By Zephyria 
At first glance, he looked serious, but his cheeks were rosier than before. I stared at his stiff face, which was hard to read, and asked again.
“What’s bothering you?”
“……”
“What’s bothering you so much?”
“……”
I asked several times, but Aska didn’t react. I thought it was because of the honorifics, like it was for me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
I narrowed my eyes and kept staring at him, and Aska subtly avoided my gaze. I couldn’t figure him out at all, so I repeated the words that had shocked Aska earlier.
“Then, what is bothering Your Highness so much?”
At my words, Aska looked at me with another shocked expression. Seeing his pupils shaking as if an earthquake had struck, I said hesitantly, just in case.
“Your Highness?”
“……”
“Your Highness?”
“……”
Aska’s shoulders twitched every time I spoke. His face was distorted as if he was greatly surprised, but the tips of his ears only grew redder, as if they were about to bleed.
I blankly watched him and then closed my eyes tightly.
This can’t be happening…
Could he really be this shaken just because of the title ‘Your Highness’? The innocent reaction I couldn’t believe suddenly made heat rush downwards. My lower abdomen kept throbbing, so I hunched over slightly and placed my hand on Aska’s shoulder.
As I lowered my head and exhaled heavily, Aska asked in a brusque voice.
“What are you doing?”
I put almost my entire weight on the hand that was on his shoulder and took a deep breath. I thought that if I calmed down a little, it would subside quickly, as suddenly as it had flared up like a fire lit with oil, but that wasn’t the case at all.
When I finally came to my senses, I was holding his cheeks with both hands and kissing him. Even as I rubbed his soft lips and put my tongue inside, Aska’s expression remained sullen. Regardless, I kissed him desperately, like someone wandering through the desert who had found an oasis.
Every time I licked and sucked his moist tongue and slippery gums, rubbing my lips against his neat teeth, I heard wet sounds in my ear. I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth, took a shallow breath, and asked.
“Why are you making such a nasty face?”
I asked, looking at his eyes, which were raised fiercely as if he had a lot to say, and Aska said as if he had been waiting for it.
“When did you sneak away like a thief, and now why are you rubbing your lips against mine without permission?”
“Why do I need permission? You’re mine anyway.”
“Why am I yours?”
“Because you are my Highness.”
“……”
Aska’s expression froze again in shock at the word ‘Highness’. The sight was so endearing that I kissed him again without realizing it. I gently sucked on Aska’s tongue, who was almost in a daze, and hugged his cute head tightly.
“Don’t be angry. If you keep acting like that, I’ll be so distracted that I won’t be able to do anything.”
“What do you mean you can’t do anything? You were doing just fine.”
“No, even earlier, I couldn’t even hear what other people were saying because I was thinking about you.”
“Don’t lie. You didn’t even look at me and left me behind.”
I was speechless at the rapid-fire words. It was cute that he was sulking, but it was all true, so I had nothing to say. But I had a reason for having to do that.
Just looking at the current situation, the probability of failure seems to be more than 90%…
I awkwardly stroked Aska’s head that I was hugging, and then I heard a small mumbling voice.
“Is it because your memories are back?”
“Huh?”
I slightly released the arm I was hugging him with and looked at Aska. His face, which was looking down, was full of sadness and anxiety.
“You didn’t like me touching you much when we were young. If you’re not angry because I looked at your past without telling you, then that’s the only reason.”
Aska seemed to be convinced of something, as if he had been thinking a lot about this and that on his own.
“At first, I thought it was because you were confused because your memories suddenly came back, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“……”
“You don’t even try to hold my hand, and you don’t touch my butt. You used to keep fondling me here and there even when you were bored or just when I was standing next to you.”
“……”
Looking at Aska, who was saying strange things with a serious expression, I felt strangely touched. Putting aside the talk about touching his butt and stuff, he was at least telling me what was on his mind.
Even though he was angry with me and even used honorifics, which he never did, to express his annoyance. It was the complete opposite of me, who suddenly avoided Aska without any explanation.
“And when we were in the cave, you told me not to tell other people that I was Aegis. I don’t like people thinking of me as Aegis. After all, Aegis was the one who married you back then, not me.”
Aska, who seemed to have a lot to say, looked up at me with resentful eyes. Seeing his reddish eyes, I felt like my heart was being stabbed with an awl.
“You said you wouldn’t tell other people that I was Aegis, right? Then why did you do it?”
“I’m sorry…”
I apologized in a voice as small as an ant’s crawl at his reproachful words. Aska didn’t stop stabbing at me, as if he didn’t pity me, who had shrunk down.
