His vision was dizzyingly shaken by the swaying shadows. Rahikan looked down at himself, walking along a familiar path in his dream.
His age, reflected in his eyes, seemed to be sixteen, or perhaps fifteen. Behind his back, still a boyish man, a blaze like the sun's mane blazed, and beneath his pale feet, hundreds of black snakes swayed.
He stepped over the mountain of crow corpses and made his way to the center of the corridor, finally arriving at the place where the altar was placed.
Pulling his head out of the bathtub, he encountered a familiar face. It was a face that resembled his own, as if carved from a stencil. It was the face of his father, the late Emperor. Beneath his black hair, blazing golden eyes glared at him, as if intent on killing him.
"Murderer."
He watched with a serene expression as a snake's tongue crawled out of his father's open mouth. And then a sharp, resonant laugh coiled around his throat.
Murderer. A depraved murderer. You, demonic seed who murdered your father and mother in pursuit of the Emperor's throne. Rahikan opened his eyes silently, his own voice piercing his ear.
It was a long-awaited dream. It was a dream from ten years ago, just before the rainy season, when his parents and siblings all perished in a great fire.
“Fuck...”
A low curse, like a sigh, escaped through his clenched teeth. His head ached like it was going to split open after a long nightmare. Even after he opened his eyes, the stench of burning flesh lingered in his nostrils.
The nightmares that came every other day, accompanied by a relentless fever, were like a chronic illness. They haunted him from a time so distant he couldn't even remember when. Within them, he was locked in a never-ending battle with demons disguised as his parents.
He thought it would be quiet since it stopped abruptly after he left Feldip.
“That can’t be.”
With a sinking feeling, Rahikan slowly closed his eyes and opened them. The red cloth ceiling of the barracks appeared dimly between his eyelids, then disappeared into the darkness.
How much longer is it until the capital?
A little over a month had passed since they set out from Feldif. They'd been running tirelessly, following the sun's shadows by day and the stars' coordinates by night. They should reach the city gates in ten days at most.
For Rahikan, crossing the desert was more tedious than arduous.
During the midday sun, when the scorching sun seemed to melt the surface, they spared no effort, conserving their energy and accelerating their pace as the sun began to set. Food was plentiful, the soldiers were alert, and Cardion's horses, as strong as iron chains, could easily run for five or six hours without stopping, even in the sweltering heat.
The problem was the weather.
The desert climate, so capricious as to be temperamental, frequently changed from seemingly clear to suddenly violent.
When a sandstorm so thick it was impossible to see even the manes of their own horses, even Cardion's cavalry, however brave, had no choice but to halt and wait for the weather to calm. And once the storm began, it would last, at best, a couple of hours, sometimes even a day or two, with no sign of abating.
Still, they were lucky this time. As soon as the dust storm cleared, they found an oasis that served as a continuation of the continent. Here, they could replenish their food and stamina needs, then head straight to the palace, where they could arrive within their scheduled time without any problems.
Rahikan, who was about to rise, paused for a moment. The woman sleeping beside him groaned.
It was usually a time when she would have already fled to the carriage, but Diara was strangely asleep. Lying on the other side of the wide bed, curled up tightly, she seemed to be trying to avoid touching him even in her sleep. Her rosy hair covered her petite frame, making her look like a tangled flower.
Through her wavy hair, her pale chest, as if sculpted from porcelain, was clearly visible. Rahikan covered her with a blanket, fearing she might catch a chill, but she groaned before quickly throwing it away. A look of annoyance was evident in her wrinkled brow, like a sheet of paper.
Rahikan let out a hollow laugh.
“And sleeping habits.”
This was already the second time she seen her slump in front of the Emperor. Well, after all that swaying just a moment ago, it was understandable that she'd been so daunted.
Rahikan, who had been sitting there for a moment, looking down at Diara, stepped out of the barracks. A fallen blanket tugged at his toes.
The early morning desert air was cool. Rahikan took a deep breath to shake off the remnants of his nightmare, and only then did his head feel a little clearer.
But something strange happened. For some reason, the soldiers who were supposed to guard the front of his barracks were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a tangled web of footprints, as if someone had danced, and a long, raked handprint remained in the sand. Following these marks, Rahikan led himself to the back of the barracks.
And in a corner of the barracks, she came across a figure with twisted limbs.
"Your Majesty."
“That’s it for the greetings.”
The battalion commander, who was stripping the armor off a fallen soldier, saw Rahikan and rose, lost in thought. Rahikan, who had already taken a salute with his hand, approached the soldier, who appeared to be already dead.
“What’s going on?”
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty, but I am still unable to determine exactly what has happened, and am currently investigating.”
The battalion commander went out on patrol to check on the horses and said he found a soldier collapsed in front of his barracks. He seemed to be alive, twitching and convulsing, but when he put his hand under his nose and listened, he found he was dead.
"The bluish complexion appears to be a sign of poisoning. I suspect it was a bite from a venomous snake, but we'll need to confirm the bite mark first."
It was a common occurrence for soldiers and horses on guard duty in the desert to be bitten by venomous snakes. The red desert, with its scorching sun and sand, was originally the domain of snakes before it belonged to humans.
Thanks to the royal family's protection from snakes, Cardion's soldiers rarely lost their lives to snakes. However, there were still some unfortunate cases. They might step on a sleeping viper's tail, disturb a pregnant mother, or both.
Rahikan, who had been listening to the battalion commander's explanation, stopped lifting the soldier's body, and his expression hardened. The blackened marks on his knee, as if bitten by something, were not snake teeth, but rather spiral-shaped sawtooth marks.
He stood up, throwing the protective gear that had been covering the corpse's knees to the floor.
“Get out of the way.”
"Yes?"
“If you don’t want to die, let go.”
With a slurp, the Emperor's sword was drawn from its scabbard. The sudden change in the Emperor's demeanor caused the battalion commander to hurriedly retreat.
A blade emitting a bluish light flashed through the air, then fell. Then, something dark seemed to ripple from the soldier's legs, which had shriveled up like an insect, and then an ear-piercing metallic sound erupted.
The battalion commander, watching the black flames blazing fiercely, swallowed hard. The fiercely blazing flames, as if nothing had happened, dissipated into puffs of smoke, leaving nothing behind where they had bloomed and vanished in the blink of an eye.
A forbidden sorcery that leaves behind screams and death, but no trace of the performer. It is a black sorcery of the ancient Cardion Empire.
“Oh my God. Isn’t this black magic?”
The battalion commander, who had only heard of black magic in words, trembled with disbelief as he saw it in person.
“It’s Helgatria’s doing.”
His voice was cold as he mentioned Helgatria, his only cousin and the only Princess of the empire.
This sword will never be used again. Rahikan looked down at the blade, already beginning to turn black and rusty, with cold eyes.
It was clear that the spell had targeted Diara's life, not the soldier's. The sword, bearing the marks of a failed spell, trembled under Rahikan's hand, as if in exasperation.
“Are you saying that... Her Highness the Princess did this because His Majesty took the Princess away?"
The battalion commander's face hardened as he belatedly realized the situation.
While Rahikan was away from the palace due to a long war of conquest, the Cardion palace was under the control of Princess Helgatria, her father, the Elder, and her brother, Ferzan. In the absence of an Empress, the Emperor's cousin, the Princess, effectively ruled as the empire's mistress.
Princess Helgatria's obsession with Rahikan was so well known that everyone knew about it, so after a quiet click of the tongue, Rahikan sank his sword blade deep into the sand.
“She followed me all the way to the battlefield and used her skills. She must be quite anxious.”
It seemed the news had reached her ears that the Emperor, having taken the Princess he had cherished for a night, was taking her to the empire. The image of his sister gritting her teeth, fearing that she might lose her position as mistress, was vivid in his mind.
“That lowly woman doesn’t even know her place.”
He bared his teeth and laughed. Molten iron dripped onto the sand. The heat seething through his veins, indistinguishable from the smell of blood and iron, gradually intensified.
The fever caused him to experience hallucinations and pain, and then the next thing he knew, a vision was upon him, and scenes from distant memories slowly flowed in through his eyelids.
Ten years ago. It had been just over a month since the great fire that had engulfed half the palace had finally been extinguished. The sky was dark with the arrival of the monsoon season. In the pouring rain, Rahikan was confined to his bedroom, his limbs bound.
"Let go."
The medicine spilled before it even reached Rahikan's mouth, meeting the already spilled blood and creating a massive puddle. The court lady who had brought the medicine had her jaw torn open by his hand, and so the only response to his command was silence.
This was already the ninth time. Nine bowls and nine lives had fallen. Rahikan, lying on the red bed, flicked his bound wrists downwards.
"If you want to give me medicine, start with this."
The iron cord danced to his every movement. The ominous shadow, swaying like a viper's head, caused all the court ladies, prostrated beyond the curtain, to hold their breath.
It was only a little over a month after Crown Prince Rahikan ascended the throne as Emperor.
He ascended the throne without a coronation ceremony following the sudden death of his father. Burns that had seared half his skin left him nearly delirious. His limbs were all bound to prevent him from squirting in the torrential water and the lightning-like pain.
"Tataram!"
A cracked voice called out to the head of the guard.
"What's Azad's crow doing? Did it get struck by lightning while retrieving my father's body?"
He will summon crows and burn him all alive. He will tear out his tongue if he doesn't know the answer and boil them in a pot and eat them. Amidst the room's lingering, uncontrollable growls, like a soliloquy, the door, which had been closed the entire time, finally opened silently.
Rahikan heard the footsteps of a woman approaching him, tied up like a prisoner.
A thick scent of incense wafted over the stench of spilled medicine and blood. It was Helgatria, his longtime friend and cousin, once treated like a sister. Her lips curved softly at the sound of her name, "Helga."
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's me. Your Majesty's sister, Helga, has arrived."
A distant voice, as if soothing a child, could be heard. Rahikan raised his hand and beckoned her closer.
"Helga, call Tataram. My crow."
“Oh my... How pitiful.”
The Princess's white sleeves parted the crimson curtain, and her weight settled upon the bed where he lay. Soft lapels wiped away the pus-encrusted eyelids. “You haven't heard yet, have you?” At the woman's voice, golden pupils faintly glimmered through the slits of her eyes, narrow as threads.
His age, reflected in his eyes, seemed to be sixteen, or perhaps fifteen. Behind his back, still a boyish man, a blaze like the sun's mane blazed, and beneath his pale feet, hundreds of black snakes swayed.
He stepped over the mountain of crow corpses and made his way to the center of the corridor, finally arriving at the place where the altar was placed.
Pulling his head out of the bathtub, he encountered a familiar face. It was a face that resembled his own, as if carved from a stencil. It was the face of his father, the late Emperor. Beneath his black hair, blazing golden eyes glared at him, as if intent on killing him.
"Murderer."
He watched with a serene expression as a snake's tongue crawled out of his father's open mouth. And then a sharp, resonant laugh coiled around his throat.
Murderer. A depraved murderer. You, demonic seed who murdered your father and mother in pursuit of the Emperor's throne. Rahikan opened his eyes silently, his own voice piercing his ear.
It was a long-awaited dream. It was a dream from ten years ago, just before the rainy season, when his parents and siblings all perished in a great fire.
“Fuck...”
A low curse, like a sigh, escaped through his clenched teeth. His head ached like it was going to split open after a long nightmare. Even after he opened his eyes, the stench of burning flesh lingered in his nostrils.
The nightmares that came every other day, accompanied by a relentless fever, were like a chronic illness. They haunted him from a time so distant he couldn't even remember when. Within them, he was locked in a never-ending battle with demons disguised as his parents.
He thought it would be quiet since it stopped abruptly after he left Feldip.
“That can’t be.”
With a sinking feeling, Rahikan slowly closed his eyes and opened them. The red cloth ceiling of the barracks appeared dimly between his eyelids, then disappeared into the darkness.
