***

“Ugh, mm…”

Cyrene’s back trembled involuntarily. Areos pressed his tongue firmly against the now reddened n*pple and licked it hard. Each time he did this, her hands clung to his clothing, unsure of what to do.

“Ha… ah…”

Her mind was spinning. Ever since her br*asts had begun to swell slightly, she had been forced to undress in front of Areos every day. She was painfully aware of the whispers people exchanged. Now the once small flesh had grown fuller and he bit down hard on the soft, plump mound he held in his mouth.

“It hurts…!”

Her white skin bore a red bite mark. Her cry, almost a scream, made the Crown Prince raise his head. He looked completely unconcerned, as if he didn’t care if she was in pain or not.

His firm fingertips rubbed the n*pple, now slick with saliva, back and forth. Having been licked and pinched daily, the tender flesh had become hypersensitive and a strange sensation quickly coursed through her body. Cyrene bit down hard on her lips.

Areos pressed his fingertip against the small, pointed nub of flesh and watched her face, as if observing her reaction. Her face flushed hotly.

“You’re more embarrassed than before.”

“…No, I’m not.”

Cyrene looked away from his bright golden eyes. His gaze always filled her with fear. The Crown Prince lifted the hem of her thin muslin dress. His hand, which had been caressing her knee, slowly moved up to explore the inside of her thigh.

“Ugh…”

She clenched her fists. As she grew older, she began to understand more and more. With each passing year, the whispers about her and Areos grew louder, filled with speculation about her place in his bed.

When would she take the Crown Prince’s bed? Or had she already done so? The sounds that emanated from behind the closed doors during their daily alone time only added fuel to their gossip.

Areos had never taught her anything, but it was impossible not to understand. As his fingers slid over her underwear, Cyrene instinctively pulled her legs together.

“Y-Your Highness…”

“Spread them.”

“I…”

Her voice trailed off as she reached tentatively for his hand. His hand had grown larger than before, to the point where it seemed impossible to push it away.

The golden light in the Crown Prince’s eyes sparkled with amusement. She knew enough to realise that her reaction wasn’t the ‘right’ one. Cyrene licked her dry lips lightly with the tip of her tongue.

“That… that’s not right.”

“Why not?”

The question came back in a leisurely tone.

“Why?”

There were many reasons. As people whispered, the two of them were half-siblings. Even if she was an unacknowledged bastard, it didn’t change the fact that she was the Emperor’s daughter.

Cyrene lowered her head to avoid his gaze, which seemed to urge her to explain quickly. The Crown Prince’s hand moved without hesitation, pulling off her undergarments.

“Your Highness and I… that is…”

Areos had never once referred to her as his ‘sister’. On rare occasions, when the visiting princesses came, he would use the word ‘sister’ sarcastically a few times. But Cyrene was just ‘Cyrene’ to him.

It made her feel strange to even use the word ‘siblings’. She jerked involuntarily as his hand trailed over the soft flesh of her inner thigh.

“We… we’re siblings.” She stammered, wrapping her arms protectively around her br*ast.

But what did it really mean to be siblings?

Even as she said it, she didn’t quite understand. Cyrene knew what it meant to be half-siblings, but she couldn’t quite grasp what the relationship really meant.

The princess and the crown prince had always been at odds, and Cyrene and Areos were more like a pet and its owner. His dark eyebrows twitched slightly. A chuckle escaped him.

“Siblings?”

He laughed, as if he found it amusing.

“Who said that? That you and I are siblings.”

Cyrene could tell that Areos was angry. Despite the sound of laughter in his voice, there was no trace of humour. His hand gripped her chin tightly, hard enough to hurt.

“It hurts…!”

“Who said that?”

“T-the maids…”

Areos smiled faintly at her words.

“The maids have a lot of unnecessary things to say.”

“…”

“I have no illegitimate sister.”

Cyrene’s lips parted slightly. Did that mean they weren’t half-siblings? Or was he simply refusing to acknowledge the connection? Noticing the confusion in her gaze, Areos brushed his thumb across her trembling lips.

“You’re just mine. That’s all.”

His fingers slid between her lips, pressing firmly against her soft tongue.

“An illegitimate child, not even acknowledged by my father, is nothing but trash.”

“Ah…”

He lowered his head and planted a light kiss on her lips.

“Be grateful, Cyrene. I was the only one who chose to raise you.”

