Clayton returned to their home very late that night. 

The delegates from Ma-i consisting of the patriarch and the second princess's entourage were sent to the LeGivre estate to rest. Fortunately, the preparation for the departure towards Ava was finished smoothly and Clayton is no longer required to supervise at every turn. The Holy Knights brought by the crown prince took over his duty.

Before leaving the empress's estate, he and Beck had a long discussion. The crown prince wishes to delay their travel to give their visitors more time to rest or at least that was the acceptable reason given.

"You are aware of the empire's prejudice against the Ma-i, correct? Ever since a rumour exploded about the tribesmen practising occult and forbidden magic, the citizens developed a negative perception towards them. To quell this, we need your presence to give everyone a sense of security and alleviate their fear."

"You do realize that this is directly declaring your opposition against Roy Sybil? As the person who started the rumour, it was his tactic to raise vigilance and sow enmity between two countries so that he will have a justifiable cause to attack the island." 

Beck gave out a cold laugh. "I wasn't the least bit concerned about his opinion." 

"Good to know." He is the crown prince of this empire, it wouldn't do him any good if he balked against an enemy like Sybil. Clayton thought.  

"With your prestige, plus the imperial family's support everyone will no longer feel so cautious and dare not purposefully target the tribesmen." It would surprise those people in Ava beginning to raise a protest against welcoming the Ma-i people. Those fools, they are instigating the crowd to march into the streets. 

The long talk lasted until late, Clayton quickly left the estate as soon as his duty ended.

At home, Ayan put the boys to bed after reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. She was standing by the large window taking off her wrap when a knock came at the door. It was past eleven, Clayton still wore his uniform when he stepped in. He thought the wife would be asleep with the children but she wasn't there when he peeked. 

"Good evening, milord." She greeted, pulling the pins off her hair letting it fall freely. 

Clayton's eyes came directly at her, widening a little bit and darkening. She wore an ice blue negligee that is considered indecent in this era. The finger wide straps loosely hang on her shoulders down to the deep V of her cleavage. The hem barely reaches her knees and with the bright moon outside the thin fabric entirely lost its purpose. 

The mesmerizing silhouette before him accelerated the beating on his chest. Clayton's whole body was plunged into fire. Strange, it's not a full moon yet and he already drank the second antidote given by Ayan. His wife sat on the bed and patted the cushion. 

"It's very late, it's time to rest." Ayan bent over to arrange the pillows making the hem ride higher to her thigh. 

Clayton walked stiffly into the room and made a strange noise. His boot hit the foot of the settee making it scrape the hardwood floor! He felt stupid for some reason. Ayan must be laughing at him. 

Well, his lady is indeed laughing inwardly. "If you make too much noise your guards might think we have an intruder."   

Clayton pursed his mouth wordlessly, made his steps lighter and sat beside her. Why does he feel extremely hot? He took his coat off and was about to loosen his tie when Ayan stopped him. "Let me."  

Her vision suddenly turned and is now staring at the embroidered canopy of their bed. Clayton's visage came over, looking at her. "Sleepy?"

"Not yet."

"Then, let's sleep later…" Clayton dipped his head lower and kissed the sassy mouth he'd been missing all day. It was a particularly lustful kiss until someone bled from his nose. 

That evening was destined to be uneventful. Ayan regretted that she might have teased him too much. Clayton lost consciousness and burned up all night. The morning after, he wanted to continue realizing that he left his wife in the cold. However, a visitor came before he could even make up, making his mood blacker than ink.

The second princess of Ma-i and her bodyguards who claimed that they 'happened to pass by so they paid him a visit' were not received cordially. The young marquess had no time to spend with irrelevant people so he packed his family and went to Morrigan estate.  

 

Clayton and Lachlan pored over the stacks of the report while Ayan and the children went out for a picnic. As the Thorns finished the investigation about the demons that showed up in the Guildford mansion, he told the crown prince that he would be visiting Lachlan. The family wanted to spend their last days in Arpeggio to the tranquil viscounty of Stellaris. 

