A large man appeared at the door of the carriage. Reina looked up at him, her face stiffening.

“It’s been a while, Reina.”

“Zephion…”

She pressed her lips together tightly.

Zephion’s face was filled with twisted emotions. Once, it had been full of nothing but love; now, only hatred remained.

He roughly grabbed her arm and pulled.

“Zephion.”

“Never speak my name again.”

His threatening voice brushed against her ear.

A large hand covered her mouth, and his golden eyes overflowed with fury.

She realised with searing clarity how hatred could transform a person.

The Zephion she had once known was gone.

A mocking, low voice whispered in her ear.

“Pretending to love must have been easy. Any man would have fallen for you.”

“…”

“Did you enjoy deceiving me?”

She tried to shake her head in denial, but she couldn’t move.

All she could do was close her eyes tightly.

It had all started on that day, over ten years ago.

***

“Ugh!”

Reina groaned as she was thrown onto the bed. Her head spun as she tried to sit up. Before she could, however, a man was on top of her, pressing down on her waist.

The blood splattered across his cheek was still wet.

His large hand, which was reaching towards her, was also covered in blood. She frowned slightly and gently pushed his hand away.

“Why don’t you wipe off the blood first?”

“Are you offering to assist me with my bath?”

In response to his sarcastic comment, she closed her mouth. She had no desire to do such a thing, either voluntarily or involuntarily. She didn’t want to share her body with him, let alone wash him with her own hands. How could that possibly bring her any joy?

His bloodstained hand roughly tugged at the string of Reina’s dress.

The tightly fastened garment instantly came undone, leaving red smudges everywhere his hand touched. As his hand gripped her pale br*ast tightly, she turned her head away.

“They say the Marquis of the Baltgar family was conceived right here.”

His cheerful voice made her let out a bitter laugh.

Of course — wasn’t it obvious? This was the bedchamber of the Marquis and Marchioness of Baltgar. She didn’t understand what he found so amusing. Glancing sideways at the man, she saw that he was laughing in a low voice.

His calloused fingertips pinched her tender n*pple harshly.

“Ah!”

She squeezed her eyes shut and he let out a low chuckle as he gripped her br*ast firmly once more.

His name was Kaelid Berend, the sole heir to the Berend Count family fortune and Reina’s adoptive older brother.

Unfazed by her defiant gaze, he lowered his head and bit down hard on her soft br*ast flesh.

“Ha… ugh.”

S*x with him was always like this. He took her roughly, doing whatever he wanted and stopping only when he had cl*maxed.

Not that she was upset by it — the very thought of Kaelid trying to please her sent shivers down her spine.

‘Someday… someday, I’ll kill him.’
She engraved the vow into her heart once again — a vow she had already made hundreds of times before.

Short, sharp breaths escaped from between Reina’s lips.

Before anyone else could touch her, her body, which had been trained by him from the outset, reacted instinctively to the stimulation.

He licked her slightly swollen n*pple and gently bit the small mound of flesh.

A sharp, painful sensation, accompanied by a faint warmth, spread through her lower abdomen. Despite her mind screaming ‘No!’, her body, accustomed as it was to Kaelid’s touch, betrayed her. She was disgusted by it.

“Who knows?”

He whispered, sucking her br*ast and leaving red marks. She could feel his hand hastily pushing up her skirt.

“Maybe you’ll conceive the next Marquis right here.”

She didn’t bother answering his chuckling voice.

‘That will never happen.’

Reina swallowed her words.

The mere thought of having Kaelid’s baby was disgusting.

Did he know that she was taking strong medication to prevent pregnancy? Despite knowing it would harm her body, she couldn’t stop.

It was better to never bear a child than to carry her brother’s.

“Once this matter is settled, the Berend family will likely become the next Marquis House.”

The man continued speaking, not expecting a response. His fingers, which had been stroking her thigh, now gripped her knee and forced it apart.

