Shahan let out a languid sigh.

I carefully slipped my hand from beneath his and continued massaging his legs silently until he said it was enough. The fabric he wore was so smooth and soft that my hands kept sliding across his legs during the massage.

The sensation of his thighs beneath the thin cloth was vivid and distinct. Glancing up, I checked the High Priest’s expression. He was staring down at me intently with dark eyes heavy with fatigue.

“Is something bothering you?”

“No.”

Despite his denial, I couldn’t help staying alert to what might happen next. My hands noticeably slowed as I massaged Shahan’s legs. Between his long outstretched legs, covered by silk, something heavy was silently rising. I gulped and looked at Shahan, who met my gaze with emotionless eyes.

Somehow his stare felt persistent, making me lower my head again and tap his straight legs, maintaining a facade of normalcy.

“Is there a problem, JeJe?”

I shook my head at his nonchalant question. Shahan laughed.

“It can’t be your first time seeing a man’s organ. Besides, it’s covered by clothing.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you so tense?”

Well… I couldn’t hide my slightly furrowed expression as my gaze fixed on Shahan’s er*ect member. Like a plant stem pushing through damp soil, it curved in an arch under the silk fabric, menacingly poking out.

Perhaps the thinness and transparency of the fabric made it look even more obscene. But the reason for my surprise was something else entirely.

‘W-why is it shaped like that?’

I mentally covered my mouth in shock at seeing this p*nis shape for the first time. My heart pounded irregularly, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from its bizarre yet lewd form.

“I could show it to you if you want, but you’re the one who refused, JeJe.”

Shahan slowly rose with a cold sneer. His expression had turned somewhat unpleasant. Worried he might be angry at my reaction, I trembled and plopped down on the floor.

Half celestial blood, half animal blood. I now had an idea what animal might comprise the unspecified half. I also understood why my body trembled uncontrollably whenever I saw his face—it was an instinctive fear, like prey facing a predator.

“Don’t look so frightened. This wasn’t caused by you. The ritual incense still in my system makes me react this way to the slightest touch.”

His cold, rigid eyes pierced through me as I sat on the floor.

“Uh, yes…”

As I crouched there, unable to move, the thin fabric suddenly fluttered before my eyes. Startled, I looked up to see the High Priest already standing and adjusting his clothes.

“I should go now. Will you tell Kesera I came by?”

“Yes, goodbye, High Priest.”

“Have a good night.”

His chilly, beautiful voice echoed softly through the space still filled with lingering heat. Shahan disappeared without a trace, just as silently as he had arrived.

* * *

The next day, I swept the palace corridor with a drowsy face. Having nearly finished tidying up, I was nodding off while leaning against the broom handle when something gently tapped my cheek, causing me to open my eyes groggily.

“Oh, Princess!”

I jumped in surprise, quickly standing at attention and blinking hard. Oh no, she’s going to scold me for neglecting my duties! But the princess who had awakened me merely chuckled without further reprimand. Instead, she pulled out one sheet from the bundle of documents in her hand and smiled brightly.

“I hear your birthday is coming up, Momo. Commander Rictusa made a special request regarding your gift. Actually, he’s been hinting at this for quite some time.”

“But I’ve already received a birthday gift from Commander Rictusa.”

The princess simply shrugged and handed me a crumpled document.

“Huh? Isn’t this the family register of House Eros?”

“Yes. Rictusa wants to adopt you as a daughter of House Eros.”

“Oh!”

Eros was Commander Rictusa’s surname—the prestigious knightly family of the empire. Rictusa had lost his father early and assumed the position of family head at the young age of twenty-three.

“But how could someone like me possibly enter such a noble house?”

“Lowly people might spread dirty rumors with their impudent mouths. That’s why Commander Rictusa decided to register you secretly.”

A surname! I was getting a surname! Clutching my chest, which was pounding with excitement and anticipation, I tried not to smile too broadly. I understood intellectually how undeserving I was of this honor, as only a tiny minority of half-beasts ever received surnames. Everyone knew how prestigious House Eros was.

“I opposed it at first, but after keeping you by my side for over five years, my mind changed. From today, you don’t have to sleep in that cramped attic room in the palace, Momo. You can stay at the Eros mansion. Just don’t forget to come to the palace on schedule.”

“Of course, Princess.”

“You can arrive late, but leaving early… You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“Certainly, beautiful Princess Kesera.”

