“Wow…”
A snow-covered world.
The party gasped at the majestic panoramic view of the kingdom, which could only be seen after crossing mountains and more mountains.
Some of them, like Mia who had rarely stepped outside Elvenguard, and Tay who was always busy with work, were seeing Palana for the first time.
“I’ve never seen snow before…”
“No way.”
“I’m serious! Basel is warm year-round, so it never snows! Hehehe! Snow! Snow!”
Tay jumped into a mound of snow like a child.
Flailing arms and legs, Tay enjoyed the soft touch of the snow.
Cold, yet soft.
Soft, but still easily packs together.
Is this what snow is?
After giving it a lick, Tay grinned widely.
Having grown into an adult in three years, Tay was playing around like a child, making everyone smile.
“Hehehe. Children should play like children. It’s not good to just work all the time… Sniff?!”
“Hehehe! Priestess, come play too! Is this what’s called a snowball fight?”
“No thanks. I’m at an age to graduate from that kind of thing… Gah!”
“Come on! Don’t say that, let’s play together!”
“I said I’m not playing… Gah!”
“Come on! You’re scared! You got scared!”
“…”
With snowballs hitting her face from both Nameless and Seo Gong, Jill’s expression twisted.
Seeing this, she mumbled inwardly about how these little brats really… and finally jumped into the snow.
“I’m playing just for you! Yah!”
Jill threw a handful of snow with all her might, but it scattered into the air in an instant.
Whether it was a lack of strength or skill, Jill kept failing to throw the snow properly.
In the end, she was just surrounded by Tay, Nameless, and Seo Gong, getting hit with snowballs endlessly.
“Ha, I surrender…”
“Hehehe! Priestess neutralized! Next up is Yulia…*”
“What?”
“Huh…”
Just as the kids were ready to turn their mischief towards Yulia…
Yulia turned around and shot them a cold glare, and the kids shrank back instantly.
Despite being very timid and friendly in nature, her exterior didn’t match her personality at all.
Even knowing this, it was hard to approach her.
The kids hurriedly apologized and turned their backs on Yulia.
‘I wanted to play too…‘
I thought that if I pretended to be stern, the kids would coax me in, and if I pretended I couldn’t resist, I could join them… but…
Yulia felt a bit disappointed.
“But where’s Yoo Jin?”
“Not sure. He went ahead. Maybe he’s at the palace.”
Mia glanced around, then suddenly spotted the Ice Cave in the distance.
A beautiful ice cave shimmering with enchanting light.
“Sniff sniff sniff…”
She held back.
She had held back a lot.
For a long time.
Yerina thought of this as a reward for herself for holding back and took in Yoo Jin’s scent non-stop.
It was Yoo Jin’s smell.
Even after smelling and sniffing, she wanted to keep inhaling Yoo Jin’s scent.
But whenever a scent of unfamiliar perfume or another woman’s smell wafted in, she couldn’t help but tense up.
“What perfume is this?”
“I can’t tell what smell you’re talking about.”
“Is it from the Priestess? Or maybe the Witch?”
“It could be Cornelia.”
“Haaa…”
With her body filled with heat, Yerina took a deeper breath.
She wanted to erase all these scents.
She wanted to stain Yoo Jin only with her scent.
In her heart, she wanted to engage in the territory marking unique to her kind, but that seemed too dirty, so she barely held back.
“But your slave… isn’t that too much?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re leaving your marks all over him. What’s this? Anyone would think the slave and the master have swapped places.”
As Yerina checked Yoo Jin’s body, she voiced her complaints.
No matter where she touched, it was all the marks of a Blood Ghoul.
When she shot a sharp glance, Mi Jeong simply looked elsewhere, pretending not to know.
“Arrogant slave.”
“Ah.”
With a strong bite, Yerina drew a faint scream from Yoo Jin.
She bit his hands, arms, nape, and cheeks.
Any visible place, she bit.
“Haa… Haa… Haaa…”
“Are you satisfied?”
“…”
Yoo Jin was bleeding as if his body was cruelly sliced by sharp fangs.
Yerina slowly nodded her head.
She was satisfied.
