《Ariel The L*stful Saint》 Chapter 1 - Prologue (19) Chapter 1: Prologue (19) A scream burst out of Ariel¡¯s lips as a strong grip handled her chest. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s back stiffened as his fingers grazed over her n*pples. That man desired her, longed to hear her guttural moans. Somewhere between pain and pleasure, a swirling sensation struck her body whole. She barely opened her eyes as she looked up at the face of the man trampling over her. He drove her crazy, the man shaking and ravaging her insides mercilessly¡­ Leandro Apolloner. He was a tyrant, an absolute monarch known for his notorious evil ways. Underneath his embrace, Ariel groaned frantically. Ariel de Beluga was the heroine of an adult novel and she, once a passing ordinary reader, awoke in the body of the heroine. ¡°What are you thinking? Look at me,¡± Leandro said. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Leandro could not tolerate her thoughts straying away. He moved his hips fiercely. The sound of flesh colliding echoes eerily and her wet flower rose to pleasure. ¡°Uhngg¡­ ahh¡­ haa¡­ Your¡­ Majesty¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s heart burned as his expanded manhood pounded her insides. Lust rushed through his loins. It was a strange sensation. The original heroine, Ariel, never cared to respond to the male lead¡¯s touch. The ending began and ended with her taking her own life while she poured curses on the man who trampled her heart and body. ¡°More¡­ let me hear more of you,¡± Leandro growled. Leandro grabbed her waist with both hands and pushed deeper inside her fleshy depths, as if not wanting to give her any room to escape. He pushed his all in her roots, pounding her flower as Ariel shivered in pleasure. Ariel slowly raised her hand. Somehow, at that moment, she wanted to take care of this man caressing her savagely. Arial touched his chest and Leandro reacted. His muscles flinched. Seeing the man sweating with his eyes peering down at her from above, a strange feeling arose in her heart. She wanted to change the sad and grim relationship between her and Leandro and the Ariel who loathed Leandro down to her core. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ my body is yours¡­¡± Ariel whispered, hugging Leandro¡¯s body to the fullest extent possible. At her whisper, Leandro¡¯s eye widened and he grew frantic as he neared climax. ¡®Yes. You should be surprised.¡¯ She wondered how the original female lead would look seeing her welcome him instead of shedding tears in grief at the man who brutally trampled her body, but seeing Leandro¡¯s stiff expression, Ariel smiled inwardly in satisfaction. ¡°What happened to you¡­? You were like a dead fish until yesterday¡­¡± ¡®¡­I became a different person overnight.¡¯ Since she had been brought here, Ariel had never spoken a word to him nor anyone. She surprised him with her words that she whispered out of her own volition. Leandro found it difficult to reply to her. But somehow, he liked this. A cold and cruel smile filled his lips. Leandro leaned forwards and hugged Ariel with all of him. He did not see Ariel return a sardonic and playful smile. Chapter 2 - Disgusting Sweet Scent Chapter 2: Disgusting Sweet Scent The ceiling spun. The fluffy bed behind her back was as dense as the calm sea. Ariel forced herself to open her droopy eyes. A sweet scent of the room filled her nose¡ªa disgustingly sweet smell of both flesh and bodily fluids mixing together. It was the bedroom of the emperor, Leandro Apolliner. The lingering scent of their deeds from last night remained. Leandro was a brutal and gruesome tyrant who cruelly took her first time. He was a character in a novel called ¡®Mischievious Saint¡¯¡ªa cruel male lead who considered it a means to relieve his desires and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do anything to get what he wants. Ariel wanted to push him away. He laid heavily on her chest. However, she couldn¡¯t even move the slightest¡­ and her n*ther region was sore and hot. Unable to move, Ariel slumped back, mind drifting back to how and when she was dragged inside the novel. ¡®It¡¯s magical,¡¯ she thought. As soon as she became the female lead in the novel, the memories of her past life washed away. She was aware of her separate life, but no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn¡¯t remember her original name nor the kind of life she lived. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel sighed, forcing herself to recall the memories of her unknown past. Pushing the thought aside, her body, plagued by Leandro¡¯s touches, screamed countless times. ¡°Haa¡­¡± According to her memory, this was the first time she shared a night of passion with Leandro. Ariel pushed down his muscular forearm and struggled to pull herself up. The bitter pain and unpleasant stickiness between her legs meant that Ariel had lost her first time. In the novel, Ariel suffered great injury from her s*x with Leandro, who had no care for her whatsoever. It was to the point where she¡¯d spend three days and nights in tears without eating or drinking after a passion-filled night. But now that she had become Ariel, she had no intention of playing the part of the original female lead who was gentle and¡­ weak. She didn¡¯t like the female lead¡¯s pessimistic view on life because of one man. She¡¯ll put her foot down and remain adamant about her views. Carefully looking at Leandro, Ariel tried to stand. However, her lower body was not as strong as she thought. For the first time in her life, she had experienced a rough and violent intrusion penetrating her insides. Ariel raised a half and lowered it to her abdomen and pressed gently. She wanted to wash her hands and body covered with fluids with clean water. Ariel bit her lips and moved her legs again. Fortunately, she was able to stand this time around. His fragrance¡­ no, to be exact¡­ the scent of his s*men filled the room and she didn¡¯t want to smell it any further than this. Ariel picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor. ¡°¡­Where are you going?¡± Ariel paused and froze. She thought he was deep asleep, but instead, he was looking at her, blue eyes shining. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Ariel swallowed a dry saliva. No matter how much she screamed and writhed under Leandro¡¯s arms, her mouth felt parched at this moment. ¡°I asked where you¡¯re going.¡± ¡®If I give the wrong answer, I¡¯ll lose my voice.¡¯ Ariel slowly straightened her back, covered her chest, and busily fumbled her nails in search of a suitable answer. ¡°Send me home,¡± the original female lead answered to Leandro¡¯s cold, antagonizing question. She never expected it¡¯s gain the emperor¡¯s anger. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m thirsty¡­¡± Ariel said. But she wasn¡¯t the female lead of the novel. So instead of donning a frightened look, she blushed her cheeks and looked at Leandro sweetly. ¡°It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t like you, it¡¯s because I¡¯m having a difficult time with you,¡± her shy eyes seemed to say. Leandro rose up. ¡°Thirsty?¡± Ariel nodded instead of answering. Leandro smiled; he didn¡¯t forget to bite his lip. Chapter 3 - The L*stful Saint (19) Chapter 3: The L*stful Saint (19) Ariel was aware of the female lead¡¯s beauty. The female in the novel had no idea of her beauty that could topple countries and control a man¡¯s will and mind. And now, Ariel would use that tool well. There was no man who did not fall for her when she lowered her gaze, long eyelashes moving slowly. At least that¡¯s how it was set up in the novel. ¡°¡­Come here.¡± And Leandro was no exception either. Ariel, blushing shyly, barely covering her slender curves and peaks with her two slender arms, was enough to rekindle his lust. As Ariel would rarely approach him, Leandro jumped to his feet. ¡°Where¡¯s the pain?¡± Ariel¡¯s throat constricted when she looked up at Leandro, who was right in front of her. He was tall and overbearing, his breathtaking muscles combined to create fear. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the pain?¡± There was no tone of concern in his voice. He wanted to hear with Ariel¡¯s own lips where she ached. Perhaps he wished to hear the answer ¡°Here where it burns painfully hot because of you poking my inside¡­¡± It was clear that he wanted to see her small red lips moving and spout lewd words. But Ariel wouldn¡¯t give him what he wanted so easily. Ariel looked at Leandro silenty with trembling face as if she was about to shed tears. ¡°Ah!¡± As soon as her clear and doe-like eyes connected with Leandro¡¯s, Ariel lost her balance and stumbled. It was because Leandro had snatched her arm and pushed her over the bed. Ariel, back touching the bed, looked up at Leandro. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking treating her so¡­ roughly. Ariel then realized that Leandro wouldn¡¯t be as easy to seduce as she had thought. But no matter. The harder the prize, the more glorious the victory. Meanwhile, he groped her swelling chest. