It was the day of the tea party.

Just as Beriel had planned, Rihana sat quietly at the head table like a borrowed sack of barley. Without the guard knight Raiden had assigned to her standing behind her, the situation might have been even more awkward.

The numerous invited noble ladies watched Beriel’s reactions rather than Rihana’s, using subtle aristocratic language to either disparage or be wary of her. 

However, unlike her profession as a swordswoman, the dress she wore suited her exceptionally well, and there was something dignified about the way she drank tea or sat quietly with downcast eyes, so several ladies glanced at Rihana with gazes mixed with curiosity and envy.

Despite the title of being Rihana’s welcome ceremony, no one spoke to her except for a few polite questions, and everyone asked Beriel about Raiden’s well-being and his marriage. 

Feeling somewhat superior from these questions, Beriel spoke about Raiden in front of Rihana like she was showing off, and several ladies worried about Raiden’s health in front of Beriel like she was his partner.

‘This is exhausting…’

Listening to their conversation while staring at the tea in front of her with a bored expression, Rihana felt deflated by the women’s territorial behavior. It was because she wasn’t familiar with social circles to begin with. There was nothing she could do in a place where not only the territorial behavior but also Beriel’s position, who liked Raiden, was frighteningly strong.

Rihana let out a long sigh, waiting for this party to end quickly. She also worried that the legs of the guard knight standing behind her might hurt. Being the same gender, she thought of Letia back in the Empire.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, screams were heard from the entrance in the distance.

While the guard knights protecting the entrance panicked and ran around in confusion, Rihana stood up from her seat and stared toward the entrance. 

When Rihana stood up, the ladies also turned their heads in unison toward the direction she was looking. Rihana’s guard knight, assigned by Raiden, also sensed something happening at the entrance and instinctively stepped in front of Rihana.

“M-monsters!”

As soon as someone shouted like that from the entrance, screams from the ladies attending the tea party echoed throughout. Rihana’s eyes widened as she saw centipede monsters devouring the guards at the entrance in one gulp and entering the party venue.

“Kyaaaah!”

The noble ladies, seemingly seeing monsters for the first time, were in complete panic and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, Marquis’s daughter Sera, who was close to the entrance, was in danger of being devoured by what appeared to be the queen of the centipede monsters.

Rihana snatched the sword from the guard knight standing in front of her and quickly ran toward the centipede monster. The moment Sera’s dress hem was caught by the centipede queen, Rihana cut the dress hem with the sword she had taken from the guard knight and pulled Sera toward herself by grabbing her arm.

Standing in front of Sera and readjusting her grip on the sword handle, the centipede monster’s gaze shifted from Sera to Rihana. Rihana grabbed and clutched her dress as she watched the centipede monster crawling toward her while moving its antennae here and there, then began running toward the side where there were no ladies.

Arriving first at the wide clearing, Rihana cut her dress skirt with the sword to make it easier to move, then swung her sword at the centipede monster crawling menacingly toward her. 

Fighting a fierce battle with the giant centipede monster, she desperately hoped someone had called for reinforcements. If it had been an ordinary monster, she could have dealt with it quickly by herself, but the creature that appeared to be the centipede queen was stronger than expected.

After dodging the monster’s attacks and counterattacking several times by herself, her stamina gradually decreased and she was cut on the forearm by the centipede monster. 

Not caring about the bright red blood seeping out, she repeatedly found the centipede monster’s weak points, stabbed, and retreated, when Raiden and his guards came running after hearing the news.

As soon as Raiden arrived at the party venue, he rushed to Rihana, and Rihana attacked the centipede monster together with Raiden. Once Raiden began helping, the centipede monster couldn’t exert much strength and collapsed. As soon as they defeated the centipede monster, Raiden grabbed Rihana’s injured arm and frowned.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, I’m not hurt much… sir.”

While Rihana made excuses, Raiden took off his jacket and tied it around her waist, scanning with his eyes to see if there were any other injuries besides her arm. Her legs, which had been clearly visible due to the skirt she had cut short for battle, were covered by Raiden’s jacket.

After confirming there were no injuries other than her arm, Raiden simply picked up Rihana. A strange scream burst from Rihana’s mouth, but Raiden didn’t care and strode toward the party venue entrance.

Beriel, who had been hiding under a table in the inner corner, stared blankly at Raiden, who didn’t look for her at all and only carried Rihana away. Raiden, who kept kissing Rihana’s forehead, cheeks, and nose bridge while she begged to be put down and said no, seemed both angry and happy. He would be angry that she got hurt fighting monsters, and happy because Rihana, who was flustered being held by him, was cute.

Beriel felt resentful toward Raiden, who didn’t care about her life or death at all in this dangerous situation. But what made her even angrier was the Marquis’s daughter who had her life saved by Rihana. Sera showed complete favor toward Rihana while talking about her to the ladies who belatedly surrounded her, asking if she was okay and expressing worried words.

“She suddenly appeared in front of me with a flash! and saved me. Really, if it hadn’t been for her, I would have lost my life without question.”

“What a relief!”

“I saw it too! The way she wielded her sword without showing any fear in front of that terrifying monster…!”

