Chronosa gripped her hands tightly with all her might. The desires of her body and heart were completely at odds, and she didn’t want to give in to such a base desire. It was nothing more than the instinct of the rutting season. It wasn’t even genuine.

— Me, want you? For what reason would I…?

“Then, was I wrong?”

A female caught in his grasp, unable to budge an inch. And yet, her lips moved freely beneath the weight of a man.

— I only spoke the truth.

“The truth, you say.”

Anankeus let out a scoffing laugh. There was something he could easily guess from that ill-fitting, innocent whisper.

“Could it be… your first rut?”

— ……

The lips that had been moving so freely just a moment ago clamped shut. She had been struck square in the heart.

“Right now, even your breath is enough to seduce a man. And you truly didn’t know what your words would mean?”

He brushed the back of his hand against her soft cheek. Even that small gesture made her flushed body tremble. He brought his lips close to her ear.

“You said… my desire was visible in your eyes, didn’t you?”

Six words echoed in her ears like a haunting refrain. Each one—nothing more than instinct etched into the human soul.

“But I can read your desire too, you know.”

— My desire…?

“Pleading—begging me to take you.”

Whether she realized it or not, every word she uttered was a fatal temptation. A pitiful provocation from someone frantically yearning for a sensation she was experiencing for the first time.

The first rut was never something easily overcome. That’s simply how newly awakened instincts were.

“It doesn’t even have to be me, does it? Right now, no matter what man stood in front of you, you’d spread your legs without hesitation.”

Anankeus withdrew his hand without a trace of reluctance and rose to his feet. The golden eyes that stared down at Chronosa held a chaste restraint as though he were forcing himself to remain in control.

“So don’t think that with this pathetic provocation, I’d ever desire your filthy body.”

The woman bit her dried lips, glaring at him as she spat out a reply—

— I feel the same.

Was it pride or sincerity? Those eyes, red as blood, were strangely striking. This moment, so trivial, felt like something that would never be forgotten.

— No matter what you say or do, my life will never be yours to control. Even if my body is bound to you, my life—and my death—are mine alone to decide.

That stubborn defiance—the sheer will to keep up such a pointless rebellion.

With that thought, Anankeus turned once more. His footsteps were slow and heavy, finally coming to a halt before the cold, untouched feast.

He thought bitterly, This should’ve gone to the soldiers who’ve endured so much. How did such luxury end up before a woman who won’t even eat?

“I warned you—sooner or later, you’d be eating food someone else already chewed and spat out.”

Despite thinking that, he let out a low murmur. Anankeus bit into a still-soft piece of bread. Chewing slowly, he turned around and made his way back to the woman.

Soon, Anankeus knelt by her side. And then—their lips met.

Chronosa flinched, her shoulders jerking in shock. The unfamiliar scent that loomed over her. The unfamiliar warmth. The unfamiliar sensations.

But so… tempting.

Eyes wide open, Chronosa tried to turn away from the damned male’s limbs pressing her down. Tried to escape the forced kiss. But her body, starved for days, didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

Something soft slipped into her mouth. A soggy piece of bread, mashed to pulp, passed through her lips.

A firm press under her chin forced it all—saliva and bread alike—down her throat.

‘Food someone else already chewed and spat out.’

So this… was what he meant.

The male’s brutal tyranny did not end there. A mass of flesh licked her dry upper lip. Before she could react, something else forced its way past her parted lips and seized Chronosa’s tongue.

Their saliva mixed. An unfamiliar taste spread through her mouth — she couldn’t tell whose it belonged to. Sweet and soft, it coaxed her tongue, pulling it gently as if to savour it.

Their breaths intertwined. Chronosa’s panting was devoured whole. The male relentlessly explored every corner of her mouth.

It felt strange. As though her heart had dropped to the floor with a loud thud. As though her body were being flung high into the air.

Dizzying butterflies of every color swirled about, drawn to the scent that suddenly thickened.

Only after he had sated his desire did the damned male finally pull away from her. And at that very moment, Chronosa realized with agonizing clarity what he meant by food someone else already chewed and spat out.

