Princess Shu

The reason Carl went to war was purely because of Valia–because she was seriously sick. Her grandfather risked his life to participate in the war to cover the high cost of her medicine.

But now, he did not have to do that. Valia had already called in the Garth family doctor and talked in detail about the symptoms she experienced in the past. The competent doctor quickly diagnosed the disease’s name and explained one after another of the medicines that had to be used for the disease.

Despite their high price and scarcity, most of the medicines were equipped in Garth’s manor as if it was a natural thing. Valia told the doctor to prepare the medicines that were not in the manor, and in turn, he said he would prepare them within two days, but he looked worried.

[Madam, the fever you just mentioned is a rare disease. It’s completely different from the cold and flu that is going around in the capital these days. Is there something wrong with your body?]

[It’s not like that.]

[If there’s something wrong with your body, you have to make sure to tell me.]

[I will, so don’t worry.]

Valia would lay sick around this time in the past. Once she got sick, she would be bedridden for a few days. It could not be helped then, but now, she did not want to lie down as long as before. She hated having to suffer. 

Schuden would soon go to war, he was also at the back of her mind.

‘There’s going to be a war soon…’

 Of course, Schuden would not be killed or seriously injured in the war, it was like that before. But Schuden would definitely be concerned if Valia said she was sick, she just thought he would act like that. But she still did not want to make him concerned, so she refrained from telling him. It was a kind of consideration of sorts.

‘I hope it won’t hurt too much.’

Valia cupped her chin and pondered about her soon-to-be-hurt body. In the past, she had no family doctor so she was ignorant of health care, in fact, Valia was strong enough that no family doctor was needed at all. The doctor who checked her physical condition this time said the same thing. She was very healthy. So naturally, she wondered.

‘How did I end up with that fever?’

She did not remember that time very well. It hurt so much that the only thing she remembered was horribly passing out one day. Valia leaned on the carriage while ruminating over the faint memory. The season had already turned into a mellow autumn. The wind from outside the window was quite chilly.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Under the Emperor’s decree, Schuden was appointed as the commander-in-chief to lead the military, but he always returned home in the evening. Valia was a little curious about that. Of course, it was nice to have dinner with him and fall asleep together, but preparing for war was no simple matter.

Moreover, Schuden, the military chief, would not have enough time for work even if he remained in the Imperial Palace for a week. Though he left for the Imperial Palace even before dawn to make up for the lack of time, periodically coming home could not compare to handling his work while staying in the Imperial Palace.

Valia took a peek at Schuden. He was sitting in bed, leaning against the head of the bed while reading the documents. He had just finished taking a bath after dinner and had changed into a silk black gown. Beyond the loose gown, his neck, collarbone, and firm chest muscles were subtly revealed.

Valia pretended to read a book while taking a peek at Schuden. The slightly wet blonde had looked darker than usual, and his eyes were slightly red because of the heat in the bath.

This was why he looked sexier than usual. That handsome man stimulated the deep and hidden corners of her imagination. She was worried that her mouth would water without realizing it. Valia had to work hard alone, pretending to be calm.

“Valia.”

After some time, Schuden casually opened his mouth.

“Yes?”

“I think I will miss it quite a bit when I leave the capital later.”

“Miss what?”

“Your eyes.”

“…”

Valia choked at the sudden remark. When she could not calm down easily and cough up, Schuden clicked his tongue low.

He did not expect that she would be that surprised.

Schuden immediately put down the documents and hugged Valia’s shoulder with one arm. He held her in his arms and patted her on the back. Valia gradually calmed down at the tender touch as though comforting a child.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, I’m fine.”

Valia barely answered with a red-hot face. She felt so pathetic at the fact that she felt so embarrassed whenever Schuden made fun of her, yet every time he did so, she could not take her eyes off him. On the other hand, it was a little unfair. Valia did not look at him because she wanted to. Just as she came to her senses, she would already be looking at Schuden’s face as if she had been possessed.

Schuden fiddled with Valia’s red earlobe, seemingly enjoying the soft texture. It was not just a delusion when she felt that the gesture seemed to be getting intense little by little. His thumb, which was touching her ear’s thick skin, swept slowly along her jawline.

He bent over towards her.

Her pink lips easily spread out. His tongue penetrated through the small gap. A soft chunk of flesh swept her teeth and touched every inch of the moist and soft inside. There was never a moment where Schuden’s kiss was not hot. Whenever he bound his tongue and tasted the deep inside, Valia’s eyelashes trembled.

She was in a daze. Their long-lasting kiss had stopped for a moment. 

At a distance where their lips were not separated, Valia muttered something, sounding like a thin moan.

“…Schu.”

Schuden seemed to pause at her voice. Valia looked at him, perhaps it was because of the long kiss, but her body smelled good and her lips were swollen. Staring at her, Adam’s apple shook. Schuden raised his head, he laid her down on the bed right away. In an instant, black hair had spread out long on the white bed.

