Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 164

Eirik enjoyed his first proper bath in what felt like ages. His hair had grown long enough that it could now be tied back.

“Miesa, should I keep my hair like this, or should I cut it short again?”

“Shave your beard first. Right now.”

Miesa answered with a pout, then applied the foam prepared for shaving to his face and handed him a razor.

“You’ll need a mirror if you’re going to shave properly.”

Miesa promptly brought a mirror, but even though it was a lightweight one, holding it up for the duration of his shave was no easy task.

“No, a little higher.”

“Why does my arm hurt so much…?”

Despite the discomfort, seeing Eirik’s clean-shaven face made the effort worth it. His scar made him look sharper than before, but his handsome features remained, much to Miesa’s satisfaction.

“Are you pleased?”

“This face is alright.”

“Weren’t you supposed to summon other noblemen today? Since you’re choosing a new husband, should I stand among them too?”

Eirik, leaning his head on his arm on the edge of the tub, looked up at her as he teased. Fortunately, Miesa shook her head right away.

“I’m still alive, so I’ll forgive you.”

“Are you saying if you had died, you’d have gone ahead with the remarriage? That sounds… quite strange.”

Eirik stood up from the tub and began drying himself off. As he wrapped himself in a robe and started drying his hair, he caught Miesa’s gaze.

“Eirik, why is your body so thin this time?”

“I went through a lot this time.”

“Oh…”

Miesa’s face darkened immediately, and Eirik, noticing her sudden shift in mood, chuckled softly and turned toward her. He realized that she hadn’t even washed her face yet.

“Don’t worry. My body will return to normal soon enough.”

Eirik draped a towel around her neck and began wiping her face with clean water. Yet, despite his light-hearted approach, tears once again began flowing from her eyes.

“I… I actually…”

He waited, expecting her to complain or confide in him, but what she said next caught him completely off guard.

“I wanted to be brave and tell you that I waited for you, but the truth is, it was really hard for me.”

“Of course, it must have been.”

“And if you really went through so much suffering… I… it would break my heart too much…” Miesa trembled as she spoke, “It was supposed to end with me alone, but now… because of me, you’ve had to go through this too…”

Eirik, confused by her words, gently brushed her hair aside and asked, “Miesa, what do you mean by ‘it was supposed to end with you’?”

“The grand duke went to Trea to check…”

Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she spoke in a dull, matter-of-fact tone, “Can I confirm your body? If it’s burned… Honestly, I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Wait, what?”

“They said you were burned… I… I don’t think I can handle seeing that.”

“Miesa, wait, hold on.” Eirik was utterly shocked. “What are you saying? No, how did such a report even get to you?”

“What’s the point of explaining it all now?”

Finally understanding what had happened, Eirik realized that the plan to disrupt Sidate had somehow gone awry and ended up affecting this side instead.

He quickly apologized. “Miesa, I’m sorry.”

Eirik spoke urgently, “This isn’t a dream. I should have told you earlier, but you were so cute, confusing reality with a dream, that I just went along with it.”

But Miesa looked like she still didn’t believe him. Eirik gazed down at her tear-filled eyes and asked gently, “Doesn’t this feel too real to be a dream?”

“But I’ve had so many dreams like this…”

“I see. What do I need to do to make you believe this is real?”

Eirik stared at her face, watching her long eyelashes flutter as the tears gathered. Unable to resist any longer, he carefully leaned in and kissed her. She let out a short, surprised breath, and her soft exhalation filled the quiet room.

“How about now?”

His voice was slightly husky, but Miesa shook her head. “I’ve kissed you plenty of times in dreams.”

Eirik, who hadn’t even had such dreams, felt a sudden, overwhelming thirst as soon as their lips touched. For a brief moment, he hesitated, wondering if this was the right time, but then he smiled bitterly.

“I didn’t intend to pounce on you the moment we were reunited like this.”

“What?”

“I mean, Your Majesty has recovered, and since you’re still confused about whether this is reality, perhaps I should help you feel the vividness of it all.”