“And don’t try to appease me by giving me blood when you don’t even know why I’m angry. Do I look like a child? Do I look like a kid who smiles when you just give them candy?”
“I wasn’t treating you like a child, I just wanted you to feel better.”
As I mumbled as if making an excuse, Aska’s expression frowned.
“You just shouldn’t do things that make me angry.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded, slyly pushing my butt onto Aska’s thigh and sitting down. I wondered if he would push me away, but fortunately, Aska wrapped his arms around my waist. I took this opportunity to quickly change the subject.
“But why are you so embarrassed by the word ‘Highness’?”
“I’m not embarrassed, it’s just awkward. You’ve never called me that before.”
“Then should I keep calling you that so you can get used to it?”
“No. Don’t do it.”
He was vehemently refusing, but the tips of his ears turned red again. I wanted to keep teasing him, but I stopped because I would be the only one in trouble if he sulked again.
“Anyway, don’t treat me like a child anymore. Don’t avoid me, don’t leave me behind, and don’t take off my hood when other people are around. Got it?”
His voice was much softer, so I just nodded obediently.
“I swear.”
But it was too much, and it backfired, so Aska’s expression wasn’t very good.
“Who believes your oaths? You lie as soon as something goes wrong. I don’t need oaths, and if you avoid me or act unlucky one more time, I’ll do the same as before.”
“Before?”
“Even if you pretend to be collapsed, I’ll keep hiding and won’t come out.”
“You can’t do that.”
I’ll listen to anything to make Aska feel better, but I can’t do this. Because no matter how much of a joke it is, if I repeat such actions, I’ll end up getting used to the act of hiding itself.
If I allow it now, Aska might hide and not come out every time he gets upset.
“Do something else besides that.”
“No. You have to do something you hate. That way, you won’t do it.”
But Aska didn’t seem to want to back down. I was the same, so there was nothing I could do.
“Anything else is fine, but I can’t do that. If you do it again, I’ll show you what a blood fountain is on the spot, so do what you want.”
Aska’s expression became serious at my words. Unlike before, his face was murderous, as if he was really angry.
“Hey, I told you not to act like that, didn’t I?”
“I won’t if you don’t. I’d rather you grab me, tie me up, and beat me.”
At my words, Aska suddenly hugged my back tightly, as if he had been waiting for it, and started slapping my butt. I was stunned and got hit a few times, but the touch was quite fierce, so I pushed Aska’s shoulder away and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“You really need to be hit.”
“It hurts!”
“I’m hitting you to make it hurt!”
I struggled to get up from his lap and even kicked, but Aska’s arms didn’t loosen easily. Maybe it was because I kept wriggling, but my swollen groin had no choice but to rub against Aska’s thigh.
“Why are you getting hard while getting hit?”
I felt wronged at his question, which sounded absurd.
“I didn’t get hard while getting hit, I was hard before I got hit.”
Aska, who had finally stopped hitting me, loosened his arms. I slowly got out of his arms and rubbed my butt with my hand, and Aska stared at me with disbelief. I was so dumbfounded that I laughed.
“Do you think I’m a pervert?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, I’m actually a pervert. That’s true, but I really didn’t get hard while getting hit. Anyway, even if you’re angry, don’t hide, just hit me like you’re doing now.”
It’s a bit embarrassing that it’s my butt and not somewhere else, but it’s much better than not seeing Aska at all. From my point of view, I’ve taken a few steps back, but Aska doesn’t know that and shook his head.
“That’s not a punishment, it’s a reward.”
“……”
I was speechless because it was so absurd that he was talking about punishment and reward. I sighed a few times and then apologized first.
“I was too excited when I said blood fountain earlier. I’m sorry. I won’t do that again, so don’t hide or suddenly disappear either. Got it?”
I hoped he wouldn’t be stubborn and listen when I was saying it nicely, and fortunately, Aska nodded. Then he suggested an alternative.
“Then I’ll be in the distance, close enough to be seen but not close enough to touch, all day long. You can’t touch me or talk to me. But at least I’ll be in your sight, so that’s okay, right?”
I felt myself losing my words again. I felt like punching my chest with my fist because I was so frustrated.
“Why do you want to be so far away?”
“There’s nothing else you really hate. What do you want me to do when you like it even if I swear or hit you?”
“……”
He seemed to be misunderstanding something, but when I thought about it, it didn’t seem completely wrong, so I had nothing to say.