Erna immediately turned around. She headed straight for her room, then returned to the master bedroom a moment later. She returned with a bottle of liquor and a glass in her hand.
Erna brought the strongest liquor in her room, uncorked it immediately, and filled the glass to the brim.
'Why didn't I think of drinking?'
Erna felt so foolish. Unlike Callion, she enjoyed drinking. Still, she couldn't drink much because it made it difficult to use magic when drunk.
Erna stared at her glass, more than half full, then downed it in one gulp. It was a fruit wine, a specialty of southern Hessengard. It was sweet, but quite strong, so she only drank it occasionally, either in small sips or with ice or water.
After gulping down several mouthfuls of the potent substance, she felt a sudden reaction. Her stomach burned, and the heat that had started in her stomach quickly rose up her throat and enveloped her face. She placed her hand on her cheek, and it was so hot that she wondered if it was burning her.
At the same time, her vision began to waver. It wasn't a sensation Erna enjoyed. She always wanted to be conscious, so she could use her magic accurately. But she didn't have the luxury of thinking about such things right now.
When everything in the world felt a little hazy, Erna approached the bed in the center of the room. Lying down in the middle, she spoke to Callion, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Do it."
"What?"
“Do it quickly. Can you do it yourself?”
Erna gritted her teeth.
‘Sexual intercourse is...’
When a man's penis becomes erect, he inserts it into the woman's vagina and ejaculates into her uterus. That was the kind of sexual intercourse Erna knew. Of course, insertion is painful, and since the degree of pain varies greatly from person to person, they said you couldn't say exactly how much it would hurt. They said it would be less painful if you were skilled, though...
'I'm inexperienced, so I'll be hurt... I don't know about him.'
They say that in a relationship, if even one partner is skilled and capable of leading, pain can easily turn into pleasure. Erna felt goosebumps as she recalled that. She hated pain, but she hated pleasure even more. She felt pleasure from being with Callion, not anyone else. The thought sent shivers down her spine.
Ten years had passed, and everything had changed, but Erna's hostility toward Callion remained. And so did Callion.
In fact, it might not be something so grand as to be called hostility. She indeed dislikes the sight of him, but she doesn't feel like she goes after him in the middle of the night with a knife.
However, Erna was reluctant to look at Callion. Seeing him brought back memories of their wedding and their first night together. It was like facing someone who had witnessed the most horrific moment of her life.
So, whenever she saw Callion, she wanted to get away. Or she wanted to get rid of him.
Meanwhile, the mattress on the bed Erna was lying on rippled. It was Callion who had climbed aboard.
'Are you doing it now?'
She wished this would all be over quickly. What worried her was how long it would take.
The book she'd read only said it varied from person to person, so she couldn't figure out whether it took one minute, ten minutes, or an hour. And since she had no one to ask, Erna's question remained unanswered.
But it doesn't matter now. She's even borrowed the power of alcohol, so she'll endure it no matter how long it takes.
Erna brought the strongest liquor in her room, uncorked it immediately, and filled the glass to the brim.
'Why didn't I think of drinking?'
Erna felt so foolish. Unlike Callion, she enjoyed drinking. Still, she couldn't drink much because it made it difficult to use magic when drunk.
Erna stared at her glass, more than half full, then downed it in one gulp. It was a fruit wine, a specialty of southern Hessengard. It was sweet, but quite strong, so she only drank it occasionally, either in small sips or with ice or water.
After gulping down several mouthfuls of the potent substance, she felt a sudden reaction. Her stomach burned, and the heat that had started in her stomach quickly rose up her throat and enveloped her face. She placed her hand on her cheek, and it was so hot that she wondered if it was burning her.
At the same time, her vision began to waver. It wasn't a sensation Erna enjoyed. She always wanted to be conscious, so she could use her magic accurately. But she didn't have the luxury of thinking about such things right now.
When everything in the world felt a little hazy, Erna approached the bed in the center of the room. Lying down in the middle, she spoke to Callion, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Do it."
"What?"
“Do it quickly. Can you do it yourself?”
Erna gritted her teeth.
‘Sexual intercourse is...’
When a man's penis becomes erect, he inserts it into the woman's vagina and ejaculates into her uterus. That was the kind of sexual intercourse Erna knew. Of course, insertion is painful, and since the degree of pain varies greatly from person to person, they said you couldn't say exactly how much it would hurt. They said it would be less painful if you were skilled, though...
'I'm inexperienced, so I'll be hurt... I don't know about him.'
They say that in a relationship, if even one partner is skilled and capable of leading, pain can easily turn into pleasure. Erna felt goosebumps as she recalled that. She hated pain, but she hated pleasure even more. She felt pleasure from being with Callion, not anyone else. The thought sent shivers down her spine.
Ten years had passed, and everything had changed, but Erna's hostility toward Callion remained. And so did Callion.
In fact, it might not be something so grand as to be called hostility. She indeed dislikes the sight of him, but she doesn't feel like she goes after him in the middle of the night with a knife.
However, Erna was reluctant to look at Callion. Seeing him brought back memories of their wedding and their first night together. It was like facing someone who had witnessed the most horrific moment of her life.
So, whenever she saw Callion, she wanted to get away. Or she wanted to get rid of him.
Meanwhile, the mattress on the bed Erna was lying on rippled. It was Callion who had climbed aboard.
