Although she had expected this, being confronted with the reality still made her feel utterly miserable.

After all, it was as if he was telling her that her only value lay in her ability to satisfy a man.

Calix narrowed his eyes as he watched her tremble with humiliation.

As though reminded once again that her body was all she had left, her expression turned painfully hollow and desolate.

How absurd.

If she was going to look so shattered now, why had she made that choice in the first place?

Had she accepted his proposal from the beginning, she would never have endured this kind of humiliation. In exchange for her agreement to marry him, he would have spared her younger sibling’s life without hesitation.

Faced with his openly degrading demand, sorrow filled her expression.

Yet Calix had no intention of retracting the order he had given.

He had shown mercy to a woman he could have taken by force at any time.

It was she who had thrown that chance away.

So naturally, she had to pay the price.

A mocking smile lingered on Calix’s lips as he looked down at her.

“If you can’t do it, then let’s pretend this deal never happened.”

Lianna flinched and quickly lifted her head. She had forgotten that this man possessed very little patience. Afraid he might withdraw the offer altogether, she desperately shook her head.

“No… no. I can… do it.”

Contrary to what she had said, her body refused to obey her so easily.

Gripping the shawl tightly around her shoulders, she bit down hard on her lip and forced her trembling hands to loosen their grip.

Somehow, she managed to remove her outer garments.

But after that, it became far more difficult.

He had seen her body before, but one occasion was nowhere near enough to erase the shame that consumed her.

Leaning lazily against the sofa, Calix smoked his cigar in silence as he watched her.

Her fingertips trembled violently as she reached for the last of her undergarments.

Slowly — painfully slowly — she peeled away each layer of clothing covering her body.

The silence stretched on endlessly, as though time itself had come to a halt.

At last, Lianna stood completely n*ked before him.

The humiliation was so overwhelming that she could not bring herself to lift her head.

Even without looking at him, she could feel his gaze lingering on her body.

Beneath the harsh brightness of the light, there was nowhere left to hide. Every part of her had been laid bare before him.

Then, as though this were nothing more than a game to him, he gave another command.

“Look at me.”

“……”

Lianna hesitated, but only for a moment.

Convinced that she had nowhere left to fall, she slowly lifted her chin.

Smoke from the cigar drifted lazily through the air between them.

In contrast, Calix remained perfectly composed and fully dressed.

This only served to make her humiliation feel even more unbearable.

In the end, a single tear slipped silently down her cheek.

Calix slowly rose to his feet.

His calloused fingers brushed gently against her skin, tracing the tear that had fallen from her eye.

“Get on the bed.”

Contrary to her seemingly gentle touch, the command that followed was cold and absolute.

Lianna forced her reluctant legs to move.

Bracing her hands against the mattress, she climbed onto the bed on her knees. She was about to lie down with her back to the man when he stopped her.

“Stay like that.”

She froze, bent over with her back to him.

Instantly, Lianna’s face flooded with humiliation. However, she knew she had no right to refuse him, so she remained silent.

As though he could read her thoughts, the man sneered.

“Humiliating, is it? Then accept it as the consequence of your choices.”

She could feel the man approaching from behind.

The moment she sensed his presence drawing closer, her body stiffened instinctively.

With a cigar between his lips, Calix leisurely admired the woman in front of him. His gaze travelled slowly over her slender waist and the delicate curve of her hips, narrow enough to fit easily beneath one hand.

The tension trembling through her small frame was impossible to miss, and he let out a dark, amused laugh.

She had come here of her own volition, so what exactly was she afraid of?

Despite always speaking boldly in front of him, she was still such a timid little thing.

Though, admittedly, that contrast amused him.

Calix removed the half-smoked cigar from his lips and tossed it into the fireplace.

Then he reached out and grasped her upper body with both hands.

The instant his palms pressed against her soft warmth, her entire body trembled.

“Ah…!”

As his fingers brushed and rolled over her sensitive chest, Lianna’s chin trembled helplessly.

After teasing her for a while, his hand slowly moved lower.

A sharp breath escaped her lips.

Her body, already familiar with the sensations he had forced upon her before, reacted far too easily.

Wherever his hands touched her, a scorching heat spread, leaving her trembling beneath him.

The room filled with damp, humiliating sounds.

Her toes curled tightly against the floor, and her knees shook so badly that she could barely stand. Soft, breathless m*ans slipped uncontrollably from her lips.

Lianna twisted her waist restlessly, unable to endure the overwhelming sensations consuming her body.

Then, as she writhed beneath his touch, it felt as though something inside her had suddenly given way.

“…Hng!”

Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, causing her whole body to tremble.

His touch alone had taken her to her limit.

Lianna couldn’t even lift her head; she was overwhelmed by shame at how easily her body responded to him.

For a moment, she thought it might be better this way — easier not to have to face him directly.

But that fragile thought lasted only an instant.

Suddenly, a large hand seized her chin without warning.

Forced to turn her head, Lianna’s eyes met his.

The heat burning within his golden gaze made her feel stripped bare all over again, as though nothing about her could remain hidden from him. Embarrassment flooded her face instantly, scorching her cheeks crimson.

Calix stared silently at her expression for a long moment.

Then, suddenly, he let out a low laugh.

“That expression isn’t bad.”

Women who were naive and inexperienced with men had never been his type.

Calix hated anything troublesome.

And yet, tormenting this woman was unexpectedly entertaining.