How much longer is it until the capital?
A little over a month had passed since they set out from Feldif. They'd been running tirelessly, following the sun's shadows by day and the stars' coordinates by night. They should reach the city gates in ten days at most.
For Rahikan, crossing the desert was more tedious than arduous.
During the midday sun, when the scorching sun seemed to melt the surface, they spared no effort, conserving their energy and accelerating their pace as the sun began to set. Food was plentiful, the soldiers were alert, and Cardion's horses, as strong as iron chains, could easily run for five or six hours without stopping, even in the sweltering heat.
The problem was the weather.
The desert climate, so capricious as to be temperamental, frequently changed from seemingly clear to suddenly violent.
When a sandstorm so thick it was impossible to see even the manes of their own horses, even Cardion's cavalry, however brave, had no choice but to halt and wait for the weather to calm. And once the storm began, it would last, at best, a couple of hours, sometimes even a day or two, with no sign of abating.
Still, they were lucky this time. As soon as the dust storm cleared, they found an oasis that served as a continuation of the continent. Here, they could replenish their food and stamina needs, then head straight to the palace, where they could arrive within their scheduled time without any problems.
Rahikan, who was about to rise, paused for a moment. The woman sleeping beside him groaned.
It was usually a time when she would have already fled to the carriage, but Diara was strangely asleep. Lying on the other side of the wide bed, curled up tightly, she seemed to be trying to avoid touching him even in her sleep. Her rosy hair covered her petite frame, making her look like a tangled flower.
Through her wavy hair, her pale chest, as if sculpted from porcelain, was clearly visible. Rahikan covered her with a blanket, fearing she might catch a chill, but she groaned before quickly throwing it away. A look of annoyance was evident in her wrinkled brow, like a sheet of paper.
Rahikan let out a hollow laugh.
“And sleeping habits.”
This was already the second time she seen her slump in front of the Emperor. Well, after all that swaying just a moment ago, it was understandable that she'd been so daunted.
Rahikan, who had been sitting there for a moment, looking down at Diara, stepped out of the barracks. A fallen blanket tugged at his toes.
***
The early morning desert air was cool. Rahikan took a deep breath to shake off the remnants of his nightmare, and only then did his head feel a little clearer.
But something strange happened. For some reason, the soldiers who were supposed to guard the front of his barracks were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a tangled web of footprints, as if someone had danced, and a long, raked handprint remained in the sand. Following these marks, Rahikan led himself to the back of the barracks.
And in a corner of the barracks, she came across a figure with twisted limbs.
"Your Majesty."
“That’s it for the greetings.”
The battalion commander, who was stripping the armor off a fallen soldier, saw Rahikan and rose, lost in thought. Rahikan, who had already taken a salute with his hand, approached the soldier, who appeared to be already dead.
“What’s going on?”
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty, but I am still unable to determine exactly what has happened, and am currently investigating.”
The battalion commander went out on patrol to check on the horses and said he found a soldier collapsed in front of his barracks. He seemed to be alive, twitching and convulsing, but when he put his hand under his nose and listened, he found he was dead.
"The bluish complexion appears to be a sign of poisoning. I suspect it was a bite from a venomous snake, but we'll need to confirm the bite mark first."
It was a common occurrence for soldiers and horses on guard duty in the desert to be bitten by venomous snakes. The red desert, with its scorching sun and sand, was originally the domain of snakes before it belonged to humans.
Thanks to the royal family's protection from snakes, Cardion's soldiers rarely lost their lives to snakes. However, there were still some unfortunate cases. They might step on a sleeping viper's tail, disturb a pregnant mother, or both.
Rahikan, who had been listening to the battalion commander's explanation, stopped lifting the soldier's body, and his expression hardened. The blackened marks on his knee, as if bitten by something, were not snake teeth, but rather spiral-shaped sawtooth marks.
He stood up, throwing the protective gear that had been covering the corpse's knees to the floor.
“Get out of the way.”
"Yes?"
“If you don’t want to die, let go.”
With a slurp, the Emperor's sword was drawn from its scabbard. The sudden change in the Emperor's demeanor caused the battalion commander to hurriedly retreat.
A blade emitting a bluish light flashed through the air, then fell. Then, something dark seemed to ripple from the soldier's legs, which had shriveled up like an insect, and then an ear-piercing metallic sound erupted.
The battalion commander, watching the black flames blazing fiercely, swallowed hard. The fiercely blazing flames, as if nothing had happened, dissipated into puffs of smoke, leaving nothing behind where they had bloomed and vanished in the blink of an eye.
A forbidden sorcery that leaves behind screams and death, but no trace of the performer. It is a black sorcery of the ancient Cardion Empire.
“Oh my God. Isn’t this black magic?”
The battalion commander, who had only heard of black magic in words, trembled with disbelief as he saw it in person.
“It’s Helgatria’s doing.”
His voice was cold as he mentioned Helgatria, his only cousin and the only Princess of the empire.
This sword will never be used again. Rahikan looked down at the blade, already beginning to turn black and rusty, with cold eyes.
It was clear that the spell had targeted Diara's life, not the soldier's. The sword, bearing the marks of a failed spell, trembled under Rahikan's hand, as if in exasperation.
“Are you saying that... Her Highness the Princess did this because His Majesty took the Princess away?"
The battalion commander's face hardened as he belatedly realized the situation.
While Rahikan was away from the palace due to a long war of conquest, the Cardion palace was under the control of Princess Helgatria, her father, the Elder, and her brother, Ferzan. In the absence of an Empress, the Emperor's cousin, the Princess, effectively ruled as the empire's mistress.
Princess Helgatria's obsession with Rahikan was so well known that everyone knew about it, so after a quiet click of the tongue, Rahikan sank his sword blade deep into the sand.
“She followed me all the way to the battlefield and used her skills. She must be quite anxious.”
It seemed the news had reached her ears that the Emperor, having taken the Princess he had cherished for a night, was taking her to the empire. The image of his sister gritting her teeth, fearing that she might lose her position as mistress, was vivid in his mind.
“That lowly woman doesn’t even know her place.”
He bared his teeth and laughed. Molten iron dripped onto the sand. The heat seething through his veins, indistinguishable from the smell of blood and iron, gradually intensified.
The fever caused him to experience hallucinations and pain, and then the next thing he knew, a vision was upon him, and scenes from distant memories slowly flowed in through his eyelids.
Ten years ago. It had been just over a month since the great fire that had engulfed half the palace had finally been extinguished. The sky was dark with the arrival of the monsoon season. In the pouring rain, Rahikan was confined to his bedroom, his limbs bound.
"Let go."
The medicine spilled before it even reached Rahikan's mouth, meeting the already spilled blood and creating a massive puddle. The court lady who had brought the medicine had her jaw torn open by his hand, and so the only response to his command was silence.
This was already the ninth time. Nine bowls and nine lives had fallen. Rahikan, lying on the red bed, flicked his bound wrists downwards.
"If you want to give me medicine, start with this."
The iron cord danced to his every movement. The ominous shadow, swaying like a viper's head, caused all the court ladies, prostrated beyond the curtain, to hold their breath.
It was only a little over a month after Crown Prince Rahikan ascended the throne as Emperor.
He ascended the throne without a coronation ceremony following the sudden death of his father. Burns that had seared half his skin left him nearly delirious. His limbs were all bound to prevent him from squirting in the torrential water and the lightning-like pain.
"Tataram!"
A cracked voice called out to the head of the guard.
"What's Azad's crow doing? Did it get struck by lightning while retrieving my father's body?"
He will summon crows and burn him all alive. He will tear out his tongue if he doesn't know the answer and boil them in a pot and eat them. Amidst the room's lingering, uncontrollable growls, like a soliloquy, the door, which had been closed the entire time, finally opened silently.
Rahikan heard the footsteps of a woman approaching him, tied up like a prisoner.
A thick scent of incense wafted over the stench of spilled medicine and blood. It was Helgatria, his longtime friend and cousin, once treated like a sister. Her lips curved softly at the sound of her name, "Helga."
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's me. Your Majesty's sister, Helga, has arrived."
A distant voice, as if soothing a child, could be heard. Rahikan raised his hand and beckoned her closer.
"Helga, call Tataram. My crow."
“Oh my... How pitiful.”
The Princess's white sleeves parted the crimson curtain, and her weight settled upon the bed where he lay. Soft lapels wiped away the pus-encrusted eyelids. “You haven't heard yet, have you?” At the woman's voice, golden pupils faintly glimmered through the slits of her eyes, narrow as threads.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but Tataram is gone now. Not only Tataram, but the other crows will no longer serve Your Majesty."
"..."
"It is said that all the crows of Azad perished in this fire."
The black birds who had served the Cardion Empire for generations, serving as the Emperor's eyes and ears, were all dead. Having ascended the throne at a young age, he was not only bound, but the ligaments and tendons that held them together were severed.
"But don't worry too much. Your Majesty has Helgatria by your side. Now I will create a new family for you."
She looked down at her young cousin, who had lost everything in an instant and become a lunatic, with loving eyes as if she were looking at a newborn baby.
Rahikan, who had been silent, raised his head. The smiling face before him was as pale as ever. The woman's lips were a shade of purple. From the incense wafting between them, he caught a familiar scent.
It's the smell of the fire that burned the palace. The smell of flames that danced as if possessed a will, unquenched by the pouring water or the sand. It's the smell of a hidden weasel covered in sulfur, the twisted corners of a fox rejoicing over a tiger's corpse.
The man's hand, leaping up, narrowly brushed past the woman's neck. Dozens of blankets were thrown over his struggling body, trying to strangle his sister. Amidst the pain that blinded his eyes, Rahikan felt his limbs being torn apart once again.
I should have twisted her neck and killed her then. He licked his lips, feeling like a beast that has lost its prey right before its eyes.
"Your Majesty, the Black Cavalry of Cardion is made up of only those willing to sacrifice their lives for Your Majesty. Just give them the order at any time."
Even now, with a single command, he will draw his sword against the Princess. He will open the golden gate and take her black hair. The captain's voice was solemn as he swore, pounding his left chest. Rahikan, who had been staring down at the kneeling man, chuckled.
“Should I mobilize the army to beat up a scared woman?”
"Your Majesty."
“Besides, the cavalry is of no use in the palace. You must know that.”
Laying siege against the imperial castle, built on the red sands of a natural fortress, was tantamount to attempting suicide. The battalion commander knew this well, and a dark shadow fell over his gruff face.
"Stop talking nonsense and make sure your security is properly reinforced. If the Princess gets injured in my army, it'll be your head that falls."
Rahikan, who accepted his subject's confession of loyalty with a smile, shook his hand and turned around.
Behind Rahikan, who was moving away, the battalion commander knelt and bowed. Beside the prone soldier, a corpse, completely dissolved, slowly sank into the sand.
***
Rahikan entered the barracks and looked down at Diara, who lay on her bunk. Even though it was already well past sunrise, the woman was still fast asleep.
When he threw off the blanket that had covered her, her shoulders, which had been hunchbacked as if they had been cold for some time, were as small as a child's.
His skin, which had been feverish for some time, reached a point where it could no longer endure. He quickly threw off his clothes and crawled into Diara's embrace. He rested his forehead against her slender neck and felt her pulse throbbing in the cool nape.
As he closed his eyes and waited, the colorful breath tickled his eyes. And soon, he felt the burning pain in his skin, where he had touched her, gradually subside.
He sank into a long, low slumber, like a beast in a cradle.
"Ha..."
Diara's body temperature was always just the right amount of coolness. The smooth, cool skin against his hot skin made the heat that had been bubbling up incessantly subside, as if a sliver of embers had been revived and breathed into existence.
It's simply astonishing that the fire, which would not go out even if you threw ice on it or hugged hundreds of snakes, could be quenched so easily.
