What could he mean? His words didn’t seem to simply imply letting go of my member that he was holding.

Zachary felt different from usual now. He was delving into me with raw emotions, and those emotions were almost like…

‘Jealousy?’

It felt strangely peculiar.

The moment I thought he might be jealous, my heart started racing oddly. However, as he began moving his hand again, I quickly lost the luxury to think.

“Ugh, hnn.”

I moaned with my member still gripped in his large hand. When he pressed the tip of his finger firmly against my urethra, my mind went completely blank. My body twisted involuntarily as Zachary, pressed close, kept biting my neck. Whether it was my imagination or not, he seemed to be particularly fixated on the spot where Genevieve had touched earlier.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve spent so many nights together? Now, just Zachary’s touch instantly arouses me. All I could do was pant and cling tightly to Zachary in front of me.

“Mmnh.”

Zachary licked and sucked on my lips, which were trembling uncontrollably with excitement. His probing of my mouth was so sticky and obsessive that I could barely breathe properly.

“S-save… save me…”

With his rough hand gripping and shaking my sensitive member repeatedly, I couldn’t endure anymore. Despite thinking I should check on Genevieve’s condition immediately, I just couldn’t gather my senses against the pleasure Zachary was giving me.

“Young master, young master…”

Zachary pressed even closer to me. His voice was also laden with heat.

“You’re already wet.”

Even though I hadn’t climaxed yet, squelching sounds were coming from his hand. The sound of leaking pre-cum clung lewdly to my ears.

As I clung to Zachary, breathing heavily, he squeezed my member tightly as if to torment me.

“Hah… please.”

What should I do? I feel like I’m about to come any moment… But because Zachary was gripping so tightly, all I could do was tremble violently.

“Are you going to get married with a body like this?”

As Zachary whispered softly, a gasp scattered from my mouth. Moreover, because he was pressing firmly on my urethra, I couldn’t ejaculate no matter what. My posture, clinging to him pleadingly, looked as if I was half-mounted on him. Something large poking at my buttocks was bothersome, but right now, my member gripped by him was more agonizing.

“Ugh, hnngh.”

Suddenly feeling something acrid flowing back, I raised my head to find blood dripping from my nose. I couldn’t understand why I was suddenly having a nosebleed. Honestly, I was so aroused that my sensations had reached their limit.

My consciousness also kept flickering on and off in the midst of pleasure. When I clung to him and begged that I couldn’t hold on any longer, Zachary finally covered my member with a handkerchief.

“Z-Zachary, what are you, hah.”

Zachary stroked my member wrapped in the handkerchief strongly. Overwhelmed by the intense pleasure, I ejaculated right then. I could feel the released semen soaking the handkerchief, but I was trembling too much to have the strength to stop it.

Zachary embraced me tightly without a gap. As I exhaled a panting breath at that moment.

“…Young master?”

Just then, Zachary startled and detached me from his embrace. His gaze immediately turned to my face. With his eyes wide open, he abruptly stood up from his seat. Then he immediately cupped both my cheeks with his hands. He wiped my blood-soaked face with careful and worried hand movements.

I stared blankly at Zachary’s slightly trembling hands. Whether blood was still flowing from my nose or not, he kept wiping blood from my face, and unlike earlier, he seemed to have regained his senses.

“Young master, I…”

“It’s nothing. It’s just a nosebleed…”

“I’ll wipe it.”

Even though I was the one bleeding, Zachary looked even paler. With a white face, he offered his own clothes to wipe my blood.

“Sorry, I’ve stained your clothes-“

Zachary didn’t seem to care about that at all.

How can he be so devoted to me like this? As if he doesn’t mind at all that his clothes are being stained with blood, how can those eyes only contain me?

However, Zachary no longer looked at me. He bowed his head deeply with a guilty expression.

Moreover, perhaps because he was very shocked, Zachary’s hands were trembling as if in spasm and wouldn’t calm down.

My head tilted involuntarily in puzzlement. Why is he so surprised over a simple nosebleed?

