A Butterfly Through the Mist - Chapter 1

Part 1

Beyond the Bluish-Gray Fog

“Answer me. Will you do it, or not?”

Tilia’s voice trembled faintly. Her fist, with white knuckles standing out, was clenched tightly as if trying to stifle that tremor, but she couldn’t stop her voice from cracking at the end.

“Hurry up and answer. I need to make a decision.”

Sunlight filtered down in leaf-shaped fragments. Beneath the tree’s shadow, where the scattered light seeped in here and there, Ilex Davenport, who was half-reclined on a bench, slowly lifted his gaze. His blue-gray eyes, revealed beneath long eyelashes, resembled dull yet beautiful glass marbles abandoned in a playground.

As if the sudden sunlight was too bright, his perfectly balanced face frowned ever so slightly. However, the sun’s rays seemed reluctant to leave his face, which resembled their own. The straight beam of light highlighted his tousled blond hair, his sharp nose, and the jawline that completed the flawless picture.

For a moment, only a meaningless exchange of glances passed in the silence.

‘Why isn’t he answering?’

While Ilex lazily leaned on the bench, gazing at the woman who had made such a lewd demand, Tilia’s insides burned, much like a fish tossed onto dry land.

‘I need to find someone else.’

At the very moment she decided to turn and walk away in haste, a low voice, as though spoken underwater, stopped her in her tracks.

“If I don’t sleep with you…”

His unexpected words grabbed her feet.

“…are you going to sleep with someone else?”

The beautiful lips that spoke those words uttered a sentence she hadn’t anticipated.

“What?”

Tilia stared at him in disbelief, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

“If I don’t do it, are you going to roll around with another bastard instead?”

Had she misheard? But no, he graciously repeated it with even cruder words.

If I don’t, will you sleep with some other guy?

Tilia’s red lips bit down as she turned her head sideways. Watching her from below, Ilex’s eyes narrowed in the same way they had when facing the sun.

“Yes.”

Tilia, not noticing his expression, belatedly turned her head back and answered, “I’ll roll around with another guy.”

Her declaration sounded almost solemn.

At her words, his previously calm face finally showed signs of change. Like realizing the significance of clear skies only after a storm had ravaged the land, Tilia suddenly noticed that Ilex had maintained a certain tranquility until that moment.

Like thin paper absorbing paint, his blue-gray eyes quickly darkened with an unreadable emotion.

“Is that so?”

His lips smiled, but his face was far from joyful.

“Then, I guess we should sleep together.”

His light tone belied the weight behind his words.

Davenport, who had confused her with the contradiction between his gentle voice and the sharp glint in his eyes, slowly rose from his seat. As he stood, a certain image flashed in her mind.

An unfrequented forest. A black serpent, slowly crawling out of a dark, damp cave. A venomous snake, raising its head and preparing to strike.

Only when the man who had been sitting on the low bench stood up did Tilia realize just how large he truly was. Ilex Davenport was excessively tall and solid. Standing before him felt like being trapped in the shadow of a towering wall, and Tilia felt a primal sense of danger.

Could I really use him as a tool? Could I discard him at my convenience after using him as I please?

“Sleep with me.”

Ilex caught her before she could take a step back instinctively. Underneath his cold blue-gray gaze, a crooked smile played on his lips.

“Can’t let another guy have all the fun.”

Unconsciously, Tilia hid her sweaty palms behind her back. To solve her problem, she had to sleep with someone. And at this moment, there was no better option than this man.

So why?

Despite choosing him out of necessity, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had somehow fallen into a trap.

As the sunlight poured over Ilex Davenport standing before her, he whispered brightly under the blinding sky, “I’ve wanted to sleep with you for a while now.”

***

The curtains in Ilex’s room didn’t fully block out the sunlight. Under the dull light that seeped through, their heated breaths mingled.

It was hot. No, more than that, it was scorching. No, it felt like it might burn.

The man’s solid body, pressed against her, radiated heat as though he carried a furnace inside, making Tilia shudder from the warmth.

