Font Size:
Episode 11: Rose
“Darling.”
“Is it really you, Rose?”
“…What are you talking about? What does that even mean?”
Afrosa looked at him with a face that said she was hearing something utterly absurd. Alec, still unable to believe it, kept breathing heavily. Even in that moment, his body below was responding faithfully. How long had it been? How long since Afrosa’s lovely body had pressed against his in this way?
It hadn’t happened since before the greenhouse in the auxiliary palace burned down. Except for the time he had forced a kiss on her, this was the first time. Even then, he had lost control and lunged at her. It had been nearly 20 years since their last kiss, and after the night Aristide was conceived, they had no physical intimacy. Maybe that was why he had gone mad.
“Are you really hurt somewhere?”
Afrosa shook the hand he was holding, trying to pull away from his chest. He didn’t want to let her go. Sensing something strange, she forcefully pulled her hand free and looked directly at him.
“Alec.”
It was remarkable. Arofsa—his wife—looking at him with tenderness. No, the fact that she even tried to meet his gaze. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
“Darling…”
A pale thumb brushed against his tear-streaked eyes. Unable to hold back, Alec pulled her toward him, causing them both to collapse onto the bed. Afrosa let out a soft cry of surprise, looking up at him. He, unable to contain himself, pushed up her skirt, revealing its pale mustard color that extended down to her ankles in a bell-like shape. Gently, as though worshiping her slender ankles and the curve of her heel, Alec kissed her skin before taking her toes into his mouth. Afrosa gasped and struggled, trying to push him away.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? That’s it. You need to see a physician. Get up.”
Afrosa squirmed and managed to sit up on the bed. Alec rose as well, guiding her hand to his arousal. Her face flushed bright red.
“W-what are you doing? In broad daylight…”
“I don’t need a physician.”
Alec looked at her with a restless, smoldering gaze. His voice, low and rough, was thick with desire. Blushing deeply, she stared back at him. His long fingers tugged at her skirt once more, lifting it higher. The heat of his touch brushed against her pale thighs. Embarrassed, she gently pushed at his chest, but he didn’t budge. Had he always been like this? Upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely unusual—this wasn’t the first time he had made such advances in broad daylight. Recently, they had followed a more consistent schedule for intimacy, as advised by the physician, after learning that frequent attempts hadn’t yet resulted in a child. But before that, there had been plenty of impulsive moments when they entwined their bodies wherever and whenever the mood struck.
In the woods, the fields, an abandoned mill, or an empty chapel where no villagers ventured… In their first year of marriage, they had sought secluded places just to be together. Alec had fearlessly led her across streams and into forests where no paths existed, driven by passion. Thinking back now, it seemed reckless—maybe even a little crazy—but she had been reassured by Nora, an older woman, who said that was just how newlyweds were.
Still, what worried her now wasn’t their intimacy but the pale exhaustion on his face. She feared he might collapse from pushing himself too far. While she didn’t mind making love, she couldn’t help but wonder if doing so in his condition might result in something catastrophic—like the sudden death she had only ever heard about in tales.
“Rose,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with longing, echoing in her ears. Between her legs, where he had stirred her just two nights ago during their midnight tryst, a strange sensation awakened. His long fingers slipped beneath her skirt, their movement serpentine.
“Nnh…”
She looked at him, her face flushed and her breath heavy. Her husband’s expression was one of pure rapture. It was as though he wasn’t gazing at her with desire but with awe, as if standing before a divine presence. His joy was so profound that it seemed to freeze on his face, his features faintly rigid with elation.
She couldn’t understand what had happened to him. That morning, he had left early with Uncle Larry to repair the monastery’s walls. She, too, had gone out after breakfast to collect acacia blossoms for the evening meal.
While gathering flowers, she lay down in the field to rest and drifted into sleep. She remembered having a strange and confusing dream, though the details eluded her. Unsure how long she had slept, she grabbed her basket and went to find her husband at the monastery. Uncle Larry grumbled that Alec had returned home, saying he hadn’t been feeling well. The monks at the monastery also mentioned they hadn’t seen him since early that morning when he was with Uncle Larry. While there didn’t seem to be any immediate cause for concern, her worry drove her to return home quickly.
“…Alec.”
Her lips were captured. She could no longer speak. His warm breath enveloped hers, and his soft tongue entered, brushing against her palate and entwining with her own. The wet, intimate sounds of their kiss heated her body and overwhelmed her senses. It had been so long since they’d shared a kiss this intense. Even two nights ago, during their last time together, he had not been this rough. Then, he was gentle and affectionate, and they had lovingly discussed their hopes for a child as they waited for dawn with contented hearts.
“Mm… ahh…”
Afrosa let out a small moan as her lower lip was bitten, her hands fumbling against his chest. Alec tore off his shirt in a feverish motion, grasping at her with fervor. When he pulled back from the kiss, she looked into his face. His handsome features were tangled with a storm of emotions—desire, tension, ecstasy, and even a hint of fear.
“Say it again,” he whispered.
“Dar…”
“You said Alec. You called me Alec,” he said, his voice trembling.
