(This bonus story takes place in a parallel universe where Edith's parents did not die of cholera, starting from the summer of 1788)

Raphael found himself troubled these days.

It seemed that Edith had begun to distance herself from him intentionally. The change in her attitude seemed to coincide with the transformation of her physique. During this summer, she had suddenly grown much taller and become more slender. From her melodious voice, occasionally a high note would escape.

She still came to play with Charlene, but always turned a blind eye to him. Whenever he attempted to draw near to her, she would pretend he wasn't there, pressing her body closer to Charlene's and continuing their intimate banter with deliberate demeanor.

On this day, Raphael stumbled upon a beautifully illustrated copy of One Thousand and One Nights in a corner of the study. He brought it back to his bedroom to enjoy as a bedtime pastime.

To his surprise, as he casually flipped open a chapter, the young man's fair face instantly blushed. It turned out that most of the illustrations within depicted enchanting scenes of passionate love between men and women. The strokes were rough and wild, yet strikingly lifelike. They teased Raphael, as he told himself to close the book, yet couldn't resist the itch to delve deeper into its pages.

As he continued reading, his hand unconsciously moved to his own groin. Through the icy touch of silk pajamas, he could still distinctly sense the scorching heat pulsating within.

In his mind, the images of the two brothers' coitus with the devil's mistress faded away, gradually replaced by Edith's flushed face from the sun, her occasionally pouted full lower lip, and the subtle mound rising beneath her dress.

He imagined all of this, throwing the book in his hand onto the ground, unable to control himself as he reached into his pajamas and shyly and intoxicatedly fondled his treasure, softly panting.

When Raphael finally sprayed his pearly white semen onto the dark wall opposite him, he let out a long "ah" of joy, feeling dizzy from the unprecedented pleasure.

Sweet drowsiness quickly swept over him. Raphael turned on his side and embraced the bundled-up summer quilt next to him, resting his face against it. He legs tightly clasped the quilt in between, releasing the intense longing that rose in his chest, and murmured with closed eyes,"Edith, Edith..."

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On this exceptionally sunny afternoon, Raphael stood early atop the hill, gazing at the long-awaited maiden as she bounded up the hill with light and joyful steps. His lips couldn't help but curl upwards.

As Edith approached, a pleasant and gentle sunlight enveloped her, leaving Raphael momentarily enchanted.

She only saw his figure alone and looked somewhat uneasy, hastily asking about Charlene.

"Charlene's physical examination got rescheduled to this afternoon, so she won't be able to come," Raphael explained to her.

"On such a beautiful day like today, Charlene isn't here, it's such a pity!" Edith expressed her disappointment."I think I'd just go back then!"

"I can also play with you, can't I?" Raphael said.

Edith rolled her eyes towards him,"What's there for me to play with you?"

Raphael raised the novel he had been carrying behind his back and smiled at her."We can read a book together."

Like in their childhood, the two sat side by side on the lush hill, bathed in the dense shade. They spread the book in between them, their heads leaning close to one another.

After a while, Edith let out a yawn and suggested,"Reading like this makes it too easy to feel drowsy. Why don't we recite it out loud, just like we used to do when we were kids?"

"Sure, you recite a sentence, and then I recite one," Raphael responded with a smile.

Edith had not anticipated that, within moments of reciting, the plot in this romance novel would progress to a blush-inducing passage.

When it was Raphael's turn, he read without a hint of change in his expression, his voice resounding with clarity,"And then Armand lifted Annette's skirt, using his lips and tongue to savor the sweet nectar that dripped from her ripe peach..."

"Annette released his nightingale from his culottes, tenderly caressing it as one would a lovely bird..." Edith finished the sentence, yet unable to resist continuing,"Armand's nightingale, under her inspiration, proudly raised its head and bestowed upon the beautiful Annette a glistening droplet of dew..."

She could sense that she had fallen into Raphael's trap, yet these unprecedented words seemed to possess a fancy enchantment, filling her with wonder.