Eirik lowered his eyebrows, as if there was no other choice. “Also, I’ve decided to live my life to the fullest.”

Eirik’s calm voice contrasted with the urgency of his hands as he tugged at the ties of her nightgown. Miesa, startled, finally realized what he was doing.

“Wait, hold on…”

“Do you not want this?”

Eirik paused, looking up at her.

“If you don’t want it, tell me now.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want it, but she was embarrassed. Miesa’s face flushed as she stammered, “I-It’s too bright and exposed, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I see.”

For Eirik, that was all the more reason to enjoy the moment. He could clearly see her flushed face, every shy movement. He wasn’t about to let that go to waste.

“You’re willing to face your embarrassment, but it’s a shame that shadows are obscuring the view from this side. Shall we move to a different spot?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant—”

Eirik picked her up and carried her over to the console by the sunlit window, continuing his actions as she flailed her hands in surprise.

“Eirik, wait—”

Her protest was swallowed by his kiss, and his skin pressed against hers as her clothing fell open. The kiss was deep and heated, and as his body pressed into hers, it all felt so painfully real. She tried to turn her head to catch her breath, but he wouldn’t let her.

His kisses were relentless. He probed her mouth like a thirsty man, entwined his tongue with hers and sucked on it like he was sucking on candy, and at one point he dropped to his knees and buried his face between her legs.

A slurping sound echoed through the otherwise quiet bathroom. She couldn’t help but glance down, and in the bright light, she saw exactly what he was doing. His sharp features—thick brows, long lashes, and that straight nose—were buried between her thighs. When his tongue traced upward, she could see just how wet it had become.

“Ugh!”

Miesa felt a rush of wetness as her body responded to him. Eirik, noticing this, let out a soft exclamation. Then he rose and, without warning, entered her in one swift motion.

“Ah, oh…!”

“Shh…”

He lowered his body to embrace her as he moved his hips. But as he leaned down, Miesa caught sight of them in the mirror on the opposite wall.

She saw her own flushed face and his fervent movements reflected back at her. His muscular back and the way his lean body moved against hers mesmerized her. Her own body, tight around him, reacted involuntarily.

Eirik was devouring her with every thrust, and she both saw and felt it all. The overwhelming sensation sent her tumbling into a quick climax.

“Already?”

“Ah… I-I…”

Miesa, clinging to him and on the verge of tears, trembled as Eirik chuckled softly.

“Well, we can always do it again.”

With that, he thrust into her once more, his movements reigniting the fire within her. She moaned and clung to him as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her.

His breath was hot against her skin, and his voice, low and raspy, teased her ear. Each touch, every sensation reminded her that this wasn’t a dream—that he was truly here, alive.

“Eirik has returned.”

Miesa could not leave the bathroom until nearly noon. Only after Eirik, looking satisfied, stepped outside to smoke did she manage to escape, sitting wearily at the table and muttering with a dazed expression.

“He’s really back.”

As the servants busied themselves serving meals, Miesa turned to Madam Manere with a bewildered look.

“I can hardly believe it myself, so why are none of you surprised?”

“We saw him yesterday, after all…”

“I saw him too.”

Duke Salachez interjected quickly. He had been awakened by the commotion during the night and had witnessed Eirik on his way to the royal bedchamber, carrying a silver goblet and looking ready to kill someone.

“Isn’t it a relief? The margrave has returned safely, and he even brought the antidote.”

Salachez, still standing nearby, enthusiastically continued, but Miesa scoffed.

“Of course.”

“I’m serious. The margrave is also my friend, isn’t he?”

Though he said that, when Eirik returned from the garden, having finished his cigarette, Salachez couldn’t look him in the eye. Only a year and a half had passed, yet the sense of intimidation he felt from Eirik was entirely different.

That once neat and handsome face—how had it come to look like this? He still had the same fine features, but an untamed danger emanated from him that couldn’t be explained by the scar on his cheek alone.