It was an extremely affectionate voice.

Upon hearing that voice, Riley felt the emotions that had momentarily settled down surging back up. The insulting words that the prince had recklessly spat out resounded in her mind.

He must have been certain about it. Given the familiarity with such words, Givernan must have experienced them before.

How many people had received such words? How much pain had they endured?

Her heart was heavy.

Seeing him, seemingly content with having everything in the world, occasionally appearing lonely and isolated, might be because of this.

“I’m the one who received the insults.”

“…….”

“Why are you making a face like you’re about to cry?”

I know.

How a casually thrown word, without any thought, can push someone to the edge of hell.

It’s no different from being hit and killed by a casually thrown stone. Each word they utter, one after another, is a pebble that can drive a person to death.

If you get hit by a stone a couple of times, it might leave only scars, but if you keep getting hit by hundreds at once, continuously, a person can truly die. Words are no different.

The people surrounding him continuously threw countless pebbles named “language” at him.

Being in a situation where you can only silently receive the stones makes a person truly miserable, and Riley knew it all too well.

Too much, for far too long.

When the 7th Prince directed scornful and insulting remarks at Givernan, Riley felt like she had become Givernan himself.

It felt like going back to those times. In the midst of people who poured out curses as if playing sports, she could only endure silently. The sense of powerlessness, foolishly unable to say anything and having to endure the pouring abuse, overlapped with her past.

She didn’t even have the courage to shout for it to stop. Finger-pointing, calling oneself garbage because everyone else did. Validating the self-hatred in being ‘hated by everyone’ and falling into endless self-loathing.

…Did Givernan experience that too?

“I don’t know what 7th Prince said, let it go. He’s always been that way, so don’t attach too much meaning to it.”

“…I hope you weren’t hurt.”

“… I don’t want others to speak ill of you. I don’t want to hear such words… I know you’re not that kind of person, why do they keep…”

As the tension eased, tears that had been held back flowed out.

I don’t understand why I have to feel this dismal on a joyful day.

Whether it was the 7th Prince making her feel embarrassed with his harassing remarks, or the insults to Givernan, or even Claire’s involvement with the ruined dress – enduring and suppressing her emotions, the held-back feelings overflowed like a burst dam.

“…I’m upset.”

Givernan, who had been staring intently at Riley, reached up and wiped away her tears.
Wiping the tears from the tear-stained cheeks with one hand, he tightly pulled Riley’s waist with the other.

Then, he roughly swallowed his lips. Riley, holding onto his neck, accepted what was being pushed into her mouth.

The warm sensation that had slipped in through the gap relentlessly stirred the inside of her mouth without respite.

“……Haah.”

Due to the forceful intrusion, she couldn’t breathe. For a moment, she tried to catch her breath, but he continued to fervently explore her mouth without any intention of letting go.

The damp, moist lips, soaked with saliva, pressed down warmly. Slightly warmer than average body temperature, his lips slid down to her throat, shoulders, and beyond.

He started to untie the tightly bound dress around her waist. As the dress loosened, the shoulder area slumped down, revealing bare skin, and aligning his lips with her collarbone, he gently kissed it.

“……Ah!”

As the sensation of the damp, moist lips, soaked with saliva, settled onto her skin, Riley momentarily regained her senses. How did it end up like this? Bewildered, Riley gently grabbed his head.

“Why.”

“…What are you going to do?”

“…Can’t you?”

“Here?”

“Nobody can enter here without my permission; it’s a room provided to me.”

“But still, why all of a sudden…?”

He gently grimaced and removed the dress. While caressing her belly with his hands, he spoke.

“The underwear is soaked too.”

“…….”

“I told Zach to prepare new clothes. It’ll take about an hour.”

“…An hour?”

“Are you going to keep wearing the wet clothes for that hour? It feels uncomfortable.”

“…I don’t mind.”

“I mind.”

Givernan looked through Riley’s thin underwear with an obvious smirk.

Then, he grinned meaningfully.

“Since it’s already uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter if it gets a bit more uncomfortable.”

“!”

Riley, who was briefly pondering what he meant, was bewildered.

Is he really going to do this here? In the royal palace? Even though it’s Givernan’s provided room… there should be many people going in and out of the palace… even if it’s his provided room.

“If someone comes…”

“They won’t, and even if they do, I’ll stop them from entering.”

Givernan’s hand gently traced Riley’s back. He completely buried his face in her chest.