NLS Ch7

Leotar kissed her lips very slowly.

As if time had been stretched out, she felt every sensation of her lips being drawn into him.

The distinct sound of wetness as their saliva mixed was clear. And a trembling breath, too. Ashin thought it was probably her own.

It was the first time her lips had ever touched another’s. Despite her bold retort earlier, she must have been nervous. She belatedly released his sleeve, which she had been gripping stiffly.

Then, Leotar wrapped his arm around Ashin’s waist and pulled her close. She didn’t know how he did it, but her body was lifted effortlessly and settled on his lap. Before she could even be flustered by the unfamiliar position, Ashin was drawn into his embrace. She felt the texture of his body, made of firm curves, through the thin fabric.

The contact with him was much softer and warmer than she had imagined. When his tongue parted her lips and entered, her heart raced and pounded. She could feel the heat rising on her cheeks as the tip of his nose nudged them. It was so hot that the heat seemed to seep into her mind.

The deeper Leotar pushed his tongue, the more violently her heart beat. As she accepted the unfamiliar sensation, her brow furrowed involuntarily. Even though her eyes were already closed, she squeezed her eyelids even tighter.

A large hand spread across her back, caressing her waist and spine. It was very sensual, but she felt no revulsion at all. All his movements were so slow that they felt only cautious, as if he didn’t want to damage her emotions in the slightest. It was a very strange experience to be touching with her eyes closed and to feel the other person’s intentions.

The hand that had been supporting her neck moved down and tightly embraced her shoulders. Her upper body pressed against his without a gap, and her chest was pressed against his body, causing it to rise. Before she knew it, Leotar was holding her tightly, as if trying to trap her in his arms. When she realized that, she felt a tightening in her stomach. No, not in her stomach, but a little lower… Ashin gasped and pushed him away in surprise.

“Ugh, uh, w-wait a minute!”

Even so, his tongue tried to force its way between her lips, so she covered his face with one hand. His eyelashes fluttered between her fingers.

The lips blocked by her palm moved.

“What.”

Hot breath spread across her palm. Leotar, who had grabbed Ashin’s wrist, lowered the hand that had been blocking his mouth.

Only she had leaned back, so Leotar was still holding Ashin, and the distance between them was still close.

His eyes, facing her from a distance where it wouldn’t be awkward to kiss again, were almost black. His gaze, scrutinizing her, seemed to be holding something back, or perhaps it was dissatisfied. Ashin couldn’t hold his gaze for long and quickly averted her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Even if he asked why, she couldn’t answer. How could she say that her underwear felt wet? Ashin pressed her lips tightly together and pushed him away a little more.

“It’s enough now, let me go.”

“How selfish.”

Even so, Leotar released the arms that had been wrapped around her. He had purely ‘let go’, so Ashin was still sitting on top of him.

She didn’t know when or how the position had changed, but he was sitting on the floor, and Ashin was sitting with her legs straddling his thighs and abdomen. Ashin glanced down. So, what she had thought were leg muscles until now…

No wonder it was so hot.

She knew men’s bodies well enough, but it was her first time experiencing it directly. Ashin chose not to get off immediately in order to appear composed. She wondered if she should lean back because she felt like she was sitting on him too much, but it was impossible because he had his knees slightly raised.

Leotar, with his hands on the floor, leaned his upper body back slightly, watching her as if admiring her. Ashin also scanned him, who was leisurely stretched out. Was it because his lips were wet, or because his clothes were disheveled… his usually neat face suddenly looked sensual. Moreover, the chest muscles visible between the top of his clothes rose and fell greatly, so it seemed that Leotar was also out of breath. Thinking about that made her lower abdomen twitch again, reacting sensitively.

Ashin cleared her throat for no reason, furrowed her eyebrows, and came to a decision.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Do what?”

She glared at him.

“The deal… I mean, the marriage. I’ll do it.”

There were still some suspicious aspects, but now there was no reason to refuse any longer. She wasn’t going to constantly doubt whatever answer Leotar gave. It was enough if he said no with his own mouth. Even if it was a lie, he would try to keep his word because of his personality.

“Okay? So, go back now.”

