IHDOE Ch 62

She examined her right hand.

[Satina] "If you came all this way in the middle of the night, it must be urgent. You said you didn't want gold or jewels, so could it be..."

Interrupting her, a rare occurrence, he spoke.

[Katan] "I want you, My Lady."

He added quietly.

[Katan] "Since I can't lay a hand on you without your permission. Give me ten minutes. Grant me your hand for just ten minutes."

[Satina] "My hand?"

She had felt a trace of tension, wondering what he could possibly crave late at night, only for him to request something as simple as her hand.

Well, a hand shouldn't hurt.

[Satina] "Fine. Do as you wish."

She sat on the edge of the bed and extended her hand to him.

Katan opened his palm and pressed it gently against hers. With prominent veins and visible bone structure, his hand was easily a knuckle or two larger than hers.

Interlocking his fingers with hers as if forbidding any escape, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. His eyelashes cast long shadows across his pale face as he lowered his gaze, only to look up at her a moment later.

Suddenly, Satina recalled Serpens kissing the back of her hand earlier that afternoon. Was he mimicking what Serpens had done?

No way. That can't be it.

She shook her head slightly.

Katan extended his tongue, licking the back of her hand. The sensation of his wet, soft tongue trailing across her skin scattered her thoughts.

Nipping lightly at her skin with his teeth, he offered a low warning.

[Katan] "Focus on me right now, My Lady. You are rewarding me, are you not?"

A faint mark from his teeth remained on her skin. He obsessively licked and sucked over the bite mark, almost like a beast tending to a wound or perhaps cleansing away another person's trace left behind.

Just when she thought that was all, Katan targeted her palm. Grasping her wrist firmly, he licked the soft inner palm. Every trace of his tongue along the lines of her hand sent a strange, feather-light shiver down her spine.

She had assumed "granting her hand" meant rubbing his cheek against it or receiving a gentle pat on the head. Clearly, she had miscalculated.

[Satina] "Wait... Katan, this is..."

Before she could say strange, he hovered over her.

The plush mattress pressed against her back as he filled her entire field of vision. Black hair spilled over his forehead, and unbuttoned shirt fabric revealed a thick throat and firm chest beneath.

He leaned down closer. Instinctively, she raised her hand to block her own lips.

Of course, if he desired more, overcoming her resistance would be easier than twisting a child's wrist. Yet, he merely pressed a gentle kiss against her fingertips.

[Katan] "Don't be so guarded. I am well aware you only granted me your hand, My Lady."

She felt the slight curve of his lips against her fingers as he spoke. Then he nipped at her fingers with his lips.

[Satina] "Katan. Wait, ah...!"

She tried to push his shoulder with her free hand, but her effort proved futile. Interlocking his fingers with her free hand, Katan pinned it down onto the bed.

Unlike his cheeks, which usually felt cool, the inside of his mouth burned hot.

In the quiet room, only the sound of him obsessively sucking her fingers echoed. His intermittent breaths tickled her palm.

While tasting her fingers, his dark eyes stared intently into hers, as if implying that what he truly wished to touch lay elsewhere. Under his gaze, heat rushed to her cheeks.

His thumb lightly stroked the inside of her palm. Forced apart by his large hand, her fingers throbbed slightly.

As her brow furrowed, he released her fingers and grazed them soothingly with his lips. A shudder ran through her as her wet, saliva-slicked fingers met the cool night air.

[Katan] "My Lady..."

He gently nipped at the soft palm flesh using only his lips.

[Katan] "My Lady..."

The gentle nuzzling felt strange, almost as if he were coaxing for permission. Her heart pounded erratically, as though she had been sprinting at full speed.

Steeling her resolve, she pushed his face away firmly.

[Satina] "Ten minutes. Ten minutes are up."

[Katan] "Ah, already..."

A regretful sigh escaped his lips. Fortunately, he rose without resistance as she pushed.

Satina glared at him with resentment, yet Katan merely licked his lips as if savoring a lingering taste, eyeing her hand once more. His gaze suggested he was far from satisfied, that he could continue for hours if permitted.

[Satina] "T-That's enough, right? If you're finished, leave."

