* * *
The Duke’s lips softly landed on Ed’s mouth.
Soft smack, smack—lightly touching and pulling apart, their breaths mingled between parting lips.
“Ah… mmm…”
As the Duke pulled Ed’s tongue into his mouth, Ed’s hips twitched uncontrollably.
“Ah… mmph!”
Locked in a kiss, Ed moaned continuously.
From below, the Duke’s shaft slowly slid out, the head stretching the entrance wide, sending a shudder through Ed like he was recoiling.
The heated pulse of desire coursed through his entire body, making his head throb.
His cheeks flushed hot.
His insides, stretched to their limit by something so big, pulsed open and closed as if gasping.
But only for a moment—then, two fingers pierced inside again, and the area under Ed’s eyes twitched.
“Y-Your Grace…”
The fingers moving inside him left no room to breathe.
Tilting his head slightly, Ed looked up at the Duke, who wiggled his fingers deep inside.
“Ah… mmh…”
The probing motion, as if scraping him clean from the inside, made Ed exhale deeply and twitch his legs.
“You’re still clenching so tightly.”
The Duke wedged his thigh between Ed’s legs, forcing them apart, and thrust his hand in all the way to the base.
Ed understood now.
If the hand patting Leo’s back was meant to soothe his cries.
Then the hand patting Ed’s back now was meant to make him cry.
The curtain billowed slowly.
Cradled in the Duke’s arms, Ed had no strength left to move a finger.
After soaking in the warm hot spring and the intense, passionate sex, exhaustion wrapped around him like a heavy cloak.
His body trembled from the lingering aftershocks of orgasm still trickling through him.
The Duke gently laid Ed on the bed, then shut the window and added more firewood to the hearth.
Ed followed the Duke’s back with his eyes before slowly closing them.
Moments later, a shadow fell over his long-stretched form.
The Duke climbed onto the bed, hovering over him, brushing aside Ed’s damp hair.
When Ed opened his eyes, the Duke was looking down at him, heat lingering in his gaze as he gently embraced him.
Seeing that, Ed’s stomach warmed.
Those hands that had touched him, rubbing him even while remarking how tight he still was, had also washed and cleaned him with care, tempering their heat while tending to him.
Ed laced his fingers with the Duke’s.
Leaning his raised knees against the Duke’s firm side, he was met with a faint smile.
“You didn’t even have the strength to answer earlier.”
“I was saving my energy,” Ed replied playfully, “to spend more of the night with Your Grace.”
Drawing the Duke’s hand downward, Ed spread his legs.
When the large hand brushed his cock, a lazy sigh escaped his lips.
That hand continued lower, circling the tightly closed entrance with his thumb in a slow, teasing swirl.
Ed’s toes curled reflexively.
“Ah…”
Meeting the Duke’s gaze, Ed hooked an arm around the Duke’s neck and pulled his face down.
Soft lips opened naturally and took his own in fully.
“Haa… mmm…”
The warm tongue wandered inside, poking gently here and there, before wrapping around Ed’s and giving it a playful nip.
As the sweet taste of saliva lingered, Ed tensed his abdomen.
The Duke, lightly stroking Ed’s ear, then supported the back of his head and lifted his lips away.
Cradled securely in the Duke’s arms, Ed gazed up at the red lips parting with a soft smack and opened his mouth languidly.
“I love this… so much…”
The words, so full, flowed out naturally.
The Duke smiled gently and nibbled on Ed’s ear.
When Ed finally opened his heavy eyelids, he was completely wrapped in the Duke’s embrace.
The warmth radiating from their bodies, their shared breath, the way they instinctively sought each other even closer—the lustful heat of the night had melted away, leaving a tranquil spring breeze drifting through the bedroom.
Rubbing his swollen eyes, Ed let out a small yawn.
“It’s already daytime.”
If they were in the Northern Castle, the Duke would’ve finished his breakfast by now and be in his study.
But instead, he was lying idly beside Ed, who snuggled in even closer.
