IOTB Chapter 54

At Louise’s words of apology, Licht’s expression softened. Louise, with her shoulders slumped, sighed softly in a pitiful manner, and he gently cupped her cheek.

 

As expected, his gentle nature prevented him from staying angry for long.

 

“You should take off your pants.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Louise couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

 

Did Licht just tell me to take them off?

 

Maybe she misheard.

 

“Why? Can’t do it? Shall I take them off for you?”

 

It seemed she hadn’t misheard after all. Stroking Louise’s wide-open eyes, he whispered.

 

“I don’t know why you’re so excited, but it smells lewd down there. Magic can dry your clothes, but you’ll have to deal with this yourself.”

 

Startled, Louise instinctively felt between her legs.

 

Really…? I’m wet?

 

The feeling of something damp and sticky clinging to her was undeniable. She couldn’t even recall when it had happened.

 

Was it when Licht had pressed his body against hers? Or perhaps when his swollen manhood had prodded against her lower abdomen in response to her?

 

…Or maybe it had started even earlier, from when she had secretly watched him lead the mass.

 

What’s happening to me?

 

“It would be problematic if you started masturbating while standing in front of me.”

 

His grumbled words, along with his narrowed eyes, snapped Louise’s hand away from between her legs.

 

” Licht….”

 

“Yes? Why, Louise?”

 

“I think… something’s wrong with my body. I never intended for this to happen….”

 

Her voice trembled as she spoke. The embarrassment was overwhelming.

 

It was only natural for one’s body to react and become wet when being intimate with someone they loved. But becoming aroused while secretly watching him in such a proper, everyday setting felt far from normal.

 

“It’s fine. You might not understand it now, but reacting this way is normal.”

 

Holding Louise’s hand in his, Licht led her to the chair beside the table.

 

“Your body is simply preparing.”

 

“Preparing… for what?”

 

He deftly unfastened her waistband and lowered her pants to her knees. As the damp fabric peeled away from her skin, Louise could feel something sticky dripping down, causing her to tightly shut her eyes.

 

“Why, of course….”

 

Pressing her shoulders gently, Licht seated her on the edge of the chair and lifted her legs, pushing her knees upward, her pants still caught at her ankles. Naturally leaning back, Louise ended up reclining against the chair’s backrest.

 

“…It’s preparing for you to become my bride.”

 

[If it’s that hard for you, how about becoming my bride right now?]

 

Why did the voice of the boy from her dream echo in her mind at that moment?

 

Startled, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. He knelt before her, his eyes dark with desire, simmering with a wild and menacing intensity she had never seen in him before.

 

In that brief moment, unable to even blink for fear of being swallowed whole, he slowly lowered his head and licked between her legs in a long stroke.

 

“Ah…!”

 

A tremor ran through her as if her body had been waiting for that very moment.

 

Each time his tongue parted her folds and swept from her opening to her clit, her body quivered and jumped.

 

It only took a few light licks from his tongue before a shallow climax rippled through her lower belly. As if sensing the liquid gushing out, Licht plunged his tongue deep into her.

 

“Nngh…”

 

Louise hastily swallowed the moan that threatened to escape her.

 

They were in the preparation room connected to the chapel. While the door leading outside was locked, only a thick curtain separated them from the chapel.

 

The mass had only recently ended, so cleanup was likely still ongoing. Some people might even be lingering for conversation.

 

If anyone heard a sound from this room and peeked behind the curtain, they’d see her with her legs spread wide, him kneeling before her, devouring her, his tongue working feverishly.

 

No, that can’t happen.

 

They absolutely couldn’t be caught.

 

Even though it was customary for the pope or cardinals to have wives for the purpose of producing holy offspring, engaging in such licentious acts within the temple was an entirely different matter.

 

Besides, Licht, unlike his predecessor, was particularly adored by the common folk for his noble character and humility. Being elected as pope at such a young age was no doubt due to these qualities.

