By Zephyria Perhaps because it was the Empire Nobility Yearbook that Ivan had personally requested and had custom-made, Ivan’s name was on a rather early page. Ivan felt no hesitation in reading his own name and detailed profile, nor in showing it to me.
The characters written directly below Ivan’s name and birthdate caught my eye first.
「Spouse of Ivan Bikoff: Sienna Bikoff (=Eric Eldos. See p. 157.)」
My eyes widened.
I had thought that by overwriting Sienna’s name, my own existence would somehow be erased. But that wasn’t the case. Flustered, I traced the name with my hand and looked at Ivan. Ivan, who had been quietly observing my face across the small tea table, kindly added an explanation.
“It has been quite common for those with Single Ascent Titles to marry someone they haven’t met to ensure succession. Most people wish for their children to live a better life than they did. That in itself isn’t a major issue, but laws became stricter about 30 years ago due to a surge in related fraud.”
“⋯Fraud, you say?”
“Yes. Bigamy, they call it. Individuals who were not actually married would accept money under the pretense of passing down their titles, leading to double and triple contract marriages. However, as you know, Madam, one title is inherited by only one person. Even with me, I only barely received one Baron title, and even if we had multiple adopted children, only one of them could inherit this title, wouldn’t they?”
“Ah…”
“For the entirety of this life, I have officially documented and sealed that you alone will be known as Sienna Bikoff. Even if Young Lady Sienna Eldos were to return, she is not in a de facto marriage with me, so her children cannot inherit the Bikoff Baron title. Not unless we adopt her nephew under us beforehand.”
“⋯Oh, I see….”
“Yes.”
“⋯I see….”
Wow, he says this so matter-of-factly… Only I, only I didn’t know this…
My name, hidden beneath my hand, felt strangely hot. No matter how much I rubbed it with my fingertips, those names wouldn’t disappear. Looking at the two names etched in clear ink side-by-side, I felt overwhelmed, tickled, amused, and ah, fuck, the feeling was truly strange.
Ivan, who had been watching me for a long time, pointed to the bottom of the page.
“You already know I graduated from the Business Administration department at Shierun Academy, right? You can see entries for seniors, juniors, and friends from the same department, as well as friends from other departments here. The wizard who helped us build the ship this time is named Gregory Carter. He was originally a commoner, and he became friends with Young Lady Marianne Philodendore from another department, so I was introduced to him and we became close. He currently lives at the First Magic Tower in the capital and is in the business of custom-ordering Artifacts.”
“Ah…”
“I considered arranging a meeting to introduce you to my acquaintances right after our marriage, but my closest friends had already left for the Yuil Mountains, so I couldn’t arrange it. Were you perhaps concerned about this as well?”
“Ah, no. No… I wasn’t.”
I was concerned. I was damn concerned.
I had thought that Ivan, who seemed so noble as if he had fallen from the sky, didn’t introduce me to any of his acquaintances because I wasn’t qualified in some way. I had even thought he might be embarrassed to introduce a man like me to his circle. It wasn’t like that. Thank goodness.
“My profile became this detailed because of Michael Ernhardt here. Do you know that the Count Ernhardt family’s young viscount married the Duke Valentia family’s young lady?”
“Uh, yes… I’ve heard about it…”
“Michael, the eldest son of Viscount Ernhardt, William, is two years younger than me but is a genius swordsman who entered early. He will likely cross paths with his wife at least once when he returns to the capital. As that friend has fully committed to the Second Prince Faction, the families associated with him…”
The conversation continued for quite a while, about things I wondered why I needed to know.
However, as Ivan spoke about his siblings, friends, professors he was close with, and even his favorite and least favorite subjects, I felt increasingly excited. Now, it was okay for me to be curious about anything regarding him. I was Ivan’s one and only, legitimate spouse.
Whether Sienna returned or never returned, for life.
A week had passed since we set sail.
Paul and Ivan had officially reconciled. More precisely, Paul, who had been anxious, formally apologized to Ivan. He bowed deeply, saying he was sorry and that he had misunderstood Ivan, solely based on his noble status, without truly knowing him. Ivan, understanding that Paul’s actions stemmed from his concern for his wife, held no grudges and told Paul it was alright, helping him up and offering a handshake.
Having heard about the reconciliation, passed down through Paul and Ivan, I was able to fully enjoy this blissful honeymoon.
Yes, truly, truly to the fullest.
Ivan’s and my cabin was on the upper deck, unlike the other sailors’ cabins. If I just lifted my head, I could see the flowing river and the dry trees and reeds swaying by the riverbank outside the round cabin window to my heart’s content.
