Riena was the one who was confused, but he seemed to be the one with more complicated feelings.

Riena had mixed feelings about his attitude.

Satisfaction that she could control this man who was seemingly heartless and stone-like, and also worry that she wished he wasn’t struggling so much because of her.

This time, the latter feeling won. Riena carefully opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would think that way. I really needed time to sort out my thoughts. I wanted to speak nicely in front of you.”

“You are always beautiful to me. So can I hear what you were thinking?”

She also liked his unconditional trust in her.

Riena gathered her courage and opened her mouth.

“I was very ashamed today. I was embarrassed to show you my personal matters without filtering, but I was also ashamed to show that I couldn’t properly handle it on my own.”

“……”

“When I went to meet Noah. You said you didn’t want to show this side of you only to me. But I thought you were really cool for acknowledging your faults and trying to solve everything.”

Riena smiled faintly.

“I wanted to do the same, but far from solving it myself, I only received your help. Moreover, I even showed you the sight of me getting slapped by my mother. I always wanted to show you only a pretty and confident side of me.”

Riena frowned without realizing it.

“This is the first time I’ve felt so pathetic and shabby. I……”

At that moment, Cassel opened his mouth to cut her off.

“Why on earth are you saying that?”

His voice was full of suppressed emotions. He pulled her hand and kissed her palm.

“No matter what you do, no matter what happens, you are noble and the most shining person just by existing. So don’t belittle yourself.”

“You’re the only one in this world who would say that.”

Cassel looked up at her with his lips still on her palm.

“Is that not allowed?”

“……”

“Can’t I be the only meaningful existence in your world?”

Before Riena could reply, he continued.

“I only need you. Saying that I was happy with you and unhappy without you was not flattery to entice you.”

“……”

“I hope to become such an existence to you.”

Cassel’s breath gradually became rough.

“I tried to wait silently when you told me to wait, but it’s hard for me to stay still any longer. Even now as I say this, my reason tells me to stop but I can’t stop at all.”

“……”

“You asked me why I don’t place any conditions on you and don’t expect anything.”

His lips slowly moved up and touched the inside of her wrist where her pulse was beating.

“Ria, I love you. I love and desire you more than you can imagine, and to the point that it hurts.”

“……”

“Because I love you, I want to be perfect for you and become your everything. But……”

He let out a deep sigh.

“The fact that I couldn’t protect your body or heart, not even one of them, is what hurts me now.”

The moment Riena heard his confession, she felt a sense of liberation that she had never felt before.

She had already realized that he loved her. He didn’t hide his feelings to the point that it would be stranger not to notice.

But hearing it directly from Cassel’s mouth had a different weight.

Although she knew it wasn’t the right situation, her clueless heart pounded rapidly and her face flushed red.

Emotions welled up again and tears filled her eyes.

Not noticing her change, Cassel pleaded.

“You don’t have to love me. I’m not saying this to beg for love. In fact, even this confession is a luxury and greed for me.”

“……”

“But please, just until you find stability, allow me to stay by your side……”

“I like you.”

Riena spoke without realizing it. It was the result of her emotions reacting before her head.

“What did you just say……”

Cassel asked back as if doubting his ears.

Looking into his eyes, Riena said tearfully.

“I like you, Cas.”

When the emotions currently dominating her brain fade away and reason returns, she might regret this confession.

It was such an impulsive and poor confession. It was a completely different result from her plan to sort out her feelings and confess in a fancy way.

It was also very different from Cassel’s heartfelt expressions of affection.

But she felt like she had to answer right away to Cassel who had the courage to express his feelings.

Riena continued speaking a bit incoherently.

“Actually, I thought about it a lot. My heart keeps being drawn to you, but I was worried if someone like me should be by your side.”

“……”

“No matter how much I think about it, I have nothing to offer you, so why do you keep giving me this undeserved treatment.”

She looked into Cassel’s eyes and tried to smile. It was only now that a smile that resembled a smile formed.

“I can’t think of anything I’ve done for you even if I try hard, but you keep saying you’ve received a lot from me, and you plead and fidget in front of me like that……”

“……”

“It’s the same today. I showed an immature attitude, but far from being disappointed in me, you’re rather worried that I might have gotten hurt. What am I, what kind of amazing woman am I.”

