Lionel’s instincts seemed to exist solely for me.

He carefully placed his hand on the back of my head to prevent it from hitting the desk and gently laid me down.

In the quiet library, our moist kissing sounds reverberated loudly.

My reason was already pinned somewhere among the pages.

Lionel’s instincts seemed to exist solely for me.

He carefully placed his hand on the back of my head to prevent it from hitting the desk and gently laid me down.

In the quiet library, our moist kissing sounds reverberated loudly.

My reason was already pinned somewhere among the pages.
“No, that’s not what I mean…”

He let out a deep sigh, glanced behind slightly, and touched my face again.

“I feel like it’s okay if only I’m warm. I feel so sorry… That’s why it can’t happen here…”

He mumbled while avoiding eye contact.

It didn’t seem like he was saying this to me.

But then, it wouldn’t make sense for him to say this to someone else either, right?

In this library, it’s just him and me.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You wouldn’t understand right now.”

Lionel replied with a slight smile, but his eyes looked sad.

There was a lot of fog in his words.

I wanted to ask more, but I refrained.

If Lionel had something to confess to me, just like he gave me time, I wanted to give him time too.

“Let’s go upstairs to the bedroom.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Lionel swiftly lifted the mahogany desk and placed it back in its original position.

I was moved along with the desk without any chance to get off.

“Aren’t you going to put it back here?”

I held onto his waist as I got off the desk, feeling a bit sulky for no reason.

“I was planning to come back for it tomorrow, but since it’s pretty, I have to take you with me.”

When I smiled mockingly, he solemnly added one more thing.

“Maybe it looks beautiful because the library lighting is dim.”

“Maybe that’s true.”

It was a quite plausible statement, so I couldn’t help but laugh.

He grabbed my arm and turned towards the library door, but suddenly, my body floated in the air.

“Hey…? Why are you doing this?”

He lifted me onto one of his shoulders.

“We went hunting, so we have to take the prey. Otherwise, they might not take me seriously, right?”

“W-What are you doing!”

“Stay still.”

He patted my bottom with his hand and opened the library door.

“The captured prey is supposed to be carried on the shoulder like this for proper form.”

“What will people say if they see this! Put me down, please.”

“You’re barefoot right now.”

He replied, running his hand around my ankles.

“Seriously, where is there such a clean floor? I’ll just walk, okay?”

“If it’s embarrassing, pretend you’re sleeping.”

Lionel said firmly, tapping my bottom again.

“If you suddenly rush out of the bedroom, appearing with the empress sleeping on your shoulder, who would believe it?”

“Hmm, that makes sense. Then I’ll just pretend to be dead.”

“…Yes, that’s more realistic.”

Words didn’t work.

I quietly went along with it, feeling like saying, ‘Ah, whatever.’

His laughter echoed as he climbed the stairs.

As we reached the bedroom floor, I could hear the surprised voices from various places.

With my eyes tightly closed, I played dead, draped over his shoulder.

“Empress, Empress!”

Sharon, your voice is too loud.

Sharon’s astonished voice echoed through the bedroom floor.

“Hush, the empress is dead.”

“Wha-what happened!?”
In response to the absurd joke of the Emperor, the powerless Sharon played along and asked, “Can’t you stop embarrassing yourself?”

Lionel’s pitiful voice was met with suppressed laughter from various directions.

I truly wished to faint from embarrassment.

“Empress, everyone, stop laughing now! Tomorrow morning, if you don’t want the empress to truly die, I mean it.”

For a moment, laughter stopped at his command.

“I apologize, Empress!”

“Please forgive us, Empress!”

“I suddenly remembered something funny from the daytime and burst into laughter!”

Are these people for real…?

Did they conspire to embarrass me collectively?

Lionel shouted to the courtiers, “Let this be a night of miracles!” and opened the bedroom door.

Click. The sound of the bedroom door closing echoed, but I still remained on his shoulder, feeling powerless.

“Zelda, now that it’s just the two of us, can you put some strength into your body? I feel like the Emperor’s shoulder is about to come off.”

Smack [dash].

He slapped my buttocks, and immediately said, “Oh, that must have hurt,” before patting my buttocks gently with a comforting touch.

Blushing as if I had been slapped on the face, I squirmed my legs.

“Alright. I’ll let you go, so stop resisting.”

Although he threatened to throw me onto the bed as if handling a baby, he eventually gently lowered me as if handling a fragile object.

With my hair in disarray, hanging upside down, I casually flipped it back and glanced at him.

“How do you think people see me…? Pfft, why are you just standing there?”

“Because of you.”