A day had passed, but Evelyn hadn’t come. Jenkins grumbled continuously during breakfast. Merchants seeking his approval were watching him nervously.

They wanted to sell artificial amethysts that were supposedly trending in the Astia Empire. Being artificial, they were affordable enough to import in bulk to the Peshar Empire for profit. Jenkins frowned at the stones, which were amethysts but not natural ones.

‘…Why amethysts of all things?’

He thought of Evelyn with her amethyst-colored eyes. Infuriatingly, despite claiming to like him, she hadn’t visited all day yesterday despite his waiting. Angered, Jenkins clenched the gem in his fist and squeezed. The stone crumbled to powder with a grinding sound.

“What is this? You call this a gemstone? Why does it break so easily? You brought this trash to sell?”

“No… well, you see, it’s an artificial gem…”

“Artificial gem, nonsense! It’s fake!”

“Eek…!”

When Jenkins overturned the rubies in front of him, the merchants backed away, fearing his wrath. Harvey, his attendant standing nearby, spoke up.

“Master Jenkins, it seems some groups are passing off fakes as genuine… The Astia Empire is apparently suffering because of these artificial gems.”

“Then these cannot pass! Bring something else!”

Another merchant, sweating nervously, said:

“Um, Master Jenkins, genuine gems have identification numbers to distinguish real from fake.”

“Then why is the Astia Empire in trouble?”

The merchant rolled his eyes anxiously.

“Well… most people don’t know about the identification numbers. I imagine many in the Peshar Empire wouldn’t know either…”

“Get out!”

The merchants scrambled at Jenkins’ roar. Just then, another merchant hurriedly came forward with a wig. The moment Harvey and Max, the guard knight, saw the wig, their expressions turned awkward. Of all things, the merchant was holding a silver-haired wig.

One of Jenkins’ eyebrows rose slightly.

“…What is this?”

“Haha… There aren’t any silver-haired people in the Peshar Empire. But quite a few people in the Astia Empire have silver hair. I thought we could make good money selling these in the Peshar Empire…”

“Many find silver hair mysterious.”

“Yes! So selling silver wigs would bring profit…”

“But they don’t suit Peshar people. Harvey, I’m tired. Send them all away.”

Harvey, the attendant, quickly bowed his head.

“Understood, Master Jenkins!”

The merchants’ faces turned ashen.

“How are we supposed to make a living! Master Jenkins! Couldn’t you approve at least one of these? Please?”

When they tried to approach Jenkins again, Max, the guard knight, drew his sword. Reluctantly, the merchants backed away with disappointed faces.

Jenkins was in a foul mood. Women who had slept with him always sought him out again. Evelyn had seemed inexperienced. If so, she should be even more attached to him.

‘Moreover, she likes me, doesn’t she? …So why hasn’t she come to me?’

Unlike other women, she was somewhat blunt and spirited, but still a woman. No one would want to miss out on someone like him, lacking in neither wealth nor looks. He had been prepared to accept her advances reluctantly, but she hadn’t come.

The push and pull game.

Having already slept with her, Jenkins’ winning odds had increased. He knew well that whoever showed their feelings first would lose. 

Initially, he had approached Evelyn because she seemed inexperienced with men, but now that he had the upper hand, why would he make the first move?

He had already expressed his feelings, so now Evelyn should recognize his interest and actively pursue him.

‘The one who should be clinging to my pant leg is you, Evelyn.’

Winning a woman’s heart was easier than expected. Once you conquered her body, everything else followed automatically. That’s how Jenkins had made many women cry. Even now, most noble women in the Peshar Empire adored him.

It was gratifying and amusing to watch women fight over him at parties.

‘What would happen if Evelyn joined that circle?’

“Haah…”

Just imagining it made his c*ck throb painfully. The mere thought of her stoic face turning bright red as she pulled another woman’s hair to claim him nearly made him climax.

“Damn it.”

Jenkins pulled down his pants and grabbed his er*ect c*ck. Stroking it up and down, he thought of Evelyn’s body. Despite being a knight, her large br*asts had bounced enticingly. 

Her entire body had a firmness unlike other women. Past her vertical navel, parting her silver pubic hair, her red p*ssy had quivered, enticing him.

Tap tap, tap.

Jenkins vigorously stroked his c*ck up and down.

[It doesn’t hurt at all. Just put it in, Jenkins.]

