A tentacle was growing from the severed part – it had probably turned into something resembling a tongue, and he was stretching it out just enough to use it as a replacement. Now I finally understood how someone without a tongue could still find a way to speak. Was that why he hadn’t kissed me? Because he didn’t want me to know it was a tentacle and not a tongue?

I played with the tentacle with my fingers. From the texture alone, it didn’t look any different from a human tongue. Maintaining such a detailed transformation all day long must be exhausting. But more importantly…

“I’m jealous. You could make it 30 centimetres long. You must be very good at kissing”.

Zetak gritted his teeth at my words. When I felt the sharp teeth against my fingers, I quickly pulled my hand away. He probably hadn’t intended to bite them off; there were only teeth marks left. It seemed to be his unspoken way of telling me to step back. As I did, Zetak finally spoke, his expression a mix of emotions.

“Is that really all you have to say?”

“What do you mean?”

“…”

Zetak seemed to want to speak but hesitated, his lips moving silently.

“Aren’t you disgusted?”

He finally managed to say after a long pause. I found it rather perplexing – had he really spent all this time just to come up with that?

“Should I be disgusted?”

“…”

“I’m curious to know who cut off your tongue. But you won’t tell me, so I won’t ask. Beyond that, I don’t feel much.”

Zetak looked at me with a strange expression, neither smiling nor crying, then turned his head away.

“Did you avoid kissing me because you didn’t want me to know it was a tentacle?”

“…”

“Just for something like that.”

“It may only be for Your Highness, but it’s not for me.”

“It’s more like…”

I almost said, “That’s such a human way of thinking.” But I held my tongue. He despised his own body as it transformed into that of a monster. To say something like that now would only provoke his anger.

After all, he hated the spider legs growing out of his own body. It must be hard for him to accept that a tentacle was now growing in his mouth. How could I console him?

“Even those born as monsters take a long time to transform their tentacles.”

“…”

“It requires a lot of effort, especially for something as complex as this—it’s anything but easy. Isn’t this the outcome of your hard work? Why not take a moment to be proud of it?”

“Ha… proud, you say.”

His expression twisted. Despite being more than half-fused with a monster, he still retained a human mindset. Seeing how he despised his own body, it was clear. Transforming a tentacle like that wasn’t something even a monster could do easily.

Just as a small child learns to walk, monsters take time to learn how to transform and use their tentacles effectively. Just because a tentacle grew from the severed part of his tongue didn’t mean that was the end of it. It must have taken at least a year to transform it into the shape of a tongue and learn how to use it effectively.

“So you could speak from the moment you arrived at the palace.”

“…”

“Why did you pretend to be mute? You even went so far as to show the severed tongue and hide the tentacle. Was that really necessary?”

Zetak didn’t answer, but I could tell by the look on his face. He just didn’t want to talk to any of the royals. In the future, he had wiped an entire country off the map because I was the Emperor. Of course, he must have hated those who shared my blood even more.

By pretending to be speechless, he cut off all forms of communication. No one would try to talk to him or ask him questions. He wouldn’t have to exchange pleasantries or show respect. As I thought about this, I was struck by a strange feeling of dissonance.

“Now that I think about it, that’s strange. Bapharos still thinks your tongue was cut off… yet he didn’t seem particularly surprised when you spoke.”

Come to think of it, Zetak had spoken to Bapharos not so long ago. It was when I had misstated the number of times humans had intercourse.

“It’s understandable that the other nobles wouldn’t realize your tongue was cut off, but… he saw it for himself that your tongue was gone.”

Being used to seeing Zetak speak, it never felt out of place. But looking back now, it was certainly strange. Normally, if a child whose tongue had been cut out suddenly started to speak, it would be shocking, wouldn’t it? So why hadn’t Bapharos seemed surprised?

“Already…”

Because he already knew? I stopped myself from asking if he had met with Bapharos in secret. There was no reason for him to meet with Bapharos in secret. If he did, there could only be one reason: if the person who manipulated him in the past was Bapharos.

But even if that were the case, that was five years ago. Would Zetak have any reason to meet with Bapharos now? Could it be that they’re trying to avoid trouble by agreeing not to reveal each other’s secrets? If that were the case, I could understand why they’d pretend not to know each other.

