I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

The beginning of the kiss was gentle. Asrahan's lively lips and Lariette's plump lips overlapped obliquely. Only the lightest touch of their lips was ecstatic. Asrahan, who had been patient for a while, carefully opened his mouth and sucked on her lips. The texture of the thick, sucked lips was indescribably thrilling.

"Ah!"

Having held Lariette's lips repeatedly, he lightly bit her lower lip. Suddenly, Lariette unknowingly opened her mouth. At the same time, their breaths mingled, and something soft sank into her mouth, scanning her soft flesh. 

Straight and deep teeth emerged, and a red flesh pressed into her mouth. An excited moan escaped between their intertwined lips.

"Eh!"

She tightly gripped the sheet with her trembling hands. It had been too long since she had kissed him, so she couldn't stay still. Her body and skin were stiff from the tension. 

A wild moan resonated in her ear, and Asrahan arched his eyebrows. He, too, was burning. More, never less.

It is a glorious moment to confirm their hearts with Lariette, so he has to be gentle. He has to proceed slowly so that she won't be startled and escape. 

Asrahan endured and restrained the desire to boil with these thoughts. It was so difficult to hold back that he thought it would be better to cross the desert. A hot breath escaped.

"Haa."

Asrahan lifted his oily eyelashes and looked at Lariette. His purple eyes were filled with moisture. When he met her clouded gaze looking at him, a fever rose within.

"Oh, Asrahan..."

"Lariette."

The shameless movement became fervent. He persistently coveted Lariette's lips as if he were thirsty, and their lips constantly overlapped, as if he didn't want to miss a single moment.

He still couldn't believe it. The fact that Lariette was in front of him, confessing her love for him. This moment of kissing was so precious that it felt like a dream. 

He firmly grabbed the nape of Lariette's neck and pulled her closer. Then he continued with his tender kisses.

She didn't let go of her breath. The sound of Lariette's teeth kept coming out, making it difficult for her to breathe, and her mind was muddled. Everywhere he touched was burning. Even the lustful gaze felt thrilling.

"Never."

Asrahan parted his lips for a while so they could breathe.

"Don't ever leave me again."

There was profound sadness in his low voice. His eyes on Lariette were desperate. She, struggling to breathe, looked at Asrahan in response to his desperate plea. Then she kneeled on the bed, took a step closer, and embraced him.

"I will stay with you now."

Lariette's chest gently enveloped Asrahan's face. The sound of a heartbeat could be heard through the skin.

"Forever."

She was crying, and her emotions were overwhelming. It felt as if her eyes were warming up again. Can I be this happy? Asrahan drew strength from her and thought as he held her in his arms. Can I, a cursed monster, be this happy myself? The warmth he felt from Lariette's body responded. It seemed to be saying that he only had things left to be happy about.

"Are you crying again?"

She's crying, crying. Lariette teased him with a mischievous voice. Even her teasing laughter was so beautiful that a faint smile spread across the corner of her mouth.

"No way."

Asrahan raised his hand and firmly held her shoulder. Lariette was still busy teasing him, not understanding the situation.

"Aah!"

She opened her eyes and saw the wooden ceiling. She was lying on a soft bed. Asrahan had pushed her by the shoulder. His sharp eyes wildly curved. He curled his mouth, laughed, and whispered,

"Now you're going to cry."

That's what he said one day in the early days of their dating. But when she faced it, the content was obscene. Lariette's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Like... ah!"

The insulting words soon turned into moans. It was because Asrahan's fingers brushed against her waist. It wasn't just a ticklish touch.

In Lariette's memory, this meant the beginning of recess time; as evidence, Asrahan buried his lips in Lariette's neck. A strange cold sound rang in her ears.

"UH! Huh!"

Lariette finally couldn't resist and moaned properly. It was because something hot and hard was pressing against her thighs. She knew well what it was. You can't not know because you've teased it yourself.

"Is it okay to do it here?"

Lariette thought, her face turning as red as a beet. Of course, she was quite content with this situation. The desire to be intimate with a loved one is very natural. But the problem was the location.

