Chapter 3.3

Cherilian leaned back in his seat.

If the performance didn’t please Tina, he considered using his authority to shut down the place.

“It’s time for the hot and spicy adult show you can only see tonight!”

Cherilian was puzzled. He expected clowns doing stand-up or strongman acts.

Hot and spicy—was it a show that would stimulate the audience’s nerves?

“Presenting: ‘Pig-Whipping Queen’!”

‘What… Queen?’

While Cherilian was troubled by the irreverent term, a woman with long, rich red hair parted the thick velvet curtains and appeared.

She wore a tight riding outfit, made somehow of black leather.

Her red lipstick was bold, and she wore a black lace blindfold.

An incredible sense of incongruity, and suspicion.

It didn’t seem like an ordinary show, and before Cherilian could process it, half-n*ked men with pig ears and noses crawled out on all fours, snorting.

It was a scene that defied human evolution, truly astonishing. Cherilian was left speechless.

Regardless, the pig-men sniffed around the self-proclaimed queen, rubbing their obscene parts against her legs.

“Click!”

The Pig-Whipping Queen, who seemed to have a very strong personality, twisted her lips in displeasure.  

She began to lash the men with pig noses with the riding crop in her hand, insulting them not to get too excited and start sweating.

Whack, whack!

The men with pig noses, far from being in pain from the sharp strikes, only grew more excited.

As the mood among the audience heated up, Cherilian sat up straight, stunned as if he’d been hit by the icy winds of the northern winter.

The bold and shocking performance art made his head spin. Speechless, he turned his head toward Tina, creaking awkwardly like an unoiled hinge.

Tina was just as bewildered. Moreover, it was a bit different from what she’d heard, so she looked flustered and wronged.

She murmured in a small voice.

“I-I heard it was an adult strongman circus show.”

Dripping candle wax onto the pig-men’s bodies could, in a broad sense, be called an adult strongman show…

‘Why is something like this in my territory…?’

Cherilian’s mind was filled with questions he couldn’t answer.

“…Should we leave?”

Tina thought she was good at hiding her feelings, but she was actually quite naive.  

She couldn’t manage her expression well, so her thoughts were plain to see.

Cherilian knew Tina well. Right now, her curiosity was running wild. She was definitely too interested in what the self-proclaimed ‘Queen’ was doing to look away.

‘Surely she’s not going to drip candle wax on me and whip my chest, is she?’

Cherilian tried to ignore the Queen pinching and flicking the men’s n*pples, focusing on n*pple play.

After a brief hesitation, he let out a quiet sigh.

“Let’s just watch before we go.”

“Really?”

Tina tried to keep a straight face, not wanting to show her excitement, but Cherilian could see right through her.

She glanced at the stage and at Cherilian with a slightly thrilled expression. But something was bothering her, so she quickly whispered in his ear.

“Is this really okay? Cherry, you’re a knight sworn to protect the royal family. It’s just a playful show, but she’s calling herself a Queen—doesn’t it bother you that she’s pretending to be royalty?”

“That’s not… If there’s a problem, it’s not the important part.”

Cherilian replied calmly.

* * *

Cherilian rested his chin on his hand, quietly watching Tina. Seeing his wife focused on something other than himself made him feel a bit jealous.

He had no interest in the stage, whether they were squealing or grunting. He might have found it more intriguing if Tina had worn a full leather bodysuit and stomped on him with her boots…

‘D*mn! I’m getting too lewd.’

‘D*mn succubus! D*mn curse!’

Cherilian chewed his pickled olives like an enemy, trying to cool his temper. If Tina realized what was going on in his head, she’d be horrified.

Just then, Tina quietly reached out and stroked the back of his hand.

“Are you bored?”

Instead of saying he was bored, Cherilian answered with a question.

“Tina, do you want me to get excited watching something like that?”

“……”

Tina was silent for a moment, imagining it, then puffed her cheeks in disgust. Cherilian smiled, finding her jealousy amusing.

“Don’t be upset. The only thing that excites me is you.”

Cherilian leaned in and whispered in her ear. With so many couples whispering sweet nothings, no one paid attention to this level of affection.

“Actually…”

“Actually?”

Cherilian paused mid-sentence, his gray eyes flickering. He almost made a big mistake.