What he initially thought was a coincidence kept happening again and again, and now he reached a point where he could no longer imagine sleeping without Diara.
He's slept with countless women in his arms, but this has never happened before.
“That’s strange.”
Rahikan muttered, feeling calmer now.
“No matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t know what she did to me.”
“Huh.”
As he brushed her disheveled hair back, she rubbed her forehead against the back of his hand, making a noise that was either muttered or something else. He smiled faintly at her defenseless appearance, like a calf not yet weaned.
“What the heck? Hey, you rascal.”
“Yeah.”
“Get up. How long are you going to make me wait?”
Diara, who had been in a daze, slowly woke up from her daze as a hand tapped her nose. Instead of the hard floor, she felt the comfort of soft animal fur.
Rahikan was reflected in the blurred vision, looking down at her. The morning sunlight cast a soft color on his handsome face.
"...Your Majesty?"
"Yes."
Her blinking eyes widened. Diara sprang to her feet. The moment she got off the bed, Rahikan's hand, like a hawk swooping down on a rabbit, grabbed the woman's waist.
"Ah!"
“Where are you going? Calling people over.”
In the blink of an eye, Diara was pulled into his embrace. Her bare back was pressed against a rock-hard chest. The hot man's body heat, along with the slow, thumping heartbeat, pulsated through her skin.
“Why, why am I here...”
Why am I still lying in Rahikan's bed?
Usually, she had to return to her carriage before dawn. No one had ever told her to do so, or even told her to, but Diara had always acted instinctively.
Every day, she wakes up from a light sleep in his arms, with lukewarm water and a towel waiting for her at the entrance to the barracks. She's sure it wasn't there until the evening, but whoever it was, she was still scared and ashamed.
More than being held by Rahikan, Diara was tormented by the fact that she was the only woman in this strange place. Did anyone among the throng of men hear her moans of pleasure? They must have. Perhaps they even saw her entangled with him, asleep.
As the rush of pleasure subsided, a sense of self-loathing inevitably washed over her. It would have been nice to have at least one maid, even if it was just Talgar, with whom she wasn't on good terms.
Diara put aside the useless wind and wiped her body and lower body with her trembling hands, put on tattered clothes, and even covered herself with a towel before she went outside.
On the way back to the carriage. Every night, salt-like stars poured down on that vast, dark road. Watching the stream of stars flow like a river, she felt a yearning to escape beyond those waves, wherever that might be.
“Why?”
Rahikan, who was holding Diara, turned her over and laid her down.
“Since we fell asleep together, it’s only natural that we wake up together. Why are you so surprised? Were you trying to run away or something?”
A smile lingered on his face as he pressed his lips together, his voice cracking. His yellow eyes, a glint that never grew familiar no matter how many times she looked at them, were piercing. Her heart pounded with anxiety, as if he'd caught her wanting to run away.
“I wasn’t trying to run away. I was just trying to get back to the carriage. It was morning, after all...”
“Ah, a carriage.”
Rahikan, who had been kissing Diara's shoulder, seemed to have just remembered and gave a short answer.
“If it’s a carriage, you don’t have to go back yet.”
"Yes?"
What does it mean to not have to return to the carriage? Rahikan, who had been looking into Diara's wavering eyes, raised both hands above her head and held them.
The woman's chest heaved and sank slowly at the sight of him lowering his head. The man's hair tickled her bare skin. She swallowed back the moan that threatened to escape her lips as it trailed down the line of her neck.
“Since we came across an oasis, we should rest for half a day.”
“Oh, an oasis?”
“Yeah. Oasis.”
Finding an oasis in the vast expanse of the desert was rare. In the desert nation of Cardion, oases were a precious resource, classified into several categories based on location and nature, and strictly managed. However, this only applied to oases of a certain size.
Oases, which formed large streams like rivers, remained in place year-round and served as bases for villages, armies, and merchants. However, other oases, the size of small springs, sporadically appeared during the rainy season and disappeared during the dry season, making management at the national level nearly impossible.
And the oasis they found this time was located somewhere in the middle.
A deep puddle formed by record-breaking rainfall four years ago has joined the river that serves as the lifeline of the northern desert, becoming a spring that never dries up.
The soldiers cheered and rejoiced at the sudden appearance of a pool of water beyond the hot sand dunes. Beyond the cool shade, ample water for bathing, and the golden order to rest, there was more to rejoice in.
An oasis, appearing like a mirage in the middle of the desert and then vanishing without a trace, has long been considered an auspicious omen. This is especially true if it's a new appearance rather than something that has been flowing for a long time.
A perfect victory. A lucky token to mark an honorable return.
For soldiers returning home, there could be nothing better.
"Oasis..."
Diara chewed over Rahikan's words, as if replaying them. For her, who had never set foot outside Feldif's palace since birth, the oasis seemed like a scene from a fairy tale.
She heard that in the middle of a barren desert, a spring of clear water gushes out like a miracle. There, both ferocious spotted wolves and gentle white donkeys live in peace, without harm or fear.
“You can’t seem to gain any weight.”
When she raised her head, Rahikan, who had been burying his lips under her breast, had suddenly turned his gaze towards her. The light streaming through the gap in the tent cast a net-like shadow across his jet-black hair and thick eyebrows.
As Diara was blankly staring at the shadows swaying like waves, he wrapped his fingers around Diara's hair.
“You also seem thinner.”
He stroked the ends of her red hair and buried his nose in it. Goosebumps ran down Diara's arms. He realized too late that what he was saying was a question directed at him.
It was the eighteenth day since she left Feldif. The clear sky suddenly became overcast, and a yellowish current that had been billowing from the horizon suddenly enveloped her.
Diara got off the carriage among the soldiers unloading their luggage as usual and was taken to Rahikan's barracks as usual.
"You seem to have lost some weight."
While sitting on his stomach, Rahikan, who was rubbing her sweaty back, suddenly opened his mouth.
"Are you eating the food I gave you properly?"
Diara slowly lifted her half-closed eyelids at the sudden question. Embarrassingly, she couldn't remember what he had been talking about earlier.
Did he say I was so skinny? Or did he say I'd gained a lot of weight? It felt like neither, but it also felt like both.
Not only did Rahikan speak, but she couldn't even tell if it was day or night. The barracks, filled with hot steam, were shimmering with a haze. Her head was spinning from the colorful exhalations, and her eyelids felt heavy. The time since she left the gates of Feldif felt like a blur, as if someone had crushed it with sandpaper.
The sun rose, set, rose, and set again, the weather oscillating between hot and cold. Occasionally, menacing-looking soldiers would open the window and hand out food and wet cloths. Diara, without complaint, ate what they gave her and wiped her clammy body.
Fortunately, meals were regular. The lukewarm water, though somewhat gritty, was generous enough to satisfy any hunger, and the food brought in baskets was more than enough to satisfy any hunger.
But that didn't make the arduous desert journey a pleasant one. Diara spent most of the day battling the stifling heat, the biting cold, and the dusty winds that tore at her lungs even when she closed her eyes and covered her mouth.
Heat and cold, the dust scratching at her throat. And the carriage. In between all those monotonous, horrific moments, there was the carriage. More like a mobile prison on wheels than a carriage, the box tormented Diara far more than she had anticipated.
The wooden floor was incredibly hard, and the window frames rattled constantly. As she clung to the creaking doorknob like a lifeline, her buttocks pounded so hard they were almost calloused. A terrible wave of motion sickness struck her more frequently and more persistently than any other pain.
When darkness fell around them and the seemingly endless march halted, Diara was dragged straight to Rahikan's quarters. As soon as her sweat-soaked clothes were removed, she was picked up, shaken until her back ached, and then passed out, falling asleep. And before dawn, she fled back to the carriage, only to begin anew.
Yesterday was like today, and today was like yesterday.
Contrary to her mind, hazy from repeated lovemaking and motion sickness, her body grew increasingly sensitive. The burning sensation in her lower abdomen was both painful and pleasurable. At some point, the mere touch of her hand made her love juices flow out, and she stopped applying ointment after intercourse. It was as if her body, driven to the brink of extreme danger, was evolving to react to him on its own, for survival.
The fact that his touch felt so good was terrifying, but then everything felt meaningless when something thick and hard started to mercilessly scratch the inside of the hole that had been ticklish all along.
Shame and pleasure washed over her alternately. The tangled sensations made it difficult to distinguish between what was shameful and what felt good, leaving her head dizzy.
Rahikan patted Diara's cheek, who had a blank expression, and woke her up.
"Please answer."
“Ah... I’m sorry, Your Majesty. W-What did you ask...”
He laughed as if he couldn't believe it.
"How long are you going to keep losing your mind?"
"Ah, ah, ahh..."
He slowly moved back and forth, rubbing the inside. The small hole poked in the direction he thrust, and now it was opening up quite comfortably.
The strength drained from her swaying back. Diara collapsed onto his torso. Rahikan, who had been gently patting her trembling thighs, grabbed her buttocks.
"Lara."
"Yes, yes."
"Shall I tell you what punishment a slave receives if he refuses to eat?"
Diara, who had been burying her cheek in the man's shoulder, raised her head.
"First, open its mouth with a hot iron. Then, feed it a porridge made by mixing female camel urine and male horse dung. If you eat this three times a day, for three days in a row, you'll naturally come to understand the value of food."
He whispered, clutching her buttocks and slowly rubbing her lower body. Following the languid tone, Diara's heart pounded with increasing anxiety. She didn't know why, but she knew she had offended Rahikan again.
She did nothing. But even though she did nothing, he found her, embraced her, and tormented her until she cried herself to death, never letting go. And now he was threatening to feed her animal feces.
What did I do wrong? Sometimes I leave the food he gives me behind.
But it was inevitable. She couldn't swallow food while suffering from motion sickness, which squeezed her stomach like a rag. If she did, the constant nausea would only make things worse.
The thought of starving all day was painful, but she had no intention of deliberately provoking Rahikan by refusing to eat. She was already terrified enough without even doing something like that. But...
"You don't want to end up like that, do you?"
A distant voice commanding her to do something she couldn't do sounded.
A kiss landed on her eyelids, which were blinking to hold back tears. Her eyelashes, wispy with sweat and tears, were pressed against his lips. "Yes?" he asked, and her heart ached.
"I won't do that."
"Yeah, don't do that."
Diara responded by clenching her jaw. Rahikan, clutching her chin, thrust his tongue deep into Diara's mouth. His tongue, warm and wet, tasted faintly salty.
From that day on, Diara never once left any of Rahikan's food behind. The nausea and the resulting pain were nothing compared to the fear of what might happen if she left the food behind.
So, it wasn't her fault that she hadn't gained weight. It was something she couldn't have done on her own. Of course, as the Emperor, there was no way he would have considered her circumstances.
If he gave an order, she had to follow it, no matter what. Whether the order was impossible or not was for Rahikan to decide, not her.
Are you really going to feed horse manure?
The expression on his face as he kissed her hair was so gentle that it was impossible to know what he was thinking. Diara bit her parched lips tightly.
“I didn’t leave a single bit of what you gave me. No, I’m not lying.”
"Lie?"
“If you ask the soldier who took the bowl... I really, I didn’t do it on purpose... I really ate it all.”
The voice, which had been stammering, cracked as it neared its end. His lips, which had been nibbling soft flesh, reached Diara's navel. Rahikan, who had been engrossed in carving marks on her pale body like a flower path, soon chuckled.
“Ah, meal.”
He wondered why she was making such desperate excuses, and it seemed like she was still thinking about what happened a few days ago.
His narrowed gaze met a pair of terrified, light green eyes. As he'd felt on their first night, the woman was far more innocent than he'd imagined.
She'd run for hours across the desert while the sun was up, and sob beneath him until daybreak. So it was only natural that flesh would never grow on this body. He didn't have the time to punish her for something anyone but a fool would understand.
