The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 47

Soft. Amusingly, that was the thought that crossed Stella’s mind at that moment.

The sensation of something smooth and warm touching her lips was astonishingly tender. She could feel the slight moisture of saliva, though she had no idea whose it was.

Just a moment ago, she had thought his face, which lacked even a single soft line, looked sharp. When she held Islay’s hand on the frozen lake and embraced him, she only thought of him as a man with a body like armor, hard and unyielding.

But now, soft?

Separate from the sudden shock, it didn’t feel bad to press her lips against the only part of his body that was soft—his lips. Even the bitter medicinal scent that wafted from Islay, perhaps from something he had burned, wasn’t unpleasant.

She felt as though she had glimpsed into a heart that no one else could have touched, a mind no one else had been able to look into.

Her heart raced uncontrollably. The man, who had either smiled playfully or kept his face expressionless, now had her lips on his. And only then did Stella realize what had been stirring within her all this time.

She had always wanted to be close to Islay. She had wanted to rest her cheek against his broad chest, to hold him tightly without leaving any space between them, and to kiss him. It was a desire rooted not in pity, sympathy, or regret but in a definite, rational attraction.

When had it started?

But the problem was…

“……”

Stella was merely pressing her lips against his, clumsily. Tensed up and stiff, she couldn’t go any further.

She had boldly attacked him with her lips, but her hands couldn’t even touch him. Her small fists hovered awkwardly beside her chest, not knowing where to go.

Stella honestly had no idea what to do next.

Islay remained leaning against the desk, not responding to her sudden kiss. His closed lips did not part.

Even that made Stella’s breathing difficult. Eventually, she broke the kiss, the moist skin making a small, cute sound as it parted.

Lowering her heels to the floor, she lifted her lashes slowly and looked up at Islay. His face, as if it had been sculpted by the gods over several days, was expressionless.

Islay, who had remained unmoved, gazed at Stella quietly, then suddenly let out a low, wind-swept laugh.

“You’re cute.”

Stella’s face flushed red. Islay lowered his hands slowly onto the desk. His half-lidded eyes softened, as if looking at a child’s playfulness.

Stella felt the heat rise to her eyes and earlobes.

“Seeing you like this, I guess I don’t have to worry.”

…What did he mean by that? Though she didn’t know exactly, she felt strangely hurt. Now that she looked, Islay’s gaze was more like that of someone gazing forgivingly at a misbehaving puppy.

“I received your greeting well. Your sincerity was palpable.”

“……”

“If it’s all over now, shall we head back? I’ll walk you to your room.”

He was signaling that he was done indulging her childish kiss and that he would stop teasing her like a child. Once again, he was subtly drawing a line.

Stella, her eyebrows raised, couldn’t move her feet easily.

“What’s wrong?”

Islay’s voice, full of laughter, dragged out his words as he spoke to her, standing dumbfounded. Tilting his sharply defined chin, he looked down at her affectionately.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked.

“It’s amusing. I’m not really in the mood to be serious.”

“……”

“You feel like you’ve made a mistake, don’t you?”

Stella, who had been biting her lip unsure of how to respond, suddenly felt as if cold water had been poured over her at his question. Her eyes, which had been wandering aimlessly, regained their sharp clarity.

“It wasn’t a mistake. I don’t think of it as one.”

“Is that so? Then what was it?”

“It was…”

It was because of feelings…

Though the emotions were difficult to define, Stella had clearly wanted to kiss him. She had wanted to hold him tightly, enough to feel the beat of his heart. And beyond that…

Stella, unable to fully express the thoughts that followed one after another, merely opened and closed her lips. Islay’s lips curved into a smile with an unknown meaning.

“It’s okay to admit it. I’ve made a few mistakes with you as well.”

“I already told you, it wasn’t a mistake. Even if I look back later, I won’t regret this moment.”

It was the moment when Stella showed the greatest courage of her life.

“I wanted to kiss you.”

The smile vanished from Islay’s face as if it had been blown away like smoke. He stared at her quietly for a while before slowly parting his lips.

“Then, I’ll let it slide. If there’s something else you want to do, go ahead.”

“Something I want to do…?”

“You entered a man’s private space and even kissed him. I’d think you’d be prepared for more than just this.”

Her throat suddenly went dry. To do more here… Hearing such a demand, Stella wasn’t brazen enough to immediately press her lips to his again or wrap her arms around his neck.

“Oh, are you such an innocent princess that you don’t understand?”

With a low laugh, he leaned his upper body slightly forward. The already small gap between them closed to the point where it couldn’t be any narrower.

“Shall I teach you, Estella?”

At that moment, as Stella bit her lip, Islay suddenly reached out and grabbed the nape of her neck. His grip, threading through her dense golden hair, was firm and inescapable.

“How far I’ve imagined going with you.”

Facing his burning eyes, Stella flinched unconsciously. His muscular arm, felt even through the thick fabric, wrapped around her back.

“Ah…!”

Islay pulled the frozen Stella into his arms.

Their lips met without her knowing it. Immediately, their breath mingled through the parted lips. Stella’s eyes widened in shock.

His tongue invaded deeply, stirring at the base of hers. Like a snake, it swept across her mouth, mixing their saliva. Unlike her kiss, which had merely pressed her lips to his, his was chaotic and forceful.

“Hmph.”

Tilting his chin slightly, Islay deepened their kiss, pressing her hard against him. Unable to keep up with his rough movements, Stella’s lips filled with saliva. The more she exhaled, the more breath he took from her, leaving her dizzy.

‘This… this is…’

It was at this moment that Stella fully understood why he had treated her like a child.

Her lips, swollen from the intense kiss, quickly puffed up. Feeling as though her lips had been chewed to pieces, she grabbed onto his shoulders with both hands.

But still, Islay didn’t pull back. His lips moved incessantly, as if savoring fruit, and his cheeks hollowed with the effort. His muscular arms, wrapped around her waist, conveyed an intention never to let her go.

The clasp of her cloak, fastened between her collarbones, fell to the floor. In the midst of her daze, she realized that her heavy outer garment had dropped, leaving her in just her indoor dress.

His hands, which had so casually removed her cloak, now grabbed her plump breast. Even though she recoiled in shock, his merciless grip squeezed her soft flesh. His fingers, through the fabric of her dress, pressed into her breasts so hard that the flesh was visibly compressed.

“Hah… huff…”

For a brief moment, Stella gasped for air, like someone emerging from water. Their mingled breath and saliva were a tangled mess.

Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, he attacked her again. His tongue, licking her inner mouth with ravenous greed, made it feel like she was drowning. His large hands kneaded her heaving breasts as though they were dough.

The man who had maintained his composure even when Stella had been naked under the influence of the Lobid drug now acted like an unbridled stallion.

‘This… can’t be real. But why does it…’

In the midst of his continuous assault, a strange sensation bloomed within her. It was a tickling feeling, like a feather brushing between her lower belly and thighs. Little by little, Stella was being consumed by this sensation.

“Ugh.”

Stella let out a faint groan, gripping his thick wrist. She was utterly confused, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to stop. She moaned, helplessly caught between the two conflicting emotions.

Islay, his hand now sliding down her back, grabbed a handful of her rounded buttocks. His fingers, playfully probing the delicate flesh, showed no sign of stopping.

The man, who had monopolized every soft curve of her body, let out a low breath and pulled his lips away. Resting his forehead against hers, he met her gaze. Then, lowering his head, he bit down hard on her breast through the fabric of her dress.