Chapter 31

It’s hot.

My chest is pounding wildly, and my skin feels like it’s on fire. It’s as if my entire body is burning up. The sound of my rapidly beating heart echoes loudly in my ears. I try to take deep breaths, exhaling slowly, but the heat won’t subside. My clothes cling uncomfortably to my body, but taking them off wouldn’t help either. It’s just unbearably hot.

My mind is in chaos. I desperately crave a sip of cold water, but I doubt even water could quench this heat. My lips are parched. I wipe the sweat from my face with my hand. Even the touch of my fingertips against my skin feels uncomfortable. I can feel the sweat dripping, and even that irritates me.

“Haah?! Huh…! Hng…!”

“Good girl, Tina. Stay still.”

What the…?

Mardian, you…

What on earth did you give me…?!

I writhe under the surging heat. But the more I resist, the rougher Mardian’s hands become, pinning me down beneath the bed.

*Knock-knock-*

Mardian taps the window with her finger, and soon the heavy door of the carriage opens, revealing a man. Without even glancing at him, Mardian keeps her gaze fixed on me and issues orders with just her voice.

“Take her somewhere no one will find.”

“Yes.”

“Are the escorts behind?”

“Five elite knights are standing by.”

Mardian nods without even looking at him, and the man silently steps back, closing the carriage door. The red sunlight that had been streaming through the crack disappears, and the interior is once again shrouded in a faint shadow.

Soon, the carriage begins to move. Mardian closes the curtains by the window and looks down at me with a crescent-shaped, wide smile.

“Did you wait long, Tina? Now it’s just the two of us, so don’t worry.”

Mardian’s voice is friendly, but I can’t respond. She watches me struggle on the bed, a strange smile on her face, then slowly climbs on top of me, pressing down hard with her arms.

“Haah! Hah, hng?! Hng…!”

What comes out of my mouth isn’t a voice. It’s just desperate gasps for air through my burning throat. My mind is foggy, and my lower abdomen feels like it’s been scorched by fire.

What… what is this…?

What did you give me?

What did you give me…?!

“It’ll only be like this at first. Just wait a little, and you’ll feel good.”

“Haah! Hah, it’s… it’s hot…!”

The excessive heat covering my entire body feels like it’s melting my brain. My rationality is slowly fading, and my vision narrows. I look up at Mardian with pleading eyes, but she just gently brushes my bangs aside.

“Looking up at me with that flushed face and moist eyes… Tina, is this a signal for me to devour you right now? You really are a spoiled brat.”

Disgusting words I didn’t want to hear flow from her lips. What kind of twisted mindset does one need to say something like that? I want to slap her cheek right now.

But, with no power or strength compared to hers, all I can do is grab her hands pressing down on me and beg desperately.

“M-Mardian… please… my body… it’s too hot… water… please…”

Has there ever been a time when I needed water this desperately? The pain of my burning throat continues to torment me. Even speaking feels like a struggle.

After staring at me blankly for a while in response to my desperate plea, Mardian’s face suddenly twists into a grimace.

“Ha, damn brat, you’re really getting on my nerves.”

Mardian pulls out a water bottle from the window. Seeing the water sloshing inside, my throat craves it even more.

“My pet wants water, so of course I should give it to her.”

But Mardian doesn’t hand me the water. She opens the bottle and, as if to taunt me, takes a big gulp herself. Holding the water in her mouth, she looks down at me, then suddenly grabs my arm.

“Ugh?!”

She lunges at me, crushing my lips with hers. The sudden touch of someone else’s lips triggers a rejection response in me.

Disgusted and nauseous, I want to push her away immediately, but ever since that strange pink liquid entered my body, I can’t even control myself, let alone resist.

Mardian, crushing my lips, slowly moves her mouth, prying open my tightly closed lips and letting the water she held flow into my mouth.

The water mixed with Mardian’s saliva enters my mouth. Just the thought of it makes me want to vomit, but my survival instinct kicks in first.

*Gulp-*

Contrary to my rationality screaming to spit it out, my throat swallows the water Mardian gave me. I’m furious, but as the water I so desperately craved flows down my throat, the burning pain subsides, and for a moment, I even feel a sense of euphoria.

“Hah… hng…”

But that euphoria is short-lived. Not long after the water goes down, the burning pain in my throat begins to creep back up.

I… I don’t want this…

I don’t want to hurt again…

I want… more water…

Perhaps sensing my anxiety, Mardian smirks and looks down at me with her gleaming crimson eyes.

“Do you want more water? If you beg your master sincerely, I might give you more.”

Her voice is filled with mischievous teasing. I want to bite her neck in resentment. But despite my feelings, all I can do is frown and turn my head away, unable to even control my own body.