He nearly said, ‘I get more excited imagining you doing it.’ But that was the curse talking, not his true, sustainable preference.

There’s a saying that even the most virtuous and radiant man’s s*x life should be wild. But even wildness has its limits.

“Never mind.”

“……?”

Tina tilted her head at his unfinished words, but soon decided it was nothing and didn’t press further.

She just got up, recalling the discomfort he’d made her feel.

“Cherry, let’s go now.”

Happy with the decision, Cherilian gladly followed his wife’s lead.

* * *

The sun was already setting.

The two walked hand in hand down the street.

“How was today?”

Cherilian looked at his wife’s sparkling face. It felt like a lot had happened. None of it matched the beautiful romance he’d imagined.

“I liked spending quiet time with you, Cherry.”

Her playful gesture of leaning her face on his arm melted away his complicated feelings.

In a last attempt to salvage some romance, he bought a flower from a shop just before closing. It was a bright yellow calla, like Tina’s golden hair.

She smiled brightly in delight.

“Wow, it’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Seeing Tina so happy, Cherilian couldn’t help but smile. But soon, Tina hesitated, glancing at him, so he had to ask if she’d done something mischievous.

She started, embarrassed.

“Um, Cherry. I actually bought something too…”

“When?”

“There was an order form on the table when we left.”

“What…?”

Noble ladies usually had their purchases delivered to their residences. Tina carrying books herself to the castle before was unusual.

Her purchase would be safely delivered and temporarily stored in the warehouse at the entrance to the Duke’s castle.

It would be stored with things bought by castle staff (of course, the Duchess’s purchases were strictly guarded), and checked by the castle doctor and knights just in case.

There had been cases of poisoned or dangerous items, so this became custom.

In peaceful Damsel Castle, such checks weren’t needed, so Tina had the item sent to the Duke’s castle without thinking.

This meant that whatever Tina bought would soon be inspected by the castle staff.

“Tina, let’s hurry home.”

Tina worried she’d been too extravagant, but Cherilian shook his head.

He was the kind of man who didn’t mind if his wife uprooted the pillars of the house. He could always plant them again.

Concerned about Tina’s sore feet, Cherilian hailed a passing carriage.

“This is a reserved carriage.”

There was no reservation. The driver just wanted to haggle for a higher fare, seeing the urgent customers.

When the driver saw Cherilian pull back his hood and reveal his face, his expression changed instantly.

“…Gasp!”

The driver quickly got down and opened the door himself. With guests like these, the destination was obvious.

The carriage sped toward Biente Castle.

“We-we-we’ve arrived!”

“Good job.”

Cherilian didn’t punish the cheeky driver. Instead, he handed over more than enough gold coins for the fare.

It was a generous sum for a short ride, but the driver gratefully accepted and hurried off, praising the Duke and Duchess’s generosity.

“But Cherry, aren’t you curious what I bought?”

Cherilian gave his wife, who was looking at him expectantly, a faint smile.

If he told her that her purchase might be revealed to all the knights, shy Tina might not leave her room for days.

Luckily, the item was still quietly in the warehouse.

With nothing else to do, the strong knights were helping the maids carry fabric for the dressing room.

The warehouse manager saw the packaged item and said,

“Oh, so this was the Duke’s? We were just about to begin the poison inspection.”

“No need for inspection. I’ll take it.”

Cherilian sent everyone out and opened the package alone. Inside the rather ornate box was a dog collar.

With a chain…

Cherilian felt a brief shortness of breath and put a hand to his chest. He couldn’t tell if this strange pounding was discomfort at something not to his taste, or anticipation.

Tina, peeking in from outside, was chatting with the knights. When she saw Cherilian come out, she hurried over.

“Cherry?”

Tina looked at her husband, who had closed his eyes. His chest was heaving. She thought about his temperament.

She felt suddenly sorry for handing her husband, already troubled by lewd jokes, such a progressive item.

She should have talked it over before buying it. She regretted buying it in her excitement.

“Sorry. It’s a bit much, isn’t it? Doesn’t seem very safe…”

She apologized awkwardly, but Cherilian’s expression was strange.

His face was oddly flushed. His closed eyelids lifted, and his gray eyes showed an unreadable emotion.

“You only know if it’s safe after you try it.”

For a moment, it seemed like he’d resigned himself.