Time passed like the wind.
After the dreamlike rest in the oasis, the road back to the city was in some ways similar to before, and in others not at all like before.
The sweltering heat, the biting cold, and the harsh, dry sandstorms remained, but she no longer felt seasick. The relentless, stomach-aching, and horrific carriage no longer tormented Diara.
Of course, it wasn't because Diara had adapted to the carriage.
“Yes, Your Majesty...”
Diara's shoulders twitched at the sensation of a hand entering her stomach.
A hand, running up her flat lower abdomen, cupped her plump breasts and stroked their peaks. A tingling sensation spread from the tip of her chest like ripples. Her dim eyelids fluttered open.
“Are you awake?”
Rahikan, riding behind her, answered without slowing down. He tilted his head and smiled, guiding his horse with one hand and cradling Diara in his arms with the other.
“Seeing you sleeping on a running horse, I guess even Feldip’s Golden Jade Leaf has become a Cardionite.”
"Ah..."
“Or maybe you're just a sleepyhead.”
As she was blinking her eyes with a sleepy face, a short kiss landed on the bridge of her nose.
Her body, unblemished by sweat, felt refreshed and light. Part of it was the bathing at the oasis, but more importantly, the cloak he'd draped over her. The soft, jet-black fabric, like Rahikan's hair, was much lighter than it looked, breathable, and quickly absorbed perspiration. Thanks to this, Diara, wrapped in it, always remained dry.
The man's hand, burrowing between her cloak and caressing her breast, felt good. Diara, her eyes drooping with fatigue, rested her forehead on Rahikan's shoulder. Beneath his broad, firm chest, she could hear the slow, drum-like thump of his heartbeat.
How did it come to this? Following the clatter of horse hooves, scenes from a week ago flashed before her eyes.
It was before they left the oasis. Diara was about to board the carriage when Rahikan suddenly grabbed her.
"You're wearing a cloak, so there's no need to block the sun. From now on, just ride this."
Led by him, they arrived at the place where Rahikan's massive black horse was waiting. For a moment, Diara felt intimidated by the horse, which looked as strong and fierce as a tree. But upon realizing that she wasn't the only one holding the reins, Diara felt a deep sense of relief.
It was her first time on horseback. The heightened view, the different smell of the air, the warmth of a living, breathing animal beneath her feet—all of it was a breathtakingly fresh and exciting experience, enough to make her heart race.
But the best part was being able to rest in Rahikan's arms while on the move. His arms, his back straight and steady as he rode, were incomparably more comfortable than the creaking, unsteady rocking of the carriage.
Long arms that wrapped around her like a fence. The rhythmic rise and fall of his broad chest, the scent of a man in her breath. Even the subtle touches that stroked and caressed her whenever they had a chance. Everything about it was ticklish and comforting. It was enough to make her fall asleep on a galloping horse, oblivious to the world.
“Your Majesty, where do you plan to rest today?”
Sometimes beneath sheer cliffs, sometimes in rock crevices with caves, sometimes on star-studded sands, these were their resting places. They ran when the sun rose, and rested when the sun set. Perhaps her body had adapted to this routine. Now, she felt unfazed by anything that happened in this desert.
Rahikan laughed softly at the woman's voice, as if asking an obvious question.
“Well, I think we’ll sleep under a proper roof for the first time in a while today.”
"Yes?"
“Look ahead, Lara.”
Beneath the straight black eyebrows, golden eyes were staring somewhere.
Diara, puzzled, turned her head to where Rahikan's gaze was directed. Far away, near the horizon, something like a thin, wavy line was rippling.
The red thread became a rope, then a low wall, then a swaying flame. Only when the faint sound of a horn rang in her ears did Diara finally discern its true nature.
It was a beacon fire. More than one or two beacon fires were rising high on the walls. Atop the massive walls, seemingly carved from the very rock itself, the beacons, heralding the Emperor's return, burned endlessly. Dozens, hundreds of flames spread like waves of flame, a spectacle that left Diara wide-eyed.
Dudun, dudun. The iron gates opened, signaled by the sound of drums vibrating the floor. Then, as if the seal had been broken, a thunderous roar, "Waaaaaa!", surged forth from within like a storm.
The horses that had returned home were as excited as if they were about to go into battle, and the faces of the soldiers who were calming their horses by saying, "Whoa, whoa," were also clearly excited.
The great desert sun, the Emperor of Cardion, has returned.
The lord of the empire, who swept across the continent, returned. It was the first time in four years that Azad Rahikan had entered the city. The entrance to the capital had been jam-packed for decades, with citizens eager to witness this glorious moment.
In their left hands, they held crimson banners symbolizing the Empire's red lands, and in their right, they carried banners bearing the golden sun, symbolizing Rahikan. A long, welcoming wave formed. Between them, a cavalry force mounted on black horses marched with a proud air.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire!”
“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!”
Those who shouted each sprinkled their finest flowers and perfumes on the ground. For Diara, who considered the white-walled inner palace of Feldif, her entire world, to be her entire being, the sheer scale of Cardion's capital city was breathtaking.
It's so daunting that she can't even believe that the name that's being called out from all directions belongs to the man she's leaning against.
He tightly wrapped his arms around Diara's crouching waist.
“Raise your head, Lara. Everyone is curious about you.”
“Me, me?”
“Yeah. Half of them probably came to see you, not me.”
Rahikan laughed inwardly as he increased his horse's speed.
The crowd was larger than expected. Even when riding at the head of the line, the flags couldn't be seen, so many people gathered together that they looked like red clouds during the monsoon season.
Nobles and commoners, men and women, old men with canes and infants in slings—everyone with eyes in the capital was gathered together, but one person dared to set aside the Emperor and command attention.
The rolling eyes busily followed the thing in Rahikan's arms.
A woman wrapped in the Emperor's mantle and seizing his embrace.
Rumors of the young Emperor returning from Feldif with a Princess could not have escaped this bustling capital. Rahikan, of course, took advantage of this and had Diara ride before him.
“So, stand tall, straighten your back, and lift your head. Now, wave your hand a little.”
“Wow!”
The hair hidden beneath the hood, which had been tossed open, poured out in a torrent. The crowd erupted in cheers as the wavy, rosy locks blew like a mane of sunlight.
“I have to show them that you came as my bride, not as a slave.”
Diara raised her head, suppressing her rumbling stomach. Rahikan met her gaze and smiled quietly.
“B, bride, bride...”
“I told you I’d give you food. Surely you haven’t forgotten.”
Rahikan! Rahikan! Amidst the excited, chanting crowd, only his voice, calling out to her, remained calm and unwavering.
His sun-kissed body seemed to be rimmed with gold. The memory of their first night, when she thought he resembled the sun god, was not a far-fetched one. The man who entered her domain, as if the title "Emperor" existed for him, was more dazzling than ever.
Even though he was only draped in a thin sheet over her naked body, being held by him felt like wearing steel armor, easing her fear. The man before her was the most terrifying, suffocating being in the world. If she could face him, she wouldn't have to fear anything else in the world.
Diara, her back straight, gazed forward. She gazed with trembling eyes at the straight, wide road leading to the palace. The sky was a deep blue, without a shadow. The rippling sun bathed the gray brick road in golden light.
When they passed the outer wall and arrived at the palace, it was already sunset.
The castle, surrounded by a moat of red sand, looked like a giant snake coiled around the sun when viewed from above. The maze-like, winding paths, each gilded with gold, were dazzling.
Even if she took all the gold from Feldif's gold mines and applied it, it wouldn't even cover half of Cardion's walls. Diara's upper body tilted more and more as she looked around with wide eyes.
"Be careful."
"Yes?"
“If you fall into that red sand, you will go straight to hell.”
She followed the man's gaze as she glanced down and saw something unidentifiable swimming through the fine sand. A long, swaying tail made her wonder if fish lived in the sand.
A bright red maw leaped up like an arrow from behind the horse's shadow. The horse, its ankles targeted, nervously shook its hind legs.
“Wait, snake.”
A groping voice revealed what she had seen. For someone who'd been scared stiff, it was a surprisingly calm reaction. Rahikan chuckled quietly as she hesitantly backed away, clinging to him.
“That’s why the Palace of Cardion is called the home of snakes.”
The sandy plains that stretch out like a plain, the palace built on a huge rock, was a home to snakes that swam through the desert long before humans existed.
Instead of high walls, there are raging sandstorms, and instead of deep moats, snakes' jaws bite the ankles of invaders.
If you enter the den of vipers, the depth of which cannot be measured, without fear, you will not only be hit with a hail of arrows, but half of your cavalry will die from snake bites before you can even break through the main gate. The red sands of Cardion have become a fortress in themselves that protects the castle.
Finally, Rahikan arrived in front of the Emperor's palace, the Sun Palace, and stopped his horse. The chief maid, who had been waiting for the Emperor for some time, bowed deeply to Rahikan.
“Great Sun of the Desert, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Maid.”
Rahikan, his eyes downcast, scanned the headmaid's face. The woman, clad in black from head to toe like mourning, had been burned beyond recognition. He knew what had happened without even asking. It was the work of his only cousin, Helgatria.
Rahikan looked at her sunken eyelids and half-sunken cheeks with disinterested eyes. Perhaps she was venting her anger at his return, or perhaps her wounds looked fresh.
Everyone called the Emperor a madman, but in truth, he wasn't the only one in this castle who was out of his mind. Witnessing his sister's madness, Rahikan finally felt like he had returned home, and he smiled bitterly.
A pungent scent of incense wafted through the damp air. He looked up at the brightly lit window and dismounted.
“It looks like you were already preparing for it.”
He asked, handing the reins over to the attendant who had approached.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The elders and the council have been waiting for Your Majesty's arrival at the Great Hall for several days now."
“All eight elders?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s been a while... Old people are really hard-working.”
The mocking voice was cold. The head maid bowed her head without replying.
“Tell them to wait a little longer, I’ll be in soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Rahikan turned around and extended his arm towards Diara.
“Lara, come here.”
Without hesitation, he spread his arms wide and lightly caught the body leaping down. Small, white feet, like leaves, gently landed on the ground. Ever since he snatched her shoes, Diara had been barefoot.
"Hot water. No perfume. No makeup required. Just wash and send her straight to my bedroom."
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chief maid understood the unkind Emperor's orders without any shortcomings.
At the head maid's command, the maids lined up and moved in unison. Dressed in neat attire, they laid out a red mat and lit a fire. Their solemn, composed, yet unadorned appearance was reminiscent of well-trained soldiers.
The atmosphere was completely different from the bustling, market-like palace of Feldif. While Diara blinked at the unfamiliar scenery, the head maid, having finished preparing, led her away.
“Then come this way.”
To the right of the magnificent golden main gate, a small, illuminated entrance appeared. It was common in palaces to distinguish between doors according to status and purpose, so this door likely led to the women's bathroom.
Diara took a slow breath. The thought of the harsh bath awaiting her made her hands go cold with belated nervousness.
Every pore in her body would be washed open. She might even have her arms and legs tied, just as the red-veiled maids had done to her. Diara, steeling her resolve, stepped forward. A hand reached out, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her backward.
"Ah...!"
“You're leaving without even saying goodbye.”
A low voice vibrated from behind their touching backs. Her body spun around, and this time, her stomach met Rahikan's.
“You were always hugging me tightly on the horse, acting like you didn’t want to leave me even for a moment. I guess your feelings have cooled since then.”
"Yes?"
“The answer is yes, huh?”
“Huh? Oh, no. But, didn’t you just tell me to go take a bath...?”
When he told her to follow the maid, he pretended not to notice and scolded her. Her heart raced for a moment, but then the corners of her eyes drooped in frustration. He hugged her waist, preventing her from moving, and laughed, his voice cracking.
“Even if you die soon, I'm sorry. You're not making a sound. For something so trivial, you say you're sorry, beg to be killed—where did all that sweet talk go?”
After the dreamlike rest in the oasis, the road back to the city was in some ways similar to before, and in others not at all like before.
The sweltering heat, the biting cold, and the harsh, dry sandstorms remained, but she no longer felt seasick. The relentless, stomach-aching, and horrific carriage no longer tormented Diara.
Of course, it wasn't because Diara had adapted to the carriage.
“Yes, Your Majesty...”
Diara's shoulders twitched at the sensation of a hand entering her stomach.
A hand, running up her flat lower abdomen, cupped her plump breasts and stroked their peaks. A tingling sensation spread from the tip of her chest like ripples. Her dim eyelids fluttered open.
“Are you awake?”
Rahikan, riding behind her, answered without slowing down. He tilted his head and smiled, guiding his horse with one hand and cradling Diara in his arms with the other.
“Seeing you sleeping on a running horse, I guess even Feldip’s Golden Jade Leaf has become a Cardionite.”
"Ah..."
“Or maybe you're just a sleepyhead.”
As she was blinking her eyes with a sleepy face, a short kiss landed on the bridge of her nose.
Her body, unblemished by sweat, felt refreshed and light. Part of it was the bathing at the oasis, but more importantly, the cloak he'd draped over her. The soft, jet-black fabric, like Rahikan's hair, was much lighter than it looked, breathable, and quickly absorbed perspiration. Thanks to this, Diara, wrapped in it, always remained dry.
The man's hand, burrowing between her cloak and caressing her breast, felt good. Diara, her eyes drooping with fatigue, rested her forehead on Rahikan's shoulder. Beneath his broad, firm chest, she could hear the slow, drum-like thump of his heartbeat.
How did it come to this? Following the clatter of horse hooves, scenes from a week ago flashed before her eyes.
It was before they left the oasis. Diara was about to board the carriage when Rahikan suddenly grabbed her.
"You're wearing a cloak, so there's no need to block the sun. From now on, just ride this."
Led by him, they arrived at the place where Rahikan's massive black horse was waiting. For a moment, Diara felt intimidated by the horse, which looked as strong and fierce as a tree. But upon realizing that she wasn't the only one holding the reins, Diara felt a deep sense of relief.
It was her first time on horseback. The heightened view, the different smell of the air, the warmth of a living, breathing animal beneath her feet—all of it was a breathtakingly fresh and exciting experience, enough to make her heart race.
But the best part was being able to rest in Rahikan's arms while on the move. His arms, his back straight and steady as he rode, were incomparably more comfortable than the creaking, unsteady rocking of the carriage.
Long arms that wrapped around her like a fence. The rhythmic rise and fall of his broad chest, the scent of a man in her breath. Even the subtle touches that stroked and caressed her whenever they had a chance. Everything about it was ticklish and comforting. It was enough to make her fall asleep on a galloping horse, oblivious to the world.
“Your Majesty, where do you plan to rest today?”
Sometimes beneath sheer cliffs, sometimes in rock crevices with caves, sometimes on star-studded sands, these were their resting places. They ran when the sun rose, and rested when the sun set. Perhaps her body had adapted to this routine. Now, she felt unfazed by anything that happened in this desert.
Rahikan laughed softly at the woman's voice, as if asking an obvious question.
“Well, I think we’ll sleep under a proper roof for the first time in a while today.”
"Yes?"
“Look ahead, Lara.”
Beneath the straight black eyebrows, golden eyes were staring somewhere.
Diara, puzzled, turned her head to where Rahikan's gaze was directed. Far away, near the horizon, something like a thin, wavy line was rippling.
The red thread became a rope, then a low wall, then a swaying flame. Only when the faint sound of a horn rang in her ears did Diara finally discern its true nature.
It was a beacon fire. More than one or two beacon fires were rising high on the walls. Atop the massive walls, seemingly carved from the very rock itself, the beacons, heralding the Emperor's return, burned endlessly. Dozens, hundreds of flames spread like waves of flame, a spectacle that left Diara wide-eyed.
Dudun, dudun. The iron gates opened, signaled by the sound of drums vibrating the floor. Then, as if the seal had been broken, a thunderous roar, "Waaaaaa!", surged forth from within like a storm.
The horses that had returned home were as excited as if they were about to go into battle, and the faces of the soldiers who were calming their horses by saying, "Whoa, whoa," were also clearly excited.
The great desert sun, the Emperor of Cardion, has returned.
The lord of the empire, who swept across the continent, returned. It was the first time in four years that Azad Rahikan had entered the city. The entrance to the capital had been jam-packed for decades, with citizens eager to witness this glorious moment.
In their left hands, they held crimson banners symbolizing the Empire's red lands, and in their right, they carried banners bearing the golden sun, symbolizing Rahikan. A long, welcoming wave formed. Between them, a cavalry force mounted on black horses marched with a proud air.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire!”
“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!”
Those who shouted each sprinkled their finest flowers and perfumes on the ground. For Diara, who considered the white-walled inner palace of Feldif, her entire world, to be her entire being, the sheer scale of Cardion's capital city was breathtaking.
It's so daunting that she can't even believe that the name that's being called out from all directions belongs to the man she's leaning against.
He tightly wrapped his arms around Diara's crouching waist.
“Raise your head, Lara. Everyone is curious about you.”
“Me, me?”
“Yeah. Half of them probably came to see you, not me.”
Rahikan laughed inwardly as he increased his horse's speed.
The crowd was larger than expected. Even when riding at the head of the line, the flags couldn't be seen, so many people gathered together that they looked like red clouds during the monsoon season.
Nobles and commoners, men and women, old men with canes and infants in slings—everyone with eyes in the capital was gathered together, but one person dared to set aside the Emperor and command attention.
The rolling eyes busily followed the thing in Rahikan's arms.
A woman wrapped in the Emperor's mantle and seizing his embrace.
Rumors of the young Emperor returning from Feldif with a Princess could not have escaped this bustling capital. Rahikan, of course, took advantage of this and had Diara ride before him.
“So, stand tall, straighten your back, and lift your head. Now, wave your hand a little.”
“Wow!”
The hair hidden beneath the hood, which had been tossed open, poured out in a torrent. The crowd erupted in cheers as the wavy, rosy locks blew like a mane of sunlight.
“I have to show them that you came as my bride, not as a slave.”
Diara raised her head, suppressing her rumbling stomach. Rahikan met her gaze and smiled quietly.
“B, bride, bride...”
“I told you I’d give you food. Surely you haven’t forgotten.”
Rahikan! Rahikan! Amidst the excited, chanting crowd, only his voice, calling out to her, remained calm and unwavering.
His sun-kissed body seemed to be rimmed with gold. The memory of their first night, when she thought he resembled the sun god, was not a far-fetched one. The man who entered her domain, as if the title "Emperor" existed for him, was more dazzling than ever.
Even though he was only draped in a thin sheet over her naked body, being held by him felt like wearing steel armor, easing her fear. The man before her was the most terrifying, suffocating being in the world. If she could face him, she wouldn't have to fear anything else in the world.
Diara, her back straight, gazed forward. She gazed with trembling eyes at the straight, wide road leading to the palace. The sky was a deep blue, without a shadow. The rippling sun bathed the gray brick road in golden light.
***
When they passed the outer wall and arrived at the palace, it was already sunset.
The castle, surrounded by a moat of red sand, looked like a giant snake coiled around the sun when viewed from above. The maze-like, winding paths, each gilded with gold, were dazzling.
Even if she took all the gold from Feldif's gold mines and applied it, it wouldn't even cover half of Cardion's walls. Diara's upper body tilted more and more as she looked around with wide eyes.
"Be careful."
"Yes?"
“If you fall into that red sand, you will go straight to hell.”
She followed the man's gaze as she glanced down and saw something unidentifiable swimming through the fine sand. A long, swaying tail made her wonder if fish lived in the sand.
A bright red maw leaped up like an arrow from behind the horse's shadow. The horse, its ankles targeted, nervously shook its hind legs.
“Wait, snake.”
A groping voice revealed what she had seen. For someone who'd been scared stiff, it was a surprisingly calm reaction. Rahikan chuckled quietly as she hesitantly backed away, clinging to him.