"What happened with your special errand?" Lachlan asked, appearing to be unconcerned but couldn't hide the curiosity in his eyes.

"The delegates are safely staying within the empress's maiden home guarded by the Holy Knights. Thorns will resume duty once the journey to Ava begins." 

Lachlan was rather annoyed with the few details. "I heard the second princess took a liking to you going as far as coming to your house but when she found out you are married and already have children, twins at that, she ran back to her father in tears." 

Paying a visit to his estate might be just an excuse but then again once they travel to the imperial capital, there is no avoiding that headstrong girl. 

The papers kept piling on the table, Clayton's eyes did not move from the report. 

"If I were you, I'd be very cautious," Lachlan added, sounding like a truly concerned companion. "I, for one, have witnessed how your lady threw a fit when you were caught talking to a woman. Remember that Clay?"

"Lachlan, the reports needed to be finalized and sent to the palace." Clayton sighed. "I did not take you for a chatterbox the first time we met." 

Although he appeared to be composed, what Lachlan said left a mark on him. Ayan is not someone unreasonable but just in case another misunderstanding occurred… he shuddered. 

In the fields as of the moment, Ayan and the children greeted the villagers they met before.     

"I'm glad to see you up and well again, milady." Karmen gushed excitedly. "Everyone in the estate was worried when they heard that you were buried in snow. Thank heavens your lord husband returned in time or else..."

The last time she had seen her was that night she was carried unconscious by Clayton after days of being out in the snow. 

"Milord, the young masters are safely sent into the mansion." The man named Kanon reported in a quiet voice. "The physician said there are no complications. They are resting as of this moment." 

"Good..." He responded lightly. "Ayan is tired and she won't be able to play with them. Once they are awake, those boys will only disturb her sleep." 

The man held her very preciously like a fragile piece. As if too afraid to exert any force and break her. Karmen heard a lot of stories about Clayton from her husband Knoll, his fearsome strength and his leadership but at that moment when he was holding his barely breathing wife, the man looked neither of his legendary descriptions. 

"It must have been hard on you looking after those kids, right love?" He walked unhurriedly talking to the perfectly still Ayan as though nothing happened. There was even a faint smile on his lips as he urged her to sleep some more. 

However, the tremor in his voice was clear. The despair and fear they saw in his eyes made everyone's heart clench. 

Karmen knew that he must love her dearly. 

Losing her would surely break him.  

She was silently relieved to see her healthy once again, so are the folks of the estate. In the short time that they knew the Rozenbergs, the family reached the apex of respect in everyone's heart. It was because the moment they arrived, their lord who was on the verge of death quickly recovered from his illness. The mercenary team who were unjustly dismissed by Green Ivy found a new place to work.

"By the way milady, since you are moving to Ava soon we decided to arrange a little farewell for you." She pulled her to the field where several blankets were laid out. 

Carmine and Raven were playing tag with the little children while Milk had the privilege of being coddled by multiple young ladies. 

"Oh, everyone's enjoying themselves." Karmen laughed seeing the family's fat cat acting like a king. "The little one is particularly happy."

Ayan nodded, "They must have missed this place." 

Their husbands also have to go back to the imperial capital to work. Everyone was glad but also sad at the same time because they will surely miss their families. The short winter break was their reunion but with the arrival of spring, everything has to be set back in motion. 

The sun was mild today, the housewives of the estate set up a grand picnic with bonfires and roasting pits. Several barrels of ale were sent out from the mansion cellar courtesy of the lord. 

"Tonight we celebrate, eat and be merry everyone!" Lachlan raised his cup, toasted Clayton and the mercenaries on his side. 

"To the recovery of the lord!" Clayton said.

The folks cheered.

"For the Rozenbergs!" Knoll added.

The Morrigan estate burst into a jovial celebration overflowing with music, food and drinks. The picnic lasted the whole day and only ended when the sun was about to dip in the western horizon. 

The twins rubbed their eyes sleepily while following Johann upstairs. 