Besides, after experiencing him up close, she had decided that he was at least someone who knew how to respect others. He didn’t treat Ashin unpleasantly or make her uncomfortable throughout the close contact. It didn’t matter if today’s events were an act. Knowing how to act ‘respectful’ meant that he also knew what the right attitude was.

Leotar glanced at the backpack lying sprawled behind her.

“The trip?”

Ashin’s eyes widened.

“I’ll go after the wedding ceremony, as you said. Is that okay too?”

“Okay. Then…”

As he raised his slanted upper body, his face came closer. His gaze, seemingly full of regret, lingered on Ashin’s lips before rising. His eyes, under the shadow of his eyelashes, met hers.

“Is this the end?”

Ashin was flustered by the words that came from his red, flushed lips. It was extremely rare for Leotar to express any personal opinion in any way. Even though they weren’t close, she had seen him at the Ismil barracks for ten years, so she knew his tendencies to some extent.

That’s why it was even stranger. The end? Then what else did he want to do? Was it a joke?

However, his expression was as serious as ever, without a hint of a smile. She was curious about his intentions, but strangely, her heart was pounding so she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Yeah. Go now.”

She said that, but neither Ashin nor Leotar moved. He was still staring straight at her right in front of her face. Her heart was beating so hard it ached. It was more intense than when they were kissing.

Not wanting to reveal her unfamiliar impatience, Ashin quickly got up. Even then, she couldn’t find anything to do, so she picked up the backpack that had been lying on the floor for no reason.

She definitely had things she wanted to ask and demand from him regarding the marriage, but first she wanted to get out of this situation.

No matter how many times she tried, the backpack was too heavy to lift.

Leotar, who had already stood up and approached her, lightly lifted the backpack and placed it on the table next to her.

His shadow fell over Ashin. As if she was buried in Leotar… The thought of being held by him just now made her swallow hard.

Ashin needlessly untied the knot of the backpack and took out her belongings one by one….

The luggage she had stuffed in haphazardly spilled out as the knot was untied. In the meantime, Leotar snatched a quill and a few pieces of clothing that had rolled under the table. As he put the items back on the table, he leaned down and said in her ear.

“Ten days’ worth of luggage like this…”

As his voice flowed in, the fine hairs on her ear and earlobe stood on end. No, it felt like all the senses in her body were on high alert. Even Leotar, who was standing behind her, was holding onto the table, so it felt like she would be sucked into his arms at any moment. Startled, Ashin raised her voice for no reason.

“I’m not going, okay?”

It was too much. She pushed his back without knowing what was too much.

“I’m not going! You don’t have to watch me anymore!”

Of course, that wouldn’t make Leotar budge, but he obediently retreated to the door as Ashin wanted.

Ashin opened the door wide and diligently pushed him through the gap.

Before going outside, Leotar glanced down at her.

“Let’s talk about the specifics next time.”

Then, he politely closed the door without making a sound. His footsteps faded down the hallway. Ashin, with her ear to the door, slid down with her back against it and clutched her head.

“What is it?”

When she pressed her chest with her palm, her pounding heart beat against her palm. Ashin muttered in confusion.

“What is this?”

***

Ashin looked up at the top of the tower with a determined expression.

The Magic Tower was just a name; in reality, it was an ordinary, ornate building. The place symbolizing the repository of knowledge was historically named ‘Tower’, so they just wanted to bring that authority, but the appearance of the building was closer to a small fortress.

Ashin repeated to herself. She was marrying to continue the lineage of this place. So that the field of magic could properly take root in imperial society. The marriage alliance was not a personal matter. Regardless of her feelings for Leotar, she had to think in the direction that would yield the greatest benefit.

As she entered through the main gate and walked through the hall, the apprentices who were passing through the archways in the wall bowed to her.

Ashin nodded and checked the time. The elaborate armillary sphere, grandly positioned at the center of the hall, was connected to large and small rings, forming a complex shape. One in the Imperial Palace, one in the Tower. It was one of only two highly sophisticated clocks in the world. It was the work of Ashin’s friend, Liyora. Thanks to her, the Empire was able to divide time from seasons to seconds.

The sand flowing softly shone in the slanting afternoon light.

“The Vice-Commander is dying, and you’re only coming now?”

Ashin turned her head towards the voice that suddenly popped out. It was Soriya, Ashin’s aide with short red hair.