The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Side Story 2

“Come to think of it, my hands are cold.”

“Veronica.”

Each time she traced his abdomen, Leon’s breath hitched briefly. Usually, he was the one playing mischievous tricks, so finally being the one to make the first move was incredibly amusing.

“Are you excited because we met new people today?”

As she giggled slyly, he yanked her arms away, wrapped them around his waist, and locked her legs in place so she couldn’t move at all.

Veronica stopped laughing and protested, “I can’t breathe.”

“Tonight, I’m testing how long a person can hold their breath.”

“Wow, you’re truly terrifying.”

After struggling for a while, Veronica eventually surrendered, making a show of admitting defeat. Though he pretended otherwise, Leon must have been concerned, as his grip soon loosened.

When she tilted her head up slightly, she caught sight of his throat bobbing, as if he were suppressing something. That only fueled her impulse further. Veronica wrapped her arms around his back, pressing herself close, then slowly ran her fingertips along the long groove between his shoulder blades.

The moment her touch glided down his spine, Leon’s back flinched violently, and a low curse escaped his lips. His abyss-like eyes snapped open, colliding with hers in an intense tangle. Despite having initiated the touch, she instinctively shrank back at the sheer intensity of his gaze.

After staring at her, his lips curved slightly. “I saw a school of golden perch by the river earlier. Want to take a look before sleeping?”

Even though it sounded like a suggestion, it clearly wasn’t just that. His voice remained calm, but his eyes were darkened with shadow. There was no way such fish could be visible in the dead of night.

“…Why? Weren’t you tired?”

“No, the more I think about it, the more I want to show you. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep otherwise.”

“W-what do you want to show me?”

“Fish.”

“Are there really that many?”

“As many as the Milky Way in the night sky.”

“Liar.”

“See for yourself.”

A cold smirk played on his lips as he sat up first, and Veronica, refusing to back down, followed suit. As they walked past their sleeping companions, not a single one stirred. Whether they were truly asleep or merely pretending not to notice was unclear.

Once they veered into the forest and the campfire disappeared from view, Leon tugged on her arm, stopping her in her tracks. The moment she looked up, his shadow descended like a lantern being snuffed out, swallowing her lips whole.

A chill ran down her spine as excitement coursed through her. Instinctively, Veronica tilted her head and welcomed him. The deeper he delved, the more their eager tongues intertwined, saliva mixing messily. Her hands clutched at his nape, trembling slightly as her breath hitched.

“…Just a little more.”

Her lungs burned with the need for air.

“Just one more time.”

“Where exactly… is this school of golden perch?”

She gasped between breaths. He smirked, tilting his head slightly.

“You knew there weren’t any.”

Even in the dark, his piercing eyes scrutinized her face, no doubt flushed bright red. The kisses that followed felt like a consequence for initiating contact. He rained kisses down her nose and cheeks, then pressed her back against a sturdy tree as if bending over was too bothersome.

“You’re such a liar.”

“Not really. I was serious about testing how long a person can hold their breath.”

Before she could grasp his meaning, he bit down on her lower lip, slipping his tongue past her parted lips. The peculiar sensation of his tongue teasing the roof of her mouth sent shivers through her.

Suspended between the hardness of the tree and the solid weight of his body, Veronica instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. The fluid heat sliding into her mouth was intoxicatingly sweet. It felt as if they had returned to the moment they first met.

More. Even more. When she sucked on his tongue, Leon let out a deep, low growl. Her body reacted instinctively, dampening in response. The time they had spent alone before meeting the others had shaped them this way.

As their bodies pressed together, his hips began a slow, deliberate grind. Each motion sent pleasure rippling through her, making the legs wrapped around him tremble. She was going to go mad. No—she already was. Even with layers of fabric between them, the friction felt unmistakably intimate.

Supporting her bottom with one arm, he slid his other hand beneath her top. Calloused fingers, roughened by years of wielding a sword, danced across her skin like a musician plucking strings, coaxing out soft moans. She whimpered, gasped, and trembled, but he didn’t stop. No matter how many times she cried out—

Hnn, ngh, ahh—

No matter how breathless she became.

Desperation and thirst made foreplay stretch unbearably long. Until Veronica was completely soaked and left with no choice but to beg. Until her body was so pliant that nothing entering her would cause discomfort. Instead of plunging deep and hitting her core, he took his time, heating her nerves and making her crave more.

“Leon, just hurry…”

Finally unable to endure any longer, she buried her forehead against his shoulder. He had been pressing kisses to the back of her neck, but at her plea, the hand caressing her thigh slid between her legs. The soaked fabric clung to her skin, making a sticky sound as it was pulled away, allowing the cool night air to brush against her fevered flesh. His firm fingers grazed her damp heat, and Veronica instinctively tensed, her toes curling tight.