"Big brother, where did mommy and daddy go?" Carmine asked with a big yawn, Milk is already snoring in his arms from running around all day. 

"Oh, the lord and the lady have other matters to attend to. They said you must go to bed early." He answered smoothly. 

Raven on the other hand pouted while looking out the window. "It's going to rain soon. I hope they come back…" 

Johann simply smiled and helped them into their warm bath. These days, the imposing shadow guard turned into a hapless nanny. He also wished they would come back soon because he is running out of excuses to tell the young masters whenever the husband and wife were out and about.  

He was weeping and complaining inwardly about the downgrade of his duties but the movements of his hands did not stop as towelled them dry, combed their hair neatly and dressed them in the same manner Ayan did. He also made sure that pillows are fluffed and the beddings are fresh.  

Johann tucked them to bed and smugly looked at his clean and efficient handiwork with pride. Humph! As a soldier, I must be thorough. After doing everything, he blew the lights off, walked out of the room and untied his pink apron with a big smile.  

 

---

NSFW

 

Ayan rummaged through her reticule to get the key to the farmhouse. It was raining cats and dogs and it could collapse the old roof anytime. Darkness welcomed them added by a damp musty smell once the door was pried open. Clayton folded the umbrella carefully and placed it beside the door. How in the hell did fine sunny weather give way to a cloudburst? It was a good thing that the harvest for spring vegetables was done and stored, if not, the farmers were going to be in a lot of grief.

"Watch your step," Ayan warned before he could trip on the raised doorframe. It was very dark until she lit up a camping lantern and placed it on the hook in the middle of the living room.

Clayton carried an armful of logs from the kitchen and started a fire in the hearth. In less than ten minutes, there is already warmth in the house. Ayan went upstairs, took off the heavy overskirt, then the jacket and left the corset and sleeveless cotton innerwear. Since Clayton asked the steward to keep this place clean, it had been diligently swept and wiped off the dust.

"Hungry?" She asked Clayton when he appeared at the door.

He was leaning against it watching her move about adding pillows and fixing the cushions and beddings. Ayan had her hair tied into a messy bun, the soft tendrils fell gently on the sides of her face while wisps of red were scattered on the back of her smooth neck. 

"No, I’m alright." He said. "Is there anything else you need my help for, my lady?"  

"How about boiling some water?" She grinned. "On second thought, let's just not. You might burn the whole house down along with us."

He pursed his mouth peeved. "Have you forgotten how I cooked for us in the mountains?"

An unladylike snort was her answer. "Well, you might also have forgotten that I always took over halfway?"

Clayton didn’t want to lose; he crossed their distance in two steps and caught her waist squeezing it. "The lady is being cheeky, at least leave your poor husband some pride."

This made her roll her eyes at him. Clayton’s gaze turned dark, he leaned down and bit on her lip, "Do you know how much I like you doing that?"

She shook her head. He chuckled then he went ahead and bit her some more. 

The touch of his warm mouth to hers immediately sent ripples of desire cascading all over her.

"Ayan…" 

Her eyes met his and moved no further. Clayton held her, so fervently sensual was his gaze that it solicited a blush from her head down. 

Her lips parted, glistening with an enticing dew and seemed to be begging for the return of his mouth. Clayton's lips gently brushed and his tongue coaxed her. He didn't have to ask to know what he wanted. The feeling of being in their own world magnified the budding tension between the two. The thought of having these stolen moments of trysts amid the anxiety of a possible rebellion only fueled their longing to burn brighter. 

Ayan reached for his neck and clung to him as his mouth ravaged her. Feeding her with his taste. Her nose filled with his scent.  

"The door…" she groaned. 

Clayton bit her ear tips with a chuckle. "It's already locked." 

The laborious and heated breath from him burned her skin as his gleaming blue eyes pierced through her. The way Clayton gazed at her with undisguised dark intensity made her feel incredibly alive and desired. His quick hands began to get busy pulling the ribbons on her back, loosening the tight lacings of the corset and freeing her from it. With the restriction gone, the hand on her waist slide upwards. His fingers accurately pressed the left nipple that hardened to a painful point.  