“Get ready for class. You’re late.”

Zetak started to get up from the bed. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have turned his back on me.

“And now what? Didn’t you say you were satisfied?”

‘…….’

What a strange child he is. Just holding his hand or touching his ear is enough for him to claim that I’m seducing him. But when I approach him with real intent, he rejects me. Is there any way I can make him cling to me even more?

“You may be satisfied, but I’m not. So…”

I bent my elbow and placed my hand beside his face, trapping him in my arms as I leaned down. Perhaps because we were so close, my lips brushed against his several times as I spoke.

“If that’s a tentacle, then share its sensory and reproductive functions.”

Let’s see if you’re still unsatisfied. He looked like he was going to say something with a twisted expression on his face, but I silenced him by kissing him again.

If it only shared sensation and function, there’d be no need to change its shape. It would remain in the form of a tongue, so there’s only one way to confirm if it really does share reproductive functions. I rubbed the tip of his tongue lightly with mine to see if there was now an opening for *jaculation.

There seemed to be. The moment I realised, a powerful grip grabbed my neck and threw me aside. By the time I regained my senses, he was straddling me, pinning me down. His mouth descended on mine with a ferocity that felt like he was biting me. Yes, biting would be the correct description. This wasn’t a kiss. It wasn’t a sweet, tender touch.

His tongue – no, the tentacle that shared its function with his p*nis – wrapped itself tightly around the base of my tongue, as if trying to rip it out. He thrust so deeply and forcefully that I could barely catch my breath.

This wasn’t a kiss. It was something far more invasive – like I was giving him a bizarre version of a bl*wjob.

I tried to concentrate, to take in as much as I could, because that was my intention all along. But it didn’t go as planned. Instead I found myself choking, letting out strange, muffled grunts as the tentacle relentlessly probed deeper into the back of my throat.

The tentacle moved with fierce intensity, but not so much that it tore into my mouth. There was a strange balance – a mixture of caution and violence. His hand, gripping my smaller shoulder, tightened as I struggled against him. Finally I managed to push him away and looked up at him, gasping for breath.

“W-Wait… let me catch my breath…”

I didn’t even get to finish my plea for a break before he pressed his lips against mine with renewed intensity. He bit my lips like a beast and his hand reached down to grip me through my clothes. It was just a kiss, nothing more. Besides, it hadn’t been long since I’d put up with him all night. There was no way for me to react, but as he pressed and rubbed me through the fabric, I found myself reacting almost immediately.

A strange, involuntary moan escaped me. He slowly withdrew his tentacle and lifted his lips from mine.

“Well, it’s not exactly 30 centimetres, but… it’s certainly comfortable for kissing.”

“Do you think… I’m jealous of something like that? Not even a little.”

I was jealous. But I hid my true feelings and said the opposite instead. For some reason I wanted to say it that way. Admitting envy felt like a loss. As I thought this, Zetak’s eyes narrowed slightly. It almost seemed as if he was smiling – was that just my imagination? Zetak collapsed on top of me and leaned down to put his lips close to my ear.

“Honestly… Your Highness always says the most unexpected things.”

“What have I done?” I wanted to say, but instead I concentrated on catching my breath. Who knew when he might try to take it away again?

“I was so afraid, afraid of being discovered…”

His voice murmured, “Yet Your Highness shows no disgust whatsoever.” It sounded both amused and displeased. His fingers began to run along my lips.

“I’ll finish in your mouth. You know what to do, don’t you?”

“……”

“Make sure you swallow properly this time. I’ll make sure you don’t choke.”

“Can’t I just not swallow it? It doesn’t even taste good.”

“That’s not good enough. What can I say? It’s my preference.”

Where on earth did this brat learn to say such things? Wicked thing. He pressed his lips to mine again. Hovering just a hair’s breadth away, he spoke with a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Don’t suck on it like a breastfeeding child. Put more pressure on it – harder and really suck.”

“I… Haha, I can only stick my tongue out 30 centimetres…” 

“I… Ha, I only have a 30 centimetre tongue…”