Edith suddenly turned to Raphael with an innocent yet mischievous gaze."Let me see if you have a nightingale on you that can spit out dewdrops?"

Raphael was caught off guard by the sudden role reversal of the young girl. Before he could react, she had already undone his culottes, seizing hold of that bird of his, causing him to startle.

"Oh, I've caught the nightingale," Edith proudly exclaimed, tossing her hair.

Emboldened, Raphael followed suit, swiftly undoing her waistband and grasping her petite and perky bosoms."You forgot about your own two alouettes!"

"Ah, let go of me, Raphael!" Edith giggled and called out, but her grip on his tightened.

Not to be outdone, Raphael tickled her, knowing well that Edith was ticklish. She immediately burst into laughter and leapt up, heading toward the direction of the stream.

Raphael quickly caught up with her, playfully tackling her onto the grass, causing her skirt to lift to her waist, revealing the smooth and uplifted derriere.

He wickedly used both hands to knead her buttocks."And there's a pair of watery peaches here waiting to be plucked!"

Edith got up and continued running ahead, while Raphael called out from behind,"Don't run away! Let me see if your peach can also squeeze out some juice!"

This innocent yet lascivious game continued for quite some time, until Edith escaped into the middle of the stream, the water barely reaching her thighs. Gasping for breath, she laughed and shouted at the youth:

"Raphael, you childish imp!"

He waded through the water towards her and grabbed her arm, smugly declaring,"Caught you!"

But at that moment, Edith suddenly stopped smiling and gazed at him with seriousness. Raphael thought he had upset her and began to anxiously try to make amends, but she abruptly lunged forward and passionately embraced his neck, pressing her lips against his.

Raphael immediately responded fervently to her lips and tongue, holding her tightly in his arms and tenderly stroking her fine back.

Both their shirts had become drenched from their frolicking just now, and their fiery chests were almost directly pressed against each other. They continued to kiss and suckle upon each other, devoid of finesse and almost savagely, until the sun on the horizon was nearing its descent.

"I must marry you!" Raphael agitatedly exclaimed as soon as he released her, breathing heavily.

"But I don't want to be a countess!" Edith protested."I realised when I was a child that I'm simply not cut out to be a princess."

"Then I won't be a Saint-Clemont anymore. I'd just be Raphael Travis, a carpenter, a peasant, a tramp—anything! I just want to be with you!" Raphael stared at her with fiery eyes, shouting earnestly and resolutely.

Edith went blank for a moment, and then urgently began tugging at his clothes. She wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing her soft little bud against his body.

But Raphael pushed her away, took her hand, and pulled her towards the shore."We have to get married first!"

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The sudden request left the old priest in the church at a loss. However, he couldn't resist this young master deeply entangled in the web of love at last. He agreed to take the risk and officiate this self-imposed wedding for the two of them.

Raphael was overjoyed, his excitement akin to that of a child. He knelt before the elderly priest, kissing his weathered hand repeatedly, as if trying to imbue it with the passion he had just failed to release.

"Yes, why not?" the old priest mused with a contemplative look."This is a completely legal desire, following the laws of nature and love. I have no right to refuse such a request." He then turned to the young couple, saying,"Come with me then, I am more than happy to finish this as soon as possible. Just let me and His omnipresence bear witness to your union."

This venerable old man later became one of the first juring priests of the Republic; but, of course, that is a story for another time.

After their hasty wedding, Edith and Raphael hurriedly ran back to the banks of the stream where it all began. Night had fallen, shrouding all the bashfulness. They eagerly undressed each other, their bodies intertwined without restraint, and embraced each other naked in the moonlight.

"Your nightingale is truly powerful, my Raphael! It should be called an eagle," Edith said, admiring his manhood.

"Then hurry put the eagle in its cage, angel!" Raphael greedily kissed her breasts, his words muffled.

