I didn’t deny Teumesia’s words.
“Yeah. I am curious about what became of Alpheios. Somehow.”
I could feel the smile forming at the corners of my lips becoming more mischievous.
“I figured the Crown Prince might have told him about me and Riorem.”
Alpheios was one of the people I’d known the longest.
Of course, most of our interactions were unpleasant… but technically, we could be called ‘friends.’
The last thing I heard about him was that he had become a broken man.
‘Of course, I never got to hear exactly how or by whose doing Alpheios had fallen apart.’
I thought of the man who was probably eavesdropping on the conversation from behind the door.
Ever since the townhouse attack, Riorem had obsessively blocked any news about Alpheios.
Even the bit about him becoming a wreck—I’d only heard it from the servants’ idle chatter.
‘From what I’ve gathered, he can’t even communicate properly anymore…’
That’s why I was all the more certain—the Crown Prince must have deliberately told Alpheios about Riorem and me fleeing the Kingdom of Arete.
Finally, after keeping me hanging as if to tease me, Teumesia opened her mouth.
“Did you ever hear what became of Prince Alpheios after it was revealed he was colluding with the Empire?”
She trailed off and put a piece of honey cake in her mouth.
Still, I could tell what she’d left unsaid.
‘That man wouldn’t have let those words reach your ears.’
“I know nothing. I only heard he became a wreck.”
“Well… initially, they erased all memory of you from his mind.”
“Oh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.
“He cried for days and suffered from a terrible fever. And when he woke up, he had forgotten everything about you. Naturally, he forgot all about General Riorem as well.”
“Really? That must’ve been something to see. After everything we’d been through together, I bet his memory was full of holes.”
“Yes. His head was practically empty. He even forgot how to wield a sword or drink tea.”
“Haha, what a shame. That must’ve been quite the spectacle. And I missed it.”
Teumesia scoffed through her nose.
“And then—”
Her gray eyes briefly flicked toward the room where Riorem was, then back.
“My new lord considered that cowardly.”
I thought of the Crown Prince with his faint, forgettable features.
As soon as he heard Riorem had fled, the Crown Prince had approached Teumesia.
He must’ve realized her talents while working with her over Riorem’s deployment—and tried to recruit her first.
‘He’s a cunning one, that man.’
But also more upright than expected, if he thought Alpheios was cowardly for running from the consequences.
“So, he gave Alpheios a full report on me?”
“Of course. There was no one left to object to reviving your memories within the prince.”
Thunk.
From behind the closed door came the sound of something breaking.
‘Did he break the doorknob or something?’
I thought about what he could’ve broken outside the room and urged Teumesia on.
“How did you dig memories of me out of the head of a half-wit?”
“I heard they subjected him to grueling hardship and torture until the memories came back vividly.”
“And if he forgot again, they carved it back in?”
“Yes. That’s what I heard.”
I sipped the last of my tea and thought:
‘She must’ve hated Alpheios more than I did.’
Well, that would explain why she was so cooperative with us.
It was a far more fascinating story than I’d expected.
“So he’s doing well now, is he? My old suitor?”
“Unfortunately, yes. He recovered well. He couldn’t endure remembering you, so his mind regressed to a time before he’d ever known you.”
I don’t quite remember, but I think Alpheios and I first met as children.
“Hoho, then he must be adorable now.”
“Seems so. The Crown Prince apparently drops by to vent his frustration on him from time to time.”
I burst into laughter.
After that, we exchanged the rest of our stories without much emotion.
About how most of Riorem’s retainers were now under the Crown Prince’s control, or how his faction had grown so large that no other royal could check him anymore.
The King of Arete had tried to train another common-born knight like Riorem—but it hadn’t worked out.
Just your usual chatter.
As our conversation wound down, Teumesia stood.
“Well, I should go. If I stay any longer, I might get killed.”
I didn’t stop her.