Though it must have been her first time, Evelyn had urged him on. Begging him to enter her.

He imagined willingly inserting his c*ck into that warm, soft, tight cave. Suddenly, white fluid spurted from his gl*ns, soaking his blanket.

“Whew…”

He felt like going crazy just from imagination. If Evelyn were here now, Jenkins would take her multiple times. But he had to be patient.

In the game of love, the one who frequently shows their feelings loses. That night, Evelyn had succumbed to Jenkins’ seduction. Normally, she should have sought him out by now.

She played this game of push and pull so well that if she had experience with men, he would have called her a seductress.

She revealed so little of her feelings. Though she always greeted him with a smile, she was more reserved than anyone. That made the joy of conquering her even greater.

‘Evelyn, I’m waiting for you, but I won’t show it. I offered you asylum, but you refused multiple times. I need to become more important to you than your family. I’ll hold out for that.’

You, more than anyone, must choose me.

Jenkins gritted his teeth as he waited for Evelyn. If she abandoned everything and clung to him, he could wait indefinitely, no matter how difficult it was now. He wouldn’t move an inch.

He was more confident than anyone when it came to drawing out a woman’s heart.

* * *

With each sway of the horse, Andrew’s hands kneaded Evelyn’s br*asts through her top. Evelyn frowned and pinched his hand.

“…Hey, what if I fall off?”

Andrew licked inside her ear while speaking to her. His bulging crotch rubbed against Evelyn’s waist with thrusting motions.

“…Will you stop?”

At Evelyn’s warning, Andrew shrugged and asked a nearby mercenary:

“What? What did I do?”

“?”

The mercenary tilted his head in confusion. However, the blatant groping of her br*asts must have been clearly visible to the mercenary. Evelyn looked behind her, concerned about her maid Sarah, who was more delicately raised than herself. But she couldn’t see clearly.

Andrew blew his breath into Evelyn’s ear.

“Haah. I just want to f*ck you right here. Since you’re not a virgin anyway, shall we do it once before going?”

“Do it if you want to die.”

Andrew snickered at Evelyn’s cold response. He rubbed her n*pple between his thumb and index finger while slowly moving the horse.

“By the way, what would happen if His Majesty found out you’re not a virgin?”

“…What would happen? He’d just hand me over to the Peshar Emperor.”

“Hmm. Evelyn, you’re good in every way, but you don’t understand men’s hearts. Who did you sleep with? Since it’s you, you must have given your body because you had feelings for him? You don’t easily sleep with men, do you?”

Andrew whistled as he looked at Evelyn’s neck. There was a kiss mark there. He slowly pulled down her collar with his finger. From her neck to her chest, marks were engraved, clearly claiming her.

“…Well, Hector probably prepared for this when he chased you to the border. Whoever that damn bastard is…”

He stuck out his tongue, slowly licking her neck while rubbing her n*pple. Evelyn remained still, indifferent to him fondling her br*ast.

“Hector? Shouldn’t you call him His Majesty?”

“…Let it slide. Sometimes I call him by name by mistake.”

“Wait, that’s…”

Andrew’s hand slipped inside her pants and rubbed her pubic hair with his palm. He whispered in her ear.

“What? Is this off-limits? Your br*asts, neck, and ears are numb, but you feel it here?”

“…Ungh.”

Andrew’s middle finger entered Evelyn’s v*gina. He marveled at the vaginal walls that clenched around his finger.

“Tight. Seems like you haven’t had much s*x?”

“Nngh, stop…”

“I don’t want to.”

Evelyn drew the sword at her left side and pointed it at Andrew’s neck. Andrew looked at her with a sly smile. When the blue blade was pointed at his neck, the nearby mercenaries moved in.

“If you don’t remove your finger right now, I’ll kill you here.”

“Ha… Alright.”

Andrew withdrew his finger and raised both hands in surrender. After seeing his gesture of surrender, Evelyn returned her sword to its scabbard. Andrew licked his lips regretfully and resumed fondling her br*asts.

“Well, even His Majesty can’t touch your body, so I can’t have it either. Right?”

“…You call that talking? Hector is my half-brother.”

“That’s how it appears. On the surface.”

Evelyn closed her mouth. Rumors circulated that Hector, the Emperor of Astia, might be the product of his mother’s affair with another man. Although Hector’s mother denied it, the previous emperor rarely visited her.