Heavy, ragged breaths. The slick movement of his teasing touch. The firm, solid warmth of his chest supporting her fully. It was overwhelmingly good. Even the stinging pain carried a sharp pleasure that left her breathless. Unbidden tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

Each slow stroke and press sent fresh waves of heat through her, making her moans rise in pitch. The pace quickened. She gasped for air, clinging to him desperately, before finally letting out a sharp cry. Though she couldn’t see clearly, the image burned into her mind—the long, straight fingers she loved, and something flowing between them.

Something.

Overcome by an unbearable sensation, she clung desperately to his collar, gasping for breath. The searing heat surged to the very top of her head, making her vision flicker as all strength drained from her body.

At the same moment she collapsed, the man who had been waiting for this moment entered her. Her once-stretched feet curled in, and Veronica’s eyes widened. The piercing sensation sent electrifying pleasure racing up her spine, so intense it was almost ruthless.

“Ah… ugh…”

She tilted her head back, exhaling a breathless sound as Leon murmured something to soothe her. But she couldn’t hear him. Her body arched like a fish impaled on a spear. He watched her trembling form with his abyss-darkened eyes.

More than the weightless sensation of being suspended in the air, it was the heat of his arousal and the ragged sound of his suppressed breaths that stimulated her even more. Tonight, Leon was especially relentless, pushing her right to the edge. Everything was deeper, more intense than usual.

“Stay by my side, Veronica. Don’t go anywhere. Stay with me.”

She couldn’t answer. Not to the repeated calling of her name, nor to his whispered confessions of love. Her vision flickered white, her back scraping against the tree bark, but she felt no pain. Her legs, draped over his arms, trembled madly as moans spilled from her lips.

Could it be a sin for a human to experience such pleasure? Would she forever be lost in this intoxicating bliss, unable to stop?

At that moment, the moonlight revealed his face, completely disheveled. A strange shock coursed through her, mingling with a satisfaction as potent as poison. A face known only to her, one no one else had seen.

Each time pleasure shot through her, Leon’s sharp eyes twisted with repressed groans. Over and over again, they reached the peak together.

Dizziness swirled around her. Was it from the small amount of alcohol she had sipped at dinner? Or the thick, humid air tinged with a salty scent? The midsummer night stretched endlessly.

***

“What are you thinking about?”

Crackling firewood filled the silence as the question drifted through the air. Even though he was holding her from behind, he must have sensed she was awake.

Lying there, staring at the flames, Veronica hesitated before replying softly, “I was just thinking about the heart.”

“The heart?”

“Yes. At first, it’s whole and round, complete on its own. But once someone enters it, it leaves a hole.”

Veronica formed a circle with her hands, then separated her index fingers to create a gap.

“And because the hole is shaped exactly like that person, when they leave, it feels empty and lonely.”

“Like an apple eaten by a worm?”

“Yes, exactly. But since the shape is already set, no one else can fill it completely.”

“So, to avoid emptiness, you’re saying we shouldn’t let anyone in at all?”

“No. If we did that, we’d just stagnate alone and end up lonely.”

A brief silence followed. Just as she started to wonder if she was making any sense, Veronica turned the question back on him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Something dirty.”

“……”

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. In her entire speech, there was only one part that could have triggered such a thought. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to glare at him, expecting a teasing grin, but instead, Leon remained expressionless.

“I was wondering why the woman I just spent the night with looks so sad. Did she dislike it? Was she in pain?”

Propped on one arm, he studied her face intently. At the sight of the raw anxiety lurking beneath his dark gaze, her chest tightened. He was looking straight into her soul.

She had thought she had washed everything away in the river. Thought she had masked it with cheerfulness all day. But it seemed she had failed to fool the man who had been watching her every expression.

“…I didn’t hate it. You know that, so why say something like that?”

“I don’t know.”

Leon furrowed his brows and let out a dry laugh.

“I can’t tell what you’re feeling unless you say it. Hearts aren’t visible, so it’s easy to grow anxious. I wonder if you enjoy their company more than mine, if you want to take a different path, if you regret leaving with me.”

He was always blunt. As if he despised even a sliver of misunderstanding, he never sugarcoated his words. And so, his unspoken anxiety was just as clear to her.

Veronica hesitated before pressing her lips together, then shook her head. “You have your own anxieties, don’t you? Could you tell me all of them?”

“No. Normally, I’d just keep my mouth shut and move on. If it weren’t you, if I weren’t afraid that my buried anxieties would eventually hold us back.”

Veronica’s eyes wavered. She could feel the weight of how seriously he took their relationship.

“I’m scared that one day, you’ll leave me.”

“……”

“That my lowly birth and my inconvenient status, which even prevents me from swearing by my real name, will one day make you tired of me.”