If his position had been occupied by a dense protagonist like Bell Cranel, that man would have been utterly incapable of grasping the complexity of the current situation and would have stood there in blank confusion, like a donkey that had wandered lost into the middle of the road.
Unfortunately, Charlie was not that kind of person. His long life experience — including his previous life as a husband — had shaped him into a man keenly attuned to the shifts in a woman's mood.
"I see." The corner of his lips rose into a meaningful smile. "Ais, are you jealous?"
"..."
Silence was her answer. Ais did not avert her gaze from him. Those golden eyes continued to stare with sharp intensity, yet behind that sharpness lay something fragile — like a thin layer of ice on the surface of a lake, ready to shatter at any moment.
Charlie may not have fully realized just how dangerous this situation was. Leaving a girl's mood to simmer in jealousy was a suicidal move. Calmly, he reached for Ais's hand, his fingers touching that cool skin with deliberate gentleness.
"Is Airmid beautiful? Yes, I'll admit that."
In an instant, the light in Ais's eyes dimmed. Her pupils dilated slightly, and in the depths of that gold, darkness began to yawn open like a chasm — a chasm ready to swallow anyone who fell into it, including Charlie himself.
But before that darkness could spread any further, Charlie raised his other hand and touched Ais's cheek softly. That warm touch was like an anchor pulling Ais back to the surface.
"But what does it matter?" Charlie whispered, his voice gentle as a caress of wind. "To me, you are more beautiful than any woman in Orario."
He internally excluded Aishia and Est from that statement. Neither of them were from Orario, so technically he wasn't lying.
"Really?" Ais's voice was barely above a whisper. "You're not lying?"
"See for yourself." Charlie drew Ais closer, then gently guided the back of her head to rest against his chest. "Listen. Does my heartbeat sound like a man who's lying?"
Ais fell silent, and listened.
*Thump... Thump... Thump...*
A steady, even rhythm, without any suspicious quickening. Charlie's heart beat calmly, like a perfectly functioning engine.
"Mm." Ais gave a small nod against his chest. "I believe you."
The jealousy that had filled her heart vanished without a trace, like morning mist burned away by sunlight. In its place rose a warmth that spread through her chest — a feeling she struggled to put into words. Ais could only compare it to the happy moments she had shared with her father long ago, when she was still small and the world had felt so safe.
*(Phew~ It seems my skill at soothing women hasn't dulled after all.)*
Charlie let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly, while his hand gently stroked Ais's long blonde hair.
That warmth lingered for a while, accompanied only by the faint sounds of Orario's bustle drifting in from afar. But as was always the case, Ais could never stay still for long once she had a purpose in mind.
"Charlie."
"Hm?"
"Let's do it."
Ais looked up, gazing directly into Charlie's eyes. A faint blush colored her usually pale cheeks — a rare sight that only a handful of people had ever witnessed.
"You mean—"
Charlie blinked, uncertain he had heard correctly.
"Sex."
"You..."
Watching Ais say that word so easily, without hesitation or shyness, Charlie was momentarily taken aback.
"You don't want to?"
"It's not that..." Charlie scratched a cheek that didn't itch. "It's not a matter of wanting or not. But..."
Of course he wanted to. What man would refuse an invitation from a girl as beautiful as Ais? The problem was time. He only had roughly two hours before being summoned back to the Sanctuary Void. That short a window wouldn't be enough to play to their satisfaction — and he doubted Ais would be satisfied with something that rushed. Besides, both of them were Level 6.
"..."
Ais very much wanted to show him the results of her recent "training."
Since reaching Level 6, accumulating Excelia had become increasingly difficult. Outside of the Deep Floors, the Dungeon provided almost no meaningful growth anymore. Because of that, she had redirected her focus elsewhere.
Over the past several days, she had often been in discussion with Tione Hiryute — an Amazoness.
Amazonesses held a view of sexuality vastly different from other races. As a race of female warriors born and raised in an environment without men, they were accustomed to openness. An Amazoness's sense of shame was extraordinarily low — one could even say it was nearly nonexistent — compared to Elves or Humans, who were bound by layers of rules and taboos.
For an Amazoness, sex was as natural as eating or fighting. They did not see a naked body as something to be hidden, but as an instrument for bearing strong offspring. Because they felt no shame about their bodies, they felt none about their desires either.
To Ais, that logic made sense. If Amazonesses believed that physical intimacy was one way to understand a partner and strengthen a bond, then she needed to master it. She regarded the Amazonesses as highly skilled in this regard, no less so than professionals in the entertainment industry.
"Come with me."
Without waiting for an answer, Ais seized Charlie's hand and pulled him out of the alley. Her steps were firm and purposeful, leaving no room for protest.
Charlie had no choice but to follow along helplessly.
They found a hotel on a street that wasn't too crowded. The building was simple but clean — not a luxurious establishment, but adequate for a brief stay. Ais pushed through the entrance and walked up to the receptionist with unwavering composure.
