he was satisfied and had kissed her enough did Conrad finally pull back.
“Ha… ha…”
Regina’s face was flushed as she gasped for air, and Conrad’s body responded, too.
He wanted to take off her dress right there and press his skin against hers, to leave his mark on her white neck.
As she met his blue eyes, full of desire, Regina’s throat tightened. She gripped the armrest, unsure if she wanted to run away or let herself go.
As a little magic flowed between them, Regina’s mind grew cloudy and her breath quickened.
“Conrad.”
She pressed her cheek against his palm as he gently touched her face. The faint magic passing between them made Regina feel even hotter.
“Tell me you want me, Lena.”
Until now, Conrad had only made love to help Regina recover her magic, but now he wanted more.
It started as a contract, but deep inside, he knew there was more to it than that.
He just couldn’t say exactly what he felt—whether it was possessiveness or something else.
Regina couldn’t look away from Conrad’s gaze and held her breath for a moment.
Her fingertips tingled, and she clenched her fists, but her pounding heart wouldn’t calm down.
Conrad didn’t rush her. As her excited breaths filled the silence, she finally spoke the answer he wanted.
“I want you.”
Conrad’s hand gripped the back of her neck, gentle but firm, and pulled her in as she parted her lips.
He kissed her deeply, then lifted her up. Their lips touched, and Conrad licked away the trail of saliva.
His wild movements felt more exciting than scary.
Regina’s eyes lost all hesitation.
“Conrad.”
She reached for his neck and pulled him down to her, and he let her lead him.
The mattress sank under their weight.
Regina turned, sat on his waist, and ran her pale fingers along the thick neck above his shirt collar.
“I want to bite you here.”
“If you want to.”
Every time they spent the night together, Conrad always left marks on her neck. Now Regina wanted to do the same—she wanted to know why he did it.
‘Maybe I’ll find out if I try it myself.’
She carefully pressed her lips to his neck and bit him. As she sucked hard, she could feel his pulse.
“Kgh!”
Conrad frowned at the intense feeling.
For a knight as strong as him to let someone bite his neck like this was not easy. If she bit a little harder, it might even bleed.
Seeing the red mark she left on this emperor and sword master’s neck, Regina felt a strange satisfaction.
She licked the mark, then bit beside it again, leaving several hickeys while sitting on his lap.
Her hips gradually sank lower.
“How long are you going to… kgh!”
Regina licked Conrad’s neck in response to his groan. She tried to pull his shirt open, but she wasn’t strong enough.
Without hesitation, she used magic.
In an instant, his upper body was bare. She ran her fingers down his skin, then rubbed her lips over it.
“Regina.”
Hearing his voice, rough and deep, made Regina’s mouth go dry.
As their bare skin touched, magic and aura mingled, and she felt familiar heat wherever they touched.
She sat up and looked down at Conrad, whose face was flushed and breathing heavily beneath her.
“Why is it always like this… Ah!”
Suddenly, Conrad flipped her over and climbed on top, a faint smile on his lips.
“It’s all your fault.”
His lips curled gently, but his blue eyes held a fierce, wild wave. Staring into those eyes, Regina held her breath without realizing it.
Nervous and secretly thrilled, her fingers trembled. Conrad’s lips brushed her ear.
“Ngh!”
He licked her ear, then bit down on her earlobe, sending a rush of heat through her body.
She twisted her waist at the intense feeling inside.
What started as a way to restore magic had become a thirst for each other.
“You taste so sweet.”
Conrad quickly pulled off her rumpled dress and whispered in her ear. As his hands touched her everywhere, Regina’s mind went blank.
His lips, which teased her up above, moved lower and lower.
Regina pressed her legs together in embarrassment, but Conrad didn’t care.
“There isn’t a single part of you that isn’t sweet.”