“That’s why the Palace of Cardion is called the home of snakes.”
The sandy plains that stretch out like a plain, the palace built on a huge rock, was a home to snakes that swam through the desert long before humans existed.
Instead of high walls, there are raging sandstorms, and instead of deep moats, snakes' jaws bite the ankles of invaders.
If you enter the den of vipers, the depth of which cannot be measured, without fear, you will not only be hit with a hail of arrows, but half of your cavalry will die from snake bites before you can even break through the main gate. The red sands of Cardion have become a fortress in themselves that protects the castle.
Finally, Rahikan arrived in front of the Emperor's palace, the Sun Palace, and stopped his horse. The chief maid, who had been waiting for the Emperor for some time, bowed deeply to Rahikan.
“Great Sun of the Desert, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Maid.”
Rahikan, his eyes downcast, scanned the headmaid's face. The woman, clad in black from head to toe like mourning, had been burned beyond recognition. He knew what had happened without even asking. It was the work of his only cousin, Helgatria.
Rahikan looked at her sunken eyelids and half-sunken cheeks with disinterested eyes. Perhaps she was venting her anger at his return, or perhaps her wounds looked fresh.
Everyone called the Emperor a madman, but in truth, he wasn't the only one in this castle who was out of his mind. Witnessing his sister's madness, Rahikan finally felt like he had returned home, and he smiled bitterly.
A pungent scent of incense wafted through the damp air. He looked up at the brightly lit window and dismounted.
“It looks like you were already preparing for it.”
He asked, handing the reins over to the attendant who had approached.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The elders and the council have been waiting for Your Majesty's arrival at the Great Hall for several days now."
“All eight elders?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s been a while... Old people are really hard-working.”
The mocking voice was cold. The head maid bowed her head without replying.
“Tell them to wait a little longer, I’ll be in soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Rahikan turned around and extended his arm towards Diara.
“Lara, come here.”
Without hesitation, he spread his arms wide and lightly caught the body leaping down. Small, white feet, like leaves, gently landed on the ground. Ever since he snatched her shoes, Diara had been barefoot.
"Hot water. No perfume. No makeup required. Just wash and send her straight to my bedroom."
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chief maid understood the unkind Emperor's orders without any shortcomings.
At the head maid's command, the maids lined up and moved in unison. Dressed in neat attire, they laid out a red mat and lit a fire. Their solemn, composed, yet unadorned appearance was reminiscent of well-trained soldiers.
The atmosphere was completely different from the bustling, market-like palace of Feldif. While Diara blinked at the unfamiliar scenery, the head maid, having finished preparing, led her away.
“Then come this way.”
To the right of the magnificent golden main gate, a small, illuminated entrance appeared. It was common in palaces to distinguish between doors according to status and purpose, so this door likely led to the women's bathroom.
Diara took a slow breath. The thought of the harsh bath awaiting her made her hands go cold with belated nervousness.
Every pore in her body would be washed open. She might even have her arms and legs tied, just as the red-veiled maids had done to her. Diara, steeling her resolve, stepped forward. A hand reached out, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her backward.
"Ah...!"
“You're leaving without even saying goodbye.”
A low voice vibrated from behind their touching backs. Her body spun around, and this time, her stomach met Rahikan's.
“You were always hugging me tightly on the horse, acting like you didn’t want to leave me even for a moment. I guess your feelings have cooled since then.”
"Yes?"
“The answer is yes, huh?”
“Huh? Oh, no. But, didn’t you just tell me to go take a bath...?”
When he told her to follow the maid, he pretended not to notice and scolded her. Her heart raced for a moment, but then the corners of her eyes drooped in frustration. He hugged her waist, preventing her from moving, and laughed, his voice cracking.
“Even if you die soon, I'm sorry. You're not making a sound. For something so trivial, you say you're sorry, beg to be killed—where did all that sweet talk go?”
“When, when did I...”
“Now you know how to handle a husband, is that it?”
Diara's cheeks flushed hotly at the question, which was asked so close that their noses were almost touching. The hand that ran down her back and caressed her thigh was subtle.
If anyone heard, they'd think she was some kind of seductress, trying to grab him and swing him around. Diara wandered around, and the maids were bowing their heads, pretending not to hear or see anything, holding their breath. Embarrassment made Diara break out in a cold sweat.
“Your Majesty, really... what would happen if someone heard you say something like that?”
"What if they hear it? It's a matter of pride that you treat me well, so there's no need to pretend it's not true."
"Are you proud?"
"Yes. They're all desperate to keep me in check. There must be a hundred court ladies itching to ask you right now what your secret to controlling me is."
A gag? How to handle him? Diara was left bewildered by Rahikan's brazen, outrageous remarks. His words made no sense to begin with. If only she'd known even a little of this secret, she wouldn't have been so nervous.
Who dares to deal with whom? The one who is being manipulated like a cat and a mouse under him is Diara herself.
Just this morning, he had her begging for mercy. Was that all? He forced her head down, unable to even kiss him, begging him to please stop. No, at least make her close her legs. He forced her to slam her head down, forcing her to burst into tears. Even now, beneath his caring hand, her back, torn from the night's torment, ached as if it were about to break.
It had to be good. It really had to be good.
His chin tilted close to his tightly closed lips.
“It seems somehow unfair.”
"No. It's unfair."
"It's not that I didn't. Tell me. What's something you asked me to do that I didn't grant?"
The soft voice was as gentle as a generous monarch. Diara, dumbfounded, bit her lip again.
Of all the pleas and requests she made, he refused to grant them. Let me breathe, let go of my wrists, let my ankles drop, it's too deep, let me rest for a moment. No matter how much she cried and pleaded, he would just smile and say, "Yes, yes," and not grant any of them.
What didn't you listen to? You didn't even let me ask for a favor, so what didn't you listen to?
"Well, you know."
"Well, I have no idea."
"Lies. You really don't know?"
Rahikan's eyes darkened as the corners of his eyes slightly rose.
"If you say you're thirsty, I'll wet your mouth. If you say you're itchy, I'll scratch your bottom with my hand or my dick."
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty...!”
"After I taught you how to ask nicely, you just bowed your head and then lunged at me like you were going to bite my lips..."
"Your Majesty! I was wrong. I was completely wrong!"
The sound of her whispering was urgent, as if she was about to shut her mouth. Rahikan burst into laughter and lightly lifted Diara. The tension in her buttocks, resting on his forearm, tightened, and the man could feel it.
“I told you that's not how you apologize.”
Her heart pounded and thumped at the sight of his smiling eyes. The man's gaze was gentle.
How could she have felt even for a moment horrified by this face, this man? It was as if Diara, just a few weeks ago, had become someone else, incomprehensible. Her heart, pounding with excitement from within, was pounding so hard she worried she might hear it.
“I... Your Majesty.”
"Yes."
“Can you come to the bathroom with me?”
"What are you going to do together?"
“I was wondering if I could wash Your Majesty's body this time... Last time at the Oasis, that was on my mind.”
It was a ridiculous excuse. The words, uttered out of anxiety and reluctance to be separated from Rahikan in an unfamiliar place, resonated deeply even to Rahikan. Rahikan, seeing her flushed cheeks, narrowed his eyes.
"I have washed you, so now you will serve me."
“Oh, if you allow me.”
“That sounds so obscene.”
That's not it... The words that were about to spill out got stuck in her throat. He lifted Diara's chin and kissed her. The warm tongue that entered her mouth felt familiarly over her teeth.
Diara bit down on the tongue that filled her mouth. The squelching sound of her mucous membranes slurping made Diara's body sag lower and lower.
The heat between her legs was already building. She no longer had the luxury of caring whether anyone was watching or not. As long as their lips were locked, every breath, every incoming and exhalation, was included in him. Rahikan, who had been sucking and licking her lips so relentlessly that they were swollen, finally let her go when Diara was on the verge of melting.
"You warm up first. I'll come get you."
A light kiss landed on her forehead, which had grown warm as if she had a fever. Diara nodded with a slightly complicated expression at her expectant attitude.
***
The hall, lit by a torch, was bathed in a red glow. It was rare to see the eight elders of the Council of Eight gathered together like this. The men in green robes, each with hunched shoulders and serious expressions, stood guard.
While the vast hall was filled with the sounds of the Emperor's marriage, the tasks of the imperial family's prosperity, and the hope of continuing the imperial lineage, the Emperor himself, seated on the throne, remained silent.
Rahikan watched the torches flickering over the high wall with bored eyes. He sat leaning back on the snake-carved throne, his fingers tapping the armrests with an absentminded tap.
"It's been nearly ten years since Your Majesty the Emperor ascended the throne. It's also been nearly ten years since Her Royal Highness the Princess has been managing internal affairs without a proper title. With both of you, the pillars of the empire, so vibrant, why delay the wedding so much?"
"But the rainy season will start soon. So, how about the memorial service...?"
"Then we must hurry even more. Now is not the time to quibble over such trifles. The current cardion is no different from a candle before the wind. With less than ten or twenty, how can it shine with only one eye?"
“Pfft.”
"We must quickly receive seeds and spread our descendants." At the elder's loud words, Rahikan burst into laughter. A maniacal laughter echoed from the raised table to the lower seats where the elders sat.
The elders' voices, which had been rumbling, suddenly ceased. The faces of the old men, as if they had seen a ghost, all turned to him.
Ah, it's quieter now. Rahikan, who had stopped laughing, tilted his head and rested his chin on his hand.
“Why are you laughing, Your Majesty?”
"Why am I laughing? Are you really asking because you don't know?"
"Your Majesty."
"If anyone hears, they'd think what you're talking about now isn't a burden, but a stallion about to bear seeds. So, I can only laugh in amazement."
The elders, who had been frowning at the cool warning, clenched their jaws in frustration. "That's right. That's not it. If that's what you heard, I apologize." The mumbling of excuses didn't last long.
"And Helga? Who on earth would marry Princess Helgatria?"
"Yes?"
"I never once said I would accept the Princess as my Empress. Didn't I?"
Rahikan's subsequent remarks chilled the already gloomy atmosphere in the room, as if ice had been poured over it. He watched silently as the old man's toad-like mouth twisted and turned.
Even though they felt like they needed to say something, no one spoke. Their eyes were darting around, dizzying. It was clear they were hoping someone, anyone, would step forward to confront the madman.
Who are you so concerned about when you have the Emperor in front of you?
With a twisted feeling, Rahikan lifted his glass. The red grape-infused liquor slowly slid down his throat.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
Finally, among the aging elders, the man who seemed the youngest spoke. He was the head of the Council of Elders, the one who ruled over each of the eight principalities that supported the Cardion Empire and shared power with the Emperor.
The elder's face was already crushed as if he had bitten a bug at the Emperor's declaration that he would not marry Helgatria, the only Princess of the imperial family, and his beloved daughter.
“Your Majesty, you are taking this joke too far.”
“I am being too serious.”
"Your Majesty...!"
"I don't understand why you're so surprised. It would be horrific to marry a cousin you've known since childhood. Anyone who's not crazy would understand with a little thought."
The elder's jaw muscles bulged at the Emperor's mocking voice. It had been a long time since he had been so cruelly chewed out by his words, despite his long reign as a monarch.
He stared intently at the Emperor's face, gleaming in the light. Even after a rough journey, the man's face, wrinkle-free and spotless, was so elegant it could pass for a stone statue. He sat leisurely, leaning back, his long legs swaying, as if looking down on the lowly from above, with a profound arrogance.
Do you really think that you are the master of the empire just because you won a few battles?
But even as he ground his teeth, he could not dare to openly confront his nephew, the young Emperor.
This was partly because Rahikan's position was different from before, as he had restored the borders of the ancient empire and enjoyed the fervent support of the people, but there was a more fundamental reason.
If only it weren't for that damn golden eye.
The elder cursed inwardly.
Dazzling golden eyes, a testament to the noble bloodline of the Cardion royal family. In this empire, as ancient as the First Desert, only those with eyes as radiant as gold hold the right to inherit the throne.
Therefore, as long as the sun, shining steadfastly in the pitch-black darkness, burned in the man's eyes, the throne was soon his.
The elders, who knew this well, were all dumbfounded. With the Emperor acting so harshly, they were wondering if they could still side with the elders as they had done before.
The elders exchanged glances, while the elder tried to calm his temper. He couldn't get too worked up. If he did, he'd get caught up in that young, pale-faced brat and ruin the whole thing.
Fortunately, the leisurely flow of time was on his side, not the Emperor's. Ever since a great fire long ago wiped out all but one of his potential heirs, victory was practically certain.
A man born with shining eyes, protected by a snake, cannot have children in a normal womb. This wasn't a matter of law, but a fact.
The only one who could continue their lineage was a royal woman who shared their blood. Therefore, the only woman in the world capable of conceiving Rahikan's child was his daughter, Helgatria.
Therefore, he will become the Emperor's father-in-law. No matter how much Rahikan struggles, it will eventually happen.
The elder, who had barely suppressed his anger, opened his mouth again.
“Your Majesty, your marriage is a matter of Cardion's future.”
"Cardion's future is tied to me. Not my marriage."
“Of course, that is the case now, but if something happens to Your Majesty...”
"The elder speaks as if you're about to be sacked. You said you'd been waiting for me for days, but did you poison my glass before I even got there?"
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
“I'm joking.”
Rahikan slowly uncrossed his legs. His long, horse-like legs touched the red carpeted floor.
"The meeting was boring, so I was just joking, so, laughing."
"Your Majesty."
"I told you to laugh. Why, it seems like what I said wasn't a joke."
The empty glass swirled in his hand before landing with a clank on the table. His chilled demeanor brought a heavy silence to the conference room.
Rahikan looked at the elder's lips, which twitched reluctantly, with a blank expression. The forced smile, a familiar one after a long time, seemed familiar. The fake smile, intended to appease the madman, seemed to emanate a sickening odor.
Oh, I want to rip that beast's mouth open right now.
Suppressing the urge, he slowly blinked once.
Was it from the moment he opened his eyes after the great fire? Or maybe it was even before that. Either way, it was almost an instinctive disgust.
If only he could, Rahikan would gouge out the eyes of the elder and his disgusting cousins, cut out their tongues, and feed them to the snakes. He didn't care if they condemned him as a tyrant who would kill all his blood relatives and end the royal line. After all, he'd gone mad long ago.
A sudden apparition, rising from nowhere, passed like a ghost over the high walls. Inside the palace, where all who should have lived were dead, and only those who should have died survived. Even on the newly laid walls and ceiling, a faint smell of blood lingered. It was because, of all those who should have died that day, the most horrific had survived.
Rahikan licked his lips as the faces of those he had burned to death with his own hands, those whose necks he had twisted, those whose stomachs he had slit and hung on hooks, flashed before him. His lips, which had just touched the woman, were now dry, but he could still smell her breath. The scent of flesh emanates from the living. That sweet, warm scent made his lower abdomen tighten.
Yes, not everything yet. He had what he had. Among the things he cherished, there was one thing that had not yet died.
He suppressed the murderous intent that rose like a raging rage and thought of Diara's lips as if it were a habit.
"I need to put a chastity belt in this mouth ."
He clutched his groaning jaw and pulled himself to face her. The stench of burning flesh dogged his ankles. He clutched fiercely at what he'd found in that hellish fever.
"Even if you cover the bottom, you can't cover the face. So, all the males with eyes will be anxious to stick their dicks in this lewd mouth... You're the one who said no other man wants to bite you, right?"
"So prove it's mine. " He snarled, his voice, as if venting his anger, sounded like a madman's, even to her ears. Each time, instead of pushing him away, Diara opened her arms and embraced him deeply.
“Please put your tongue in.”
A white, smiling face. Her lips, gently parted, were as red as a flower. He stared at the dimples on her clean cheeks, as if he were seeing them for the first time in his life, lost in their beauty.
No, it was the first time she had ever seen something like that.
The corners of her eyes folded like bows, and her lips turned up sharply, like a slithering snake. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty." He felt his heart tighten as he placed his tongue on the mouth that called out.
Only Lara could fully embrace the madman. So, the position of Empress belongs to that red snake.
But to do so, he first had to impregnate her with his seed. Even if it meant searching through every elixir in the world, or even soaking his dick in that hole for ten days and nights, he was determined to conceive his child through Diara's womb.
The thought of the snake waiting for him in the bathtub made his stomach boil. The surging desire made his body heat up. He groaned softly as the pain melted from within his skin, as if the tangled scars were digging inward.
Right now, Diara's mouth and body were desperately needing it. He couldn't resist wrapping his legs around her voluptuous waist and rubbing his swollen cock against her cool skin.
Rahikan inhaled deeply, the scent of incense rising from the damp walls. The scent of the medicine used to alleviate fever was so strong that even the alcohol couldn't mask it. It must have been lit a few days ago, upon hearing the news that the mad Emperor was returning to the palace.
"Anyway, it's impossible to hold a ceremony during the upcoming memorial period. So there's no need to rush."
"But...!"
"Let's end today's meeting here."
Rahikan signaled the end of the meeting. The elders, who had been groaning, rose to their feet in a dazed state. This time, they absolutely had to get a definitive answer about the wedding. They had waited a full day for this meeting, keeping an eye on the heated reactions of the elders and the Princess.
Now that it has come to such a futile end, how much longer would it take to appease him? The old men's faces darkened as they turned away, having achieved nothing.
Just as the elders were about to extinguish the candles placed at their respective seats, Rahikan finally raised his hand, as if remembering something.
"Oh, before that. I have prepared a gift for you, so please wait a moment."
"Yes? A gift..."
Before one of the puzzled elders could even finish his question, something black fell from the air onto the table surrounding the council of elders.
“Hick, eek!”
"Ahh! Ugh!"
The heads, each the size of a small jar, were the heads of eight leaders of the Imperial Guards who guarded the palace. Their faces, darkened and dead, were all peaceful. Unaware of what had transpired until the moment their heads were cut off, their long, blue tongues protruded like snakes from their mouths.
“What the heck, what the heck, what the heck is this...!”
With a shrill scream, three or four of the elders fell backwards. Suddenly, they looked up and saw blue eyes gleaming in the darkness. The high ceiling of the dimly lit conference room. Faces wearing crow masks twirled between the red curtains, hung in a zigzag pattern.
The black wings that protect the sun. The revival of the guards that served the Emperor.
The elder's face turned pale and hard, as if drained of blood. The royal guard, annihilated along with the late Emperor during the Great Fire, returned with Rahikan.
“The elders are so concerned about the future of the empire, so I, as the Emperor, cannot just stand by and do nothing.”
So, first, he cut off the rotten leg. The voice he was speaking in sounded like the purring of a ferocious beast.
What happened over the past four years? Or perhaps the curtain had fallen from his eyes? The puppet Emperor, plagued by madness, had vanished as if washed away, and now, leaning against the throne, was a man whose presence would break out in a cold sweat.
The aura of the dominant male in his prime suffocates them, as if strangling them. The elders, now decapitated, finally fell silent, like tongueless beasts.
“I prepared the right amount, so you can each take one on the way back.”
What are you doing? You should smile since you received a gift.
Instead of the silent elders, the man's voice, laughing out loud, was as ominous as a nightmare. The elder, panting with a stomach-churning feeling, stumbled over the table.
As if to announce the tyrant's return, blood-tinged candle wax dripped down the back of his wrinkled hand.
***
“Please, arms.”
“Please, give me your hand.”
“Please, just tilt your head slightly.”
Diara awkwardly reached out and raised her head as hands descended from all sides. She had expected to be tied up and washed, but the bathing service she received from Cardion was surprisingly polite and courteous, almost discreet.
While the five maids took turns washing the body as one, warm water was poured continuously to keep the large bathtub from getting cold.
“Please, tilt your shoulders a little bit this way.”
"Like this?"
"Princess, we are servants of His Majesty the Emperor. Please be humble."
