Contract of Submission with the Enemy - Chapter 21
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Rité was forcibly escorted back to her quarters by two soldiers holding her arms. As she noticed a guard standing by the door to prevent her from leaving, she trembled.
After a while, a meal was brought through a small opening in the door, and Rité called out to the soldier.
“Hey! Wait a minute! Let me treat Aster!”
The soldier, who had been about to turn away, stopped at her words. Seizing the opportunity, Rité pressed her face close to the small window in the door.
“He just came back from battle. He must have injuries, right?”
“…”
The soldier didn’t respond, but his silence was answer enough. Aster was indeed injured, though he had only received basic first aid.
“Let me treat him.”
“The Major has already healed himself with his abilities.”
Rité fell silent for a moment. They didn’t know that his abilities couldn’t heal his own wounds.
“There are some injuries only a partner can heal, like mental wounds or internal organ damage that aren’t visible. Just let me see him for a health check.”
“There are orders from the Major not to allow any meetings.”
“Then just tell him what I said. Just once. I won’t ask again if you do.”
Rité’s plea seemed to cause the soldier to hesitate before he silently walked away.
Hearing him leave, Rité leaned against the door and slid down, feeling powerless. The longer she was unable to see Aster, the more despair she felt. It also meant Maud’s torture would continue longer.
A few moments later, the door opened with a click. Rité turned in surprise to see the soldier who had brought her meal standing there.
“Follow me,” he said sternly.
With a heavy heart, Rité followed him down a long corridor. The walk felt both agonizingly short and painfully long, like a march to the guillotine.
She took a silent deep breath to steady herself.
Finally, they arrived at Aster’s office. Without giving her time to prepare, the soldier announced her presence.
“Major, Rité Rainhills has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
Aster’s calm voice came from inside. The soldier opened the door, revealing Aster sitting on a chair by the window, not at his desk. He was resting his chin on his hand, looking outside. His posture was both arrogant and somehow beautiful.
Holding her breath, Rité carefully stepped inside, feeling as if she were entering a tiger’s den. The door closed quietly behind her.
She walked over to where Aster sat and stood in front of him. Without looking at her, he coldly asked, “What do you want to say?”
“Please save Commander Maud.”
Aster’s expression turned bored, as if he had expected this.
“Rité, you’re mistaken if you think all prisoners can be treated like you. Do you know how many of our soldiers died because of him? Could you save someone like that?”
At that moment, Rité slowly sank to her knees with a soft thud. Aster, now looking at her, saw something strange in his dark eyes.
Rité knelt, head bowed deeply. Her voice, gloomy and desperate, escaped her lips.
“…I’m begging you. Just this once. Please…”
Aster let out a hollow laugh.
“Rité, is your pride worth so little? Are you willing to beg for the life of an old man you barely know?”
His voice was cold, but it seemed to carry an undercurrent of anger. Though she couldn’t understand why he was so furious, Rité, her head still bowed, replied with a trembling voice.
“I’ll do anything. If you grant my request, I’ll do whatever you want…”
The room fell into heavy silence. The ticking of the clock was the only sound, intensifying the weight of the moment.
Rité’s eyelashes quivered as she waited for what felt like a death sentence.
Breaking the silence, Aster’s hard voice finally spoke.
“Look at me.”
Slowly, Rité lifted her head to meet his gaze. His arrogant expression had softened slightly.
“You said you’d do anything. I need to verify your sincerity.”
Still lounging in his chair, Aster casually commanded, “Undo my belt. From where you are.”
Rité bit her lower lip, hidden from view. She had anticipated such demands since her capture. In wartime, women often faced far worse when taken prisoner.
Despite being prepared, the reality felt extremely humiliating, especially coming from a man she despised.
Aster watched her intently, offering the illusion of choice but implying that Maud’s life depended on her compliance. It was a matter of pride or another’s life.
When Rité remained motionless, he turned away, speaking impassively.
“If you can’t do it, give up now.”
“No. I’ll do it. I will.”
Rité chose to abandon her pride. She moved closer on her knees, raising her trembling hands. The cold metal of the belt buckle made a clicking sound as she undid it. His next instruction followed immediately.
“Unfasten the buckle and unzip.”
Closing her eyes briefly to suppress her emotions, she carried out his command. The sound of the zipper lowering seemed unnaturally loud.
Underneath his pants were black briefs. Avoiding looking at the bulge, Rité focused on his polished black shoes.
“Take them off,” came the next order.
Something snapped in her mind. She decided to dissociate, to consider her body not her own for the moment.
Just as Rité, with vacant eyes, reached to remove his underwear, Aster spoke again.
“…The pants.”
Confused, she looked up at him. Aster’s expression was unreadable.
“Didn’t you hear? Take off my pants.”
Assuming he found them in the way, Rité did as instructed. As she pulled down his pants, her eyes widened slightly at what she saw.
A bandage was wrapped around his muscular thigh just below his briefs, with blood seeping through.
“Treat it,” Aster said nonchalantly.
“…What?”
Dazed, Rité stared at the bandage. It seemed hastily applied, the white fabric stained with blood.
When she couldn’t bring herself to ask about the injury and merely opened her mouth, Aster spoke first.
“It’s just a small cut. A subordinate told me you said you’d heal me.”
Rité’s eyes widened as she remembered what she had told the subordinate.
‘Could he have been teasing me from the start?!’
She sharply raised her head. It seemed that a faint smile briefly appeared on Aster’s lips as he continued to gaze out the window.
In an instant, Rité’s face turned red with a mix of anger and embarrassment. However, Aster nonchalantly added another remark as if passing by.
“There are wounds that only partners can heal, huh… I see.”
“Don’t tease me!” Rité shouted. Aster immediately leaned forward from his chair, grabbed her chin, and looked directly into her eyes.
“Are you seriously yelling at me right now? If you prefer, I could change the treatment area and method even now.”
Rité trembled and turned her gaze aside. Aster chuckled, released her chin, and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“Go ahead.”