The problem was, her excitement was far from settling down.
The more satisfied she was.
The more wounds she left on Yoo Jin’s body.
The more her excitement increased uncontrollably.
And in the face of this, Yerina felt self-loathing.
“Are you disappointed…?”
“No. Why would I be disappointed suddenly?”
“I’m just someone who can only express affection this way…”
She had never learned about ordinary love.
Taught to take and seize everything by fight, love was thought to be the same.
But with someone like Yoo Jin, who couldn’t be monopolized, what was she to do?
The best she could do was leave as many physical marks as possible to assert her ownership.
Yerina’s primal instincts commanded her so.
Her desires led her to act this way.
She knew nothing about how an ordinary couple exchanged love beyond this.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s barbaric…”
“And romantic.”
Romantic? Is this romantic? Yerina tilted her head as Yoo Jin grabbed her arm.
Without hesitation, he sunk his solid, soft arm into his mouth.
Amid the warm feeling, the sensation of his firm fangs made contact.
It’s not really pain, but a tingling feeling.
Combined with Yoo Jin’s gaze, that tingling sensation felt so sweet, it made her forget it was fundamentally pain.
Did Yoo Jin feel this way too?
If so, she could somewhat understand the idea of it being romantic.
The thought that your loved one wishes to mark their body with wounds because they desire them wasn’t unpleasant at all.
She could only wish for him to crave and desire her even more.
“Hoo.”
As Yoo Jin pulled away, saliva dripped down.
Yoo Jin was smiling contentedly.
When she looked at her arm, the formerly smooth skin now bore distinct bite marks.
It wasn’t just a light bite either.
There were actual bruises.
Blood had burst around the bite, darkening ominously.
When had she last been hurt like this? Yerina recollected.
Aside from when she was very young, she had never even been hit in a match.
Even if she were to get hit, she’d never once had bruises on this steel-like body.
This was a wound made on such a body.
The first wound she permitted.
A wound that only Yoo Jin could leave.
Thinking that way, the corners of her mouth twitched, and happiness spread throughout her.
“What’s it like to feel it from the other side?”
“It hurts.”
“And?”
“I’m incredibly happy…”
“That’s exactly what I’m feeling.”
Her instinct as a Beast-folk was all ugly and barbaric.
No matter the humans, dwarves, or elves, they all treated her with contempt.
Many looked down on her, comparing her to a beast.
So, she feared to show Yoo Jin these instincts unreservedly…
Yet Yoo Jin accepted them as they were.
It almost seemed like he liked these instincts.
Did he always like them?
Or did he come to love her, including this side of her?
She could no longer discern what came first or last.
What was sure was, there wasn’t a wall of species between her and Yoo Jin.
“It seems like I understand why I’m doing this as I go along. Can I ask more?”
“Of course. Hah…”
Chomp, chomp.
With every strong bite from Yoo Jin, Yerina’s body trembled.
Her soft wolf ears were now crumpled under Yoo Jin’s grip.
Her skin, as smooth as white jade, was marked with bruises here and there.
Her nape, shoulders, and both arms turned blue.
Nevertheless, Yoo Jin showed no signs of slowing down.
Ah, if this keeps up, we won’t be able to go outside.
Everyone will see…
Even while feeling a sense of crisis, Yerina couldn’t bring herself to stop Yoo Jin.
Part of her thought, what’s the big deal?
If they loved each other, isn’t this natural?
“Ahhh…”
Yoo Jin’s lips slipped under her silk garment.
Before she could say, “Wait, that’s…!”, Yoo Jin’s mouth was already there.
Though it was much gentler than before, the tingling sensation Yerina felt was the strongest of all.
“Kkhh…!”
Her waist lifted and arched.
Her heels were pulled back as her toes curled.
As she tilted her head back, Yoo Jin’s bite mark was vividly displayed beside her ribs.
“How about the other side?”
“Haa. You’re not human; you’re a Beast-folk, right?”
“Seems so. I’ve found my identity today.”
“Whew, really…”
While whispering, ‘Do it on the other side too,‘ Yerina pounced onto Yoo Jin.
She couldn’t hold back any longer.