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s silver-colored golden hair sprawled all over the bed and covered parts of her pinkish, pretty bre*st. Leandro¡¯s groin hardened at the sight. He thought that it had been worth the effort to steal her from her home kingdom. Leandro leaned over and gently touched her n*pple, which had already grown stiff. ¡°Your Majesty, there¡­¡± Leandro¡¯s other hand reached for her leg and headed to the center of her s*x. Surprised by his unexpected touch, Ariel hurriedly held his hand and shrank back. ¡°You dare get in my way? Get your hands off me,¡± Leandro growled. It was humiliating. But there was nothing she could do. If she couldn¡¯t bear the shame for this short moment, she would very well lose her life. To that extent, Leandro was a man without mercy. Ariel slowly spread her legs for him. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Ariel, trembling with fear, further fueled Leandro¡¯s excitement. A ray of light, pierced through the window glass, headed right through her open legs and shone brightly. Love juices and blood from her flower had dried up through her thighs. Leandro skimmed down her groin and looked at the bloodstain. Ariel arched her neck with a dizzying sensation that was both itchy and weird. ¡°¡­The blood had all but dried up,¡± Leandro mumbled, his finger moving around the center of her s*x. Her swollen flower convulsed in his hand; her sensitive parts suddenly grew moist. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel clenched her teeth. Each time Leandro¡¯s fingers moved, she let out an inaudible squeaky sound. ¡°You¡¯re quite obscene,¡± Leandro¡¯s low voice was mixed with a satisfying smile. ¡°Even though it was your first time, I didn¡¯t expect your juice to overflow like this.¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Unable to put up with his skillful fingers, Ariel screamed. It was a moanful scream that erupted when Leandro coveted her flower not with his fingers but with his lips. Without a moment¡¯s bout of hesitation, Leandro¡¯s lips sank straight to Ariel¡¯s ground and moved inside her sweet pulp. ¡°It¡¯s fishy.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ there¡¯s blood on it still¡­¡± mumbling inwardly, Ariel gasped. A fearsome tyrant, a ruthless monarch¡­ the scene of Leandro burying his face between her legs and sucking the life out of her, a sight the neighboring kingdoms and empires would never see, was a magnificent sight. Ariel¡¯s body shivered. She felt excited, a smirk tugging her lips and eyes twinkling in ecstasy as she looked down at Leandro, whose face was buried in her s*x. Chapter 4 - Disobedient Girl (19) Chapter 4: Disobedient Girl (19) Ariel¡¯s constant flinching irritated Leandro as he clasped her thigh with his big hand. His hand, large enough to cover half her thighs, was full of scars. How much blood and carnage did he spill on his hands to get to where he was now? Perhaps some of them were blood spilt from the people in her home country, the small kingdom of Shekina. ¡°¡­Where¡¯s your mind drifting to?¡± Leandro looked at her with sharp eyes and muttered, lips glued to her entrance. The air and vibrations transmitted through his lips and jaws stimulated Ariel, causing her to feel dizzy. ¡°Ah¡­ there¡¯s nothing¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying to me. You look pretty relaxed.¡± Leandro drew his lips back and immediately overlapped his body over hers. Under the stifling weight, Ariel¡¯s lips opened wide, chest heaving up and down. ¡°Punishment for a disobedient girl.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Leandro pushed his shaft inside her. Her wet juice and Leandro¡¯s saliva, which wet her delicate entrance earlier, were fortunate enough to accept his width and thickness without difficulty. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­¡± It was as if a splinter poked her coiled flesh. Groaning softly, Ariel wore an expression of painful ecstasy, suffocated by the large manhood pounding her mercilessly. Ariel let her head down and gasped. ¡°That¡¯s the look I like,¡± Leandro said. The more she struggled in pain, the more delighted Leandro¡¯s face became. The face of the two gradually became wet with sweat. ¡°Ha¡­ unngh¡­¡± How much deeper did he have to go for her insides to fully accept his length? Ariel, who was unhappy with his reckless thrusting, moved her hand little by little and grabbed Leandro¡¯s arm. With Ariel¡¯s head touching his chest, Leandro held himself up with both arms and laid his face down. As he wrapped his palm around his elbow near her chin, Leandro turned his head. ¡°Your Majesty, a little slower¡­¡± ¡°Are you in pain?