TSMMT Ch 156

Ways of Loving

Guiscard restrained himself no longer. Stroking her leg before the bed, he dropped to his knees and reverently pressed his lips to the instep of her foot.

Does he wish to become a slave? Does he want to return to being a slave?

[Dianna] "Guiscard."

Though she had expressed her desire, he refrained from pouncing on her like a beast. Locking eyes with a fervent gaze, he grasped her ankle and pressed his soft, supple lips to her skin.

Flinching at the ticklish touch, Dianna attempted to pull her leg back, yet he refused to release his hold.

[Dianna] "Ah... ngh."

She clutched the bedsheet. The fallen robe had slipped from her body long ago.

A moist tongue caressed her tender skin, making her tense her waist rigidly.

Every nerve centered on her legs. What began as a ticklishly soft kiss intensified. She watched the tender skin of her thigh flush crimson where his lips touched.

His hands traced her leg, his lips trailing higher up her thigh.

Her eyes widened as she gasped, her knuckles clutching the bedsheet, drained of color. A high-pitched whimper escaped her lips.

Wet sounds and occasional weeping gasps echoed through the quiet room.

In the flickering candlelight, her hazy consciousness trembled at the pleasure he bestowed, calling his name repeatedly before collapsing into ecstasy once more.

Ultimately, she lay disheveled and completely undone upon the bed.

She closed her eyes. Guiscard gazed spellbound at the woman looking up at him with moist, glistening eyes.

Slightly damp golden hair sprawled across the sheet. Her slender neck, ribs rising as she drew breath, and beautifully flushed skin radiated warmth. A sweet scent, delicious sounds, an intoxicating touch. It was the woman he loved.

He could easily abandon reason and become a beast claiming his wife. Yet he wished to lose himself in bliss together. That was his greed. Thus, he whispered to her.

He leaned down and whispered softly.

[Guiscard] "Tell me again."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "Hurry."

Dianna stared into his luminous violet eyes. His hand stroked her thigh lazily, setting her cheeks ablaze. As if triggered by the gesture, she writhed slightly, realizing that in this state, she was unequivocally the vulnerable one.

His large hand traced her thigh continuously, squeezing gently. Goosebumps broke out across her skin, yet her heated body pleaded for more.

Dianna looked up at him with a sulky frown, a tinge of annoyance lacing her desperate face.

Amusement touched Guiscard at her uncharacteristic, childlike demeanor, prompting a low chuckle.

She frowned with an anxious look.

[Dianna] "I told you... I want you..."

[Guiscard] "..."

His thumb caressed the tender skin of her inner thigh. That alone drew a breathless gasp from her, her face flushing at the lingering sensation.

Though driven mad with lust himself, why did he demand such words? Yet seeing the subtle happiness gracing his face, Dianna cupped his cheek. She cupped his face gently.

[Dianna] "Guiscard, hold me. Please?"

[Guiscard] "..."

Serving as a signal, he reverently pressed his lips to her forehead. The feel of his burning breath washed over her as he nibbled her earlobe and buried his face in the soft curve of her neck, tasting her skin.

Tensing at the sensation of his lips suckling her sensitive skin, she felt as though he knew precisely what pleased her most.

She whimpered softly.

[Dianna] "Please, please..."

He whispered against her skin.

[Guiscard] "Tell me you want me."

Why did those words please him so much that he persistently tormented her? Having already driven her mind and body into a frenzy, why push further? How many times did she need to say it?

Sitting up slightly, Dianna threw her arms around him. Radiating intense heat, the man's solid frame pressed against her soft body. Looking into his face, she kissed him.

A moment of startled stiffness yielded as his tongue met hers in a soft, entwined embrace. Cupping her cheeks with both hands, he deepened the kiss.

Their bodies pressed together so tightly that flesh yielded to flesh.

Despite being intimately close and hearing her desire, as if even that were insufficient, he held her tighter, exchanging kisses and breathless gasps.

Does he love me this much? Does he cherish me to this extent? Why is he so fervently warm?

His large hand stroked her hair, trailed down her shoulder blades, and caressed her lower back before sliding further to grasp her soft skin.

Dianna clenched her fists as he pulled her closer.

Without resistance, Guiscard entered her effortlessly, stealing her breath away. Exercising restraint no longer, he claimed her body passionately, kissing and tasting every inch of her skin.

Nothing else was needed; anything separating them was merely an obstacle.