She didn’t bother resisting. Any struggle or protest would only excite Kaelid further. The more she fought, the more aroused he would become.

Instead, she obediently spread her legs, allowing his hand to slip immediately between them.

“If you end up carrying my child, well, since you’re my sister, the child wouldn’t be recognised as my legitimate heir.”

His coarse fingertips explored her tender flesh. Spreading her folds, Kaelid thrust his fingers inside. The slightly slick inner walls accepted him with ease, the damp tissues yielding to his intrusion.

“Haah…”

Reina let out a shallow breath as Kaelid skilfully stimulated her, sucking hard on her stiffened n*pple simultaneously.

He swirled his tongue around the reddened peak, then traced his way up to her neck, licking her skin as he went.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. If you behave nicely, maybe I’ll acknowledge the child as mine.”

His voice was condescending, as if he were doing her a favour.

Reina clamped her lips shut.

If she ever did end up pregnant with this man’s child, she had no intention of giving birth to it. She would destroy it before it was born or strangle it afterwards if necessary.

“Hngh… mmph.”

Whether he knew what she was thinking or not, Kaelid let out a low chuckle and pressed his lips to hers.

The way his tongue slipped deep into her mouth sent a chill down her spine.

Not wanting to see his blue eyes so close, Reina closed her eyes.

His fingers, still moving below, brushed against her most sensitive spot, causing a faint tremor deep in her belly.

As her breathing became slightly more erratic, Kaelid slowly withdrew his fingers.

Their tongues tangled together, creating wet, sticky sounds.

He wrapped his tongue around hers, pulling it in and filling her mouth to the point where she could hardly breathe.

Her fingertips twitched involuntarily and, long accustomed to his advances, her body slowly reached up to wrap around his neck.

“Ha…”

With a breathy moan, Kaelid hastily pulled out his fully *rect p*nis.

The hot, heavy weight tapping against her thigh felt familiar — yet still utterly repulsive.

Gripping his c*ck with his bloodstained hand, he guided the tip to her entrance.

“Nngh…!”

Though she wasn’t drenched in lubrication, she was wet enough to allow him to enter her easily.

The thick sh*ft drove deep inside her in one swift thrust, lifting her waist slightly off the bed.

Despite the sudden intrusion, her body, accustomed to him, instinctively accepted every inch.

Her damp, slick walls clung tightly to his flesh, quivering and squeezing him with each pulse from deep within her belly.

Holding the backs of her knees, Kaelid spread her legs wider, driving himself in deeper and filling her completely.

“Ha, ngh… ah.”

Her body shook beneath him as he thrust into her roughly. She could feel the thick head of his p*nis driving deep inside her, only to pull out again and repeat the motion over and over.

With each thrust, his c*ck dragged along her slick folds, now slippery with *rousal. More evidence of her excitement leaked out with each stroke, trickling down to wet her hips.

She found the sensation of becoming soaked like this repulsive.

Yet, despite sharing her body with a man she loathed, she writhed with pleasure, moaned uncontrollably, and even cl*maxed at times.

As Reina bit down on her lip, Kaelid licked his lips.

“Open your mouth.”

“Ah… ugh… mm…”

Obediently, she parted her lips at his command, letting out breathy, pleasure-filled moans.

Her hands scratched along his back as waves of heat surged through her body, spreading from her core to her fingertips with each deep thrust into her belly.

His fingers, sticky with a mixture of her fluids and blood, traced her parted lips before slipping inside.

He grasped her soft tongue and rubbed it, tasting the blend of blood and *rousal on his fingers.

As his fingertips scraped roughly against the roof of her mouth, a sharp jolt of pleasure raced straight to her head, leaving her dizzy.

“Ha… huff…”

Kaelid licked her lips, still biting down on his fingers, and traced her flushed cheek with his damp, warm hand.

The bed creaked and rocked in time with his relentless movements, adding to the overwhelming sensation engulfing her.