It was a question she couldn’t answer. Even as her lips moved slightly, it seemed to stimulate him. Astaire once again gripped her head tightly. His c*ck, covered in mucus, was pushed in deep. As that thing, emitting a fishy smell, poked and prodded at her throat, she felt the urge to gag, but this time he didn’t let her.

“Suck it.”

He commanded softly. Valentine, who was nothing more than a captured beast unable to resist, had no choice but to comply obediently.

Without a clear understanding of how to do it, she took it into her mouth as if swallowing candy. When she raised her tongue and gently licked the tip, the p*nis twitched as if excited. As she wrapped and enveloped the shaft with the flesh in her mouth and sucked, the living thing wriggled and poked at the tender mucous membranes inside her mouth.

The thrusting began. He pushed the hot, er*ect flesh into the inside of her red lips. Only after forcing her throat open and making her swallow it to the deepest part did he slowly retreat, rubbing against the mucous membrane of her palate.

It was an act solely to satisfy his own desires. Every time his flesh rubbed against the mucous membrane, the tyrant of the world swallowed a satisfied groan.

This inside is soft and hot. Even when his flesh is slightly scratched by teeth, he likes that clumsiness. These innocent eyes, not knowing what to do, double the pleasure that’s tightly filling up. It was clear that he was the first to violate her upper mouth.

With a beauty that wouldn’t seem out of place if she had entangled herself with dozens of men, it was the allure of a different kind.

At some point, Astaire abruptly pulled his thing out of Valentine’s mouth. As if she hadn’t been able to breathe properly, she belatedly coughed repeatedly. Her chest heaved up and down, breathing rough breaths. Her lower jaw glistened with dripping saliva.

Astaire, looking down at Valentine, commanded.

“Bend over.”

‘Ah, Cassian…’

Calling out the name of her lover who couldn’t protect her in her heart, Valentine turned her body. Supporting her body with both hands, she tightly closed her eyes. There was no mercy from the tyrant who forcibly opened and violated her dry hole.

* * *

Although their first encounter was so humiliating, Astaire began to cherish Valentine more and more. It wasn’t simply because she had saved his life.

‘No matter how terrible and strange everything Astaire does might be, you must unconditionally say that Astaire is right.’

Because of Cassian’s words, Valentine absolutely sided with Astaire.

Even on the day when a bloody wind blew through the imperial palace, Valentine comforted Astaire. As always, after beheading an innocent minister, Astaire was raging.

Clang! The sound of Astaire throwing the blood-stained sword on the floor was terribly brutal. The servants groaned as they dragged away the pitiful minister’s corpse.

Astaire fiercely watched the miserable scene. Valentine grabbed Astaire’s arm with trembling fingertips. Although her heart was pounding with the anxiety she swallowed down, she managed to mutter.

“There must be a reason for everything you do, Astaire.”

“Of course there’s a reason!”

Clang! The sword kicked by Astaire’s foot cried out. Astaire, who had shouted, turned to look at Valentine.

Whoosh! A sharp sound of tearing echoed. His silver hair, drenched in blood and gleaming ominously, was disheveled.

His blue eyes were full of madness. Valentine unconsciously took a deep breath.

Astaire always reeked of a terrible smell of blood. It was worlds apart from Cassian, who had a kind and warm scent.

“How dare you defend Count Glastia in front of me!”

Count Glastia was Astaire’s maternal uncle, who disapproved of Astaire’s tyranny. Count Glastia and Astaire were in a relationship that was bound to clash repeatedly.

Astaire was always desperate to kill Count Glastia. The reason Astaire couldn’t harm Count Glastia, who was a thorn in his side, now was because of his mother, Marianne of Glastia.

However, Marianne of Glastia was in a state where she could die any day due to illness. The moment she closed her eyes, Count Glastia’s head would surely fall along with it.

“You have reason to be angry, Astaire.”

Valentine comforted the raging Astaire in a calm voice. If Astaire became more excited here, the maids and servants of the imperial palace would die.

