Chapter 272 |
TL: TangSanFan
ED/PR: Tanthus
『Side Story』 The Balance Scale (13)
From this point on, everything depended entirely on me.
Lortelle, who appeared inexperienced at a glance, was utterly led by my hand, uncertain what to do.
The shame of having her naked body exposed and rummaging through her notebook containing her secret thoughts seemed to rush to her face, making it flush with blood.
However, I am a man, too.
Having come this far, I couldn’t just calm Lortelle down, cover her with a blanket again, and leave the room. I might not be skilled at understanding the hearts of women, but even I knew that wasn’t the right answer.
Now was the time to push forward, so I slowly pulled Lortelle’s shoulders to bring her back into my embrace.
What struck me anew was her small stature.
Even as a girl commanding the Elte Trading Company with the voice of a powerful merchant, she was so small when embraced, fitting snugly within my arms.
I could feel Lortelle exhaling sharply around the pit of my stomach.
Looking down, I couldn’t see a trace of that stern, cold-hearted merchant anywhere.
“It’s-it’s dangerous. Senior Ed…”
“What is?”
“Ev-everything. No-nothing is going as I expected…”
Even though she might be a cunning merchant who can calculate the interest rates of promissory notes or monitor the storage efficiency of warehouse goods in minutes, on a bed, she can’t manage even her own expressions properly.
It can’t be helped. God is fair.
God may have given Lortelle talent as a merchant, but he did not bequeath her the maturity of a woman.
That empty place had to be filled by someone else.
“Si-since it’s come to this, I should say… I, I’ve imagined it a lot…”
“… Imagined?”
Her face turned an even deeper red as she nodded with difficulty.
“You won’t look at me now as if I’m a woman of easy virtue, right?”
“…”
“Wha-what… I’ve been openly kind to Senior Ed for years now. Spending so much time, I’ve made this and that imagination… and… such… It’s not a crime to spread the wings of imagination, right?”
Thinking back to Lortelle’s notes… those imaginings seemed very likely to be far removed from reality.
Even in the highly realistic world of commerce, where she is colder and more systemic than anyone, her imaginations about an unexperienced first time were as romantic as an adolescent girl’s.
“Yes, there were quite a few possible scenarios that I anticipated…”
“Anticipated…?”
“… I’ve forgotten them all.”
As it was, Lortelle seemed to be on the verge of mental collapse simply by being guided by my touch.
The professional habit of making thorough plans for everything was still there. However, human affairs do not always go as planned.
“But still… it’s a strange feeling…”
For the time being, I decided to wait until the trembling of Lortelle’s hands stopped.
Gradually taking deep breaths, Lortelle then leaned her chin against my chest and whispered.
“The feeling of being in the arms of someone you love… indeed, it’s something that can’t be converted into money.”
“…”
“Such a feeling can’t be replaced even by staying in the most expensive room, drinking the finest wines, and eating the finest foods.”
The trembling of Lortelle’s hands finally subsided.
Perhaps her nerves eased a bit as her behavior softened.
There were just the two of us in this dark room.
The only observers were the crescent moon hanging in the night sky.
Even the crescent moon, shedding its gentle light upon the sea, appeared to turn its gaze away from us tonight, as if it had decided to overlook our presence.
Under that moonlight, Lortelle smiled simply.
I’d seen her dignified smile as a head of the company and her sly smile as a merchant. I’d never imagined there could be such a pure, girlish aspect to Lortelle, always laughing enchantingly like a fox.
Perhaps even she would be surprised by her own reflection.
And so, slowly… my hand, which had been stroking Lortelle’s shoulder, started to venture downward, following the curves.
The night is long.
There was no rush. Everything was unfamiliar to Lortelle, but there was plenty of time to get accustomed.
Gently caressing her body’s contours, my hand gradually moved inward. As I progressed, I could feel Lortelle flinching ever so slightly. Yet, there was no resistance.
Instead, she surrendered her body to me, occasionally shuddering.
Was she afraid?
The merchant who could face huge sums of gold without swallowing a dry gulp now closed her eyes tightly with just a touch.
Every time my hand ventured into territories that had never been granted to another, she looked at me with tear-filled eyes without hiding her fear.
I whispered to her as kindly as possible that there was nothing to fear. At those words, Lortelle seemed to relax a bit, leaning more into me.
It didn’t take long for Lortelle’s voice, initially tense, to turn into a soft moan.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on, closing her eyes tightly. Then she surrendered to my movements, gradually sinking into her senses.
Lortelle’s warm breath brushed against the nape of my neck.
Suddenly, realizing her own ragged breathing, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Perhaps feeling her appearance was somewhat vulgar, Lortelle’s face flushed again. I reassured her once more that there was no need to be ashamed and gently laid her down on the bed.
As her body naturally tipped over, she swallowed her breath and looked up at me.
There was no need to hurry. The important thing was always to ease the other’s tension.
As I gently stroked Lortelle’s neck, even that alone made her close her eyes tightly and hold back her voice.
Everything was deliberate, very slow.
Everything felt like time itself was flowing gently, allowing her to fully accept and feel every moment.
Perhaps sensing each of these gentle movements, Lortelle eventually wrapped her arms around my neck again and whispered in my ear.
It’s okay, you can do as you wish.