Whether she was overly sensitive or not, the way she reacted to his touch was dangerously alluring. Each trembling breath and helpless sound that escaped her lips stirred him further.

At first, he had thought it was only her face that looked sinful. But her bare body, her trembling voice, and the way she shivered beneath him were just as indecent.

She was obscene in every possible way.

He hadn’t even fully claimed her yet, yet a deep ache already throbbed beneath the restraint he was forcing himself to maintain.

Perhaps it would have been amusing to tease her a little longer.

But expecting any more patience from him now was impossible.

With far less composure than before, Calix stripped off the rest of his clothes.

The instant the hard heat of his body touched her skin, Lianna shook her head frantically.

“I-I don’t want… this position…”

Her voice trembled as though on the verge of tears.

With a mocking laugh, Calix gripped her waist tightly.

“How amusing. Do you think you have the right to refuse?”

Without hesitating, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close.

Lianna swallowed a broken gasp.

As soon as he moved, she clutched the sheets tightly. Before she could stop it, a wet, trembling sound escaped her lips.

Gradually, her vision turned white.

The strength kept draining from her legs, causing her to keep collapsing.

Then she heard the mocking voice of the man beside her ear.

“Are you sure you dislike it? Your words and your body are saying very different things.”

“Ah… that’s not…!”

Lianna shook her head desperately, her shoulders trembling thinly with humiliation. The fingertips gripping the sheets had already turned pale.

“Lift your hips higher.”

“Hng…!”

A sharp smack echoed through the room, leaving a vivid red handprint on her pale skin.

The way the startled woman tensed up around him was almost enough to drive Calix mad.

Hearing her trembling, tearful voice break after he had said a few deliberately cruel words was enough to make his blood boil.

A low curse slipped from Calix’s lips.

The tension he had been holding in tightened visibly across his brow as desire pressed harder against his restraint.

She was nothing more than a tool he had chosen to break the curse.

This entire act existed solely for his benefit.

And yet…

The pleasure she gave him far exceeded anything he had expected.

Calix narrowed his eyes at the strange, refreshing sensation spreading through him alongside the overwhelming heat. The energy flowing from her felt almost sacred.

Little by little, the curse weakened.

The suffocating chains that had long constricted his heart finally seemed to loosen. At this, Calix abruptly wrapped his arms tightly around the woman’s slender back.

Lianna clutched the sheets desperately as her body trembled beneath him.

With every rough movement, it felt as though something scorching was tearing through her from the inside.

The man she was lying with was no different from a beast.

She simply could not endure such merciless intensity.

Her legs finally gave way, causing her to collapse forward onto the bed.

Calix no longer had the composure to taunt her with cruel words.

Driven by raw instinct, he pulled her tightly against him, pressing their bodies flush together as he moved with reckless force.

The deeper he drew her in, the heavier and more overwhelming his presence became.

It hurts.

Tears, born purely of instinct, slid down Lianna’s cheeks.

But he had given her more than just pain.

Lianna sobbed softly as overwhelming, numbing sensations consumed her.

At that very moment, Calix’s brow twisted sharply.

As he felt a sense of release, her body trembled violently.

“Ah…!”

Saliva trickled from her parted lips as a wave of weakness overwhelmed her.

Her toes trembled uncontrollably as her remaining strength deserted her.

Feeling the lingering heat deep inside her, Lianna finally went completely limp.

It was over.

Once again, she had somehow managed to endure the man’s advances.

Calix, who had been pressed tightly against her moments earlier, slowly pulled away.

Only then did Lianna manage to breathe properly again.

Because he had moved without the slightest concern for her comfort, a dull ache throbbed painfully between her legs. While it was not as unbearable as before, this man was still far too much for her to handle.

Once the pain had eased slightly, Lianna slowly pushed herself upright.

The sheets beneath her were stained and ruined beyond repair, but they were all she had left to cover herself with. She quietly gathered the fabric and pulled it tightly against her chest.

Watching her continue to avoid facing him properly, Calix let out a faint, amused laugh.

Just moments ago, she had been crying out in such sweet, shameless little sounds.

Did she truly value modesty that much?

Leaning back lazily in the chair, Calix reached for the cigar box once more.

“I’ll arrange for that physician to examine your sibling.”

After lighting the cigar and taking a deep drag, he heard Lianna speak quietly.

“Y-You really mean that?”

Calix laughed softly at the absurdity of the question, as though asking whether he would truly bother lying.

Lianna lowered her gaze.

“Please… keep your promise.”

She didn’t trust him at all.

She had said something similar the first time they slept together, too.

Had he really been that bad at inspiring trust in women?

As this thought crossed his mind, a bitter laugh escaped Calix’s lips.

Trust.

There had never been anything like that between them from the outset.

He knew better than anyone that whatever existed between him and Lianna could never be a real relationship.

He had approached her out of necessity alone.

Moreover, her very existence was enough to cause his adoptive mother trouble. She was the last person he would have expected to be used against her.

She was a useful piece to exploit.

To Calix, Lianna was supposed to be nothing more than that.

And yet…

Why did he feel strange whenever he looked at her?

Was it because she resembled her?

Unable to answer his own question, Calix pushed the thought aside. He carelessly searched through the clothes scattered nearby before finally pulling something out.

“Take it.”

He held out a ring towards Lianna, who was almost entirely wrapped in sheets.

Her violet eyes widened slightly.

“You’re not planning to reject this one, are you?”

Calix made it clear that his proposal was still open.

Lianna stared silently at the golden ring that had been offered to her once again.