Chapter 20: Tangled in Her Tenderness
Birdsong filtered through the tall arched window of the Pope's private chambers, light and clear against my ears. Morning sunlight spilled across my skin, warm enough to make the stone floor feel almost inviting. The Ascension Rite loomed only two days away, and for one brief moment the day felt like it might stay gentle.
…Huh?
My eyes opened and met hers instantly. Vespera's golden gaze curved into a soft crescent of welcome, the same look she always gave me when she wanted me to feel safe.
What was happening? Why was she right here, inches from my face?
The wet, obscene slide of our mouths filled the quiet room, slick and insistent, each slow pull of her tongue drawing more saliva between us while she devoured me like she had all the time in the world. My voice came out thin and off-key again, higher than I meant it to. A nervous little breath caught in my throat and slipped out as a shaky, self-conscious sound, my shoulders twitching once while warmth rushed up my neck.
"Puhap…♥ Did you sleep well, Lirian…♥" Her tone wrapped around my name like a blanket, soft on the surface but heavy underneath.
"Haa… Your Holiness?" The words finally formed properly, though my throat still felt tight and raw.
A sweet-bitter taste coated every inch of my tongue, the way it does after you've sucked on something rich and sticky all night. My lips glistened, and a fierce thirst scraped at the back of my mouth.
She let out a low, satisfied hum that vibrated against my skin, warm and unmistakably pleased. "How about it… shall we keep going…?"
"…What? What do you mean?"
"…I still want more…♥" She ran her tongue slowly along her lower lip, eyes never leaving mine.
I shifted my gaze around us. Our legs were tangled tight, bodies pressed flush together as if we belonged like this every morning. Her arms held me close, the weight of her robes warm against my bare chest. It looked exactly like the kind of lazy, loving awakening I sometimes caught myself imagining—except this was real, and it was her.
"Wait… my robes…"
"Ah…♥ I tore them off…♥"
"…Why? Why would you—"
"Because the buttons kept getting in my way while I tried to undress you…♥"
"And these bite marks on my chest…?"
"I have no idea…♥" Her voice stayed light, but the corner of her mouth curved in a way that made my stomach tighten.
None of it added up. My usual clerical robes had vanished completely. Dark imprints of teeth covered my chest like a scattered constellation. I lay there in nothing but a thin pair of shorts, skin against skin with the Pope of the Holy See of Akadonia in her own bed.
"Um… Your Holiness…"
"Yes…♥"
"Could you… maybe let my hand go for a second…"
"No…♥"
Her fingers clamped down hard on my ass, squeezing with enough strength to make my breath hitch.
A broken, overwhelmed groan tore from my throat, raw and involuntary, vibrating against her skin. "Haa… then I'll just go get some water and come right back…"
"Oh♥ Thirsty, are we?"
"Y-yes… y-yesss…" The word dragged out of me in a nervous, cracking whimper, embarrassment flooding my face.
Her expression brightened with sudden delight, like she'd thought of something wonderful. Still pinning me in place, she sat up and reached into empty air. An ornate teacup etched with the emblem of the Holy See of Akadonia shimmered into existence. She lifted it to her lips, took a long sip, and held the cool water in her mouth.
She wasn't really going to—
Her golden eyes locked on mine again, patient and expectant, as if waiting for me to open up.
I shook my head hard, refusing. Another hesitant breath of laughter slipped out of me, quiet and uncertain, the kind that happens when your body wants to shrink away but can't. "I… I'd rather drink from the cup…"
"Hmm…?"
"I mean… you know…"
She leaned in anyway. The wet, obscene slide of our mouths returned, forceful this time, as she pushed the water past my lips. For half a heartbeat I worried it might be something else, but it was only clean, cool water. It soothed the dryness in my throat and spread a refreshing chill through my chest.
It didn't last. Her tongue—thick, strong, relentless—swept in and stole every drop back, licking and sucking with greedy strokes that left me gasping.
"Paah…! Your Holiness…"
She pulled away just enough to speak, breath warm against my cheek. "Let me take care of your thirst again."
The same thing happened once more: the deep kiss, the water, her tongue claiming everything I tried to keep. I gasped when she finally broke the seal, chest heaving.
She exhaled sharply, the sound shaky and thick with satisfaction.
Silence dropped between us like a curtain. We stared at each other without speaking. One of us was the hunter; the other had already been caught by the throat. There was no way out.
Her tongue slid inside my mouth again, slow and slippery, exploring every ridge. Each time it brushed the roof of my mouth my whole body jolted. When she pressed harder, deliberate and knowing, goosebumps raced across my arms and my muscles clenched tight down low. I hadn't even known that spot was a weakness.
Then it crashed over me without warning. The climax slammed into me hard. Every muscle went slack at once; my mind blurred as strength poured out of me in hot, pulsing waves. The front of my shorts turned dark and wet, the fabric clinging obscenely.
A soft, shaky "Aaah…" slipped from my parted lips, thin and uncertain, carrying the exact mix of shame and forced compliance. "Haaah…"
She made a soft, pleased noise against my skin, dark with delight. "My, you really are sensitive…♥"
"I-I didn't mean to… cum…"
"Another little weakness of yours, discovered…♥"
Her lips left mine with a wet pop and moved to my cheek. She pressed a gentle kiss there, warm and lingering, then nuzzled against my exhausted face like she couldn't get enough of how helpless I looked.
