***

Areos stood silently, gazing at Cyrene’s sleeping face. His hand moved slowly to stroke the bridge of her nose. Her delicate features crinkled slightly, and with a soft sigh, she turned her head away sharply.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. Areos, who had been staring blankly at Cyrene, only realised he was laughing when his expression turned to a frown.

Damn it.

Where did it go wrong? Was it when he first held that fragile child in his arms? Or was it the moment she crawled into his embrace?

Areos rose from the bed. As his warmth faded, Cyrene shivered slightly and burrowed deeper into the blankets, her shoulders hunched against the cold.

An impulsive need to hold her surged through him, and his hand moved towards her of its own accord.

“…”

But instead of giving in, Areos clasped her shoulder tightly, as if to shake off any lingering hesitation, and withdrew his hand. He sank heavily into the nearby sofa, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. His dark lashes lowered slowly, then rose again.

Kyrene. He silently repeated the name.

He had brought her here in the first place because she was Creusa’s daughter. The woman his mother had hated. Stories of her scandal and worship had reached his ears even when he was only thirteen. Though he had never met her, he knew more than enough about the infamous Creusa, more than anyone would have expected.

And when the woman who stole his father’s heart – something his mother could never do – died, all his father brought back was a “bastard child”, a beautiful doll by that name.

Though she probably doesn’t even remember it.

A bitter laugh escaped Areos. His mother, who surely knew everything that happened in the Crown Prince’s palace, had never said a word. Perhaps she didn’t care what Creusa had left behind after her death.

Areos gaze lingered on Cyrene’s face, half-buried in the blankets.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. More beautiful than any living woman, any woman who had died, or even any figure immortalised in art. Even when she was crying, utterly broken, no matter how miserable she looked, she always commanded his attention.

She was simply pleasing to look at. And, of course, the most beautiful things always belonged to him. She was his to decorate the crown prince’s palace, to enjoy and admire as he pleased. Of course, as she grew older, her usefulness had expanded in another way.

She was helpless – a beautiful, powerless puppet who knew nothing of the outside world. In Cyrene’s world, there was only Areos. She couldn’t live without him, and if he ever discarded her, she would fall endlessly into ruin, into the depths of hell itself.

“Mmm…”

Cyrene stirred faintly, her soft murmur breaking the silence as Areos continued to watch her, his thoughts swirling in a mixture of obsession and indifference.

Areos rested his chin on his hand, gazing at Cyrene’s sleeping face. As if sensing his gaze, she wriggled slightly, burrowing deeper into the blankets – a gesture so delicate it was almost endearing. The moonlight fell softly on her platinum hair, which was spread across the sheets like silken threads.

She was undeniably his. A well-bred doll who listened and obeyed his commands without question. But since meeting Ilion Laska, Cyrene had begun to unravel, piece by piece.

She remembered another man’s name. She even dared to say Ilion in his presence. She disobeyed his orders and waited for him when she was told not to.

Never, with anyone else she had ever been with, had she done such things. And yet, for a man who hadn’t even held her once, she had changed.

Areos clenched his jaw.

Anger bubbled up from deep within his chest. Was it simply that Cyrene had disobeyed him? Or was it the sickening irritation that rose every time he imagined her spreading her legs for another man?

Why?

He couldn’t make sense of the emotions swirling around him. Cyrene was just a beautiful pet, wasn’t she? If others found her charming and showered her with affection, shouldn’t he, as her owner, feel a sense of pride?

Areos let out a long sigh and ran a hand over his face. It had all started that day – the day he had pushed Cyrene towards another man. Since then he’d become sharper, more irritable, and he knew it.

Logically, he understood, but his emotions refused to follow. The image of Cyrene gasping beneath another man aroused him, only to be replaced moments later by a wave of uncontrollable rage.

“…”

Areos strode to the bed and grabbed Cyrene’s arm, pulling her up. She blinked dazedly, her dazed face turned towards him as she clutched the blanket around her.

“Your Highness.”

Her voice, still thick with sleep, escaped in a soft mumble. She blinked slowly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand before squeezing them shut and opening them again.

She looked beautiful. Pitiful. Outrageous. As if trying to comprehend what was happening, her eyes darted around before she instinctively leaned towards him. Her slender hand rested against his chest and her still sleepy face drew closer.

Just as Cyrene leaned in to kiss him, as she always did, Areos pushed her slender form away, his actions harsh and unrelenting.

“Ah!”

She stumbled backwards with a short cry. Her still bloodshot eyes widened in shock, and a faint sense of fear began to creep up on her. As she slowly crawled towards the headboard, Areos moved towards her and climbed onto the bed.

“Y-Your Highness.”

