Then, suddenly, Hailla remembered the moment years ago when she had told him, “You are never a monster.” She wished she could go back to that time.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you feel good.”

If she had, then she could have called Lian a monster and thrown stones at him. She wouldn’t be lying here in this mess, crushed beneath him, drowning in betrayal.

Lian, who had been admiring Hailla’s dazzling face, narrowed his eyes and pulled her body down, spreading her legs wide open. Unable to move her hands, she lifted her legs and felt like a dissected fish spread out on a market stall.

“Ah, ah, Lian…”

“There will be delicious water here soon.”

Lian spoke, exhaling into the hole. Each time he did so, her v*gina trembled and twitched, appearing small and cute. She was worried about whether she would be able to take her child out, given that she was struggling to accommodate his p*nis. However, she decided to think about that later. Without delay, he buried his lips in her v*gina.

“Ha!”

“Don’t move. It’s flowing; it’s a shame.”

He repeatedly licked and sucked her entire v*gina, first softly and then more intensely. His hand stroked her leg while his tongue traced the faint wrinkles.

He felt his lower body spit out liquid as it relaxed, then tighten again, making him feel embarrassed. Hailla’s face became moist. Her body, devoid of shame, steadily expelled the liquid he desired.

‘I wish I had died right now.’

However, such thoughts quickly faded due to the pleasure she had learned to enjoy.

“Ah, ah, ah…!”

Lian buried her nose in the gap and stroked her slippery entrance. The room was filled only with her excited moans and slurping sounds. He lowered his hand and grabbed his p*nis. Closing his eyes, he m*sturbated, fantasising about licking Heila’s v*gina and then penetrating her. The way he was doing it made him look like an animal.

“Ah, Hailla, Hailla…”

When he raised his head, he saw that the man’s face was covered in a clear liquid. He stared at the woman, who avoided his gaze. Then he kissed her quickly and embraced her. The saliva flowing from mouth to mouth tasted disgusting, as though mixed with love juice.

The moment she had this thought, his enormous p*nis slowly entered her v*gina. Her bottom twitched at the feeling of being filled up so tightly. For a moment, Hailla’s pupils dilated.

“Ugh, ugh, no… I said no…”

“Just a little, ah, just a little…”

He spoke as if he had lost his mind. The shallower-than-usual insertion was the only sign of his thinning patience. Each time his huge, blunt p*nis moved, it felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing downwards. His p*nis was steadily squeezed by her throbbing v*gina.

She could feel the man’s moist eyes on her. The place where despair had licked past turned pale and her vision blurred.

What should she do with this man? What should she do?

“Hailla.”

At that moment, she heard the voice of a ghost. She turned her head to see her sister with her hand on the bed, smiling with amusement on her face.

‘Rethe.’

She opened her mouth, silently calling her sister’s name in her heart. Rethe’s face looked even more innocent in that moment. When Hailla turned her head again, she saw the man above her, panting heavily. Even in the haze of her blurred vision, it was clear—he was still lost in the act, consumed by it.

“Stab. That’s the only way.”

Her sister’s voice hadn’t changed. Rethe let out a soft snicker as she crawled onto the bed, her hand slipping into the narrow space between Lian and Hailla. That pale hand, ghostlike in its silence, moved with eerie precision.
It reached toward Hailla’s chest—right over the skin that covered her heart—its color a stark, almost unnatural white.

“Here.”

It was terrible.

***

“Five hundred darts? Last month, one hundred was enough!”

A resentful voice echoed through the apothecary outside the temple. At the front of the long queue, a girl with a flushed neck clenched her fists in protest.

“Raising the price fivefold in just a month…!”

“Sorry, but it’s temple policy.”

However, the old man at the stall dismissed her protest coldly and without emotion. His face showed traces of seasoned indifference and annoyance. He glanced past the girl, who was blocking his stall. Her threadbare clothes were so worn that the sleeves were fraying, revealing her poverty.

On top of that, her unevenly cut, shaggy fringe, hanging messily over her eyes, made her look dishevelled. She must be quite unattractive to go around hiding her face like that. He didn’t feel the slightest curiosity to brush her hair aside and see her face. The old man waved his hands in irritation.

“If you’re not buying, just move along. There are plenty of others who want it besides you.”