Even though she was the Princess of Feldif, she was nothing more than a pawn here. It might have been different if she had received an official concubine from Rahikan, but since she still held no position, she didn't know whether to address them with respect or condescension.
“Your Highness, you are the one who received the honor, so it is right for you to speak to us humbly.”
At the maid's words, Diara nodded slightly, saying, "I finally understand."
Her body, coated in scentless oil, felt slippery. Except for her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, her entire body was shaved, leaving her skin smooth, like a peeled egg. Diara glanced down between her exposed legs, blushing for no reason.
What should I say... I feel like I've become a newborn baby.
It was a place that hadn't been touched since her first period. Even though she pulled her hair over her bare chest to cover the empty feeling, she couldn't help but feel the urge to groan. Diara, rubbing her thighs, sighs softly.
"Where are you uncomfortable?"
The maid noticed the Princess's discomfort and reacted quickly.
“If the shaved area feels sore or tingly, I will apply some ointment to it.”
"No, no! ...I'm just not used to it. It'll be okay soon."
Her face was bright red as she knelt down defensively. "Yes," the maid replied, and a cold sweat broke out.
The first thing they did when she got into the bath was to shave off all the hair on her body. It didn't matter whether it was her arms or legs. She didn't have much body hair to begin with, and compared to the time she thought her pores would be poked, this was nothing.
When they spread her legs apart and shaved her pubic hair, she felt like she wanted to die, but she somehow managed to hold back and not cry. The sharp razor blade sliced through her mound, sending goosebumps down her spine, but it was okay.
All of this was ordered by Rahikan. The very fact that she had to dress up to receive him made her endure the shame.
This time, she's not washing her body to be offered up to a tyrant whose face she doesn't even know. This time...
Diara's ears burned brightly as she naturally thought of Rahikan. Before parting ways, Rahikan laughed, saying, "Don't expect me to." She blushed with embarrassment, but didn't bother to correct him, saying she didn't mean it that way, because she, too, was hoping for him.
"I'll pick you up, so wait."
Diara, recalling Rahikan's words, looked once more at the firmly shut bathroom door. Rahikan, who had promised to come for her soon, hadn't shown up even as her long bath was almost over.
Maybe it was because they hadn't been apart for even a moment since they rode here. It had only been a couple of hours since she left Rahikan, but she already missed his warmth. "I wonder if he won't come." Diara, sullen, pressed her finger against the bathtub.
Somehow, he had a feeling that the days of waiting for him like this would increase more and more.
He must have a lot to do. Now that he's back at the palace, Rahikan will be very busy. She remembered how his father, the king of Feldif, was always surrounded by crowds of people.
As the Emperor of the empire, Rahikan would naturally have much more to do and many people to care for. Maybe even seeing him face-to-face would become a rarity.
Diara drew a picture with her finger on the damp stone bathtub. Beyond the gentle sand dunes, she drew a mirror-like, round oasis, a pointed tent, and the eyes of a man smiling secretly. She then quickly erased them with her palm.
Rahikan had told her that she should never say words like "never" while dipping her toes in the oasis. Because the oasis's fickleness—it appears today and disappears tomorrow—affects her oath. She hadn't understood his words then, but now she feels like she understands them a little.
You're mine, Lara. I won't give you to anyone else.
Were her feet touching the shifting waters when she spoke those words? It felt like it, but it didn't. She couldn't remember because she hadn't looked down, gazing into his eyes. For some reason, a pang of pain lingered in her chest.
Don't act like a pesky child. Diara hunched her shoulders, half-buried her face in the water. Clear bubbles popped on the hot water lapping at her nose.
It wasn't even an instant later that the bathroom door flew open.
Was it Rahikan? Diara lifted her head like a puppy waiting for its owner. But what he saw wasn't his face, but that of an unfamiliar man. With dark black hair like Rahikan's and the robust physique typical of Cardion, he was intimidating even to the eye.
"Where is she? Huh? Where is she?"
The man, clad entirely in golden armor, was Ferzan, the elder's son and the Princess's brother. With each step he took, the maids, lost in thought, knelt down around him.
"Your Excellency, you can't do this. Your Excellency, what are you doing here?" The flustered maids awkwardly tried to stop him, only to be knocked out like paper dolls.
The man's unstoppable pace soon reached Diara. His eyes, once dazzling, dropped into the bathtub, and her heart sank.
The eagle's eyes were filled with murderous intent. Diara was greatly taken aback by the man's hatred.
“Who, who…”
“You. It's you. You fucking bitch.”
Ferzan, who recognized Diara instantly, groaned and growled. The woman Rahikan had brought aboard her horse. She had arrogantly donned the Emperor's mantle and smeared his and his sister's faces in front of all the people of Cardion.
A young Emperor fell in love during the war. He and his sister were left to tremble in shame as the clamor of the celestials swept through the empire.
As expected of a Feldif, the woman was small. Her flushed body and swaying rose-colored hair, flushed red by the hot water, resembled a drowned flower. She was indeed beautiful, but not as beautiful as Helgatria. Even the finest courtesan, dressed up, could produce a look like this.
Because of something like this, Helgatria had been heartbroken for days, refusing to eat or drink. A spark flashed in Ferzan's eyes as he glared at Diara.
“You are like this viper.”
A voice, filled with anger, seethed. Diara, her body curled up, stepped back hesitantly from the bathtub. With nothing to hide her body, she grabbed her hair and covered her chest.
Diara wasn't the only one terrified. The maids were flustered and sweating profusely at the sight of the violent goldsmith. Even without the dazzling eyes, they were still the celestial royal family. Any careless touch or verbal attack could have resulted in their head being severed on the spot.
The head maid, unable to bear to look at Ferzan as he strode forward, blocked his path. Beneath his golden armor, he clasped his hands and knees.
"Calm down, Your Excellency. You can't do this."
“Get out of the way.”
“Commander of the Gold Guard.”
“Don't make me say it twice.”
"This person's treatment was personally ordered by His Majesty the Emperor. If this continues... Ugh!"
Ferzan kicked the head maid's face with a loud thud. The sound of bones crashing against the stone bathtub was dull. Blood soon seeped from her shattered face. The screams that erupted sporadically from the maids died down without any meaning.
"Now, a mere head maid is lecturing me. How dare you speak of the Emperor's orders in front of me? Even with your face like that, you still don't seem to know who the master of this palace is."
Ferzan grumbled as he kicked the bleeding mouth and nose. The fallen chief maid didn't even dare raise her arm to block the blows, just taking the full brunt of them.
The sound of flesh being torn apart sent shivers down Diara's spine. If this continues, people will die.
“Who, who...”
Her heels kept slipping in the slippery bathtub. As she crawled to the edge with trembling knees, the smell of blood hit her nose.
Blood poured from the maid's mouth, cascading down into the bathtub. The pungent smell of blood made Diara feel nauseous, but for a moment, her gaze was caught by a writhing black sack behind Ferzan's back.
The massive, squirming mass looked like the intestines of a living beast. Whatever it was, it was clearly filled with something horrific.
Ferzan, who had stepped over the maid's stool, grabbed Diara's hair. A dizzying pain struck the back of her head as the man's strong hand tangled her hair.
“Ugh!”
"Hey, let me see that pretty face. What did he say? Was that guy calling you Lala?"
Diara's neck snapped as if it were about to break from the sudden bang of her hair. The sight of the man, who had come so close to her, took her breath away. From a distance, his straight face had seemed similar to Rahikan's, but up close, it bore no resemblance.
A raw contempt burned brightly in his gleaming gray eyes. Rahikan didn't see her like that. "Lara," her name sounds unfamiliar, like someone else's.
"Red Snake? Ha! What an unworthy name for a prostitute. Did you get it by licking a madman's butt? Did that lunatic give you the name of a snake and make you his concubine?"
“Ugh, ugh...”
"You didn't even know what you were riding on. Being graced by the stallion made you feel like the world was yours."
A madman, or a stallion. His voice was uninhibited as he dared to refer to the Emperor so rudely. His voice, as if he cared nothing for any of the surrounding maids, echoed through the bathroom.
There was a good reason for Ferzan's fearless actions. He had just returned from inspecting the camp where Rahikan's troops were stationed.
To their dismay, Rahikan's three thousand cavalry never even set foot in the palace.
"Is this all the soldiers who entered the castle?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. This is all we have in this cage."
"It's not like it's separated?"
"No. Why would you go through all that trouble?"
The soldier guarding his horse repeated the same answer to repeated questions. At the same time, his subordinate, who had been sweeping the outskirts of the capital, repeated the same words. The Emperor's elite cavalry remained stationed at the capital's garrison.
The soldier, with only about a hundred horses, was shabby. Ferzan scoffed out loud at his old father's warning to remain vigilant while defending the palace. Even if the cavalry were useless in the palace, he couldn't figure out what he believed in, crawling in alone.
Should he call him foolish or brave?
It was clear that his young cousin didn't yet understand that, unlike the cowardly elders, he, the commander of the Imperial Guard, never missed an opportunity. Rahikan, without crows or cavalry, is like an eagle with its wings clipped. With thirty thousand guards surrounding the castle, what can he fear?
Confident of victory, Ferzan turned his horse around. Rahikan would have been in the elders' meeting, so the woman he brought would be fully dressed by now. He needs to cut off her hair, which is still covered in fine perfume. He needs to give this warm, still-warm head to his beloved sister as a gift. Then, she will smile brightly again. His steps as he ran to the palace felt light, as if he could fly.
"Do you know what's in this bag?"
Ferzan grinned like a boy who is throwing a tantrum before killing a bug.
"There's something truly terrible inside. Monsters are swarming here who could swallow you whole with a single wave of my hand."
There was plenty of time anyway. By the time Rahikan broke up the elders' meeting and emerged, his men would have already occupied the imperial palace. He wondered what expression Rahikan would have on his face after losing something he cherished once again. When he heard that his father, his mother, and the crow that had served as his sword had all been burned to death, Rahikan reportedly groaned and crawled on the floor like a wounded animal.
What would happen this time? Will he bro, or will he scream and throw a tantrum? Ferzan was already anticipating the sight of his cousin, who always looked down on him with such arrogant disdain, crumpling his face without mercy.
"But you know, looking at that pretty face, I feel like it's a bit of a waste. Judging by the fact that that impatient fellow took the trouble to drag you all the way from Feldif, I think there must be something truly remarkable hidden between those narrow legs."
“Ugh, ugh!”
"Come on, why don't you open it up somewhere? I'll take a look too. Yes?"
"But you know, looking at that pretty face, I feel like it's a bit of a waste. Judging by the fact that that impatient fellow took the trouble to drag you all the way from Feldif, I think there must be something truly remarkable hidden between those narrow legs."
“Ugh, ugh!”
"Come on, why don't you open it up somewhere? I'll take a look too. Yes?"
Shaking her head and chuckling, Diara gasped out broken breaths.
Her palm kept slipping as it touched the blood-soaked bathtub. Every time her hand slipped, the still-warm nape of the maid's neck would be scraped against the tips of her fingernails.
Despite her efforts to remain calm, Diara couldn't stop the trembling. Her vision was blurring so violently that she couldn't even see, and the urge to just prostrate herself and beg was overwhelming. Wasn't rubbing her palms like a bug and banging her forehead against her feet something she's been doing every single day since birth?
So, let's admit it now. Since she committed a mortal sin, let's plead for just this one moment, run far away, and never be seen again. If she begs and sacrifices like that, perhaps she can save her life.
But the trembling lips spoke words completely different from those in the head.
“I, I, I don't like it.”
"What?"
“I, I, I...”
Her tongue, stiff and rigid, wouldn't move properly. It returned to her mouth, like a boulder, clogging her throat.
Diara looked at Ferzan's dilated pupils, reminding her of Rahikan. His eyes, blazing with hatred, resembled Rahikan's when he had just awakened from sleep. Or, more precisely, the way he looked after a bad dream.
After realizing that Rahikan hated being run away from her, Diara never pushed him away again. It was around that time that he also learned that he had nightmares every day.
Rahikan woke up from his nightmares without a single scream, toss, or curse, with a face as if he'd just woken up from a deep sleep. And on days when he had bad dreams, he held them even more tenaciously than usual.
"Lara, my snake. My offering. Mine."
Diara couldn't understand a single word of Rahikan's harsh, penetrating words. She knew, however, that he needed her. His lips, endlessly moving, called her his. That joy, more than any other word, filled her. So much so that she hoped she would suffer nightmares.
The man's neck, held tightly, willingly tilted downward, afraid that his selfishness would be revealed. Instead of granting her pleas to let go, he indulged her without reserve. Even though it felt wrong every time, it was always good. That was enough.
"I am not a slave. I am His Majesty's bride."
"I'll come get you, so wait," Rahikan said. "He said to wait, so I will. I said I wouldn't run, so I won't."
At the sound of her voice shaking, Ferzan laughed loudly. Ha, hahahaha, ha. The sound of laughter reverberated through the air for a moment before suddenly stopping.
“Crazy bitch.”
The body, thrown to the ground, slid into the bathtub. An incomprehensible voice hummed above the submerged head.
And soon the mouth of the sack opened.
The sound of snake scales scraping across the floor sounds like the grinding of metal. The black mass that had appeared as a single, massive mass lifted its head as it reached the bathtub, splitting into strands like a woman's hair.
Diara shivered at the warmth of the snake coiling around her ankles. It crawled up her calves, her shins, her thighs, her flat lower abdomen, and her bulging chest, then gently squeezed under her chin.
The first thing she noticed was the feeling of suffocation, her heart racing as if it were going to burst, then a heavy, sinking weight sinking deep within her brain. It was a familiar feeling. She's felt this way on her first night with Rahikan. It was the moment he first strangled her, no different from a kiss.
In her hazy mind, the thought occurred to me that perhaps these snakes had come in the place of Rahikan. If they were sent by him, they wouldn't harm him. Ultimately, Rahikan had come to take her.
Diara's heart ached. She thought she could hear the cawing of crowds in the distance. Soon, everything before her eyes became pitch black.
“She's dead.”
Ferzan smiled with satisfaction as he watched the limp woman's body. Such an easy death.
How Helgatria would love it. If only she had been born with shining eyes instead of gray ones, she would have been his. Even she, who had always lusted after Rahikan, might recognize his true worth upon seeing this gift.
"Yes, then I should cut her hair."
No, no, no. Ignoring the cries of the maids, Ferzan drew his sword. The long blade flashed in the torchlight, and he briefly closed his eyes in the light.
“Uh, uh..?”
The blade, once standing upright, tilted, then lost its support and fell. The man's hand still gripped the handle of the sword. His wrist, like a doll's, fell and rolled along with the sword. From the cleanly cut section, hot blood gushed like a fountain.
Kwaaaaak - A scream of pain echoed through the bathroom.
The noble Prince's hand fell. But no one paid attention. The Emperor's foot fell, untouched by the blade, and he stepped on it.
Great Desert Sun, I greet you, Your Majesty, the Emperor. Among those bowing as if dead, Rahikan looked down at his cousin, who was sulking and rolling around, with indifferent eyes, as if he were looking at an insect.
"You dare touch the Emperor's snake."
“Ah, ah, ugh, ugh...!”
"Even if you are stupid, you must know that it is a great sin."
The frantic screams that had followed the monotonous voice instantly turned into gritted-teeth groans. This was because Ferzan's Adam's apple, clutching the severed wrist, was crushed beneath his foot.
The man's neck, held tightly, willingly tilted downward, afraid that his selfishness would be revealed. Instead of granting her pleas to let go, he indulged her without reserve. Even though it felt wrong every time, it was always good. That was enough.
"I am not a slave. I am His Majesty's bride."
"I'll come get you, so wait," Rahikan said. "He said to wait, so I will. I said I wouldn't run, so I won't."
At the sound of her voice shaking, Ferzan laughed loudly. Ha, hahahaha, ha. The sound of laughter reverberated through the air for a moment before suddenly stopping.
“Crazy bitch.”
The body, thrown to the ground, slid into the bathtub. An incomprehensible voice hummed above the submerged head.
And soon the mouth of the sack opened.
The sound of snake scales scraping across the floor sounds like the grinding of metal. The black mass that had appeared as a single, massive mass lifted its head as it reached the bathtub, splitting into strands like a woman's hair.
Diara shivered at the warmth of the snake coiling around her ankles. It crawled up her calves, her shins, her thighs, her flat lower abdomen, and her bulging chest, then gently squeezed under her chin.
The first thing she noticed was the feeling of suffocation, her heart racing as if it were going to burst, then a heavy, sinking weight sinking deep within her brain. It was a familiar feeling. She's felt this way on her first night with Rahikan. It was the moment he first strangled her, no different from a kiss.
In her hazy mind, the thought occurred to me that perhaps these snakes had come in the place of Rahikan. If they were sent by him, they wouldn't harm him. Ultimately, Rahikan had come to take her.
Diara's heart ached. She thought she could hear the cawing of crowds in the distance. Soon, everything before her eyes became pitch black.
***
“She's dead.”
Ferzan smiled with satisfaction as he watched the limp woman's body. Such an easy death.
How Helgatria would love it. If only she had been born with shining eyes instead of gray ones, she would have been his. Even she, who had always lusted after Rahikan, might recognize his true worth upon seeing this gift.
"Yes, then I should cut her hair."
No, no, no. Ignoring the cries of the maids, Ferzan drew his sword. The long blade flashed in the torchlight, and he briefly closed his eyes in the light.
“Uh, uh..?”
The blade, once standing upright, tilted, then lost its support and fell. The man's hand still gripped the handle of the sword. His wrist, like a doll's, fell and rolled along with the sword. From the cleanly cut section, hot blood gushed like a fountain.
Kwaaaaak - A scream of pain echoed through the bathroom.
The noble Prince's hand fell. But no one paid attention. The Emperor's foot fell, untouched by the blade, and he stepped on it.
Great Desert Sun, I greet you, Your Majesty, the Emperor. Among those bowing as if dead, Rahikan looked down at his cousin, who was sulking and rolling around, with indifferent eyes, as if he were looking at an insect.
"You dare touch the Emperor's snake."
“Ah, ah, ugh, ugh...!”
"Even if you are stupid, you must know that it is a great sin."
The frantic screams that had followed the monotonous voice instantly turned into gritted-teeth groans. This was because Ferzan's Adam's apple, clutching the severed wrist, was crushed beneath his foot.
Creak creak. Amidst the jaw-shattering pain, something snapped and burst between Ferzan's teeth. Then, another man's head fell flat at the Emperor's feet.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
“Elder.”
The one who ran until he was out of breath was his uncle, the elder.
“Please, please save him... Please just save him.”
The elder, now lost in thought, crawled to Rahikan's feet. The stiff-necked glare at the Emperor from the conference room moments before had long since vanished. His hands, resting on the blood-stained floor, trembled.
As soon as he left the horrific council of elders and went in search of Ferzan, he heard the shocking news: his son, who was supposed to be guarding the city, had barged into the bathroom of the Princess, and the Emperor had been brought home, unarmed.
Ferzan's obsession with his younger sister Helgatria was strikingly similar to the Princess's obsession with Rahikan.
Ferzan still doesn't know that Rahikan's crowd has returned. He rushes to the bathroom, half-conscious, only to find his son lying there, his armor covered in blood from his own wrists.
"Isn't he one of the few remaining noble bloodlines in the Empire, Your Majesty? He acted recklessly out of love for his younger sister. If you must punish him, I will gladly accept it, but please, please... at least spare his life."
"Please save him. But my snake almost died."
Rahikan looked at the woman floating on the water and said, "In Cardion, where snakes are revered as gods, striking the Emperor's sacred serpent without permission is a mortal sin, akin to treason."
Of course, the woman who fell into the water was not a snake, but at this moment, no one dared to spit out that statement.
