The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 104

“Something feels off.”

A voice from behind made her freeze.

Did he see? Did he catch her? What excuse should she make?

“Wittelsbach sent some wine.”

As anxiety gripped her, Leon placed a new bottle of wine on the side table. Veronica screamed internally.

He sent wine with the drug? Then he should have at least warned me in advance so we could coordinate!

“That’s… great! I want to try the new one.”

Grinding her teeth, she reached for it, but Leon frowned.

“You’re going to drink another whole bottle by yourself?”

It was suspicious, indeed.

Standing beside her, he placed a hand against her cheek, and the icy touch made Veronica involuntarily shrink back.

“Your hands are cold…”

“That’s not it. You had just one drink, and your face is burning.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Then?”

“B-because when someone I like is close by, I turn red too.”

Even as she said it, she felt so embarrassed that she bit her lip. As she lowered her gaze, feeling as if she might be steaming, she heard a low murmur: “You’re driving me crazy.”

A large hand, cool against her overheated skin, cupped half of her face.

“Why are you so cute today?”

“If I’m cute, will you drink with me?”

Seizing the moment, she thrust the drugged wine toward him.

“I want to enjoy what the person I like enjoys.”

Her logic was scattered and nonsensical, but this time, Leon didn’t refuse. He let out a quiet laugh, removed his hand from her face, and accepted the glass. Maybe the sheer number of times she had said “like” had left him no escape.

Leon, gazing down at her flushed face, drained the cup in one go. Veronica watched, holding her breath, as the glass lowered from his lips and his Adam’s apple bobbed with the swallow.

He drank it.

Success.

The moment the empty glass clinked onto the side table, all thoughts were cut off. The man, bracing himself against the back of her chair, leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

Ah.

Before she realized it, her lips parted, and a scorching heat invaded her mouth. The damp intertwining of tongues carried the bitter and sweet taste of wine. The deliberate, insistent pressure, pushing in and pulling out, left no doubt about what it implied.

Even when she gasped for breath, he gave only a brief respite before their lips tangled again. Now she understood why an aroused man was likened to a beast.

The harder she tried to follow his lead, the more excited he became. Her fingers, which had been gripping the armrest with force, trembled and loosened as his hands slid over the fabric of her dress, caressing her body.

More, harder—no, stop.

Leon, sensing her confusion, lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. Only when her back hit the sheets did their lips part.

Gasping for air, her half-lidded eyes fluttered open. Leon was already working at the knot tied around her waist.

“What kind of messed-up design is this?”

But the moment he glanced down in frustration, Veronica burst into laughter despite the situation. He frowned in disbelief, holding a white ribbon in his hands.

The sash at her waist was purely decorative. Loosening it would only make the skirt poofier, but Leon, unfamiliar with women’s clothing, had no way of knowing that.

“To take it off, you have to untie the strings at the back.”

“Then why the hell is this here?”

“Not all clothes are made purely for practicality.”

Giggling, she rolled over onto her stomach. Leon muttered a quiet curse.

Seeing the crisscrossing laces running down her spine, Veronica nearly burst into laughter again. It was hilarious that a man so skilled at everything was utterly lost before a thin piece of fabric. He could have just torn it apart.

“Well, this works out. My reason is finally coming back.”

Giving up, Leon flopped onto the bed beside her. Veronica snickered and turned to face him.

“You’re stopping?”

“It’s not about stopping—I can’t.”

“Because untying it is too hard?”

“No. I already told you—it’s disgusting.”

Leon rubbed his face with both hands, staring at the ceiling as he murmured, “I’ve got Bahamut blood all over me, and I was digging through the drainage system earlier. The fact that I even considered touching you in this state is insane.”

He swallowed hard, as if suppressing something. His dazed eyes, fixed on the ceiling, held a strangely sensual air. Watching him in silence, Veronica suddenly got an idea and, like he had done earlier, crawled onto his lap.

Leon stared up at her without moving. Lying there with his hair tousled and untamed, he was devastatingly beautiful in a way that felt almost sinful. It was the first time she had ever looked at such a large, cool-skinned man and thought of him as beautiful.

He was fire—something that made one believe they possessed strength just by standing near it.

Veronica traced his features as if she were blind. His sharply defined brow, his straight nose, his cheeks, his ears, and his nape—slowly, she mapped them all. She could feel his rigid body beneath her touch, every muscle tensed. His breathing turned ragged, then halted altogether as her hand reached his lower abdomen. Leon clenched the sheets so tightly that the veins on his hands stood out.

