OSO Chapter 2

The intense gaze he had just displayed vanished as if it had been an illusion, replaced by Dylan’s chillingly indifferent words.

His attitude was baffling and incomprehensible, but Mia also calmly regained her composure. Without avoiding Dylan’s gaze, she took a step back and wiped her lips with her fingers.

“I need more time to think about what just happened. I’ll give you an answer in a few days.”

The sensation of saliva on her fingertips was distinct. Lightly curling her hand into a fist, Mia maintained her composure as she addressed him.

“And it would be best if you refrained from such sudden actions.”

“Refrain?”

Dylan asked back, curling his lip as if he had heard something amusing.

He closed the distance she had created and lifted her hand. Then, he unfurled her clenched fingers one by one. Mia’s gaze fell upon her palm, held in Dylan’s hand. His hand was large enough to cover her entire stomach.

He firmly grasped her small hand and smoothly slid his fingers between her wrist and the fabric of her sleeve.

The warmth of his touch seeped through the soft material.

Dylan pressed his fingers firmly against her delicate wrist. The previously cooled atmosphere began to heat up once more.

She tried to pull her hand away, but she couldn’t escape his firm grip.

“Refrain? And why should I do that?”

“Because what you wanted was sex.”

Mia managed to respond with a forcedly calm expression. However, with her gaze locked on Dylan and her wrist still captive, her composure kept faltering.

As Dylan took another step closer, Mia involuntarily flinched. She tried to avert her eyes, but he pressed his body closer instead.

“I will spend time with you like a normal married couple.”

One step.

“We’ll spend time together.”

Another step.

“Share a bedroom.”

Mia barely managed to step back, attempting to separate their bodies as they drew closer. Dylan wouldn’t leave her alone.

“And we will make love countless times.”

The chase ended when Mia’s back hit the wall.

As she chewed on her lip in bewilderment and looked around, Dylan grasped her chin. Applying slight pressure, he turned her face towards him. His hand reached for her lips, now flushed red with blood.

“And I have no intention of just rolling around prettily in the bedroom.”

His long fingers pressed firmly against her lower lip.

It was just the touch of his fingers, but the memory of his tongue invading her mouth moments ago began to stir in her mind. Dylan gently stroked her lower lip and spoke casually.

“You will experience and feel more than what you’re thinking, no matter what it is.”

Facing his ocean-blue eyes, Mia felt her throat parched. It was then that Dylan brought his face close to hers.

Meeting Mia’s gaze as she stared at him, unable to react, he let out a light sigh and a slow chuckle.

“So, Mia, if you don’t intend to get entangled like this, step back now.”

A silence followed, swallowing even the faintest of breaths. The ringing of a bell began to echo through the hushed room.

It was the telephone on Dylan’s desk. The sharp sound showed no sign of stopping. Dylan turned his head, somewhat irritated. Only then did his gaze, which had clung to Mia like the summer heat, retreated.

Clicking his tongue once, Dylan returned to his desk with his usual steady gait and picked up the receiver. Mia, who had been frozen, finally exhaled.

Dylan exchanged words with the person on the other end in his typical curt voice.

Was it because of his controlled movements? Or was it because his lips were now redder than before? Nothing but his lips caught her eye.

The moment she saw his tongue move smoothly between his parted lips, Mia shuddered. Pulling down her slightly raised sleeve, she grabbed the contract left on the desk and folded it.

And then, she hurriedly escaped the heated office.

* * *

“Long live Admiral LeHart!”

“Long live Princess Saedimia!”

Mia’s steps towards the annex gradually slowed. Stopping, she turned her head and looked out the window.

Even though a week had passed since the declaration of the end of the war, the area in front of the residence was still packed with people. Unfazed by the late summer heat, they mingled and reveled in their joy.

The twelve-year war between Murad and Hippoli, two nations locked in hostility, had finally come to an end. The voices praising Mia and Dylan, who had made significant contributions to this outcome, showed no sign of diminishing.

