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Chapter 37
The man’s firm fingertips lingered dangerously close to her most sensitive spot.
Hovering… almost touching.
The tantalizing sensation made Edith’s eyes crease involuntarily.
Just a little more.
If he would only touch her, even slightly…
Perhaps this excruciating thirst inside her might finally be eased.
Unable to bear it, Edith looped her arms around Denok’s neck.
By then, her reason had already retreated far beyond reach.
She wasn’t even aware of what she was doing anymore.
Only one thought burned in her mind—
That the man before her was the only one who could quench this searing thirst.
Clinging to him, she whispered in a pleading voice:
“…Deeper… more.”
For a moment, his hand faltered—
Then moved slowly toward the forbidden place.
And finally—
“…!”
Edith shuddered soundlessly.
The unfamiliar sensation stole even the breath from her lungs.
“…Hhhn!”
The rush of feeling was far stronger than she had expected.
She had wished for this heat herself, yet the sheer force of it startled her into pushing at Denok’s shoulder.
But he didn’t stop.
Her strength melted away before she realized it, and the hands meant to push him off instead hung limp at her sides, leaving her hanging helplessly in his arms.
“Ah… ahh…”
She had never imagined such a feeling.
From the tips of her toes, faint waves of electricity rolled upward, stealing away the sands of reason.
They would surge and fade, only to return again—
Her belly tightening, a heavy coil of heat curling like a snake inside her.
Surely… it was all because of that drug.
In her hazy mind, Edith grasped for something to blame.
Otherwise, how could she be swept away by such indecent sensations?
It was unthinkable.
“Hhh… ah—w-wait.”
She sobbed, her hips trembling.
The boiling heat blurred her vision.
She didn’t know how long it went on.
Then suddenly—her vision flickered.
“…!!”
White—black—white again, in rapid pulses.
A blinding current tore through her from within, merciless and unstoppable.
Her forehead fell against Denok’s shoulder, her whole body trembling.
No scream escaped her lips; instead, her voice was carried to him only through the tremors wracking her frame.
He held her, waiting silently until her ragged breathing found its rhythm again.
At last, her pale fingers, clenched so tightly around him, slackened and fell.
Denok pressed his lips together and exhaled deeply.
Her shallow breaths brushed against his collarbone, warm enough to coil inside him.
Suddenly, he found himself wanting to see her face.
He imagined it—
The same as before: those drowsily blinking blue eyes, heavy with heat; the flushed lips.
The image sank its claws into his mind, stirring his desire, his hand twitching—
But he ground his teeth and held himself back, only tightening his embrace around her.
‘…Ah.’
The desire he suppressed bounced back in another form.
She had not, after all, spoken his name.
Which meant—she wasn’t truly satisfied yet, was she?
Following that sly thought, his hand began to drift lower once more.
Edith, still blinking languidly in the afterglow, felt an ominous change in the air. She opened her mouth—
And her body jolted.
She had thought the heat was gone, felt relieved… yet his hand moved again.
“W-wait…!”
She couldn’t bear any more.
But Denok moved with stubborn persistence, as if unwilling to respect that line.
Her body trembled, then went rigid; she pushed at him with all her might.
But his solid frame didn’t budge.
In flashes of fear that something might go wrong, Edith suddenly remembered his words:
“If you want me to stop… call my name.”
With trembling lips, she whispered:
“…D… Denok.”
A pause.
At once, the soft, insinuating sounds in the room stopped.
In the stillness, only Edith’s hot, rapid breaths could be heard.
For a moment, he stood as motionless as stone—then slowly reached to pull the blanket over her.
Her body flinched, bracing for another touch—
But instead, his hand patted her back gently, as if to say it was all right now, that it was over.
Only then did her hunched shoulders gradually relax.
The heat that had smothered her from the inside was gone, leaving no trace.
In her dimming consciousness, she reached for the pulse of his magic.
When she felt it soften, she finally surrendered to sleep.
The next day, I took a seat in a sunny corner of the garden.
The sunlight was warm; the breeze, cool.
It skimmed over the grass, carrying the scent of dew and flowers.
A single delicate petal, borne by the wind, landed on the rim of my teacup.
I lowered my gaze to the reflection in the tea.
My hair, once mussed, was now neatly arranged; my flushed face, immaculate.
To any onlooker, I was the very image of a dignified noblewoman.
But the face in the cup twisted in discomfort.
My fingers trembled, disturbing the tea’s smooth surface.
Last night… I had accepted his help.
Had it been any other day, such a thing would have been unthinkable.
But after days without proper sleep, my mind had failed me.
To think… I lay with him.
Not to the very end, but still—there had been intimate contact.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
“Just a little more…”
I had even begged him.
The memory sent a fresh flush racing across my cheeks.
“Haah…”
I pressed my fingers to my brow, sighing.
How could I have fallen so easily into Rachel’s trap?
To think I’d believed I could endure it alone—such arrogance.
Here, as Duchess, I could keep her in check.
But the moment she had my father’s backing, resistance was impossible.
They had already used a sly method to drug Denok.
I should have been prepared.
If I couldn’t use my mother’s keepsake, I should have at least kept another antidote on hand.
I set my cup down and rubbed my temple.
Regret was useless now—the damage was done.
The only consolation was Denok himself.
He hadn’t spoken a single word about the night before.
He had greeted me in the morning with the same calm, polite demeanor, outlining the day’s schedule—
As though nothing had happened.
Perhaps… he was sparing me the shame.
I was quietly grateful for his discretion.
Still… thanks to last night, I do feel lighter.
The drug’s effect should have lingered for a day or two, yet having quenched the thirst, the remaining heat was faint and bearable.
Before the next lesson, I need to find a way to block this from happening again.
Until then, I would keep things with Denok exactly as they had been.
Having settled my thoughts, I finally sipped my tea.
The aroma spread through me, calming the turmoil inside.
It was then that I heard—
“Oh? Lady Vi?”