 

For someone like him to be involved in a sexual scandal… it would leave an indelible stain on his reputation as the newly appointed pope.

 

“Hmph…”

 

When Louise covered her mouth, Licht glanced up at her.

 

“You’re distracting yourself. That makes me sad.”

 

Despite his words of complaint, Louise couldn’t help but be concerned about the outside. Hadn’t she just heard someone approaching and then walking away?

 

As Louise shook her head to indicate she couldn’t stop worrying, Licht briefly eyed her hand, still covering her mouth, before redoubling his efforts. His tongue explored deeper, brushing against her inner walls, as if testing how far she could endure.

 

It felt like punishment—either for not focusing on him or for being unable to resist this forbidden situation.

 

“Nngh…!”

 

Her body jerked upward in response to another climax.

 

His tongue lapped up the fluid as it gushed out, swirling it around and sucking it all up. He didn’t stop, even as her body trembled in extended pleasure. Louise sobbed softly as wave after wave of sensation overtook her.

 

Without the strength to even cover her mouth anymore, Louise slumped against the chair, and Licht, who had been watching her, finally removed her pants completely.

 

She shrank back, worried that he might want to continue, but then Licht did something unexpected—he placed her underwear back on her, though she had no idea when he had prepared it.

 

Surprised, she glanced up at him, but this time, their eyes didn’t meet.

 

“Louise, can’t you trust and rely on me just a little?”

 

As Licht quietly helped her into her underwear, her body became clean and dry, as if it had just been washed.

 

“I can help you get dressed, make your clothes look brand new, block out any sound so that no one outside can hear, and even ensure that no one can enter or leave this space.”

 

After dressing her, Licht lifted her to her feet.

 

“……”

 

Louise stared at him, still dazed.

 

If what he said was true, all her previous worries had been for nothing. She didn’t need to feel anxious; she should have trusted him all along instead of overthinking everything by herself.

 

“Do you understand now?”

 

His hand brushed through her hair, making it smooth and silky once more.

 

“It means I’m ready to use any grand magic for my bride. So, feel free to rely on me.”

 

His whispered words, while sweet, felt like a declaration of love.

 

Wait…

 

Suddenly, Louise’s heart stopped as a realization hit her.

 

That was definitely a confession of love.

 

There was no way she was mistaken. His gaze held the same emotion she had seen in herself. Moreover, hadn’t he just called her *my bride*?

 

It wasn’t just about taking responsibility for her. He intended to make her his wife.

 

“Licht… do you love me?”

 

His eyes widened as if he’d heard something completely unexpected.

 

“Did you… only just realize that?”

 

Both of them were equally flustered.

 

“What?”

 

“…Really?”

 

After a brief silence, Louise quickly asked,

 

“When… how long have you felt this way?”

 

“I was already in love with you on the day your memory began. You truly didn’t know?”

 

The events of the past slowly came to life in Louise’s mind.

 

Though she should have been cast out and despised for the sins that led to her excommunication, the one who declared he would keep her closer than anyone and care for her diligently came to mind.

 

Setting aside the events in Akrilon and Count Henril’s estate, Licht was the only one, even among the entire Holy Knights, who worried about her injuries.

 

Licht…

 

Whenever they met from a distance, their eyes always seemed to meet as if by chance, and she could always catch his warm, gentle smile directed at her.

 

He…

 

He was the one who approached her when she stepped back, the one who suggested they spend more time together, and the one who said he missed the closeness they used to share, urging her to call him by his name as before.

 

How…

 

And the last memory that surfaced…

 

It was of the boy who carried a child no more than three or four years younger than himself on his back, his face annoyed even at the thought of dirt touching his feet.

 

[Promise me, Louise.]

 

In a place that didn’t exist in Louise’s memories, a bright-faced boy whispered while holding the hand of a girl.

 

[No matter what happens, we will always be together.]

 

And at that moment, the girl certainly had… agreed with the boy’s words.