Her small lips trembled. As Areos reached out, she flinched, blinking slowly.

“Cyrene.”

He called to her softly, cupping her cheek in his hand. A slight, awkward smile appeared on her face and she leaned gently into his palm. For a moment, his heart softened, but then his anger returned.

What had gone wrong? Was it when she met Ilion Laska and started to fall apart? Or was it when other men used her and broke her? He couldn’t understand why she had changed.

“You should not do what I told you not to do.”

Arios’ words made her bright blue eyes blink quickly.

“I’m sorry.”

Tears quickly filled her eyes. The sight of her small face trembling with sobs softened his heart, but soon the irritation flared up again. It wasn’t because of Arios. It was because of Ilion.

She had lurked around him, disobeying her master’s orders for the sake of the Marquis. She had taken things she shouldn’t have, all because of Ilion Laska.

“Sorry?”

Arios chuckled softly. Cyrene nodded repeatedly. A small sob escaped her lips.

“If you knew it was wrong, you shouldn’t have done it.”

Her blue eyes trembled violently. Cyrene curled her body tightly.

“I won’t do it again.”

Could it really be true?

Arios’ mood plummeted. In the past, he would have believed her words without a second thought. But now that he had seen her disobey an order, he could no longer trust her. He slowly stroked Cyrene’s trembling cheek.

The familiar sensation wrapped around his hand, soft skin, a sweet scent. Her small face, her soft lips.

Annoying.

Everything about her irritated him. The fact that others enjoyed what was his, the flimsy excuse of being step-siblings to justify it and the very thought that she had considered disobeying Arios’ orders.

He ran his hand slowly down her jawline, gripping her delicate neck tightly.

“Hah… ugh…”

Her weak fingers clung to his wrist. With each struggle, his eyes caught sight of her gently trembling chest. The bite marks and the marks left by the bars were also visible.

“I… h-h… ugh…”

Her pale face turned bright red. As she struggled to breathe, Arios watched her in silence before loosening his grip.

Cyrene breathed heavily, struggling to catch her breath. Tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her flushed cheeks.

“Your Highness.”

“You’re really starting to annoy me.”

“Pardon?”

He was angry. Just looking at her caused every emotion to become a jumbled mess, and his anger bubbled up. He had no idea where to begin to untangle it.

No. There was no need to unravel anything.

He had kept her with him simply because she was beautiful. She understood his words and she was a beautiful doll. Practical, and even if she was of little use, she was sweet enough in bed to make it worth his while.

So Arios saw no reason to waste emotional energy on Cyrene. If she annoyed him, he could just throw her away. Even if there was nothing more beautiful than her at the moment, he could easily find someone more breathtaking.

Once she was discarded, that would be the end of it.

The thought stirred his irritation again. Arios looked down at Cyrene’s face. Her wide, round eyes scanned his face nervously, unable to comprehend what was going on.

“Your Highness…”

Her voice was filled with fear. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. If everything irritated him, the easiest thing to do would be to get rid of her.

There were plenty of others who would want her anyway.

After all the effort he had put into raising her, it would be a waste to kill her. And if Arios threw her away, there would surely be others waiting to take her. She was annoying, yes, but still beautiful. And as long as she resisted, there would be men who would find that attractive.

Arios chuckled softly.

He seemed angry, but then laughed, forcing Cyrene to smile with a frightened expression. He slowly pushed her hair back behind her ear. The marks on her neck were particularly vivid.

“Cyrene.”

“Your Highness.”

I should get rid of you now. He swallowed the words. To see her crying and clinging to him might be amusing, but to see her crying now would soften him.

Areos lowered his head and kissed her trembling lips. The small tongue licking his lips tickled.

“Hmm.”

Who shall I give it to?

He stroked Cyrene’s br*ast. Soon there was a gasp. He gently twisted her hardened n*pple and looked down at her flushed cheeks, this time for a different reason.

“It would be better to give it to someone who will play with it more interestingly. Cyrene’s arm wrapped around Areos’ neck.”

“Ugh, ah… …”

The solid lump of flesh dug in gently, thanks to the s*men still inside. Cyrene let out a moan of excitement and squeezed Areos tightly.

It felt like a waste to discard a body he had personally shaped from the beginning, but what choice did he have? She kept testing his patience and irritating him.

Areos pulled her slender body close to him and held her tightly.

She should consider herself lucky that he didn’t just toss her aside and hand her over to someone else.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. Truly, it was a mercy that he didn’t leave her to fend for herself or end her life.

“Cyrene, you should be grateful.”

“Ugh, haa…”

The inside of Cyrene’s body still felt damn good. Throughout the whole s*x it had felt like a waste to let it go.