Jedrian dressed himself calmly with indifferent eyes, watching Laurencia who had fallen asleep like she’d passed out in her wrecked state.

Though he wanted to punish her all night for daring to squirm around so fearlessly, today was the day to check on the emperor’s condition.

Normally he would have postponed such trivial matters until tomorrow, but lately the emperor’s condition had deteriorated rapidly, requiring frequent checks.

Also, he could only feel at ease if he personally attended to the emperor’s condition.

More than anything, now that Laurencia, the legitimate heir, had returned to the empire, he couldn’t let his guard down for even a moment.

Once the emperor’s breath stopped, it would become a race against time.

To easily seize the imperial throne, he had to proceed before the emperor faction nobles could put the princess forward.

For that, he had to be the first to know the moment the emperor died.

His thoughts were brief. Jedrian, now neatly dressed, sat beside Laurencia who lay there like she was dead.

Seeing her beautiful even in her disheveled state, his lower half that hadn’t quite died down swelled again.

He caressed the red hair scattered messily across the pure white bedding and rambled.

“Look at this. I think of His Majesty this much. I keep my promises to you like clockwork. Even though you and His Majesty betrayed me, I still take care of you father and daughter like this.”

Pouting his lips like he felt hurt, he soon raised the corners of his mouth and kissed the lips of the unconscious woman.

After licking and sucking the red lips, swollen plump from all his sucking, he pulled away from the wet lips and let out a small sigh.

“So why did you make me like this? All of this is what His Majesty and you brought upon yourselves.”

Jedrian’s eyes as he reproached her were sincere.

He truly resented the emperor and her.

Even knowing she knew nothing, he thought ignorance was also a sin.

After watching Laurencia for a moment, he stood up coldly.

Then, leaving her room, he ordered the maid waiting outside the door to attend to her well before leaving the princess’s palace without lingering.

Jedrian, who had been walking without hesitation, suddenly stopped.

When he tilted his head after spotting that irritating b*stard standing looking at the garden, one of the knights behind him rushed over.

At the same time, Ashar, who had sensed the presence and turned around, hesitated when he saw Jedrian standing in the distance.

The gazes of the two men who met under the bright moonlight clashed fiercely for a very brief moment.

Ashar, who lowered his gaze first, quickly arranged his expression and ran up to him, promptly bowing his head.

Jedrian stared at Ashar like that and pondered for a moment.

‘Should I just get rid of him?’

His crimson eyes that flashed sharply soon let out a scoff and muttered loudly to himself.

“What are you even worth?”

He turned around without lingering like there was nothing to see, then turned his head again and asked coldly.

“Why didn’t you report?”

“There was no conversation worth reporting.”

“Then what was that atmosphere earlier?”

“That was exactly as the princess said. I only apologized for being terrible at dancing. Before that, she slept all day so there was no time to talk.”

At Ashar’s smooth answer, Jedrian narrowed his eyes and frowned.

Though he knew it was a lie, since it wasn’t time yet and he was pretending not to know while watching, irritation slowly surged up.

Jedrian, whose mood had twisted, ultimately crushed him again with the position he held.

“Keep in mind that I’m not letting you off because you’re the princess’s lover. You’re just a dog I let loose. Got it?”

When Ashar showed agreement by bowing his head even lower, his eyes sinking coldly, his aide Tavar approached and whispered.

“We’ve been delayed too long.”

The crimson eyes that had been irritably glaring at the b*stard prostrated with a twisted face witnessed a strange sight and moved smoothly in that direction.

The b*stard’s hand, which had been fine earlier, was wrapped with a white handkerchief stained with blood.

His suspicious gaze flashed, and Tavar beside him urged again.

“Lokan.”

“Hmph, seems like he felt jealous playing at being a lover.”

Jedrian, who let out a sneer, soon turned around.

Then he ordered Tavar with an indifferent face.

“Watch that b*stard closely. If it seems like there’s anything between him and Lauren, report it immediately.”

‘Because I’ll cut off that c*ck right away.’

“Yes.”

Only then did Jedrian hasten his steps, and except for the knight guarding the front of the princess’s palace, the rest of the knights hurriedly followed behind him.

In the midst of that, Ashar, who briefly exchanged glances with Noir, glared at the man’s retreating back and slowly straightened his posture.

From his mouth as his eyes flashed fiercely, rough curses he couldn’t hold back finally flowed out.

“Vulgar b*stard.”

* * *

Ashar, who returned to his room, stared out the window for a moment.

Trying hard to push away the woman who kept getting on his nerves from his mind, he finally surrendered and entered the passage connected to the reception room of the princess’s chamber.

Whatever she had been subjected to had nothing to do with him, but still, it seemed he’d feel better if he confirmed what state she was in.

Dismissing it as merely being curious about the state of a useful bait, not worry or any other reason, he quietly entered her bedroom.

