At the utter lack of respect in his words, a flash of fury rose within Anita.

After all she had endured, how could anyone treat another human being like this?

“You… you—!”

She couldn’t reason, nor did she care to.

How little must he think of her?

The blaze of anger consumed every trace of restraint.

Slap!

It was the first time in her life that Anita had hit someone with such force. Even when she used to argue with her brother when they were children, she had never hit him in the face. She had always believed that hitting someone in the face was simply unacceptable.

But in that moment, she could no longer hold herself back.

The sound was sharp, yet Cedric’s head didn’t even turn. He had let her hit him deliberately.

The sting across his cheek felt almost exhilarating. When he smirked in amusement, she gasped and raised her hand again.

“Try that once more.”

Cedric spoke in a low voice to make it clear that he would not tolerate a second strike. That alone was enough. The arm that had been trembling so violently slowly sank and, before long, fell limply to her side.

She had no courage left. What if she provoked him further and he became even crueller? Fear smothered the brief spark of defiance that had arisen within her.

Still, she couldn’t stop herself from asking. With great difficulty, she kept her weakened body upright and looked at him, whispering in a broken voice.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

“…”

“Why do you torment me like this?”

“…”

“What have I done so wrong… that you would…”

Cedric thought her question was reasonable. After all, anyone who had suffered so much would want to know the reason why.

However, he felt neither obliged nor inclined to give her an answer. There was no great reason behind his cruelty. He simply wanted to see her break; he wanted to watch her gasp and crumble beneath his feet. That alone was enough.

“Now that I think about it, it’s almost funny.”

Instead of wearing typical Laxion attire, Anita covered herself completely in a Callithean gown, perhaps to hide the marks he had left behind. This irritated Cedric even more.

Cedric could not resist the twisted urge that always surfaced when he saw her.

“Anita.”

“…”

“My consort.”

Since the night they had first slept together, the word ‘consort’ had ceased to sound strange to him. Calling her ‘Princess’ no longer suited him; the term felt too distant and formal. Perhaps it was because she had already borne his mark, whether he wanted her or not.

Cedric thought his emotions were ridiculous as he gripped the fabric of her shoulder and tugged.

“Aren’t you the Crown Princess of Laxion?”

Through the loosened folds of fabric, faint reddish marks came into view. There were even traces of teeth marks, pale but still visible — proof of how delicate her skin was.

“Then isn’t it only natural that you should do such things with me?”

“Ah…”

He slipped a finger through the gap and pressed down. Her small body jerked at the touch, which Cedric found amusing.

He leaned closer. Anita stumbled back a few steps, but he caught her before she could retreat any further.

With a deep sigh, he seized her by the arms. Before she could say another word, he shoved her hard towards the desk.

Thud.

The desk, made of solid ebony and mahogany, didn’t budge. Anita, who had hit it, let out a small cry and curled up into a ball. Cedric ignored the scattered papers and spilt ink; his eyes never left her.

“Don’t you understand?”

Trapped between the desk and Cedric, Anita could do nothing. He pinned her in place with his knee and cupped her br*ast. Maybe he’d tied it too tightly when he undressed her; he’d seen more than he’d expected to.

“n*ked and spread, taking my seed, that’s your most basic duty, isn’t it?”

The sensation of her br*ast beneath his hand made his mouth water. It wasn’t milk, but he remembered how he had sucked and bitten it until it swelled and throbbed, and the memory remained sweet in his mind. Narrowing his eyes, he moved his hand, remembering the taste of that intimacy.

Her body went numb, as though a child were playing in the dirt and groping flesh at will. At last, Anita struggled, offering a faint attempt at resistance.

“You came here for that, didn’t you? Laughing like an idiot about marrying me. Weren’t you?”

“No. Hng. No—”

“It’s only right. You can’t expect to ask for something in return. What, a spoiled fit? Like a child whining because it won’t get candy.”

Cedric grabbed her wrists as though restraining an animal, pulling her close to him. He didn’t usually mess about in his office, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad this time.

“You must fulfill your duty as Crown Princess. Don’t be bawling like this.”

His hand moved busily, up and down, as if about to lift the dress. Anita twisted, pleading silently for him to stop, then realized pleading was useless and let her strength drain away. In a small, hollow voice she murmured.

“…Promise.”

“Tch. Like a parrot.”