The room in this place was made of fabric, which meant that the soundproofing was very poor. The moan she had been letting out until now could have been heard by someone passing by. In Lariette's heart, desire and reason clashed fiercely. And Asrahan quickly noticed her condition and said,

"You should have time to think about something else."

"Ugh! It's not that..."

"Do you want me to make it disappear?"

Asrahan chuckled and buried his head again, not giving her a chance to respond. His fingers quickly scanned Lariette's sensitive part. The rough skin, full of calluses, moved smoothly like playing the piano, stimulating her. Lariette's screams of ecstasy spontaneously escaped her mouth. There was no more reason left in her head. She just wanted to enjoy this pleasure more, whether she could hear it or not.

The sight of Asrahan was so seductive. There was nothing that wasn't sexual. Lariette looked through the beauty of the man with a confused gaze. Black hair like the night sky, finely contorted eyebrows, saliva-drenched red lips, a perfectly sculpted torso, bandages splattered with blood...

"Wait, a blood-soaked bandage?"

The darkness of her mind, as if she had been drinking, reminded her. Blood was around Asrahan's abdomen.

"Asrahan! Blood, blood!"

Lariette shouted and pointed with her fingers. It was she who thought he didn't know because she was too focused. However, as if he already knew about Asrahan's reaction, it was clear.

"Don't worry."

Asrahan continued doing what he was doing, not the least bit surprised, biting and sucking on her neck. But Lariette had no intention of continuing with what she was doing. There was only anger towards him for not taking care of his body properly.

"You don't care about what you're talking about!"

Slap!<.

Lariette's palms struck Asrahan's back. Only her hands hurt, but it was enough to startle him.

"I'm really fine."

"Don't be ridiculous, sit down! If you don't want to see me truly angry!"

"Yes."

When Lariette said she was angry, Asrahan quickly stood up and knelt down. There was no dog that was as obedient. But when Lariette tried to touch his body, Asrahan bit her. When the fierce eyes turned towards him, Asrahan hurriedly apologized.

"I will receive treatment from the doctor. You're not feeling well, so please refrain from using magic."

"I'm perfectly fine. It's Asrahan who's not okay!"

"...I know how quickly your mana recovers."

Asrahan said, reminding her while he was purifying his curse. Lariette kept assuming he was fine, but that was impossible. Not to mention the lack of mana, in general, Asrahan looked bad in his eyes. This was also true. A person who hasn't been properly nourished for a while, who's under extreme stress, and who has been moving too much cannot be in normal condition.

Realizing that Asrahan's thoughts were quite firm, Lariette sighed and shook her head. His biggest flaw was his stubbornness. In this case, it was advisable to reconcile instead of exerting oneself.

"Then, I'll heal you to the point where it's not excessive. Let me at least do this. You're my partner, Asrahan."

I'm sure there was no more perfect reconciliation than that. Asrahan nodded as if he was possessed, remembering the word "partner" in a daze.

"Just in a straight line."

----------------------

In the following days, Lariette gradually healed Asrahan. His physical strength was incredible for a human being, and his magic was excellent, so he healed incredibly fast.

Hamad admired his monstrous recovery ability and asked ridiculous questions about whether he had any intention of working as his personal knight. Asrahan responded coldly to say something that made sense, but he laughed behind his suggestion because it was amusing.

Hamad treated her perfectly as a friend since he saw Asrahan and Lariette together. There were no more intrusions. Asrahan, who was satisfied with him, showed him kindness, and Hamad embraced him. They were strangely close friends. And finally, the Month of Wind came to an end. It was also the day when Asrahan's body fully recovered. This meant it was time to leave Ashtar and return to the capital.

"I've grown quite fond. What a shame."

In front of the gates of Ashtar, several people came out to bid farewell to the departing guests. Hamad, who stood in front of him, felt sorry for the parting with his head bowed. Lariette, who had suspected him just a week ago, now as a perfect friend, took his hand and shook it. She then said reassuringly,

"I'm sorry too, Hamad. Come visit the capital. It's great when the Isis Festival is celebrated."

"Of course, I'll come. I won't wear an alpaca mask this time. I'll wear something cuter and unique."