The Imperial Guard, who were supposed to protect the palace, were fully armed and attempted to kill the Emperor's wife. The Elder, who was in a situation where he could easily be accused of treason, gritted his teeth, felt helpless, and unable to escape.
Please, mercy. Mercy, Your Majesty. The pleading continued, accompanied by a thump and a pounding of the head. Blood flows from the shattered forehead. Rahikan, looking down at the mingling of father and son's blood, finally spoke.
"It was my cousin who committed the crime, but his father was begging for it. I don't know what to do."
“Ugh, ugh..."
Please, mercy. Mercy, Your Majesty. The pleading continued, accompanied by a thump and a pounding of the head. Blood flows from the shattered forehead. Rahikan, looking down at the mingling of father and son's blood, finally spoke.
"It was my cousin who committed the crime, but his father was begging for it. I don't know what to do."
“Ugh, ugh..."
“If this keeps up, I'll be misunderstood as a tyrant who cracked open his only uncle's head and killed him.”
But he couldn't just let the criminal go. He clicked his tongue in embarrassment, then loosened the hold on Ferzan's neck. Ferzan, brought back to life, groaned like an animal kicked in the stomach and crawled to a corner on his elbows.
"Let's do this. In exchange for sparing that useless bastard, let's grant one request of mine, uncle ."
“If you could please...”
“What else could the Emperor of the Empire receive from the Elder?”
Only the head of the council of elders, who has led the council for generations, can keep these items. Of these, only one was worthy of the Emperor's request. A treasure that even the Emperor could not arbitrarily seize without his consent: the Key of the Serpent and the Sun.
"Even though he is a son who is more humble than a daughter, is it really right to let him die a dog's death like this?"
This kind of deal in exchange for the Prince's life is quite generous, isn't it? The low chuckle was ominous.
The elder's face paled as if drained of blood, realizing Rahikan's meaning. Giving up the key was tantamount to handing over the Empress's power of appointment.
Even if pregnancy were impossible, if he gave the key to the Emperor, not only the elders who followed him, but even Helgatria would not forgive him. But...
“Ah, ah, father, ugh, father...”
A momentary silence fell heavily. Perhaps sensing his father's hesitation, a terrified Ferzan began to plead with the elder. The elder gritted his teeth as he watched his son sob like a child, begging not to abandon him.
The elder took something black and flat from his bosom. In his raised hand, he held a key engraved with a snake biting the sun.
The secret heart of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's nest. It's the key that opens and closes the Serpent Palace, where the Empress's ceremonies will be held. A smile appeared on Rahikan's lips.
He took the key and headed toward Diara. The snakes still coiling around the woman tangled their tails at the sight of their master, and she, submerged in the bathtub, was gently held in his arms.
His cloak draped over her naked body. Her soft breaths were sweet, like a sleeping child's, but her pomegranate-like lips were pale. Rahikan, his cool arm around his neck, kissed those cold lips. He thrust his hot tongue into her, as if sharing warmth, and embraced her wet body.
“Release the snake from the sand prison.”
The order was to prepare a prison to imprison Ferzan.
“No way!”
“Oh my, oh my!”
Without taking his eyes off her, a commanding voice erupted simultaneously from Ferzan and the elder, filled with screams of gratitude. It was a moment of mixed joy and sorrow, between one condemned to hell alive and the one who, despite all odds, saved his son.
In any case, Ferzan wouldn't die. Not yet. Not until the stringy sand snakes had devoured every last bit of the man's soft flesh.
Leaving the messy bathroom behind, Rahikan walked forward. Diara's long hair, held in her arms, rippled with her steps.
***
A soft, ticklish sensation crawled over her skin, as if she were immersed in sand naked. Diara moaned softly, forcing open her heavy eyelids.
Two yellow lights flickered in the dark room. Their eyes met, and the hand that had been touching her skin stopped moving.
"Your Majesty."
The pupils, blinking and disappearing, reappearing as she closed and opened her eyes a couple of times, were vivid even in the darkness. Diara's eyes narrowed at the man's face, a face she had never confused before.
"Am I dreaming right now?"
The hazy feeling was indistinguishable from a dream. Even as she stared blankly up, she felt uncertain. Rahikan took a slow, sharp breath, as if he had just emerged from a prolonged submersion.
“No way.”
If it wasn't a dream, she must have dozed off while waiting for him. She vaguely remembers checking the bathroom door several times, as it wouldn't open.
“...You're late.”
A whimper escaped her, unintentionally, in her frustration. Rahikan chuckled softly. A large palm reached out and stroked her forehead. As she habitually rubbed the bridge of her nose, she placed her hand under her chin and pulled her chin to look at him.
"I guess I taught you wrong."
"What?"
“You didn't rebel.”
Diara opened her eyes at the sound of a sleepy voice, as if waking from sleep. A lonely candle casts a deep shadow across his face.
"While the gold armor was acting up and throwing the snake into the bathtub, my snake was lying there quietly like a calf with a broken leg."
Gold armor, evil spirits, snakes, bathtubs. Diara blinked blankly at the seemingly disjointed list of words.
As Diara groped through her dizzy head, trying to process his words, her mind gradually began to clear. Then, as if a light had suddenly turned on, everything came flooding back to her in an instant.
Ah, that's right... She wasn't asleep.
The snaking, swaying backs of the snakes cutting through the water were vivid before her eyes. Yet, somehow, she didn't feel afraid. Leaving the hard bathtub and lying on the comfortable bed, she felt as if she was still floating in the water, a sense of unreality.
"Why did you do that?"
"Why?" he asked, his face still. Rahikan's eyes were the same as when he woke up from a nightmare. His motionless pupils looked like dormant sparks.
"Why did you ask me why I was so quiet?" Diara pondered, then chose the most appropriate answer and answered.
“I didn't want to make a fuss.”
"So you were going to die? Leaving me behind?"
“…”
Diara's eyes wavered slightly at the unexpected question. She wasn't trying to die. She just didn't know what to do. She hadn't learned how to act when she didn't want to beg or run away.
Her mouth snapped shut, unable to find the words. The hand that had been supporting her chin moved down and lifted the blanket.
It had been some time since her messy bath, and her body, stripped of its cloak, was still naked, not a single thread of clothing on. Yet, her entire body felt warm, as if she was still in the hot water. "Answer," he urged. A shiver ran through her body, the residual heat still lingering.
“What could someone like me do?”
Diara's heart pounded faster and faster at the sight of Rahikan staring at her silently. He seemed to smile briefly. A twisted expression crossed his quiet face.
Then, like a pet dog reading its owner's expression, her body, accustomed to him, reacted before her mind. His voice was quieter than usual. His eyes were languidly cast down, and his gaze doggedly followed them. Small, vague changes, like the change in breathing rhythm, were all interpreted as clear signals.
She tried to kneel down and step back, but her ankles were grabbed. Her body, still torn to death, was helplessly dragged beneath him.
“You should have run away.”
He spoke as if he had expected it. It was a contradiction: he spoke with the air of having no intention of letting go of what he held, yet he sounded as if he had missed his hunting opportunity.
The man's excitement was palpable from his caught ankle. Anticipation and fear clawed at her lower abdomen, and goosebumps spread from her ankles to her inner thighs.
“I promised I wouldn't run away.”
Her heart pounded as she answered, as if making an excuse. Diara looked at Rahikan, confused as to what to expect. She wanted him to smile, but she also wanted him to get a little angry.
“You should have run away and come to me.”
“Ugh...!”
Her waist moved involuntarily as her nipples were pulled sharply.
"You should have scratched, bitten, screamed, and thrown a tantrum. You should have called out to me, 'Your Majesty, please save me.'"
" Ha! Ugh, ugh...!"
He scratched the nipple, which had hardened like a protrusion, with his fingers. He flicked and pulled at the peak, as if hitting it, as it lay flat, and then popped up again. The importance became increasingly rapid.
"Yes? Lara."
Her lips, quivering silently, seemed to be watching a fish being dragged to land. Her breaths were thin and colorful, as if they would burst at any moment if he didn't breathe life into them. Even as the snakes strangled her, she lay still like this, he said.
He couldn't remember what expression he had on his face when he heard one of the crowds he had planted chirping.
When Rahikan entered the bath, everything was over.
Among the black maids who were prostrating themselves, the white body that had been lying limp looked like a dead snake with its belly turned over.
Of course, she wasn't dead. His loyal snakes couldn't kill Diara. If they were foolish enough to wrap the neck of something that smelled like its master, they wouldn't have even approached it in the first place. They simply wrapped themselves around his scented body in a hole, ensnaring it and preventing it from escaping.
The gold guard who dared to touch the Emperor's snake was dragged away with his limbs bound. The elder, who had his head smashed so hard his forehead was shattered, was given the key to the Serpent Palace, which he had longed for. Within a day of returning to the palace, Rahikan had seized everything he desired.
Everything was as he had hoped and planned, except for one thing.
"If you were planning to escape me through death, Lara, I tell you, you failed. Your plan will never succeed."
Rahikan watched silently as her swollen chest heaved and heaved. Tears welled up in her clear, turquoise eyes, and a white hand, groping down, grasped the blanket instead of her own, which was squeezing the wetness out of her.
It was a gesture like a child about to be beaten, walking on her calves. Rahikan willingly waited until both hands were properly positioned.
"But if you were thinking of making me fall in love with you again."
Goosebumps ran down her collarbone, where he had traced his finger. Her body trembled slightly, anticipating what was to come. Rahikan's lips curved gently at her obedient demeanor, as if she would gladly accept whatever he gave her.
"You got what you wanted."
He pressed his lips to my throbbing temple. Just that made the thin, slender veins gurgle, rising and falling, loudly, like hiccups.
It was such a timid and sensitive body. So, he easily assumed it would kick and rebel.
"Your Majesty," she screamed, or he could have turned and run away. She didn't have to run far to get back to him. It was the same thing; her ankles would have been cut off, whether she ran quickly or slowly. It would have been much better to have run then.
I am not a slave. I am His Majesty's bride.
That innocent voice almost made him laugh, but he couldn't quite figure out why his heart was burning so deeply from the very depths of his being. It felt like he was on fire from head to toe, a lust indistinguishable from affection, a sadism indistinguishable from lust.
As he returned, carrying the sagging woman, cum gushed from the tip of his stiff, erect cock. He hadn't even lifted a finger, much less taken off his pants, yet his underwear was soaked.
Instead of a towel, he wiped her dripping wet body with his hot cock. He rubbed his swollen clitoris against his hole and poured his semen into the welling hole like piss. As the cloudy cum flowed down her buttocks, he poked it in with his fingers, pushed it in with his tongue, and then, with his lips, sucked it all away.
Even poking, shaking, and sucking wasn't enough. He thrust himself into the body of a woman who had lost her mind as if wasting time, and shook her, but her boiling body wouldn't cool down, and she was so anxious she didn't know what to do.
By this point, his conviction had become even clearer. He was completely mad, and this woman was possessed by a madman. The madness, which he had thought had subsided briefly while wandering the battlefield, was not improving, but rather worsening. He would never escape this seeing thing again for the rest of his life.
He opened her clenched thighs wide. The hole, now a mess of sticky, dried cement, opened with a crack. Rahikan, holding the swollen thing that was about to burst, slowly pressed down on her waist.
“Ah, ah, ahhh!”
Something as hard as stone pierced her burning inside, pushing forward. The pleasure that surged through her in an instant sent her back arching loudly. As Diara exhaled loudly, her flattened lower abdomen, she felt the cum that had been pooling inside overflowing and wetting her anus. Her thighs trembled.
"You will have my child."
Rahikan watched with a smile as her long toes scraped against the bedding, making a thumping sound. He found it ended how she struggled to hold on, not to run away.
Placing a hand beneath her tense navel, he felt her womb pulsing from within. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt the woman clutching his cockhead and begging for his cum. Even after consuming the cum until it bubbled, the hot, clinging flesh still felt insatiable.
“I will place you in a place where no one but me can look up to, a place where no one can reach.”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh...”
“But before that, promise me. You won't do something so reckless again.”
Leaning forward, Rahikan crawled over Diara. His waist, which had formed a curve, curved, and his buttocks lifted high.
As her knees bent close to her shoulders, her shaft dug deeper. The heavy glans pressed against her sagging flesh; the sensation of it stretching to the very core was eerie.
“Yoy will never do anything dangerous again.”
"Promise me, Lara." Her lips, which had been slurping as she sank into the kiss, trembled. Even though she knew what she was asking, she couldn't answer. The pressure was so intense that her stomach felt like it was going to burst, and she couldn't even make a sound. She barely nodded, then pressed her lips to his chin again, smiling, "You're so kind."
Rahikan grabbed the bedding and placed her trembling hands on the interlocked areas.
“If it's that hard, don't hold it on and try to spread it out.”
Rahikan demanded that Diara open her vagina whenever she gasped, trembled, or seemed suffocated, as she did now. And every time Diara received Rahikan's, she gasped, trembled, or gasped, resulting in the humiliating act of opening her vagina and waiting.
If you know how hard it is, it would be nice if you could just go a little easier. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, but he just squinted and smiled, showing no intention of giving her the slightest bit of relief.
The cleanly shaven mound felt slippery. She pushed through his pubic hair, which, unlike her own, was thick and bushy, and found a spot to grab onto. A thick shaft was tightly wedged beneath the taut, open flesh.
Her hand kept slipping against the slippery vagina. Even trying to straighten her fingers was useless because her fingernails were cleanly trimmed. As he pushed in, his shaft latched onto her parted knuckles, then with a squelch, it slipped out.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
With each tangle and release of the rough pubic hair around her fingers, the throbbing hole spurted a milky fluid. His penis, saturated with the cum he'd already ejaculated, she vividly remembered the passionate pleasure she'd experienced while her master was unconscious. The mere penetration made her stomach tingle, as if she were halfway to orgasm.
The more she tried to spread the bare skin that made a clanking sound, the more slippery her hands went.
"I told you to spread your legs wide, but you're just fidgeting. Why, you're shaking it so hard?"
Rahikan frowned and laughed, his eyes wide with disbelief. The woman, who had bitten a man to the point of a narrow hole, was rubbing her lower body with both hands, her eyes wide with rapture.
"Do you want to just poke it with your hand? Take my dick out?"
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
“Take it out?”
“Ugh... Ah, no!”
Diara, lost in the tingling sensation of pleasure, realized Rahikan's words a few beats late. Her hips jerked in surprise at the sudden, unhesitating step back.
Rahikan looked down at his waist, which had been hastily lowered, with smiling eyes. The bright red vagina folds towards his cock, protruding a little.
“Take it out.”
“Oh, no... Ugh, I didn't say anything like that...?”
Her eyes, shaking as if she didn't understand what was going on, looked like a child whose candy had been snatched away. Even so, her white fingers rubbed her throbbing clitoris, and with each friend, her squelched flesh clenched tightly around him.
"No, that's not true. Don't touch it and tell me straight."
The bulging flesh on either side of the spearhead, as if regretting having bitten deeply and then pulled out, rippled and gasped. Small fingers gripped the old pillars, and he flicked them away with the back of his hand.
"I want to eat some delicious cock. Please fuck me, Your Majesty. Do it."
Otherwise, I'll make you masturbate until tomorrow morning.
The face of the man, with only the glans dipped into the gaping vagina, was mischievous and smiling. An inescapable sense of shame made the back of her neck burn with heat.
“You, you're going too far...”
I didn't touch it. I opened it because you told me to. Tears welling up in her large eyes ripple with betrayal.
Raise the bit of his lower lip, suppressing a laugh. Her face, almost on the verge of tears, was flushed with the color of a ripe apple.
From her disheveled red hair, the pristine white flesh hidden within, to her light green eyes like a new sprout, the woman looks like a fruit from head to toe. His mouth watered, making him want to lick every last drop, even the tears streaming down his face.
The woman couldn't have been aware of how much that expression drove her mad. It was her fault, then, that she shed tears, despite having experienced him becoming more cruel with each cry.
"What's too much? If you want to eat dick, just say so and ask me to feed it to you."
“Huh, huh, huh…”
He slowly moved his hips, thrusting and thrusting. Diara's hips also rose and fell, trying not to lose sight of the throbbing cock. With each node of her raised pelvis, the barely-secured hole opened and closed, a palpable sound.
A mixture of semen and love juice flowed from beneath the perineum, which had been thrust up with force. When he poked the shallow area and pulled it out with a popping sound, the hole that had lost its grip twitched greedily and drooled foamy saliva.
From the pitch-black inside, all the way to the urethra, a sticky liquid stretches out like glue. The red wrinkles densely gathered in the anus, bubbling with bubbles, were dizzyingly tempting.
As if by mistake, he pressed down firmly on it, and his buttocks bounced with a short groan. Unlike her gaping vagina, her tightly clenched asshole thrusted hard against him. He repeated the playful movements, poking her from above and then thrusting downward, and Diara, who was groaning, lowered her waist and pressed her bottom against his.
She swirled her throbbing pussy hole around, trying to align it with his throbbing cock. The obscene sight made his head spin, making him want to swear. He chuckled, his head sinking back into her throbbing pussy.
"You're so horny. Why? It's okay to show off your throbbing in front of a man, but it's embarrassing to verbally ask for it?"
“That, that, that kind of thing... Ah, huh!”
"I wish you'd push it deeper and shake it. You're wiggling your butt because it hurts inside."
Diara shuddered as she felt the squelching sensation of her trembling buttocks being grasped with both hands. The sensation of something round and blunt filling and rubbing her entrance was dizzying.
Ah, something feels like it's about to explode again, even though it shouldn't. But this time, don't even insert it properly. It's embarrassing enough just to bite her head and shake her hips, but if she wet herself in that state, she'll really want to die. She really doesn't want him to see her like that.
"You don't want to talk?"
“Uh, uh...”
“If you don't like it, just masturbate all night.”
“No, ah, ahhh...!”
The tip, which had been tightly attached, suddenly slipped out, making a sound like a kiss. The ecstatic sensation of the hot glans scraping against her flesh was fleeting. Diara's face contorted in a sudden, utter sense of loss.
Rahikan, his back straight, lowered himself to the edge of the bed. She jerked her hips, and her plump buttocks bounced down to the edge. He spread his legs wide and draped one calf over his shoulder. Then, with her legs wide open, she was lying on her side.
The gaping hole in her vagina was revealed before her eyes. She could feel herself struggling for what had been taken, and shame surged to the very top of her head.
It was the moment her hand, groping for her lower body, was grabbed by him. Diara flinched at the feeling of warm, raw flesh clinging to her fingertips. Her slender fingers slid without resistance into the hole she hadn't even been able to close. One, two, three, and then one more.
“Huh, ah, ah…”
Her vagina, which had swallowed all four of her fingers except her thumb, felt as if it were about to tear apart. It was a secret place she had never dared to allow anything other than his hand, his tongue, and his penis. This secret area was jer body, but it was meant solely for him.
“Ugh, Your Majesty, Your Majesty...”
She looked up at him with pleading eyes, unable to take out or put back what he had personally handed down to her.
“Try it.”
The man giving the order had a feverish, sunken gaze. The sight of his pure white fangs peeking through the red tongue that licked his lips was chilling.
"Hurry."
Diara bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as the sound of her cheeks was tapped and prodded. A trembling hand tapped the inside of her thigh, then slowly began to dig in.
“Huh... Huh...”
The hole, which could barely fit one finger, had now expanded to accommodate four. This was thanks to the habit of spreading her lower body wide to receive his forearm-sized penis day and night.
Every time she pressed the smooth mucous membrane apart, sticky fluid would swirl between her fingers. The accumulated cement mixed with the newly shed fluid, running down her wrist and down her elbow.
