(Image to be updated)
Kyle and Tara have their steamy first kiss!
Disclaimer:
DO NOT publish our edits anywhere else. Especially on social media. Otherwise we may have to stop doing this. Thank you.
This edit is primarily based off of Thamalasca's original version of this chapter and includes some of her original editor's notes. So thank you Thamalasca for letting me re-edit this!
(Also... I tried to hold off on the editor's notes because I didn't want to interrupt the flow too much, but just know I was screaming the entire time I was editing it and could not resist a tiny bit of live commentary.)
Episode 185. About 10 months (62)
“Are you alright, My Lord?” I asked, carefully examining his face.
He looked calm. Well… As expected of a Sword Master.
“Are you nervous?”
"Of course I am."
“… Your expression doesn’t really show worry at the moment…”
“Ahaha. sorry, I just can’t help smiling…”
“The loss of this much Aurore is fine. There shouldn't be any more fighting for a while… How do you feel?"
Kyle asked me as he stood up. I jumped up after him. My body felt so light that I was afraid I could take off and fly away.
"Great, actually. It's the first time I've felt this good since I got cold poisoning. No. I think this is the first time I've felt this good since I was born. It's so, so, so, so great. Thank you very much for this!"
He bowed deeply and nodded.
“My pleasure.”
“How are you, Your Highness? Aren't you overdoing it?"
“Really? Who do you take me for? …”
"That's right. You are a remarkable person…"
He scratched the back of his neck and smiled mischievously.
“Then… Shall we begin?”
‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’
I raised my head, which was full of internal screaming.
My heart was pounding so fast that I felt it could jump out of my chest at any moment. Possibly because of the energy that was circulating through my body, the back of my neck felt hot, and heat began to rise on my face. I swallowed.
Alright. Let's do this. There was no other way to confirm these uncertain feelings…
'You’re just thinking that to justify your actions,' whispered that annoying little voice in my head.
I nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness… We shall…"
And that was how our first kiss, agreed upon in return for a favour, began.
“Put your hand here…”
He grabbed my left hand with those long white fingers and put it on his waist.
"Why…?"
“Well, you can’t wrap your arms around my neck in the first place…”
The little voice again told me to hold onto his shirt at the waist. As my hand touched his waist, he moved a step closer without warning.
Astonished, I lifted my face and looked at him carefully, as he was looking back at me. It was like he was trying to react immediately to every single feeling I had.
The hand holding his shirt tightened slightly.
The corners of his mouth rose slowly.
Who would have thought that I’d ever find myself this close to him? I never could have anticipated something like this happening one day. It never even crossed my mind…
My first meeting with Kyle echoed in my memory.
[… What if 100 gold is not enough?]
Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined that encounter would lead to this moment.
His eyes were very deep and dark.
Somewhat dishevelled hair that slightly covered the forehead. Long eyebrows and almond eyes. A sharp jawline and a well-defined mouth… And his whole body was still wet from the rain…
Ah… He was… Sexy.
Without realizing it, I bit my bottom lip and swallowed.
“…”
He took one more step and stopped. His gaze slowly roamed over me, and he looked into my eyes.
From the depth of his gaze, I could feel what he wanted right now.
Kyle's hand, boasting long, elegant fingers, gently lifted my chin.
He slowly came closer… and tilted his head.
"What… Why?" I asked.
"Are you scared?"
"Huh? What me?”
"There’s nothing to be afraid of," he whispered gently.
The hand caressing my shoulder felt hot, while the other cradled my cheek as he drew closer.
His hands were so hot that my body shivered under his touch.
"I’m not scared," I answered boldly, my voice shaking a bit at the end.
“Then why are your eyes so big?”
I could feel the whisper of his breath as he spoke the words softly.
He was mere inches away from my lips. I tightened my grip on the blanket wrapped around my body.
I slowly closed my eyes and whispered, “It’s been a while…”
“…”
Outside the cave, only the sounds of the diminishing rain could be heard.
… Huh? What?
I waited a few moments.
No contact.
“…”
Confused, I slowly opened my eyes and… saw Kyle’s closed expression.
“… Why?"
“It's been a while…?” He asked coldly.
“Ah…! Oh… Hahaha, That is... I was talking about the kisses I exchanged with my mother when I was young…"
But Kyle's expression remained unchanged.
“Isn’t this context different?”
This man…
I almost cursed out loud. Why did he have to be so damn perceptive?
'A kiss with mom.' … Really? A 7-year-old could come up with a better excuse than that!
I wanted to slap those unthinking words back into my mouth.
“The words just came out like that! … People say stupid things sometimes. Ha ha…"
“…”
His expression remained the same. However, upon close inspection, I could see traces of hurt in his eyes.