… At that moment, my patience snapped, and we swiftly moved onto the main act.
The slowly passing time quickened its pace.
At first, Lortelle let out a cry distorted by pain. But gradually, the emotion laced within her voice…
The situation becomes more passionate.
Lortelle learns and adapts to everything swiftly.
Initially, she was overwhelmed being led by my hand, but gradually she became accustomed to the rhythm. As she moved to the tempo, she found the leisure to kiss me and stroke my forearm.
She used to only react with confusion, uncertainty, and blushes, yet before long, Lortelle regained her composure with a relaxed smile.
Little by little, she began to move on her own. She would pull my shoulder, or grasp my arm tightly and lead me elsewhere.
It must be pain rather than pleasure that prevails for now. That is the same for everyone at the start. But when I came to my senses, there were no traces of pain on Lortelle’s face.
Instead, she seemed more content with the situation now than ever before. For Lortelle, the time we were spending together was precious.
“Senior Ed,” I hear her whisper. When I come to, Lortelle is pushing against my chest, laying me down behind her.
I had always known she was a quick thinker, a genius who adapted swiftly to new knowledge… but now, I find myself looking up at her.
From below, Lortelle’s expression seemed almost dangerously charming as she continuously indulged in this novel sense of bliss she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
She was always a woman who seized her goals with her own hands. That proactive nature hadn’t changed, even in the darkness of this late-night inn room. She wasn’t one to passively wait and accept the happiness coming her way.
She grabs the opportunity. She tries to claim everything within her reach. That greed extends even to the man she has been eyeing for many years.
This moment is shared only between me and Lortelle. Each minute and second is as precious as gold and jewels, as she tries to explore more of me.
Before I know it, I’m not lifting a finger.
After a while of sharing our breath, a limit is reached.
Lortelle leans forward suddenly, embracing my face. Together, we bring our precious exchange to a conclusion.
A slight rest comes amidst the exchange of heavy breaths.
While we embrace and catch our breath, Lortelle whispers again, “Senior Ed. The night is still long.”
I understand the meaning immediately, but first, I compose myself.
The roles have reversed.
Above me, Lortelle raises her head and looks at me with an even more profound expression than before—as if she had discovered something new and was endlessly thrilled by it.
──Is this what it means to be devoured?
I can’t say I’ve seen everything, but I at least consider myself skilled at this point…
Lortelle’s unabated greed renders my self-assessment irrelevant.
Perhaps, I underestimated Lortelle’s nature, entrenched in avarice all her life. I hadn’t thought that this newfound greed would come back to me in such a way.
But I can’t suggest stopping now. I thought I wasn’t the kind of man to worry about such things, but even so, there is such a thing as male pride.
Faced with a woman passionately seized by desire, backing down would seem out of the question.
After all, I’m a trained man, and Lortelle is a merchant woman. There should be no question of being physically overpowered.
Surely that would be the case… but something in Lortelle’s whispering words brings an odd sense of pressure.
The night is long. There is much I want to try.
At Lortelle’s words, I feel gradually drawn in.
* * *
The night was a bit longer than usual.
After cleaning myself up and straightening my clothes, I opened the door to fetch more cold water. Something caught my foot in the hallway.
I looked down and saw the clothes I had asked the inn’s staff to prepare.
It was a neat dress often worn by Oldec’s merchant women. At a glance, it seemed to fit Lortelle well. As expected, the staff of an expensive inn have exceptional skills.
But then, I hadn’t heard a knock… Presumably, the inn staff had a sense of the room’s interior situation and discreetly left.
“…”
Feeling somewhat awkward but having committed no wrongdoing towards the staff, I quietly took the clothes and returned to the room.
Lortelle was rubbing her face, wrapped in a blanket on my bed.
Reflecting on the recent commotion, it seems a wave of embarrassment hits me belatedly.
“Se… Senior, don’t misunderstand, please. Just now was… like, something came over me… It wasn’t my intention to behave so out of character…”
“There’s no need to be so embarrassed. It’s all natural, after all.”
“Uh… my back…”
Lortelle grimaced and complained of pain.
I handed her the clothes I had received from the staff, along with a simple explanation. Lortelle quickly changed out of the blanket and into the fresh clothes.
The reason she is still sitting on my bed… is that her bed has become unusable.
Lortelle kept brushing her face with her hands. Presumably, she was worried about how embarrassed the staff would be when they came to tidy up the room later.
“…”
I took a seat by the window and faced the dawn breeze.
Still no sign of sunrise. Oldec’s night is long and deep.
“Senior Ed.”
Before long, properly dressed Lortelle approached and sat opposite me by the window. Both of us felt somewhat more refreshed.
Suddenly, Lortelle thanked me as if it were for the first time.
“Thank you for being there with me.”
Being well accustomed to Oldec’s dark nights would have been natural for Lortelle.
Yet, could it be that she feared the darkness?
Those long nights spent alone always seemed to amplify her solitude.
“Hey, Lortelle.”
Such thoughts occurred to me as time passed. It was time to leave.
“We should head towards the trading house. I’ve arranged to meet with secretary Lien. She needs to know you’re back to your old self.”
“So early in the dawn…?”
“Well, there must have been a lot to take care of urgently… It’s almost time for our appointment.”
I said while putting on my coat.
“But before that, shall we take a stroll to our wharf?”