Every time her knuckles sank into her flesh, the sound of water burned her ears. Perhaps because of the darkness ahead, even her heart pounded loudly against her temples. She didn't want to open her eyes, but she was curious about his expression. Diara squinted, trying to sneak a peek, but their eyes met.
He gently stroked her lower abdomen, which had become flat from all the effort he put in, and then laughed softly.
"So, you want to go? Since you're going, don't worry about what others think and do it properly. Shake your butt and slurp your tits. Yes, I'll see if you can do it on your own."
“Huh, huhuh...!”
Still clutching the blanket, he brought his other hand up to her breast. Her swollen breasts squished between her fingers. He squeezed his hand tightly, as if interlocking his fingers, before pulling it away. He meant for her to touch herself.
Except when washing or changing clothes, she never properly examined or touched her body. Diara, who had been awkwardly holding her breasts, slowly began to knead them. The sensation of the squishy flesh squeezing through her fingers was strange. It feels like touching curdled milk or mashing soft fruit.
What is it about this that makes him rub and suck it so much?
It wasn't just her chest, but also down there. Unlike when she'd bitten him, the hole where her hand had been thrust felt unfamiliar. The sensation of the squelchy folds of her vagina beneath the smooth, raw flesh was vivid. The throbbing of her heartbeat, the throbbing mucous membrane squeezing her fingers as if it were about to snap, was dizzying.
Before meeting Rahikan, she hadn't even realized she had a sense of such a place. She melted helplessly into the skillful caresses and soothing gestures she skillfully used, as if she knew her better than she knew herself, and she reached countless climaxes in her arms.
The feeling of a powerful penis poking deep inside her, and a large, rough hand grasping and shaking her apex, brought tears to her eyes. Moments of squirming, sobbing, clinging to her chest, her arms pressed together so he could grasp her more easily flashed before her eyes.
The senses Rahikan taught her. The countless joys Rahikan taught her. Her body, drenched in his love like rain, has become accustomed to being stroked rather than slapped. All of this was his achievement.
It feels good to be touched by Rahikan. Since Rahikan ordered her to touch it, it's no different from Rahikan touching her.
If that's the case, she shouldn't refuse or push away. Her knees, which had been curled up in shame, spread wide.
As she pinched and wiggled her nipples as she had been doing, a tingling sensation surged through her rippling flesh. Her toes curled into rounds, delicate strokes, and the pokes inside her gained speed. Each time his four fingers, cupped together, poked her hole, a loud spurting sound erupted.
Rahikan watched the woman masturbating, imitating what she was doing, while moaning softly, without even blinking.
Her clitoris, swollen and engorged between her aroused, bulging clitoral muscles, looked like a red strawberry. She held the sour fruit out in front of the man's eyes, waving it around, as if begging him to eat it.
Two on top of swaying white breasts, one between plump flesh with a white hand stuck in it. Nothing was wasted, just mouthwatering goodness.
He thought he should eat her if he asked him to, but on the other hand, he had another thought. When she twisted her nipples and pressed down on her swollen pussy, she let out a "hmm, hmm" sound, asking him to finish, but she resisted without saying a word. It was both cute and annoying. He laughed bitterly.
“Do you like having fun alone, leaving your husband behind?”
“Haaah!”
Clap! A rock-hard palm clung to her fiercely, then pulled away. Her buttocks felt as hot as fire. The vagina where her hand had bitten opened rapidly, making a loud spurt of air.
"You're so happy you can't even speak? Huh?"
“Ah, ah, ah!”
Every time he slapped her buttocks, her slender back arched dizzyingly. The wide-open hole squeezed tightly against her hand, and every time he bit, a stream of water spurted up, wetting his lower abdomen and splashing all the way to his red-hot glans.
Diara, who habitually shook her butt, sobbed as she rubbed her butt against her hand that was tightly gripping hers.
"Yes, yes, good..."
"Oh, that's good. You love it when you get spanked and piss all over your husband's dick."
“Ah, uh, no…”
“Then what's good about this?”
He chuckled, grabbed her trembling wrist, and shook it as if threshing it. He pressed his palm against the hole where she'd just poured water, rubbing it until it made a sloshing sound. Her slender neck jerked back. His fingers, scraping and slipping between the wrinkles, were all shiny.
He pulled her body close and placed his throbbing penis on the back of her hand. The white hand thrusting into his red flesh, following the hammering motion of his waist, was so tempting it made his teeth grind.
“Ah, aah, right, ah, aah...!”
Behind the sound of gasping breaths, the sound of hands clawing at the bed was noisy. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," the moans, rising in short, interrupted bursts, suddenly stopped. The threshold of climax. The woman's mouth gaped open at the steep climb.
Her eyes were unfocused, and saliva flowed from her mouth, unable to swallow, even the sound fading from her lips. He could clearly see the pleasure surging down the woman's pale body.
The muscles in her body contracted and relaxed, releasing her bladder to release water. The fluid that had been trickling from the hole where he had swallowed the food he had fed him soon poured out in a stream.
It rises in a parabolic arc and falls in drops. It was a spectacular sight, her squirting and slurping, without even bothering to cover her open crotch. The bright red labia minora folds opened and contracted, and her pussy, which had poured out every last drop, and even her anus below, gaped in satisfaction.
“Huh, huhh …”
It felt like she was literally peeing on her dick. No, actually, it wasn't her who was peering, it was him. He couldn't stop the cum from leaking out, as if he were squirting, at the sight of such a dazzling, obscene sight.
“Ha... Fuck.”
He chewed and squished the sensation of cum in his mouth. His testicles, squeezed countless times like a stallion on estrogen, throbbed. If he were to ejaculate now, it would likely take hours, if not longer, to refill his load with cum.
That couldn't be. He couldn't let the last of this night's seed spill onto the back of his hand. Every drop was precious if he was going to impregnate this vessel. Even if he scooped it up with a bucket and poured it into her womb, it wouldn't be enough.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah..."
"What did you do so well that you're saying you're going to do it so quickly? The others are holding it in like crazy, but you're the only one who's getting it all worked up."
He grinned, then pushed her hunched thighs back open. He thrust his hand, which was struggling to escape, inside.
“Stop it, once you're done, shake it again.”
“Uh, yeah...?”
...Again? Again?
Her face, still in the afterglow of her orgasm, was blank. He watched her half-closed eyes blink, as if unable to understand what she had just heard. Then he bared his teeth and growled.
“I told you to shake it.”
He grasped the clitoris, which was as firm as a nipple, and twisted it vigorously. He crushed it, rubbed it quickly, and her blank, relaxed face instantly contorted.
The orgasmic sensation that had engulfed her body had yet to fully dissipate. Before her heated body could even begin to cool, the possible pleasure sent goosebumps down her skin and into her scalp.
The trembling hand was forced back into her vagina as soon as it was freed from the hole. Every time her trembling knees buckled and curled, her clitoris was viciously pinched.
Lightning flashed through her open eyes. Her thighs, muscled to the point where their tendons were visible, flexed and released, greedily accepting his thrusts.
Thin calves float above his shoulders, their ten toes fanned out and curled like the soles of a hoe.
"Ah, no, don't. That, that, that... Ah, aaaah!"
As she writhed and screamed, her ankle, which had been tangled around his shoulder, fell off. The hand trapped between her legs desperately grabbed the bedding and pulled. Her trembling knees made her crawl like a newborn calf.
“Ah, no, no…”
“Where are you going?”
He grabbed her ankles as she flailed away, face down, and dragged her down. Her body, dragged helplessly along with the blanket she held with her claws, trembled beneath him.
He pulled her pelvis, which was flat on the floor, up. He placed his hand between her raised buttocks, and Diara let out a whimper.
“Put it back in.”
“Huh, huh…”
“Quick.”
One, two, slick fingers slide into the gaping hole, then out again. The fluid pooling in her vagina dripped down onto the bed. Each time the hole, covered in frothy fluid, opened and closed, a slurping sound like a mouthful of food was being licked.
“Aren't you asking properly?”
The back of her head, round like a chestnut, shook helplessly. Her thin moans were sultry. The sounds, muffled by the bedding, resembled the sound made when a penis was inserted into her mouth. Even as she sucked every last drop of cum from her urethra, the woman would whisper, "It's hard, it's too deep," in that voice.
A cheeky, mischievous creature. A red snake with its tail hidden. This vicious monster only ever lied when it was present.
"I can't do it. It's just the beginning."
A man's shadow slanted over his prone back. Rahikan's warm body temperature, secretly enveloping her, sent a slight shiver down her skin.
He bit down on her reddened ear. Every time the sharp fangs brushed against her earlobe, her raised shoulder blades twitched against his chest.
“I told you I'd let you masturbate all night long, right?”
“That, that... that thing...”
"If you're going to tease a man, you should do that much. Can you just be satisfied and end it on your own?"
Something hot touches her stiff tailbone. She lifts her trembling hips and kisses his tip, and a low laugh falls from above.
“What are you doing, you horny bitch?”
Fingers dug into the back of her neck and grabbed her hair. He forced her head down, reflexively shaking at the feeling of her scalp being pulled.
Her face, flushed red from being crushed by the bedding, resembles a crushed peach. Her throat rose and fell as her mouth filled with saliva. The light green eyes searching for him, her cheeks pressed against his, were so beautiful he wanted to swallow them in one bite.
Diara sniffled and cried. The bedding against her cheeks felt damp. But it wasn't from tears. The fabric, soaked in her sour-smelling love juice, had cooled and was now chilly. She poked herself, her own secretions pooling all over the bed. A lewd smell filled the room.
Still, it wasn't enough. A place beyond reach. A place deep within her, a place she could never reach, no matter how hard she tried. Her body, throbbing madly inside the hole where his penis was attached, yearned for the man's. The sound of the entrance contracting and sucking, the sound of it sounding like sucking with her mouth.
She said she couldn't do it, but in reality, she wanted him to do more. She wanted him to mercilessly whip her while she cried, ran away, and squirmed. So, even if Rahikan called her a bitch, it couldn't be helped.
The man wanders up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. If she were a woman in heat, he would be the male who recognized her and came to devour her.
Oh, how I have waited for him.
"……Please. Gg-give it to me, please."
Her clitoris, swollen and engorged between her aroused, bulging clitoral muscles, looked like a red strawberry. She held the sour fruit out in front of the man's eyes, waving it around, as if begging him to eat it.
Two on top of swaying white breasts, one between plump flesh with a white hand stuck in it. Nothing was wasted, just mouthwatering goodness.
He thought he should eat her if he asked him to, but on the other hand, he had another thought. When she twisted her nipples and pressed down on her swollen pussy, she let out a "hmm, hmm" sound, asking him to finish, but she resisted without saying a word. It was both cute and annoying. He laughed bitterly.
“Do you like having fun alone, leaving your husband behind?”
“Haaah!”
Clap! A rock-hard palm clung to her fiercely, then pulled away. Her buttocks felt as hot as fire. The vagina where her hand had bitten opened rapidly, making a loud spurt of air.
"You're so happy you can't even speak? Huh?"
“Ah, ah, ah!”
Every time he slapped her buttocks, her slender back arched dizzyingly. The wide-open hole squeezed tightly against her hand, and every time he bit, a stream of water spurted up, wetting his lower abdomen and splashing all the way to his red-hot glans.
Diara, who habitually shook her butt, sobbed as she rubbed her butt against her hand that was tightly gripping hers.
"Yes, yes, good..."
"Oh, that's good. You love it when you get spanked and piss all over your husband's dick."
“Ah, uh, no…”
“Then what's good about this?”
He chuckled, grabbed her trembling wrist, and shook it as if threshing it. He pressed his palm against the hole where she'd just poured water, rubbing it until it made a sloshing sound. Her slender neck jerked back. His fingers, scraping and slipping between the wrinkles, were all shiny.
He pulled her body close and placed his throbbing penis on the back of her hand. The white hand thrusting into his red flesh, following the hammering motion of his waist, was so tempting it made his teeth grind.
“Ah, aah, right, ah, aah...!”
Behind the sound of gasping breaths, the sound of hands clawing at the bed was noisy. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," the moans, rising in short, interrupted bursts, suddenly stopped. The threshold of climax. The woman's mouth gaped open at the steep climb.
Her eyes were unfocused, and saliva flowed from her mouth, unable to swallow, even the sound fading from her lips. He could clearly see the pleasure surging down the woman's pale body.
The muscles in her body contracted and relaxed, releasing her bladder to release water. The fluid that had been trickling from the hole where he had swallowed the food he had fed him soon poured out in a stream.
It rises in a parabolic arc and falls in drops. It was a spectacular sight, her squirting and slurping, without even bothering to cover her open crotch. The bright red labia minora folds opened and contracted, and her pussy, which had poured out every last drop, and even her anus below, gaped in satisfaction.
“Huh, huhh …”
It felt like she was literally peeing on her dick. No, actually, it wasn't her who was peering, it was him. He couldn't stop the cum from leaking out, as if he were squirting, at the sight of such a dazzling, obscene sight.
“Ha... Fuck.”
He chewed and squished the sensation of cum in his mouth. His testicles, squeezed countless times like a stallion on estrogen, throbbed. If he were to ejaculate now, it would likely take hours, if not longer, to refill his load with cum.
That couldn't be. He couldn't let the last of this night's seed spill onto the back of his hand. Every drop was precious if he was going to impregnate this vessel. Even if he scooped it up with a bucket and poured it into her womb, it wouldn't be enough.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah..."
"What did you do so well that you're saying you're going to do it so quickly? The others are holding it in like crazy, but you're the only one who's getting it all worked up."
He grinned, then pushed her hunched thighs back open. He thrust his hand, which was struggling to escape, inside.
“Stop it, once you're done, shake it again.”
“Uh, yeah...?”
...Again? Again?
Her face, still in the afterglow of her orgasm, was blank. He watched her half-closed eyes blink, as if unable to understand what she had just heard. Then he bared his teeth and growled.
“I told you to shake it.”
He grasped the clitoris, which was as firm as a nipple, and twisted it vigorously. He crushed it, rubbed it quickly, and her blank, relaxed face instantly contorted.
The orgasmic sensation that had engulfed her body had yet to fully dissipate. Before her heated body could even begin to cool, the possible pleasure sent goosebumps down her skin and into her scalp.
The trembling hand was forced back into her vagina as soon as it was freed from the hole. Every time her trembling knees buckled and curled, her clitoris was viciously pinched.
Lightning flashed through her open eyes. Her thighs, muscled to the point where their tendons were visible, flexed and released, greedily accepting his thrusts.
Thin calves float above his shoulders, their ten toes fanned out and curled like the soles of a hoe.
"Ah, no, don't. That, that, that... Ah, aaaah!"
As she writhed and screamed, her ankle, which had been tangled around his shoulder, fell off. The hand trapped between her legs desperately grabbed the bedding and pulled. Her trembling knees made her crawl like a newborn calf.
“Ah, no, no…”
“Where are you going?”
He grabbed her ankles as she flailed away, face down, and dragged her down. Her body, dragged helplessly along with the blanket she held with her claws, trembled beneath him.
He pulled her pelvis, which was flat on the floor, up. He placed his hand between her raised buttocks, and Diara let out a whimper.
“Put it back in.”
“Huh, huh…”
“Quick.”
One, two, slick fingers slide into the gaping hole, then out again. The fluid pooling in her vagina dripped down onto the bed. Each time the hole, covered in frothy fluid, opened and closed, a slurping sound like a mouthful of food was being licked.
“Aren't you asking properly?”
“More, any... Huh, hmmph, what is it? Heh, I'm... I'm...”
A cheeky, mischievous creature. A red snake with its tail hidden. This vicious monster only ever lied when it was present.
"I can't do it. It's just the beginning."
A man's shadow slanted over his prone back. Rahikan's warm body temperature, secretly enveloping her, sent a slight shiver down her skin.
He bit down on her reddened ear. Every time the sharp fangs brushed against her earlobe, her raised shoulder blades twitched against his chest.
“I told you I'd let you masturbate all night long, right?”
“That, that... that thing...”
"If you're going to tease a man, you should do that much. Can you just be satisfied and end it on your own?"
Something hot touches her stiff tailbone. She lifts her trembling hips and kisses his tip, and a low laugh falls from above.
“What are you doing, you horny bitch?”
Fingers dug into the back of her neck and grabbed her hair. He forced her head down, reflexively shaking at the feeling of her scalp being pulled.
Her face, flushed red from being crushed by the bedding, resembles a crushed peach. Her throat rose and fell as her mouth filled with saliva. The light green eyes searching for him, her cheeks pressed against his, were so beautiful he wanted to swallow them in one bite.
“You said you couldn't take it anymore, that it hurt too much. So what the hell are you doing shoving your pussy in my face?”
Still, it wasn't enough. A place beyond reach. A place deep within her, a place she could never reach, no matter how hard she tried. Her body, throbbing madly inside the hole where his penis was attached, yearned for the man's. The sound of the entrance contracting and sucking, the sound of it sounding like sucking with her mouth.
She said she couldn't do it, but in reality, she wanted him to do more. She wanted him to mercilessly whip her while she cried, ran away, and squirmed. So, even if Rahikan called her a bitch, it couldn't be helped.
The man wanders up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. If she were a woman in heat, he would be the male who recognized her and came to devour her.
Oh, how I have waited for him.
"……Please. Gg-give it to me, please."
He raised his steeply rising hips a little higher and slid his member between her parted thighs. Her voice was raspy, pleading for him to fuck her without shame.
The flesh clung to him, squeaking and squeaking, and he felt hot. Rahikan smiled mischievously, pulling the pillar in and out until it was half-submerged.
"If you want to eat your husband's dick, you have to widen your vagina first. Also, if I put it in, you'll tell me it hurts and ask me to take it out."
“No, no, that's not right.”
"No?"
Ugh, no. Her face, as she squirmed, was covered in saliva and tears. Her face, pinned to the floor, her hair held in her hand, was breathtakingly beautiful. She twisted the back of her head, causing her parted lips to twitch.
The gesture of asking him to spit sent a tingling sensation through his chest. It was his favorite scene in the world. The thick, thick stream of saliva, dripping from above, was sucked into her bright red mouth, leaving no residue.
He thrust his dick in a little deeper, finding it pretty as she licked the cum that had dripped down her cheek with her tongue. "Ugh," she moaned softly, her hips thrusting up against her lower abdomen.
"Punch it twenty more times like this. Then I'll put it in properly."
He spread her ankles wide, held them in one hand, and secured them. He positioned Diara on the bed, lifting her knees so she could move on her own.
"Count the numbers. Lift your butt higher so I can see the thrusting."
Move. The white buttocks that had been shaking at the sound of her voice slowly lowered.
The pillar, now flushed red from being left upright for too long, was slowly swallowed by the warm woman's flesh. It greedily devoured the base, and with each thrust upward, the veined epidermis was pulled out.
“Haha, okay, two... uhh, three, three...”
Each time she spit it out and swallowed it, the number went up by one. Her voice trembled as she counted. The feeling of something long and thick filling her stomach was thrilling. The overwhelming pleasure of its size, never getting used to it, made her insides tingle.
Having to move on her own and counting the numbers, Diara had no choice but to concentrate on the action. It felt as if all her nerves were being pulled downwards; the sensation of the hole being pushed and pulled became doubly acute.
The bulging veins, the circular border between the glans and shaft, the shape of the towering shaft—all of these things she hadn't noticed when she was lost in thought—felt dizzyingly vivid. It felt as if she was etching the shape of that penis into her body right before Rahikan's eyes. It was unbearably embarrassing, embarrassing, and shameful, yet so exhilarating that her heart felt like it was going to burst.
"Four. Five... Six. Seven. Eight..."
“Five... five, uh, six...”
“Again.”
"Why, uh, why, why...! I, I did...!"
Five is next, six is right. Her hand, seemingly aggrieved, pounded on the blanket. Her irritated tantrum was both absurd and heartbreakingly cute, so he frowned and smiled. Pretty people can be quick-tempered.
