They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 34

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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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Was such a thing even possible in the first place?
The thought flickered through my mind, but I pushed it away deliberately.
He ran hot—everything about him was burning.
His tongue, his saliva, his lips.
My body kept tilting forward, drawn by his arms until I landed on the bed, and his lips never once parted from mine.
I was the one who’d wanted to keep him from escaping.
My interlaced fingers were already pressed down against the sheets.
As he grew rougher, rummaging through my mouth with increasing fervor, I twisted helplessly, and through every point of contact I felt the searing heat and the flex of his muscles.
Even the frantic, almost broken rhythm of his heartbeat thundering beneath.
That this man truly loved me.
I never imagined I could feel his desperate longing so vividly, so clearly.
Only when my breath grew ragged did he finally pull away.
The transparent thread connecting us slowly snapped.
“Now… do you look better?”
He spoke slowly, catching his breath.
As his practice partner, I should be honest with him.
“…No, not at all.”
At this point, my flushed face wasn’t even the problem.
My eyes seemed half-lidded too.
“This is troublesome.”
He murmured softly, then licked his lower lip with his tongue.
My gaze locked onto that slow, deliberate movement.
Such a simple gesture felt far more provocative than it should.
“How does one grow accustomed to this?”
Indeed.
Could one ever truly grow accustomed to something like this?
Afraid I’d lose myself if I kept looking at him, I fixed my gaze on empty air instead.
One thing had become certain, at least.
‘Elhart seems to have absolutely no talent for hiding his feelings.’
***
“I suspected as much, but it’s quite serious.”
During dinner, Kei pressed his forehead at the troubles I’d confessed.
“You suspected?”
“Anyone would know the Prince likes the Commander just by spending five minutes together.”
‘Hmm… is that so…?’
I glanced at Elhart, who seemed utterly deflated by his pathetic results.
His drooping eyes looked pitiful.
“Of course, it’s not entirely bad.”
Following my gaze, Kei looked at Elhart and spoke.
“Really?”
“Indeed. After all, the two of you must act as if you’re in love with each other, mustn’t you?”
“That’s… true?”
“I’m not sure about the Commander, but as for the Prince, you don’t need to act in that regard at all. Quite desirable, really.”
For some reason, Kei looked satisfied.
If one of us didn’t have to worry about acting, that wouldn’t be bad at all.
“However, if your face turns red at every small touch or exchange of glances, people will start doubting whether you’re actually a married couple.”
I nodded at Kei’s words.
The couples I’d observed around me weren’t embarrassed by something so trivial either.
“So that’s why I’m asking for your secret.”
I wouldn’t be consulting this fellow for nothing.
‘Kei already had three children by my age, so he’d know the way.’
Pope Carterus and the still-young Bella couldn’t possibly understand such troubles.
Though it would certainly be… amusing.
For that reason, I’d consulted with Elhart and decided to seek Kei’s advice.
“There is a method.”
Oh, as expected!
“What is it?”
However, Kei didn’t open his mouth easily and instead furrowed his brow, alternating his gaze between Elhart and me.
“Could it be… that preparation is needed? Like magical reagents or something?”
“No, that’s not quite it….”
“Then?”
At my urging, Kei let out a short sigh and muttered to himself.
“I didn’t push this without knowing what would happen.”
“Huh…?”
Push what?
Kei, who had been watching me with narrowed eyes, opened his mouth after a moment.
“It’s nothing. I’ll tell you the method, so it’s up to the Commander to decide whether to try it or not.”
“Alright, understood.”
As I nodded readily, Kei chuckled and opened his mouth.
“The principle is simpler than you’d think.”
Both Elhart’s and my gaze snapped toward Kei’s mouth simultaneously.
“If you simply accelerate the relationship to the point where minor physical contact or exchanged glances feel trivial, it should work.”
“…?”
“…!”
As I pondered Kei’s words, Elhart spoke.
“So that’s why you hesitated to mention it.”
“Yes, well. Precisely.”
In other words, what Kei was suggesting was….
‘If we simply spent a night together, a light kiss wouldn’t make her face flush red.’
It was a remarkably plausible approach.
I felt almost certain it would work.
‘It wouldn’t even require much time.’
We intended to wrap up our business in Cradian within two weeks.
That was the window during which Carterus could remain at the Imperial Palace as a guest without arousing suspicion in his new role as Pope.
If we failed to uncover the Imperial Family’s secrets by then, we would have to consider the mission a failure.
After that, we would need to head straight to Bardia and pose as a married couple.
‘Continuing pointless practice would be far worse than this.’
Unlike me, Elhart showed reluctance.
“I can’t force something like that on Ser Brin. We haven’t even promised marriage, and this is only a deception.”
“I mentioned it precisely because I anticipated you would say that.”
“…?”
“You seem to have rather rigid principles, Your Highness.”
Kei shrugged.
“Three hundred years ago, people simply lived together if their hearts aligned, bore children, and raised them. When someone died, they quickly found another partner and lived together again.”
I nodded in agreement.
It was an era when people died ceaselessly.
Since it was impossible for people to live as humans should, marriage institutions and everything else were in chaos.
“Among the Expedition Team members, there wasn’t a single one younger than the Commander, yet most of them had partners.”
…Speaking like this, it might seem as though I alone was indifferent to romance, but that wasn’t actually the case.
‘I simply had no prospects.’
No one approached me with romantic interest.
Only colleagues who saw me as anything but a woman surrounded me.
‘Starting with Mikhail.’
Whenever something seemed subtly promising, I would inevitably conclude it was all my imagination.
Back then, I was young and not impatient, thinking a partner would naturally appear as I aged.
But then three hundred years suddenly passed.
“In any case, for that very reason, the Commander won’t view the method I proposed the same way the Prince does. You’ll simply think, ‘Oh, how rational.'”
I glared at Kei with a sullen expression.
“That’s not exactly what I thought.”
Though I certainly did think it was a reasonable approach.
“Then that’s fortunate. What you must remember is to attempt it only when you feel at least some desire to do so. Don’t approach it like a chore.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I nodded without hesitation.
Kei clicked his tongue and turned his gaze toward Elhart.
“You see? Your Highness should make wise judgments. This is the state he’s in.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…?”
What? I clearly said I understood.
“…Rather than looking at me like that, why don’t you eat?”
I wanted to say something to Kei, but there was an iron rule in society from three hundred years ago.
‘You must endure at least three times for someone who feeds you.’
Knowing that, Kei spoke directly without reading my mood.
“This is delicious.”
“Isn’t it? The ingredients that came in were excellent. It was enjoyable to cook.”
“I helped quite a lot too, Iserna.”
Bella chimed in from beside me.
“Yes, you worked hard. Your skill is impressive.”
At my praise, Bella laughed with a flushed face.
‘For Kei’s descendant, she’s excessively cute.’
I picked up my spoon as if nothing was amiss, but for some reason, it was difficult to look toward Elhart.
That was probably because—
‘He’s not even eating, so why does he keep staring at me?’
His gaze lingered on me for a long time.
Very persistently.

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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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