“Ah…!”

The stimulation must have been impossible to ignore as Ir opened her eyes. Naturally, her gaze was still hazy. Nergal continued sucking on her earlobe as if everything was fine while pushing his finger deeper inside.

At first, it felt a bit tight, but soon his finger slid in smoothly.

“Mmm… you’re doing it… again…”

Ir shook her head, her eyes still heavy with sleep. But Nergal didn’t remove his finger, instead applying slight pressure inside. The short “hik!” sound of her breath quickly turned rough.

He carefully turned her chin with his other hand. Her wet eyes were unfocused. He could see her tongue moving slowly behind slightly parted red lips. It was a color that could drive someone mad.

While kissing her lightly, Nergal pushed another finger inside. Though at first she had struggled to take even one finger, now she skillfully accommodated two.

Feeling her tightness, Nergal momentarily stopped moving. Despite having held his member for quite a while until they arrived here, while she had become adept at taking him in, she still wouldn’t allow anything more.

‘That’s fine though.’

There was plenty of time. In this more comfortable and cozy place, Ir would eventually become accustomed to him.

With his two fingers inside her, Nergal moved his hand slowly. Every time he pressed against the shallow spots, the body in his arms trembled. Sweet moans began mixing with her panting breaths.

‘Good thing I paid attention back then.’

All princes receive s*x education. While part of it was for their own greater satisfaction, the stronger message was probably not to carelessly sow their wild oats.

Throughout the lessons, Nergal had listened with an indifferent expression from behind the other princes who whispered lewd things and snickered.

At the time, while wondering why he needed to learn such things, his inherent nature made him listen diligently. And now, for the first time, Nergal was grateful for the royal education. Thanks to it, he could prepare Ir without causing too much pain. If he hadn’t known anything, he would have just mindlessly thrust away like an idiot.

Even if he was clumsy and only caused her pain, Ir wouldn’t mind much. She would just bite her lip and endure it. That wasn’t what he wanted.

Nergal’s fingers pressed against a newly discovered sensitive spot. Unable to fall back asleep, Ir’s half-opened eyes grew hazy.

“Your Highness, wait…”

“Your Highness?”

Nergal’s voice unconsciously turned sharp. Even in her drowsy state, Ir immediately realized her mistake and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. It seemed she had already figured out that this action made him considerably more lenient.

“Ah, no… that’s not…”

After hesitating, Ir whispered.

“Ner…”

Ner.

During their journey, Nergal had constantly demanded that Ir get used to calling him by that name. When told to use a nickname, Ir had been horrified.

“Just cut my throat right here instead!”

Instead of cutting Ir’s throat, Nergal had bitten it. Then licked it. After that, he whispered into her twitching ear.

“We need to do at least this much to fool people. You’ve seen the royal banquets, haven’t you?”

The royals often brought their lovers to banquets. And those whispering beside them would all arbitrarily shorten the royal’s name into nicknames. It was proof of favor, that such behavior was allowed.

“If you call me ‘Your Highness’ there, how do you think others will see you? They’ll think nothing of you and ignore you. We can’t have that happen in the place we’re finally going to, can we?”

His tongue moved craftily like a snake. Of course, during all this, his hands never stopped exploring her soft feminine body. Naturally, he didn’t forget to keep stirring her below until it was constantly wet. As his fingers rubbed deep inside, making her gasp and tremble, Ir finally succumbed to his persuasion.

“Ner…”

At that struggling voice, Nergal had ej*culated against her lower region for the first time. Her black pubic hair, the same color as her head, had become lewdly wet with his essence.

Nergal lifted Ir and stood up. Then he sat down on the edge of the bath. In this space designed for bathers to rest briefly, he slowly stirred her squelching lower region.

“Ner, stop. Please stop. If you do more, ah, ah…”

Nergal clicked his tongue internally. What man would actually stop when being called like that while begging to stop.

If she was asking to stop because it hurt or was too difficult, he would have stopped. But Ir, flushed red and clinging to his neck, looked like she was both fearful and anticipating what was to come.

Nergal pretended not to hear and continued stirring below. Ner. Ner. Her pleading voice poured into his ears.

He recalled what he had said long ago.

“You’re Ir because of Ishtar? Then am I Ner? Whatever, that’s fine. Just call me that.”