It sounded as if she was suggesting that she would surrender herself in order to make him keep his promise. Her lower body ached, but Cedric stopped there. Her stunned expression suggested that if he went any further, he might not only fail to tidy things up afterwards, but also expose her nakedness to his men.

“It may seem like a loss for you, but I will pay the cost. I promised. Whether I speed things up depends on how well you cooperate.”

He stroked his hand over his wife’s damp face. Anita, who had only murmured the word ‘promise’, met his gaze again. Cedric liked the way her blue eyes were fixed only on him. Yet he felt disgusted with himself for finding satisfaction in something so small.

He shouldn’t have repressed his feelings for Anita, she was an outlet for them. Instead, he gave in to his twisted urges again, choosing words that would hurt her.

“You’re getting stiff, this is boring already. If you’ve got nothing better to do, stop waving your hands around like you’re entitled. Learn how to play properly. Go and hire someone to teach you outside. Or shall I find someone for you?”

“…”

“If that’s what you want, I could help you with it. It would amuse me, too. I’ll also make sure your instructor is well compensated, your finances aren’t exactly in good shape right now, are they?”

Anita, who had earlier endured his insult about learning how to please a man in silence, widened her eyes at his sudden, suggestive words. Seeing her pale face twitch with unease as she looked from side to side, Cedric let out a quiet, derisive laugh.

“What? You thought I wouldn’t know?”

Since receiving her brother’s letter, Anita had been secretly selling her jewelry, piece by piece, to raise money. As nobody at the palace was willing to help her, she sold the jewelry to Renee at pitifully low prices.

Of course, she hadn’t dared touch anything grand enough to draw attention, only small, ordinary trinkets, sold discreetly over time.

“You haven’t found a way to send the money yet, have you? That’s the only reason I let it slide.”

“Ah…”

“It’s not much, but I still need to consider your position. Even if it’s for your homeland, secret funding from Laxion leaking into another country could cause problems. I believe I’ve mentioned something similar before.”

Cedric took a step back, watching her tremble as if she had been caught doing something unforgivable. His hand lingered absently near her br*ast. Since the topic had come up, he figured he might as well discipline her properly.

Yet when he saw how utterly frozen she was even after he’d moved away, too terrified to blink, his irritation dulled. Instead, desire stirred again.

He wanted to peel her apart slowly, humiliate her further, and devour her helplessness.

“…Shall I give you another option?”

“…”

“Anita, you still have something of value left. Not yet, but soon enough.”

Cedric’s mind shifted. Instead of reprimanding her for daring to send Callithea even a handful of coins, he decided to suggest a solution that she would understand all too well.

“You really don’t understand unless I spell it out, do you?”

His gaze dropped from her br*ast, trailing downward until his hand came to rest on her abdomen. And then, impulsively without even realizing what he was about to say he spoke.

“Bear me a son.”

“…”

“Tell me, what could be a simpler or more legitimate way to gain power than by giving the Imperial House an heir?”

··· ✦ ···

Cedric couldn’t understand himself. What had possessed him to say such things? He felt ridiculous and deranged.

“I’m not desperate for a woman. From now on, you’ll come to me yourself.”

A child? The idea of having a child with Anita had never once crossed his mind. After the night he lost his senses over fig jam and slept with her for the first time, he made sure to take contraceptive pills. If she had become pregnant that night, he had planned to terminate the pregnancy before she even realized.

“Spread your legs and beg me for a child. Got it?”

And now he was talking about heirs. As if it mattered. She wasn’t going to become empress. She was destined to die before he ever ascended the throne. Until then, she was nothing more than a vessel for his rage; a tool for him to vent his emotions on; something to be discarded when he was finished with her.

“Has it just been too long since I last had a woman?”

He meant to humiliate and hurt her. That was the point. Yet he found himself becoming engrossed in the pleasure of her body. Like an addict in a back alley, he couldn’t tear his mind away from her.

Look at him now. As night fell, he became restless and thirsty. His gaze kept drifting towards the door, irritating him.

He remained seated for another hour before finally rising, just as the moon reached its highest point in the sky. When he stepped outside, Dian — ever his shadow — bowed his head.

“To Adenbell.”

Cedric spoke curtly and strode off. Dian hesitated for a moment at the mention of Adenbell, where the celebration for the second son’s coming-of-age was in full swing. However, he then followed his lord with a strange sense of relief.