[Episode 65] – Reading Romance Novels with Mom (2)
My head was woozy, my vision was spinning, and my stomach was churning.
That was the only way to describe my condition. My head was woozy, either from being soaked in alcohol or simply drunk; my vision spun from the intoxication; and since I had drunk without eating any snacks, my stomach was churning. I wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep right away, but…
“So… I don’t understand this part. Why is the young lady angry with the young master here? She was the one who slapped the young master first, wasn’t she? I don’t understand why she would hit him first and then get angry.”
“That’s because…”
Thanks to the princess, who was sitting between my legs and constantly asking questions, I couldn’t sleep. According to the princess, this novel was a book recommended by Viola, the countess’s daughter. She cheerfully explained that all the young ladies these days learned about love through books like this, and that everyone enjoyed reading them.
‘Even so, isn’t this a little too risqué for a book meant for a ten-year-old child…?’
I frowned as I read the passage the princess didn’t understand. As befitted a romance novel, the book told the story of a young master and a young lady who could not be together, yet strove to make their love come true. In short…
‘…It’s a romance-fantasy web novel.’
It was similar to the romance-fantasy web novels I used to enjoy in the modern world. The kind of web novel that probably would have had a nineteen-plus rating slapped on it. The young master was portrayed as a delinquent who forced himself on the young lady and greedily sought her lips, but by the latter half of the story, he reformed because he could not live without her.
I frowned as I read the passage the princess was pointing to: [The scene where the young master forcibly steals the young lady’s lips.]
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t something a ten-year-old should be reading.
At ten, she should be reading fairy tales appropriate for a ten-year-old…!
“…You’re still too young for a book like this. Why are you reading it when you don’t even understand it?”
“Ah…! Give it back! I borrowed it from Viola!”
I closed the book spread between the princess’s legs and raised it high above my head. The princess, who had suddenly had the book snatched away, stretched out her arms and flailed in an attempt to get it back, but her short arms couldn’t reach.
Why on earth was she trying to read a book like this when she didn’t even understand it…? I placed the book where the princess couldn’t reach it, then pulled her, still struggling between my legs, into a tight embrace, telling her to calm down.
“Would you like Mom to tell you a fairy tale instead? You like listening to fairy tales, don’t you?”
“No! I’ve already memorized all the fairy tales Mom tells me! You always tell the same stories!”
What could I do when I had run out of material?! Just how many times did she think I had read them to her?! I felt a surge of indignation, but quickly swallowed it down and looked at the princess.
The princess puffed out her cheeks until they looked ready to burst and snorted, “Hmph! Hmph!” Perhaps displeased that I had taken her book, she was still struggling to escape my arms.
‘I know what’s fun about books like that because I used to read them often too… But still… it’s a little too much for a ten-year-old…’
Stories of that sort certainly had a stimulating appeal. I knew that appeal myself, which was why I had once spent entire days reading web novels, but I thought ten was simply too young to know that kind of stimulation.
What was worse, this book even contained a sex scene toward the end. In other words, it was the sort of book that would have been given a nineteen-plus rating in the modern world. I could only hope that the princess hadn’t understood the latter half.
I tried everything I could to soothe her—stroking her head, lightly tapping her puffed-up cheeks, tickling her sides—but none of it worked. No matter how hard I tried, the princess continued to puff out her cheeks, hold out both hands, and protest that I give the book back.
The princess’s gaze burned with a determination that seemed impossible to break. At this rate, the argument would never end, so I sighed and picked up the book I had set behind me. It should be enough to tell her just what she was curious about…
The princess, who had received the book back, beamed as though she were truly happy.
“…I’ll tell you about exactly one thing you’re curious about. But from now on, ask my permission before reading books like this. Understood?”
“Hmm…”
She looked somewhat dissatisfied, her lips pursed in a pout, but the princess soon nodded. Then she opened the book again and began searching for the sentence she hadn’t understood. Her attitude of trying to learn whenever she was curious was admirable, but… the fact that it was a romance novel made it ironic.
“Found it! I don’t understand what they’re doing in this scene at all!”
“Let’s see…”
[It was the first night of their marriage. In a room where not even a candle had been lit, the young lady sat awkwardly in a negligee, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. The only source of light entering the room was the gentle moonlight, yet the young master could still see how flushed the young lady’s face had become. The young master approached her and pressed his lips to the nape of her—]
Bang!
In the middle of reading the paragraph, I shut the book. The princess glared at me angrily, asking why I was doing that again, but I didn’t have the courage to explain this to her. No, of all things, why did this have to be the part she was curious about? The paragraphs that followed were exactly what I expected—and precisely the scene I had been dreading.
‘It’s a sex scene…’
I was beginning to fear the young princess’s intellectual curiosity. The princess struggled desperately to pry open the book I was holding shut, urging me to open it again, but…
“Mommy!”
“……Can’t you ask Baengsyo later…?”
It was frightening and troublesome precisely because she was asking out of innocent curiosity, rather than saying it knowingly. I blocked the princess with one hand as she tried to open the book, while wiping my dry face with the other and letting out a small sigh. At this rate, I was going to have to give the princess sex education right here.
‘This is driving me insane.’
