Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 3: Your Majesty, Why Are You Doing This? (2)

“Could he possibly mean to sleep in this room?”

The emperor loathed even the scent of his sexual partners, and he never stayed in the room where the act had taken place. After ordering his partners to be removed and the bedding replaced, he would always move to another room to sleep. Tonight, they assumed, would be no exception.

“I’ll sleep here as I am. Leave me.”

At Cassion’s resolute tone, the attendants bowed deeply, even though the door was closed.

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

The faint sound of footsteps retreated from the door. Confirming that Levinia had not woken, Cassion let out a sigh of relief. If she had stirred because of that brief exchange, he might have been tempted to behead those attendants.

What on earth is this feeling…?

Cassion stared at the sleeping Levinia, his emotions unfamiliar and incomprehensible. This was the first time he didn’t find another person’s scent repulsive. Even her saliva… Levinia’s tasted sweet. It wasn’t just when they kissed; even when it dripped onto her cheek, licking it had felt the same.

Have I gone mad?

This change was bewildering. It defied understanding. Cassion inhaled deeply, catching the faint scent that lingered at the tip of his nose, and sighed again.

Levinia’s natural scent was pleasant. Thinking back, even when she had first entered his bedroom and slipped under the covers, her skin’s aroma hadn’t been unpleasant. Perhaps that was why he had been somewhat gentler with her.

What a lovely scent. So it’s possible for someone’s scent not to be revolting…

Burying his face into Levinia’s hair, he inhaled deeply. The soft, subtle fragrance eased his mind. He thought he might even prefer it to be stronger… but perhaps it was simply her nature to have such a faint scent.

Everything about this is strange.

For most people, defining such feelings might have been easy, but Cassion was different. He had never received even a shred of affection in his life.

His father, the former emperor, had considered Cassion’s birth from a maid to be a disgrace. His uncle, Kylon, had mocked him and treated him as little more than a slave.

Though Cassion now had a handful of trusted subordinates by his side… their emotions toward him, and his feelings toward them, were far from romantic in nature.

Cassion had no idea what this bittersweet, tender feeling was. He had never read one of those common love novels or seen a clichéd play about romance.

Women and men alike had made false confessions of love to win his favor, but Cassion had only ever sneered at their words. He believed himself incapable of love. To him, tender emotions like love were something that could never take root within him.

That’s why he found his feelings toward Levinia so perplexing.

“Mm…”

Levinia shifted slightly, as if dreaming, burrowing deeper into Cassion’s embrace. His heart thudded violently, and his face flushed with heat.

Although he was already holding her, Cassion clenched his teeth, overwhelmed by affection. He had to restrain himself from acting on impulse.

We already… did plenty…

Even by his standards, they had been excessive. And yet, as Levinia nestled closer into his arms, he found himself wanting her again.

Should I wake her?

Cassion stared down at her blankly, contemplating, but it felt like something he couldn’t bring himself to do. Especially because of what he had done while Levinia was awake—it made him hesitate even more.

Damn it.

Recalling the softness of Levinia’s body and the sweet pleasure it had brought him, Cassion swallowed dryly. Internally, he was filled with a sense of determination, thinking, Let’s see what happens when morning comes.

She’s… kind of cute.

Letting out a deep sigh, Cassion pressed a kiss to Levinia’s forehead. It was an unconscious action, something he did without even realizing what he was doing.

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Huh? What’s going on here?

Waking up in Cassion’s arms, Levinia rolled her eyes nervously. Having read the original story, she knew exactly how women other than Albert were treated by Cassion.

‘I mean, sure, I was in his arms for quite a while last night, but…’

It didn’t make sense for Cassion to be holding her like this and falling asleep. Cassion never slept with anyone other than Albert. Despite his love for sex, his dislike for other people’s scents was a bizarre trait written into the original story.

‘I mean, it’s true I was exhausted and passed out… but why is His Majesty still here?’

Cassion was known for his overwhelming stamina. As frustrating as it was, Levinia couldn’t even begin to compare herself to him in that regard. There was no way someone like Cassion, who could easily outlast her, would collapse from exhaustion on the spot like she had. If Cassion was still beside her now, it was because he wanted to be.

But why?

Cassion hated the scent of others and despised their bodily fluids. Yet last night, he had kissed her, licked various parts of her body, and even left kiss marks.

‘This feels strange. Could this Cassion be different from the one in the original?’

Even so, the outcome of Cassion’s fate would still revolve around Albert. Since he was the designated male lead in the original work, Levinia’s plans didn’t change.

‘Still, this feels weird…’

Last night’s encounter with Cassion wasn’t something she could simply brush off. It had been so… intense. So much so that she’d felt like she might die from the pleasure. She finally understood why so many male consorts, despite their hatred for him, were desperate to spend even one night in Cassion’s arms.

Looking down at the arm wrapped around her waist and back, Levinia cautiously tried to slip out of Cassion’s embrace. However, as if sensing her movement, he tightened his hold and pulled her closer.