Still, he gave her a little scare so that she might skip her meal, and she seemed to believe him completely. From that day on, he burst out laughing at the sight of her bowl being so clean that it looked like a dog had licked it.
You have to believe what you believe. Horse feces? What kind of pervert would feed something like that to someone I'd kiss?
Rahikan, who had been staring down at Diara with both hands clasped, quickly averted his gaze. Seeing her pale face, his urge to tease her subsided. He didn't want to see that face. If her eyes were red and wet, he'd want to tease her even more.
When he lowered his eyes, a thin path stretched from her sunken navel to the round mound of goosebumps that formed along her lower abdomen.
The only warm spot on a woman's cool body. It's where the uterus, the place where a child will be born, would be. Rahikan kissed her flat lower abdomen, which swelled slightly with each thrust of his penis, which penetrated her pliant cervix.
"I know."
“Uh... Yes?”
“I know you’re not lying.”
It's not that she doesn't do it, but she's afraid to do it.
"The dishes you eat and drink are very clean. You must have found military food gritty, given your penchant for luxury, but you're also kind."
“Ah... Ugh, uh...”
Every time he chewed, leaving a mark on his teeth, her knees would tap lightly against his chest. The white, translucent skin beneath his lips was satisfyingly beautiful, turning crimson and blue.
When hr return to the palace, the first thing he must do is carve his symbol onto it. The symbol of the red sun and the snake biting it, which symbolize the Emperor, will suit a woman's body perfectly.
Then, without even saying anything, the whole world would know. Whose body is it? Who is this woman's sole owner?
The thought of Diara, embracing him, bearing a vivid, indelible mark on her lower abdomen, sent a shiver of heat rising to the very top of his head. He couldn't bear to see her face as soon as possible.
Rahikan, feeling better, rose from his seat. He gently stroked the disheveled hair on her sagging body.
“You behaved well as promised, so you should be rewarded.”
Her innocent, naive way of taking his jokes seriously was so endearing that it made his heart flutter. She was naive, naive, yet not foolish enough to try to fool him. For him, accustomed to those who smiled with a smirk under their tongues, she was a refreshing change.
“Hmm... what would be good?”
“You’re giving me a reward? For me?...Not a, a punishment?”
Beneath her shadowed eyelashes, her eyes shone brightly, crystal clear. Rahikan, looking at those translucent eyes, like an oasis formed last night, smiled. It was a strange thing.
As he gazed into those eyes, nothing else came to mind. The stench that had been stinging his nose vanished without a trace. The peace and tranquility he'd felt only when he'd been swept up in human flesh and blood on the battlefield were now staring back at him.
All the things that made him think about wandering the desert for the rest of his life without returning were not as good as what was in front of him.
“Why are you so surprised? Did you expect to be punished rather than rewarded?”
“Oh, that’s impossible.”
The wide-mouthed man shakes his head.
“No? Really?”
"No."
That's right. No, that's not it... That's not it? Absolutely not. After a few exchanges, Rahikan's lips tilted down to touch Diara's forehead.
“Yes, I’ll give you whatever you want, whether it’s a reward or a punishment, so take your time and think about what you want.”
A kiss, perhaps a few times, lightly touched her forehead and then fell.
“Let’s eat first.”
Diara, who had been dazed by the languid voice, nodded a beat later.
***
Rahikan's cloak covered Diara's head like a hat, yet was long enough to drag at her feet. Wrapped like a silkworm cocoon and pinned at her neck, it was light enough to blow in the wind, yet completely shielded from the sun.
“Lara. You can’t see ahead.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Diara, who had been hugging his head, hurriedly relaxed her arms as the voice resonated deep in her chest.
The sight of hundreds of flags fluttering beneath the clear blue sky, next to an expansive oasis like a lake, was truly spectacular. The army, once numbering tens of thousands, had been reduced to about a tenth of its original size after several garrison stops, but the sight of this elite force, composed entirely of cavalry, was still imposing.
Soldiers in black armor saluted Rahikan as he passed. Unlike him, who relaxedly accepted the wave of polite, disciplined military salutes, Diara, who dangled from his shoulder, was a sight to behold.
"There are no rags."
Diara was about to get dressed at the order to prepare for a meal at the oasis. Rahikan, who had taken Diara's clothes, clicked his tongue.
"I can't use this."
The flowing, heavily decorated Feldiffian garments were not built to withstand the rigors of the journey. The lilac sleeves were badly torn, and the sagging, torn hem of the skirt was tattered and untidy.
Diara blushed in embarrassment at the gesture of throwing away her only piece of clothing as if it were trash.
“But Your Majesty, if you do that, I will have nothing to cover myself with...”
When she showed her sorrow to Rahikan, who even took her underwear away, he stroked her hair as if to reassure her.
"Yes, then give it to me. I don't think I'll send you out naked."
Diara kept her mouth shut, wondering if there was any meaning to his quiet reassurance. That was the root of her trouble. Had she known what would happen next, even his orders wouldn't have been readily accepted.
It was embarrassing enough to cling to his shoulder and walk among men in broad daylight, but even beneath his cloak,s he was naked, without a single garment. Every time he lifted her up as he strode briskly, her heart pounded, fearing that her naked body would be exposed.
“Eek!”
A line of horses headed toward the water's edge to quench their thirst. A nearby, rumbling sound startled Diara, who clung to Rahikan's neck, burying her head in his.
“There is no such thing as a wildcat.”
He laughed in disbelief at the gesture of pulling with her fingernails. The voice ringing in her dizzy ears filled her with a surge of sadness.
You said you'd give me a reward. You said you'd give me a reward for being good. Why are you giving me this shame again?
“Please, Your Majesty, let me down. Yes? Let me walk on my own two feet.”
"No."
The voice that abruptly rejected her was annoying.
"If you get lost, wearing a cloak like a squirrel, you won't be able to see. And you're barefoot. It's dangerous."
“No, I won’t lose it!”
“Lara... Stop yelling in my ear.”
A slight frown crept across his face, and she felt her spirits sink. The voice, which had grown louder without her knowledge, suddenly subsided, but the sense of injustice remained. Who even stole my perfectly good shoes in the first place...? Instead of daring to say the words out loud, Diara bit her tightly shut lips.
Rahikan, holding the now quiet Diara, soon arrived at the area prepared for him.
A tent taller than a person, centered on a large rock, surrounded the area like a fortress wall. A sunshade covered the hot rock, and beneath it were soft mats and blankets, pillows to lean against, and simple meals.
It was a space reserved for the Emperor, where he could rest without being disturbed by soldiers or the merchants passing by. Only after passing through three layers of curtains and reaching a place completely isolated from the outside world, did Rahikan lower Diara to the floor.
Diara, freed from the man's embrace, looked around with wide eyes. The oasis she was encountering for the first time in her life was a mystical and beautiful sight, incomparable to anything she'd seen in paintings.
A pool as clear as glass mirrored the sky like a giant mirror. Birds perched on rocks large and small, their wings fluttering as if splashing, sparkled the pure white spray with a rainbow of colors. A gust of wind blew red draperies around, and the fresh scent of water wafted past her nostrils.
“Lara, come here.”
Diara, who had been blinking blankly at the sound of his call, followed him into the canopy. As she passed the warm rock, the thick fur of an animal tickled her soles.
As she hesitated, Rahikan, who had already taken his seat, reached out. With a gentle tug on her wrist, Diara knelt down right beside him.
A smoky aroma of fire wafted from the dry bread and meat piled high on a silver plate so thin it could bend. He opened the thin lid and placed the plate in front of Diara.
“It must be boring because it’s the same thing over and over, but don’t complain too much.”
A finely crafted knife sliced through the meat. Rahikan cut Diarra's portion first, then his own.
“When we return to the palace, we’ll be able to eat something more proper.”
The bread and meat on the plate smelled warm and savory. The sight of him personally serving food felt strange and embarrassing, so Diara simply shook her head, "No."
For a while, they continued to chew their food without much conversation. Surrounded by the chirping of birds, the cool scent of water, and the sunlight sparkling on the calm waves, she felt a sense of peace, even though she was with him.
Come to think of it, this was her first time dining with Rahikan. He devoured everything in front of him, one by one, with the grace and leisure of a solitary predator.
It was a simple meal, as if it were the Emperor's, without even a single attendant to pour water. But it wasn't that she disliked it. In fact, it was almost the opposite.
It was strangely pleasant to be at mealtime without the sound of dry coughs, the clinking of bronze utensils as people carelessly put things down and throw them, or the incessant shouting of servants.
It wasn't like this in Feldif.
A shadow fell over Diara's face as she absentmindedly recalled the previous meal scene. A gloomy memory she'd briefly forgotten resurfaced like impurities.
In Feldif, royalty never dined alone. And among her numerous siblings, she was the only one allowed to sit in the hall with her father, the King, and none other than herself, Diara Iliaf.
The whispers of open favoritism followed like a shadow, but the reality was different. Diara, with his father's seven attendants standing by like a screen, was always afraid.
The King was angry whether Diara ate too much or too little. If she moved her hands slowly, afraid of his harsh orders, the bowl would fly at her, saying she was being lazy like a fool. If she swallowed hurriedly, the King would beat her, saying she was trying to gain weight like a pig.
Squeezing something half-tears, half food, into her mouth and somehow holding on was all she learned in table manners. Since she hadn't learned it properly, she couldn't imagine how Rahikan would see her.
He probably doesn't like seeing it.
She even ate and swallowed with such grace that it was impossible for her appearance, which had not even been pleasing to her father's eyes, not to look hideous.
Should I think I'm as stuffy as a snail? Or should I think I'm eating like a pig? Either way, it doesn't matter, but somehow, her throat feels tight.
Even with severe motion sickness, Diara could somehow swallow the food she's been eating, but for some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She was just picking up and putting down her glass of water, afraid of being scolded, when he opened his mouth.
“I’m just saying this just in case, Lara.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to force yourself to. What I said before was a joke.”
“...Are you kidding?”
“Like opening their mouths with irons and feeding them dirty things.”
“...”
"You weren't a slave in the first place. I thought you had that level of awareness."
Are you kidding? No, more importantly, not a slave? Diara was at a loss for words to respond to his unexpected words. While she sat there blankly, he pushed the bowl in front of her aside. The bowl, barely touched, clattered as it was pushed aside. Only then did he gesture for a glass, and Diara came to her senses and quickly picked up the bottle next to her.
The red wine flowing down the long neck of the bottle filled his silver goblet. Rahikan, silently watching her nervous hands tremble, slowly sipped the wine Diara had poured for him.
“When we return to the palace, we will hold a formal wedding ceremony.”
The wine that spread across his tongue was sweet. It was from Feldif. He had moistened his lips upon seeing this face the morning he had first decided to take Diara with him.
Their first night, without a wedding ceremony, he violently embraced the terrified woman. He couldn't deny that he treated her like one, even though he knew she wasn't a slave. Of course, that didn't mean he felt sorry.
So what if she was a slave or not? She would have to bow down before him anyway, so as the Emperor, he was in no position or position to feel such feelings toward a woman.
Still, Diara's lukewarm response grated on Rahikan's nerves. If a person were to listen, she would at least pretend to hear, but the woman sat still and made no reply.
What are you thinking, with your head bowed low? A tyrant like you is a terrible thing. I'd rather bite off my tongue and die than get married and become your wife. Is that what you're thinking?
Thinking back to how she'd cuddle him every night and whine, "I love you, I love you," he doesn't think so. Just last night, didn't she cling to him with her claws out like a cat? As proof, the back of his neck still stings from the tiny scratches her nails made.
Rahikan, who had been watching the downcast eyelashes tremble, reached out. He pulled back the hood that had been pressed down and placed his hand under the drooping chin.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you upset that it’s so late?”