Looking into those eyes, I had the intuition that I needed to resolve this right now.
"The kiss… Aren't you going to do it?"
Still, Kyle remained silent. I released the hand that was holding his shirt at the waist. His big hand then grabbed mine and put it back again.
"No… I’ll do it."
He quickly bowed to match my height, gently grabbed my chin, and softly placed his lips on mine.
It was slight brushes at first, feather light, then he alternated gently sucking on my upper and lower lips.
Oh…
An exhilarating shiver ran through my body. My hands clenched on his shirt and the blanket I was holding up.
"Hold on… Like this…”
His low voice sounded deep, scratchy, and more resonant in the echoey cave, sending tingles down my spine.
His feather-light touch, lightly grasped my chin and tilted my face towards his.
As I was drowning in the suffocating feeling of his lips sucking on mine, Kyle's hands trailed down my shoulders to the small of my back and pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Ah…!”
He used my gasp of surprise to invade my mouth. Our breaths entangled as he explored every nook and cranny with his tongue.
"Hng…”
He didn't stop and continued focusing on me, enjoying the moans that were being pulled out of me from some unknown place.
Suddenly, I felt the string of my own self-restraint snap. It was too hard for me to just stay still.
How could I just stand here and receive a kiss so stiffly and passively?
It was unbearable.
Before he started, I thought to myself that I had to act like a young noble girl being kissed for the first time.
That was true for 19-year-old Tara Elias, who hadn't even made her social debut yet.
But that wasn’t the case for Ji Yeonwoo. Someone with a history, who had read books, watched videos, and had experienced 3 short romances and 1 long one.
Therefore, I felt I had no choice but to retaliate.
No, it was more accurate to say that I didn't want to have any regrets this time.
My hand climbed up from his waist, caressing his back as I was slowly getting drunk on his kiss.
For a moment, he seemed to be pulling back. I went up on my toes and pulled him close again, hugging him tight.
Then boldly shoved my tongue between his lips.
He flinched and froze in surprise.
I used this opportunity to start exploring his mouth, searching for his tongue.
"Hey… Oh my…!”
His exclamation was full of complex emotions, and he hesitated for a moment before surrendering to my kiss.
As I kissed him frantically, thrilling shivers ran down my spine and Kyle's arms tightened around my waist, drawing me closer.
"Ah… Tara…"
With our lips pressed against each other, he gasped, 'Tara', as if in pain. Never had my name sounded so sweet.
“Hmm…?”
I immediately regretted pausing and went back up on my toes. But he grabbed my waist and stopped me dead in my tracks.
…?
I felt slightly annoyed at the hindrance, so I opened my eyes and glared up at him.
“At this rate…”
Pain filled Kyle's eyes.
Pain?
“… Yes?"
“I won't be able to hold back.”
"Oh…!"
The words, whispered in a low raspy voice, brought me back to my senses.
So, the pain in his eyes…
My already flushed face burned. Oh god...
You're crazy, Ji Yeonwoo. No, Tara Elias.
I took a step back and then another.
Kyle turned around at once.
Why?
“Oh."
In the heat of the moment, I didn't realize I had partly released the blanket I was holding, showing off my left shoulder. I quickly grabbed it again and adjusted my appearance.
While I was hurrying to put the blanket back in order, I remembered what had just happened. My face couldn't get any hotter. My temperature rose just from the excitement of thinking about it.
Oh my god, I had gotten too lost in the moment.
I shut my eyes tight. Then, as if I was watching a 3D movie, my mind replayed the kiss we just shared in HD quality.
[Unable to bear it, I went up on my toes, wrapped my arms around him, pulled him close and swallowed his lips…]
Damn it. Stop!
Eyes shut, I shook at the vivid memory.
What had I done? And what the hell was I going to do now?
This was so embarrassing.
I wanted to go back in time and beat myself up a few dozen minutes before I decided to kiss him.
I had just wanted to understand these confusing feelings of mine. I thought this kiss would be no different from the ones I experienced in my previous life.
It was…
I thought I would be able to handle this, boldly and calmly, and that I would come out of this able to deal with my chaotic feelings. I thought I could never be shaken, even if we kissed.
However, I quickly fell under its spell and even actively reciprocated.
I had liked it… So, now what…?
He was the Second Prince, the Commander-in-Chief of the Military, and the Minister of Security. I assumed that as his Aide I would just be buried in papers every day and would hardly see him. But I was wrong…
I had totally underestimated this whole situation… I had totally underestimated him.
When I carefully opened my eyes again, he suddenly turned around. And before I knew it, he was looking down at me.
However, the expression on his face was not serious, as I had feared, but was instead filled with profoundly complicated emotions.
"Why… Why are you looking at me like that?”