My Secret Flower - Episode 23

“I, ahem, what happened?”

My voice came out a little hoarse and cracked. The thought of having cried and whimpered under him like that made my face flush.

He seemed to find my embarrassment cute, giving my cheek a peck before pulling me into a tight hug and lying down beside me. I really liked this feeling of our bodies touching.

“I don’t know how scared I was when I thought you were dead. I’m sorry if I pushed you too hard, but I couldn’t help myself.”

“…I thought I was dead too. Was I asleep for a long time?”

“Not long. The teapot outside the door cooled down, so the butler brought fresh hot water, but it cooled down to lukewarm again.”

“Outside, what outside?”

I wondered what he meant, then a memory flashed through my mind, and I snapped to attention. I remembered asking the maid to bring tea before I came to his room after finishing dinner.

The color drained from my face. Why had I forgotten that? I could only hope that the maid, hearing strange noises from inside the room and not daring to disturb us, had simply left the tea at the door and would keep her mouth shut.

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Ash hugged me tightly several times, then let go, peppering my forehead and hair with kisses, not leaving me alone. It was very similar to what I did when I received a pretty doll as a gift.

“I’m so happy I could die right now without any regrets. Ah, correction. If I died like this, I’d be so upset I wouldn’t even be able to close my eyes. Hmm… I don’t regret coming to find my happiness without any lingering feelings, even setting aside my mother’s last wishes?”

“Your mother’s last wishes?”

“My mother cherished that somewhat lacking brother of mine quite a bit. Even right before she passed away, she was worried about leaving him alone.”

Did Mother only favor Pavilion? Ash didn’t seem jealous, displeased, or disappointed, so maybe that wasn’t it.

“Ash must have been a reliable son?”

“I was healthy above all else. But that guy barely survived several brushes with death when he was young.”

“What happened?”

“He was born premature and was often sick because his body was weak.”

He looks perfectly fine on the outside. Well, parents worry about their children even when they grow up if they were sick when they were young. My mother couldn’t leave my side whenever I was sick and bedridden.

“Being sick isn’t anyone’s fault. But parents think it’s their fault. I think Ash’s mother felt the same way.”

“That’s right. It’s no one’s fault. But the person who’s actually sick doesn’t think that way. That guy had asthma since he was a kid, and it was also my mother’s chronic disease.”

“Ah… Pavilion resented his mother.”

“Not only did she cherish such a guy like he was made of gold, but she even asked me to take care of him before she passed away. I think I’ve done my duty. I’m not free enough to take in a fully-grown man who’s perfectly capable.”

I understood why Ash and Pavilion’s relationship wasn’t good. What I just heard was only a small part of it, and there must be a lot of emotions built up between them besides that. As he said, Pavilion is now a complete adult, and Ash has even given him his ranch, so he can live well on his own.

If only that feeling he has for me could be resolved smoothly.

“Still, you’re brothers. Blood is thicker than water, even if you fight. I hope things work out smoothly between you two.”

“That guy is more persistent than he looks, so he probably won’t give up on you easily. And neither will I.”

He gently lifted my chin with his finger and softly kissed my lips. I felt a pang of regret as he pulled away after just a short kiss.

“From the moment I first saw you, and after swearing under that mistletoe, I can never give up. That guy has already left my hands, and he’s just a severed tie. In short, the person I have to protect has simply changed.”

His serious gaze towards me didn’t waver in the slightest. Whenever I met that unwavering gaze, I sometimes thought that the love he held for me in his heart was greater than I imagined.

After resolutely confessing his feelings, he lowered his gray eyelids and smiled shyly. Then, he carefully cupped my cheeks with his palms and left a soft kiss on my eyelids.

“Do you remember that I promised to dedicate my life to you? You are the only person in this world who can save me or kill me. That’s how much I love you, Lishua.”

“…I love you too. So much that I couldn’t live if you died. So please, live for me until the end.”

“I will obey that command.”