The attendant standing next to Mia glanced outside, following her gaze, and spoke in an excited voice.

“I guess you can hear everything since the main building is closer to the main gate than the annex.”

At those words, Mia’s gaze shifted to the attendant beside her.

Her eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, as if the heat and excitement outside were all an illusion. Unaware of this, the attendant continued excitedly.

“The whole city of Hippoli is buzzing with tales of your heroic deeds, ma’am.”

Mia listened without interruption.

“The most popular story is how you, a member of the Murad royal family, helped Hippoli and ended the war…”

The attendant trailed off, realizing what she had said, but the words, once spoken, couldn’t be taken back. She had just excitedly recounted how the person she served had contributed to her own country’s defeat.

The attendant’s face was filled with concern, worried she might have upset Mia. She continued in a quieter voice.

“The people of Hippoli call you a hero for ending this dreadful war. The people of Murad also call you a saint for liberating them from their corrupt royal family.”

“Is that so?”

“Everyone says there’s no end to the list of your accomplishments, ma’am, they’re so remarkable.”

Despite the string of compliments, they didn’t resonate with Mia.

Perhaps it was because she had lived under an unwanted name. Perhaps it was because the ‘Saedimia’ everyone spoke of would never be her name, past, present, or future.

And the reason for the uncomfortable feeling, like a thorn caught in her throat, amidst all this…

‘It must be because I’m deceiving everyone.’

Feeling a dryness in her mouth, Mia started walking again. At that moment, a loud noise came from afar. The attendant, looking out the window, muttered with a frown.

“We need to tighten security in front of the residence. It seems someone got carried away with the excitement and broke through again.”

“Let them enjoy themselves. The long war has finally ended.”

Mia’s generous response was, as always, that of a thoughtful and elegant royal.

“By the way, ma’am, there’s a victory celebration at the royal palace tomorrow, isn’t there? When should we start preparing?”

“It starts late in the afternoon, so around lunchtime should be fine.”

They had finally reached the end of the corridor in the main building. Unlike the main building, where Dylan primarily resided, the annex was relatively quiet. Stepping into the annex with light steps, Mia nodded to the attendants.

As Mia appeared, the attendants in the annex expertly lit the gas lamps. The already bright space became even brighter, illuminating Mia’s path.

“As always, you don’t need any assistance with your bath or changing clothes, ma’am?”

“No, it’s something I’ve always done alone, so there’s no need to worry. Just help me with my hair ornaments and makeup.”

Mia’s words weren’t typical of royalty or nobility, but the attendants were used to it. From the first day she arrived at the residence, Mia had maintained this attitude.

Finally reaching her room, Mia nodded.

“I’m tired today, so I’ll be sleeping early. I won’t be having dinner, so everyone can relax.”

With those words, she stepped into her bedroom. As the door closed, a short sigh escaped her lips.

Only then did she realize that her hands were drenched in sweat.

“……I was nervous.”

She clenched her stiff, unyielding hands, revealing her sweaty palms. At the same time, Dylan, the cause of her tension, came to mind.

Mia rarely dwelled on things that had already happened. She believed it was a pointless waste of emotion unless she had the ability to go back in time.

But the encounter with Dylan just now wouldn’t stop replaying in her mind and before her eyes.

Placing the contract she was holding on the vanity, Mia roughly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She gathered her disheveled hair, ruffled by Dylan’s touch, and swept it over her left shoulder. Then, using the zipper pull, she unzipped her dress.

The loosened garment fell away from her body, revealing a thin undergarment.

Scattered across her pristine skin, which looked as if it had never known a blemish, were old scars.

They were the marks of the relentless abuse she had suffered at the hands of the Murad royal family.

There was no trace of ‘Saedimia,’ loved and cherished. Mia’s eyes, staring blankly at her gruesome reflection in the mirror, quietly lost their light.