Yuuto’s hands slowly closed the book, his eyes staring into space.
He sighed. His chest felt empty. What a tragic ending. To follow characters of such depth, such passion, such life—only to watch them snuffed out like candle fmes between fingers. The general who had conquered armies, brought down by a few grains of powder. The concubine who had learned to love again, only to end up with no other paths but death.
His eyes felt damp. He blinked the tears away rapidly.
When he looked up, he realized with a start how dark the room had grown. Daizi must have slipped in and lit the candles while he was reading. The ones on the walls and vanity now burned with steady fmes, casting warm light across his chambers.
“Yuuto?”
He froze. That was Moriya’s voice.
He scrambled off the bed and hurried to pce the book on his vanity, smoothing his robes and running a hand through his hair to appear more composed. Then he slid the door open.
“Moriya.” His own smile bloomed instinctively, warm and radiant. "Come in."
The corners of her lips lifted at the sight of him.
They sat together with tea poured by Daizi as Moriya compined about her courtly duties from today. Yuuto listened with his chin propped on his hand, occasionally bursting into giggles when her descriptions of some less agreeable noblewomen grew particurly colorful.
The conversation ter gave way to a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the sounds of their sipping and the clinking of their teacups.
Moriya's gaze drifted to his vanity. “Oh, what were you reading, Yuuto?”
Yuuto blinked, following her vision. Then, his face burned when he suddenly remembered that he was very much not supposed to be reading that.
“Oh, t-that…” he stammered, his brain buffering.
She tilted her head innocently.
Realizing her ignorance, Yuuto schooled his embarrassment and calmly said,"It is merely a novel of manners. It follows a noblewoman's life as a military general while she navigates the court and society."
"Hmm." Moriya pced her chin on her hand, settling in. "Tell me more about it. It has been a while since you told me a story."
A soft pink tinted his cheeks. He cleared his throat and chose his words with care.
"Well, at some point, she leads a war campaign against Cornaul. The Queen awards her by granting her a Cornaulian beauty captured during the war to be her concubine. As it turns out, the beauty plotted to assassinate her—revenge for the death of his family."
Moriya's eyes widened. "Oh! Then... did she kill him?"
Yuuto giggled at her reaction. "No, actually. She kept him as her concubine despite this. One of the central plotlines is their romance. He eventually fell in love with her."
An intrigued smile pyed on Moriya's lips. "That is quite novel." She paused, a thoughtful furrow appearing between her brows. "Though... I am surprised the general did not report the assassination attempt to the Queen."
His amber eyes flickered. "Ah, but if the Queen were to award her most formidable warrior a concubine, would she truly be so careless as not to vet his heart first?"
At that, Moriya’s lips formed a small ‘o’ shape. “I see… So he was pnted.” Her brows furrowed deeper. “Plotting to get rid of the strongest general. A rather foolish decision, is it not?”
He hummed thoughtfully. "Well, what would you do if a general garnered enough power in court that she no longer listened to your command? Would you be able to tell if she might eventually rebel against you?"
"I..." She fell silent, considering.
He studied her for a long moment. Then he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand to mirror her pose. "Moriya. What would you do if that were you?"
"Hmm?"
"If I were pnted here as an assassin. What would you do?"
She blinked, then ughed. “Would you be able to do that? Assassinate me?”
He smiled, mischief dancing in his eyes. “I don’t know… would I~?”
She watched him for a moment. An unreadable warmth passed through her expression. “I suppose,” she said slowly, “that I would already be a lost cause, wouldn’t I? If that were the case.”
The mischief in him sparked brighter. He reached for the teapot and refilled her cup, then nudged it closer to her across the table.
“What would you do,” he asked in a lower voice, “if I tell you I poisoned this tea? Would you drink it?”
She held his gaze. The air between them thickened.
Then, a slow smirk curved her lips.
She grabbed her cup, tilted her head back, and downed the entire thing until every drop was gone. She smmed the empty cup back down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, never breaking eye contact.
“I could never say no to you, Yuuto,” she said, her doting tone holding a challenge.
He sat frozen, stunned by the response. Then, a soft, warm smile bloomed.
He stood and crossed to her. She tilted her head in question, watching him approach.
Then, he cupped her face in both hands and pulled her into a kiss.
Moriya's eyes widened briefly before she melted into it, her arms coming up to pull him closer. He crawled into her p without breaking the kiss, settling against her. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened for him eagerly, inviting him in. Their mouths moved together in a familiar rhythm, her tongue entangling with his, tasting him as they descended into a hot, consuming mess.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, faces flushed, lips reddened and slick.
Yuuto’s mouth curved into a sultry smile. “There,” he purred. “Now, we are both poisoned.”
A thread inside Moriya snapped.
She surged up from the chair, one arm hooking behind his knees, the other supporting his back as she carried him to the bed in a few steps. She tumbled them both onto the soft covers, her mouth finding his again with renewed intensity. He gasped into the kiss, then responded eagerly, arms looping around her neck, legs parting to make room for her between his.
She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, her own half-lidded and dark with want. “Yuuto,” she commanded in a husky voice, tugging on his colr, “take this off now.”
Lovestruck and giddy, he beamed up at her, already reaching for the ties of his robe.
“Yes, of course~!”
pangmida