Then, he kissed her again.

“Hngh…”

His tongue dug into her lips and strongly gnawed the roots of her tongue, touching at every corner of her mouth. It was different from the kiss they had before, though it was still hot, they had crossed a certain line. It was a kiss that revealed the wish of her partner. 

He dug through her mouth and tasted every inch of her. Valia already knew from many experiences what this kiss heralded.

Long fingers invaded Valia’s silk gown, and her soft, round chest was held in his hand. The peak of her chest that touched his calluses-filled palm was already protruding sharp. It was ticklish and chilling, and it made her head dizzy.

Valia pushed Schuden’s chest without realizing it as she felt the inside of her thigh flinch. She ran out of breath every time he dug her everything as though he was eating her up.

Schuden skillfully grabbed the hand that pushed him. He dug in between her fingers and held her hands, and he laid her on the bed just as she was. The silvery-gray eyes staring at him were already blurred. The harmony of the messed-up black silk gown over Valia’s body was breathtakingly erotic.

Her everything was alluring to him to the extent that he could not comprehend himself. Once she caught his eye, there was no turning back. His original plan was only to end it after the kiss. When his restraints crumbled, his longing for Valia boiled. 

Schuden held her back.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Valia blinked drowsily, the inside of her body was heavy. The silk gown she was wearing had already long flowed down to the floor. A sun-dried blanket wrapped around her body, the sense that touched her bare, hot body felt good. 

Her cheek was leaning against his hard chest.

“Schu.”

Valia asked in a half-asleep voice.

“Tomorrow… No, don’t you have to leave early today?”

The night was as deep as the mellow atmosphere. It was already past midnight. Valia knew Schuden was going to the Imperial Palace at dawn and was honestly worried for him.

“Even if you fall asleep now, it’s going to be late…”

“It’s fine, Valia.”

If he had been worried about that, he would not have laid Valia down. However, what he was concerned about was his self-control. 

When he participated in the war, he would not be able to see Valia. He could not hold her hand, kiss her, or hug her. When he had such thoughts, he kept getting greedy. He wanted to hug her all night. He could not control his longing so he was worried that he would end up making love with her until she got sick. 

In other words, as long as he would be able to for the time being, he would try to avoid straining on Valia’s body as much as possible.

“Valia.”

“Yes, Schu.”

Schuden fiddled with Valia’s soft skin.

“Once I return from this war, I think my title will change.”

It was not a secret that Schuden would be promoted to a Duke when he returned in triumph. So, in a little while, all the nobles who might know would know. Perhaps Valia would hear about it while attending a tea party. 

While in the middle of closing her tired eyes, Valia raised her eyes back.

“Your title will change?”

“His Imperial Majesty offered to promote my title to a Duke,”

Strictly speaking, Schuden finally accepted the offer that he had rejected every time. He slowly swept Valia’s back, which still had heat.

“Did you…accept the offer?”

“Yes. As a retainer, I should not refuse His Imperial Majesty’s grace.”

Of course, it was a perfect lie. There was only one reason Schuden decided to take the Dukedom—Valia.

He did not like the fact that Valia had to bow to another noble, such as Duchess Billiam. But there was only one Dukedom in the Gel Empire, so there were only two people she had to bow her head to, but even that felt bad for him. 

The case would be different if it was Imperial families with completely different levels. He wanted to put her in the highest position among the nobles. But above all, even the title between a Marchioness and a Duchess felt different. No one knew that Schuden was pondering the difference between the two titles, to be exact, the two noblewomen.

“So you will become… Duke Garth, not Marquess Garth?”

“Yes, and you will become Duchess Garth instead of Marchioness Garth.”

The sleepiness that was languidly on Valia’s face had escaped. However, since the room was dark and she was buried deep in his arms, Schuden did not notice the change in her expression. He waited for Valia’s breathing to slow down before closing his eyes.

At dawn, Schuden entered the Imperial Palace. Valia still could not get up from her bed at all even when the sun had risen. 

That afternoon, her body began to heat up, and the Garth manor was turned upside down. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After the war with the Eastern Kingdom Union became absolute, a grand meeting was held every day at the Imperial Palace. It was a meeting in which all nobles with positions in the military participated. After that, a private meeting was held to review the issues that had been decided in the grand meeting. Unlike the grand meeting, the members of the private meeting were only the big names.

They just completed the review of the issues. It was a meeting that lasted about seven hours. Reviewing the issues of the grand meeting was a huge task. It was common to proceed with a tight schedule without taking a break. The elderly nobles barely supplemented their sugar with herbal teas and sweet treats served by the attendants. Marquess Joan changed the subject after offering another cup of tea to Count Gertrude, who was old and had white hair.