Ayan sucked in a breath when he gave it a mild squeeze between his thumb and forefinger. Clayton rained kisses from her mouth to her face and nose then he palmed the mass of soft flesh over the thin blouse. Kneading and feeling it. Without waiting for her to surface from the surprise, he carried her over to the bed. His free hand slid inside the fabric smoothly pulling it over her head leaving her bare milky chest in the open, exposed to his greedy gaze. 

"You're so beautiful," Clayton's throat moved. 

She dragged his mouth back to her and let his hot tongue sweep inside her again wet and hungry. With most of his weight supported by his forearms, Clayton loomed on top like a predator. Ayan could feel the rock hard bulge pushing on her thigh. 

They hadn't extinguished the lamp but they were never the kind of couple who followed convention. Clayton gazed down at the pliant beauty below him. Ayan had no idea how incredibly tempting she was with her red hair spilling over the white pillows. Black eyelashes flickering over her turbulent grey eyes, she looked like a tearful maiden about to be ravaged by a ruffian.  

From the moment he entered the room he had become hot and rigid. The short banter did nothing to cool down his raging desire. He wanted her too much. 

One of his hands went under her skirt, caressing the sensitive skin inside of her thighs towards the edge of her lace panties. The thin layer only stimulated her, leaving her aching, craving for more intimate contact of warm flesh. 

Ayan was lost in the kiss and the movement of his hand under her skirt. As the movement ravenous, her body tingled and it dragged a moan from her chest. At the same time, warmth pooled between her legs. 

"Did that feel good, milady?" Clayton's lips brushed her skin and sucked the hollow of her throat.  

Ayan embraced the large body over hers feeling quite safe and satisfied to her toes. Over the sound of heavy rain and thunder, she could hear their pounding heartbeat. The world is being drenched outside but the heat coming from their bodies seems like a blast from a hot furnace searing their skin. 

"I miss you so much." He murmured, giving her left breast an openmouthed kiss, suckling it, sometimes rolling the pink tips with his playful tongue while the other breast was being massaged out of shape by his hand.  

Ayan was torn in between laughter and the tension building on her lower abdomen. She had always known Clayton had a thing for her breast but she didn't know it was so bad he'd start worshipping them. 

"And I miss you as well." All ten fingers went to his waistband hurriedly pulling the buttons from their holes. When she was about to wrench open the fly, the zipper was stuck halfway down. 

"Take your time, love." He murmured through their pressed mouths. "Nice and easy…" 

Ayan relaxed, then tried again and brought the stubborn zipper down smoothly. Clayton already shrugged off his shirt baring the hard tan muscles of his chest down to the firm abdomen. Her eyes went to the sparse hair growing thicker as they went lower than his pelvis. Ayan ran a hand over his Adam's apple down to the prominent stony abdomen and his navel, touching as much of him as she did to her. Her husband was all hard lines and undeniably manly like a sculpture but it was his heat and heartbeat that told her he was alive.  

"This has to go," he whispered, taking her skirt off, tossing it somewhere below the bed along with the rest and leaving only the lacy panties. He lifted one of her legs and went between them. Then, he cupped the junction of her thighs. 

Clayton kissed her smooth stomach slowly, trailing wet marks up with his tongue and lips then buried his face to the milky white mounds. His calloused fingers went beneath the silk fabric, touched and parted the moist flesh. Ayan moaned his name and wrapped a leg on his waist helplessly but he did not stop, instead, he brushed over to where she was most sensitive and chuckled darkly in her ears. "Naughty, you're very wet down here." 

Ayan looked away embarrassed. 

"Heh, you can hear it too right?" A finger slid in the slippery opening and withdrew quickly before she could even react.  

Under the sparse light, their eyes met locking on each other. 

"Pervert~ Ah!" Desire was pooling in her eyes, when she glared at him he probed deeper to his knuckle making her shiver. Clayton rose to his knees as he pulled the flimsy panties off and left it hanging on the left leg he was kissing reverently. Then he thumbed the waistband of his underwear freeing his long hard length. 

