The Wind Calms the Fire - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11
Lea had thrown the first punch with reckless courage, but in a heartbeat, he’d seized control from her hands.
“Mmm…….”
She couldn’t match the brute strength of his grip around her body, much less keep pace with the relentless assault of his kiss.
Each time her breath caught, he’d pull back only to shift angle and resume, threading kisses together without pause.
“Ah, ha…….”
Their breaths tangled violently, slick and urgent.
Carion savored the feel of golden strands caught between his fingers while his other hand traced the delicate curve of her neck.
He found himself unable to let go.
Carion was experiencing the miraculous wonder again.
The mysterious force that had ravaged his body, wild and commanding, was beginning to settle.
But it went far beyond mere physical recovery.
The energy that had tormented him was now flowing smoothly through his veins.
The enemy had become an ally in an instant.
Breath—warm breath from her parted lips spilled across his face and scattered.
Carion felt laughter rising from somewhere deep inside him.
He couldn’t lose this. Something in his mind snapped.
Bracing himself on one arm, he lifted his body and shifted their position, wrapping his other arm around her waist to hold her close.
He pressed her down beneath him—a primitive instinct to keep her from escaping.
He sealed her mouth with his own, lips pressed together, and deepened the kiss.
Both wore only thin nightclothes.
Locked in each other’s arms, sharing breath dense and intimate, they felt every contour of skin-to-skin contact, every curve of the other’s body.
The friction where their bodies touched transformed into a drowsy, languid pleasure.
His tongue traced up along her cheek; his lips caught her earlobe gently between them.
A shiver raced across her skin and her body trembled, convulsing slightly.
“Hah!”
His lips moved past her ear and down her neck, kissing along the sensitive hollow again and again.
Pressed against his solid chest, her heart hammered in wild rhythm.
It seemed as though flame gathered at his fingertips; each time he brushed her skin, heat bloomed.
“Ah……!”
Lea gasped in startlement, drawing in a sharp breath.
She told herself: ‘This man isn’t in his right mind.’
Calming his Rampage had to be the priority now.
She’d never allowed anyone to touch certain places before, yet here was a man she’d known only days doing as he pleased—and somehow she could bear it.
She’d already made peace with throwing away her life to save him; letting him touch her body was the least she could do.
‘Mmm…….’
She squeezed her eyes shut.
If she’d found it unpleasant, she could have gritted her teeth and endured. But the sensation of his large hands caressing her was strange, unlike anything she’d known.
Her fingertips and toes tingled.
It was similar to that numb sensation when blood flow returns to a limb, yet different.
Heat pooled in her head and her breathing quickened without reason.
His hand swept down across her lower abdomen, then drifted lower still.
‘Wait, hold on!’
How far was she meant to permit this?
In her previous life, she’d lived largely on impulse.
Immediate crises demanded immediate solutions, and such situations were far from rare.
That habit meant she hadn’t thought about consequences when she kissed him.
Things were escalating into dangerous territory.
She could almost hear the mocking voice: ‘You’ll give your life, but not your body?’
‘But that and this are different things!’
She tried to push him away, but his body suddenly went limp.
“Huh?”
Pinned beneath him, Lea waited a moment.
His breathing, audible near her ear, had become rhythmic and steady; his body lay motionless.
Lea strained against his weight with all her strength. He didn’t budge—he was too heavy.
‘Help me. I need your help now.’
The instant Lea threw all her might into her arms, wind slipped through the gap and flipped his body onto his back.
As the crushing pressure lifted, she gazed up at the ceiling and drew several deep, ragged breaths.
She caught her breath, sat up, and hastily rearranged her nightclothes, which had fallen nearly open. Her hands were shaking slightly.
‘I brought this on myself. I know, I know.’
She fanned her face with her hand.
Her heart continued its frantic drumming, and her ears burned hot.
It seemed she could still feel the raw, deliberate touch of his hands on her skin.
Lea turned her gaze deliberately away, fixing it on the far corner of the room rather than look at Carion’s face or hands.
A gentle breeze circled around her, as if to soothe.
Once she’d composed herself somewhat, Lea crept toward him.
His sleeping expression was at peace, his breathing steady and calm.
It looked as though he’d simply fallen asleep rather than lost consciousness from unbearable pain.
‘Is it over now? Won’t it erupt again?’
As if in answer, a small breeze brushed across her cheek.