It wasn’t that the princess receiving sex education was a problem. I had already thought that she ought to receive it before entering the academy. Of course, I hadn’t intended to teach her myself. I planned to summon a lecturer recommended by the ministers, or perhaps a courtesan, to provide the princess with sex education.
What I meant was…
I had no confidence in teaching the princess about sex. As an adult, I naturally knew the biological facts, but I had no idea how to explain them in a situation like this. Surely reading a sex scene from a romance novel was not an appropriate way to provide sex education.
Nor could I suddenly start explaining things in terms of sperm and eggs. Overcome with embarrassment that had risen to the very top of my head, I stammered as I explained to the princess.
“T-Titania, you’re too young to know about things like this. When the time comes…”
“When will that be?”
“…How about when you turn thirteen? I promise I’ll bring in a suitable instructor then.”
The princess knitted her brows as if considering it for a moment, then muttered in complaint.
“But I’m curious now…”
“Titania… Everything has its proper time…”
“What does ‘pudendum’ mean, and why does the young master—”
“Khk! Cough! Cough! Titania!”
I choked in surprise when Titania began reciting the obscene contents of the book word for word. I quickly covered her mouth with my hand, telling her not to say anything more, but the princess tried to slap my hand away, insisting that I remove it. When it wouldn’t budge, she stuck out her tongue and licked my palm.
Damn it…! If I’d known this would happen, I would have included sex education in her lessons from the beginning…!
I continued speaking to Titania, my face flushed red.
“…Titania, you mustn’t say things like that in front of other people. What you just said is extremely embarrassing.”
“But the book says…”
“Books are wonderful…! They are, but… you shouldn’t believe everything a book tells you. The book you’re talking about is a novel, a book made entirely from people’s imaginations.”
Titania lowered her head, looking dejected.
Titania was a clever child. She had been curious about everything and asked questions about everything since she was little. Thinking about it, wasn’t it only natural for a curious princess to become curious about something like this?
I let out a small sigh, put the book back where it had been, and lay down on the bed with the princess. They said there was no way to stop human curiosity… Once we returned to the castle, I would have to bring in a sex-education instructor.
‘Once the princess learns about what she was asking, she won’t say things like that anymore, right…?’
I patted Titania’s stomach to comfort her. The princess had always found out everything she wanted to know, so how frustrating must it be not to have her first unanswered question explained? She let out a sigh deep enough to make the earth cave in, then burrowed into my arms.
Something about the sight seemed strangely pitiful, so I lifted only my head and pressed my lips to the forehead of the princess who had crawled into my embrace. Only then did she seem to feel a little better, smiling bashfully.
I thought she might finally fall asleep, but perhaps she still wasn’t tired, because she began poking my side with her finger and playing around. I was annoyed and drowsy from the alcohol, so I tried to ignore her and go to sleep, but—
Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
The princess poked my stomach, my side, and even my chest. I lowered my head slightly and glared at the princess, who was looking up at me from my arms with a mischievous grin. Still not sleepy, huh? Is that it?
I grinned, lifted the princess’s face until it was level with mine, and showered her with kisses. It was punishment for avoiding me earlier because I smelled of alcohol. Like a bird pecking at grain, I peppered her forehead, cheeks, ears—everywhere except her lips—with kisses.
Smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch!
“Ahaha! Stop! Mommy, stop!”
She giggled and struggled to get away from me, but it was useless. Finally, I puckered my lips and tried to kiss her cheek, but at that moment—
The princess twisted her head from the ticklish sensation, and her lips overlapped with mine. At that instant, Titania’s eyes flew wide open as she stared at me.
I had avoided kissing her on the lips until now because it somehow felt wrong… but what did it matter? It had already happened.
I kissed the princess on the lips once more, then pulled her back into my arms and patted her now-quiet stomach. Perhaps tired out from playing, the princess didn’t say anything.
When she suddenly fell silent, the drowsiness and drunkenness I hadn’t noticed while we were playing came rushing over me at once. I blinked slowly, opening and closing my eyes, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
*
Soft, peaceful breathing.
In the room where the only sounds were her own and her mother’s breathing, Titania raised a hand and touched her lips. Then she recalled the conversation she had had with Viola earlier.
‘They say that when you kiss someone on the lips for the first time, it means you “gave them your purity”! If you’re forced into a kiss, then it must mean your “purity was stolen.” There’s such a thing as purity in a first kiss!’
‘Is that so!’
A first kiss on the lips. The book had clearly said that a first kiss contained something called purity. Titania felt that she could now understand the feelings of the protagonist in the novel, if only a little.
The book had described a first kiss like this: ‘Something warm and moist descended upon her lips.’ It had been exactly as the book described.
The book had also said that it tasted sweet, but it hadn’t tasted like that at all. Titania ran her tongue over her lips once more, trying to savor the taste, but she still couldn’t detect any sweetness. The only thing she could sense was the faint lingering smell of alcohol.
For some reason, Titania’s heart began to pound.
Thump, thump, just as it had been described in the novel. It felt as though her entire body had turned into a heart, beating wildly. For some reason, she felt as though she might be angry—or perhaps as though she might cry.
Titania couldn’t understand what this emotion she was feeling was.
There was only one thought in her mind.
‘Mom stole my purity…!’