“She seems like a truly amazing person!”

“That’s right, she’s such a wonderful person!”

The noble ladies talked endlessly about Rihana, who had fought alone after driving the monster toward the side where they weren’t, rather than running away, saying she was cool or amazing. The conversation gradually intensified until all the noble ladies there began to praise Rihana like a hero.

Beriel bit the tender flesh inside her mouth at a situation so different from what she had expected.

* * *

After returning to the West Palace, Rihana received treatment for her arm from Raiden’s personal physician and then got scolded by Raiden.

“I assigned you a guard for possible emergencies. But you took the guard’s sword and fought directly yourself – what were you thinking when you did such a thing?”

“One of the ladies there was about to be eaten.”

“Why should you care about that?”

“What, when someone’s about to die, I shouldn’t care?”

“There were plenty of other knights.”

“There were quite a few monsters. The one that came inside seemed like the leader. When would the knights dealing with the monsters at the entrance run over to the leader and block that attack?”

“You had a guard assigned to you, so why did you have to go?”

“I’m stronger. Originally, strong people do that kind of thing.”

“Hana.”

“…Is this really something to be scolded for? Do I have to keep getting scolded?”

“Say you won’t do it again.”

“But the situation…”

“Say that even if someone dies before your eyes, you won’t step forward.”

“…”

“Say it, Hana.”

“…Do you have to go that far?”

“You’re going to be Tarecus’s Queen.”

“…”

“You’re no longer the Empire’s royal knight.”

Because of Rihana, who had a hardened expression, Raiden sighed briefly and cupped her cheeks with both hands. Then he scattered affectionate kisses here and there on her face before whispering.

“I’m afraid of you getting hurt. Don’t make me afraid.”

“…Okay. I’m sorry.”

She also feared Raiden getting hurt, so she immediately agreed, thinking she understood his feelings a little.

As soon as her answer ended, Raiden pressed their lips together. Soft flesh penetrated into her mouth and roughly stirred inside. Then it quickly withdrew and invaded her mouth again at a different head angle.

Their heads twisted several times as the kiss continued. Rihana placed her hand over Raiden’s hand, which was groping her body while giving her rough, overwhelming kisses. 

The hand that had been touching her neck and collarbone moved down and grasped her br*ast. When a shallow moan naturally flowed from Rihana’s mouth, Raiden sucked on her tongue like he would devour that moan.

The hand that had been kneading her br*ast stripped off her clothes in the blink of an eye. As soon as her clothes were removed, Rihana, who fell onto the bed, looked up at Raiden, who urgently climbed on top of her and threw off his upper garment. It was a firm and beautiful body no matter when she looked at it. At the fact that this body had become entirely hers through a political marriage she had never thought of, a thrill of joy arose.

Rihana touched Raiden’s firm abs with both hands like she was stroking them and asked him.

“Can I lick you?”

For a moment, Raiden’s hand, which had been kneading one of Rihana’s br*asts, hesitated. His lower body, which he hadn’t taken off yet, moved suddenly inside his clothes. Raiden made a small groaning sound and lightly kissed Rihana’s lips. 

Then he put his hand behind her back and instantly changed positions. Raiden lay where Rihana had been lying, and Rihana was in a position straddling him. Raiden looked up at Rihana and smiled prettily.

“As much as you want.”

At Raiden’s permission, Rihana raised the corners of her mouth and lowered her head. When she stuck out her tongue and touched it to the peak of his firmly built chest muscles, his n*pple hardened. 

Finding that cute, she licked it a couple times with her tongue and slid down. She began carefully licking the perfectly positioned muscles with her tongue. His member, which had been constantly writhing inside his pants, rose stiffly like it wanted freedom.

As Rihana’s tongue moved down toward his navel, Raiden’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his stiffly er*ect p*nis kept twitching inside his pants. When Rihana slipped her tongue into his navel, a pleasant moan flowed from Raiden’s mouth. Rihana tried to control her naturally rising lips as she began unbuckling his pants with her hands.

“Ha.”

Along with Raiden’s sigh, his pants and underwear were pulled down by Rihana’s hands. Instantly, his member sprang up and smacked Rihana’s chin.

“Ouch.”

Rihana deliberately made a surprised face and covered her chin, which had been hit by his member, with her hand. Raiden raised his upper body and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. As Rihana’s body moved up and was embraced against Raiden’s chest, Raiden switched positions with her like he had been waiting. Rihana, who was under Raiden again, looked up at him and said.

“I haven’t finished licking yet.”

“I’ll give you a chance later. Can’t we just do it now? My c*ck is about to burst.”

“Hehe.”

When Rihana laughed softly, Raiden pressed his lips to hers and brought his hand down below her. 

As soon as his middle finger touched her private parts, it found her entrance and pushed the tip inside. He pushed in the finger with a squelch and repeatedly inserted and withdrew it while pressing and rubbing the inner walls.

Each time another finger that had increased entered inside, it spread in a scissor shape to open the inner walls. 

Like his words about his c*ck being about to burst were true, the f*replay with his hand quickly stopped, and at the entrance his hand had been guarding, a gl*ns dripping with prec*m had already taken position.