“Veronica.” His voice, strained and hoarse, called her name as if he were barely enduring something.

Veronica teased him playfully. “Should I recite the Pope’s name for you?”

“I’m already doing that in my head. Even if the first Pope himself appeared, it wouldn’t help unless you stop.”

“Then you could just push me away.”

Leon furrowed his brows, as if she had said something ridiculous. Sensing she might soon face retribution if she pushed any further, Veronica decided to surrender and nestled into his embrace. His deep sigh resonated against her skin where their bodies touched.

“Your heart is pounding like crazy.”

“It always does when you’re near.”

“Then wouldn’t it be healthier for you to stay away from me? You’d have better self-control, too.”

A sudden silence fell.

Sensing something amiss, she cautiously lifted her head. In an instant, her world spun upside down, and before she could react, she found herself pinned beneath him.

“Self-control? If you knew what my nights were like without you, you wouldn’t say that.”

Leon loomed over her, bracing himself on the bed as he muttered. His eyes gleamed with unquenched desire.

“How did you spend them?”

“Do you want me to tell you?”

The deadpan look on his face sent a shiver down her spine. She hesitated, but he tilted his head closer.

“Humans are creatures who can handle their urges alone, you know.”

Veronica inhaled sharply. The meaning was clear. What he had done alone—his body pressed against hers through the layers of fabric told her everything.

“The problem was that your scent lingered on the sheets. I knew I shouldn’t, but…”

His low voice seeped into her ears, melting her insides.

“Sin exists because we knowingly commit it.”

Ah.

Unable to hold back, Veronica grasped at the sheets. The groans falling from above, the ragged breaths—her body burned hotter with every sound. Now she understood why he was so sensitive to sound. The eardrum itself was an erogenous zone. The man who had abandoned restraint was filthier than a devil tonight. As the pleasure reached its peak, Veronica arched her back, unable to withstand it.

“Hng.”

A sharp jolt shot up her spine, from her waist to her nape. She was being pulled higher and higher, dragged to the edge of a cliff. And the moment she reached the peak, an overwhelming wave of pleasure crashed over her.

A flood—she felt the flood of sensation take over her senses. Even the curses muttered against her ear sent shivers down her spine.

Something warm trickled down, pooling beneath her, and a deep exhaustion overtook her body. Veronica gasped, her flushed face damp with tears. She dug her heels into the sheets, her overstimulated nerves unraveling like delicate threads floating in water. She felt like she was losing herself. Or perhaps, she already had.

She thought of the saying that humans came from the sea. Perhaps that was why they only returned to it when they became one.

***

“Now that I think about it, how did you get the helmet back?”

She asked, lying limply on the bed. A damp cloth brushed over her skin, cool and soothing. Despite the shortage of water, Leon insisted on cleaning her with fresh water, unwilling to compromise.

By now, the sleeping drug should have begun to take effect, yet…

“I asked the woman who delivered your letter.”

“Oh, Johanna’s maid?”

Leon gave a slight nod and set the cloth down. He finally lay beside her, exhaustion evident in his every movement. He was indeed tired. Veronica was drained as well, but knowing this was their last night, sleep had long escaped her.

“Am I allowed to be jealous?”

“What?”

“You get jealous over almost anything—even just breathing.”

She let out a deliberate sigh, and he chuckled before pulling her into his embrace.

“You can, but do it after you wake up tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…? Why? Are you sleepy?”

“Yeah.”

But for them, there was no tomorrow. No matter what they did, tonight was their last. Whether it was drinking, jealousy, or love—it all ended today.

A lump formed in her throat, but Veronica nodded obediently in his arms. Today had to be just like yesterday. It couldn’t be suspicious. It couldn’t be special.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

As she fell silent, the world turned quiet. Listening to the rhythm of his breathing, she slowly matched her own to it. The truth was, she should have died back then. She had borrowed his breath and survived far longer than she should have. Now, it was time to return it.

“Leon.”

“……”

“Thank you for saving me that day.”

“……”

“You may not realize it, but I changed a lot after that day. For the first time, I felt glad to be alive. I even learned how to help others. Maybe… I really was born again from those ashes.”

As expected, no response came. In the lonely silence, Veronica finally opened her mouth to say the last thing she had prepared. Words meant for only one person—words no one else would hear.

Her lips moved, and tears glistened as they fell.

Now that she had given away her love, her heart felt empty. How did people endure this hollowness?