Despite pretending to reluctantly allow it, he doesn’t know how much his heart had raced. Ir, Ner. When called that way, they sounded similar, making him feel even closer.

Anyway, now Ir calls him ‘Ner’ again. That alone was enough to satisfy Nergal. So much so that if this was a dream, he thought he might as well die right here.

Finally, shortly after, Ir let out a high-pitched cry of pleasure before going limp again. Simultaneously, his member, which had been rubbing against her lower region, released everything it had been holding back.

“This won’t do…”

Looking at the sticky white substance clinging to her freshly cleaned lower region, Nergal went back into the bath. It seemed they should probably stop here for today.

‘Let’s not rush.’

There was plenty of time. And…

As he embraced Ir and submerged in the water, his eyes flashed.

There was much to prepare to find those who killed the 9th Knight Order, who killed Ir.

***

“You’ve arrived.”

When they entered the villa’s study, Ishin, who had been waiting, greeted Nergal. Nergal nodded lightly and sat on the sofa while drying his still-dripping hair.

He had just finished personally drying Ir’s body thoroughly and dressing her after leaving the bathroom.

“And tell Seviti to prepare clothes one size larger.”

“We prepared them in the size you specified, but…”

“She seems to have grown a bit larger from being well-fed during our journey.”

Nergal briefly recalled Ir’s br*asts. When he first brought her, they had fit perfectly in his hands, but when he held them just now, they seemed to overflow a bit more. It was a pleasing change.

“But… who exactly is she?”

Ishin carefully watched Nergal’s expression as he asked. Nergal answered matter-of-factly, as though she were asking about something obvious.

“The person I’m going to marry.”

“Whaaaat? What do you mean? No, I mean… who is she?”

“A woman I found in Lagash.”

Nergal explained the story they had agreed upon with Ir before coming to the villa.

Ir, a woman who lived in a rural area before being kidnapped and taken to Lagash. She was about to be sold at an auction house when Nergal bought her – that was their story.

Though called a story, it was half true. Many people had witnessed him paying a large sum to buy a woman at the auction house. When he enters the palace with Ir, that story would spread quickly.

“Your Highness. I ask this just in case… but the marriage is a joke, right?”

“No. I’m going to do it. That should stop them from trying to force women on me for breeding.”

At Nergal’s voice mixed with strong displeasure, Ishin unconsciously straightened his posture.

“How many more came while I was away?”

“Five people. The Third Prince even sent a letter saying he would hand over Lady Shara if you wanted.”

“Ha.”

At the name Shara, Nergal let out a derisive laugh. Shara was a good card in the Third Prince’s hand. A nobleman’s daughter who had entered the palace following her father, who had allied with the Third Prince. Unlike the Third Prince’s other women, she was treated as a guest, and with her natural beauty, grace, and various knowledge, she quickly became the flower of palace banquets.

“To offer the woman he’s been desperate to have… Something must be happening.”

“Yes. Recently, one of his supporting nobles seems to be greatly shaken after defecting to the First Prince’s side.”

Ishin reported to Nergal about what had happened at the palace during his absence.

“No major problems then.”

“Yes. And there seems to be ongoing discussions about disbanding the 9th Knight Order. Lord Rihar, the commander of the 9th Knight Order, is claiming his comrades’ innocence, but naturally, no one is listening.”

“…”

“At this rate, it seems they’ll proceed with the disbandment, and Lord Rihar will likely be transferred elsewhere. After all, he is the son of the former Knight Commander, so others can’t treat him too carelessly.”

“Yes, I suppose so…”

Nergal’s eyes narrowed. Seeing his thoughtful expression, Ishin closed his mouth and waited.

In truth, even while reporting to him, his mind was in chaos.

‘Marriage? Prince Nergal?’

He recalled the woman in Nergal’s arms. Even at a glance, her beauty was extraordinary. But surely there were even more splendid and beautiful women in the palace. So why suddenly…

“Anyway, let’s rest for today. You’ve worked hard waiting up late too.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave then.”

Ishin bowed his head and turned around. But before he could take even one step, he turned back.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard the name of the lady who came with you. What should we call her?”

To Ishin’s question, Nergal answered.

“Ir. Ir of Ishtar.”

At that answer, Ishin’s expression hardened. Wasn’t that the name of the person called the monster of the palace?

It really was a name that didn’t suit the woman Nergal had brought.