〈Chapter 326〉 5. Bread and Dagger (24)
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The person who best understood women around me was Reto.
He boasted an attractive appearance and a knack for smooth rhetoric. It was an ideal condition for seducing every kind of woman.
As such, Reto’s exploits were often the subject of constant gossip.
For instance: having an affair with his lover’s younger sister.
Spending a night with a professor who was considered untouchable, like a flower perched on a cliff.
Or even the story of a woman who had unrequited feelings for Reto and made a scene, threatening suicide. Most of these rumors were exaggerated, but some were undeniably true.
The stories mentioned above fell into the latter category.
While he was my friend, it was impossible to excuse Reto’s history with women.
Such complicated human relationships were bound to invite tragedy.
And even my friend Reto was no exception.
He had to pay the price for his reckless youth. Strained relationships with close friends, being stalked—these kinds of things were commonplace.
He had been stabbed multiple times.
As he grew older, Reto seemed to have cut ties with most of his romantic entanglements, perhaps for this very reason.
Of course, he claimed it was because he wanted to focus on his studies—but whether it was just bravado or sincere, I couldn’t tell. Reto was skilled at concealing his inner thoughts.
But one thing was certain.
Since then, Reto had become more reserved. Still, traces of his old nature would occasionally surface, and he would indulge in lengthy speeches about women.
These speeches were mostly drawn from his personal experiences.
Honest confessions that he wouldn’t casually share with others, laying bare his inner feelings.
Some of these stories included accounts of one-night stands.
His impression of these encounters, however, was simple and stark.
“It was… hollow.”
His voice was flat, almost barren in tone.
At that time, I was sitting across from him, sipping my drink with a straw. My gaze drifted toward him with muted curiosity.
It was an unexpected remark from Reto, who was generally so eager to pursue women.
I thought he wouldn’t have been affected by something as trivial as a one-night stand.
It didn’t feel like a lie. His weary expression betrayed a sense of melancholy.
I decided to cheer him up by playing along.
“Hollow, huh? Weren’t you the one always saying that unrestrained pleasure was the best?”
“Of course, that belief hasn’t changed. It’s just… how can I put it…?”
Reto scratched his head in frustration, unable to find the right words. His irritated gestures revealed his discomfort.
Still, Reto was Reto.
In no time, he was spouting eloquent thoughts as usual.
“To be honest, I thought I could treat women as tools. As something disposable, meant for fleeting pleasure… But when I actually tried it, I realized that wasn’t the case.”
“So, there’s still a bit of humanity left in you after all.”
At this revelation, I drew the sign of the cross in mock surprise.
“Emmanuel,” I added, which only made Reto look even more disgruntled.
Of course, I didn’t care. After all, it was true—Reto had left countless women heartbroken.
Reto didn’t seem to have the heart to argue. He simply sighed and continued his unfinished thought.
“Hey, you won’t understand unless you experience it yourself. When it’s all over, and you lie down beside her, that’s when reality hits you… and a question arises: what exactly am I doing with this person?”
“Well, you succumbed to desire…”
“Shut up and listen, will you?”
Irritation began creeping into Reto’s voice. Sensing the potential for real anger, I decided to keep quiet. Only then did Reto continue, his tone becoming more relaxed.
“So, here’s my conclusion: new women are good, but deeper emotional connections beforehand make everything better. Time permitting, of course.”
That was quintessentially Reto.
Unable to hold back my amusement, I snorted with laughter.
“Didn’t you just say it was hollow? If that’s the case, just pass on it…”
“Are you insane?”
My advice was met with immediate resistance.
Reto gave me a look that suggested he thought I was spouting nonsense.
“How can you ignore a perfectly set table and not eat?”
At the time, I thought of this as the cry of an animal driven purely by lust.
But now, I understood Reto’s state of mind.
He wasn’t some embodiment of carnal desire—he was simply a normal man.
Just like me right now.
It was an impulsive decision.
Perhaps it was the alcohol affecting me, or the pent-up desires I had been suppressing finally reaching their limit.
After all, resisting Senior Delphine’s advances was no easy feat.
Whatever the exact cause, the result was crystal clear.
There I was, sprawled over her on a plush bed. Senior Delphine lay beneath me.