“W-wait…”

Tilia’s trembling voice spilled out as she instinctively clung to his broad shoulders, overwhelmed by the pressure pushing deeper inside her.

Just moments ago, she had wrapped her legs around his thick waist, begging for more, but now she was gripped with sudden dread. What if he went too deep? What if her body couldn’t take it and she tore apart from the inside? The absurd thought flashed through her mind.

She desperately clung to his sweat-slicked shoulders, feeling his breath, hot and ragged, brush against her ear. But his patience wore thin. Swearing softly, the man finally forced his way into her narrow opening.

“You’ll be fine,” he murmured, his words slurred as he bit down on her trembling nipple, offering a meaningless reassurance. “It’ll feel good from here on out.”

With that whisper, his fingers twisted her swollen nipple, blending pain with pleasure. Tilia couldn’t tell which sensation was stronger. It was as if her brain had turned to mush, unable to form even a fleeting thought.

As her insides were ruthlessly ravaged by the waves of sensation, Tilia felt her reason slipping away again.

“You didn’t know, did you?”

His low voice pierced through the haze, reaching her just as her thighs trembled uncontrollably.

“You didn’t know you’d end up doing something like this with me, did you?”

His hand trailed leisurely over her quivering waist, his tone playful, like a child telling a bedtime story. The teasing sound of his voice made her open her eyes, and through her blurry, tear-filled vision, she saw his disheveled face.

Unlike earlier, Ilex’s gaze was now relaxed, filled with mischief. He seemed far too at ease compared to her, who could barely control her own body, entirely at his mercy.

“Did you figure it out?”

Something surged up in her chest at his attitude. But as always, instead of bursting into tears, Tilia chose to lash out with venomous words.

“Did you ever think I’d do something this disgusting with you?”

Her words, laced with malice, wiped the smug smile off Ilex’s face. The lighthearted expression he had worn crumbled, his eyes darkening.

“Ugh!”

Before Tilia could feel any satisfaction, her body was spun around, and the sudden movement sent a jolt through her. With him still buried inside her, every shift of her body heightened the already unbearable sensation within her walls.

But that wasn’t the end of it. As she lay face down like a frog, he began to push even deeper, his intrusion more intense than before.

“You said you put it all in…”

“Me?”

Holding her wrist down lightly, Ilex let out a mocking laugh.

“When did I ever say that?”

With that devilish smirk, his thick length forced its way deeper, slicing through her flesh in places that shouldn’t be reached.

“Stop, stop…!”

“There’s still more.”

Ilex trapped her with his entire body, leaving her no room to escape. She felt like a fish caught in a net, helpless and gasping for breath. Only then did she realize—he had, to some extent, been considerate of her.

“Please, stop.”

Her voice, barely more than a whimper, carried none of the viciousness from before. Now, all that remained was a desperate plea for mercy.

Sliding his thick thigh between her trembling legs, Ilex set a brutal rhythm. Pleasure crashed down on her like a lightning bolt, consuming her whole body. Her vision went white, flickering like a storm had struck. She clung to the soft sheets like a lifeline, only to have them yanked away as his lips crashed roughly against hers. Calloused fingers interlocked with her delicate ones, their sweat-slicked hands entwining.

He whispered softly, “I knew.”

Through the blurred vision, his unreadable face came into view. It wasn’t anger or joy, nor was it expressionless. It was something she couldn’t decipher.

“I knew from the beginning. You and I… we were always going to end up like this.”

The thought that his voice sounded strangely wet was fleeting. Before she could process it, he began to thrust into her like a stallion, driving her deeper into the mattress.

“Aah…!”

Every nerve in her body lit up as her inner walls were mercilessly stretched and rubbed. The overwhelming pleasure caused her mouth to hang open, drooling like a simpleton. The last thing she remembered was trying in vain to push away Ilex Davenport, who gleefully licked away her drool.

After that, Tilia lost consciousness.