First Kiss

Morning sunlight streamed into the room as Losiya weakly stirred awake. A light weight rested on her body, burrowed into her snowy peaks, making her feel slightly ticklish.

Rubbing her eyes, Losiya reached out to grab him and conveniently rolled over.

The sensation was a bit cool—hugging him felt like holding a small, obedient animal. It was the season when spring was giving way to summer, and for once, Losiya woke without being drenched in sweat.

As usual, a brief moment of daze followed waking up. It took nearly a minute for Losiya to gather her thoughts before suddenly lifting the blanket.

The two snow-white bodies were simultaneously exposed to the air, and the sudden chill made Julian frown in discomfort. Seeing his furrowed brow, Losiya felt that no matter what expression he wore, he always looked adorably charming.

Right after, she admired the "masterpieces" she had planted on Julian's body last night, treating him like a work of art. From his neck to his chest were countless red marks, too many to count.

It reminded her of the sight of red plum blossoms blooming on the snow in the capital during winter.

The once refined and elegant Countess had endured quite a lot to have such thoughts.

In her memory, Julian went from begging for mercy, to pretending to resist while secretly inviting her, to eventually closing his eyes and letting out soft sighs—completely like a prideful little kitten.

Losiya gently pulled the blanket back over Julian, then slipped out herself.

The bright sunlight flooded the room. Losiya's face showed a look of contentment as she basked in the warm rays kissing her cheeks. She stretched with both arms up high, her entire body's curves on full display.

Looking down, she froze. Quickly covering her chest with her hands, her face turned red.

She dressed herself, putting on both undergarments and outerwear, then leaned on one arm to look at Julian's sleeping face.

Thinking back on the details of last night, Losiya narrowed her eyes and smiled mischievously like a little fox who had gotten her way.

Her slender finger lightly brushed Julian's slightly swollen lips—another masterpiece of hers from last night.

When their emotions had reached the peak, she didn't wait for Julian's consent and simply stole his first kiss.

Whether it was really Julian's first kiss or not, Losiya now felt even more certain.

Between the two of them, she was clearly the inexperienced one. All her knowledge came from books. Yet, in front of her, Julian was even more clueless—allowing her to do whatever she pleased.

Revisiting the moment of their first kiss last night, Losiya leaned against the headboard with her eyes closed, occasionally furrowing her brows slightly.

The initial touch of his lips felt like kissing snowflakes—then the snow melted under her passion, leaving behind only a warm trickle.

Getting off the bed, Losiya walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Her estate had just been built on high ground, so from her room she could practically take in the whole surrounding view.

As a noble, the simplest things that brought satisfaction were beauty and the land.

Gazing behind and before her, Losiya raised her lips into a satisfied smirk. In this radiant morning, she felt immensely pleased with herself.

A knock came at the door, and only then did Losiya restrain her expression slightly and speak, letting the person outside come in.

The tall and slender head maid, Alice, opened the door and entered. She bowed slightly, and while lowering her head, her eyes couldn't help but sneak a glance at Julian lying on the bed.

At that moment, Julian was still in a deep sleep, likely due to sheer exhaustion from the previous night. A bit of his shoulder peeked out from under the blanket, rising and falling gently with his breathing.

Alice had always had sharp eyes. She clearly saw the redness on Julian's lips and the series of red marks scattered across his shoulder.

His silver hair was now a tousled mess, with strands sticking out in all directions, some forming loose curls.

His beautiful face still showed a faint blush, and his lips curved up ever so slightly, as if dreaming of something wonderful.

That made Alice frown slightly, surprise flickering deep in her eyes.

She quietly turned her gaze toward Losiya, who was standing by the window. Losiya had just opened the window, allowing the cool morning breeze to waft through, and took a deep breath of it with satisfaction.

Alice's eyes instinctively drifted down. Losiya's legs were anything but modest, shifting idly against the floor—yet nothing seemed out of place.

Losiya turned and caught Alice glancing at Julian. She frowned, displeased, and stared directly at Alice.

Sigh…

Alice knew she'd been caught. She quickly lowered her head to apologize but couldn't stop herself from sighing inwardly.

On the very first day Losiya brought Julian here, she had even been willing to dress him herself, not minding any such "shameful" matters. But now, with her possessiveness flaring up, even someone like Alice couldn't avoid a bit of resentment.

"Alice, bring me that coat over there," Losiya said softly.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Right."

"Hmm?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Tania is supposed to arrive today, isn't she?"

"That's correct."

"Then I should prepare a proper welcome for her."

Turning her head, Losiya flashed a sly smile and walked barefoot toward Alice.

As she passed by Julian, she paused for a moment and pulled the blanket back up to cover his exposed shoulder.

Alice kept her head respectfully bowed the whole time, her gaze never leaving the floor.

Soon, Losiya stood in front of the mirror, now dressed in a snug inner layer and a dark-colored count's coat.

"Once Julian wakes up, tell him I have something to take care of and that he should enjoy his breakfast."

While Alice helped her adjust the collar, Losiya continued giving instructions.

A moment later, she added, "He really likes that millet porridge you make. Later, bring him a bowl and place it beside him. Add a bit of side dish too…"

Alice quietly memorized every word. She thought to herself that she'd better make a personal trip to the kitchen.

"Understood, my lord." Alice stepped back and took a look at Losiya's current appearance, unable to stop herself from nodding in approval.

Her natural nobility, paired with her outstanding features and the well-trained body of a swordswoman, made her look impressively dignified in her count's coat.

Losiya slowly reached for her sword. In a flash, the weapon settled into her hand. She pressed on the hilt, and the sword dropped neatly to her waist. Then she picked up a soft felt hat with swan-feather trim and, placing it on her head, smiled at Alice.

"Then I'll be going."

"I'll take good care of the estate in your absence."

As the door closed behind her, some time passed before Julian finally began to stir.

Sitting up in a daze, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then couldn't help but lean back into the pillow to nap a bit more.

When he finally woke again, a pleasant aroma wafted to his nose.

"Julian, are you awake?" Alice's voice came from nearby. Only then did Julian open his eyes.

She set a food tray down next to the bed, placing a bowl of thin porridge and several small dishes beside him.

"This was prepared on the instructions of lãnh chúa đại nhân. Would you like to wash up first or have your breakfast now?" she asked with a subtle emphasis.

That comforting, heartwarming feeling—it was probably something like this. Sometimes, not even the sweetest words could match the emotion stirred by one small thoughtful gesture.

In this world, the cuisine was clearly different from the one he'd known in his past life. What Losiya had done this time was something only someone who had truly paid attention would've thought to prepare.