A Young Lady Who Wants to Be Honest (4)

Theorad did not enter her immediately.

Instead, he rested himself against Ashley and rubbed gently along her mound. It was part teasing, part consideration. He remembered how much the elf had hurt during her first experience. Ashley's first time would surely be painful too, and he wanted her to relax, to feel more desire before they went any further.

“Th-Theorad…”

She could not make sense of what he was doing. He seemed on the verge of entering her, then held back again. Was he teasing her?

She felt a flicker of impatience but could not bring herself to ask for more. She had already cast aside family honor and propriety to be here; even so, this was her first experience. She couldn't bear to shatter whatever image Theorad held of her as a well-bred maiden by pleading with him shamelessly.

Her silence made Theorad think he had not caressed her enough.

“Ashley.”

He leaned over and kissed her. They had kissed more than once already, yet the fleeting touch of his lips still sent an absurd happiness through her.

“Ah… don't…”

Ashley tried to suppress a foolish grin. The effort left her making a strange face, her hands twitching over her stomach as her heart raced.

Theorad found it endearing when she deliberately avoided his gaze. Just looking at her pleased him.

“How did you endure all this time, with such a tempting body?”

“My body isn't indecent—”

Before she could finish her protest, he kissed her again. This time their tongues met. He held her breasts, caressing them and touching her nipples with his fingertips. Ashley shivered with each movement.

“W-wait, stop…”

Overwhelmed by the sensation, she rubbed her thighs together and caught his wrist. Theorad broke the kiss and raised himself.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He asked breathlessly. It sounded considerate; beneath the question, however, was a teasing streak she had rarely seen in him.

Why ask when you already know?

Ashley fell silent, her pride wounded. Theorad laughed softly.

“I'll ask one last time. Do you want to stop?”

She was tempted to say yes simply to see him flustered. But she feared he would take her at her word and genuinely stop.

Of course he would. He's always been so proper…

At last she shook her head. Theorad brushed her bangs aside and smiled.

“Then what would you like me to do?”

“…You know.”

“I don't.”

What had come over him? She had heard that some people behaved differently in bed, but she'd never expected it of Theorad. Perhaps his experiences with the elf had taught him how to be so mischievous.

She reached down, determined to put an end to his teasing. It was a vulgar thing to do, she knew, but surely less unbearable than being made to answer another question.

“This…”

She took hold of his penis and guided it against her lower abdomen. Its warmth startled her. With her face burning, she whispered so softly he could barely hear her.

“…Please. Put it here.”

Theorad stirred at the words. To hear such a request from the usually innocent Ashley aroused him all the more.

Whether she'd learned to say such things from the head maid or thought of them herself, Theorad could not tell.

“As you wish.”

He drew back and positioned himself between her thighs. Moving her legs apart, he brought the tip of his penis to her wet opening.

Ashley sensed what was about to happen. She closed her eyes and laid a hand over her chest.

“Ah… uh…”

He began to press inside her.

She had barely steadied her breathing at the thought that they were finally joining when a sudden tearing pain struck her. Her eyes flew open. The shock left her dizzy, unable even to cry out.

Theorad was speechless too, though for a different reason. The close, wet pressure around him brought an overwhelming physical pleasure. When he managed to clear his head, he saw the tears in Ashley's eyes.

Before he could ask if she was all right, she spoke.

“I'm all right, Theorad…”

She plainly wasn't. Yet she was enduring the pain and trying to reassure him.

“So… please continue.”

It was as though she were telling him she would endure this for his sake. Theorad found the determination both touching and painful to witness.

He nodded and pushed forward slowly. When he had entered her completely, Ashley let out a strained breath and tightened her abdomen.

“Ah…!”

The muscles within her contracted around him. It was involuntary, her body's response to pain, though the pressure intensified Theorad's pleasure.

“Ngh…!”

He had to struggle to keep control. Frowning with the effort, he began moving his hips slowly.

Each movement drew a tightening response from Ashley's body. The pressure reminded him of the elf's, but his feelings were different here: Ashley was the woman he loved, and her body seemed to cling to his with every motion. He tried to maintain his composure.

“Theorad… a little… ah, it's hot… let's… let's…!”

Ashley herself wasn't consciously doing anything to draw him in. It was an involuntary response to the unfamiliar encounter. As it continued, the tension in her face began to give way to other sensations. The sight moved him to continue.

For a moment she looked as though nothing mattered to her but being with him.

“Ah… Theorad…!”

After some five minutes, her body began trembling. Pleasure overtook her in a series of convulsions, and she reached a climax. Her eyes opened hazily.

Theorad kept moving. Their bodies met with a wet, rhythmic sound, and droplets scattered with each movement.

“Now—now! Th-that…!”

The words turned into cries for him to stop. Theorad had begun by teasing her, but now, caught up in his own desire, he regarded stopping as impossible.

“Weren't you the one who asked us to do this…?”

“D-don't… ah…!”

The pressure reached deep enough to touch Ashley's cervix, leaving her reeling. Her body jolted with each thrust, and her breasts moved uncontrollably. Even while overcome by sensation, she was embarrassed enough to try holding them still.

It was a futile gesture. Theorad's attention fixed on her as she struggled to steady herself. His own release was close. He seized her breast, leaned over her and thrust deeply, ejaculating inside her.

“Ah?!”

Ashley felt the sudden heat within her. Tears still clung to her eyes. She brought a hand to the back of Theorad's head and stroked his hair.

“Hah…”

She wanted to tell him how hard he'd worked, but her breath and voice would not obey her. For a while she could think only of the sensation of his semen inside her.

Theorad stayed over her, breathing heavily, before slowly raising himself. When he withdrew, their mingled fluids ran down between her thighs. He stared for a moment, then lay down beside her.

He looked at the ceiling, exhausted, and laughed.

Ashley, only now recovering her senses, turned toward him.

“Wh-why are you laughing…?”

“I'm happy.”

The simple words stopped her. After everything they'd just done, the affection in them was almost unbearably sweet.

Once he'd caught his breath, Theorad turned to her. A mischievous light still lingered in his brown eyes.

“What about you, Ashley?”

She couldn't dislike that expression. She smiled back.

“Me too… It was good.”

They both laughed softly. Ashley, shy again, turned and wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her body against his, but after what they'd shared it would be absurd to lecture her about propriety. He held her close.

Theorad rested his hand on Ashley's back and enjoyed the quiet.

Under his gentle touch, she thought:

…I would do anything for Lord Theorad.

She had learned everything she imagined might help her become the woman he wanted: grooming, diet, stretching, archery, horsemanship, even first aid. Afraid he might one day speak to her about poetry, she read collections she didn't especially enjoy and studied books on every imaginable scholarly subject.

And yet…

She suspected she would never grow entirely accustomed to sex. Still, from this day to the end of her life, Theorad would be the only man she shared it with.

Theorad…

She loved him. She really did. With a tiny murmur, Ashley nestled deeper into his arms.

And she vowed that the elf would never take him away from her.