She immediately buried her face against the floor.

Separate from the heat that ached for the male, a psychological revulsion churned violently inside her. Chronosa retched as though she would vomit up not just the contents of her stomach, but her very organs.

“End your foolish defiance here.”

A cold command dropped down on her from above.

“You said your life and death were yours to choose?”

The male added a faint, mocking sneer.

“Unfortunately, you only have one choice. Because I will make sure you live.”

Anankeus turned and walked away.

Creaaak.

The heavy iron door opened smoothly.

Once outside the room, he immediately scrubbed his lips roughly with his sleeve as if they had touched something filthy.

And yet, her warmth still lingered on them. That unusually hot body heat.

The image of her, silently retching, flashed across his mind.

Why? Why did that fleeting disgust rise so sharply within him?

His golden eyes, now cold and still, flicked back toward the closed room.

A single blue butterfly, which had not managed to enter, clung to the edge of the door. Its mysterious wings gently fluttered in the sea of air.

Flick—

Anankeus’s hand snapped fiercely. The butterfly’s wings crumbled within his grasp.

Soon, the lifeless butterfly was shredded and scattered in the air.

Anankeus involuntarily twisted his expression.

‘How did it come to this?’

He let out a sigh, baffled by the state he’d been reduced to. A demon woman, of all things, someone he should’ve just killed without hesitation had him tied up like this.

That female’s pungent scent, the dizzying aroma of rut that bewitched the senses wafted all the way to where he stood.

‘Greed… lust. Carnal desire. Yearning. Thirst. Obsession.’

The lips of that female, who spoke with the weight of every desire, flickered before his eyes. The lingering heat upon his own lips muddled the man’s composure.

Anankeus clenched his fists tightly.

Drip. Drip.

Blood trickled from his palms. Even through the pain, he couldn’t clear his mind.

That scorching heat that had entangled with his body still remained.

‘No…’

Suddenly, with a flash of realization, Anankeus pressed his hand to his forehead to check his temperature. Without a doubt, it was higher than usual.

‘I, too… is my rut approaching?’

That made it all the worse.

This scent—he couldn’t welcome it.

***

Around noon, the scent of winter poured through the crack of an open window. Chronosa lay quietly, still and small, in that unlikely sliver of pristine winter light.

“It’s time to eat.”

At the sound of a voice, Chronosa sharply lifted her head. The door was already open. That damned male cast a black shadow over her.

He held a small tray—oddly delicate for his massive frame.

Anankeus stepped forward, placed the tray in front of her, and gave a curt order.

“Eat.”

— ……

Chronosa stared blankly at the damned male. The savory scent of thin porridge stung her nose. Her empty stomach rumbled fiercely.

She recalled the words that damned butcher had spoken.

“A meaningless… rebellion.”

Chronosa, who was weak, clenched her trembling hands tightly. Her nails, which had grown long, dug into her palms. The vivid pain reminded her that she was still alive, and she felt a strange defiance stir within her.

‘Do I have to quietly obey and eat like a dog just because you told me to?’

She had never once in her life been beneath another. That unshakable pride remained. Chronosa, a Protogenoi—the one and only princess of Belphegor, no matter how pitiful her current state.

Her wavering gaze glared up at Anankeus.

— Why should I?

“If you prefer food someone else has chewed and spat out, then don’t eat.”

What an infuriating thing to say!

Seated before Chronosa, Anankeus picked up the spoon himself. He scooped a mouthful of thin porridge and brought it to her lips.

This contradictory kindness!

Chronosa recalled what had happened that morning. She remembered the heat of his body, transmitted through clothing, nestling between her thighs. Their lips were pressed together.

It had been hot.

And…

— ……

Damnably, she had wanted it.

Pain radiated from the empty space between her legs — a place she had almost forgotten was there.

It was absurd.

Despite knowing he was the right match, she felt searing disgust towards this foreigner.

She had wanted him simply because he was a man.

The reason was clear.

The man who had evoked these contradictory emotions let out a soft sigh.

“Looks like food spat out by someone else really is your preference.”