He lay on the grass, arms open wide, inviting his new bride. Edith straddled him, her anticipation growing as she used her hands to part her own lips, welcoming his bird into her warm and enticing nest.

Raphael, stimulated by both sight and touch, let out an extremely blissful sigh that resonated with pleasure.

In that moment, he suddenly recalled their innocent days, when he too had stripped off his clothes and frolicked with Edith in the waters of this stream. Back then, as a young boy, he couldn't comprehend his father's disdainful mockery.

And now, here they were, truly undressing together in the wild, like two rustic young souls with nothing but youth and love, rendezvousing and rolling on the fragrant green grass.

Euphorically, Edith galloped upon Raphael's body. Beneath her, this noble white steed with its golden mane fearlessly carried her, providing more exhilaration than any horse she had ever ridden before.

As she rode faster and faster, gradually transitioning into a sprint, she felt herself melding completely with the young man beneath her.

"Oh, Raphael, faster!" Edith gasped rapidly, her breasts and hips trembling with indescribable sensations coursing throughout her entire being."It feels like... like I'm about to take flight!"

His hands tightly grasped her thighs as they fiercely collided, both propelling towards the pinnacle together.

"I love you, Edith! I love you!" Raphael shouted with all his might at the climax, sitting up and pulling her close into his embrace.

"I'm dying, I'm dying!" Edith cried out, her voice tinged with a sob.

She collapsed onto his chest, their ragged breaths mingling in each other's ears.

Raphael's youthful and vigorous weapon quickly regained its strength. He smirked sly at Edith and scooped her up, stepping into the nearby streamlet.

The cool waters of the summer night sent shivers down the young girl's spine, causing her to instinctively press herself closer to him. As they waded deeper into the stream, where the water rising just below their waists, Raphael halted and scooped some water in his hand, using it to cleanse the private parts of the girl in his embrace.

"Raphael, what are you doing?" Feeling his fingers wander naughtily, Edith gave him a pettish scold.

"I want to wash a peach for myself, but this peach keeps dripping with juice. It seems to become stickier the more I wash it," Raphael responded with a straight face.

"That's because it's being nibbled by insects, itching," Edith placed her hands on his shoulders, gazing into his eyes in the darkness."My peach yearns for your woodpecker to venture inside to relieve its itch."

"At your command." Raphael immediately lifted her hips and, in that very spot, entered her once again.

Their affectionate assault on each other created sparkling splashes on the moonlit surface of the river. Ripples spread out in concentric circles, shattering the pristine white reflections into twinkling stars.

"Edith, I wish to be forever entwined with you like this!" After another fulfilling release, Raphael exclaimed in unparalleled ecstasy.

The loving couple frolicked throughout the entire night, until exhaustion finally overcame them, and they lay side by side beneath the trees. Edith rested her head on Raphael's chest, clutching his soft and warm nightingale in hand, eventually drifting off to sleep.

When they finally opened their eyes, the sun had already risen high. In the first moment of awakening, Edith embraced her lover's neck and bestowed upon him an ardent good morning kiss.

"I must have had a sweet dream last night, but a shame that I can't recall its content!" she yawned and said.

Raphael blushed as he recalled the passion of their wedding night."What should we do next?" he asked, holding Edith's hand.

"Just go on living as we did before!" Edith shrugged nonchalantly.

Raphael felt a sudden pang of disappointment."Do you wish for our marriage to remain a secret between us?"

"Well, that's not too bad!" Edith laughed and extended her finger to lightly touch his lips."A secret romance! How exciting!"

For a whole year, this young couple met only in the depths of the woods. To them, every night was a wedding night.

There were no plush bedding beneath them, only damp earth; no gossamer curtains around them, only the sanctuary of blooming flowers.

Each rapture of love carried the blessings of the wilderness and nature; their love grew ever stronger, adorned with ever-deepening hues of intensity and fantasy, with each passing day.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Vote/comment to lead our Edith&Raphael to a happy ending!