Ashar left the princess’s palace and headed quickly toward the forest behind the palace grounds.

Even knowing someone was following him, he walked with a crumpled expression, looking only ahead.

Only when he’d entered the deep forest where sunlight didn’t reach did he stop and suddenly throw his fist at a large tree.

“D*mn it!”

The strong vibration and resounding shout sent birds that had been resting peacefully fluttering into the air.

Once he released the anger he’d been suppressing, the fury that burst out all at once became uncontrollable. Ashar kept punching the innocent tree until his rage subsided.

A knight who had been watching him blankly from a short distance finally approached and blocked Ashar’s path.

“Please calm down.”

Sharp blue eyes glared fiercely at the knight standing in his way.

His broad chest heaved roughly with emotions that wouldn’t settle.

Blood dripped steadily from his injured hand. The knight, grimacing like his own hand was hurt, pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped Ashar’s hand.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“How long must I endure? Just how long must I remain in this powerless state!”

“Please lower your voice. There may be others following besides me.”

“D*mn b*stard!”

At his uncharacteristic behavior, Jedrian’s knight—no, Ashar’s subordinate, Noir—looked around with a worried expression.

Even after confirming no one was there, he asked in the lowest voice possible.

“Did things with the princess not go as planned?”

At the word “princess,” Ashar’s eyes grew even sharper.

Soon, realizing the reality, he tilted his head back and let out a long sigh.

“Haah…”

It was pathetic.

Himself, trying to use a powerless woman for revenge.

He felt dirty for seemingly pushing a woman who couldn’t even protect herself into danger.

Even in the midst of that, the moment he saw the woman offer her own body to protect him, he felt a greater humiliation than when he’d bowed his head at that b*stard’s feet.

If she’d abandoned him instead, even though the probability of success would have approached zero, he would have ended it right there.

Rather than feel such humiliation, and if he couldn’t kill that b*stard anyway, it would have been better for his body to die right there, even if it was regrettable.

‘Foolish woman!’

Still unable to calm his rage and contain his murderous intent, Ashar caused his innocent subordinate to anxiously glance around while gauging his mood.

Even during nearly a year of slave life in that terrible labor camp to completely change his identity, Ashar had never once lost his temper or composure like this.

The man who had been so ruthlessly determined with the single-minded goal of revenge was suddenly pouring out emotions like this, leaving Noir quite flustered.

Busy watching both sides, an unexpected statement flew at him.

“Hah… I need to change the plan.”

“What?”

“Exclude using the princess for now. We’ll find the emperor first, as originally planned.”

“Are you saying you’ll completely remove the princess from the plan?”

“That—”

After thinking about something briefly, he exhaled a short sigh and gave an ambiguous answer.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

Noir’s brow furrowed slightly.

Though he was relieved that Ashar seemed to have regained his composure, an inexplicable unease crept over him.

Of course it was unlikely, but he was a man too.

And though he didn’t want to admit it, even to Noir’s eyes, the princess’s appearance was extremely beautiful.

Even if only nominally, becoming such a woman’s lover and being around her constantly—could he guarantee he wouldn’t waver, even if she was the enemy’s child?

Moreover, could a man who would take in and raise even a pitiful beast remain unaffected while watching a weak woman suffer miserably before his eyes?

Noir’s expression became quite serious.

The uncharacteristic behavior he’d just shown felt somehow ominous.

“Tell everyone. Focus on finding the emperor. I’ll handle the princess myself, so don’t pass along unnecessary words.”

“Yes, my lord.”

At his expression that had turned cold again, Noir immediately cut off the suspicion that had just sprouted.

‘My lord would never do that. Even for the princess’s sake, he’s absolutely not someone who would waver.’

“Let’s go to the princess’s palace garden.”

“What? You’re not going inside?”

“The beasts are probably in the middle of mating—what would I do going there?”

“Ah… I understand. Then I’ll lead the way.”

Noir, who immediately straightened his back, walked triumphantly like a knight escorting a criminal.

Unlike when they came, Ashar walked with his head half-bowed, looking at the back of his subordinate who had infiltrated as Jedrian’s knight, fortifying his wavering heart again.

There were more than a few subordinates who had thrown away their lives like grass to deceive that b*stard’s eyes.

Of course, the kingdom’s people who died at that b*stard’s hands were countless.

At this time when they’d infiltrated to the empire’s heart to eliminate such enemies of the kingdom, why had he been so angry over his own humiliation?

Why had he been so enraged over that mere woman?

‘Pathetic b*stard.’

It didn’t matter now if she despised him as the same kind of b*stard as that beast. No, he would use her even more cruelly than that b*stard.

‘Resent that b*stard, resent your father. Resent your blood for being born as this empire’s princess.’

Ashar’s eyes, having steeled his heart ruthlessly again, rippled more coldly than ever.

* * *

“Haa, haa… hng!”

“You need to shake more lewdly. You’re getting sluggish.”