“Why don’t people think about the meaning behind Astaire’s actions? If they just thought a little from Astaire’s perspective, they could quickly judge who is right.”

“……”

Astaire looked down at Valentine intently. Her young face was innocent and pure. Her delicate violet eyes didn’t seem to be telling lies.

His excitement-ridden heart subsided. It was something only Valentine de le Blumir in the whole world could do.

For Astaire de la Fleur, Valentine de le Blumir was truly the perfect woman.

“Only you… understand me.”

Astaire whispered, cupping Valentine’s small face.

“Tina, my beloved Tina. As expected, you’re the only one who understands me.”

Astaire, who dared to speak of love, overlapped his body without any guilt. Her half-torn dress hem crumbled to the floor.

He gripped her exposed white br*asts as if they were his own and bit her n*pples. He raised the tip of his moist tongue to suck and lick generously. As he chewed gently between his teeth, the swollen n*pples felt only sweet. The soft skin of her entire body existed solely for Astaire.

Eventually, her tender body melted into the curtain of night. Valentine, held in the blood-smelling embrace, barely swallowed her nausea.

Astaire, who was imprinting his marks on Valentine’s body, kissed the red scar on her waist and whispered.

“It’s the glorious scar that saved me.”

“Ah, Astaire…”

“My Tina, you are the only shining existence in my worthless gray life. You are the greatest gift Uncle gave me.”

Not long after that, Astaire made Valentine his maîtresse-en-titre, the emperor’s one and only official consort.

Astaire had been close to quite a few women before Valentine. But making her his maîtresse-en-titre was a practical declaration that he would not take any other consort besides her now.

Originally, the position of maîtresse-en-titre wielded enormous power under the emperor’s halo.

Moreover, Valentine was the tyrant’s only consort and the only person who could handle that tyrant. Everyone knelt before Valentine and bowed their heads.

Gradually, Valentine was becoming the one indispensable person for Astaire.

* * *

Time passed like that, and on a certain day…

“I have something to tell you, Cassian.”

On that day too, Valentine, who was enjoying a secret meeting with Cassian, whispered with a flushed face.

“I’m pregnant.”

She always took contraceptive herbs on days when she had relations with Astaire. But apart from that, she instinctively knew.

Astaire would not be able to have descendants. Astaire had been close to countless women even before meeting Valentine, but she had never heard of anyone getting pregnant.

So this child was Cassian’s.

She thought that the kind Cassian would be happy. Although Valentine’s barren body was bound to Astaire, her soul was one with Cassian, so she thought so innocently.

But the hand caressing Valentine stiffened. Only after quite some time passed did a neat, hard voice finally fall.

“…Astaire will be pleased.”

Cassian’s atmosphere was not normal. Valentine, who was trembling in bewilderment, barely asked back.

“What about you, Cassian?”

Valentine, who was in Cassian’s arms, tilted her head. Cassian’s face, immersed in deep darkness, was not visible.

“Aren’t you happy, Cassian?”

“Of course I’m happy.”

It was a calm answer. It was a dry whisper that felt neither joy nor sorrow nor anything. He didn’t seem like the Cassian that Valentine knew.

“But in my current position, I can’t easily express even joy.”

Blue veins popped up on Valentine’s hand as she clutched Cassian’s clothes. Her previously calm voice was now filled with trembling emotion.

“This child… will live as Astaire’s child. It will be pointed at all its life as Astaire’s illegitimate child. That fact… this reality.”

Cassian’s face, now visible, contorted.

“It’s unbearably painful.”

It was a feeling she hadn’t considered before. Valentine bit her lip and embraced Cassian’s neck. Her red lips moved softly.

“Let’s… overthrow Astaire as soon as possible.”

Cassian pulled Valentine’s waist close. Valentine, feeling infinite relief in his arms, murmured.

“I don’t want to stay here any longer. I can’t bear Astaire’s cruelty anymore…”

Cassian nodded heavily. That was the only path left for them.

That day, unlike other times, her beloved lover didn’t make love to her. He just held her in his arms, treating her like a precious treasure.

* * *