‘Ah, could it be because of what happened at the hunting competition?’

Suddenly, that day came to mind. The day I fell off my horse, vomited blood, and collapsed.

Perhaps for Zachary, the memory of that time has become a trauma. I reached out to him.

“Zachary. I’m okay…”

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

My hand, extended towards Zachary, suddenly froze in mid-air.

“Without realizing… I’m sorry.”

The moment I heard Zachary’s voice mixed with regret, my heart began to throb painfully. It was as painful as if being pierced by thousands of thorns. At the same time, a strange feeling of disappointment washed over me.

The meaning of his displayed regret was clear. He too didn’t understand his own actions. This must be the influence of the spell, without a doubt.

‘I thought he might have been jealous.’

His actions certainly seemed that way.

I had unknowingly been hoping for his behavior since the announcement of my marriage to Genevieve. I had hoped that while he might like me and be obsessed with me because of the spell, jealousy might be separate from the spell…

‘There’s no difference.’

Why had I been so sure that jealousy was a separate emotion? After all, I couldn’t even properly grasp what was and wasn’t influenced by the spell.

‘I guess my feelings for Zachary got ahead of themselves. That’s why I tried to find meaning in each of his actions.’

I felt ashamed. And sorry, and humiliated.

“Young… master?”

Finding it strange that I was staring at him blankly without saying anything, Zachary worriedly drew close to me. His gaze was filled entirely with me.

“Zachary.”

I called Zachary carefully.

Zachary often listened well to my voice at any moment. Even now, though it was close to a whisper, he answered while gently stroking my face where the bleeding had stopped.

“Yes, Young master.”

“…Zachary.”

At my repeated call, he seemed to sense something was amiss and his expression hardened. I just looked at him quietly. My reflection in his pitch-black yet blue eyes was still clear, but for some reason, Zachary felt too distant.

Only then did I bite my lip hard and lower my head.

“I’m fine, so step aside.”

Why am I so timid? I felt embarrassed and sorry for misunderstanding and judging his actions on my own. It was painful to keep looking at his face.

“Really. Please move.”

Zachary hesitated for a moment, then slightly moved his body back. Staggering as I got up, I straightened my disheveled clothes.

“Young master, I-“

Though he had moved aside briefly when I stood up, he once again pressed close to my side.

However, he seemed a bit hesitant, unlike his usual self. I wondered if he had noticed that I had hoped for his feelings and then been disappointed. Zachary reached out to help me, but I tried my best not to be conscious of him.

After quickly tidying up my clothes, I stretched out my trembling legs and left the room. Somehow, his presence chasing after me felt rougher than usual.

“For now, Genevieve… she didn’t look well. I need to go check on her.”

I made up an excuse hastily.

What was I thinking, considering someone suffering because of a spell? Even liking him felt sinful, and I no longer had the confidence to face Zachary.

“You stay here.”

I asked, almost pleadingly, as my breath kept catching every time I looked at him.

Then I tried to leave the room, pretending to be composed.

Zachary, who had been about to follow me, stopped abruptly at my words. Taking advantage of that moment, I left the room and tried to get away from him as quickly as possible. However, not long after, my legs gave out. I slid down against the wall and slumped to the floor.

‘Why am I really like this?’

Why do I keep feeling suffocated? Zachary treated me the same now as he did before. But now that our parting was set… I kept trying to assign meaning to each of Zachary’s actions. I found myself both ridiculous and sorrowful.

‘Of all times, to realize it recently…’

I gave a hollow laugh and rubbed my face dry. But even if I had realized it earlier, would anything have changed? Blinded by the emotion of liking him, I forcibly bound Zachary with the spell, and it would be fortunate if I’m not killed by an awakened Zachary like in the original story.

“Ah, here you are.”

Just then, someone tapped my shoulder. Startled, I quickly raised my head to see Genevieve with a pale face. Genevieve glared at me as I opened my lips in surprise.

“Does my future husband, who ran away leaving me unconscious, have time to spare?”