“Spread your legs.”

Although she hadn’t given detailed instructions, Huey immediately assumed the correct position – sitting on the floor with his legs wide open.

It was the same vulgar position he had assumed on the first day they met, exposing everything: his g*nitals, his scrotum, his perineum and even his b*ttocks.

The position itself was humiliating, but Huey willingly accepted the shame.

Martian stood up.

From the dog’s eye level, fear and anticipation mixed. She lifted her foot and pressed it firmly between his legs.

“From now on I will ask questions.”

“Haa, Master… ngh.”

Her toes dug into his hardened c*ck, pressing and rubbing mercilessly.

Huey bit his lip desperately, fighting not to come. He hadn’t been allowed to climax properly once; now even the slightest stimulation was driving him mad with excitement.

“You have three seconds to answer.”

“Hh, ngh, I-I’m going to… cum… ahk!”

“I didn’t give you permission, did I? Then hold it.”

Huey shook violently. Words of pleading and excuse were on his lips. He looked up at her with desperate eyes.

No matter how hard he tried, being trampled like this would make him come far too easily. He had finally earned some affection – he didn’t want to be punished again.

No, he did want to be punished – but if he kept making mistakes, he might really be abandoned.

Huey bent down and kissed Martian’s knee in a gesture of desperate pleading. It was a rather endearing form of begging.

Martian, smiling faintly, slid her toes down from his scrotum to the tender skin beneath.

The stimulation tore through him.

Just as his hips twitched as if he were about to *jaculate, Martian grabbed his hair and slapped his cheek.

“Huuh!”

His pale skin made the marks stand out vividly.

After a few more slaps, his cheeks were bright red.

Although he had been beaten for no reason, the dog showed no sign of resentment.

In fact, he rubbed his face against her hand, looking for more.

His eyes were wet, as if he might cry at any moment – not from grief, but from overwhelming excitement.

A dog crying from over-excitement…

She wanted to slap his swollen cheeks even more.

Martian stroked the dog’s reddened cheek. His soft blonde hair brushed against the back of her hand, tickling it.

With a wistful expression, Martian murmured,

“If only there weren’t plans for tomorrow…”

Tomorrow morning, all personnel were to inspect the forest.

Both she and the Count had to be there.

In this situation, she couldn’t afford to ruin the Count’s appearance.

As her hand left him, Huey looked at her with a disappointed expression.

He was a dog who made no effort to hide his desires.

Martian bent down to meet his gaze, his excited, tear-filled eyes staring straight at her.

Slowly, she raised her hands to grasp the collar of his shirt.

The expensive, soft fabric tore easily with a sharp ripping sound.

The tattered remains of his shirt exposed red, swollen n*pples. Huey let out a loud moan of excitement.

“Is the sound of your clothes ripping enough to make you come?”

His untouched c*ck twitched violently at her words.

His body answered for him.

Martian chuckled softly.

“If you answer well, I’ll let you come.”

She grabbed his swollen, abused n*pple and twisted it. Huey writhed and gasped, but Martian paid no attention to him as she asked,

“Here – how far have you been tortured?”

***

It was very late at night when Martian finally left Huey’s room.

They hadn’t done much – she’d mostly concentrated on checking the basics and teaching him the basics.

But just dealing with Huey’s muscular, heavy body had been exhausting.

‘He’ll have to train more from now on,’ she thought as she headed for the stairs.

Then she noticed someone huddled on the stairs.

Curled up like a ball, not moving at all – looked like he was asleep.

She wondered if someone outside had gotten drunk and passed out, and she moved closer.

“El Doan?”

He wasn’t known for such habits.

Startled, Martian shook his shoulder to wake him.

When she did, he opened his eyes, his face exhausted. His blurred vision soon came into focus.

He tried to stand abruptly, only to let out a strained groan and sit back down as his body tightened.

Martian clicked his tongue.

“This is what happens when you sleep out here. Were you drunk? Go inside and sleep.”

“No, it’s not that… Um, are you going upstairs now?”

He looked at the window, as if trying to measure how much time had passed.

Perhaps because he had slept drunk outside, El Doan’s face was a mess – dark and overly worn.

Martian clicked her tongue again at her younger brother’s unexpected new drinking habit.