Curling her fingers to hide her hand, she shoved his shoulder. Remaining like this threatened to lead to further trouble.

[Katan] "Understood. Have a peaceful night."

[Katan's affection has increased by 3.]

[Satina] "Right. You too."

Hurriedly ushering him out, she sank to the floor with a long sigh. Only then could she properly inspect her hand.

Having been licked and sucked so thoroughly, her hand was a mess of bite marks. Red, bruise-like marks remained on the back of her hand, embarrassing to show anyone.

This is somewhat...

Heat flushed her earlobes. Until these marks faded, showing her hand to others would be quite difficult.

Exiting her room, Katan licked his lips.

Sweet, as expected.

Her delicate hand was fragrant and soft, even more so than he anticipated. If possible, he wished to sever that wrist and devour it whole. Perhaps then the hunger gnawing at his chest might lessen.

He recalled Serpens, whom he had encountered before visiting her room.

The priest had clearly sensed something. However, Katan couldn't yet tell what consequences that shift would bring.

---

Even after returning to his quarters following the encounter with Katan, Serpens suffered from an inexplicable chill.

My condition is strange.

Perhaps traveling such a long distance had strained his body.

I have matters to investigate with Lady Satina tomorrow, so I had better rest early tonight.

He retired to bed earlier than usual. And then, he dreamed.

He stood inside a chapel. It was an abandoned, dusty chapel where visitors rarely trod, a place he frequented whenever he needed to organize his thoughts in solitude.

Expecting to find it empty that day as well, he had walked in, only to discover an unexpected visitor.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through dusty, unmaintained stained-glass windows.

Sitting alone, a woman's golden hair glittered in the light. Though clad in a black dress as if attending a funeral, she was strikingly gorgeous and beautiful.

He froze in place, staring at her unblinkingly. Though intellectually aware that such behavior violated propriety, he couldn't avert his gaze.

She was neither praying nor reading scripture. She sat there glaring at the statue of God, her eyes brimming with resentment as if she wished to shatter it with a hammer.

Then, she turned her head and looked at him. The moment his eyes met those deep magenta orbs, his breath caught.

She seemed to deduce his identity immediately from his attire.

[Satina] "Are you Lord Serpens? I heard you returned to the capital recently."

She stood up.

[Satina] "I didn't expect a high priest to visit such a dilapidated chapel."

[Serpens] "I occasionally come here to gather my thoughts on days without service."

[Satina] "Ah..."

Gazing at her pale neck revealed above the black dress, a strange thirst seized his throat, a sensation he attributed to the recent warm weather. Secretly, he wiped his sweaty palms against his clerical robes.

[Satina] "I have heard much of your reputation, Lord Serpens. That you are versed in Temple doctrine and extend mercy to all."

[Serpens] "You flatter me."

[Satina] "There is something I wish to ask such a revered priest. According to Temple teachings, murder is an unforgivable sin, and God loves every person equally."

Even with Serpens before her, she continued to glare at the statue of God, barely suppressing a chilling malice.

[Satina] "Yet if God slays someone, who punishes that sin?"

[Serpens] "If it is the deed of God, there must surely be a reason."

[Satina] "A reason... What kind of reason?"

Her red lips whispered softly.

[Satina] "God doesn't love everyone equally. He favors, dotes on, and loves only His chosen child."

Instinct blared loud warnings. The woman before him was dangerous. Though he knew it was best to turn away and avoid entangling himself with her, he couldn't suppress his desire to know her.

[Serpens] "May I ask your name, My Lady?"

[Satina] "My name is Satina..."

The scene shifted.

He walked down a dark corridor, a secretive space located in the innermost sanctuary of the Temple where none could enter without his permission.

As he approached, his heart pounded violently. Opening the door, he found the golden-haired woman standing within.

[Serpens] "Miss Satina."

Naturally reaching for a whip inside a nearby drawer, he gripped it tightly.

[Serpens] "Miss Satina. Have you reflected on your sin of attempting to murder the Saintess?"

She offered a captivating smile. The red lips that had drawn his attention since their very first meeting moved mischievously.

[Satina] "What exactly should I reflect on?"

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