After that, I met Thadeus every single day without fail. Each time, under the pretext of it being Schwein’s preference, we engaged in all sorts of lewd acts. 

In a forest where people didn’t come, I’d been pierced by his brutal member while clutching a tree with both br*asts fully exposed.

“Ahhng, hnngh…!”

“If you keep giving off that scent of arousal, hngh, every beast with a c*ck in these mountains will come running.”

“Don’t say such, hnnk, weird things!”

“Then let go of the c*ck in your mouth before you talk.”

On other days, just like he’d said before, I had to have my n*pples sucked all day long. It’s not that he made me suffer or pushed me until I couldn’t think straight. He really just sucked on them like someone obsessed with n*pples.

“Tha-Thadeus… I can’t anymore…!”

“Wait. I think they can get bigger.”

My body burned with need, but I couldn’t relieve it—it drove me crazy. Every time his tongue coiled around that sensitive peak, my body jerked and water gushed from below. Calling it a flood wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

When I finally couldn’t stand it and rubbed my thighs together, Thadeus called it punishment and slapped my swollen pearl with his hand. 

My shameless body cl*maxed several times even while being punished. I felt so humiliated and ashamed of myself that I quietly burst into tears.

On top of that, inside a moving carriage, I had to endure adult toys. From what I’d heard, mages who’d been confined in the magic tower and overworked had gone half-mad and created these things.

They thought they’d be beaten in the marketplace, but surprisingly, they couldn’t sell enough of them. After that, everyone jumped into the business, and now I’d heard there were many shops openly selling adult toys.

‘That’s one thing, but…!’

Under my dress skirt, the toy Thadeus brought was pushing into my flesh and scraping my inner walls. Not only did it move back and forth, but it also vibrated on its own inside me, so every time the carriage jolted, my mind went white as I reached my limit.

“Hnnngh…! Haaaaah…!”

“You need to be quiet, Clea. Are you planning to let the coachman know what we’re doing inside the carriage?”

Every time I panted with pleasure, Thadeus spat out wicked words. When I tried to forcibly remove the toy, he’d set it to give even stronger stimulation or spout unbelievable things like this was also one of Schwein’s preferences and I should remember it well.

But not all the time I spent with him was like that. When news came out that Madame Wellifer, the queen of desserts, had released a new dessert, we went together to eat parfait. 

On days when the sunset was particularly beautiful while riding in the carriage, we’d get out and walk together holding hands.

Usually, Thadeus was the one who held my hand first. Even when I tried to pull away, he’d make excuses like my cold might not be fully gone so I needed to keep my hands warm, or the ground was rough even though it was clearly flat, so I might get hurt and needed to hold hands.

There were times when, without realizing it, I approached him first and grabbed his hand out of habit. Startled by my own behavior, I’d snatch my hand away, but before long, Thadeus would catch it again.

“Just now was a mistake. I wasn’t trying to hold your hand…!”

“There’s no such thing as a mistake.”

“Then what about you? Remember when you said you misstep and accidentally kissed me?”

Thadeus, who’d been quietly watching me, gave a meaningful smile. The corners of his mouth curved up in a beautiful arc.

“That wasn’t a mistake.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t a mistake—I did it on purpose.”

At that moment, I heard a strange creaking sound from my heart. It seemed broken. My face grew hot for no reason, and I found it hard to look at Thadeus. 

Even though I was breathing, my chest felt strangely tight and I coughed. Then, seeing him grin, I shouted without thinking.

“Wh-What are you saying! You liar…!”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know!”

I walked away from Thadeus without thinking, but he caught up to me with easy, long strides. Even that irritated me. He really was a person with not a single likable quality.

* * *

When I came to my senses, a whole month had already flown by. Now only two days remained in my contract with Thadeus. After tonight passed, exactly one day would be left.

Suddenly, I worried if this was really okay. 

My body was growing more and more accustomed to Thadeus, and whenever I noticed his shadow flickering around me in my peaceful daily life, I felt something was going wrong.

“I can’t repeat the same mistake as before. And Thadeus has a fiancée he’s promised his future to.”

Thadeus’s fiancée. Whenever I thought of her, whose face I didn’t even know, my heart always felt uncomfortable. My calm mood would suddenly turn gloomy, or my chest felt stuffy like a stone had been placed on it.

Also, when I stood before Schwein to confess my feelings, I wondered how confident I could really be. 

Could I act like an innocent young lady who’d only ever loved Schwein when I’d been messily entangled with Thadeus until the day before? 

The more I thought about it, the more dismal it became, and I could only sigh deeply.

‘If I still suffer from the magic side effects even after the contract period ends, what should I do then?’

I didn’t want to do those things with a new man now. The thought of a stranger touching my body and doing exactly what I’d done with Thadeus made me feel sick. 

Actually, even when I imagined that person being Schwein, nothing changed. It was truly strange.

At this rate, I might have to make the worst choice of not being able to leave Thadeus even after fulfilling the promised month.

“Just how much bigger of a mistake am I trying to make…”

And that night, an unexpected visitor came to see me. It was Luina, whom I hadn’t seen once since visiting the magic company.

“Where is Luina now?”

“I’ve guided her to the reception room.”

“I’ll get ready and come down soon, so please tell her to wait a moment.”

Luina, whom I was meeting after a long time, had become gaunt. Her skin was rough, and under her eyes was as dark as if black ink had been applied. The healthy weight she’d had was now emaciated, and I was shocked the moment I saw her.

“Luina…? Is that really you?”

“Hello, Clea…”

If it weren’t for her abundant brown hair and emerald eyes, I wouldn’t have recognized her.