Even from behind the wall, I could feel Riorem growing anxious, probably noticing that things between
Teumesia and me weren’t as hostile as he’d expected.
Next time, she might not be able to enter this house at all.
Knowing that, we parted ways without much sentiment.
And just as Teumesia disappeared from view—
The bedroom door, which had been closed the whole time, opened with a bang.
As soon as I heard the front door close, two strong arms held me tight.
Without looking back, I grabbed his hand as he locked the door.
‘Now even women get jealous, Riorem.’
“What’s the problem? Am I just used to having only you in my life? Or… is it because you haven’t seen me in two days
and you can’t recognise me right away?”
Riorem’s arms wrapped around my waist.
Click.
As the door locked, Riorem turned me around and pressed me tightly against his back.
Soon, his large hands dug into my clothes.
His firm hands, touching my bare skin, skillfully stimulated my body.
I laughed and rested my head on his violently swelling chest.
‘This is serious. Jealous of a woman, you even went so far as to check for marks on her body.’
Despite the laughter in his voice, Riorem did not respond.
I felt him lean down behind me, his breath tickling my ear.
‘When did the two of you become so close?’
His stiff voice tickled my ear.
Just as I thought his breath was hot, Riorem’s lips bit my earlobe.
“Ugh…….
“How can you have a pleasant conversation with a woman who almost killed you? Why are you smiling at each other as if you’re having fun?”
‘Riorem.’
I called Riorem’s name with a smile on my face.
But it seemed to have the opposite effect.
The hem of my skirt suddenly lifted.
There was no hesitation in Riorem’s touch.
He pretended not to hear my words and
stimulated my sensitive spots.
Before I knew it, his hand had penetrated my bare skin and twisted my nipple.
‘Ugh…….’
.That’s not the case, is it?”
‘Haha! So, I thought we weren’t on good terms… Uh… Did you bring me here?’
“Huh. Ah… Wait… Right there.
The hand that had slipped between my thighs was feeling my clitoris.
Even though it had only been two days since we had touched, the sharp protrusion was overly sensitive to his body heat.
Little by little, I felt my legs giving way.
But I couldn’t even sit down.
His left hand, supporting my armpits and gripping my chest, and his right hand, supporting my hips and teasing my clitoris,
wouldn’t let me.
“Haa, hmm… Uh, Riorem…”
I called out to Riorem in a pitiful voice.
I wanted to comfort him.
I wanted to tell him that just as he had missed me for two days, I had also been starving for him for two days.
But… Riorem’s jealousy seemed to be deeper than I had thought.
‘Ah…’
I didn’t even notice when he had taken off his trousers.
Riorem’s penis, which I hadn’t even realised was there, suddenly penetrated my
inside me.
Chuup.
At the same time, my earlobe was sucked into his lips.
‘Huh…?’
I couldn’t help but moan at the obscene sound.
I didn’t know if it was because my sensitive earlobe was being sucked or because my eardrum was being stimulated.
Suddenly, a pleasure like pressure spread through my body, which had shrunk.
Suddenly, a sensation akin to pressure washed over my contracted body.
Riorem’s fingers were tightly pinching my clitoris.
‘Ah, wait… Riorem……!’
A plea escaped my lips without my consent.
As every part of me—inside, outside, and even my ears—was stimulated, a sense of danger overwhelmed the pleasure.
At that moment, a low chuckle echoed through my eardrums.
“Haha…”
“Huh, Riorem, too… close…….?”
“I know.”
I closed my eyes tightly at the low voice mixed with a sigh.
I couldn’t tell what was pleasure and what was just a simple sensation.
Riorem, who had seen my expression, thrust his penis deeply inside me with a thud.
‘Please do that thing from last time.’
‘That thing?’
I asked in a voice that was a mix of tears and screams.
I couldn’t imagine what a man consumed by jealousy would want to do to me in this state.
As if he had been waiting for it, Riorem said with a laugh in his voice.
‘Yes. Didn’t you say “darling”?’