“The sun will probably be up soon. We have to patrol the forest tomorrow, remember? Get some sleep.”

“Since I’m already up, I’ll show you to your room.”

Martian chuckled.

It was a cute but rather silly thing to say.

“Who’s escorting who? I know this place better than you do.”

“Still… it’s late.”

“Exactly. It’s late. So stop talking nonsense and go to bed.”

El hesitated, then looked behind her.

The direction he was looking was where the Count’s quarters were – the room she had just come from.

From the fork in the stairs he had looked in the exact direction she had come from.

That meant he knew exactly where she had been.

Martian’s expression hardened in displeasure.

“What, did the butler put you up to this?”

“What? Oh, no, um…”

“That old man, seriously…”

“No, no, sister, it’s not that. The butler didn’t say anything. It’s just… he mentioned that you personally escorted the count to his room, and… well, there are a lot of outsiders in the manor right now, so I thought maybe…”

Hearing his hasty explanation, Martian’s expression changed to one of exasperated disbelief.

“So you’re saying you sat here and watched out of concern?”

At these words, El closed his mouth tightly.

Martian let out a long sigh.

She had been quite free with her personal life, but still – it was humiliating to be treated like this by the younger brother she had practically raised herself.

Of course, El had only been concerned about her…

“You’re just making things uncomfortable by doing unnecessary things.”

Because El’s concern was so justified, it only made her feel more uncomfortable.

When she thought about it, even she had to admit that her behaviour had been too reckless lately.

Even though she kept telling herself that her relationship with the Count was a burden, whenever she was actually with him, she acted as if she were bewitched.

At this rate, with so many outsiders swarming around the manor, rumours were bound to spread sooner or later.

She hated troublesome matters.

‘I’ll have to meet the count outside the manor from now on.’

Just as she had made this decision –

“Sister… do you like the count?”

It was a strange question.

Considering the gulf between her and the count was enormous, yet he asked as if she held all the power in their relationship.

Still, El’s expression was very serious.

A little embarrassed by the subject, Martian replied,

“I’m just keeping it casual. A serious relationship would be… difficult between us.”

“…Why?”

“What do you mean why? We both have families we’re responsible for.”

“Is that how the Count sees it? Just something casual?”

“I don’t know about him. But as for me, I’m planning to marry someone who will join my family. I suppose it’s the same for him.”

Martian spoke casually.

She was a noblewoman with a title, and at the same time a person in charge of an estate.

Her husband had to be someone who could help her in that life.

Of course, the butler had said that the count’s wealth could easily compensate for any shortcomings, but Martian didn’t want a marriage where both partners were constantly busy and absent.

She wanted a husband who would stay at the manor and quietly support her – a quiet, devoted partner.

Just like her father had been.

“Sister, you’re not going to force yourself into marriage just for the sake of the family, are you?”

El Doan asked with a serious look on his face. The very idea of a ‘forced marriage’ was absurd, but his face was so serious that Martian couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

She just waved her hand dismissively, as if to say what a silly question it was.

It was also a sign for him to go back now. It was far too late, and they had an early start tomorrow.

But even at her gesture, El stood his ground.

It was a rare display of stubbornness.

“If it’s only to ensure an heir, I could marry instead. I don’t want you tied down by that, sister. If it really is a question of succession… then I’ll send my child to you.”

The sudden statement was like a bomb.

Martian frowned, unable to comprehend what he had just said.

It wasn’t unheard of for siblings to adopt each other’s children, but it wasn’t exactly common either.

“What are you talking about? Getting married is one thing, but sending me your child?”

“It’s the promise I made before.”

“Promise?”

“A long time ago, before I even entered the Academy.When you had just inherited the title, sister. I said that when I had a child, I’d send it to you. Don’t you remember?”

Only then did Martian remember.

It was at a very difficult time, just after her parents had died and she had been forced to take over the estate.

Because a young, unmarried woman had inherited a noble title, there had been an endless stream of noblemen trying to secure the Doan Viscountcy by marrying her.

The people around her constantly pestered her with advice disguised as concern, telling her to stabilise things by marrying.

Marriage. Heir. Stability.

It was overwhelming enough to cope with everything else.

And when even distant relatives started appearing under the guise of offering ‘help’, it became unbearable.