The light may not be too bright but she was still given an ample view of what's to come. The moist tips of the huge shaft jutting out made her chest jump. Whether from excitement or fear, she couldn't tell. Perhaps a mixture of both. 

Ayan licked her lower lip then put both her hands overhead and smiled up at him, "Husband." She said almost in a desperate whisper. 

The air rushed out of his lungs and he could feel the blood gathering downwards making his erection more painful. His rigid length caressed the sensitive pink flesh and Lord Rozenberg lost his sanity. 

"I'm taking you now, love." He bucked his hips a bit then pushed the broad head of his shaft towards the hot and moist passage. Both of them gasped at the same time. 

Ayan's teeth sunk on his shoulder as the fierce sensation struck her.  

When reason came back to his pleasure-dazed mind, Clayton groaned. The narrow entrance welcomed his hard length after so long, he was worried whether she was in pain. But Ayan's answer was to kiss him. He touched her velvety cheek then grasped her waist rocking her slowly giving his lady time to stretch. 

The heat consumed them. 

Ayan could feel the hot pulsating thing pushing her walls, causing small currents of electricity pricking her belly to her breast. From her body down to her toes and fingertips. 

"Clayton…" 

His small smile turned wider, "I know, love. I know." 

Clayton's ragged breath echoed in her ears, then when she was still grasping the spasmodic pleasure teasing her he pulled back for a deep thrust. The titillating feeling sent pleasures coursing through her and it was repeated several more times as he came in and out of her body. Clayton continued to give her more, pushing her to the edge until the second wave of orgasm swallowed her into a more violent vortex. Her body spasmed in his hold, her mouth opened and he came down swallowing her cries.  

The sky hurled another thunder shaking the ground and the weak foundation of the house. 

"Did I hurt you?" Clayton asked gently, tracing the bridge of her nose sheened with sweat. 

Ayan shook her head and gave a languorous smile. Her chest rose and fell from the fierce climax. 

"I'm glad," Clayton murmured and moved again, faster and harder this time forcing her to combust. The corded muscles on his arms and back were taut. The bed creaked from the passionate exchange, Clayton's wide hand grasped her plump bottom tilted her pelvis up burying himself fully. Ayan's eyes widened and the moan she could no longer hold back escaped from her lips. 

"Ayan." He murmured greedily, pulling her up and letting her straddle his waist while sucking her mouth, neck and breasts. "Ayan… my Ayan." 

His whole world focused on her solely. With their skin stuck together, with each plunge of his hips, Ayan received the pleasure he intensely offered and let the sensation burn them away. 

 

When she woke up the next day, the sky was still dim. The surrounding smelt of rain and vegetation. Clayton lazily licked her nape to her shoulder blades.  

"Good morning, milady." He greeted her with a voice thick with a male's unique sensual tone. 

Clayton was leaning on his left arm gazing down at her, waiting for her eyes to open. Ayan turned towards him and wanted to greet him back but her throat felt raw and painful. Probably from crying out too much last night. They both got too excited as if trying to make up for the many years wasted but no matter how many times they were joined it was still far from enough.

Indeed it was far from enough. Clayton was already putting his knee between her legs grinding the sensitive part. Ayan smacked his arm weakly. 

"The children are waiting." 

"Still too early. They're not up yet." He breathed deeply. 

Clayton wondered whether what Ayan gave him was an antidote or aphrodisiac. He can't distinguish the difference between the two when he is constantly brimming like this. 

As a result, she was pulled on top of him without leaving any sheets to cover them. Ayan squirmed embarrassed to the roots of her hair. 

"Want it?" He smiled softly, running a thumb to her lower lip. "Put it in yourself."

It was eight o'clock in the morning when they returned to the Morrigan manor. The children were looking at their parents accusingly. They slept and hadn't seen them. They woke up and they were still not there. 

Humph! 

They know mother and father went somewhere fun again. Poor babies, they forgot to bring them.