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Just a little¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s lips quivered, face willowy and pretty. Seeing her pitifully beautiful face, Leandro moved his waist slowly¡ªthough it lasted shortly. ¡°Tell me where and how it hurts.¡± It was a naughty question. He was determined to hear obscene words on her lips. Ariel opened her closed eyes and looked up at Leandro, the man crushing her down. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ nngh¡­!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to call me.¡± Leandro thrust his shaft deep inside her garden with a single stroke. When Ariel let out a moan amidst the whirlpool of pain before she could utter a word, Leandro smiled. It was the moment when her insides, which had been tormented to the point of swelling, was being ruthlessly hammered. Ariel¡¯s nail dug deep and scratched Leandro¡¯s arm without realizing it. ¡°Tell me again. Where does it hurt?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡®Nngh! Do you really want an answer?¡¯ Leandro moved his waist, thrusting his all inside her. His groin slapped against Ariel¡¯s thighs and echoed in the room. Ariel was in no state to let out coherent words. She could only twist her back as if pleading Leandro to stop for a moment while scratching his arm harder. ¡°I won¡¯t stop till I hear what I want to hear.¡± The pain dried up her lower part. The liquid, which was rich enough to wet the sheets, disappeared without a trace. The water inside her body felt as if it had all but dried up. The roof of her mouth, which was dry, had been moistened with Leandro¡¯s tongue. Ariel shed a moanful tear. If her painful expression couldn¡¯t stir up Leandro¡¯s sympathy, she intended to shake his heart by shedding a tear. ¡°Ah¡­ ughuu¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± As Leandro slowly pulled out, Ariel sighed in relief. But¡­ That lasted for a mere moment. Leandro¡¯s eyes twinkled before ramming his shaft to the deepest part of her roots without giving her a moment to breathe. He thrust his waist hard, causing the bed to shake wildly. ¡°Ahh!¡± Chapter 5 - Docile Leandro (19) Chapter 5: Docile Leandro (19) In line with his movements, Leandro tightly grabbed her perky br*ast that fluttered up and down. It was a gesture without tenderness. His large hand overflowed with a bountiful abundance of br*ast that mushed like marshmallows in his grasp. Fearing that she¡¯d burst apart from the stimulation at this rate, she decided to give him what he wanted. ¡°Your Majesty.. the¡­ ah¡­¡± she moaned painfully as if eliciting words that he wanted to hear. If she didn¡¯t answer Leandro quickly, she was afraid her body would be damaged irreparably unable to take his hammering thrust. But even at this moment, Leandro¡¯s shaft continued to hammer her insides apart. She had to speak loudly. She needed to have her voice heard through the clatter and squeaking of the bedpost. Ariel breathed hard and tightened her stomach. ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s so magnificent¡­ that under me¡­ ah¡­ I can¡¯t hold out¡­¡± Though her pronunciation was a little crushed and mangled by the mixture of gasping breaths, she was at least able to let out the answer Leandro so desperately wanted. ¡°Haa¡­ ah¡­ Your Majesty¡­ is good¡­¡± The hand that painfully pressed on her br*ast changed slightly. It was gentle and smooth. Instead of squeezing it tight, he grabbed the lower part of her mounds and slowly turned it around in a circle. His thumb grasped over her nipple and flicked it lightly. Ariel¡¯s answer was gratifying and satisfied Leandro. His thrusting this time was purposeful and slow. ¡°Unngh¡­¡± Soon, Leandro¡¯s hot lips pressed against hers. His tongue slid straight into her mouth, which she couldn¡¯t shut because she¡¯d been breathing heavily. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± This was a different act than before. If she hadn¡¯t checked the face of the man who kissed her and made love to her, Ariel would have mistaken him for someone else other than Leandro. Ariel quickly realized that he was a man who became docile when he gets what he wants. As a reader, she had borne witness to this. One couldn¡¯t imagine the frustration she felt watching the female lead¡¯s foolishness while rejecting and fearing Leandro¡¯s wild, animalistic love. Other readers may have focused on his ferocious expression of love and ruthless cowardice, but not as much as she did. In her eyes, Leandro¡¯s image overlapped with the image of a child crying ¡°please take care of me¡± and of a ¡°give me what I want now.