People love in many different ways. Among them, I wanted to love like my parents. A love where affection for each other overflowed so much that others would envy us just by standing side by side.

That’s why I think of him as a gift sent by my mother. Because I’m sure that I can have an even more affectionate love with him than my parents. With him, I wasn’t afraid of any hardship or adversity.

There would be no more perfect partner than him as a lifelong spouse.

‘And his nighttime skills are amazing too.’

Even if it was our first night, I’ve never heard of anyone fainting during the act. But I don’t think I’m weak enough to lose my mind.

Moreover, even when I was going crazy with pleasure, he maintained a certain level of composure, boasting tireless stamina. If I hadn’t whined about my legs hurting, he might not have let me sleep today.

At that moment, my lower abdomen tightened, and my back twitched.

“Ugh…”

“Lishua?”

He stopped showering me with kisses and looked at me with wide eyes, surprised by my reaction. He carefully scanned my flushed face.

He scrambled to sit up and turned me over so I was lying on my stomach, facing him. I looked at him with a questioning gaze, and he sat on my thighs with a sly smile, his eyes fluttering.

‘No way, could it be?’

But that ‘no way’ got me.

“I was thinking while you were asleep, and the easiest position to keep your legs from hurting is this one.”

“No, I didn’t mean right now…!”

“Why? Do you not like it? Should I not do it?”

“Ugh…”

“I won’t do it if you tell me not to.”

My mind was in chaos. My head was screaming that I shouldn’t give in, but my body was honestly heating up between my legs, as if it wanted him. Even as the conflicting thoughts wrestled and incited each other, he didn’t stop. Unlike my troubled self, he even let out a hot breath as if he was feeling very good.

I sighed and pressed my cheek against the bed sheet, relaxing my body. I came to the clear conclusion that reason couldn’t overcome the pleasure of the flesh, no matter how much it struggled.

“I want to be able to walk safely tomorrow. Just let me walk.”

“Are you giving me permission?”

“Do it quickly before I change my mind. Hurry.”

As soon as the permission was given, he grabbed a pillow and shoved it under my pelvis.

“Lishua. You look so beautiful right now.”

“Ugh, don’t say things like that, it’s embarrassing!”

“Don’t be silly. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about, it just means you’re that attractive to me. Your naked body is so special that it can’t be compared to anything else.”

He has a talent for melting a woman’s heart. How can he only say such nice things?

As I squeezed the bed sheet tightly out of embarrassment, his thing, which had regained its position, filled me completely. A thrilling ecstasy instantly overwhelmed my mind.

It was the moment I fell into a blissful world.

“Lishua, good morning! Or, good afternoon? Anyway, I’m glad you came back alive!”

Evelyn’s shout, who was already sitting at the restaurant, echoed loudly in the room. Thanks to that, my face turned as red as a beet. I buried my face in Ash’s shoulder, who was easily holding me in his arms, and sighed deeply.

I had expected it. I expected Evelyn to guess that I had passionate love with Ash in his room. And that Ash might not have let me sleep.

And one more thing, that Evelyn would never let it go quietly when she met me.

‘How can everything be so accurate?’

Where did I go wrong? Was it a problem that I seduced Ash without fear? Was it because I unleashed the reins of instinct that Ash had been holding tightly on his own? Was the pleasure of the flesh that I couldn’t stop the problem?

Anyway, the conclusion is that everything is just a reality that I chose and obtained. Ash’s proud and satisfied expression too. Evelyn’s mischievous attitude of covering her mouth with her hand and laughing slyly while shaking her shoulders too.

And Pavilion’s annoyed face, sitting crookedly next to her with a bug-chewed expression too.

“Are you very hungry, Lishua? I told them to bring the meal right away, so please be patient.”

Ash, treating the two men and women sitting in front of him like ghosts, coaxed me and carefully sat me down in the dining chair. He straightened my legs, which were still not working properly and were placed haphazardly, and put them together neatly. It was like they were someone else’s legs attached to my body.

‘I begged you so much yesterday to just let me walk.’

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