He jerked his chin towards the queue behind her, as if telling her to look. The gesture was infuriating. The girl bit her lower lip hard and rummaged through her pocket. She had been waiting in the queue for over three hours and couldn’t afford to leave without the medicine. Her fringe, hanging thickly over her eyes, trembled slightly.

“Here.”

She held out 700 darts. The old man, who had been sitting with a bored expression, let out a low whistle and looked her up and down again. Never mind that it was a decent sum — she had even learned the trick of offering extras. This wasn’t an ordinary girl.

She must have known that many apothecaries filled out herbal medicines or pills with useless weeds to make them go further. Those familiar with the trade knew to pay extra for genuine medicine.

“Make sure it’s the real stuff. My mother is very ill.”

It was actually her older sister, but saying it was her mother tended to elicit more sympathy. The old man nodded and turned to retrieve the ordered herbs. Soon, he placed a bundle wrapped in cloth in front of her.

“District 13, No. 53, House 104.”

Without waiting for the old man to ask, she recited the personal information she always gave. It was a requirement of the Empire’s law to record the exact address of anyone purchasing medicine.

“Name.”

“You never needed my name before.”

“Temple.”

A curse, or something close to it, seemed to slip from the girl’s lips. But before the old man could raise his head, an answer followed.

“Hailla.”

She gave her name and turned on her heel without hesitation, briskly heading off. Her retreating figure was full of resolve.

***

Hailla clutched the bundle tightly and walked quickly. Although the temple was right there, the guards stationed outside ignored ordinary people, so valuable medicine was often stolen.

When she was younger and less experienced, she would often be robbed by pickpockets or swindled by apothecaries. Thinking back on those days, she could taste bitterness in her mouth. Still, she felt a hint of pride at how quickly she had realised that they were all in on the same scheme. At the same time, the memory left a dull ache in her chest.

After walking a little further, she arrived at the main gate of the Senir Temple, which was located in the heart of the bustling capital city. The pure white building was almost blinding, and its front gate, also white, was made of iron.

It was so sturdy that only nobles or temple priests could dream of passing through it. Next to it, the destitute crowded together. Huddling in front of the high walls, they whispered prayers and wishes to the divine.

“Still the same.”

Even after all these years, nothing had changed. Hailla quickened her pace, her face contorted with displeasure. If she hadn’t needed medicine for her sister Rethe, she would never have come here. Seeing things she wished she hadn’t only worsened her mood.

“I wish the temple would just fall apart.”

She muttered bitterly, but quickly shut her mouth in case anyone heard. She couldn’t help being cautious, even if it made her seem timid. After all, in the Talon Empire, faith in the gods was absolute. The divine had proven their existence through sacred relics and the power of the temples. Speaking blasphemy openly in front of devout citizens was dangerous.

But so what? Technically, the gods and the temples were separate entities, weren’t they? Besides, priests who exploited the gods’ names to monopolise medicine deserved to be penniless beggars. Denying that truth was the greater sin. Hailla’s anger at the temple for raising medicine prices fivefold swelled inside her as she hugged the bundle even tighter.

“Ah…! Priest!”

Just then, she caught sight of a white carriage, the kind used by temple priests, passing through the main temple gates. Everyone nearby turned their heads and bowed repeatedly in its direction. This was how the people of Talon showed their reverence for the priests who received the divine word — they treated the priests as if they were gods themselves.

“Hmph…”

How ridiculous. Hailla scoffed and turned away, walking off briskly. She was jealous and resentful of those who paraded around as if they were divine just because they had received a few prophecies. In fact, it was inferiority.

After all, just a few years ago, Heila had been one of those very beggars, praying that Lette would be chosen by the gods. Becoming a priest meant having access to any treatment one needed. If it meant healing her sick sister, Heila would have gladly bowed her head before any god.

But perhaps because of the resentment festering in her heart, the divine had never favoured the sisters. Despite knowing better, she still cursed the gods and their temple afterwards.

“Let’s just go home.”

This was why she hated coming here: it always made her dwell on useless thoughts and blame herself. She quickened her pace and started mentally going through the list of things she needed to do. She had to cook Rethe’s favourite food, help her wash, clean the house, and then…

“Hailla.”

Her steps on the dirt path came to a halt. Just as she had finished making her obsessive list of tasks, a man’s voice interrupted her. Its soft, pleasant tone made her freeze. The man, who had a gentle expression, slowly approached her.