“What are you saying, Your Majesty? How dare I?”
“If you’re not sad, why are you crying?”
"I am..."
The lips that had been trembling were tightly shut, unable to find words.
A wedding? Was he really planning to take her as his concubine? Before Diarw could even feel any relief at the promise he made about not feeding her horse manure, her heart sank at the unbelievable promise that fell from his lips.
"Behave like a tongue in his mouth. Lick his feet and flirt like a prostitute."
Before her first night with Rahikan, her father's nagging voice still lingered in her ears.
"No matter what happens, you must make sure the Emperor takes you. Do you understand?"
Her father patted her trembling shoulder, then kicked it, and finally grabbed it as if he was going to break it.
"You acted like a fool and got kicked out. I'll tear your face to shreds, sprinkle salt on it, and let the dogs lick it."
Even if she became a dog, she was to become Cardion's dog. From the moment she boarded the carriage, no, from the moment she donned the bridal veil that night, Feldif was no longer Diara's home. From the beginning, she had nowhere to return to. Except the palm of his hand.
"I am..."
But I knew Your Majesty despised me. Words she dared not utter rose hotly in her throat.
She thought she never win his heart. But when he finally said he wouldn't abandon her, Diara felt more suffocated by an unidentifiable fear than relief.
“Gah, I've never even dared to think that.”
“I didn’t expect it, so I didn’t know.”
The hand that had been supporting her chin came down.
“You stole something, and now you’re trying to get away with it.”
Then, with the sound of a pin being released, the cloak he had personally put on her fell down to her knees.
The woman's body, exposed to the sunlight, shone brilliantly even under the shade of the canopy. Rahikan's eyes narrowed as if dazzled.
"Tell me, Lara. You thieving cat. What have you done to me?"
“What are you doing?”
"It's only been a little over a month since our first night in Feldif. What have you done to me in that time?"
As the interrogation continued, Diara's face hardened. "What are you doing, Your Majesty?" Her thin voice visibly trembled.
“I, I, ah, didn’t do anything. Your Majesty, you know that I didn’t steal anything, really nothing.”
Her stammering pleas were desperate. He could see her nipples, the size of fingernails, rising and falling more and more fiercely above her rapidly rising breasts. Her body, unable to lie, didn't know how to hide its fear. Unfortunately, it didn't even know that it was further fueling his excitement.
“Well, I don’t know.”
He stroked the hair that flowed down her chest, sending a trembling sensation that was clearly transmitted. The tension rising in her body at his mere touch was incredibly pleasurable. The woman was timid and sensitive, and therefore wild and lustful.
Her hair, light enough to fly, seemed made of sand, and no matter how much he clutched it, it kept slipping through his fingers. He had to pull the back of her head tightly to keep it from slipping away, causing Diara to tremble slightly.
Its appearance was so ferocious that he couldn't bear to devour it whole, like a helpless beast. Even now, stripped naked without warning, instead of screaming, Diara, like a bird caught in a trap, simply breathed through the colorful field.
"It was this damned body that took my pain. Now that I think about it, it seems like it stole something else, too. It's a little unfair that I was robbed of something, but never took it."
“But, but Your Majesty. To take it away? I don’t know what you mean...”
“You should laugh, not make excuses.”
"... Yes?"
“If I do this, it will sound like I’m threatening you rather than confessing.”
Instead of Diara, who was not smiling while looking into his blinking eyes, Rahikan burst into laughter.
“You’ve bewitched me. Don’t you get it yet?”
His yellow eyes were reflected in his pitch-black pupils, narrowing like needles. Those light green eyes, which had taken his breath away since the first day he saw them, were now completely engulfing him.
A gaze that drains the soul, a breath that steals the soul. Before his eyes lies the prey that captivates the hunter. Yet, even though he knows that the thing hidden within its slender jaws is a fang, he reaches out for it.
“You can be a little happier now that your ambitious father can control and manipulate me as he pleases.”
Rahikan, still drunk, tilted his head. He gently grasped her slender chin and brought his lips together. His tongue, thrusting between her half-open lips, familiarly filled the space beneath her tongue. Soon, a crimson liquid flowed into their locked mouths.
"Ugh..."
The warm alcohol tasted incredibly bitter. No, bitter wasn't quite the word. It was more like pouring the alcohol straight into your mouth, a sharp sensation closer to spicy than bitter.
Diara's pupils dilated at the head-spinning, strong smell of alcohol. Her fingers tightened around his waist. Half of the drink spilled, and half of it slowly trickled down her esophagus.
“Ugh, ugh... slurp...”
As soon as her lips parted, Diara let out a wet cough. The alcohol seemed to burn, igniting from her throat to the depths of her chest. The heat surged up to her face, making every breath feel like smoke, unbearable. Her head, which had fallen limply, rose again.
“You have to swallow it. I fed you so much, and now you spill it all.”
“Ahhh..."
“You said you like fruit.”
The tongue licking her chin was wet. The pungent smell of alcohol lingered on his lips as they met. Hot breath, pouring out in puffs, hit the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
"Your father used to brag about you so much. He raised you on nothing but sweet fruits and honey, so even your flesh will be sweet."
“Oh, no, I....”
Regardless of whether she liked it or not, Diara had never even tried alcohol. But there was no time to explain. He held her head still, unable to turn it.
“I like it too.”
The lips, which had parted for a moment, closed again. The lava-like alcohol poured down her tongue, which was thrusting in immediately.
A long, snake-like tongue slowly licked the burning roof of her mouth. As the broad tongues rubbed against each other, making a slurping sound, saliva gushed out and filled her mouth.
“Taste it, slowly rolling it around in your mouth. Don’t rush it.”
“Ugh, ha, haa, ah-um.”
“Until the sweetness rises from the root of the tongue.”
“Ugh, ugh....”
A sharp man's voice mixed in between the sticky slurping of tongues. He thrust deeply, as if shoveling into a water-filled hole, and a thick, coiling kiss followed. As she gulped down the sticky, mucus-like substance, a new wave of alcohol flooded her mouth with the sudden rise and fall of her throat. Her head was spinning.
“Haa, ha... haup!”
Diara, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed his wrist and hung on.
“Stop, uh, I’m dizzy. Hee, I’m dizzy, Your Majesty.”
Only after she started crying did he stop pouring the alcohol.
Her lips, barely separated, felt numb, as if peeled. Sweet, bitter, spicy, and soft. The sensations, blurred and indistinguishable, flowed out in a tangle.
“What did you do to be so tired? All you did was sit quietly and take what was handed to you.”
Rahikan held onto Diara, who was trembling, to keep him from collapsing. The cheek buried in his palm was warm with heat.
He pushed his thumb into her panting lips. He pinched her tongue and pulled it back. She clung to him, squeaking, like a hungry child.
"As soon as I finished speaking, you left all your food behind. I thought you were going to complain, but why? You don't like alcohol?"
“Yeah, okay.”
“If you don’t like food or alcohol, then what should I give you? Should I at least give you some sleep?”
Rahikan smiled faintly, rubbing her pearl-white lower teeth.
“Huh? You little brat. You want some honey on my dick?”
Her large eyes quickly became wet, as if she was struggling to keep her mouth shut. But she wasn't crying. At times like this, Diara felt more like she was drenched than crying. Clear saliva filled her open mouth, and it was obvious that her legs were also soaking wet.
Her head started to throb at the thought of his hot flesh throbbing. He grabbed the bottle and poured the remaining alcohol into his lower abdomen.
His genitals, which had been burning hot for a while, were pressing against his pants, almost bursting. The alcohol that had dripped down soaked his pristine white shirt with blood, and even splashed onto Diara's face and chest.
“Ues, that’s it.”
Rahikan raised his gaze, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. However, unlike his curled lips, his long, downcast eyes held no smile. His pupils, dilated like those of an excited beast, emanated a dangerous scent.
“It’s your favorite.”
Her heart pounded in his hands as he gently stroked her round ear.
He wasn't the only one excited. Her body, flushed with alcohol and a long, drawn-out kiss, naturally demanded more. Her mouth went dry at the man's blatant seduction, as if the dripping liquid soaked his bulging front, like honey.
Diara reached out to the hem of his drenched trousers. Her fingertips, unbuttoning them, trembled with tension and anticipation.
The alcohol, soaking his shirt, flowed down his navel in a stream. It passed through his toned abs, soaking his lush, rough pubic hair, and dripped down to his crimson genitals and testicles. The saliva that had filled her mouth gulped down the liquid.
Diara tilted her head immediately and buried her nose between Rahikan's legs. Just as he used to suck on her flesh when he licked her bottom, she pushed the pillar with the tip of her nose and sucked one of his fist-sized testicles, making her cheek bulge.
He leaned back listlessly, feeling the sensation of sucking, making a slurping sound, and then he dragged the barrel over.
He scooped up the liquor with his hand and poured it over his irritated genitals. The crimson liquid, mixed with the mushy grape clumps, flowed in clumps, dripping down the pillars and dripping down Diara's cheeks.
As if drawn to the sweet and spicy taste, the lips that had been biting the testicles rose upward. She licked her tongue at the vine-like veins, sucking them up from the root, until the tip, glistening as if covered in a thick film, was thrust right before her nose.
His hand covered Diara's mouth, which was wide open, trying to swallow.
"No."
He smiled and looked at her shaking eyes, not knowing anything.
“This time, it’s you who wants to suck, not me. Right?”
“That, that....”
“So, try kissing the dick with a happier expression.”
As before, in front of the carriage.
Her lips, which had been gnawed at by the added words, curled inward like a flower. The crimson-reddened tip twitched like the head of an angry snake. First, the sharp tip of her tongue touched the edge of the quivering hole, then her lips.
Bitter, bitter, rich, and heavy. It's the raw, masculine taste. The taste of a slimy, lingering mucous membrane, peeled by strong alcohol. This was the taste she had to savor, without leaving a trace.
With the tip of her tongue still attached to the throbbing hole, she slowly pushed him in, only opening her jaw. The blunt glans was sucked in between her rounded lips and swallowed.
“Ha... that’s right.”
With a low growl, Rahikan's hand gripping Diara's hair tightened.
Something heavy tore through her mouth and forced its way into her throat. Following the loud, slurping sound of flesh being sucked, it flowed down her chin, soaking her neck and chest, and dripping from the tips of her nipples. He swallowed as he watched the smooth nipples on her plump breasts glistening like red jewels.
“Lara.”
“Ah, um, aww…”
“Raise your head. Suck while looking into my eyes.”
His gaze, which had been directed downward, shifted upward. She looked up at him, thrusting deeply until her Adam's apple was pressed against her throat. Her face, flushed with alcohol, was as red as if she were drunk as she pulled out, making a creaking, flesh-splitting sound.
She placed the glans between her flat molars, sucking until her cheeks were sunken, and chewed the epidermis. Her tiny, leaf-like tongue doggedly slid into the urethra and swirled it around as if it were a swivel.
It was a behavior he had taught her dozens of times, spanking her butt. Now, even without being told to, she would turn her jaw from side to side and suck his cock, which was quite convincing.
“What the hell?”
“You must have been craving something. I can hear your mouth squeezing from here.”
The woman's eyes turned bright red at the sound of laughter as she tapped her thin skin.
“Uh, uh-uh.”
“What else is there to be thankful for?”
“Ugh...”
“Keep going. Don’t close your eyes.”
Her drooping eyelids, which had been trembling, rose again at the gentle touch of a hand stroking her head. Instead of answering, she gulped, her rising and falling slits clenching tightly around his tip.
He looked down at her face, which was nodding and moving back and forth again, as if she were licking it. Not only was her face flushed red, but the body heaving between her legs was also covered in the marks of his hands and mouth, leaving no spot untouched.