¡± If the female lead only knew how to handle Leandro, she¡¯d be able to put her foot in as much as she could. Ariel slowly raised her hand and stroked his chin. A sharp jaw that could cut diamonds responded to Ariel¡¯s touch immediately. ¡°Ugh!¡± Leandro groaned. ¡®Look at him. He¡¯s a man that can groan excitedly.¡¯ Little by little, as Leandro plunged his shaft inside her flower, he too, let out a soft groan that filled the room. It soon co-existed with Ariel¡¯s moans. He was excited by Ariel¡¯s obedient gesture. Ariel stoked Leandro¡¯s back carefully with her other hand. She couldn¡¯t speak because her lips had been devoured by him, but she could feel that he was surprised by her touch. ¡®It¡¯s firm and soft.¡¯ When she touched Leandro¡¯s back, her mind became dizzy and fuzzy. A man¡¯s muscles were wonderful. Why didn¡¯t the original female lead appreciate this breathtaking sense of beauty? If only she had tried to get to know him, if she had given him her heart and enjoyed this pleasurable act together, maybe she¡¯d not have such a miserable end. The thought piling one after another weighed heavily in Ariel¡¯s mind. But now, she had become Ariel, the female lead. It also meant that the ending of the novel could be changed as much as possible to her desire. Ariel¡¯s heart fluttered, looking forward to the future. Chapter 6 - Second Male Lead Chapter 6: Second Male Lead Knock, knock. The splashing of water woke Ariel up. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Her whole body was heavy like a cotton blanket. It hurt like she¡¯d been beaten up. ¡°Ah¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Ariel opened her eyes, voice poor and croaky. As soon as she woke up, the first word from her mouth was ¡°It hurts.¡± Due to Leandro¡¯s tireless physical strength, she couldn¡¯t sleep a wink last night. The rough pleasurable act, which began again when she felt that it was over, completely knocked her out. She wanted to disappear and run away. Her physical and mental condition was that bad. It was because she had done it seven times on her first night accepting a man¡¯s embrace. It was because of Leandro, who kept insisting that she shouts, that her throat was hoarse and her mouth dry. ¡°Are you up?¡± It wasn¡¯t Leandro¡¯s voice. His voice was lower. With Leandro, it was like she was talking to a cave, but this voice was slightly lighter and greeted Ariel with high spirits. Carlos Reiner. The strange man appearing before her at this time of the day was none other than Carlos, Leandro¡¯s faithful and loyal dog. He was Leandro¡¯s strong right arm, full of loyalty to his owner, and ready to do whatever Leandro commanded him to do. Ariel struggled to move her arms. She dragged the blanket over her and covered her chest. No matter the state she was in, she couldn¡¯t show her body to a man who she had just met. Ariel slowly turned her head towards Carlos¡¯ direction. His height almost reached the ceiling¡­ he had dark eyes and brown hair that looked soft to touch, as well as a high nose bridge. He had delicious looking lips too. He gave off a completely different feeling from Leandro. Ariel laid still and blinked. With Carlos¡¯ appearance, it was obvious what would happen next. She was frowning throughout the whole novel while reading because she thought of how horrid the plot devices were. Ariel had to re-read the book several times to understand the characters¡¯ thoughts. She had basically memorized the novel. Ariel wiggled her finger, her mind going dark. Leandro showed a terrifying obsession for the female lead. He wanted to covet everything about her, be it her mind, body, and soul. ¡°It¡¯s time to bath.¡± Leandro wanted to destroy Ariel. Carlos carefully climbed up to the bed and pulled down the quilts covering her mounds. The curves of her waist and her perky mounds had been dazzlingly revealed. Ariel, praised as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom of Shekina, was nervously laying her body bare in front of someone else, yet Carlos showed no signs of agitation. Carlos put his hand under Ariel¡¯s body and hugged her. ¡®We¡¯ll go into the bath together.¡¯ As Carlos carried her and headed to the bathtub, Ariel busily moved her eyes. She saw Leandro watching them with a smile. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Leandro sat on the bed in disheveled clothes. Drinking, he moved to a position where he could clearly look at the bathtub up close. His eyes watching Ariel lie in Carlos¡¯ chested-muscles resembled that of a prey-seeking beast. As Carlos stride towards the bathtub, he carefully lowered Ariel into the water. Drip, drip! The bathtub full of water swirled around. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Soaking herself in warm water, Ariel immediately groaned. She had no noticeable wound, but still, her groin had been lacerated by strong friction to the point of becoming numb. As the warm water sunk to her neck, she got goosebumps in her arms and back. It felt like the muscles that had been stiff all night long were gradually loosening up. Carlos¡¯ appearance marked the beginning of another ordeal. Leandro¡¯s terrible s*xual desire to drive Ariel crazy, whose whole body had been destroyed by their first encounter, with no time to rest was far greater now than before. Ariel slowly closed her eyes. Leandro hoped to humiliate her seeing another n*ked man take care of her but Ariel rather enjoyed the situation, her chest fluttering. Carlos has shown up. Like Leandro, Carlos will fall deeply in love with her with all his heart. Chapter 7 - Carlos’ Caress (19) Chapter 7: Carlos¡¯ Caress (19) Leandro looked even more excited to see Ariel embarrassed or distressed. There was a calm swirling wave on the surface of the water. Ariel opened her shut eyes. Before she came to notice, Carlos, who had taken off his clothes, entered the bathtub very slowly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is this? Don¡¯t do this!¡± was what the original female lead said as she shed tears. Ariel, who already knew what would happen, showed no particular reaction. Her gaze, staring straight ahead, turned to Leandro. Her willowy eyebrows wiggled subtly. Leandro thought she¡¯d twist her face in embarrassment. That she didn¡¯t surprised him. ¡®I¡¯m not the gentle and clumsy Ariel you know.¡¯ Taking in Leandro¡¯s fierce gaze, Ariel smiled little by little faintly, too small for Leandro to notice. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Carlow, now inside the bathtub, carefully went behind Ariel and sat down. He bent her waist, large chest touching his muscled arms. Though Carlos knew he was acting at Leandro¡¯s command, his firm chest supported Ariel¡¯s back and he trembled. ¡°¡­.¡± Carlos, locking Ariel between his arms and legs, slowly moved his lower body above her hips. Ariel pressed her lips together. It was no use being passive. She wondered how she could turn the situation around into an atmosphere favorable to her. Finally, Leandro smiled contentedly, thinking that Ariel was frowning and preoccupied with her thoughts. Did he want to see his faithful dog indulging himself on Ariel? The thought plagued her mind. She had the habit of wetting her dry lips with her tongue when lost in thought. As she swept her pinkish tongue over her lips, she could feel Leandro¡¯s gaze locked towards it. The lips, which had been devoured by Leandro all night long, tasted different. Ariel frowned. The tip of her tongue stank like the taste of fishy blood. Carlos¡¯ hand, which held Ariel¡¯s arm lightly, began to move. Passing through her fragile, slender wrist, which looked like it¡¯d break with a forceful touch, Carlos raised his hand towards her chest. ¡°¡­..¡± His touch was different from Leandro¡¯s rough caress, pulse transmitting from the palm of his hand, which gently wrapped around the base of her chest. She could feel him shaking lightly. Having read the original to the very end, she knew well of Carlos¡¯ personality. Unlike Leandro, he was no bad guy. However, his loyalty towards Leandro ran so deep that he only ever did something to Ariel if ordered. Carlos gently groped the upper part of her chest with his palm wrapped around her lower chest. At the same time, he avoided touching her nipple. Ariel unconsciously bent back and stretched her chest forward as if pleading to have her chest fondled more. As she tilted her head, her upper body clung to Carlos¡¯ chest. She delighted in the feeling of his firm muscles. ¡°Hnngh¡­¡± His long fingers finally settled down her nipple. Ariel bit her lips from the slight touch. She was more sensitive compared to yesterday. A simple touch of a finger caused it to stand upright. Carlos devoured her chest with his hand, then bit her earlobe lightly. There was no room to escape. If she moves forward, she¡¯ll be blocked by Carlos¡¯ hand caressing her chest, and should she move backward, his burning manhood would stab her buttocks. