“This isn’t fair.”

Zetak muttered, his expression far from bright. I touched my face with my hand, wondering if I was crying again, but my eyes weren’t wet. Is there a difference between feeling like you’re about to cry and actually crying?

“I really shouldn’t have stayed by Your Highness’s side. I should have left the palace.”

Before I knew it, I had grabbed his arm. Through the fabric of his clothing, I felt only a coldness, devoid of any human warmth. Yet, he was still alive. Whether sustained by a monster’s body or something else, he was breathing and living nonetheless.

“Don’t go. If you were to disappear from my sight…”

It seemed certain that I would only see him again when the future I had foreseen came to pass. What could I say to make him stay by my side? The thought was fleeting, and my decision came swiftly. With my injured right hand, I reached up and touched my neck.

“If you leave, I’ll cut my throat.”

At my words, his expression immediately became rigid. Yes, what better way to ensure that he stayed? If the object of his vengeance was about to die a meaningless death, where else could he go? Returning a decade later to find my tombstone would not only be empty, it would be utterly absurd. His whole purpose in life would be gone in an instant.

“If you leave without my permission, I will take my own life. So if you really want your revenge, stay by my side.”

I kept him by my side just to stay alive. It was nothing more than a lie to bind him to me. And yet, strangely, if he were to leave, I felt an overwhelming desire to carry out my threat.

If he disobeyed my command and left as he pleased, I would have to punish him. Wouldn’t it be worth it just to see his twisted face? Ah, but if I died, I wouldn’t be able to see that expression myself. Still, I could die imagining it.

That would be satisfying enough. No monster willingly takes its own life. Monsters may die in battle, but none would ever commit suicide. In that case, wouldn’t it be nice to be the first?

Zetak stared intently into my eyes, as if to gauge my resolve. The longer he looked, the more distorted his expression became, and finally he sighed as if in utter despair.

“Honestly… Your Highness. Didn’t I tell you not to use your body as a bargaining tool…?”

“It’s not my body, it’s my neck.”

“…”

” You said you didn’t want to ruin my body. So I won’t use it as a bargaining chip. This time I’m not offering my body, I’m offering my life.”

His expression changed. He opened his mouth a few times as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing. But I understood. He didn’t want to go. Satisfied with the result, I straightened my knees and stood up. Now, for the sake of his revenge, he had no choice but to stay by my side. He couldn’t just leave – not if he wanted to keep his life’s purpose intact.

“Ha… it’s been a while since I felt like this. It’s killing me from the inside out at this rate.”

Zetak muttered, gritting his teeth in frustration at something he clearly didn’t like. He poured himself a glass of cold water, as if to quench his burning frustration. Watching his lips meet the rim of the clear glass gave me a strange feeling of unease. His lips, wet from the water, looked strangely youthful and yet… yes, I think I know what that unease is.

On the day I took the medicine, Zetak undoubtedly lusted after me.

He made me suck his tentacles and forced me to swallow what he released. And yet, despite all that, he never kissed me. Not even once.

“Why won’t you kiss me?”

“Pwuh-!”

Zetak, who had been drinking water, spat it out directly toward the wall. After coughing a few times, he wiped his mouth and looked at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“Seriously, what the hell!”

“Why are you so shocked by such a comment? You don’t seem like the same person who stuck your fingers inside me and played around.”

To act all innocent now – how ridiculous. After doing all sorts of disgusting things, this is how he reacts? I took his hand and pulled him towards the bed. I pushed him to sit down and looked at him seriously. His eyes stared up at me in disbelief, but I didn’t care.

“Answer me. Why didn’t you kiss me? Depending on your answer, I’ll make sure it happens here and now.”

“Sigh… where did you lose the screws in your head when you were born…? That’s why you get nervous and spread your legs so easily for others.”

It seemed that Zetak still believed that I had been involved with others. So what if he did? It didn’t matter.

He held his head as if it hurt.

Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down onto the bed. If he’d resisted, I wouldn’t have been able to push him like this, but he let me push him and allowed me to straddle him.

Why didn’t he kiss me? Who knows. If he wouldn’t, I would have. That’s all there was to it.

“I’m going to kiss you now. Do you have any objections?”

His expression twisted.