But what I mostly saw in this room wasn’t the view outside, but the softly glowing bedsheets.
I had thought the reason our room was located next to the captain’s quarters and the engine room was simply for the view, but I was so surprised when I learned that they had installed expensive soundproofing magic in this cabin. It was astonishing, unbelievable, and I felt breathless.
…Breathless, honestly. It was for other reasons.
“⋯Gasp, ugh, hnn…”
“Lift your head, okay? ⋯Show me your face.”
“Huuup, ah, no, no…”
“⋯Really?”
This pervert, really…
Where does he get off stopping when I refuse to show my face? I pressed down on the pillow, which had sunk in the middle, with my forehead, feeling frustrated and wronged, and I slammed my fists onto the bedsheets, making loud noises. But Ivan was not intimidated by such things in the least. I knew that well.
After taking several deep breaths, I finally lifted my head. “Good boy,” the kiss on my cheek felt overwhelmingly ticklish, and my anger dissipated. His words, asking me not to hold back my sounds, to show my face more, to cry more, were all true, which made me even more distressed.
The sensation of Ivan’s penis withdrawing from deep within my body was something I never got used to, no matter how many times it repeated. My entire body glistened with sweat. Hick, I swallowed a hot sound, recoiled, and then lay flat again following Ivan’s touch.
I hated this time the most, yet it was also the time I loved the most.
My body felt empty, and my hips swayed with longing, but Ivan’s gaze, looking down at me as if I were something beautiful and precious, was intoxicating. Ivan’s hand gently stroked my cheek. Ah, I must have started crying again. Half-dazed, I leaned my face into his palm and rubbed against it.
I felt embarrassed and ashamed to be acting so spoiled as an adult, but knowing that Ivan liked this… I became a little more affectionate. My breath hitched as his lips landed tenderly on my forehead, my eyes, my cheeks. Unknowingly, a sound mixed with resentment escaped me.
“Today, today…”
“Mm. Today?”
“Today, from behind… We’re doing it from behind.”
“I was going to… but you keep crying, my love. It breaks my heart.”
“No, that’s…”
“Mm. That’s?”
Having no more words, I wrapped my arms around Ivan’s neck. Perhaps because he wasn’t expecting an answer, Ivan let out a short laugh and immediately responded with a kiss. He lightly sucked my lower lip once, then I swallowed his tongue as it delved deep into my mouth. Ivan’s hand, which had long stroked the back of my thighs, gripped the backs of my knees.
“Nn, eung…”
“⋯Ah, I like it…”
My lower abdomen, tensed as I swallowed the penis penetrating my body, trembled as if spasming. Each time my tender mucous membrane was rubbed, my whole body tightened with an intense pleasure that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
At some point, Ivan started saying “I like it” a lot. “You’re beautiful,” “I like you,” “I love you,” “I like you.” Every time I heard those words, I felt my body opening up in a remarkable way. At first, I was so embarrassed I couldn’t think straight, but now, I was so delighted I lost my mind.
Lately, I sometimes, very rarely, wondered if I might have been born to receive men. Otherwise, how could I… how could this…
…be so good?
“⋯Why are you smiling, hmm?”
“Huuup, ugh. No, no… I wasn’t smiling…”
“You’re beautiful, Eric.”
“Huk, aht, ah, ah! Wait, aht, nn, eung. G-go. Wait, too fast. Fast.”
“Haha, really… Cute.”
My waist twisted with his rapid thrusts, his hands gripping my inner thighs. After realizing that no matter how I tried to twist my body away, Ivan could easily pull me back, I became more spoiled. I ran away often, and was caught again.
I wished that no matter how many times I ran away, Ivan would hold me tight.
Ivan, who seemed to read my unspoken wish, held me down firmly. My inner walls, which had been roughly rubbed, spasmed and squeezed tightly, preventing Ivan from withdrawing. My body, trembling uncontrollably, couldn’t hold itself steady, and a cry of eung, eung escaped me involuntarily. Just as I was about to twist my neck back, wanting to escape the pleasure.
Ivan’s head, which had been kissing and licking my lips, slowly lowered. I was as scared as I was expectant, and as expectant as I was scared. I knew too well what sequence would come next. Ivan firmly gripped my stiffened breasts with both hands. In response, I wrapped my legs around his waist.
And then.
“Haa, hee, heeak…!”
With a crack*, the moment I was bitten, my vision turned white. It was an climax I never got used to.