Should she thank him?

Cyrene gave in instinctively, letting her tongue follow the slight tug. Areo’s fingers slid into her mouth, wetting themselves thoroughly with her saliva.

The wet fingers then touched the space between her legs.

“Ugh…”

Her whole body jerked. The slick touch moved over her sensitive skin, exploring slowly. His fingers rubbed against the parted flesh and began to press lightly inside.

Cyrene’s eyes widened as she looked down. His fingertips had penetrated her about two knuckles deep – in a place she hadn’t even known existed. The maids had never cleaned inside her body before.

As if amused by her reaction, Areos laughed softly and pushed down hard on her shoulder.

Her back sank deep into the soft sofa. From her reclined position, looking up at him, his presence seemed even more intimidating. A faint smile played on his lips as his next command came.

“Spread your legs.”

“Y-Your Highness…”

The only thought in Cyrene’s head was escape. For the first time, she resisted his actions, squirming and trying to push Areos away. Amusement flickered across the crown prince’s face, sending a shiver down her spine that froze her in place.

“Aah…!”

His fingers pressed further inside.

“See? You should behave.”

Areos laughed softly and stroked her cheek. She could feel his fingers slowly exploring her insides, wriggling and moving in a way that felt utterly foreign and strange.

“Haah…”

The touch against her inner walls sent waves of sensation through her entire body. When Cyrene blinked slowly, Areos stared at her intently, his hand moving deliberately.

Just when she thought the fingers rubbing inside her were about to withdraw, they pushed deeper.

“Ugh…”

It was a strange sensation – the feeling of something strange stirring inside her. With his other hand, Areos began to play with her hardened n*pple. He scraped it lightly with his nail, squeezing and pinching it as if it were a toy. Cyrene’s body trembled involuntarily at his actions.

The simultaneous touches above and below intertwined in a strange way. Her hands gripped the muslin dress tightly, unsure how to deal with the sensations that were slowly overtaking her entire body. Instinctively, she twisted at her waist.

“Mm…”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

Areos chuckled softly. Even as Kyrene gasped for breath, she couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to be in a better mood now.

“I… I don’t know.”

Was this what it meant to feel good?

Her whole body tingled. It was as if someone was tickling her with a feather from her toes to her head. The unfamiliar sensation left her breathless.

“Ha… huh…”

She exhaled deeply, releasing the air trapped in her chest. Just as she felt a brief relief from the heat inside, it flared up again. Areos curled his fingers inside her, scraping hard against her inner walls.

“Hhk!”

Cyrene’s hips shook in response. As his fingers pulled away from her, a sticky sound echoed softly.

Still frozen, her legs spread, unsure what to do, she felt his damp fingers brush against her lips.

“Lick them.”

Was that what had come from inside her? Transparent and sticky, it coated her lips. Her tongue trembled slightly. As she slowly licked his fingers, Areos let out a languid chuckle.

“That’s right, thoroughly.”

Like an obedient pet licking its master, Cyrene carefully ran her tongue over the inside of his sticky, damp fingers. Fortunately, there was no discernible taste, but her head felt dizzy.

This is strange…

It felt as if something new had awakened deep inside her body – something she hadn’t even known was there before. The place where his fingers had been throbbed faintly. As Areos stood and turned away, Cyrene watched his retreating figure in silence.

A maid entered a moment later and helped to straighten her dishevelled clothes. Catching a glimpse of Cyrene’s completely stripped undergarments, the maid cast a furtive glance at both her and Areos.

“Go.”

“Good night.”

Cyrene murmured softly.

Her underwear was damp.

Was it the same fluid that had coated her fingers?

Cyrene bit her lip lightly as she left the room.

Ever since Areos had first touched her br*ast, he had always seemed to enjoy it. If that was the case, would he now start touching between her legs?

“…Ugh.”

It was a strange sensation. She put a hand on her stomach and felt as if something inside her was tightening. Yet nothing seemed different – apart from the new awareness of a part of her she hadn’t even known existed.

Is this something that shouldn’t be done?

Cyrene stared blankly down the dim corridor.

Or is there something more?

Her eyes fell down.

Her damp underwear clung uncomfortably between her legs. The sensation was both uncomfortable and strange. She took a deep breath, trying to dissipate the lingering heat in her body.

She felt a little disoriented.