His face hardened, and with a fierce movement, he tore at her tunic, his hands pressing into her skin. The sensation of his touch was overwhelming. Afrosa shuddered, a soft gasp escaping her lips. He leaned down, burying his face into her neck, his breaths rough and urgent. She arched her back, his hands roaming over her waist, shoulders, and arms, as though he couldn’t get enough of her.
“Rose… Rose, please, look at me.”
The man, who had been licking her collarbone and pressing his lips against her skin repeatedly, lifted his head to look down at Rose. His gaze was filled with such desperate urgency that it was heartbreakingly pitiful. Afrosa, panting from his restless touch, looked up at him with confusion.
“Alec…”
Why are you acting this way? Why…? His eyes resembled those of a child who had lost their mother—flickering between suffocating fear and rising anger. Unable to fully consume her, he seemed to be burning with frustration, his actions instinctual as he kissed and licked her cheeks, eyelids, and lips with a reckless hunger. Like an untamed young beast, his behavior left her speechless. As Afrosa continued to stare at him in stunned silence, he pushed her onto the bed with his rough hands.
“Ah.”
A soft gasp escaped her lips. He had already positioned himself between her legs, looking down at her as if he would devour her whole. The sharp, dark lust reflected in his steel-gray eyes was piercing. Afrosa gazed at him softly, then willingly opened her legs. At her signal, his beastlike eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Mm, ahh! Ugh, ohh!”
Sweet moans filled the small cabin. Alec sucked and bit at his wife’s skin like a man starving. He felt like he was going insane. No, he had already gone mad. Could someone fall this deeply? He adored her so much he thought he might die from it. If his heart stopped beating again and he closed his eyes forever, he would cry tears of gratitude for this moment.
“Rose, Rose…”
He had burned the world to ashes. He had torn apart the women he once tangled with, slaughtering them with his own hands. He had gouged out his son’s eyes while he was still alive, sliced his neck, and discarded the body. He had decapitated his daughters, separating their heads from their bodies. A man like him, receiving such a gift from the gods, was unthinkable. This couldn’t be the world of the living—it had to be the realm of the dead. He deserved to go to hell. And yet…
“My love.”
This is paradise.
“My love, you…”
“I love you, Afrosa.”
His eyes welled up with tears in an instant. As he whispered, he grasped her pale chest, marveling at its youthful beauty. Her slender waist, her graceful calves, the elegant curve of her thighs, and the luminous, flower-scented skin—all of it was too perfect. If she were truly alive, he shouldn’t be able to touch such things without them slipping away. Was this a dream he was wandering through? If so, he didn’t want to wake. But if it wasn’t, then he couldn’t comprehend the reality before him.
The fact that Afrosa had appeared to him young and radiant, looking at him with the eyes of a loving partner, was unbelievable. A moment like this would never come again.
“My love?”
Tears fell onto her cheeks. Startled, Afrosa sat up to comfort him, but before she could, his large hand pressed down on her wrist with a roughness, and he whispered:
“It hurts… because I couldn’t be inside you for so long….”
Afrosa froze, speechless, staring at him. Wiping away his tears, he lifted her legs high. Lowering his head with practiced ease, he inhaled her scent deeply. Afrosa grasped his hair, panting heavily. A shiver ran through her body as her thighs trembled uncontrollably, goosebumps rising from the intense, dizzying sensation that overwhelmed her.
This was the man she had been with countless times, the man she had joined bodies with again and again. Even before they were married, they had shared secret moments, rolling together in the grass, her wet moans filling the air before their wedding night.
And yet, it still felt unfamiliar and frightening. Afrosa watched the bear-like man, so massive in build, lower his head as if devouring a jar of honey, burrowing himself into her. The rough scruff of his jaw brushed against her delicate skin, introducing a new sensation that made her squirm.
“Hng, ahhh…”
Her soft whimpers, like a child’s cry, echoed against the low ceiling. She tilted her head back, hips writhing faintly. Alec raised his head, his rough hand stroking her waist with fervor. Afrosa, overwhelmed by the intensity of his touch, hit his chest in protest, but Elec was undeterred as he entered her.
“Ah!”
The sudden intrusion brought tears to her eyes. Sharp pain made her bite down on her lip, but the searing heat and thrilling sensation were almost unbearably good.
“W-Wait!”
Afrosa shouted with a flushed face. Yet, Alec had already lost all reason and began to move. His rhythm rocked her body, the warmth between them enveloping her entirely. The slick sounds filling the room mixed with their heated breaths, igniting them both. Her lips, unable to suppress the pleasure, were swallowed by his as he kissed her deeply.
Afrosa felt every bit of him, their mouths locked in a passionate, messy kiss. Alec clung to her fiercely, crushing her against his broad chest, bending her spine as her body melded with his.
“Ah, Alec…!”
Even as her lips were swallowed, the cry of her climax escaped. Alec looked down at the woman trembling in his arms. Though he held her tightly enough to break her, she didn’t shatter. Instead, her flushed cheeks and adoring gaze pierced his soul. Her half-lidded, dreamy eyes were unbearably lovely.
“…I want you to consume me,” she whispered faintly.
Afrosa, who had been staring at him as if dazed, quivered slightly at the corners of her eyes. Her expression was irresistibly endearing. Alec, swallowing his ragged breaths, ran his fingers gently through her hair and parted his lips from hers.
“Please…”
His voice, low and hoarse, spilled into the room.