Bare skin entangled with bare skin, gazes locked, and lips met repeatedly.

---

Dianna lay upon the bed once more, her body exhaling the sweet fragrance of aromatic oils.

They had ended up bathing in the bathhouse again, where passion inevitably reignited. As if reproaching Dianna for her past indifference, he had pushed her to her absolute limits in the bath.

Good grief, we behaved like wild beasts...

She released a quiet sigh. At this rate, Countess Novara would surely burst into hearty laughter.

Lying on his side, Guiscard looked down at her.

[Guiscard] "Why?"

[Dianna] "No... it is nothing."

[Guiscard] "What is it?"

A persistent glint touched his eyes.

[Guiscard] "Is someone tormenting you?"

[Dianna] "If someone were, what would you do?"

[Guiscard] "I would kill them."

What nonsense... He has no idea he is the one causing my turmoil.

Dianna released a low sigh and shook her head. A soft chuckle tickled her forehead as his low voice echoed near her ear.

He leaned closer.

[Guiscard] "Ann, I like when you make things comfortable like this."

[Dianna] "...What do you mean?"

[Guiscard] "I mean I love that you treat me comfortably, just like before."

His forehead rested against hers. Fluttering long eyelashes, he spoke softly.

[Guiscard] "When you use formal honorifics, I am at a loss."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "I am not someone you should treat with such deference. I am not that kind of man."

Stroking her cheek in the quiet room, he spoke softly.

[Guiscard] "Lady Ann, do you know what I regret most?"

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "Slaying Gren Brienne too easily. He should have died a far more painful, agonizing death."

[Dianna] "..."

He continued in a somber voice.

[Guiscard] "Regardless of your wounds or feelings, that is what I believe. It should have been far more cruel, far more twisted."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "From the beginning, my ways differ drastically from normal. They are thoroughly warped."

Is that so...?

Dianna pondered blankly. Beyond being consumed by fanatical thoughts in her past life, Guiscard himself acted in ways that naturally bred misunderstanding.

He whispered near her face.

[Guiscard] "And what I regret least of all..."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "Is making you my woman when you were so determined to die. Even if only for a fleeting moment, I took you as my wife."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "For that alone, I harbor no regrets."

She offered a mournful smile. His words caused no anger; instead, the past felt like a distant memory.

Watching his unburdened expression, she brought forth a question held deep within her heart for a long time.

Looking up at him, she asked softly.

[Dianna] "What if... what if, Guiscard..."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Dianna] "Had I not been so mature back then, would you still have loved me?"

[Guiscard] "..."

[Dianna] "I mean... had I been an immature, foolish girl typical of that age, like Alexa... would you have married a woman like that as well?"

[Guiscard] "What do you mean?"

What foolish lingering sentiment is this? Why seek validation for the past-life Dianna Brienne from the present Guiscard?

Yet closing her eyes tightly, she continued her query. Squeezing her eyes shut, she whispered further.

[Dianna] "Had I not openly freed you from servitude, had I not made you my personal slave... had I been merely a foolish girl of that age who naively pitied your tragedy from afar..."

[Guiscard] "..."

She knew he couldn't comprehend her meaning. To Guiscard Lodbrog, Dianna Brienne was a regressed, desolate girl bearing the world's grief. The past-life Dianna Brienne didn't exist here, just as the past-life Guiscard Lodbrog didn't exist here.

She murmured under her breath.

[Dianna] "Had I been a girl who simply pitied you, bestowing sympathy and charity..."

In truth, she knew the answer. It was a no. Guiscard would never have loved such a Dianna. What was there to love about the foolish daughter of a perpetrator who cherished her own family? That girl had pitied his tragedy, yet done nothing for him.

Guiscard lowered his eyes, reading her gaze.

[Guiscard] "Is that not obvious? Of course I would have loved you."

Liar.

He lowered his gaze, reading her doubt before speaking softly.

[Guiscard] "A girl capable of pitying a filthy slave in that household... how could I possibly dislike her?"

She opened her eyes at his words.

[Guiscard] "I didn't love you because you were remarkable."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "I loved you because you offered me warmth."

She lowered her head, an overwhelming wave of emotion surging within her throat.

He continued softly.

[Guiscard] "Even if you have been immature, I would have made you mine regardless. Holding the bright girl in my arms and making her mine..."

He closed his eyes while holding her in his arms, his steady breathing filling the silence.

Tears flowed silently from her wide-open eyes.

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