A bitter little smile tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. She seemed so genuinely delighted, like she didn't know what to do with how cute I was in this state.
Another soft, reluctant sound of laughter escaped me, warmer this time but still edged with unease, the kind that comes when you're too tired to fight the affection. "Your Holiness… I think it's time for me to head back now…"
"Already…? No way…♥"
"Please… I have to prepare breakfast…"
"Ah…♥ That's right…♥"
With a small gesture of her hand my shorts hummed softly and the mess vanished, fabric clean and dry again in an instant.
She loosened her hold just enough to let me breathe and spoke in that calm, maternal voice she used when she was about to set rules. "Before I send you off, there are a couple of conditions."
"…Conditions?"
She gave that low hum again, eyes sparkling. "First, wear this clerical robe."
A neatly folded set of robes appeared in the air and dropped lightly onto the bed beside us.
It seemed simple enough. I unfolded them quickly and started to pull them on. The size felt roughly right, but something was off. The hem barely reached mid-thigh instead of falling all the way to my ankles like it should. The upper half and shoulder cape were loose and billowy, almost comically oversized by comparison.
It looked unbalanced, almost like a costume someone had altered on purpose. I wasn't sure I liked the way it sat on me.
Heat crept up the back of my neck as another hesitant chuckle escaped, quiet and uncertain in the quiet chamber. "Is… is that all for the conditions…?"
"No…♥ There's more."
Without warning she held her pinky finger right in front of my face, the gesture so childlike it felt out of place in the grand chamber.
Her beautiful smile suddenly felt heavier than usual. I glanced between her face and the offered finger, then carefully hooked my own pinky around hers.
She let out a low, satisfied hum. "Lirian, where were you yesterday?"
"Uh… in Your Holiness's private chambers…"
"No…♥ That's incorrect…♥"
A shy uncertainty flickered through me, but I tried to hold my ground. "It feels right to me…"
"No. You clearly spent the night in the Healing Sanctum♥"
Her pinky tightened around mine with sudden force, twisting just enough to remind me how easily she could overpower me. The difference in strength was absolute. The answer had already been decided; I only needed to speak it.
I managed a weak, embarrassed sound that was half laugh, half sigh, the kind that comes when you know resistance is pointless. "Yeah… I slept in the Healing Sanctum last night… really…"
"Exactly, Lirian♥ You must have just forgotten for a moment…♥"
"So… we'll say I just arrived…?"
She released the pressure and pressed her thumb to mine in approval. "Perfect…♥"
"Then… what happened yesterday stays between just the two of us♥"
I nodded, the weight of the promise settling heavy in my chest. "Yes…"
"It's a promise…♥"
"Pr-promise…"
She seemed to realize she had pushed too far, because she quickly sealed my lips with another light touch before I could say anything else.
…
I finally slipped free from her arms and staggered out of the Pope's private chambers, legs unsteady beneath me. My whole body still felt sticky, coated in a sweet scent that clung to my skin and hair. My head throbbed in slow, dull waves, and the memories from last night refused to line up properly.
What exactly had happened after the Dragonblood Wine?
Once I reached my own modest quarters deeper in the Grand Cathedral of Akadonia, I carefully folded the new robe and stepped into the small bathing chamber. I stopped in front of the mirror for a long look.
…What the…?
Bite marks stood out clearly across my pale chest—far more than I had imagined. Red imprints dotted my skin everywhere, overlapping in places, hardly any unmarked stretch left.
I let out a long breath. "Phew… Cure!"
A soft hum of magic washed over me. Warm light bloomed across my chest, and the marks faded away one by one until my skin looked untouched again.
The night felt like a film torn in half. I remembered drinking the crimson Dragonblood Wine straight from her mouth, our lips locked tight. After that, everything blurred into nothing.
…A honey jar.
I couldn't be sure, but the hazy image kept surfacing: burying my face in something sweet like a jar of thick honey and licking at it with my tongue. The taste had been so addictive I could have stayed there forever. The more I licked the more it flowed, so I had pushed my tongue deeper, chasing every drop. Eventually it felt like honey had splattered everywhere and I'd ended up with my mouth full of the richest, most concentrated part.
I didn't want to know what it really was. That uneasy feeling sat heavy in my stomach.
By the way, what was this?
A black choker circled my neck, far too large and heavy for my petite frame. No matter how many times I searched my memory, I had no recollection of fastening it myself.
Had Vespera done this while I was out of it?
"My head is killing me…"
The throbbing wouldn't ease, but I decided to let it go for now. I unfastened the choker with careful fingers and set it on the shelf above the washbasin. Then I drew a bath, letting warm water fill the tub until steam rose in soft curls.
A single droplet slipped from my hair and fell into the still surface, sending tiny ripples across the water.
I sank in slowly. My body went limp at once, every tight muscle unwinding in the heat. A pleasant drowsiness rolled over me in gentle waves, the kind that makes you forget the heavier things for a little while. This was the sort of small, certain happiness I could hold onto.
The last traces of stickiness melted away. The sweet scent that had clung to me faded under the clean lather of soap. My skin, which had felt so used and marked, slowly began to feel like mine again.
Thanks to the restoration magic I had cast earlier, the bite marks had vanished completely, leaving no evidence behind.