‘If Luina came to find me directly, there must be new information about the magic side effects…’

I desperately wanted to hear what she had to say, but I couldn’t possibly hold someone on the verge of collapse and talk. So I asked the most necessary question for the current situation.

“When… was the last time you ate?”

“I don’t remember well. Probably three days ago…?”

Was she seriously saying this right now? How could a person survive after starving for three days? I firmly grasped her thin hand.

“This won’t do. Let’s eat first.”

“But I have something urgent to tell you right now…!”

“It won’t be too late to hear it after eating! No matter how important it is, how can a person not eat? This is unacceptable!”

When I gave the signal, the servants brought appetizing food and set it on the table. 

Luina, who’d firmly declined saying she was fine, wavered when she actually saw the food before her eyes. When she swallowed her saliva with the expression of a starving wild beast, I said with a smile.

“Eat as much as you want.”

“Then… I’ll just fill my stomach.”

Luina’s eyes sparkled as she rushed at the food. First, she soothed her stomach with warm mushroom soup, then picked up tomato potato stew and pepper-seasoned lamb steak in turn.

Even though there was so much more food, it disappeared in the blink of an eye. As I watched the scene contentedly like a grandmother watching her granddaughter eat, she blushed when our eyes met.

“Am I eating too sloppily?”

“No, it’s nice to see you eat well.”

Luina, who finally finished her meal, gulped down water refreshingly. Then she turned to me with a determined look. Her face showed excited anticipation.

“I succeeded, Clea.”

“You succeeded? Don’t tell me… the nullification magic?”

“You’ve suffered a lot because of the magic side effects, right? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

I couldn’t believe it. Actually, even though she said she’d research the nullification magic, I hadn’t expected her to bring results this quickly. I looked at her with disbelief, then hugged Luina tightly.

“Luina… Thank you so much. You’re my lifesaver.”

“No, I just did what I had to do.”

Luina didn’t delay any longer and immediately cast the nullification magic. A gentle breeze blew from somewhere. A pleasant feeling of being caressed all over my body continued.

The refreshing energy that spread from the center of my body reached my fingertips and toes. 

Nothing had changed much from before, but I smiled naturally at the feeling of being lighter. When I opened my eyes, Luina greeted me with a bright smile.

“You’ve really worked hard all this time. I’ve checked the results of the nullification magic many times, so it will be effective.”

I expressed my gratitude to Luina, who’d worked hard for me, several times. I wanted to chat with her all night, but Luina had to go to work at Perolin Magic Company tomorrow.

In the end, I put aside my regret and sent her home in a carriage.

“Then I’ll look forward to our tea time soon!”

“Go safely, Luina!”

After seeing her off, I returned to my room. The fact that I was completely free from the magic side effects still didn’t feel real. It was a contradictory emotion—happy yet somehow bittersweet.

“Why am I like this? Now that my body has returned to normal, I don’t have to see that detestable Thadeus anymore.”

Far from feeling relieved, why did I feel so strange? It was a difficult night where even I couldn’t understand myself.

* * *

The day before the promised contract ended. I attended the Foundation Festival with Thadeus. 

The Foundation Festival was the biggest event of the year, and on this day, all the empire’s citizens escaped from their daily lives to enjoy the festival.

People were so serious about this festival that they said even Goddess Heila, who governed fate among the three gods who maintained the world, came down to the world to enjoy this festival. Of course, no one knew if that was true.

Moreover, even the magic tower, famous for being reclusive, opened its doors to the empire’s citizens on this day alone to let them tour it. They also generously displayed their exclusive magic. One of them was the fireworks parade, the festival’s biggest highlight.

The fireworks parade involved floating magic stones condensed with mana into the sky and bursting them like fireworks. It might sound like nothing when described this way, but it was truly beautiful, like flowers embroidering the night sky.

Because of this, the fireworks parade was generally attended by lovers sharing their affection. 

Many people came to the festival, and since Thadeus and I weren’t in that kind of relationship, I initially didn’t want to come. But Thadeus persistently harassed me, taking advantage of my weakened state from the magic side effects, and I ended up agreeing.

‘I should have refused after all!’

I glanced at Thadeus, who sat beside me in the carriage peacefully observing the scenery outside. If I told him now to go with someone else, he’d get angry. As I was thinking that, he turned to look at me.

“If you’re going to stare, tell me first. My face is more expensive than you think.”

I agreed that he had a handsome face, but his arrogance was truly hopeless. Who said I was looking because he’s handsome? 

I was just wondering if there was another way to change this situation.

“I wasn’t, okay? You’re not that good-looking.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. When it comes to being handsome, Schwein is the empire’s best!”

His face approached without warning. My startled face reflected in his black eyes, which held beautifully crafted obsidian. It was truly an infuriating yet magnificent appearance.

When he leaned in close at a distance where our lips could already touch, I swallowed involuntarily. At this, Thadeus spoke in a voice tinged with laughter.

“Do you know what color your face is right now?”

“What color… is my face…?”

“It’s ripened so sweetly. Enough to make me want to taste it right now.”

My face flushed at his seductive words. When I glared at him, Thadeus gave a sultry eye-smile. His eyes, darkened by shadows, watched me.

After entangling bodies with him countless times, I’d come to know well when that expression appeared. It was the face of a starving beast wanting to devour me. I could feel his lewd desire to spread my legs right here in this carriage and thrust his thing into me.

Just then, the moving carriage stopped. Until now, we’d been lucky enough not to be caught because we’d only chosen places without people. 

But if a stopped carriage kept shaking in a place with so many people passing by, they’d obviously find it strange. And if Thadeus and I came out of it, it would fuel their imagination.

“Are you crazy? There are so many people outside!”

“I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do!”