The trail of lips, which traced across her shoulders, chest, waist, and thighs, and even down to her calves, was thick with color. Between the red marks, blue bruises bloomed, clearly revealing the traces of a rough love affair that lasted several weeks.
Crazy kid.
He laughed self-deprecatingly.
What's wrong with your head?
Since he'd slept with her, he'd been acting like a stallion, constantly erecting his cock. He wasn't a young punk who'd just had a wet dream, and he'd been fucking her every day during the march. Now, he'd have to shove himself into her tight confines to sleep.
Even after being stabbed and shaken to the point of exhaustion, the lower body, which had been driven in like a nail, finally gave way, and a burning pain ensued. The agonizing pain vanished as if washed away, but in its place, a different kind of thirst clawed at his stomach.
It was clear that he was possessed by something. A demon, a pervert. Every kind of depraved and obscene thing that exists in the world. And a particularly vicious and evil kind.
“Ugh, ugh! Ugh...!”
As he poked her mouth as if punishing her, Diara, who had been rubbing her thighs, snuggled closer to his knees. She seemed to be hugging his calves, and soon, hot, moist flesh clung to the tops of his boots.
As she rocked her hips back and forth, as if riding a horse, the smooth flesh creaked and slid across him from the top of his foot to his ankle. Unable to bear the throbbing sensation of her vagina, she unconsciously scraped her bottom against his own foot.
The sight of her thrusting, cock in her mouth and shoes on her bottom, was so obscene that it made him want to curse. The juices flowing from her ripe vagina made his shoes glisten. It was like a female in heat marking her territory with a male she liked. He clenched his teeth, dizzy with the thrill of ejaculation welling up inside him.
Those bastards who locked these things away in a castle and worshipped red roses and all, or who readily offered them to others as tribute, were clearly out of their minds. They were idiots who didn't even know what was going on.
If he had been just one step late, the foolish King would have handed this woman over to someone else, just as he would have given away expensive porcelain or wine.
If that were the case, then what was bitten in her mouth right now wasn't his own, but some other bastard's dick. The thought of Diara panting with that ugly, black dick in her mouth made him feel uncontrollably dirty.
He grabbed the nodding head and thrust his throbbing penis all the way into her. Her pert nose was completely buried in the thicket of pubic hair, and the woman's groin swelled slightly as she received the dick. Her throat throbbed at the forced thrust of the tip.
“Not only did you bite my throat, but you also rubbed my foot against it. This is like a bitch in heat.”
“Ugh, ugh, cougj.”
"One dick won't be enough. Should I bring you more? Why don't you spread your legs at the entrance over there? Any passing punks can see you and touch you, or fuck you."
With her head held in both hands and groaning, he spun her around, cornering her further and further. The imprisoned pillar completely crushed her windpipe. Every time her throat, dilated to the size of his dick, slurped, saliva surged up like a flood.
He couldn't taste anything in the overflowing saliva. Diara's hand, which had been slapping and pushing his thigh, finally grabbed his buttocks. Following the scratching motions of a cat with its claws out, a thin, red line appeared on his buttocks.
“You don’t like that?”
“Haak!”
With a squeak, the deeply embedded penis was pulled out. The jagged veins scraped against her front teeth, and the hat-shaped glans struck the roof of her mouth hard. At the same time, he lowered his head and thrust his tongue deep into her gaping mouth.
The kiss was rough, encircling the base of her tongue and sucking it. Her gasping breath was sucked into his mouth as quickly as it came. He swallowed jer, chewing and sucking, and it hurt as if her tongue would fall off.
“Haaak! Ha, ugh...”
“Say no. I don’t like other assholes.”
Their eyes met at such a close distance that their eyebrows barely brushed, and they were scorchingly hot. His breath, his teeth gritted, covered her face in a haze.
“Sir, sir... sir.”
"What."
“Ugh, ugh!”
“What's wrong with him?”
“Tha, that, that...”
Her speech was slurred by the soreness in her throat. Before she could finish, her lips were locked together again.
"Ugh!"
A hand slipped under her armpit, lifting her up. Her vision flipped over in an instant, and the sky behind her vanished. The dizziness of the bare floor beneath her feet was fleeting, but then something like a stick slid between her clammy legs.
It was a moment when something round and blunt felt against her itchy vagina. Wrapping one arm around her waist and the other grasping Diara's buttocks, Rahikan thrust the object he had positioned at her entrance.
“Haaaang!”
In one breath, half of the pillar, the size of a forearm, was swallowed. Then, with two thumps, the rest disappeared into the hole.
The sensation of his entire body weight being thrown downward, the vaginal wall pressing against his glans bulging as if it were about to tear, was dizzying. She felt like a fish on a skewer, or rather, a piece of meat impaled on a stake. Her vagina, pierced by the massive cock, twitched and spasmed, and her back, suspended in midair, tensed like a bow with its bowstring drawn.
Diara, desperately clinging to his neck, gasped in fear.
“Oh, no. Get down, uh, get down...”
“What, you want to go down?”
“No, ah, hak! Hak! Hak!”
Diara's mouth opened wide with a loud noise as she walked away.
A fist-sized tip burrowed into her uterus, then lurched upward, almost as if trying to lift it. Her toes, struggling to find a foothold, landed on Rahikan's knees and crawled upward. Her white calves wrapped around his waist like vines, and her curved toes gripped his pelvis.
Rahikan descended from the rock and waded deeper into the water. The water, lapping at his waist, was incredibly cool. A chill ran down her spine, and Diara burrowed into his embrace like a snake seeking warmth.
The cock, which had forced its way deepest, latched perfectly against the narrow walls of her vagina. The glans, which had penetrated all the way to the back of her cervix, pressed against her intestines and even her stomach, leaving her with a feeling as if her insides were about to burst, unable to even moan properly.
Ugh, ugh, ugh. A kiss landed on the nape of her neck, the hairs standing on end, at the sound of gasping for breath.
“Easy. Relax.”
Shh, shh, the voice was sweet and gentle, like soothing a child. The hand that had been supporting her thigh and patting her buttocks dug in a little deeper.
“Ah, ugh, it’s getting ripped, it’s getting torn...!”
“It’s not torn.”
The finger that entered, parting the anus that was throbbing with excitement and the trembling mound, reached the hole that was biting him.
“Look. Instead of tearing, it’s twitching and loving it.”
Diara groaned, arching her back as his hands caressed her taut flesh. Every time she struggled to push away the thing that had dug in like a stake, the gnawing hole bit him.
“If you’re that worried, just spread it out.”
“Yeah, yeah?”
Rahikan pulled Diara's arm down. He gently removed her hand, which clung to his neck as if it were a rope, and placed it between her legs.
"Yes. Open it properly. I won't care if it slips and tears."
He smiled, placing the base of his penis between his slender fingers. His quietly smiling gaze must have shown her that he wasn't joking, as her fingers hastily positioned themselves, spreading her thighs wide in preparation for receiving him.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out loudly.
The penis, familiar with the path it walked countless times, spread open her stomach as if to confirm its territory. His cock, thickening towards the end, thrust in deeply, and with each thrust, the rugged walls rubbed mercilessly.
The sensation of a heavy pillar sinking between her fingers was eerie. The woman's bloated belly, which had been slurping down his load, slammed against his firm abs like a hand clapping. Diara shook her head frantically at the sound of his hips pounding against her, sending up a splash of water.
“Ah, ah, it hurts, ah! It hurts...!”
“Where are you going?”
“Gah, my heart..!”
Her breasts, bouncing up and down, ached as if they might fall off at any moment. Her hands, trapped beneath her thighs, were too busy trying to spread her hole wide to cling to him.
Diara leaned forward and buried her face in Rahikan's neck. She groaned, her chest aching against his broad chest.
“Anyway, it’s a tantrum.”
After clicking his tongue, the hand that had been holding his waist rose upwards. The palm that had crawled up her ribs grabbed her chest that was glistening with water.
The squishy flesh was so soft he wanted to swallow it in one bite. As he pinched and pulled the fruit-red nipples, then rubbed them as if crushing them, her wobbly knees slipped from his waist.
“Ha, ha, ha.”
Her trembling body lost its support, and her sweet, dripping nasal sound gradually tilted backward. Supporting her lower back with his hand, he lay Diara completely on her back.
With a thud, a body collapsed onto the surface, rosy hair billowing behind it. A chilling wave washed over the back of her head, instantly making her ears ring. He tilted his head above it, watching the turquoise eyes waver, lost in their path.
“Ah, ahh...!”
A large hand, large enough to hold a woman's small head, firmly supported the nape of her neck. At the same time, the hand that had been kneading her breasts moved past her collarbone and found the throbbing sac of her neck.
Diara, sensing what was about to happen next, opened her trembling thighs, preparing to receive him deeper.
Soon, a familiar pain gently and gently enveloped Diara's jaw. Slowly but surely, like someone snapping the neck of a flower, Diara's eyes widened as she felt the tightening of her breathing passages.
“Relax your neck.”
“Ugh, ugh... ugh...”
"You have to relax so I can strangle you properly. You like it, don't you? It's like your throat gets choked and prickled."
The tense muscles trembled and relaxed at the low sound.
“Huh... That’s right. That’s good.”
“Ugh, cough...”
Diara's body trembled as if convulsing, feeling her throat slowly being strangled and her vagina being throbbed.
Serving him with her chin pressed against his chest was one of Diarra's favorite positions. When the claw-like hand pressed against her chin, every hole in her body constricted like a narrowed trachea, and her sensitive nerves tensed like spikes.
The sound of water splashing against her ears, barely submerged, was deafening. The man's body, with its back to the sun, glowed with a soft golden light. Beneath his languid eyelids, his eyes, glinting dangerously, were stained with lust.
The sensation of each blood vessel wrapped around the pillar, rubbing against the inner wall. He must be feeling that vivid, raw sensation, too.
I wish you'd shake me. I wish you'd thrust deep and jerk me up so my stomach would vibrate. The glans, which had pushed through the squishy folds, scraped against the mucous membrane, causing her anus to expand and then tighten again. Gap, gap, it felt like bubbles were rising from the hole she was sucking.
But despite her puffed-up anticipation, his movements as he stroked her were as relaxed and easygoing as if he were taking a pill. Even though he thrust his hips in and pressed his bottom against her, the tip of his penis, which only groaned and slid down onto her uterus, was so throbbing it felt like it was going to drive her crazy.
“Whew, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh....”
“Hurry up and do something.”
The face he was asking with a wicked lick on his lips was utterly devious. Diara, unable to bear it any longer, began to cling to him. Rahikan, looking down at her body, twisting her back and begging, laughed in exasperation.
"If you want something, you have to say it. Just turn around and say it."
Diara's hips trembled as she felt the throbbing sensation of his waist, which was thrusting upwards from below. The excessive friction made her cervix, already a slurry, feel like it was about to burst.
“My temper's so short it's ridiculous. What the hell, you're not a rabbit—just give you a little nudge, and you're ready to go.”
“Hey, now time for the hard thrust.”
“No, no.”
"Or not."
Or what should I do? The corners of his lips turned up cruelly. The sight of the elegant man's face tightened her chest. She knew what he was asking of her right now.
Diara, panting, reached out to the man's hair. She grabbed the soft, wavy strands and pulled them. She bit his lower lip hastily, as he pulled down without resistance.
Tzuup, Rahikan's brow furrowed at the sight of his lips, which had been stuck together, falling apart. Even before the short, "ugh" sound subsided,
“Please, Your Majesty... Please, please give it to me...”
After passing out from receiving Rahikan a few times, he never let her climax easily.
After begging, crying, crawling on the floor, kissing, and spitting out shameful words, he finally received everything he wanted, and only then, as if doing her a favor, poured it into her heated womb. Until then, the saliva he poured into her gaping mouth was all she could swallow. But there was an exception.
