Chapter 85: Past Midnight!

When cutting, not only the shape and size of the raw stone but also the presence and location of inclusions must be considered important.

One has to decide whether to exclude inclusions even if the weight decreases, or to yield more weight even if inclusions are included.

If the latter is chosen, the direction must be set so that the inclusions are as inconspicuous as possible.

As such, when cutting a raw stone, deliberation and decision must be careful, but this time I could decide without much hesitation.

Because the condition of the raw stone was incredibly good.

Although not completely devoid of inclusions, the central part was as clean as if heat-treated.

The very heat treatment technology that would make synthetic diamonds unusable as gems even if grown to 1 carat due to its absence.

It was truly a top-grade raw stone, yielding slightly over 31 carats even after cutting. A figure far exceeding the average yield.

The cutting style was the standard of standards, Round Brilliant Cut.

A choice prioritizing stability above all.

Table size, crown angle, pavilion depth, girdle thickness, even culet size. I rechecked each part of the 58 facets and confirmed the proportions.

Relieved that the shape I envisioned was realized as is, I removed the loupe from my right eye.

With this, the cutting of all diamonds to be set is complete. For melee diamonds, I could save a lot of time by choosing ones already completed up to single cut.

Now it’s time for platinum alloy work.

“Time’s up, Jay.”

The voice that caught my steps heading to the furnace was Philius’s. Seeing him sitting at the table watching me felt new.

“Ah…”

Consciousness returning to reality from a trance state was even a bit dizzy. Letting out a meaningless sound, I soon cleared my throat and asked him.

“Is it midnight already?”

“Exactly 13 minutes past.”

“I see.”

I looked back towards the furnace once more but soon abandoned lingering attachment. Because Philius stood up and reached out his hand to me.

He acted strictly about time. He didn’t let me work past midnight completely.

Alea’s death instilled unavoidable anxiety in me. Even a few days later, sometimes a corner of my heart chills.

He was a Beta who coveted the noble’s territory, and I was in the same position.

“Jay.”

But someone he didn’t have was by my side.

Philius was a brake holding me back from rushing recklessly.

He also recognizes that the completion of the cognitive interference necklace is necessary. But he doesn’t want me to make the necklace even while harming my body.

“Now it’s time to give me time.”

As if reflexively reacting to his words, lilac scent flowed.

I clearly thought I could control it to some extent, but becoming conscious of him seemed to make me defenseless repeatedly.

“Wasn’t it noisy and boring?”

The time I spend in the workshop is the same as the time he spends in the workshop. A space where the polisher runs all along couldn’t not be noisy. However, the answer returned to the question was very different from expected.

“It’s fascinating.”

“Fascinating?”

“It seems to be ground very slowly, but at some point, a facet is completed. Every time a facet takes its place like that, the brilliance coming from the gem changes.”

Our steps naturally led to his bedroom.

Since the day I confessed to him, the room I stayed in, the room made for his spouse, has never been opened. It became natural for me to share a room with him.

Like that, we were spending both waking and sleeping hours together.

“And sometimes I get jealous.”

“Why jealous…”

Simultaneously with the bedroom door closing, his lips landed on mine. At the hand wrapping around my waist, I also raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck.

The sound made by tongues colliding was quite urgent. When I struggled to follow that speed, he released the tongue that bound mine and licked every corner of my mouth as if in replacement.

The sound of thoroughly taking and drinking saliva resonated, and after the mouth was stirred once more, lips separated.

It was a kiss proving the words that he felt jealous weren’t a lie.

“Why do you feel, jealous?”

Returning a short kiss to his lips instead of the kiss I couldn’t follow, I asked.

“Because sometimes it seems like you forget I’m by your side.”

His words were true.

I sometimes forgot his existence. Maybe quite often.

Actually, I used to immerse myself in work precisely because of that sensation. The feeling as if time and thought stopped. Because I wished for the moment when I only needed to focus on polishing the gem in front of me. Because I only needed to chase those minute moments. Because I could think of nothing else.

“Are you sorry to me?”

On his lips speaking the truth once again, I left a short kiss again. I felt the corners of his mouth rising.

“It’s not something to be sorry to me about.”

“I think so too, but.”

“Still sorry, right?”

Although not a rational emotion at all, he was right this time too.

I hated someone forcibly waking me up from a completely immersed state. Sometimes I became extremely sensitive and showed meaningless irritation.