"It's not five; we have to start over from the beginning. Do you want to do it all night?"
“Haaaaa, ugh!”
Clap! The whip fell again. Her buttocks, struck countless times, were now flushed red. Her plump thighs trembled slightly, and her tightly contracted vaginal walls vomited clear liquid.
The fluid poured out through her trembling folds, as if biting a pillar and trembling. The tighter she tightened her grip, even after being struck, was more instinct than deliberate action. Her horny body was determined not to let go of the bite.
He reached out and grabbed Diara's chin, pulling her to look at him.
"Do it while looking back. I even lent you my dick so you could masturbate, so you should show me how deliciously you eat it."
Every time Diara blinked and opened her eyes, tears trickled down her face. The tears stuck to her long eyelashes and were sucked into her mouth. She continued to slowly grind her teeth, her gaze locked with his.
“Waaah... ten, ugh, one, hmmmm...”
“Hot, so hot...”
“I don't want to put it all the way in. Who cares but just bites off half and takes it out?”
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
She was disappointed that the numbers were going up, so she poked around downstairs for no reason. She shook it until it made a thumping sound, and its red mouth whined.
"I guess it's fun because you're being clever. Why don't I make you count to one hundred instead of twenty?"
“No, no, no...!”
Slap, the lips that had been whining started to whimper this time. Her rosy hair rippled beneath her head as she shook back and forth. And yet, the way she hurriedly thrust his dick in, as if afraid it might be taken away, was so cute that his head throbbed.
“Aren't you being clever?”
“Yeah, uh, no, I didn't.”
"No, really. How much do you usually eat? You eat up to here."
He placed his hand just below her navel and kissed her wide-eyed eyes. He pressed the deeply inserted tip against her navel, and she felt her flat lower abdomen swell slightly. The pressure intensified, and Diara's eyes widened, almost as if they were going to pop out.
He pressed her lower abdomen with one hand as if he was holding a dick and slowly rubbing the inside.
"Here, rub evenly from the back of the uterus to the top. You cried because it felt good when I rubbed you like this, and you wanted me to come quickly. Right?"
“Ah, uhhh, haaaang, yeah!”
He slowly stirred, stroking every nook and cranny as if spreading cement. His gestures, selecting the weakest points and touching them, were visibly malicious. Her eyes, unfocused, trembled, lost. The element of what to do, she clenched her knees, squeezed her stomach, and poured out the water.
Not only where he touched, but everywhere he didn't, everything was burning. Itching from the inside out, it was driving her crazy. Diara, lying flat on the floor, rubbing her breasts against the bedding. She thrust her hips, rubbing her nipples so hard they were chafing.
“Isn't that so?”
"Yeah, yeah! Yes, yes, yes!"
Anything was fine. Whatever he said was fine. How could I resist him, who gave me such dizzying joy, such tearful rapture?
It was admirable how he nodded, even though he made a groaning sound with each thrust. Rahikan chuckled softly, wiping her tear-stained eyelids with his lips.
"Yes. So don't act coy and eat as much as you usually do."
The strength returned to her back, which had been raised high and throbbing. Her brightly open buttocks began to rise and fall without hesitation.
"Ha..."
He reluctantly spat it out. Her anus, blossoming like a flower, pressed firmly against his belly button, her mouth wide open as she swallowed him whole. The sensation of being devoured from head to root by a woman so excited that her wrinkles were spread wide open sent shivers down her spine. A sharp thud, a pungent odor seeping through his teeth, clenched from holding back his ejaculation.
He once heard that in a certain empire ruled by an Empress, they used this kind of genital stimulation torture to tame arrogant male concubines. The pleasure, beyond the utmost extreme, was indistinguishable from extreme pain, so if a man were to ejaculate like this for three days and nights, he would either go mad or break down, leaving him with only two options.
He thought it was just nonsense... He smiled with a twisted mouth.
As he watched the woman's small hole sucking the man's center, he began to think that perhaps the plan wasn't meaningless.
Just locking eyes with her doubled the excitement. It felt like he could sell the country with a kiss, or himself with a single glance. If Diara were the Empress, and she were her concubine, she would have knelt down and licked her feet long ago.
“S, s, uh, uh, ten...!”
Finally, with his cock thrust in without leaving a trace, Diara gasped, her breath coming out in a ragged gasp. Beneath her pitch-black body, the hole swayed happily, drooling like a dog waiting for a prize.
“All, huh... All, counted.”
"Yeah, it's pretty. You did a good job."
A large hand stroked her round head, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and patted her cheek.
As he wiped the drool that hung like a thread under his chin, his tongue flicked against his finger. She remembered, with admiration, his words that she had to wipe up her own spills. The sight of her tongue, slightly peeking through her white teeth, was incredibly erotic.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for feeding me such delicious food."
“Yeah, yeah, I will, I will.”
She spoke informally, and formally, her speech was a mess. She was rude. He raised the corners of his mouth and bowed.
"Mouth."
Her lips, hastily drawn closer to the man's, sloshed against his, making a licking sound. Rahikan watched with half-distorted eyes as he kissed her, her lips now pursed and pointed, like a baby bird.
Her lower body was incredibly lewd, yet her kisses were always like this. Even though he told her to suck it roughly, like sucking a cock, he never learned this. Was it her useless stubbornness, or was she truly incompetent? It was so adorable, it made his stomach churn, and he knew it was absolutely crazy.
“Uh, uh...”
As he shook her waist from side to side as if she was being cute, Rahikan's arm muscles stood up like a sling.
Even he was at his limit. His scalding lower abdomen was boiling, almost melting. The sensation, seeing something from his throbbing testicles to the pillar buried deep within her flesh, was excruciating.
Rahikan began to raise his waist.
Diara shook her head and wept. She burst into sobs, shaking her hips wildly. Her knees gave way, she tumbled forward, then tucked low, before rolling back into place on the floor.
He fell backwards, thrusting down in one swift motion, and stripped her clean. The blunt object mercilessly struck her soft insides. The sound of wet flesh rubbing against wet flesh sounds like a slap on her buttocks.
The arm that was supporting her against the floor kept swaying and breaking. He pushed his hand through her long, fluttering hair and grabbed her small head with one hand.
"Good?"
Her head was pulled back, and her back was bent so steeply that it felt like it would break. He dug into the deepest, most secret place in the woman's belly, the mouth of the womb, and stamped with a force that crushed her insides.
"Ah! Ahh! Ah, good, good...!"
“If you like it, ugh, what should I say?”
“Oh, it's delicious, it's so good!”
"Delicious."
"Ah! Ga, Gah, Aaah...!"
Instead of her speech, which had collapsed beyond recognition, the narrowed walls sucked him in, whining and whining. She whined and whined. Like sucking on a delicious candy, she clung to it, never knowing when to let go.
Hundreds of tiny tongues licked and tasted his cock, setting his veins ablaze. Each time her hips slammed against his, he gripped her swaying breasts and pressed his body closer.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the delicious food. Are you doing it?"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
“You're so damn kind.”
The mouth that had been spitting out curses was now clenched against the mouth that was shaking.
He thrust deeply in one breath and turned it like a millstone. The skin, tightly interlocked like a jaw, rubs against each other, making a creaking sound.
"Ah, op! Ah! Ahhh!"
A moan was cut off in pieces through the gap between the lips that were clenched and then pulled apart. The sensation of each wrinkle rubbing against the thick pillar was dizzying. His stomach churned. His insides felt like they were melting, hot and ticklish, and his fingernails bristled. More, more, more. Overcome with pleasure, he thrust down, and he pounded the stakes without holding back.
Passion struck like a bolt of lightning before his darkened eyes. Ah! He forced open his clenched jaw with a groan, holding back something.
"It hurts. Ouch."
“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”
“Lara, ah.”
She chewed his hand without even realizing she was biting it. Instead of biting it, he pushed his tongue into it.
He slid his small front teeth into her mouth, poking her as if he were poking her with his penis. His long, hard tongue pierced her mucous membrane and penetrated her throat, and Diara pursed her lips and sucked on it.
Slurp, slurp, slurp. The sound of holes sucking and devouring each other filled the room. The air was humid, a mixture of heat, sweat, love juice, and semen. Saliva overflows from their chins, and love juice flows from their asses, two long streams of bodily fluids dancing and swaying.
Their bodies, entangled beyond recognition, melted like mud. The shortened candles, unable to withstand the humidity, extinguished. A blue curtain spreads across the swallowing room, then lifts again. And so, until dawn broke, the sound of the male and female, completely united, swaying, swaying, dancing continued unceasingly.
The hot fluid soaked her insides. Countless ejaculations had diluted the fluid, and it flowed out almost like urine. As Rahikan squirmed, shaking his waist, his loosened hips trembled as he poured out every last drop.
“Huhh..."
He turned her sagging body to face him. The woman's smooth, smooth body seemed as if it would crumble with the slightest force. He found it amusing, yet helpless, to treat her as if she were some incomparably fragile thing, crushing and mangling her all the time.
Is sadistic temperament innate? Looking at the woman's breasts, already beginning to show bluish bruises, made her mouth water.
That's understandable. With his beastly, bright yellow eyes and a hint of madness, his intermittent, seething violence was a trait common to the Cardion royal family. It could have been a genetic trait passed down through his bloodline since ancient times, or perhaps a side effect of generations of inbreeding.
He lay her on his chest, her soft cheek pressed against his flat chest. Rahikan slowly stroked Diara's hair, which was colorful and breathing heavily. As he gently stroked her rosy hair, soft as sand, her breath, which had been falling sharply and almost on the verge of breaking, gradually became steady.
“Lara.”
Instead of answering, the inside of his cock gave him a firm nudge. The owner, although incapable of answering, chuckled softly, still finding the perky hole adorable.
“I'm sorry, but the wedding will have to be postponed for a bit.”
It was an extension of what he had said at the oasis. He had promised to hold a formal wedding ceremony upon his return to the palace. Originally, the plan was to hold the ceremony as soon as he entered the palace, but the plan deviated slightly.
"Are you sad?"
As if responding to a question, her half-closed eyelids slowly rose. Her long eyelashes were splayed with strands of sweat and tears. A wispy shadow formed beneath her eyes, still red.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then the tiny head shook its head. It seemed to indicate that she wasn't upset. His mood actually sank at the unexpected response.
"At least pretend to be sad."
Be knew it would be like that. The additional words were a bit sloppy.
“Do you want me to be upset?”
“To be honest, I wish you would hurry up and make a fuss and bite your nails.”
Diara looked up at Rahikan again. Her gaze was clear and unblemished. He didn't like that clear gaze, devoid of resentment or obsession. At some point, his impatience had become his sole burden.
"Is that really okay?"
This is the only way to bow down and receive the offering. Still, bowing was a bow, and Rahikan, feeling relieved, chuckled. The small woman, with just a few words, was playing with the man.
"What do you like so much? What, you want to give me a slap now?"
“No, that's not it... No, you can't?”
"Yes. It's possible. But there's no way around postponing the ceremony. Marriage during a memorial service is prohibited by national law."
The desert's rainy season was approaching. That meant the anniversary of the deaths of the royal family, decimated by a devastating fire over a decade ago, was fast approaching. Dozens of royal family members, including Rahikan's parents, the late Emperor and his Empress, had died simultaneously on the same day. Preparations for a grand memorial service that would last throughout the rainy season would soon be in full swing, both inside and outside the capital.
During the memorial period, a nationwide ban on marriage was imposed. Not only marriage, but also singing, dancing, banquets, and inviting relatives were prohibited, making it impossible to hold a state marriage during that time.
Although his return to the capital was later than expected, he thought it was a good thing that it turned out this way.
If Diara were to admit her own child before marriage, the Council of Elders would have no justification for opposing her marriage. This would allow him to seize control of the Council of Elders, the force that holds the empire together.
"The wolf, the fish, and the scorpion have stepped into the sun's shadow. The peacock has lowered himself, and of those left, only the kingfisher and the camel follow the raccoon."
An elder with a white seal on his chest whispered to him. He was the only elder among the eight who followed him.
Kingfishers are timid, and camels are conservative. Therefore, unless the Elder and Helgatria's momentum was completely broken, the elders of those two families would not side with the Emperor, who had no heirs. The council of elders, who were supposed to serve the Emperor, began to follow the Elder rather than him, as his sole legitimate wife was destined to be Helgatria, the Elder's daughter.
Rahikan examined each of the elders' faces, turning pale and turning pale. His temper was such that he wanted to slit their throats, but he couldn't.
To rule an empire formed by a coalition of princely states, the support of the Council of Elders is essential. Recklessly executing them risked engulfing the entire Cardion in war.
While Rahikan was lost in thought, Diara played with his fingers. His long, straight knuckles were dotted with squirrel-like bite marks.
“I said I would give you everything sweet, soft, and shiny.”
Rahikan pressed his lips to the white forehead from which sweat had dried.
To keep that promise, there must be no war. From his position as Emperor, he will bestow upon him all the joys of the world.
Even after ejaculation, he felt his still-hard penis gradually relax inside the woman. Diara moaned softly as the squishy mass slowly slid out. First, the root, then the shaft, and finally the entire tip, resembling a snake's head, was completely expelled.
The gaping hole, as wide as a greenish-green dick, was a sight to behold. The white puddle within the black hole resembles an oasis after a rain.
“At the oasis.”
Rahikan's gaze fell on Diara's mutterings as if she had read his mind.
"What?"
"What did you just say? That's what you said at the oasis."
"Ah."
“...You remembered.”
"It was only ten days ago, so it's only natural. What do you think I am? An idiot? A liar?"
Diara chuckled slightly at Rahikan's bewildered expression. "I didn't mean it that way," she said, her face flushed with irritation as she clenched her fists.
"I've been telling you to check up on me for a while now, but you're spoiled, and it won't work. I'll have to punish you."
“Ugh...”
Ugh, he bit the corner of her mouth that was making a groaning sound, and kissed her until she made a sucking sound.
"Um... yes. So you will be my one and only wife. Empress."
Her eyes, once drowsy and blurry, suddenly widened. Diara jerked to her feet, unable to believe what she'd just heard. But unlike her agitated state, Rahikan, leaning back against her, remained calm.
"...Your Majesty!"
"Don't even think about saying the same thing. You should know now that humiliating yourself is the same as humiliating me."
A hand came from behind, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her closer.
“But I, I... I don't know anything about becoming an Empress...”
"Yes?"
"Yes."
“What do you need to know to become an Empress?”
Diara's mouth tightened at the soft question. She felt forced to answer, but nothing came to mind.
She was so ignorant that she didn't even know what she needed to know. She possessed neither the basic knowledge nor the dignity, nor anything befitting a noble status.
On such a topic, how dare you call me Empress? The more she thought about it, the more she shuddered, as if she heard a frightening story. Since he said he was holding a wedding ceremony, he naturally assumed she had become a concubine.
The thought of becoming Rahikan's concubine filled her with joy. She could be by his side. She could hold him. That alone filled her with a hunger for more than anything in the world. If only she could receive Rahikan's love, she would be more than happy to be his pet, not just his concubine.
“What about the other concubines?”
The words flew out before he thought. Rahikan's brow furrowed slightly at the question's unrelated context.
"What?"
“Your Majesty has many other concubines.”
Diara said, almost groaning.
She heard that Rahikan was so fond of women that he took every Princess in the empire as his concubine and that he had a vast court of women. She thought complacently that she could easily become one of his many concubines.
But becoming Empress was a whole other level of work. She had to stand alongside Rahikan at official functions. She had to wear the same crown and colors as him, ascend to a lofty position, and act as if she were his true wife.
Diara couldn't imagine herself sitting next to Rahikan on the throne. Her heart was beating just as fast, fueling her anxiety.
She felt like she was about to cause an unspeakable disaster. She was about to do something annoying and shameful. It was more of a clear conviction than a premonition.
If she becomes Empress, she will embarrass Rahikan. She will soon become a laughing stock. She will disappoint him countless times and ultimately earn his hatred. Just as she did in Feldif. Just as she did to her father as a child.
“Who is the other concubine?”
He tilted his head, resting his chin on it, and asked. His head, tilted crooked with his arms propped up on a high pillow, looked somewhat displeased.
"So, other than me... There is someone more, more, excellent, classy, and worthy of that position..."
"Why are you asking me that?" She stuttered, feeling a chill running down her spine. Rahikan, who had been quietly observing Diara's actions, finally let out a brief laugh, as if he were dumbfounded.
"Doesn't exist."
"Yes?"
"There is no other woman besides you. And there will never be."
“…”
“I don't know what you're talking about. Are you saying you want me to hug another woman?”
She doesn't like that. The thought of another woman in her arms made her ribs sting like needles. She couldn't even bring herself to say, in empty words, that she wished she would do the same.
He let out a long sigh and said, "Lara," as he sat there unable to do anything after saying something irresponsible.
"You are a Princess of a nation, and you even had your coming-of-age ceremony long ago. Publicly and privately, you are fully qualified to become the Empress."
"But..."
"Or perhaps you are going to reject my proposal?"
Her heart sank at the sight of his narrowed eyes.
“Does the Rose of Feldif have a man in mind?”
Rahikan, his hair curled, kissed her. His eyes were soft, with a quiet smile, as if it were nothing more than a simple joke. His gaze, as if he were looking at something invaluable, made his heart ache.
Rahikan didn't know her. Feldif's red rose. She was so desperate for that precious, golden-leaved flower, she didn't know what to say to him now.
A fake Princess in name only. A wretch. A disgrace to her family, having been forced to marry the old King at the age of twelve, only to have her engagement broken off. She hadn't wanted to be anything, but she never imagined her shame would become so painful.
At this very moment, she wished she weren't herself. How wonderful it would have been if she were a woman worthy of him, or at least worthy and honorable enough to stand beside him without shame.
"Why aren't you answering? Are you sure there's another man?"
The smiling face as he brushed his hair back was still playful.
“You know that's not the case.”
“I don't know.”
"I only have Your Majesty. You know this well, yet you keep darling...!"
Diara buried her face in Rahikan's hands, feeling as if she was about to cry.
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. You're wild. You know, but you pretend not to know."
A pleasant laugh escaped him as she bit his finger, trying to force her chin up.
Even when she bit her hand until it was covered in nicks, she didn't show any sign of irritation. He never raised his hand or kicked, except to slap her buttocks or chest when they were having intercourse. Instead, she was the one who clawed his back and shoulders, drawing blood. If it weren't for her cleanly trimmed fingernails, she would have left a long gash on her neck today, too.
Yet, Rahikan never, not once, raised his voice or showed any sign of displeasure. Because of his incredibly affectionate nature, she felt like she was becoming more and more of a spoiled brat.
How long can this affection last?
As his affection deepened, so did his anxiety. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for not even being able to properly receive the affection she was giving.
Just thinking about Rahikan's face, cold with disappointment, made her heart ache. But seeing him embrace another woman was equally painful. She felt like she was trapped. Trapped in a dead end, her heart ached with a pang of pain.
"Well, I understand it's sudden. Of course, some preparation is necessary."
“...preparations?”
Only at the word "preparation" did Diara finally raise her head.
Are you preparing me to become an Empress?
Now that she thinks about it, she remembers that not only royalty but also daughters of powerful families all take bridal classes before their wedding.
Before she turned twelve, when she was about to be married to the old King of the west, Diara had almost been subjected to something similar. The old King, desiring a pure virgin, demanded that all education related to the union be prohibited, so Diara's bridal training was threatened. Still, thinking back on that time, a few things came to mind.
A mute maid specially chosen to play the role of teacher, a room draped in red cloth, and a silver bowl containing things like parrot feathers.
Even a mere noble or a member of the royal family would receive such an education, so it was inevitable that there would be no preparation process to become an Empress.