"Puhaha! I don't think there's anything more incomparable than that."

Lariette brought back the strange alpaca mask and laughed. Hamad also joined in the laughter, seemingly thinking the same.

"Let's do it right."

And Asrahan, who was watching the scene where the two men and women snickered together, expressed his limit by raising his hand over his shoulder. Hamad's shameless behavior made him open his mouth as if it were absurd and expressed his indignation.

"I don't touch people who have partners! How can a king do such an impolite thing!"

"Oh, it's you?"

"That's not fair!"

The soldiers and citizens around them laughed and chuckled as Hamad gasped at Asrahan's cold response. A playful voice came from somewhere, saying, "I can't stand you, Hamad!"

The atmosphere was a sweet city. The people were intimate and trusting. Hamad tolerated no injustice or corruption, as he rewarded their trust and made it his greatest mission to protect them.

"He's much more Emperor than the former Emperor."

Asrahan gave a highly positive evaluation, seeing Hamad's resentment with his heart beating strongly. It's an image of talent that is not easy to come by in this era.

"Lari, if you ever break up, call me. Got it?"

But Hamad retracted his evaluation as soon as he heard Lariette whisper softly while Asrahan was distracted.

"That's how you say you want to die."

"Joke! It was a joke!"

Hamad quickly slapped his hand and took a step back. After playing once, he almost lost his life. He added, but it wasn't actually a joke.

"Well then, see you next time!"

"Okay. Goodbye!"

Lariette finished bidding farewell at the right moment. Hamad waved to them with a sigh of relief. Lariette and Asrahan got on a well-tamed Yama.

Hamad introduced them as a sign of friendship. Yama ran like an arrow through the desert. It was an animal that ran in the midst of a storm, so the windless desert could be traversed faster than a horse. At the end of the desert, there was a carriage waiting for Asrahan, who had contacted the communication area in advance after the Month of Wind.

Upon boarding the carriage with Yama, they soon leaned on each other and fell into a sweet slumber. And a few days later, a luxurious black carriage glided along the straight road. The carriage traveled through a beautiful path in the forest, passed through a splendid gate, and stopped in front of a mansion.

The rider skillfully calmed the horse, and soon the carriage door opened. The sand was buried, and shoes that seemed worn compared to the carriage stepped out of the door.

"Get down carefully."

"Oh, thank you."

The woman was accompanied out of the carriage by a man. She then took a deep breath and looked at the mansion in front of her with shining eyes. An enormous and beautiful mansion in a rather desolate location. It was Candel's mansion.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you."

Finally, the mistress of the mansion returned.

"I know. It's been a long time since we've seen each other..."

And the man who would soon be another owner of the mansion.

"My lord, my lady... I have been waiting!"

Hallstein, who stood in front of the owners who came to greet the owner, said with an excited voice. His moist eyes seemed like they could cry at any moment.

"I'm very, very happy that you have returned safe and sound."

"Hallstein, I'm sorry. You had many troubles because of me..."

"Don't say that. I'm so happy that the two of you have returned safely!"

Lariette bowed deeply. She felt heavy because it seemed like she had caused many people around her, as well as Asrahan, to suffer due to a strange misunderstanding.

"Don't worry about that, come in and relax from your journey! I have prepared the room. Let's go!"

He was excited, as he said he was happy and agonizing, and he was so delighted that Asrahan's marriage and future plans, which he thought had failed, were continuing again.

Lariette and Asrahan glanced at each other quickly and followed Hallstein. When she remembered his achievement of preparing a cake on the 50th day, she couldn't believe it, so she laughed. But the smile on her lips soon faded. It was because the room renovated by Hallstein was shocking.

"Ta-da! Isn't it beautiful? If you're resting here, I'll call you for dinner soon."

Hallstein quickly disappeared after finishing what he wanted to say. Yes, it was truly a beautiful room, as he had said. The walls were huge, the curtains and carpets were all new, and the small decorations were very pretty. But the problem was that he had merged the two rooms by opening the wall. A bed large enough for four people testified to that.

"As soon as I come back!"

Hallstein's determination to not give them any time to talk was quite clear.