'Are you doing it now?'
She wished this would all be over quickly. What worried her was how long it would take.
The book she'd read only said it varied from person to person, so she couldn't figure out whether it took one minute, ten minutes, or an hour. And since she had no one to ask, Erna's question remained unanswered.
But it doesn't matter now. She's even borrowed the power of alcohol, so she'll endure it no matter how long it takes.
***
Chapter 3. What Must Be Done
Callion's day was quite regular. Wake up at 5:30. Breakfast at 6:00. After the Knights' inspection at 7:00, he attended council meetings if there were any, and if not, he trained. Lunch at 12:00. After that, if there were any meetings, he attended them, and if not, he trained again. Dinner at 7:00. If there were no other plans, he would spend the rest of the time reviewing documents or reading, and then go to bed at 12:00.
Since his recovery, he'd been following this schedule most days. But not today.
Ever since Vanessa called, he'd been feeling a bit uneasy, and sure enough, when he arrived at the conference room, Erna was sitting there. From then on, his mood had already hit rock bottom.
Callion hated Erna.
The first thing he remembers about Erna is when he entered the wedding hall, and she stood there with surprise, looking at him without any intention of hiding it.
If only she had laughed. Then, since it was a familiar reaction, he could have simply ignored it. But Erna's face was pure horror itself. That made Callion realize even more deeply what he was really like.
He wasn't always on the verge of starvation. He was the first son born to King Aether's beloved second Queen, and as a child, he was practically showered with love from both his father and mother.
Moreover, from a young age, Callion excelled in every aspect, surpassing his two older brothers: academics, swordsmanship, and even his handsome appearance. The King had already marked him as his successor and had been delaying the appointment of his eldest son as Crown Prince. He intended to make Callion the Crown Prince when he grew older and became so prominent that even the ministers could no longer oppose him.
But that plan went up in smoke when Callion turned ten.
That day was an ordinary day. On a summer day, when his master, the captain of the guard, had told him of his exceptional talent, he had been immersed in his swordsmanship. As usual, he drank the beverage he'd been given. That was the beginning of all that was to come. The moment he noticed the strange taste, he was already vomiting blood.
When Callion, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes, a week had already passed. Beside him, his mother was weeping, and his father was staring at him with a stern expression. He tried to call out to them, but his voice was slurred.
When the two men had returned, and only the palace doctor was left, the doctor explained to him what had happened.
What Callion swallowed was a vicious poison. It burned his esophagus and stomach, but fortunately, a magician who happened to be at the royal palace cast a quick healing spell, preventing any permanent damage. Still, the damage was so severe that a full recovery would take a long time.
The doctor told him not to worry too much, that he would recover if he ate well and rested. Callion thought the same thing, that he would recover quickly. But the problem arose shortly thereafter.
“Cough! Cough! Ugh!”
He barely managed to sit up, and the moment he tried to drink, he involuntarily coughed violently. As he assumed he'd just choked, he reached for the cup again, but Callion saw his hands shaking wildly. And then he realized: he couldn't swallow anything, not even water.
Whenever he tried to eat, fear would surge through him, and his body would reject it. The doctor said it was a symptom that sometimes appears in those who have consumed poison. He said the psychological fear still lingered.
At first, his parents were furious and pitiful toward him. But after over a month of this, they began to express their discontent with him.
"They say it's a matter of determination. So, if you have a strong will, you can overcome it."
Having not eaten or drunk properly for over a month, Callion's body was withering at a frightening rate. His once rosy, smooth cheeks had begun to turn yellow and rough, and his once well-toned muscles had vanished without a trace, giving the impression of skin plastered over his bones.
With his body in such a state, his mind couldn't remain sane. Callion's mother, unable to remain in bed forever, tried to summon his teachers for instruction, but Callion, unlike before, couldn't understand a thing.
Six months passed like this. Now the King no longer visited Callion. At the same time, rumors began to circulate that the King would make his eldest son the Crown Prince.
His mother was quick to sense the King's change of heart. But no matter how hard she tried, it seemed like nothing would change for Callion. So there was only one solution. Dressed even more beautifully than usual, she led the King to a room where not a trace of Callion remained.
Ten months later, his mother gave birth to a baby boy, as healthy and intelligent as the old Callion.
As his parents' attention shifted to his newborn sibling, Callion became increasingly detached. The palace he had been living in became his own. The doctors' visits, which had been daily, became weekly, then monthly. The number of attendants caring for him also dwindled, eventually reducing to just two.
And the moment no one came to see him on his birthday, Callion knew: he was already dead to others. And years later, Callion received an order from the King, who had come to visit him for the first time in a long time. He was to go to the Duchy of Hessengard as a proud member of the Aether Royal Family.
'Shit.'
Callion cursed inwardly at the past that suddenly came to mind and looked down.
Erna lay beneath him, her face covered with her arms, as if she didn't want to see anything. Naturally, what she didn't want to see was him.
"Ha..."
Callion sighed. He hated her just as much as she hated him. And now, not only was their physical contact not enough, but they had to mate.
'What should I do?'
Having seen and heard from the Knights, Callion wasn't ignorant of sexual intercourse. He simply hadn't experienced it himself. He was troubled by how to end this affair with as little contact as possible with Erna.
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