Chapter 13

The door opened very quietly.

That meant the person knew how to open it without disturbing the master’s nerves.

I lay still, waiting for the boy.

But the one who appeared from behind the folding screen was not a small boy.

He was much taller, and his clothes were luxurious.

“…What is this?”

Riorem asked, leaning against the screen.

Upon arriving at the royal palace, Riorem was met with one good piece of news and one bad.

The good news: His decision to ride a horse into the palace instead of using a carriage had been the right one.

Since he arrived quickly, he could leave just as quickly.

The bad news: Coming to the palace had been entirely pointless.

Riorem glared at the tightly shut audience chamber door.

He had arrived at the palace faster than the royal messenger, yet the king refused to meet with him.

It wasn’t just Riorem.

The king had rejected all audience requests for the day.

The reason? He wanted to forcibly give his overworked vassals some rest.

Riorem’s face twisted in frustration.

‘So this was just to confirm whether I’m still the obedient bastard dog, huh.’

It wasn’t unheard of.

The king liked to periodically check whether Riorem Velik was still loyal to him.

Like an alpha dog asserting dominance over the pack.

‘Of course, summoning me right after I return from a campaign only to not meet me—that’s a first.’

Riorem turned and headed out of the palace.

“Never forget who it was that granted you immense wealth and power,” the king had once said.

Riorem rolled the words around in his mouth.

Maybe because they only came to mind in moments like this, they left a bitter taste.

If he had dared climb up to the king when he first received his noble surname, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

Or even if he had rebelled and fought a bit after that.

‘If he’d thought I was truly dangerous from the beginning… he wouldn’t have demanded such absolute obedience.’

But Riorem had been naive back then.

He thought it would be acceptable for someone of his rank to propose to Lady Peroa.

He had only focused on establishing himself in this kingdom.

By the time he realized he needed noble blood to even consider such a proposal, it was already too late.

And the king, seeing his hunting dog finally understand how the world worked, had grown even more cunning in how he tightened the leash—including pulling stunts like this.

Still… Riorem couldn’t afford to walk away from it all.

To place Chernea by his side—even as a slave—he needed both money and power.

“…Chernea.”

He quietly mouthed her name.

Perhaps because he had never spoken it aloud before.

Even after finally acquiring her, he had never once called her name.

Maybe that’s why.

It was only now that he realized—

“She must be at the House of Dinamis now, not the Palace of Pelviche.”

A faint smile crept up on Riorem’s lips.

A few passersby noticed and murmured among themselves.

Riorem Velik, a man who hardly ever changed his expression—much less smiled—was smiling.

But Riorem himself didn’t even realize he was smiling.

He simply strode down the corridor.

“To think… in my own bedroom, of all places.”

Riorem was used to following absurd orders.

He had been, even before coming to the Kingdom of Arete.

Because his master had always been an unreasonable man.

So if he was annoyed at how he was being treated now, he just needed to take it out on someone else.

To the slave who was once my master.

Yes, that’s right.

Now that things have come to this, I just need to hurry back and finish taming Chernea.

Just as Chernea did to me.

Just as the king did to me.

If I make her submit, and keep making her reaffirm that submission… then Chernea’s life will be completely saturated with Riorem.

As much as he had endured. Perhaps even more.

Riorem walked briskly—almost running—into the stables.

The stableman recognized him and gave a deep bow.

But Riorem didn’t even spare him a glance.

His mind was so full of the woman likely lying on his bed that he couldn’t be bothered to waste time giving the order to bring out his horse.

He went straight to where the horses were, stepped into the stirrup, and mounted in one fluid motion.

Only then did the stableman hurry to open the gate.

Riorem swiftly left the royal palace.

As he passed through the grand shopping district of the capital, he briefly considered picking up some flowers—but decided to leave that for later.

He just wanted to return to Dinamis Castle as quickly as possible.

He wanted to tame the woman who wouldn’t have taken a single step from his bed.

He wanted to carve the fact that he was her master into her, make her obey any absurd command.

Of course… his excitement couldn’t be explained by simple desire for domination alone.

But he had no intention of thinking too deeply about it.

So Riorem rode harder than ever before.

Unaware that he would soon see a boy entering the bedroom, carrying a water bowl.

In Riorem’s hand was a rough wooden bowl.

From the wet surface, it seemed like something used to draw water.

The boy had likely failed to find a cup and simply brought the bowl filled with water instead.

“I told the flower boy to fetch some water. You haven’t had a single drop all day, have you?”

“He didn’t seem like the kind of naive kid who would just listen to a woman he’d never met, tied up on a bed, no less.”

“Well, as you know, getting someone to do something that simple isn’t exactly hard.”

The boy had certainly been cautious.

Quite clever, too.

But he wasn’t truly sharp.

He likely never realized that I’d manipulated him into believing it was just a simple errand.

Just like Riorem hadn’t realized, until years of being twisted around my finger, that I’d pushed him into that very same corner.

“So you brought another man into your bedroom? After ignoring my instruction to behave?”

“It’s true I wasn’t exactly obedient… but calling a boy who hasn’t even hit puberty a ‘man’? That’s a stretch, isn’t it?”

“Was I any older when you played with me?”

The man’s voice was even colder than before.

It was true.

When I first started toying with my foot-washing slave, that was exactly how young he had been.

Riorem didn’t even look out of place beside a girl.

His face was delicate, his features still childlike.

That was what caught my attention… though I was only fourteen at the time, too.

But Riorem didn’t seem interested in taking that into consideration.

If anything, he looked like he’d decided it was time to settle that old score.

Thud, thud.

He strode toward the bed in long, purposeful strides.

Climbing onto it, he raised the item he had been holding high above my face.

Cold water poured down over me.

“Mmgh…!”

I quickly held my breath.

The strong stream splashed into my mouth and nose.

I flinched instinctively, but it was no use.

Riorem had a firm grip on my shoulders.

‘What are you doing? Eat it quickly. You’ve dragged the child to bring it to me.’

I gulped down the water with my whole face. Until the bowl was begging.

Kudang Tang-

Riorem tossed the empty bowl down.

His lips closed over mine, which were still spitting out water.

At the same time, two tongues thrust into my mouth.

Colock, colock.

A cough erupted from my windpipe and disappeared into Riorem’s lungs.

The solid body crushed me.

I was trapped between the bed and Riorem, everything sucked out of me.

The water in my mouth, the breath I struggled for.

His tongue plunged down my throat, and I wondered if it wasn’t enough.

His flesh filled my throat, crushing my breath.

My vision went black.

I was out of breath, and the kiss was too much for me to take in.

Eventually, I didn’t even realise I had stopped drooling.

The protrusion of his tongue skimmed the roof of his mouth.

It was an insistent.

‘Hmph… Ugh.

I struggled and grabbed at Riorem’s clothes.

Snap, snap, snap.

The hard minerals clinked together.

My shoulders clenched reflexively at the noise.

Every stimulus tickled and creeped me out.

But it was unavoidable.

There was nothing I could do but return the kiss.

‘Hah…….’

After a long moment, Riorem pulled his lips away, the windy string of gifts ending with a snap, ha!

And the windy cord was cut off.

‘Ha, ha, ha, ha.’

I sucked in a breath, instinctively.

My head felt like it was spinning.

I blinked my watery eyes open.

The world was grey and white again.

It took me a few more moments to find my colour again.

In the meantime, he was staring down at my face.

The best thing in my world right now.

‘I think I even put a leash on him to keep him quiet…….’

Riorem whispered softly.