But why, when Philius called me back to reality, I was rather relieved. That he was still by my side.

As much as the relief I felt at that moment, I felt sorry to him. Although I can’t explain properly.

As I just nodded, he lightly bit my lip and let go.

“I know I’m acting narrow-mindedly.”

With a chuu sound, he took a step. Hugging him, I also moved my feet following.

“Sorry for making you feel sorry.”

Took another step.

“You making gems are actually very beautiful.”

Hearing that I’m beautiful from a man beautiful like a figure in a masterpiece made me embarrassed. Still, knowing he was sincere, I chose to hide my face by strengthening the arms around his neck and getting closer rather than denying his words.

“Still, I hope you don’t forget too often that I’m by your side.”

He licked my reddened ear. Put the whole thing in his mouth and sucked. As strength entered my arms hugging him more, his two hands freely caressed my body. Still, the two bodies closely attached didn’t separate. Even while continuing slow steps.

Us sharing a room didn’t mean sleeping quietly in one bed. Even if intended as a light goodnight kiss at first, soon it became deep foreplay before s*x. The sensations of him touching my body were all unfamiliar, but I got used to them quickly.

As much as I came to recognize the fact that he always stays by my side.

Maybe the anxiety I feel makes me approach him more. Because when touching bodies with him, I can forget even anxiety.

Because the dreamlike time with him stirs my mind.

Because I can ignore the invisible reality.

So I…

“Jay…”

My name called in his low voice filled my head with him again.

His s*x, not yet fully erected, touched over the clothes. His gesture rubbing lightly up and down reminded me of last night.

“Yesterday too, you were jealous… uh, ungh…”

Unlike the light waist movement, at the two hands kneading my buttocks roughly over clothes, I ended up moaning.

Soon he put his hand inside my shirt and answered “Correct.”

Last night, I rubbed his s*x with my two hands making him ejaculate. At first, I just held it at his request. But soon, at his disheveled appearance, I unconsciously put strength into my hands.

He exhaled wet breaths squinting one eye. His panting appearance calling me made me absorbed.

Hot semen sprayed abundantly on my hands made my breath heated too.

The memory of the previous day and the stimulation applied to me now tangled together making heat rise in my body again.

When standing in front of the bathroom door, my clothes were already half off.

“Let’s go in together.”

At the voice heard through ears completely wet with his saliva, I had no choice but to nod.

Drip.

A water droplet formed on the ceiling fell into the bathtub. Staring blankly at the slowly spreading ripples, I leaned my body back. His chest supported my back.

“Feeling languid?”

A voice containing laughter asked.

“Why…”

I threw my head back leaning on his shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you skillful?”

Literally, he washed me skillfully. Enough to make my whole body languid with gentle touches. Enough to make the tension of standing naked with him colorless.

He tidied my wet hair and swept it back. He washed my hair himself too. Moving so carefully, I almost fell asleep.

“Because I’m skillful at washing myself?”

Was I skillful? Still containing laughter, he lowered his lips to the corner of my eye. Blinking my eyelids, I realized one fact.

“Come to think of it, I have never served you in a bath.”

“…If you did, I would have been very troubled.”

Being able to see his embarrassed expression was only for a moment. At the lips landing on the corner of my eye again, I had to close my eyes.

Simultaneously, his hand grabbed my chest. Completely different from the touch that aimed to really wash me.

Fingers rubbing my nipple toughly and a bit hastily were saying they wanted something else now.

While flustered by the suddenly changed atmosphere, my body was reacting as he induced.

“Saying I would have been, ugh, in a troubled situation… ah…!”

The nipple, which was just a vestigial organ, had become one of the places I feel before I knew it.

Nipples rubbed by his two hands rose quickly. The touch pulling up the hardened grains was felt excessively vividly.

I kicked the air without realizing it. As my body lost balance and staggered, he grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him.

I felt his thing now completely erected.

“Not you, but me.”

At his words, I barely opened my eyes.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but I couldn’t. Rather than suppressing the breath heated quickly and conveying words properly to him, he opened his mouth faster.

“I want to suck.”

The touch kneading my chest became rougher. Eyes desiring me even looked fierce.

He would seem very generous but eventually reveal hunger like this.

Then I wanted to quench his hunger.

No, I also became panting with thirst just like him. He stimulated the desire I had hidden.

My thought that I wouldn’t be able to show that raw desire revealed to him during manifestation again while sane was wrong.