The Night of Endless Purification
“Huff…….”
Irene swallowed her sob and shook her head.
But Michael, as if he had grown used to her every twitch, refused to pull his lips away.
A full hour had passed since she had given him permission. He kissed her with ruthless persistence.
His fingers were nothing compared to his tongue.
Even the act of entering had made her feel as though her breath was caught in her throat, forcing her to gasp and cough several times at the beginning.
He filled her small mouth to the brim and soon began to explore it as if it were his own.
The spot his fingers had scratched was now warm and slick as he rubbed it in circles.
Strangely, that alone made her hands curl and her legs twitch beneath him.
Kissing was a normal act of passion; she knew the changes her body was undergoing were inevitable.
“Ah, hah, huff!”
The rough demonic energy surging into her along with his tongue made her entire body even more sensitive.
Her lungs burned as if she had swallowed fire, yet she could only accept every stimulation he gave her.
“Ha-eut!”
The moment Michael’s hand slid down the curve of her back and traced the dip of her waist, Irene felt a jolt run through her whole body and writhed in pleasure.
“W-wait. Just a moment, wait….”
Irene raised her trembling hand and pushed against his shoulder.
At first he had been trapped tightly between her legs, but now his knee had wedged itself between them.
Just as stubborn as the tongue devouring her mouth, his leg moved without shame.
In the time it took her to catch her breath from the frantic kissing, his knee had pried her legs wide open.
And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he settled himself between them.
“Please bear with me just a little longer.”
Michael stroked her hand, which was trying to push him away, and coaxed her gently.
“Just once more…….”
With that he pressed his lips to hers again. Irene’s voice, which had been about to protest that he was lying, vanished completely.
Just once more. How many times had she heard that same plea already?
So Irene, half giving up, accepted him once more.
‘How on earth do they do this every single day?’
Like Princess Cecilia, a 1st-rank purifier, merely holding hands could purify a single trace of demonic energy.
But the others could not relax like her.
Even Reina, only 2nd-rank, had to sneak quick kisses away from prying eyes while raiding dungeons with Felix.
And Irene had seen them slip into the same room at night more times than she could count.
In her previous life she had thought Michael’s intense desire stemmed from losing control of his reason.
But now, beneath him, calmly kissing and kissing again, she had become even more exhausted than before.
The wet flesh making sounds as it collided inside her mouth.
She had no idea how many times she had come apart while he kissed her.
At first she had worried he might notice her excitement, but the moment his hand slipped lightly under the fabric of her belly, all thoughts fled her mind and she simply followed wherever he led.
What had begun as one kiss had long since passed five. Finally Irene passed out for a moment.
Perhaps it was the shock of her body going limp that startled him.
Michael finally released her swollen lips with reluctance.
Only when her breathing calmed did Irene’s mind slowly return.
He kissed every inch of her face as if he were a puppy who had realized his mistake and didn’t know what to do.
It was nothing compared to the deep exploration he had done earlier, but to Irene it still felt like a powerful stimulus.
His lips, still circling her cheek, drifted lower and began to suck her earlobe again and again.
Long ago, the stray dog the Count’s servants had raised used to do exactly that.
Feeling the same ticklish sensation, she let out a small, involuntary laugh.
At that moment Michael’s movements stopped completely.
“……?”
Startled by his sudden stillness, Irene worried something might be wrong.
When she lifted her gaze to look at him, she saw his startled expression.
Lately she had seen many expressions on him that she had never seen before. But this was the first time she had seen this one.
As if he were seeing the world for the first time.
Irene felt a strange sense of embarrassment at his dazed, adoring stare and turned her head away.
A moment later he spoke in a voice thick with emotion.
“You smile like that?”
“It was just from ticklishness…….”
“It sounds lovely.”
With that he lightly kissed her ear again.
The sensation of his breath tickling her skin made her whole body tremble once more.
“U-uh, stop. Please stop.”
She shook her head in protest, but he continued to kiss her earlobe.
As if he wanted to hear that small laugh again.
* * *
The purification that began at night only ended when dawn broke.
At first it had happened on the carpet; she had no memory of when they had climbed onto the bed.
The only thing she remembered was that he had carried her in his arms and kept kissing her the entire time.
He sucked and licked her lips as though he were the first child to taste candy.
Now that she was somewhat calmer, Michael’s eyes had returned to their usual bright blue.
“Haa……”
Seeing that he had indeed purified himself, Irene let out a sigh of relief.
Soon the people waking in the fortress would be wandering around.
If they saw him leave her room at dawn, malicious whispers would naturally follow.
Moreover, since he had also regained his senses, he would be in pain facing the embarrassing things they had done all night.
“Please, to the prayer room…….”
“Do you find it uncomfortable that I am here?”
Irene’s words drew a strangely hurt tone from Michael.
Uncomfortable?
Irene could not answer. It was true she had not felt comfortable, but that did not mean she was repulsed by him.
The one who should feel uncomfortable was not her.
She herself did not care what others thought, but for him there was too much to lose if he stayed here.
So he should be the one who felt uncomfortable……_.
“It’s not that. I just…….”
“If it doesn’t bother you, please don’t worry about anything else.”
With that answer his face brightened and he rose from the bed.
Irene thought he was preparing to leave, but he entered the bathroom, returned with a damp towel, and began to wipe her face and body with careful strokes.
For hours his tongue had been all over her body.
And the blood that had stained his body had left sticky marks on hers as well.
The moment the cold cloth touched her skin, Irene unconsciously exhaled in relief.
She wanted to tell him to hurry and go so she could clean herself, but the coolness and comfort were so welcome that before she knew it she had completely surrendered to his hands.
He wiped every corner of her body with meticulous care.
A while later Irene’s eyes began to grow heavy.
“Thank you for the purification today.”
Purification. Yes, everything that had just happened was part of it.
Hugging her without pause, kissing her, tickling her, refusing to let go even a millimeter while listening to her laughter—it was all because of demonic energy.
Not his desire.
A strangely mixed feeling of disappointment and relief stirred in her chest.
She should have thought more about her own feelings, but her exhausted body was already being dragged into darkness by her consciousness.
Now was the time to truly rest.
Michael gazed at the sleeping Irene.
Because he had swallowed and sucked at her as if he were devouring her, her face and body were covered in his scent.
He lowered his face and listened to her steady breathing.
Though she was tired, it was a peaceful sound.
At the same time he smelled his own scent rising from her body.
Not surprising. No matter how many times he had washed her, he had kept his own scent thick inside her small mouth and had made her accept it.
If he could, he wanted to suck that small tongue that had moved so tirelessly for days until it became completely familiar to her, but there was no need to rush.
His eyes softened as they looked at the exhausted, sleeping Irene.
“My pair.”
He bowed his head and swallowed the small lips that had given him stability and joy all night.
She was his pair.
“My…… wife.”
The wife he had to be with.
In an instant his blue eyes flashed red.