Garden of May

In that dizzying wave of pleasure, she lowered her hips, almost collapsing. His s***t, now settled deep behind her cervix, twitched. The unfamiliar sensation sent a strange thrill through her, but also a sudden spike of fear.

“…Haah…”

Whether it had truly reached the end, or whether it only felt that way, she knew only that his rigid tip had plunged into depths no one had ever touched before.

At River Ross’s low groan, heat slowly rose through her. The flesh gripping his s***t, the head crushed tight within her narrow cervix seemed to spur his impulse to the limit. His eyes burned with raw hunger.

“Hold my neck.”

Vanessa obediently wrapped her arms around his neck, thick as a beast’s muscle. He sucked hard at her b****t, thrusting upward. It was a primal, rough scene.

Her spine, which had already peaked several times, trembled and gave way. Her vision flickered—blacking out as if she might faint, then returning.

“Ah—hah—hngh—ngh!”

As her consciousness slowly sank, fantasies swirled before her eyes again. A storm. The sea. An old ship. Two people…

For her, imagination had always been an escape from reality. It reflected her desires, her reality, faithfully, but it never hurt her.

To nurture a love that would never be returned always came with overwhelming fear. After being trampled over and over again by the only family she had, that fear had only grown deeper. That was why she had tried so hard to suppress what she felt for River Ross.

Because he was someone who would eventually leave. Because it was a relationship that would never truly come to fruition. Because they would only become each other’s weakness…

She had been so busy hiding, afraid of wounds that hadn’t even come yet, that she never once allowed herself to truly cherish the fragile feelings she had managed to grow.

‘Why didn’t I realize it?’

A human heart doesn’t disappear just because you try to hide it. It’s not something you can cut away cleanly with a blade, either. If anything, emotions possessed a vitality so stubborn it was almost grotesque, like the first leaf sprouting from a tree that had endured a long winter, appearing lifeless until that very moment.

“Ah… ngh… R-River…”

Perhaps she had already been caught completely. From that very first moment their eyes met beneath the window. From the moment their lips touched under the summer sun, when they first felt each other.

From the moment he ran through the rain without hesitation and pulled her tightly into his arms. From the moment they stood together, soaked to the bone, in the pouring storm…

At last, she made up her mind. She would cast aside every last defense and embrace him with all the vulnerability of bare skin. She would no longer hesitate, no longer hold back from loving him.

River Ross, the man who had given her warmth without hesitation in her most miserable moment.

“Ah… ngh…”

Vanessa arched her neck back, lost in a dizzying wave of pleasure. And in the radiant afterglow that spread through her, she closed her eyes.

* * *

—The ship departs at noon tomorrow. I only returned briefly. I’ll need to stay overseas for another couple of weeks and see how things unfold. If it comes to it… I may actually have to shut the company down.

The Marquis’s voice over the receiver was thick with exhaustion. Blair fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“Is the situation really that bad?”

— It is. Now that I’m here, the direction things are heading in doesn’t look good at all. There’s a real chance war might break out. Damn it… do you have any idea how much gold I fed those Amiens bastards just to get established? The losses are no small matter. Even if I try to sell the company now, I’m not sure I’ll recover what I put into it.

Faintly, the sound of pacing echoed through the line. Boots crossed the floor again and again, just as they always did when things weren’t going his way.

After a long sigh, Henry raised his voice slightly, trying to steer the conversation away from the headache.

— Anyway, nothing unusual back home, I hope?

Blair froze for a brief moment, caught off guard, before slowly bringing the receiver closer to his mouth.

“I intend to proceed with the marriage to Cissy as planned. Aside from that… nothing of note.”

— That alone is news. You were so adamant about refusing marriage before.

“We’re preparing to hold the ceremony as soon as you return. We’ll keep it small—invite only a few guests and hold a modest wedding. Cissy has agreed.”

— Cissy is far too fond of you. Given the times, I understand rushing the marriage, but the ceremony should be grand. Otherwise, it’ll be rather awkward for me when I face Count Bronte.