“What? Give it to me... Please, stop it, Your Majesty.”
Rahikan, looking down at the woman who was lapping at his neck like a baby bird, let out a chuckle. A snicker ran down her lips, down her cheeks, down her chin, and back down to the nape of her neck. His sharp, low voice gnawed at her skin.
“Where should I give it to you?”
“Belly, inside my belly...”
“Where in your belly? Here?”
With his pubic bone pressed against her, he turned her waist like a spinning wheel. His penis, tightly interlocked with the vaginal wall, spun inside, making a squelching sound. Her voluptuous waist curved steeply.
“Or is it here?”
“Hah! Hah! Ah!”
Diara twisted her body like a salted fish at the sensation of someone holding her bent back and pounding the inner wall of her belly button.
Each time something as straight and thick as a metal club pierced and dug into the winding passages, goosebumps ran down her body. It was unbearable, like hundreds, thousands of legged insects crawling across her skin and blood vessels.
I feel like I'm going to die. I feel like I'm going to die.
Her curled fingers spread wide, and her smooth soles slid across his thighs and calves several times. He held onto her hands, which were splashing for something to hold onto, with both hands.
Just like that, the sensation of being pounded deep inside finally flashed before her eyes. The sensation of orgasm she longed for. She was so grateful for his penis, which had thoroughly scratched every inch of her body, even the deepest part she ever wanted to scratch with her nails. She was so grateful that tears welled up in her eyes.
“Where should you receive it? Huh, you should say something.”
“The, the deep part...! The deep part!”
Just a little more, just a little more.
The breath that was gulping down burst like bubbles. The hole holding the slurping and expulsing force gained strength, and the path from the throbbing vaginal opening to the uterus twitched and twisted.
Soon, something hot would pour into her heated insides. Like a woman consumed by greed, her wide-open thighs trembled sweetly.
And finally, when the climax she been longing for approached, the thing that had filled and swayed beneath her was ripped out.
“Ahhhh!”
Diara moaned deeply at the thrilling sensation of her bottom being pulled out.
"Ha.."
The lukewarm liquid poured down, soaking her thighs. Even underwater, the sensation felt soothing, she shivered for a moment. The shock of the sudden plunge, just before climax, soon washed over her as an uncontrollable sense of loss.
"Ah...?"
She felt the hole that had missed what she expected keep bulging and leaking hot water.
The long exhale and the slightly furrowed brows indicated that he was holding back his ejaculation. The seminal fluid that had leaked from his throbbing cock slicked the space between Diara's thighs.
“Why... I asked you to do it.”
He looked down at her with a smile, his eyes sparkling as if he had been betrayed by something great.
“I asked you a favor. I did.”
Droplets of water dripped from the tips of his black hair, damp with something that was either sweat or water. Rahikan brushed the stinging hair away from his eyes and pulled Diara's waist toward him.
“You should be able to tell what I want you to do. Your whole body is so slutty.”
His fingers, now between her legs, traced the spot where they had been just moments before. As he rubbed the plump flesh between her thighs, the trembling flesh poured a thick liquid onto his hand.
“Huh... Huhuhu!”
“Doesn't it matter what it is, as long as you got a dick? That's what I'm thinking.”
“Look, it’s so loose, it’s like, ‘Just fuck me, whatever you want.’”
“Hey, ah, wh, don’t stir!”
"So, show the other kids clearly. Who you are. Just being inside this thing right now is enough to satisfy you."
“Yeah, uh-huh...”
The feeling of those hooked fingertips poking her insides, still hot and tingling, was dizzying. Her stomach felt like it would feel completely numb if she just shook it a little.
In this state, there was no way she could understand what he was saying. All she could think was, whatever he said, just fuck me.
"Can you do it?" The question sounded disjointed. Diara nodded, not knowing what she could do or what she was being asked to do.
The lips, as if they were a statue, gently intertwined with the sobbing mouth. A thrilling sensation surged from her clitoris, which had been roughly rubbed. Diara bit his tongue and let out a long moan.
Ah, it feels so good. Her round, swollen chest feels like it's about to fly into the sky.
The moment she hugged his neck, her body, now light, floated into the air. As she waded through the water, the bright blue sky swirled overhead.
While shr was lost in thought and hugging him, he completely left the waterfront and headed in the wrong direction. She thought he was heading toward the awning where they were eating, but he circled around behind him.
A tall, wide rock. As he climbed the path, which was like a staircase, a red curtain swayed like a wave beneath her feet, opening up a clear view. Horses and soldiers trundled between the red barracks, a distant sight.
The Emperor's Waterfront, the only place in the closed oasis with a view of the outside, was also the highest point in the area, and it was where a platform was placed to check on the status of the troops and issue commands.
Only then did Diara realize what Rahikan was trying to do and started to struggle.
“Oh, no! No! Your Majesty, no!”
“Shh, you need to be quiet. If you keep yelling like that, everyone’ll look up.”
“Ugh..!”
The voice pressing its lips against the nape of her neck was eerie.
“But, but...”
Rahikan smiled, his eyes widening at the lowered voice.
“Take it.”
Just below the podium, he personally placed both hands on the surrounding iron railing. Leaning against the waist-high railing, she fell into a precarious position, feeling as if she might collapse. Diara, whose hips involuntarily fell back and her chest tilted forward, gasped for breath as he supported her from behind.
The man's penis, thrusting between her legs, was terribly hot and hard. There was no way she could hold back a moan while being thrust into something like that. There was a good reason she couldn't suppress her sobs, even though she knew soldiers were coming and going outside the barracks.
“Spread your legs wider. I need to make it clear from below who you’re giving your pussy to.”
“Ha, hauuu...”
Squeak squeak. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sound of laughter as he rubbed her entrance with something blunt. But unlike her head, her pounding heart was clearly more filled with anticipation than fear.
Despite the long, drawn-out kisses and intercourse, she still hadn't reached her peak. The pleasure had built up, swelled to the point where it threatened to burst at the slightest touch. Overwhelmed by her shallow reason, she was in no condition to resist the man who was seductively plunging into her.
“Ah... No, no, euuuuung!”
The warm hole gently bit down on the man's penis that was thrusting in without mercy, as if it had been waiting for it.
Her flabby flesh stretched taut, and a powerful, blinding stimulation surged down her spine. Her hands gripped the railing, and her toes lifted involuntarily.
“Haaak, haa, ahh...!”
The pleasure that surged up from between her legs sent her body into convulsions. She hadn't even noticed the drool flowing down her gaping jaw, or the way her hips were arching, making it easier for him to penetrate her. The only thing that dominated her was the desire to take him deeper. A slur escaped Rahikan's lips as she clutched her insides, determined never to let go of what had once been taken from her.
Between her raised white buttocks, her plump vagina throbbed. Above the trembling red flesh, biting the root of his cock, her chrysanthemum-like anus swayed and breathed heavily. Goosebumps rose all the way to her ears, a pang of regret for having only one cock to thrust into.
“Lara.”
“Ugh!”
He grabbed the back of her head, which was facing downward, and pulled her toward him. Her head was bent back, and her back was arched like a bow, so thin it felt like it could break.
“Don’t turn your head. I want to hit you while looking at your face.”
The completely subdued voice sounded almost like a growl. Her drenched, turquoise eyes searched for him. Beneath her long, fluttering eyelashes, her clean eyes were reddened by the marks of his teeth.
“Your Majesty, sob...”
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," she called, and the fluid that had been pooling inside her tightly clenched vagina poured out through the interlocking gap. The lukewarm fluid flowed down his shaft and hung like a weed from the tip of his testicles.
The most obscene and despicable thing in the world was right before his eyes. He couldn't afford to be complacent any longer.
He began to thrust downward at a breathtaking speed. Diara groaned deeply as her vision flipped upside down in an instant. Her mind, empty of fear, anxiety, or anything else, melted like dough in his arms.
Whatever happens, it's okay. Ishereally don't care.
In a world that swayed like a tidal wave, only joy filled it.
***
The affair that began at the water's edge ended at the water's edge.
Diara, exhausted from their long relationship, was personally dipped into the water by Rahikan, who washed every nook and cranny. Seeing her limp body made him want to do just that.
Of course, this was no ordinary matter. The Emperor is attended to under any circumstances, not one who attends to others.
She whined like a puppy being punished, saying she would do it, she would wash herself, and for a moment she kept saying things that didn't make sense with her trembling arms.
“Just stay still. It’s hard.”
Slap, slap, only then did her struggling movements become calm as she felt the hand slap her buttocks.
While he was pressing her sweat-soaked back, the back of her neck, between her breasts and legs, and even her long hair, a warm wind from the south blew past, gently swaying over the water.
While he sat on the rock and washed Diara, the moisture from his thin shirt was almost completely gone. Thanks to this, the large towel that had been prepared for Rahikan also became Diara's. Her body, wrapped in a soft, fluffy cloth like wool, shuddered.
“Why are you shivering like this? You shouldn’t be cold in this heat.”
Unlike the chillingly cold deep water, the shallow waters closer to the sun were pleasantly warm thanks to the heated rocks.
Even considering the woman's cool body temperature, she wouldn't be this cold. Rahikan, who was reaching for the cloak he had left behind, tilted his head toward Diara.
“Raise your head. Let me see your face.”
At the gesture of a hand stroking her cheek, her head, bowed low, reluctantly lifted. Her eyes, flushed with fever, turned red.
“Where does it hurt?”
Her long eyelashes slowly fluttered beneath his hand resting on his forehead.
"No."
“I don’t have a fever, but I guess I’m still a bit hungover...”
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Why are you frowning?”
“My eyes feel itchy.”
The voice, as if drowsy, was so faint that it required straining to hear. Diara wiped her eyes with a limp hand. The soreness under her eyes, the aftereffects of prolonged crying, stung.
He held down the hand that was rubbing her swollen eyelids.
“Don’t rub it.”
“It tickles...”
“So why are you crying like that? I told you it wasn't pee you made.”
“I did it. I’ve done it a few times before.”
Diara's face, which had begun to flush slightly at the sound of Rahikan's calm voice, soon became so red that it could not be any redder.
It happened on the rock a moment ago. Following the rapid movements of the body, a strange sensation sprouted from the pit of her stomach, which had been throbbing. The sensation, which rose and trembled in an instant despite the improbability of it, was something she could only describe as an urge.
The sight of the water jets shooting up, leaving dark marks on the dry rock, with each thrust into the deepest part was dizzying. No, this can't be happening. A belated sense of alarm dawned on her, as if something that shouldn't have burst was about to.
"Oh, no, please take it out, please take it out, Your Majesty!"
Sbe tried to resist, even if it meant standing on tiptoe and twisting her waist, but there was no way she could escape from the man who was mercilessly pinning her down and shaking her.
In the end, she ended up pouring out everything inside her, still deeply biting his penis. As the spurts flowed down her calves and soaked her feet, Diara was forced to endure his ejaculation, unable to move a single finger.
Hot semen shot out, as if to refill the empty stomach where every drop had been poured out. By the time she shuddered at the sensation of his cock being pulled out, everything was already a mess.
As the loose hole couldn't even properly hold what he had put in and spat out the hot substance, reason, which had been driven away by pleasure, returned as an uninvited guest.
Diara belatedly burst into tears, overcome with uncontrollable shame. Even as she was held in his arms and submerged once more in the water, her sobs continued unabated.
"This will happen often, so you'll have to get used to it. You're good at eating it, but are you still that embarrassed about it?"
Unlike Rahikan's voice, which was always soft and unchanging, Diara's whole body felt hot to the point that the palm of her hand that touched her forehead felt cool as she listened to him.
But, as he said, it wasn't just because she was embarrassed.
Of course, it was embarrassing to receive him and pour water on him, and it was certainly embarrassing, but it wasn't unbearable. The reason her heart was pounding so hard right now was for a different reason.
