Refusing Your Ex-Husband’s Obsession: A Guide - Side Story 5

Side Story 5

Translator: Yonnee

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“Haaahm…”

Despite waking up late, yawns poured out. I lounged on the couch, lazily leaning back, gazing vacantly at the sunlight flooding the room. Then, something slipped quietly between my lips.

Without a thought, I accepted it and chewed thoughtfully, only to hear a voice as sweet as honey melting in my ears.

“What fruit should I serve next?”

Turning towards the voice, I saw Ciel offering a grape.

“Hmm…”

Munching on the grape, I scanned the table laden with fruits.

“Apple…”

“Alright.”

He picked up a neatly sliced piece of apple with a fork and brought it to his mouth, then that piece to mine through his lips. A moment from the past, which I thought was a dream, flashed through my mind.

Back then, I thought of that moment with the peach and ice as a dream.

But recently, I had asked him about that dream. Ciel blushed, asking how I could remember. He mentioned that since I had been quite ill then, he thought I wouldn’t remember.

“Are you thinking about the peach and ice again?”

He wasn’t a psychic Esper like Aiden, yet somehow, he always knew what was on my mind.

“How did you know?”

“I get a bit jealous at times.”

His voice dropped suddenly, sparking curiosity.

“Why?”

“I guess the me from the past received a lot of your love.”

“I love you now too, what are you talking about?”

“It might sound strange, but the you from the past is different from you now. I love both the past and present you… it’s just that they feel different.”

“Hmm…”

I could understand what he meant, yet also found it a bit complex. Did he yearn for a clingy type of love from the past? I was a person with many needs back then.

Even if asked, I couldn’t return to that time.

“That’s not why I said it, Honey.”

“…But the past me is me, and the present me is also me.”

“I know… It’s just me being greedy, wanting to hold onto both versions of you.”

“I love you more now.”

I expressed my feelings verbally. Reaching out, I cradled his face in my hands. Gently caressing his skin, I pressed my lips to his tenderly before pulling away.

A sticky sigh clung between us. The lukewarm breath quickly heated up as he overtook me.

He stroked my hair then languidly massaged my nape. Our lips met and parted repeatedly, and between them, flesh intruded. He brushed the inside of my mouth evenly before suddenly nibbling on my tongue gently.

“Mmmh…”

“Haah, Irene.”

For a moment, we shared breaths instead of words. Then, a powerful vibration was felt. Blinking my eyes open, I saw his eyes blazing with blue flames.

I clearly saw his gaze roll to the side.

“Monsters, over there.”

“Let’s go.”

This was the reason we embarked on our honeymoon like this.

Though we wished to spend time alone, just like in Korea, the aftermath of the monster wave Lee Seo-yoon had unleashed was still present outside the barrier blessed by the Goddess.

Despite the blessing expanding, the empire’s outskirts remained vulnerable to monsters. So, here we were, honeymooning along the empire’s borders, ready to beat down any monsters we encountered.

“It came from the southeast.”

“Right.”

Armed with only our weapons and a spatial pouch, we leaped out the window. Ciel took off swiftly into the air.

“Kyaaah! Anyone, please help!”

It seemed civilians encountered a monster by chance. Ciel set me down on a sturdy tree branch and flew towards the monster.

The monsters that appeared here were not the ones seen in Korea before. They were monsters native to the empire and had been troubling the land for ages. Standing on a sturdy branch, I drew my bow.

Whoosh!

I accurately hit the smaller monsters chasing civilians. While he took on the entire horde, I dealt with the stragglers. The people, seeing someone come to their aid, crouch down with relieved expressions.

They were wise people. It made shooting arrows all the easier.

The same color as his eyes, blue flames began to burn fiercely. As they moved with the wind, the flames looked so mystical it was hard to look away. My arrows, catching the wind, turned into fire arrows that struck the monsters.

This scene brought back memories.

Back then, I thought it was just my archery skills, but now I realized that Ciel was secretly helping with the wind. He had always shown his affection, though he didn’t express it with words.

The blatant jealousy he showed towards Esper Kang Tae-joon also made sense now.

Even though it was our second marriage, it felt more like the first. Because we didn’t know much about each other before, we were now discovering new things and felt like we were experiencing them for the first time.

The situation was quickly resolved. It wasn’t unexpected given that Ciel was here at my side, but it felt somewhat anticlimactic since the enemies were no match.

The wind wrapped around me. Though it was an intangible material, it felt warm like his touch.

As we descended on the wind, the hiding people emerged, expressing their gratitude.

“Thank you!”

“How can we ever repay you?”

“…Are you perhaps the Saintess?”

The people of the empire still regarded me as the saintess upon witnessing such mystical events. Honestly, it was burdensome, and I had no intention of taking up the mantle, but I no longer denied it as strongly as before.

“It’s not me you should thank, but the Goddess and the Grand Duke of Leopardt.”

“Oh…”

“Dear Almighty Goddess…”