“Oh, are you holding back?”

“Haa… haa…”

I ignore Mardian’s words, avoiding her gaze.

“Well, I respect your wishes, Tina, so I’ll wait.”

With that, Mardian stays still without any further interference. It should be a chance to catch my breath, but why does my body feel increasingly uncomfortable? Frustratingly, it seems my body isn’t happy with the current situation.

Ten minutes, or maybe twenty.

How much time has passed?

“Hng? Haah…! Hng?!”

As time passes, my throat, which had been burning hotter and hotter, ironically no longer hurts. The pain recedes, replaced by a different kind of sensation. An indescribable, unknown feeling I’ve never experienced in this life or the last overwhelms my body.

The burning heat gradually flows down my body, slowly tickling my chest and armpits. It doesn’t stop there. The heat that traveled down my waist soon warms my buttocks, then spreads to the secret place between my legs.

“Hng?! Hng? M-my body… it’s weird… it’s weird.”

It’s weird.

My whole body is hot.

But it’s different.

It doesn’t hurt.

It’s weird, why, even though it’s hot.

Why doesn’t it hurt?

It’s weird, weird. Weird, weird…!

I hate it.

I hate it, hate it, hate it.

What is this feeling?

I hate it.

I hate it…!

As the heat consumes my body, my vision narrows, and my thoughts blur. In the fading consciousness, I feel the last thread of rationality remaining in my brain.

I instinctively know.

If the last bit of rationality in my mind disappears, I’ll surely reach a point of no return. The fear that I might become a fool or crippled for life seeps deep into my heart.

“Hng? I… I don’t want this, let me go, let me go…!”

Fear overwhelms me. I’m terrified of not knowing what will become of me. But Mardian just looks down at me with her calm crimson eyes, offering no help.

In this desperate situation, I have no choice but to let go of my pride. With tears of sorrow streaming down, I look up at Mardian and plead.

“W-water… please…”

Despite giving her the answer she so desired, Mardian still just watches me, not even offering a single sip of water.

“M-Mardian… I was wrong… water…”

“How are you asking? Say it with your own mouth.”

Such cruel words.

I know exactly what Mardian is waiting for. I know full well that begging for water won’t make her give it to me purely.

I’m furious.

I want to bite my tongue right now.

But my will is weak.

Was it ever strong?

In my past life or now, my will has always been weak and trashy. Just because my body changed doesn’t mean I’ve changed.

So helplessly.

So weakly.

With tears in my eyes, I speak to her.

“Hng, M-Mardian… kiss… me…”

“Good girl, Tina.”

Mardian plants a small kiss on my forehead. She opens the water bottle again and takes a big gulp. Then, slowly, she presses her lips to mine.

Our lips meet, and like before, Mardian slowly parts my lips. A mouthful of water sweeter than honey flows in.

I close my eyes, filled with tears, and accept the water she gives me.

*

What on earth is this situation?

“…Baroness, please calm down.”

“Ti, Tina… Tina, Tina…!”

Artasha Blanchard.

The wife of Bonnie Blanchard, a woman who always maintained a cold expression. Known for her sharp demeanor, she wasn’t well-liked by outsiders. But her appearance, befitting the mother of that pet princess, shone with unparalleled beauty.

Rumors said she was a cold woman who didn’t shed a single tear even at her husband’s death, even called an emotionless machine.

Yet now, she’s trembling with anxiety, desperately searching for her daughter.

“P-Princess… I know it’s shameless, but please help me… I can’t live without that child. I’ll repay your kindness somehow, please…”

“…Sigh.”

What on earth is this situation?

I clearly came here to take revenge on that cunning vixen. I came with the intention of giving her a good scolding on her most splendid birthday, but suddenly, out of nowhere, there’s a kidnapping.

Well, whatever happened, there’s no need to pay attention. It was that princess who played with me first. She lured me with sweet words, then coldly turned her back on me with a single harsh word.

What an arrogant princess.

So there’s no need to care. Whether she’s kidnapped and assaulted, or even raped, it’s none of my business.

Right.

That arrogant princess.

There’s definitely no need to care.

But then why…?

[I’ll always be cheering for you, Princess.]

“…Tch.”

Why am I so annoyed?

I click my tongue and sweep my hair back. I want to put a cigarette in my mouth right now, but that would be rude to the baroness trembling with anxiety.

Even the emperor’s summons can be refused, yet here I am, being swayed by a powerless baron’s daughter.

How laughable.

Rather than wasting time worrying like this, it’s better to face her directly and end it.

Finishing my thoughts briefly, I look at the baroness.

“Where was she last seen?”

Prepare yourself, princess.

For the price of toying with me.

I’ll make you repay this favor twice over.

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