Riena smiled with teary eyes.

“But how can I not like you when you’re like that?”

Cassel still had a face of disbelief. Sighing deeply from the depths of his lungs, he did a dry wash and requested in a trembling voice.

“Could you say it one more time?”

Riena could now gladly let him hear those words.

“I like you, Cas. I like you so much… umph.”

However, Riena couldn’t finish her words. It was because Cassel had urgently kissed her, exhaling roughly.

Cassel tightly hugged Riena’s waist and covered her slightly parted lips. That sensation was unfamiliar, but Riena willingly responded to his kiss.

When Riena struggled, Cassel slightly parted his lips. Then, after looking down at her quivering lips for a moment, he kissed her again as if he couldn’t bear it. Riena wrapped her arms around his neck and responded clumsily.

Sloppy sounds echoed in the quiet room. Cassel’s hand swept up Riena’s back and waist over her clothes. Everywhere his fingertips passed felt like it was burning.

“Ah……”

Riena moaned unconsciously, tilting her head back. It was a lewd sound that even surprised herself.

“Cas……”

He sloppily entangled her. He stole all her exhalations and shared his inhalations with her.

Riena only realized today how sensitive her body was. Everything was new, like a newborn person.

Cassel’s firm thighs wedged between her inner thighs, his hands caressing her waist and sides, his lips that kept smacking against hers.

Even the roof of her mouth sensitively welcomed Cassel. Whenever he touched, her waist twitched and strength gathered in her inner thighs.

“Eung, ha……”

At some point, Riena was trapped in Cassel’s arms, lying on the floor. In that position, she continued to receive Cassel’s lips.

She was thirsty. Kissing alone was not enough.

She wanted Cassel. She wanted not only his heart but everything about him. She had the treacherous feeling of wanting him to love her and ruin her completely.

It was too great an emotion to have arisen in less than three months since reuniting with him.

The affection for Cassel, which she thought was a gentle wave, became a rough storm and overwhelmed Riena’s body.

Perhaps she had wanted Cassel for a long time. Since she dreamed of him after her father passed away, no, maybe even longer ago.

It felt like she had finally found her place after a long and winding journey.

But is it okay to do this?

Unlike the feeling of having been together for a long time, the actual time she had known him was not long. They had just confirmed each other’s feelings. They weren’t even married.

In this situation, is it okay to spend the night with Cassel? Is this the right thing to do?

As an intellectual, is it okay to move only by instinct without considering the consequences?

But there was no law that strictly forbade it.

From the beginning, Riena was known as a chatterbox and a tomboy. She wasn’t a child who learned etiquette and humility.

Riena decided to willingly follow her instincts, at least for this moment.

She grabbed his shirt with both hands as if she would crumple it up and moved along with him.

“Cas……”

Cassel must have felt the same way, as he explored her more boldly. Cassel, who had been persistently sucking and biting her lips, gradually moved down and placed his lips on her neck.

When he bit her sensitive neck with his teeth, not painfully, Riena felt like lightning flashed before her eyes.

A moan that she had never made before, that she never thought she could make, leaked out from between her lips.

Her waist curved and her breath roughened.

His hand that had been caressing her waist untied the ribbon of her dress that was tied at the back. When he slightly pulled down the loosened dress, white skin was revealed.

As Cassel immediately placed his lips on the white skin, Riena unconsciously cried out at the unfamiliar sensation of his breath settling.

“Wa, wait…!”

Cassel seemed to have taken that as a sign of refusal. He took his lips off, unable to catch his rough breath. His hands that had been caressing her also disappeared.

“I’m sorry. I momentarily lost my reason……”

Still intoxicated by the lingering sensation, Riena only breathed heavily, looking at his face while lying down.

Cassel wiped her wet lips with his thumb and lifted his upper body by putting strength into his arm that was supporting him on the ground. As the heavy weight on her body disappeared, Riena felt a sense of emptiness.

The thirst was still not quenched. She didn’t want to let him go like this.

“Don’t go.”

As she whispered pleadingly, Cassel swallowed dryly.

“Stay by my side tonight.”

“……Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

Riena tried to speak calmly.

“I’m not ignorant enough to not know such things.”

“You might regret it.”

“There’s no way.”

Rather, I think I’ll regret it if I let you go like this.