Lea crossed her arms and fell into thought.
‘Let’s assume his Rampage first occurred in the forest.’
If he’d gone Berserk before that, he would have died then.
‘He left the forest, kissed me, temporarily recovered, and then after some time had passed, went Berserk again…….’
Questions piled atop questions without end.
Why was his Awakening so unstable?
Had his Rampage truly subsided completely this time?
If it was only a temporary reprieve, when would he go Berserk again?
Did physical contact truly quell his Rampage?
How much contact was necessary?
Deep in thought, Lea suddenly started and looked away.
The sky visible through the window had turned a deep blue-black.
‘This is bad!’
Lea hurried back to her own room.
The moment she confirmed the room was empty, she climbed into bed and burrowed beneath the covers.
‘Phew.’
She couldn’t express how anxious she’d been about running into Penny in front of the bedroom door.
She’d announced loudly that she’d sleep properly, and if it came out that she’d been sneaking around at night, it would be utterly shameful.
‘And what excuse could I possibly make!’
As the cold bed grew warm with her body heat, everything that had happened came rushing back with vivid clarity.
The flush and excitement in the sculpted face of that man was something she couldn’t help but notice, couldn’t help but remember.
She’d been stifling silent screams of ‘Oh my!’ within her own mind when sleep finally claimed her.
* * *
Sunlight streaming through the window fell across his face.
Carion frowned and rolled over before suddenly sitting bolt upright.
He looked rapidly around. No one was there.
He checked his own appearance. Fortunately, he was still wearing his sleep clothes.
‘Was it a dream?’
How vivid that dream had been…….
The sort of dream one only had in those early days of awakening to desire.
And the woman in the dream was the Zephyros princess, no less!
He swore he’d never harbored lust toward her.
He’d thought about touching her, certainly, but there had been legitimate reasons for it.
With one hand pressing against the bridge of his nose, lost in self-recrimination, something glinting caught his eye.
He picked it up with his fingers.
It was a single long strand of golden hair.
Catching the light, the hair shone with the brilliance of spun gold thread.
“Ha!”
Like a dam breaking, all his memories came flooding back at once.
From what had happened in the forest last night through to the conversation they’d had at dawn.
‘Good God.’
It would have been better if it truly had been a dream.
What had he done?
The fact that his memory had gaps made it all the worse.
He had no idea how far his worst behavior had gone.
* * *
Carion had been waiting in his office since early morning.
The princess might come looking for him, after all.
With his chin propped on his clasped hands, he sat at his desk.
As time dragged on, his anxiety grew steadily worse. Time moved with unbearable slowness.
‘Let’s wait just one hour. We’ll either go looking or send someone to find her.’
His mind felt broken. The same scene replayed endlessly.
The soft warmth of her skin against his palm, her startled breathing, the small gasp……
He clenched his teeth, trying to shake off the heat pooling in his lower abdomen.
He’d always trusted his willpower, but he’d never realized how weak his body could be when instinct took hold.
“Your Highness.”
Carion looked up, startled from his thoughts.
Cedric was standing before him.
“What is it?”
“The Wildfire damage assessment and recovery documents, sir.”
Carion gestured for him to set them down.
He unfolded the topmost papers before him.
“How extensive is the damage?”
“Forest Village was completely destroyed. Property damage elsewhere is minimal. There are a few injured, but none requiring treatment. I was planning to assemble an investigation team to determine the cause of the fire.”
“Hold off on the investigation team.”
Carion hadn’t yet decided how long he would remain at the Military Garrison.
Forming an investigation team would take at least a month or more to complete.
“Understood, Your Highness. Regarding the guests in the Separate Building——”
Cedric’s hands paused mid-turn of the papers.
The guests in the Separate Building referred to the Zephyros Envoy Delegation.
The fact that Zephyros’s delegation was staying at the Military Garrison was confidential.
It was best to minimize their exposure as much as possible, but the Official Residence contained too many classified documents to house them all there.
For now, rooms had been provided only to the princess and her attendant.
The rest of the delegation was moved to the Separate Building.
The Commander’s personal Royal Guard was stationed around the Separate Building.
“Last night, they disobeyed our orders and assembled in front of the Official Residence. Many soldiers witnessed them.”
“Why did they gather at the Official Residence?”
“Upon investigation, it was apparently at the delegation leader’s instruction.”
“The princess?”
“Yes.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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