"One room."
The attendant behind the desk — a middle-aged man with a thick mustache — blinked several times. He eyed the robed figure before him with suspicion, but the money Ais placed on the counter was enough to seal his lips.
"Number 20. Second floor."
Ais took the key and immediately pulled Charlie up the stairs.
Thanks to the robe that covered her entirely, not a single person in the hotel realized that the Sword Princess was entering the establishment with a man.
The door to room number 20 opened, then closed firmly behind them.
The moment they were inside, Ais turned and shoved Charlie hard. He lost his balance and fell back onto the queen-sized bed that occupied most of the room. Meanwhile, Ais began removing her robe, then her clothing, one piece at a time.
"Wait, Ais!" Charlie raised both hands. "You're not usually this aggressive! What's gotten into you?"
"This is all Charlie's fault."
"My fault? I already told you, it was just a misunderstanding with Airmid! I wasn't even talking to her for long!"
Unfortunately, Ais paid no mind to Charlie's defense. She had already made her decision, and nothing was going to stop her now.
The last piece of clothing fell to the floor.
"Gulp."
Charlie swallowed.
Even though this wasn't the first time he had seen Ais unclothed, he had to admit he never grew tired of it. Every detail of this girl's body was a masterpiece.
Her long blonde hair cascaded beautifully past her shoulders, a perfect contrast to the smooth, almost translucent white of her skin. Her slender neck led to her shoulders, and the hollows carved by her collarbones sat in perfect formation. Below them, a pair of breasts — medium in size yet firm and full — rose and fell with her breathing, their pale pink peaks looking impossibly soft.
Her waist was slender yet toned, its curves drawing an involuntary intake of breath. Below it, hips that flared into a beautifully feminine arc supported a pair of long thighs with muscles shaped to perfection by years of relentless swordsmanship.
Every inch of her was a seamless blend of feminine beauty and a warrior's power — a paradox that was utterly captivating.
"Gulp."
Charlie swallowed again.
Ais moved closer, and before Charlie could react, she was already seated on his lap. Both her hands seized the collar of his robe and pulled him up into a kiss.
This kiss from Ais was different. Unlike her usual attempts — awkward and uncertain — she was more confident this time. Her tongue explored, sought, found. The lessons from Tione were being applied one by one.
Charlie, who had initially intended to resist — at least symbolically — ultimately surrendered. He returned Ais's kiss with equal intensity, his hands creeping upward along the smooth plane of her back, feeling the faint tremors that ran through her body.
Ais dominated entirely in that moment.
She sat on top, moving with a rhythm that was slow but deliberate. Her movements were like waves — advancing and receding in an endless cycle. Sometimes slow, rolling gently like lake water on a quiet morning. Sometimes fast, crashing down like a storm breaking against rock.
Her body, honed through years of combat training, displayed extraordinary flexibility. Her hips moved in small circles, creating a friction that left Charlie's breath ragged. The muscles of her thighs tensed and released in harmony with the rhythm, like perfectly calibrated springs.
Gradually, her pace quickened. Her breathing grew labored, strands of blonde hair sticking to a forehead beginning to glisten with sweat. From her parted lips, small sounds began to spill — sounds that Charlie would never have imagined could escape the lips of the Sword Princess.
Charlie, who had initially resigned himself to receiving her dominance, eventually pushed back. Both his hands moved to grasp Ais's hips, attempting to take control of the rhythm. But Ais brushed them aside, seizing Charlie's wrists and pressing them down into the mattress above his head.
"Don't move," she breathed between gasps. "Let me."
Charlie complied. He let Ais control everything. And Ais controlled everything with flawless precision.
Her pace intensified. Ais's body began to move more wildly, more urgently. Her long blonde hair swayed with each motion, creating a beautiful contrast against the white of her skin that was beginning to flush. The sounds from her lips grew louder now, more frequent, mingling with the wet rhythm of their bodies.
Charlie felt the peak approaching, but Ais seemed to feel it too. She accelerated her movements, her hips driving down with mounting intensity. Her breathing came in desperate gasps, her sounds rising into small cries that nearly turned to a wail.
"Charlie... Charlie..."
Ais murmured his name again and again, like a mantra. Her eyes, usually so cold, were now glassy and filled with emotions she couldn't fully comprehend.
Both of them reached the crest at nearly the same moment. Ais's body went taut, her head fell back, and from her lips escaped a small, barely-contained cry. Charlie felt a wave of heat wash over him, pulling him along into a blinding surge of pleasure.
For a while, the only sound in that room was the ragged rise and fall of their breathing.
Ais collapsed onto Charlie's chest, her entire body spent after the intensity of it. Charlie stroked her hair gently, waiting for their heartbeats to slow.
Of course, a single round was nowhere near enough to exhaust either of them. On the contrary — this was only the beginning.
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