“Didn’t you know that the pattern on the anklet Commander Rictusa gave you is the emblem of House Eros?”

“I had no idea.”

So does this mean Commander Rictusa is now my adoptive brother? Though we don’t share blood, it should be legally sound. Oh well, who knows!

All day, my mood felt like it was floating on clouds. Having gained both a surname and a family simultaneously made me incredibly excited, like the night before going to an amusement park. Since I would be moving two days after my coming-of-age ceremony, I hurried to my room to pack my belongings in advance.

Just then, the princess stopped me, seemingly having suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, Momo. Tonight, I want you to come to my bedroom with Narcissus. It’s been a while since you’ve showcased your excellent drawing skills.”

“Understood.”

“Pay special attention to Narcissus’s beautifully furrowed face and his perfect body proportions.”

In this era without photography, only writing and drawings could preserve records. The princess, with her perverse tastes, often wanted to document her explicit s*xual encounters, though she preferred capturing her male partners’ appearances as they thrust like dogs in heat rather than herself.

This was a routine part of my job, something I was quite accustomed to. Yet when I returned to my room with this casual mindset, my mood had somehow dampened. Should I warn Narcissus about this? The poor man already suffered humiliation because of me almost daily.

I clenched my hands, lost in thought. The hesitation lasted a long time. Eventually, I forced my reluctant feet to move and reached the room where Narcissus was confined.

Knock, knock.

Though Narcissus couldn’t open the door himself, being tied up in a corner of the room, I knocked first. I’m a half-beast who knows proper manners, after all.

After a moment, I opened the door, and my vision filled with the dim room illuminated by just three precariously flickering candles. Outside it was broad daylight, but in here it was as dark as an underground cave.

Had the princess deliberately created such an environment? I tilted my head curiously as I carefully stepped into the darkness.

As expected, at the far end, the silhouette of Narcissus lay limp with his limbs bound. He looked quite pitiful. Even breathing filled the room. Though he didn’t raise his head at my unfamiliar approach, his steady breathing and occasional twitches suggested he was neither unconscious nor asleep. A plate of untouched soup sat beside him.

“Hello, are you feeling any better?”

After clearing my throat lightly to announce my presence, I moved closer to him. Narcissus didn’t seem surprised to see me. I thought perhaps he had been aware of my presence since I first entered the room.

The crimson light flowing down the wall cast deep shadows on Narcissus’s firmly contoured body, making his beautiful muscles appear even more pronounced. Narcissus suddenly exhaled a rough breath. It was then that I realized how excessively hot the room was.

When I placed my hand on his cheek and neck, I felt a wave of heat.

“Oh dear.”

I suddenly felt troubled. Though not burning hot, his temperature was clearly higher than normal.

“You can’t be sick, Narcissus.”

Only then did Narcissus’s tightly closed eyelids half-open. His red eyes, hazily visible beneath golden eyelashes that looked like densely embroidered gold thread, were distressingly unfocused.

“You seem to have a fever. This is bad.”

“…You.”

“The princess has summoned you again tonight.”

Before I could continue, a dark shadow gripped my shoulder like lightning and pushed me backward.

Whoosh!

“Ah!”

My body tilted sharply from the strong force. Thud—my back hit the hard floor. As I cried out and flailed my arms, Narcissus, who had climbed on top of me, firmly pinned down both my struggling arms with one hand. His grip strength was tremendous, surprisingly powerful for someone in his condition.

Rapid breaths sprayed against my nose. Through the eye holes of my mask, I could see his intensely glowing red eyes. Those eyes, eerily shining like blood, grew even redder with rising murderous intent.

Finally, lowering himself until his face was right before mine, he coldly whispered with a ferocity that suggested he might devour me at any moment.

“Go tell the princess to kill me instead.”

A slight tremor traveled up my tightly held wrists. Even in his resignation, he was desperately lashing out with his last remaining strength. It was understandable that a man who had once been a prince couldn’t endure such treatment.

Despite his eyes blazing with the desire to tear apart whatever was before him, he seemed to have little strength left after days of inadequate food, poor conditions, and nightly bouts of forced intimacy. With a harsh exhale that sounded like he was coughing up blood, he soon fell away from my body.

In the dim candlelight, Narcissus’s body revealed whip marks from the previous night that hadn’t been treated, covering him like claw marks. Colorful bite marks covered his n*ked body, seemingly placed to conceal the whip marks beneath.