Had I been drunk?
My heartbeat thundered deafeningly in my ears. My hand rested atop her firm bosom, and the sweet scent of her body nearly overwhelmed me.
Senior Delphine said nothing, only gazing up at me through an intense, yearning gaze, her breathing heavy.
It was hard for me to decipher what she truly desired.
Did Senior Delphine want to sleep with me?
It was an unexpectedly abrupt proposition. Until this point, she had seemed to be teasing me playfully.
As various doubts buzzed in my head, I hesitated to open my mouth with questions, only to abandon the thought altogether.
Her arms were already wrapped around my neck.
Her ragged breath whispered into my ear.
“Don’t hesitate.”
Her words felt like they pierced straight through me, as if reading my mind.
I felt a slight tremor in my halted hand.
Senior Delphine’s lips curved into a sorrowful smile.
“It’s just one night… a fleeting day in a long life.”
Her persuasive tone carried an underlying sadness.
The faintest force entered my hand. Senior Delphine’s breast pressed into my fingers, soft yet bouncy, transmitting its luxurious texture.
She let out a small moan.
“I want to forget, even for a moment… I don’t want to remember anything at all… Can you make that happen for me, Master?”
My rational thought snapped once more.
My hand tore at her undergarments.
Her flimsy covering was soon peeled away, revealing her voluptuous curves—whiter than I had ever imagined.
I marveled at the memory that had never faded.
Senior Delphine’s ivory skin and rosy tips were exactly as I’d seen them the first time we clashed with axes and daggers. In that fleeting moment, I glimpsed her exposed body.
Back then, she had seemed untouchable—like a flower far out of reach.
Even if I had caught a brief glimpse of her voluptuous figure, the thought of ever touching it was unimaginable.
But not now.
She was begging me to pleasure her—to erase her thoughts, to strip her mind clean.
She wanted to be just a woman, nothing more.
No man could resist such a request.
Not even me.
Her face flushed slightly as she averted her gaze.
“You’re my first.”
I didn’t ask what she meant, nor did I question anything about her giving me the most sacred part of her life. Such trivial doubts had vanished from my mind.
All I could think about was responding to her yearning eyes.
As I squeezed her breast tightly, a quivering moan escaped her lips.
“Huff, mm…!”
Her fragile voice was something I had never imagined she could produce.
I watched her, entranced. Each time I applied pressure, her supple flesh responded with a springy resistance. Her lips, lightly bitten, dripped with sweetness as she emitted delicate sounds.
Her thighs clamped tightly together, her body quivering with every sensation.
Everything was new to me.
My clumsy hands couldn’t contain my excitement, trembling as they began their exploration. From the soft peaks to their very tips, I couldn’t help but tremble with both uncertainty and excitement.
It should have hurt by all means.
No woman could have cultivated the innermost regions of her being, and her delicate flesh was proof of that. Even the lightest touch brought a soft moan from her lips.
Yet Senior Delphine showed no sign of pain.
Instead, her voice brimmed with joy.
“Uh, huuhh! More, more…”
The flushed plea, her crimson eyes—all of it spoke to her uninhibited desire.
As I twisted her sensitive peak, her back arched in an impressive reaction.
Among all the responses I had seen thus far, this was the most dramatic.
Instinctively, I moved closer to her.
Our breaths mixed so closely they could taste each other’s.
Even her breathing was sweet.
Still, a flicker of hesitation lingered in my mind.
Was this right?
Suddenly, the days I spent with the Lady Virgin Saint came to mind.
Her gentle smile, her prickly demeanor, how her face would redden so easily despite her haughty posture.
I recalled the sacred body I once dared to touch.
And then Senior Elsi came to mind.
She had confessed her feelings for me earnestly, something I had never imagined.
Too many faces crowded my mind, filling me with confusion.
As if sensing my hesitation, she whispered.
“I already told you.”
The sweetness of her voice grazed my nose.
“Let’s stop worrying about everything…”
Her lips hovered close to mine as she spoke.
Then, slowly, her eyes closed.
Our lips met.
Our tongues intertwined, and a primitive thrill ran down my spine.
Strangely, she was right.
All thoughts disappeared.
The night was far from over.