Thank goodness. Her heart, which had been wavering over the thought of wearing a crown that didn't fit her needs due to her lack of funds, seemed to have calmed down a little.
“When you say preparation, are you talking about things like education?”
"Why are you interested? You told me you weren't interested and to find another woman."
"I, I didn't say anything like that. I just..."
"Yes, please."
"Oh!"
Diara suddenly slid from her chest as she woke up. Rahikan, who had helped Diara to her side, leaned against the bed, then stepped down beneath her. He knelt on one knee, his weakened knees spread wide. The sound of her tense body sucking in a breath as he bent down between her legs was sweet to his ears.
"The most important thing is to have my child."
He pushed the plump flesh covering his groin. The cement pooling in the tight crevice gave off a damp, pungent smell.
He scraped the fluid that had flowed down to her anus with his hand and pushed it back into her hole. He kissed her pussy, which was licking his hand, and her clitoris, which was swollen and looked like a pomegranate, and he smiled lazily.
“I'll take care of that, so just be pretty like you did today.”
“Like today?”
“It means that all you have to do is enjoy what you are given.”
Diara looked down blankly at the face that was looking up from under her lower abdomen.
The dawn light streaming through the window hung like a veil over his face. The man's face, bathed in a bluish glow, was breathtakingly sensual. A man, obscene, dangerous, yet heartbreakingly beautiful. She couldn't resist wanting him.
The more she tried to control it, the more her heart raced. Every time she touched him, brushed against him, or kissed him, her desire grew uncontrollably.
She wants Rahikan. She wants Rahikan's child. Just the thought made her insides hot and tight. She held on tightly, trying to keep what was inside her from escaping, and he slowly waved his hand.
The sound of thick fingers slurping and thrusting into her clammy, wet vagina was obscene. Every time he slid back and forth along the narrow passage, the sticky fluid oozing out was sucked into his mouth.
“Huh, uh... Yes?”
"You must learn to think like an Empress and act like an Empress."
Suck, slurp, the mouth sucking on her clitoris gains strength. Her vision dimmed as she turned her head, sucking as if to kiss him. Her back arched sharply, and her trembling hands grabbed his hair.
“You mean, uh, acting elegantly and nobly?”
"...Elegant. Nobly?"
Rahikan's eyebrows rose as if he'd heard something he shouldn't have heard. Diara, who had been staring at him with her eyes closed, looked down at him intently.
The lips that had fallen from sucking her bottom were glittering. The man's tongue, wiping his lips, was also wet with the juices and semen he had spilled.
She loves this face. Even when he was kneeling, his sensuality overwhelmed her; his vulgarity and elegance were so good that her heart ached.
"So... like Your Majesty."
Rahikan laughed out loud. His shoulders trembled as he laughed, then turned his head. He shamelessly pressed his lips to the hand that had grabbed her hair.
"Yes. If this is elegant, then feel free to be as elegant as you want."
Rahikan grabbed Diara's wrist and pulled her closer.
"But there's something more important than that."
The voice, lowered as if telling a secret, sounds like a whisper. "I'll only say it once, so listen carefully from now on," Diara said, her eyes sparkling as she nodded.
"Don't see, hear, or touch anything unclean. Don't do anything you don't like. Eat whatever you want, and ask to have everything you want."
The voice continued slowly and gently, as if teaching a child.
"Leave all the boring and tedious work to me, and you act like a weak and arrogant Queen."
A gentle kiss began on her wrist, tracing her collarbone and lingering in her ear. His voice, damp as if soaked in water, flows straight into her eardrum.
Her shoulders hunched involuntarily, feeling as if her hair was standing on end. Rahikan grabbed her head as she tried to run away.
“If you get tired of that, you can act like a spoiled bitch.”
His tongue, which had entered through her parted lips, explored her mouth. It was a tongue coated in semen and love juice, both tingling and sweet. Even his hot breath smelled like what she had shed. She didn't dislike the taste and smell of the slushy mess they created.
As he bit and sucked, his leaning body gradually leaned back. Finally, he snaked his way over the woman's torso, which had collapsed.
"Why aren't you saying anything? If you heard me, you should respond."
"But I don't think that's a virtue of an Empress."
Diara protested softly, her voice important. Even to her ignorant ears, Rahikan's words sound more like a vice to be avoided than a virtue to be upheld by an Empress.
Rahikan narrowed his eyes and smiled, as if caught in a shallow lie. Diara seemed to sense that the madman before her wasn't asking for anything like the Empress's position. Clever, indeed. Useless.
“The greatest virtue of an Empress is to receive the Emperor's affection.”
He raised his hand to cover his suspicious eyes. His large hand covered half of her face, leaving only her red lips exposed.
“The only thing you have to do is to receive my love and become completely mine.”
"I wish you were an idiot." Rahikan smiled regretfully, looking at her trembling lips. If only she had truly been an idiot with a pretty face, things would have been much easier.
If he wanted to keep this bright and intelligent woman by his side, he felt he'd have to spend the rest of his life acting. Her claim to be Empress wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't entirely true either. He wanted everything about Diara.
This face. The soft skin and hair. The pale bones and flesh. The warm blood and heart that flowed through it all were his. From the most shameful to the most beautiful parts of this body, he had no intention of yielding anything to the woman.
As long as she could have her completely, no matter what form or name she had, the position of Empress, or the future child, they were all shackles to that end.
"So you will become the most beloved and respected Empress in the history of the empire."
To be trapped in his shadow, like a snake with its limbs severed, forever trapped. To swallow with two mouths what he offers, weeping in joy and rapture. That was all he desired from this lovable and lustful snake.
It was also what Diara did best. He felt warm eyelids flutter beneath his palm. It felt like he was holding a small bird. Rahikan held his breath, like a hunter waiting for someone to fly into his trap. The wait wasn't long.
“Can I really be like that?”
Finally, he got a satisfactory answer. Rahikan smiled slyly.
"Of course, Lara."
A smiling lip covered the woman's lips.
“But there's one thing we need to do first to make that happen.”
Rahikan, holding Diara in his arms, walked down the dark hallway. As he walked down the stairs, the temperature around him gradually dropped while the humidity rose.
A key engraved with a snake biting the sun was inserted into the empty slot, and the iron door opened silently. The snakes, having smelled the scent of their long-awaited master, raised their heads simultaneously from the dark water.
In the center of the spacious hall, a bathtub carved into the floor was large enough for swimming. As he stepped into the water, snakes snaked beneath him like a carpet.
Finally, Rahikan entered the center of the bath and placed Diara on the altar. Unlike the outside, which reached waist-high, the inside of the altar, built on a series of steps, was shallow. Inside, a white, thick liquid, like melted candle water, pooled.
"Your Majesty."
A small voice called out to Rahikan.
"Why, are you scared?"
"No."
Diara shook her head. Her words trembled, but not out of fear. The water, thick and bloody like his cement, was warm. Lying in it, her heart felt at ease, as if she were in his arms.
Located at the very bottom of the palace is the Serpent Palace. It's the most dangerous and yet most secure place in the palace, akin to the Emperor's lair. Rahikan said that anyone who wishes to become Empress must undergo a ritual here.
“For some reason, I keep feeling sleepy.”
I shouldn't be sleeping... At the sound of her muttering, seemingly troubled, Rahikan laughed silently. Who would call her a monster? No matter how much soothing incense they burned, this place was a snake den, swarming with hundreds of venomous snakes.
How many people in this world could utter such peaceful words in such a terrible place? On the day he first wore the Emperor's crown, even the elders couldn't raise their heads as they watched him ascend the altar.
“You'll be sleeping soundly soon, so just bear with it for a little longer.”
Rahian plunged his hand into the boiling water. Drops of water dripped from his fingertips as he pulled out the snake seal. It had been decades since his mother received the Empress's seal. The snakes, their eyes shining in anticipation of meeting their new master, gathered, the sound like the rustling of leaves.
For the rest of her life, she was the only Empress who would serve the snakes alongside her. The medicine flowing through his hand burned his skin. Rahikan leaned against the edge of the altar and bowed.
"Lara, my snake. My offering. Whose are you?"
A quiet question echoed through her dazed mind. Her heart pounded at the whispered voice, stroking her flowing hair.
Snake, offering, bitch, lust recipient. Besides Lara, which means "snake," these were the names Rahikan called her. Even when they slept together or kissed, he called her by these shameful names.
It was a derogatory term that made her tremble with insults when she heard it from her father, the King. But when it comes from Rahikan's mouth, it sounds different. Instead of feeling hurt after being insulted, a single kiss made her heart ache, and she couldn't quite figure out why.
Maybe her mind was going crazy. Perhaps she fell into her hands as if she were being sold, and had opened her body with the resolve to die, and gone mad. But even so, I felt it didn't matter.
"Lara, come here." The soft voice calling out was sweet as honey. "Lara, my snake." His quiet gaze, meeting hers, was soft enough to touch. Even if what he was pouring down was poison, there was no way he could refuse. Her heart, determined not to run away from him no matter what, beats with joy like a drum.
“It all belongs to Your Majesty.”
Rahikan kissed her whispering lips as if giving her a reward.
The medicine melted in her mouth and flowed like water. Its effects spread quickly along the familiar stool. The sensation that began on her tongue spread through her blood vessels in an instant. Her entire body became numb, like a wet log.
Just before consciousness snapped, Rahikan pressed the seal on the heavily sunken body. The sharp, saw-toothed crest cuts sharply into the flesh.
“Ugh…”
With a faint groan, she twitched once, then immediately fell back to her knees. And that was the end of it.
A red stream of blood bloomed like a flower below the navel of the completely unconscious woman. Snakes, scenting the blood, slithered onto the altar in an instant. Rahikan gazed down at the snakes' waists, coiled around Diara, with gleaming eyes. In this crimson and white water, the wounds would heal without a trace.
When she wakes from a dreamless sleep, only a vivid mark will remain. A sentence that won't be erased even if her flesh is cut away, forever binding her. As if her body was destined to be his from birth.
“You're kind too.”
Has there ever been anything more loyal in my life? His heart ached with love for the woman who became him without a single scream or struggle.
Rahikan wiped his hands of the medicine and straightened his bent back.
“Tataram.”
"..."
"Coming out. Stop peeking like a little rat."
The tone of his speech, as if lying, had changed without even looking at the shadow cast on the water.
“Azad's is here.”
A voice from the air was as rough as a charred tree. Rahikan, turning his back, stared at the man in black with impassive eyes.
A man draped in black from head to toe, his eyes radiate a strange light from beneath his mask. He is the leader of the secret army that protects the Emperor. Commonly known as the Crows, he is one of the ancestral Crows who protected the late Emperor.
"Long time no see."
It had been nearly four years since he last saw him before he went off to battle. Of course, even during that time, messengers would occasionally arrive with news from the palace.
The most recent of these fell on the night before entering Feldif. The red-bordered paper bore a single line of text.
All the young crows have grown up.
Rahikan stared at that short sentence for a long time. It held too much meaning to be conveyed on a single piece of paper. Contrary to his still image, a fire seemed to boil from his right shoulder to his thigh. A searing sense of humiliation, a coagulated hatred, burned into his skin. The fading furnace vigorously devoured the paper.
He thinks he laughed out loud at the sight of the flying sparks, and maybe he didn't. Looking at Feldif's white walls, he also had the silly thought of whether Feldif's famously sweet and strong liquor would truly live up to its reputation.
When the flock of crows, which were thought to have been wiped out, returned, the elders' faces looked as if they had seen ghosts.
It was understandable. Everyone saw the corpses of crows that day, covering the Emperor's bedroom in pitch black. With no escape route, the crows, along with their master, perished.
Coincidentally, the collapsed ceiling blocked the only entrance. Before they could figure out whether it was someone's scheme or a simple accident, the torrential rain swept everything away.
However, what the elders overlooked was that the flock of crowds wasn't just one. Only after his father's body was taken out of the city gates did Rahikan learn from Tataram that a crowd had been raised in his honor.
After the Great Fire, only the leader, Tataram, survived among the previous generations of crows. Therefore, all the crowds that follow Rahikan today were bred by later generations. These crows, descended from the previous generation, then the next, and then the next, were trained from birth to become weapons of destruction for their sole master.
All the crows that served the previous Emperor died, and it took a full ten years for Rahikan's young crows to fully grow. During that time, Rahikan was raised as a puppet Emperor, a madman, and a broodmare to carry on the lineage. Had he not been fortunate enough to wander the battlefield, he would have taken his own life long ago.
"To guard the nest until the Crown Prince's crows are fully grown. That was your final mission."
“There is no mistake in what the little sun said.”
Rahikan laughed, as if he found it amusing. Only the crows that served the former Emperor dared to call him "Little Sun." Those crows, who served only one Azad their entire lives, could never accept a new master.
“Come closer.”
Tataram knelt and prostrated himself. The old man's neck rests at Rahikan's feet. The snakes in the water hissed in displeasure at the uninvited visitor's arrival.
She chewed his hand without even realizing she was biting it. Instead of biting it, he pushed his tongue into it.
He slid his small front teeth into her mouth, poking her as if he were poking her with his penis. His long, hard tongue pierced her mucous membrane and penetrated her throat, and Diara pursed her lips and sucked on it.
Slurp, slurp, slurp. The sound of holes sucking and devouring each other filled the room. The air was humid, a mixture of heat, sweat, love juice, and semen. Saliva overflows from their chins, and love juice flows from their asses, two long streams of bodily fluids dancing and swaying.
Their bodies, entangled beyond recognition, melted like mud. The shortened candles, unable to withstand the humidity, extinguished. A blue curtain spreads across the swallowing room, then lifts again. And so, until dawn broke, the sound of the male and female, completely united, swaying, swaying, dancing continued unceasingly.
***
The hot fluid soaked her insides. Countless ejaculations had diluted the fluid, and it flowed out almost like urine. As Rahikan squirmed, shaking his waist, his loosened hips trembled as he poured out every last drop.
“Huhh..."
He turned her sagging body to face him. The woman's smooth, smooth body seemed as if it would crumble with the slightest force. He found it amusing, yet helpless, to treat her as if she were some incomparably fragile thing, crushing and mangling her all the time.
Is sadistic temperament innate? Looking at the woman's breasts, already beginning to show bluish bruises, made her mouth water.
That's understandable. With his beastly, bright yellow eyes and a hint of madness, his intermittent, seething violence was a trait common to the Cardion royal family. It could have been a genetic trait passed down through his bloodline since ancient times, or perhaps a side effect of generations of inbreeding.
He lay her on his chest, her soft cheek pressed against his flat chest. Rahikan slowly stroked Diara's hair, which was colorful and breathing heavily. As he gently stroked her rosy hair, soft as sand, her breath, which had been falling sharply and almost on the verge of breaking, gradually became steady.
“Lara.”
Instead of answering, the inside of his cock gave him a firm nudge. The owner, although incapable of answering, chuckled softly, still finding the perky hole adorable.
“I'm sorry, but the wedding will have to be postponed for a bit.”
It was an extension of what he had said at the oasis. He had promised to hold a formal wedding ceremony upon his return to the palace. Originally, the plan was to hold the ceremony as soon as he entered the palace, but the plan deviated slightly.
"Are you sad?"
As if responding to a question, her half-closed eyelids slowly rose. Her long eyelashes were splayed with strands of sweat and tears. A wispy shadow formed beneath her eyes, still red.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then the tiny head shook its head. It seemed to indicate that she wasn't upset. His mood actually sank at the unexpected response.
"At least pretend to be sad."
Be knew it would be like that. The additional words were a bit sloppy.
“Do you want me to be upset?”
“To be honest, I wish you would hurry up and make a fuss and bite your nails.”
Diara looked up at Rahikan again. Her gaze was clear and unblemished. He didn't like that clear gaze, devoid of resentment or obsession. At some point, his impatience had become his sole burden.
"Is that really okay?"
This is the only way to bow down and receive the offering. Still, bowing was a bow, and Rahikan, feeling relieved, chuckled. The small woman, with just a few words, was playing with the man.
"What do you like so much? What, you want to give me a slap now?"
“No, that's not it... No, you can't?”
"Yes. It's possible. But there's no way around postponing the ceremony. Marriage during a memorial service is prohibited by national law."
The desert's rainy season was approaching. That meant the anniversary of the deaths of the royal family, decimated by a devastating fire over a decade ago, was fast approaching. Dozens of royal family members, including Rahikan's parents, the late Emperor and his Empress, had died simultaneously on the same day. Preparations for a grand memorial service that would last throughout the rainy season would soon be in full swing, both inside and outside the capital.
During the memorial period, a nationwide ban on marriage was imposed. Not only marriage, but also singing, dancing, banquets, and inviting relatives were prohibited, making it impossible to hold a state marriage during that time.
Although his return to the capital was later than expected, he thought it was a good thing that it turned out this way.
If Diara were to admit her own child before marriage, the Council of Elders would have no justification for opposing her marriage. This would allow him to seize control of the Council of Elders, the force that holds the empire together.
"The wolf, the fish, and the scorpion have stepped into the sun's shadow. The peacock has lowered himself, and of those left, only the kingfisher and the camel follow the raccoon."
An elder with a white seal on his chest whispered to him. He was the only elder among the eight who followed him.
Kingfishers are timid, and camels are conservative. Therefore, unless the Elder and Helgatria's momentum was completely broken, the elders of those two families would not side with the Emperor, who had no heirs. The council of elders, who were supposed to serve the Emperor, began to follow the Elder rather than him, as his sole legitimate wife was destined to be Helgatria, the Elder's daughter.
Rahikan examined each of the elders' faces, turning pale and turning pale. His temper was such that he wanted to slit their throats, but he couldn't.
To rule an empire formed by a coalition of princely states, the support of the Council of Elders is essential. Recklessly executing them risked engulfing the entire Cardion in war.
While Rahikan was lost in thought, Diara played with his fingers. His long, straight knuckles were dotted with squirrel-like bite marks.
“I said I would give you everything sweet, soft, and shiny.”
Rahikan pressed his lips to the white forehead from which sweat had dried.
To keep that promise, there must be no war. From his position as Emperor, he will bestow upon him all the joys of the world.
Even after ejaculation, he felt his still-hard penis gradually relax inside the woman. Diara moaned softly as the squishy mass slowly slid out. First, the root, then the shaft, and finally the entire tip, resembling a snake's head, was completely expelled.
The gaping hole, as wide as a greenish-green dick, was a sight to behold. The white puddle within the black hole resembles an oasis after a rain.
“At the oasis.”
Rahikan's gaze fell on Diara's mutterings as if she had read his mind.
"What?"
"What did you just say? That's what you said at the oasis."
"Ah."
“...You remembered.”
"It was only ten days ago, so it's only natural. What do you think I am? An idiot? A liar?"
Diara chuckled slightly at Rahikan's bewildered expression. "I didn't mean it that way," she said, her face flushed with irritation as she clenched her fists.
"I've been telling you to check up on me for a while now, but you're spoiled, and it won't work. I'll have to punish you."
“Ugh...”
Ugh, he bit the corner of her mouth that was making a groaning sound, and kissed her until she made a sucking sound.
"Um... yes. So you will be my one and only wife. Empress."
Her eyes, once drowsy and blurry, suddenly widened. Diara jerked to her feet, unable to believe what she'd just heard. But unlike her agitated state, Rahikan, leaning back against her, remained calm.
"...Your Majesty!"
"Don't even think about saying the same thing. You should know now that humiliating yourself is the same as humiliating me."
A hand came from behind, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her closer.
“But I, I... I don't know anything about becoming an Empress...”
"Yes?"
"Yes."
“What do you need to know to become an Empress?”
Diara's mouth tightened at the soft question. She felt forced to answer, but nothing came to mind.
She was so ignorant that she didn't even know what she needed to know. She possessed neither the basic knowledge nor the dignity, nor anything befitting a noble status.