The firm, warm body was incredibly comforting and sweet.
Unhurried time. Languid touches. A leisurely afternoon.
Ed did wonder: ‘When should we head back to the castle?’ ‘Is everything okay?’ ‘Are the children doing well?’
But seeing the Duke this relaxed, it seemed nothing urgent had happened.
“His Grace did say he had a way to stay in contact…”
“Feels nice spending time like this, doesn’t it?”
“Of course.”
Ed nodded, resting his cheek against the Duke’s gently rising and falling chest.
“So let’s do this more often—just the two of us, away from the castle. We’ve been a bit too diligent with our lives.”
It wouldn’t be easy, but Ed thought the Duke needed these kinds of breaks to truly relax.
Even though he’d grown used to life in the castle, always bound by routine, there were still times when Ed longed to break free.
Sometimes, he wanted to escape the role of “Duchess,” roam green fields, visit wide oceans, hike blue mountains—just freely, with a light heart.
Last night’s escape was the perfect fulfillment of that small wish.
As the duchess, he often had to mediate disputes in the territory, handle internal matters, and care for a child.
But yesterday, he put it all down to spend time solely with his lover.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
It was a promise with no set date, but Ed knew better than anyone that the Duke didn’t speak lightly.
He would find the time again, and when he did, he’d create another evening just like last night—intimate, sinful, and blissful.
Trusting that such a day would come like a gift again, Ed leaned up and kissed the Duke’s lips.
Soft smack, smack—their lips brushed and parted, and he saw the Duke’s mouth lift in a gentle smile.
It was a sweet, peaceful moment.
They stayed tangled in each other’s arms for a long time before having a late lunch.
Warm potato soup and tender beef—Ed chewed slowly, savoring each bite as the Duke filled his empty plate with more.
“What do you think we should send back in return for the gifts from the capital? Especially since most of them were for Leo.”
“I only asked the Empress Dowager to be Leo’s godmother—not to bombard us with gifts.”
“She kept saying she wanted to see more of Leo… It feels a bit like a bribe, doesn’t it?”
“In that case, maybe we should tease her a little more.”
Chuckling, Ed poured a warm drink into the Duke’s empty glass.
They chatted casually as they finished the meal.
By the time the sun began to stretch across the horizon, they were side by side on a large sofa.
No urgent calls from the Northern Castle, no rush from the Duke—just time, quietly theirs.
Deep crimson sunlight cast long shadows across the room.
Ed, playing with his bare toes on the soft carpet, leaned his head against the Duke’s shoulder, blinking slowly.
Warm air. Soft scent. Tender glances.
As a hand wrapped around his waist, brushing across his back, Ed gave a soft smile and scrunched his nose playfully.
The memory of that strength gripping his hips and pounding into him the night before came rushing back, and he could feel a dull ache rising again in his lower belly.
It still hurt, but it was the kind of pain laced with a strange pleasure.
Ed gently rubbed his stomach and turned his gaze to the window.
“If we keep going like this, I might actually die from too much sex.”
Suppressing the heat that threatened to resurface, he lightly cleared his throat.
“Ed.”
After a long silence, a low voice called his name.
Ed looked up.
As their eyes met, the Grand Duke, who had been gently stroking his hair, pulled something from his coat.
It was a black lacquered box—something like a jewel case.
“What’s this?”
The Grand Duke stared at Ed silently for a moment before opening the box. Inside lay a brilliant red crystal, gleaming like a gemstone.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’
Ed tilted his head, lifting it slightly from the Grand Duke’s shoulder.
When he looked up, the Grand Duke was gazing at him with deep, unreadable eyes.
“It’s your mother’s keepsake.”
“…What?”
Ed didn’t immediately reach for the box.
The Grand Duke’s words didn’t quite register in his mind.
Though the Grand Duke didn’t speak of it often, Ed knew what had happened.
Back when Fez massacred the Zelda tribe to get to him—he knew the choice his mother had made, and how it had ended.
* * *
That was a true side story. A peaceful one.