Jedrian, leaning languidly against the headboard carved with ornate patterns, kept criticizing while watching Laurencia straddling him and shaking her body obscenely.

Nevertheless, unlike earlier when he’d been endlessly contrary, his expression was quite satisfied.

Because he quite liked how she’d definitely changed compared to three years ago.

Back then, the woman who would wilt listlessly like a withered flower at the slightest touch was now putting his c*ck inside her body herself and shaking her hips.

What a moment he’d longed for.

Of course, she’d become more cunning and impudent than before, but it wasn’t bad.

When such a woman couldn’t resist at all and acted this submissively, the taste was even more thrilling.

“Fondle your br*asts. Why do you keep stopping?”

As soon as the words ended, pale white hands grasped her bouncing br*asts.

“Hng!”

The sight of her br*asts, so full they couldn’t all fit in her small hands, protruding between her slender fingers pleased his eyes.

Her face, panting while kneading her own br*asts, was so pretty he simply couldn’t look away.

When her reddened, swollen n*pples appeared from her clumsy kneading, saliva naturally pooled in his mouth.

Unable to hold back any longer, he reached out.

“This won’t do. Come here.”

She, completely dazed, obediently lowered her upper body like a well-trained beast. Then, even without being told, she offered her br*ast to his mouth on her own.

Her body had moved first from the repeatedly performed act.

The man smiled with satisfaction and suckled her br*ast, smacking his lips like an infant. Then he suddenly crushed her n*pple with his tongue, stimulating her.

“Mmng! Haah…”

When he gave sudden stimulation like this, her hole would inevitably tighten and clamp down on his c*ck.

Jedrian, who loved that sensation, played with her ceaselessly like this.

Then when Laurencia’s reactions subsided, he made her writhe with merciless hip thrusts.

“Aahng…!”

Fully grasping her plump b*ttocks and lifting them in the air, he repeatedly thrust his c*ck into her fairly long cervix.

He sucked the br*ast filling his mouth hard enough that even the pink ar*ola turned red.

The man, even more aroused by her body writhing desperately at the two strong stimulations, flashed a lewd look in his eyes.

His fingers, spread wide supporting her b*ttocks, dug into the place Laurencia hated most.

Sure enough, strength filled her slackened body.

Then, when her body was about to go limp again, he bared his teeth like a beast that had been waiting for the moment and pushed one knuckle of his finger into the wrinkled gap.

“Aah…! Jedrian!”

“Hah… You’re clenching so tight. I’m going crazy, really.”

“Haah! Don’t, pull out, please pull out!”

“I’m about to cum, Lauren. It feels like my c*ck is melting.”

Instead responding to her plea, he pushed his finger in further and thrust his hips up even more fiercely than before.

Each time their flesh met, the elastic friction sounds along with the lewd sounds flowing from her wet inner flesh made his mind hazy.

“Aahng…! Aah…!”

Her wailing, sensual moans aroused him even more.

Jedrian, overwhelmed by the urge to ej*culate, stared piercingly at her face heading toward climax and shook his hips madly.

Though he wanted to cum immediately, he stubbornly held back because the pleasure felt twice as good when he came together with her.

Shortly after, the inner walls that had been chewing on his c*ck undulated turbulently. Finally, she seemed to have reached her limit.

As her pretty face twisted mercilessly, he furrowed his brow in response and thrust his c*ck up even more violently.

“Ahng, aah… No. No, Jedrian!”

“It feels good. It’s not that you hate it. So just feel it. Ugh!”

“Aaahng…!”

Finally reaching climax, a high-pitched cry burst from Laurencia’s mouth like she could no longer hold back.

Still not knowing how to fully enjoy this ecstatic pleasure, she trembled violently while tears dripped down like she’d had a terrible nightmare.

Not knowing how stimulating that sight was.

Jedrian smiled contentedly at her innocent appearance, not knowing what to do, unable to handle even one pleasure.

Yet she felt it so well.

“Look at this. You can’t do without my c*ck. So don’t have foolish thoughts, Lauren.”

Jedrian twisted the corners of his mouth while fiddling with her red hair that had collapsed onto his chest.

‘How dare you try to provoke me with such a b*stard. That b*stard won’t even be able to touch you anyway.’

The touch that had been proudly caressing her soft skin while smiling quickly became sticky.

His c*ck swelled with renewed strength, and he suddenly checked outside the window.

He frowned at the sky that had already grown dim.

“How annoying.”

Though he wanted to stay like this with her all night, there was something unavoidable today.

Clicking his tongue, he laid her limp body down properly.

Then he pushed his c*ck, which had quickly swollen in size, into the place where milky white fluid was flowing out, whispering.

“I’ll only do it one more time today. Bear with it even if you’re disappointed.”

‘But I’ll make sure to convey your regards to His Majesty properly.’

By then, Laurencia’s golden eyes, which had trembled with pleasure until just before, were empty like a soulless doll.