Since both Cassion and Levinia were still completely naked, the feeling of bare skin pressed against bare skin made her blush. Though they had already been incredibly intimate, it still felt embarrassing.

‘Ahhhhh!’

Levinia squirmed in his arms, her face burning with embarrassment. When she tried to wriggle free again, he hugged her even tighter, pressing their bodies together.

“Y-Your Majesty… I-I need the bathroom!”

In her desperation, she blurted out the excuse, and Cassion opened one eye, glaring at her skeptically.

“Another lie?”

“It’s true! I swear it’s true!”

“I can’t exactly follow you to the bathroom…”

Clicking his tongue, Cassion finally loosened his grip and let her go. Levinia scrambled out of his arms and retreated to the edge of the bed. Fully awake now, Cassion stared at her with a displeased look.

‘Why does this feel so nerve-wracking?’

It was as if she was a prey animal trying to escape the watchful eyes of a predator. Flustered, Levinia grabbed one of Cassion’s discarded garments off the floor to cover herself and bolted to the bathroom.

Click.

The sound of the door closing brought a sense of relief, and Levinia sighed deeply, locking the bathroom door. For some reason, she felt as though Cassion might get angry if he found out she’d locked it, but… he hadn’t explicitly told her not to.

‘Something is seriously off. Why is His Majesty acting like this?’

Having used the bathroom as an excuse, Levinia quickly tended to her needs. But embarrassed to go back out so soon, she decided to make use of the bathtub while she was there.

This world didn’t have showers yet, but it did have running water. Turning the faucet would release both hot and cold water, a luxury reserved for the high nobility.

‘Right. Let’s… let’s just wash up. This is so awkward.’

She flushed at the memory of how much he had released last night. Even when she’d entered the bathroom earlier, she had been mortified to feel it trickling down her thighs. Hurriedly, Levinia stepped into the bathtub and began washing herself.

Knock, knock…

At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Levinia flinched. She had a feeling it was Cassion, but she pretended not to know and called out, “W-Who is it?”

The door rattled, but it was locked from the inside. Outside, Cassion’s cold voice responded.

“Open this door.”

“W-Why?”

“There’s only one bathroom in this room.”

Cassion’s reply was confident—so confident, in fact, that it only made her more suspicious. Levinia hesitated in the bathtub, unsure of what to do. However, she couldn’t exactly tell the emperor to use a bathroom in another room.

“P-Please wait a moment.”

In the end, Levinia stood up from the bathtub and grabbed a towel hanging nearby to wrap around herself. There were bath towels specifically for drying off, but in her flustered state, she didn’t have the presence of mind to find one. With only a single towel barely covering her, she opened the door—only to be greeted by Cassion’s bare, muscular upper body.

‘Ahhh!’

Even though she had seen his body last night, facing his well-toned, naked torso in broad daylight was another matter entirely—it was deeply embarrassing.

As Levinia turned her head away in a panic, Cassion smirked and lightly brushed his hand against her flushed cheek.

“This cute face of yours turns red so easily,” he teased, pulling her into his arms.

Levinia, overwhelmed with embarrassment, stammered, “Y-You said you needed to use the bathroom…”

Her voice trailed off timidly, and Cassion gave her an innocent look.

“I never said that.”

Tightening his embrace, Cassion playfully nibbled on her ear.

“I only said there’s only one bathroom in this room.”

As he spoke, he reached for the towel wrapped around her body. Levinia instinctively grabbed the knot of the towel to keep it in place.

“What… what are you doing?”

“What about you, Your Majesty? What are you doing?” Levinia retorted, her voice flustered.

Cassion chuckled mischievously.

“Are you embarrassed now, after everything last night?”

“Of course I am! It was my first time with you, Your Majesty!” Levinia exclaimed, her face burning as she reflexively smacked the back of his hand.

The moment she realized what she had done, she froze, horrified at her own boldness. But instead of getting angry, Cassion looked amused. He smiled softly, pulling her closer into his arms.

“You’ll have to get used to it. You’re mine now.”

He kissed her forehead and temple while holding her close. Even as he did so, Cassion himself wasn’t entirely sure why he was acting this way. He just felt an overwhelming urge to hug her and kiss her whenever he looked at her.

Levinia, on the other hand, could only blink in confusion, wondering why this man was acting like this.

“Achoo!”

Levinia sneezed suddenly, prompting Cassion to furrow his brow. He could tell she had rushed out in a hurry without properly drying off after her bath. His hand brushed over the exposed skin peeking out from under the towel before he effortlessly picked her up in his arms.

Levinia’s eyes widened in shock.

“Y-Your Majesty?!”

“This is what happens when you rush and don’t bathe properly. Now you’ll wash again—this time with hot water, and properly.”

“No?! Wait a moment! I already bathed—I’m telling you, I’m done!”

Levinia cried out in a fluster, but Cassion was already carrying her into the bathroom, ignoring her protests.

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