On such a topic, how dare you call me Empress? The more she thought about it, the more she shuddered, as if she heard a frightening story. Since he said he was holding a wedding ceremony, he naturally assumed she had become a concubine.
The thought of becoming Rahikan's concubine filled her with joy. She could be by his side. She could hold him. That alone filled her with a hunger for more than anything in the world. If only she could receive Rahikan's love, she would be more than happy to be his pet, not just his concubine.
“What about the other concubines?”
The words flew out before he thought. Rahikan's brow furrowed slightly at the question's unrelated context.
"What?"
“Your Majesty has many other concubines.”
Diara said, almost groaning.
She heard that Rahikan was so fond of women that he took every Princess in the empire as his concubine and that he had a vast court of women. She thought complacently that she could easily become one of his many concubines.
But becoming Empress was a whole other level of work. She had to stand alongside Rahikan at official functions. She had to wear the same crown and colors as him, ascend to a lofty position, and act as if she were his true wife.
Diara couldn't imagine herself sitting next to Rahikan on the throne. Her heart was beating just as fast, fueling her anxiety.
She felt like she was about to cause an unspeakable disaster. She was about to do something annoying and shameful. It was more of a clear conviction than a premonition.
If she becomes Empress, she will embarrass Rahikan. She will soon become a laughing stock. She will disappoint him countless times and ultimately earn his hatred. Just as she did in Feldif. Just as she did to her father as a child.
“Who is the other concubine?”
He tilted his head, resting his chin on it, and asked. His head, tilted crooked with his arms propped up on a high pillow, looked somewhat displeased.
"So, other than me... There is someone more, more, excellent, classy, and worthy of that position..."
"Why are you asking me that?" She stuttered, feeling a chill running down her spine. Rahikan, who had been quietly observing Diara's actions, finally let out a brief laugh, as if he were dumbfounded.
"Doesn't exist."
"Yes?"
"There is no other woman besides you. And there will never be."
“…”
“I don't know what you're talking about. Are you saying you want me to hug another woman?”
She doesn't like that. The thought of another woman in her arms made her ribs sting like needles. She couldn't even bring herself to say, in empty words, that she wished she would do the same.
He let out a long sigh and said, "Lara," as he sat there unable to do anything after saying something irresponsible.
"You are a Princess of a nation, and you even had your coming-of-age ceremony long ago. Publicly and privately, you are fully qualified to become the Empress."
"But..."
"Or perhaps you are going to reject my proposal?"
Her heart sank at the sight of his narrowed eyes.
“Does the Rose of Feldif have a man in mind?”
Rahikan, his hair curled, kissed her. His eyes were soft, with a quiet smile, as if it were nothing more than a simple joke. His gaze, as if he were looking at something invaluable, made his heart ache.
Rahikan didn't know her. Feldif's red rose. She was so desperate for that precious, golden-leaved flower, she didn't know what to say to him now.
A fake Princess in name only. A wretch. A disgrace to her family, having been forced to marry the old King at the age of twelve, only to have her engagement broken off. She hadn't wanted to be anything, but she never imagined her shame would become so painful.
At this very moment, she wished she weren't herself. How wonderful it would have been if she were a woman worthy of him, or at least worthy and honorable enough to stand beside him without shame.
"Why aren't you answering? Are you sure there's another man?"
The smiling face as he brushed his hair back was still playful.
“You know that's not the case.”
“I don't know.”
"I only have Your Majesty. You know this well, yet you keep darling...!"
Diara buried her face in Rahikan's hands, feeling as if she was about to cry.
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. You're wild. You know, but you pretend not to know."
A pleasant laugh escaped him as she bit his finger, trying to force her chin up.
Even when she bit her hand until it was covered in nicks, she didn't show any sign of irritation. He never raised his hand or kicked, except to slap her buttocks or chest when they were having intercourse. Instead, she was the one who clawed his back and shoulders, drawing blood. If it weren't for her cleanly trimmed fingernails, she would have left a long gash on her neck today, too.
Yet, Rahikan never, not once, raised his voice or showed any sign of displeasure. Because of his incredibly affectionate nature, she felt like she was becoming more and more of a spoiled brat.
How long can this affection last?
As his affection deepened, so did his anxiety. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for not even being able to properly receive the affection she was giving.
Just thinking about Rahikan's face, cold with disappointment, made her heart ache. But seeing him embrace another woman was equally painful. She felt like she was trapped. Trapped in a dead end, her heart ached with a pang of pain.
"Well, I understand it's sudden. Of course, some preparation is necessary."
“...preparations?”
Only at the word "preparation" did Diara finally raise her head.
Are you preparing me to become an Empress?
Now that she thinks about it, she remembers that not only royalty but also daughters of powerful families all take bridal classes before their wedding.
Before she turned twelve, when she was about to be married to the old King of the west, Diara had almost been subjected to something similar. The old King, desiring a pure virgin, demanded that all education related to the union be prohibited, so Diara's bridal training was threatened. Still, thinking back on that time, a few things came to mind.
A mute maid specially chosen to play the role of teacher, a room draped in red cloth, and a silver bowl containing things like parrot feathers.
Even a mere noble or a member of the royal family would receive such an education, so it was inevitable that there would be no preparation process to become an Empress.
Thank goodness. Her heart, which had been wavering over the thought of wearing a crown that didn't fit her needs due to her lack of funds, seemed to have calmed down a little.
“When you say preparation, are you talking about things like education?”
"Why are you interested? You told me you weren't interested and to find another woman."
"I, I didn't say anything like that. I just..."
"Yes, please."
"Oh!"
Diara suddenly slid from her chest as she woke up. Rahikan, who had helped Diara to her side, leaned against the bed, then stepped down beneath her. He knelt on one knee, his weakened knees spread wide. The sound of her tense body sucking in a breath as he bent down between her legs was sweet to his ears.
"The most important thing is to have my child."
He pushed the plump flesh covering his groin. The cement pooling in the tight crevice gave off a damp, pungent smell.
He scraped the fluid that had flowed down to her anus with his hand and pushed it back into her hole. He kissed her pussy, which was licking his hand, and her clitoris, which was swollen and looked like a pomegranate, and he smiled lazily.
“I'll take care of that, so just be pretty like you did today.”
“Like today?”
“It means that all you have to do is enjoy what you are given.”
Diara looked down blankly at the face that was looking up from under her lower abdomen.
The dawn light streaming through the window hung like a veil over his face. The man's face, bathed in a bluish glow, was breathtakingly sensual. A man, obscene, dangerous, yet heartbreakingly beautiful. She couldn't resist wanting him.
The more she tried to control it, the more her heart raced. Every time she touched him, brushed against him, or kissed him, her desire grew uncontrollably.
She wants Rahikan. She wants Rahikan's child. Just the thought made her insides hot and tight. She held on tightly, trying to keep what was inside her from escaping, and he slowly waved his hand.
The sound of thick fingers slurping and thrusting into her clammy, wet vagina was obscene. Every time he slid back and forth along the narrow passage, the sticky fluid oozing out was sucked into his mouth.
“Huh, uh... Yes?”
"You must learn to think like an Empress and act like an Empress."
Suck, slurp, the mouth sucking on her clitoris gains strength. Her vision dimmed as she turned her head, sucking as if to kiss him. Her back arched sharply, and her trembling hands grabbed his hair.
“You mean, uh, acting elegantly and nobly?”
"...Elegant. Nobly?"
Rahikan's eyebrows rose as if he'd heard something he shouldn't have heard. Diara, who had been staring at him with her eyes closed, looked down at him intently.
The lips that had fallen from sucking her bottom were glittering. The man's tongue, wiping his lips, was also wet with the juices and semen he had spilled.
She loves this face. Even when he was kneeling, his sensuality overwhelmed her; his vulgarity and elegance were so good that her heart ached.
"So... like Your Majesty."
Rahikan laughed out loud. His shoulders trembled as he laughed, then turned his head. He shamelessly pressed his lips to the hand that had grabbed her hair.
"Yes. If this is elegant, then feel free to be as elegant as you want."
Rahikan grabbed Diara's wrist and pulled her closer.
"But there's something more important than that."
The voice, lowered as if telling a secret, sounds like a whisper. "I'll only say it once, so listen carefully from now on," Diara said, her eyes sparkling as she nodded.
"Don't see, hear, or touch anything unclean. Don't do anything you don't like. Eat whatever you want, and ask to have everything you want."
The voice continued slowly and gently, as if teaching a child.
"Leave all the boring and tedious work to me, and you act like a weak and arrogant Queen."
A gentle kiss began on her wrist, tracing her collarbone and lingering in her ear. His voice, damp as if soaked in water, flows straight into her eardrum.
Her shoulders hunched involuntarily, feeling as if her hair was standing on end. Rahikan grabbed her head as she tried to run away.
“If you get tired of that, you can act like a spoiled bitch.”
His tongue, which had entered through her parted lips, explored her mouth. It was a tongue coated in semen and love juice, both tingling and sweet. Even his hot breath smelled like what she had shed. She didn't dislike the taste and smell of the slushy mess they created.
As he bit and sucked, his leaning body gradually leaned back. Finally, he snaked his way over the woman's torso, which had collapsed.
"Why aren't you saying anything? If you heard me, you should respond."
"But I don't think that's a virtue of an Empress."
Diara protested softly, her voice important. Even to her ignorant ears, Rahikan's words sound more like a vice to be avoided than a virtue to be upheld by an Empress.
Rahikan narrowed his eyes and smiled, as if caught in a shallow lie. Diara seemed to sense that the madman before her wasn't asking for anything like the Empress's position. Clever, indeed. Useless.
“The greatest virtue of an Empress is to receive the Emperor's affection.”
He raised his hand to cover his suspicious eyes. His large hand covered half of her face, leaving only her red lips exposed.
“The only thing you have to do is to receive my love and become completely mine.”
"I wish you were an idiot." Rahikan smiled regretfully, looking at her trembling lips. If only she had truly been an idiot with a pretty face, things would have been much easier.
If he wanted to keep this bright and intelligent woman by his side, he felt he'd have to spend the rest of his life acting. Her claim to be Empress wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't entirely true either. He wanted everything about Diara.
This face. The soft skin and hair. The pale bones and flesh. The warm blood and heart that flowed through it all were his. From the most shameful to the most beautiful parts of this body, he had no intention of yielding anything to the woman.
As long as she could have her completely, no matter what form or name she had, the position of Empress, or the future child, they were all shackles to that end.
"So you will become the most beloved and respected Empress in the history of the empire."
To be trapped in his shadow, like a snake with its limbs severed, forever trapped. To swallow with two mouths what he offers, weeping in joy and rapture. That was all he desired from this lovable and lustful snake.
It was also what Diara did best. He felt warm eyelids flutter beneath his palm. It felt like he was holding a small bird. Rahikan held his breath, like a hunter waiting for someone to fly into his trap. The wait wasn't long.
“Can I really be like that?”
Finally, he got a satisfactory answer. Rahikan smiled slyly.
"Of course, Lara."
A smiling lip covered the woman's lips.
“But there's one thing we need to do first to make that happen.”
***
Rahikan, holding Diara in his arms, walked down the dark hallway. As he walked down the stairs, the temperature around him gradually dropped while the humidity rose.
A key engraved with a snake biting the sun was inserted into the empty slot, and the iron door opened silently. The snakes, having smelled the scent of their long-awaited master, raised their heads simultaneously from the dark water.
In the center of the spacious hall, a bathtub carved into the floor was large enough for swimming. As he stepped into the water, snakes snaked beneath him like a carpet.
Finally, Rahikan entered the center of the bath and placed Diara on the altar. Unlike the outside, which reached waist-high, the inside of the altar, built on a series of steps, was shallow. Inside, a white, thick liquid, like melted candle water, pooled.
"Your Majesty."
A small voice called out to Rahikan.
"Why, are you scared?"
"No."
Diara shook her head. Her words trembled, but not out of fear. The water, thick and bloody like his cement, was warm. Lying in it, her heart felt at ease, as if she were in his arms.
Located at the very bottom of the palace is the Serpent Palace. It's the most dangerous and yet most secure place in the palace, akin to the Emperor's lair. Rahikan said that anyone who wishes to become Empress must undergo a ritual here.
“For some reason, I keep feeling sleepy.”
I shouldn't be sleeping... At the sound of her muttering, seemingly troubled, Rahikan laughed silently. Who would call her a monster? No matter how much soothing incense they burned, this place was a snake den, swarming with hundreds of venomous snakes.
How many people in this world could utter such peaceful words in such a terrible place? On the day he first wore the Emperor's crown, even the elders couldn't raise their heads as they watched him ascend the altar.
“You'll be sleeping soundly soon, so just bear with it for a little longer.”
Rahian plunged his hand into the boiling water. Drops of water dripped from his fingertips as he pulled out the snake seal. It had been decades since his mother received the Empress's seal. The snakes, their eyes shining in anticipation of meeting their new master, gathered, the sound like the rustling of leaves.
For the rest of her life, she was the only Empress who would serve the snakes alongside her. The medicine flowing through his hand burned his skin. Rahikan leaned against the edge of the altar and bowed.
"Lara, my snake. My offering. Whose are you?"
A quiet question echoed through her dazed mind. Her heart pounded at the whispered voice, stroking her flowing hair.
Snake, offering, bitch, lust recipient. Besides Lara, which means "snake," these were the names Rahikan called her. Even when they slept together or kissed, he called her by these shameful names.
It was a derogatory term that made her tremble with insults when she heard it from her father, the King. But when it comes from Rahikan's mouth, it sounds different. Instead of feeling hurt after being insulted, a single kiss made her heart ache, and she couldn't quite figure out why.
Maybe her mind was going crazy. Perhaps she fell into her hands as if she were being sold, and had opened her body with the resolve to die, and gone mad. But even so, I felt it didn't matter.
"Lara, come here." The soft voice calling out was sweet as honey. "Lara, my snake." His quiet gaze, meeting hers, was soft enough to touch. Even if what he was pouring down was poison, there was no way he could refuse. Her heart, determined not to run away from him no matter what, beats with joy like a drum.
“It all belongs to Your Majesty.”
Rahikan kissed her whispering lips as if giving her a reward.
The medicine melted in her mouth and flowed like water. Its effects spread quickly along the familiar stool. The sensation that began on her tongue spread through her blood vessels in an instant. Her entire body became numb, like a wet log.
Just before consciousness snapped, Rahikan pressed the seal on the heavily sunken body. The sharp, saw-toothed crest cuts sharply into the flesh.
“Ugh…”
With a faint groan, she twitched once, then immediately fell back to her knees. And that was the end of it.
A red stream of blood bloomed like a flower below the navel of the completely unconscious woman. Snakes, scenting the blood, slithered onto the altar in an instant. Rahikan gazed down at the snakes' waists, coiled around Diara, with gleaming eyes. In this crimson and white water, the wounds would heal without a trace.
When she wakes from a dreamless sleep, only a vivid mark will remain. A sentence that won't be erased even if her flesh is cut away, forever binding her. As if her body was destined to be his from birth.
“You're kind too.”
Has there ever been anything more loyal in my life? His heart ached with love for the woman who became him without a single scream or struggle.
***
Rahikan wiped his hands of the medicine and straightened his bent back.
“Tataram.”
"..."
"Coming out. Stop peeking like a little rat."
The tone of his speech, as if lying, had changed without even looking at the shadow cast on the water.
“Azad's is here.”
A voice from the air was as rough as a charred tree. Rahikan, turning his back, stared at the man in black with impassive eyes.
A man draped in black from head to toe, his eyes radiate a strange light from beneath his mask. He is the leader of the secret army that protects the Emperor. Commonly known as the Crows, he is one of the ancestral Crows who protected the late Emperor.
"Long time no see."
It had been nearly four years since he last saw him before he went off to battle. Of course, even during that time, messengers would occasionally arrive with news from the palace.
The most recent of these fell on the night before entering Feldif. The red-bordered paper bore a single line of text.
All the young crows have grown up.
Rahikan stared at that short sentence for a long time. It held too much meaning to be conveyed on a single piece of paper. Contrary to his still image, a fire seemed to boil from his right shoulder to his thigh. A searing sense of humiliation, a coagulated hatred, burned into his skin. The fading furnace vigorously devoured the paper.
He thinks he laughed out loud at the sight of the flying sparks, and maybe he didn't. Looking at Feldif's white walls, he also had the silly thought of whether Feldif's famously sweet and strong liquor would truly live up to its reputation.
When the flock of crows, which were thought to have been wiped out, returned, the elders' faces looked as if they had seen ghosts.
It was understandable. Everyone saw the corpses of crows that day, covering the Emperor's bedroom in pitch black. With no escape route, the crows, along with their master, perished.
Coincidentally, the collapsed ceiling blocked the only entrance. Before they could figure out whether it was someone's scheme or a simple accident, the torrential rain swept everything away.
However, what the elders overlooked was that the flock of crowds wasn't just one. Only after his father's body was taken out of the city gates did Rahikan learn from Tataram that a crowd had been raised in his honor.
After the Great Fire, only the leader, Tataram, survived among the previous generations of crows. Therefore, all the crowds that follow Rahikan today were bred by later generations. These crows, descended from the previous generation, then the next, and then the next, were trained from birth to become weapons of destruction for their sole master.
All the crows that served the previous Emperor died, and it took a full ten years for Rahikan's young crows to fully grow. During that time, Rahikan was raised as a puppet Emperor, a madman, and a broodmare to carry on the lineage. Had he not been fortunate enough to wander the battlefield, he would have taken his own life long ago.
"To guard the nest until the Crown Prince's crows are fully grown. That was your final mission."
“There is no mistake in what the little sun said.”
Rahikan laughed, as if he found it amusing. Only the crows that served the former Emperor dared to call him "Little Sun." Those crows, who served only one Azad their entire lives, could never accept a new master.
“Come closer.”
Tataram knelt and prostrated himself. The old man's neck rests at Rahikan's feet. The snakes in the water hissed in displeasure at the uninvited visitor's arrival.
The sword of a single-edged blade, placed beside the altar, was taken up by Rahikan's hand. The blade, unsheathed, gleamed white. Just as it seemed the edge might dip downward, the sharpened tip plunged deep into Tataram's throat. With the final crack of seven vertebrae snapping apart, the bird's beak plunged downward.
It was a clean death, without a final goodbye or a detailed will. The life that had been neglected for ten years after its master's death finally found peace, a peaceful sight. Rahikan, who had been watching the blood gushing out, brushed it off his sword.
The last crow that followed the Emperor died after completing its final mission. Now, all the surviving birds belong to him.
“Tataram.”
“Azad's is here.”
The crow, having climbed a new Tataram, answered his Azad. Even witnessing the imminent death of the father who had fed and clothed him since birth, the young Crown remained unperturbed.
They were born with emotional numbness. Talking to a crow was like talking to a living corpse, and this was true not only for the crows but for everyone else here.
The only living thing in this palace had just fallen asleep on the altar. Rahikan silently looked down at Diara, who lay there. The red, healing mark on her lower abdomen was already beautiful.
“Tell me, what is my sister doing?”
"After hearing the news about Ferzan, she collapsed. Those who followed the elders, who were imprisoned in the capital, showed no signs of rebellion and remained silent."
While the suspicious Ferzan circled the city, Rahikan's crows eviscerated every joint of the royal guard. A large army with its backbone severed was no different from a warhorse with its eyes gouged out, making it rare for anything to be tamed so easily.
The peaceful castle is as quiet as death.
This calm will continue for the next three months, until the rainy season comes to an end.
“Find a way to implant a child into this body within three months.”
“Everything is according to Azad's will.”
The first order was given to Tataram. Everything was according to Azad's will. The greeting, as old as the old castle itself, sounds like a spell.
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