“But everyone, everyone sees it... Everyone sees it...”
Crumbling before Rahikan was a completely different matter than showing it to others. Before he was a heavenly Emperor, he was her master, her husband to be served, and the only man in the world who could freely touch her body.
Even if it was shameful and embarrassing, it was her job to do whatever he asked her to do.
And Rahikan, surprisingly, wasn't the terrifying and fearsome tyrant she initially imagined. He was more like a fearsome, strict, and at times generous master.
The orders he gave her were always excruciatingly difficult, but they weren't as excruciating as her father's verbal abuse or beatings. Above all, after she was sick, he always gave her even more pleasure, kissing jer repeatedly as she blushed.
The reason her heart raced when he called her, “Lara,” even though she was afraid of him, was probably because of that inexplicable emotion.
So, if he wanted, he could open up even the most secret places, but only because he was him, only because he was Azad Rahikan.
But. But...
Tears welled up in her eyes, and they fell like drops. Everyone must have seen it. She groaned so loudly that no one could have missed her.
What should I do? What should I do now?
Her head, which had become a muddy mess, was burning hot.
“Who said what they saw?”
Rahikan grabbed Diara's hand, which covered her face. His mouth lightly touched her lips as she sobbed.
“Stop crying and talk.”
“Soldiers, sob, soldiers.”
"They didn't see anything. They can't see anything from below where we're standing. That's where the crows sit."
“A crow?”
“The Emperor’s personal guard. The Shadow Guard.”
The crows that guarded the Emperor at his side were supposed to be invisible to anyone, not even to potential assassins. Yet, at the same time, they had to be able to see further than anyone else, even to places beyond sight.
Creating a panoramic view of the entire complex from a hidden location was a technique frequently employed in Cardion's palace, and while challenging, it was not impossible. The complex feat was made possible primarily by optical illusions and ingeniously designed spiral staircases.
At the soft explanation, the eyes that had been blinking like a light returned to him.
“Really?”
“What would I gain by lying to you?”
He licked the corner of her eyes, which were confused as to whether he was serious or not, with his tongue, and the sound of it dripping was ticklish.
He never thought he end up having to appease a girl, let alone a child.
Even if crying was good from the beginning, wiping away tears was just as enjoyable as crying, so he couldn't figure out what was going on.
Her tear-stained eyelids felt sweet, as if coated with sugar. His heart pounded, as if he could live off of just this every day.
“Really, no one saw it?”
She screamed so loudly that they might have heard her groan, but that was nothing.
Her knees trembled. The love juice flowing down her smooth legs. The crimson vulva that twisted and bit him as if it had been waiting for him. And the light green eyes that were fixed on him until the very end, telling him not to look away.
All of that is kept hidden away from anyone's eyes. There's no way he's show it to anyone else.
“You’re mine, Lara. I won’t give you to anyone else.”
Rahikan placed Diara on his lap, hugging her naked body tightly and kissing her wet hair.
"I'll lock you in my castle for the rest of your life, and you'll only wear, eat, and use what I give you. Be good, and I'll reward you. All the sweet, soft, and shiny things in the world will be yours."
Sweet, soft, and shining. His eyes, as he spoke these words, were half-closed, as if he were seeing something dazzling.
“If you run away, I will cut off your hands and feet, but don’t worry, I will feed and clothe you even if you don’t have hands and feet.”
Diara, who had been licking her lips, stared intently into his eyes. Her own face was reflected in the dark pupils of his radiant golden irises. Her lips, which had been weeping, opened hesitantly.
“So, is that the reward Your Majesty is giving me?”
"What?"
He gave a short laugh as if he found it absurd.
"What did you say? Is that what you want? Having your hands and feet cut off?"
A soft smile tickled the pastoral.
“No, that’s not it...That, rather than that...”
"Even if that's true, it's more of a price than a reward. The price of possessing a madman."
"You deserve a better reward, don't you?" he said in a low voice. Diara tilted her head, sensing something odd in his words. Rahikan seemed to be speaking as if he assumed she would run away.
“Why do you think I would run away?”
“So does that mean no?”
He was chewing on the back of her neck, then narrowed his eyes and asked playfully.
"I thought you wanted to run away. Every time you opened your eyes in my arms, you'd scream and run away."
“That, that is...”
“And on top of that, I brought you here as if I were kidnapping a Princess who had grown up preciously.”
“Ugh!”
“I am doing whatever I want, and I will continue to do so.”
A finger slipped between her thighs, groping the hole that had been receiving him the entire time. Without warning, two fingers slid in, slurping and slurping the fluid-filled inside. Diara trembled, but opened her knees a little wider to allow him to move more easily.
“But you’re so pretty, I’ll just make you an obedient bitch and put a leash on you.”
He furrowed his eyebrows and slowly stirred inside. Diara gasped for breath as his deeply bitten fingers gnawed at her aching flesh.
“Uh, hah, yeah...”
“Even if my spouse, who harbors such thoughts, were to flee in horror, there’s nothing I could do about it.”
Her moist, light lips touched and lifted, scraping against her sagging vagina. Her spread knees trembled at the sensation of something sticky oozing out between her hooked fingers.
“Ah, no, hmph, Your Majesty...”
"No?"
Kisses poured down like rain, whispering sweet words. If you behave well, you'll be rewarded. If you run away, you'll be severed. Those words were like a promise: if you don't run away, I'll treat you with this kind of affection for the rest of your life.
Even if you spill water on the blanket, or make a pathetic slip of the tongue, or dare to leave food he gives you, or eat it in an ugly way, or even be of no use to you, as long as you don't run away, he won't whip you or cut off your hands or feet.
As she gazed into the elegant man's face, her eyes wide open, an indescribable emotion surged through her heart. Now shd knew.
Rahikan loves her.
Not her blood-related father, nor the old, ugly King of the West, but Azad Rahikan. This magnificent, powerful, fearless man loved her insignificant self.
“Or, are you saying that I can continue to tease you like this to my heart’s content in the future?”
The warm touch of his hands, poking her hole with one hand and caressing her lower abdomen with the other, was palpable. As his hand traced each rib, then cupped her breast, Diara moaned softly, as if she were about to fly away.
"You'll spend your whole life as my slave. I'll fuck and shake you until this tight hole is completely destroyed."
Diara's neck snapped violently as her wrists slammed shut. Her buttocks, perched on his thighs, trembled uncontrollably.
“Ah, ah, ahhh...!”
“But you won’t run away?”
A subdued voice licked the nape of her neck, still damp. The skin he'd washed was once again soaked with his saliva and breath. Diara, who was exhaling in a raspy gasp, found his eyes. Meeting his motionless gaze, her heart ached for some reason.
Rahikan relentlessly caressed, touched, kissed, and stroked her. He looked into her eyes as if she were the only one in the world. If she hadn't known this from the beginning, she might not have, but anyone who had ever been loved could not help but understand. What he gave her was unmistakable love.
Something her father gave her a long time ago.
What the old King of the West gave her.
There were times when she desperately wanted it, and times when it was so terrible that she wanted to turn away, but all of it could only be explained by the name of love, or lust.
“Why would I run away? I, I...”
She thought she would spend her entire life trapped in Feldif's dreaded palace and the horrific iron coffin. With her father's hatred and animosity growing ever deeper, she knew no escape, so she simply gave up and lived on.
More than the promise to raise his hand, more than the unbelievable promise that she had stolen his heart, it was the promise that he would keep her by his side for the rest of her life that filled her heart with such emotion. But such feelings were something she could never express to him.
Feldif's precious youngest daughter, the precious jewel of the land. Rahikan only knew her as a well-bred princess. He didn't want to disappoint those expectations. If she knew she'd been sold off to another man and then broken off the engagement, he'd surely not behold her with the same gentle eyes he had now.
Even her father, who had loved her dearly as a child, couldn't accept it. Diara knew better than anyone how easily such love could turn to contempt. Only then did she understand why Rahikan's words, claiming he'd been bewitched, had filled her with such fear that her heart sank.
Something she can neither reject nor avoid with her own strength. The things people call love, they all come like a shower and vanish like a lie. The affection that comes without warning could vanish tomorrow. She know full well how fleeting this feeling she receive now is.
But. Nevertheless.
Diara couldn't take her eyes off his eyes looking at her.
The affectionate gaze she hadn't received since she was twelve made her tear up. She didn't want to lose sight of it again. Diara blinked, trying to dry her tears, then shook her head vigorously.
“I won’t run away. Never.”
Rahikan chuckled.
"You're kind too.”
He brushed his hair back and lightly pressed his lips to her round forehead. At the same time, a sudden thrust left her with a chill. With a short groan, her thighs, which had spread apart, snapped back together.
"But, Lara, when you're in the oasis, you never say the same thing."
“Uh, huh... why?”
"Because the oasis is fickle. It's like not swearing by the moon."
She felt like she knew what he was saying, but she also felt like she didn't. As shr searched for words, a sticky finger approached her weeping lips. A tongue naturally crawled out of her parted mouth and licked each thick knuckle of his hand. Perhaps it was the water mixed in? The taste of the moist semen was a little more slick than usual.
His clammy hands were instantly cleansed. Rahikan kissed her cheek as if giving her a reward before rising from his seat.
His cloak, which had been left under the tent, was draped over Diara's head. The thin, light fabric, fluttering in the wind, covered her tiny body perfectly.
"It's time to get going. Come on, wake up. Aren't you dizzy?"
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Wear this until we reach the palace. I don’t want a single strand of hair to show.”
"Yes."
“No, should you even dress like this in the palace?”
“Yes, I will do that.”
He laughed silently at the sight of her answering so quickly that he couldn't even finish his sentence.
“You're answering before even listening properly. You've been saying yes to everything since earlier.”
“I can’t believe it. Did you really hear everything?”
"Really. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask."
Rahikan stared down at Diara, who lowered the corners of her eyes as if she felt wronged.
Does this woman even know what she's saying? No, she can't.
The face of the person nodding without even knowing what he was saying was as innocent as a child's.
She would do anything he asked her to do. She didn't realize how precarious and dangerous the look on her face as she looked up at him, as if to ask why he didn't understand.
That the man she'd been captivated by was actually a half-madman. That the auditory hallucinations she'd thought had receded with the rain, that old madness, were whispering to her now.
You'll never get your hands on something this beautiful again. If you lose it, you won't be able to bear it.
So cut off the leg before it's too late.
What was lingering like a ringing in his ears was none other than his own voice.
From the moment he put Diara in the water to wash her, from the moment her slick body leaned completely against him, he had been obsessed with the thought of cutting off Diara's limbs.
This time, it wasn't a boast like prying open her mouth with a soldering iron or feeding her horse dung. He genuinely wanted to sever her slender ankles, and he couldn't resist.
Even if her limbs were cut off, Diara would still be lovable. It wasn't the least bit strange, just as it was natural for a snake to lack legs. When that time came, even if she wanted to, she would never be able to escape.
A beautiful red snake, waiting for him to come, eating what he gave her. The thought of it sent shivers down his spine.
“Lara.”
"Yes?"
Diara, who had fallen a few steps behind at the sound of his call, approached with a brisk pace. A strange desire stirred in his stomach, following the sound of her footsteps. Rahikan forced down the corners of his mouth, which were twitching.
It wasn't time yet. The thing that came running when called was still entirely his. He slowly pushed the white paws, leaving water marks beneath the cloak, out of his sight.
“Where are you going, walking around barefoot? Come here.”
“You take my shoes and...”
“Yeah. That’s why I told you to come.”
Diara let out a small laugh at the pulling gesture. As she leaped into his wide embrace, her body, lifted up, floated into the air.
The sky was just past noon, and the water's edge, cast by the brief shadow of the sun, was quiet and peaceful. The last half-day of rest on the desert road to the capital was passing by slowly.
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