Ch 54: Lovebirds

Serena's POV

The first thing I became aware of was the pain.

A deep, all-consuming, what-have-I-done-to-deserve-this kind of pain.

My throat felt raw, my waist throbbed, and my legs… well, I wasn't even sure if they were still functional. It was as if I had run a marathon, fought a horde of monsters, and then been trampled by a stampede—all at the same time.

And then, as if to add insult to injury, a new pain shot through my spine when I shifted slightly.

I groaned.

What the hell happened to me?

Then, unfortunately, last night's events started piecing themselves together in my head.

Oh.

Oh.

'Oh, no'.

I slowly turned my head, my exhausted, aching body protesting the movement, and my gaze landed on the culprit responsible for my current suffering.

Valerie.

My lovely, completely unrepentant, absolutely sinful wife, was sleeping peacefully next to me—looking as if she hadn't devoured me whole just hours ago.

Her face was serene, her lips slightly parted as she breathed softly, utterly oblivious to the wreckage she had left me in.

I stared at her in disbelief.

How?!

'How was she sleeping so peacefully while I was lying here, battered and ruined?!'.

It wasn't fair.

Meanwhile, I felt like a low-level hunter who had mistakenly challenged the Demon Lord to a duel and been utterly annihilated.

This was a crime. This was her fault.

I glared at her.

She didn't stir.

I contemplated revenge—maybe shoving a pillow over her face or rolling her off the bed. But considering I could barely move, that wasn't an option.

With great effort, I tried sitting up.

Huge mistake.

The moment I pushed myself upright, a sharp ache shot through my waist, and my entire body protested. My legs, those traitors, trembled violently, making it very clear they were not willing to cooperate today.

I clenched my jaw, cursing Valerie in my mind.

'How many times did we do it last night?!'

It wasn't just the number of times that had ruined me—it was the fact that she had forced me to stop using my self-healing skill.

"Don't you dare heal yourself," she had murmured against my lips, smirking like the menace she was. "I want to see you feel it tomorrow."

Well, guess what, Valerie? I was feeling it.

And it was awful.

I sighed, rubbing my face. Regardless of how much my body hated me right now, I needed to get up. The kids were in another room, and I needed to check on them.

Using pure willpower, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand.

And that was when my legs gave out entirely.

I collapsed.

Not gracefully, not elegantly—I face-planted onto the floor with a loud, humiliating THUD.

I laid there, unmoving. Contemplating my life choices.

Then I heard movement from the bed.

"Mmnn…"

I turned my head slightly—at the cost of more pain—and saw Valerie blinking awake. Her sleepy gaze landed on me sprawled across the floor, and she frowned groggily.

"…Serena?" Her voice was thick with sleep. "Why are you on the floor?"

I lifted my head just enough to glare daggers at her.

"This is all your fault, you beast!"

She blinked at me, then, the audacity, she smirked.

"Oh," she said, voice still husky from sleep. "You're sore?"

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Sore?! Valerie, I think you broke me!"

She chuckled, stretching her arms over her head. "I did warn you."

"No, you didn't!" I hissed. "You ambushed me! Attacked me! And then you had the nerve to forbid me from healing myself! Do you have any idea how much I—?!"

I groaned, burying my face against the cool floor.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Alright, alright, come here."

I refused to move.

Valerie hummed in amusement before effortlessly scooping me up bridal style—as if I didn't weigh anything at all.

I glared up at her, my arms crossed. "I can walk."

"No, you can't," she countered smoothly.

'Damn it. She's right'.

I sighed. "Fine. Just take me to the bathroom."

She carried me towards the en-suite, and I slumped against her, grumbling under my breath.

Then, just as we reached the doorway, Valerie very obviously glanced down at my completely naked, very marked body and grinned.

"Well," she murmured, "if you're going to take a bath… we should go together."

I froze.

My entire body tensed.

I snapped my head up to look at her, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You wouldn't."

She tilted her head innocently. "Wouldn't what?"

I stared at her. Examined her expression.

Her smirk was a little too mischievous. Her eyes a little too predatory.

A very real sense of danger washed over me.

"…You wouldn't try anything in the bath, right?"

She didn't answer.

She just smiled.

'Oh no'.

"…Right???"

Instead of answering, Valerie simply carried me inside and kicked the bathroom door shut behind us.

I'm doomed.

==================================

Brianna's POV

I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a runaway carriage. Every muscle in my body protested as I attempted to stretch, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I had somehow ended up in a dungeon overnight. Then, last night's events came rushing back.

Oh.

I groaned, rolling onto my side, and sure enough—Cecilia was nowhere to be found. Instead, I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. I squinted at the ceiling, my brain sluggishly piecing things together.

Last night… Cecilia had been on a mission. Not a normal, let's-go-hunt-monsters mission. No, this one had been far more dangerous. She had demanded another round. Not of alcohol—oh, if only it had been alcohol—but a completely different kind of round. And I, being the responsible (weak-willed) person I am, had originally tried to stop her.

I had even tied her up.

That lasted a whole five minutes.

Now, here I was, suffering the consequences of my utter lack of self-control.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open, revealing a fully dressed and alarmingly awake Cecilia. She had that perfectly put-together look, as if she hadn't spent half the night absolutely ruining me. Meanwhile, I was lying in bed like a broken marionette, barely able to move without wincing. 'Life is cruel' (for bottoms).

The moment Cecilia saw me awake, her eyes widened in horror. Then, to my absolute shock, she dashed across the room, dropped to her knees, and—

Kowtowed.

"I'M SORRY!" she practically shouted, forehead pressed against the floor.

I blinked. Once. Twice. My brain short-circuited.

'What. The. Actual. Hell'.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, willing myself to wake up from whatever fever dream this was. "Cecilia," I started, voice hoarse from both exhaustion and—well, other reasons. "Why are you like this?"

Cecilia didn't lift her head. "Because I took advantage of you."

'…Okay, NOW I was awake'.

I let out a long, suffering sigh, rubbing my temples as I slowly sat up. "You didn't take advantage of me, Cecilia."

She lifted her head just enough to look at me with those big, guilt-ridden eyes. "Are you sure? Because I feel like I did."

I gave her a flat look. "You were the one demanding it. I was the one who gave in."

Cecilia frowned, as if replaying last night's events in her head. "…You did tie me up, though."

I choked on air. "That was me trying to STOP you."

Her ears turned red. "And then you didn't stop me."

"YOU BIT THROUGH THE ROPE."

Silence.

Cecilia cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly. "…Right."

I sighed for the hundredth time that morning. "Forget it. What I want to know is—" I hesitated, suddenly feeling stupidly vulnerable, but forced myself to ask, "Was last night just an accident to you?"

Cecilia's lips parted in surprise, like she hadn't expected the question. Then, she frowned—really frowned, deep in thought. "No." she said finally, voice quiet but firm.

That single word sent a weird jolt through my chest.

Cecilia sat back on her heels, looking down. "I just… felt like I forced something onto you."

I shook my head, watching her. "You didn't."

She glanced up at me.

Something was shifting between us. Something we had both been dancing around for way too long. And now, after last night, after everything, it was right there in the open.

I exhaled, shaking my head with a tired smile. "You really are an idiot."

Cecilia blinked, startled. Then, she huffed out a small laugh. "You're just realizing that now?"

I chuckled, despite the soreness, despite the chaos of this entire conversation.

We didn't say anything else. We didn't need to.

Instead, we just smiled at each other.

And that was how I knew—this was the start of something.