“I do. Quite a lot. I have no idea why you have suddenly come to this conclusion, but…”

Before he could finish saying he didn’t want to, I lowered my head. His soft lips were very soft. I parted his lips and slipped my tongue inside, only to be greeted by something even softer.

Zetak stiffened, but it didn’t matter. I wanted to kiss him, so he had to kiss me. If Zetak could hear my thoughts, he’d probably grind his teeth and ask what kind of nonsense this was. It didn’t matter. I was going to do it anyway.

But something felt wrong. It was fine until I boldly stuck my tongue in. Moving my tongue on instinct was fine too. It felt a bit uncomfortable, even for me, but what could I do? It was my first time.

Nevertheless, I greedily licked and sucked his tongue. Why did I feel out of breath? Finally I had to pull away, panting heavily. Zetak stared up at me, somehow confused… No, that must be my imagination.

“Why do you look at me with such admiration? Did you enjoy a royal kiss so much?”

“Well.”

I didn’t know what he meant, but his attitude made me want to punch him.

“I thought you only sucked tentacles like a baby bottle, but it looks like you kiss the same way.”

And why are you panting after that? I heard his mumbled words clearly and kissed him again, annoyed. Let’s try to make it better. Yes. I need to recall the memories of my past life. I used to twist and turn tentacles with finesse, didn’t I?

But why is the human tongue so short? Why is it so difficult to move properly? In my mind I was wrapping myself around Zetak’s tongue and dominating it, but in reality it wasn’t going as planned. Awkwardly rubbing my tongue against his, I found myself gasping for air again. It was then that his hand pressed against my chest.

“I’m pleased. As expected from royalty. Now please get off.”

“…..”

It didn’t feel right. Something deep inside my chest felt like it had cracked. As he pressed against my chest, I sat up, refusing to move back. I stayed on top of him, preventing him from getting up.

“How impertinent. If my tongue was just 30 centimeters longer, you’d be crying underneath me.”

“Thirty centimetres…”

For some reason, Zetak’s expression changed to one of mild horror. A pang of regret surged through me for the length of the tentacles I had in my former life. I hadn’t asked for much – just 30 centimetres more, and how wonderful that would have been. I hadn’t thought much about the length of my tongue since my reincarnation. But now I wished for the body I had in my previous life.

“It doesn’t have to be that long. I said I was satisfied. Now please stand up.”

“Fine, I admit it was clumsy. In that case, suck my fingers instead.”

“Are you crazy? What the…”

Before he could finish his sentence I had my fingers in his mouth. I pressed my finger against his soft tongue and Zetak froze. I took his tongue between my thumb and forefinger and began to play with it.

“Didn’t you make me suck your fingers too? If you didn’t like the kiss, there’s no other choice. Suck this instead. At least I don’t force you to swallow anything of mine, unlike you.”

His eyes seemed to scream, “What kind of person would do such a thing?” He looked completely disbelieving and confused. But I paid no attention to his reaction and continued what I was doing. I played with his soft tongue, then ran my finger over his sharp teeth.

“The shape has changed a lot. Do you feel hungry when you look at people?”

“…”

“With this level of fusion, it wouldn’t be surprising if you’ve eaten a few humans. Or is it because the fusion is based on a human? You still seem to have a lot of emotions and act like one.”

In my previous life, I’d seen monsters possess human bodies countless times. But it was the first time I had seen a human take over a monster’s consciousness and claim its body, as Zetak had done. Perhaps that was why he hadn’t yet succumbed to the consumption of human flesh.

I traced a finger along his sharp teeth before pressing down on his tongue. As expected, it was wet and soft… Wait. A tongue?

“…I almost forgot. Your tongue was cut off, wasn’t it?”

His body went rigid at my words. He reached up, trying to grab my wrist and pull my hand away, but I quickly pinned his arms under my knees.

I pushed my fingers deeper into his mouth. Zetak shot me a murderous glare, his eyes burning with rage, but I paid no attention. If he really hated it, he could have easily pushed me away. With his strength, it would have been effortless. The fact that he didn’t meant that, despite his dislike, he allowed it to happen.

I could feel the rough scar running straight down the inside of his tongue. The texture of the cut was unmistakably that of a severed limb. No matter how monstrous the creature, a severed limb wouldn’t grow back. Which meant this wasn’t a tongue at all.

“A tentacle.”