Then he stopped short and quickly turned his head. He had witnessed an unexpected scene.

Right now, of all times, a maid was carefully wiping Laurencia’s body, not wearing a single thread.

Just as he was about to turn around thinking it would be better to leave now, he unconsciously turned his head again at the strangely quiet atmosphere.

Seeing the woman without any movement, she seemed to have lost consciousness again.

Looking at her pale face, he could tell how persistently that b*stard had tormented her.

He truly was an incomprehensible b*stard.

How could someone destroy the person they love to that extent?

By his common sense, he simply couldn’t understand Jedrian’s behavior.

Just then, the maid who had finished her work stood up. Then she went around to the opposite side of the bed and organized the wet towels.

In the meantime, Laurencia’s snow-white n*ked body lying motionless was fully revealed.

Below her red hair dyed like blood, skin whiter and smoother than snow captured his gaze.

Since Armazé’s clothing style itself was practically no different from being n*ked, he already knew well how voluptuous her figure was.

Unsuited to her slender frame, her full br*asts and luscious b*ttocks peeked through the dress, and there had been many times he’d averted his gaze.

But actually seeing what was inside directly, it was a body that stimulated a man’s l*st incomparably more than what he’d seen from the outside.

His lower half, which had instantly betrayed his will, rose up vigorously. Heat rose throughout his body and his mouth went dry.

His gaze, which had been persistently scanning the beautiful woman’s n*ked body like he was entranced, twisted violently when it saw something.

He saw red marks blooming around the snow-white br*ast mounds. Seeing the dirty marks that were clearly made by that b*stard, his teeth ground unconsciously.

Just then, his eyes met directly with the maid who had turned around to cover Laurencia with a blanket.

“Who’s there!”

“Shh, it’s me.”

Ashar, who quickly arranged his expression, put his finger to his lips and smiled charmingly.

The maid, whose face had become familiar from passing by, immediately flushed her cheeks at his captivating smile.

It was the result of always treating her with a smiling face among the rough knights where she always held her breath.

He couldn’t not know what that reaction meant, so a scoff escaped. Nevertheless, since he’d smiled for that purpose, he deliberately smiled even more brightly.

The reason she, who couldn’t even make eye contact with the knights, could show such a reaction was probably because she thought they were in the same situation.

Slave or maid—being at the bottom was the same either way.

It was fine to be regarded that way.

The deeper she fell for him, the more perfectly he could use her.

Unlike earlier when she’d been careful, the maid moved busily, roughly covered Laurencia’s body with a blanket, and quickly approached him.

“She seems to have lost consciousness. So if you come tomorrow…”

Unlike her previous actions that seemed rushed enough to look urgent, her tone seemed quite worried about her.

But in the maid’s eyes, there was no worry for the princess at all—only sinister l*st clearly revealed, wanting to roll around with her master’s lover.

‘They’re all like beasts crazy only for mating.’

Ashar, who smiled even more affectionately at the woman who was ridiculous to the point of being trivial, suddenly thrust his face close to hers and whispered.

“Could you bring me something to eat?”

“Oh my, you haven’t eaten?”

“Yeah. You know how it is.”

She made a sad face like his stomach was growling, then soon widened her eyes and nodded.

“Wait just a moment. I’ll bring it quickly. Ah! I’ll bring a bottle of alcohol too.”

“No—”

Before he could stop her, the small woman quickly left the room.

A few days ago, he’d seen her cheek swollen like someone had hit her after she brought alcohol he hadn’t even asked for.

She’d probably been caught trying to sneak it out and got hit.

But without any reward for offering her cheek to bring it, unfortunately that alcohol went into the stomachs of the knights outside the door. And now she was going to bring more knowing that.

Whether she was stupid or too greedy.

Whatever it was, since she was doing it voluntarily, there was no reason to stop her.

Ashar, who quickly dismissed his interest, only turned his gaze back to Laurencia after hearing the door close as the maid left.

Watching the woman with her eyes closed like she was dead, he slowly approached her.

Soon, looking down with a cool gaze, he stared at the br*ast mound that was half exposed.

His lower half, which had calmed down for a moment, swelled again. Heat surged up again and an unpleasant sensation assaulted his entire body.

Narrowing his brow, he finally realized he hadn’t relieved his l*st for quite a long time.

Still though. To feel l*st looking at an unconscious woman in this situation.

And she was a woman he would dispose of without mercy once she’d served her purpose. Toward the daughter of his enemy at that.

At his own appearance, no different from that beast-like b*stard, he felt so dirty he almost laughed hollowly.

Twisting the corners of his mouth, he sneered at the unconscious woman.

“What should I do, Princess? Even I, whom you protected by selling your body, was this kind of beast b*stard.”

His large hand headed unhesitatingly toward her chest exposed outside the blanket.