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± Carlos let go of her ear before sticking his tongue out and licking her ear. Ariel didn¡¯t think that touching her ear could ignite sensual pleasure like this. A faint groan escaped through her parted lips. Somehow, Ariel opened her eyes painfully and stared at Leandro. She couldn¡¯t take his gaze off him. Her chest, which crumbled in the shape of Carlos¡¯ caresses, fanned Leandro¡¯s libido. He put down the glass of wine and smiled. Pushing away the cloth off his lower body, his manhood bulged. Ariel couldn¡¯t believe herself that she was excited to see Leandro¡¯s body reacting to another man¡¯s touch. Smiling inwardly, she thought, ¡®What a dirty woman I am.¡¯ Despite her body being submerged underwater, her groin slowly moistened. Carlos¡¯ one hand let go of Ariel¡¯s chest and moved downwards. Ariel¡¯s back arched lightly, feeling a finger brush past her lower abdomen and moving lower and lower. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t move,¡± a hoarse voice whispered in her ear. Chapter 8 - Kissing Leandro’s Manhood (19) Chapter 8: Kissing Leandro¡¯s Manhood (19) Ariel shook from the tickle in her ear. Mistaking Ariel¡¯s reaction as a gesture of rejection, Carlos pressed her leg down with his own feet. Arms¡­ legs¡­ torso¡­ all clung to him. Ariel blushed as she sat under the water with her legs wide open facing Leandro. She had shown everything to him throughout the night, yet she hadn¡¯t gotten used to spreading her legs so starkly. Ariel shivered a little. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Carlos¡¯ fingers plodded down her secret place without hindrance, sweeping past her light bushes. The Hill of Venus¡­ it was a term referencing a woman¡¯s garden of greenery, the most beautiful evergreen of a woman¡¯s body before exploring further in. Carlos stopped at her hill of venus momentarily before snaking further down towards its original destination. He forced open her fleshy entrance and hot water moved towards her cavernous mouth, like a venus flytrap sucking the water in. The feel of water gradually filling her flesh was¡­ strange. Ariel flinched. Ariel¡¯s reaction was irrelevant to what Carlos was ordered to do. He increasingly moved his fingers skillfully. Rubbing her hill of venus with one finger and the other searching for her cl*t, Ariel gasped when he pushed his finger on her cl*t the size of a grain of rice. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Why was she so sensitive? Clearly, she wasn¡¯t ready to accept a man yet, but she was gasping for an air of breath and welcoming the pleasurable stimulus. She moved her hand holding onto the ledge and grabbed Carlos¡¯ thigh. The firm leg muscles that felt like stone took her breath away. Last night, she felt the same sense of goodness when she touched Leandro¡¯s firm chest. The human body is indeed beautiful. The soft skin and the hard muscles beneath it drove her crazy with conflicting sensations. Leandro jumped from his seat and strode towards Ariel, his manhood burning up. Excitement flared from Ariel¡¯s eyes. She kept her eyes locked onto Leandro, the man approaching her. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Before she realized, Leandro spoke a word with an expression of indifference as his manhood stood erect near her nose. Ariel fluttered her eyelashes and blinked. Her pink cheeks, red with pleasure, were lovely. Lovely? Leandro laughed at the thought and pushed his thick shaft inside her mouth. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Her tiny, red lips couldn¡¯t take in Leandro¡¯s size and he knew it. Regardless, Leandro smiled wickedly at her face gradually distorted by pain and pushed deeper inside her mouth. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± There was a strain on her narrow lower lip accepting his thickness. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t use your teeth.¡± This was all he said seeing her struggle. It was a selfish and lustful remark that would not interrupt the pleasure he was feeling. ¡°Ughunngh¡­¡± Ariel wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t. Her mouth was full of his thickness that she could only look at him with a tearful face. What a beautiful sight, Leandro thought. The sight of a woman praised as a saint was sucking him off while another man behind her caressed her fleshy flower. It made him more excited. Leandro put his hand on the back of Ariel¡¯s head. The move was aimed at preventing Ariel from letting go of the thick width that seemed almost impossible to suck with her mouth. Ariel had nowhere to go. Her head clung to Leandro while her body had been imprisoned by Carlos. How far can human greed fall? Within hours of losing her purity, she was now giving her body to two men at the same time. ¡®This situation¡­ it¡¯s crazy¡­¡¯ Ariel felt sympathy for the original female lead. It was hard to imagine how shocked the fragile heroine would be to commit such salacious act the following day. ¡°Use your tongue,¡± said Leandro, bluntly. Leandro knew he couldn¡¯t stuff all his thickness inside her mouth, yet he thrust slowly. ¡°Uhhnn¡­¡± Ariel, who struggled to mutter a word under the block of a large shaft, was like a child who learned to babble. Leandro thrust deeper, poking her throat. Her mouth¡­ it was damp and warm. Somehow, the excitement spread through Ariel¡¯s body and down towards her fleshy coiled entrance. But how can two contradictory feelings of pain and pleasure co-exist at the same time¡­? ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Unlike Leandro shuddering with pleasure, Ariel was in bouts of pain, eyes shut tight. She couldn¡¯t keep up with Leandro¡¯s thrusting. He was so huge that the tip pierced her throat. ¡°¡­Is it painful?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe the question she was hearing. Ariel¡¯s eyelids trembled. ¡°Reply. Is it painful?¡± She couldn¡¯t speak, so she¡¯ll need to answer with her head, hoping vainly that Leandro would show her some mercy. Light and gently, Ariel¡¯s head bobbed up and down. Only then did Leandro give a satisfactory sigh. Chapter 9 - Swallow It (19) Chapter 9: Swallow It (19) Leandro wanted to see Ariel groan in pain. There exists a strong desire to destroy her, to see her pretty face distorted. Ariel was slowly adapting to this stifling act and moved her hand. Carlos suddenly stopped his fingering, but he started again a second later. ¡°!¡± Leandro and Carlos¡­ the stimulation from both made her mind fuzzy. One worked hard on her lower area while the other impaled her throat mercilessly. ¡°Unnghh¡­!¡± Each time Leandro moved back and forth, an embarrassing sound leaked out. When his manhood poked her throat, she felt her airway being blocked. ¡°Unngh!¡± Leandro tilted her head and let out a pleasurable sigh. The visual excitement and her warm body temperature drove him to the highest peak. His thrusting was growing faster. He could pour his essence inside her mouth, but that wasn¡¯t what he intended. Leandro pulled out of Ariel¡¯s mouth. Piishh! A white liquid spewed out, grazing Ariel¡¯s wet soft lips. Ariel shut her eyes to avoid the hot essence from hitting her. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Leandro breathed deeply. While hot essence ran down her snowy cheek¡ªLeandro¡¯s manhood dangling down her chin¡ªCarlos¡¯ shaft trembled below her buttocks. Yeah¡­ that was it. This was the picture Leandro wanted to see. ¡°You¡¯re a saint who can¡¯t be choosy.¡± With Carlos locking her tight, Ariel was unable to move. Leandro smiled contentedly as she sat motionless and naked while looking down at her face full of hot essence. ¡°Should I praise a saint for a job well done?¡± Leandro rubbed his fingers against the white essence and spread it from her cheeks to her lips. Ariel¡¯s lips were crushed and in pain from Leandro¡¯s harsh gesture to which he gave no consideration. ¡°It¡¯s dirty.¡± Leandro thought it amusing that there were humans who praised this dirty woman buried with essence as well as being violated by another man as a saint, a beautiful woman of virtue. Ariel, the famous saint that was the pride of Shekina Kingdom, was nothing but a woman covered with his essence. ¡°¡­Swallow,¡± pinching Ariel¡¯s lips, Leandro murmured, ¡°You¡¯ll have to accept more of my essence in the future.¡± Leandro¡¯s eyes turned dark. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± He¡¯ll make this saint a lewd woman only for him. It wasn¡¯t a bad thought either. She¡¯ll be a saint in front of others, but a lewd woman in front of her. The thought that only he would be able to enjoy her to his heart¡¯s content boiled Leandro¡¯s heart. ¡°Swallow it.¡± Holding her face, Leandro¡¯s forehead frowned to a crease. He didn¡¯t like saying the same thing twice. Ariel couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d growl. He was truly a bad man without patience. With great difficulty, she managed to swallow the fishy essence. It had a salty and fishy taste that she loathed. It smelled sweet and disgusting at the same time. Leandro smiled gently when he saw her being obedient. ¡°Yes. Accept me all. Just like that.¡± From head to toe, he wanted to brandish her whole body with his mark. She would belong only to him. Ariel opened her tightly closed eyes and looked up at Leandro painfully looking down at her. Leandro kneeled and looked at Ariel with a face full of proud victory that he had conquered her. He inserted his finger in her mouth. ¡®Yes. Give me that face as I trample you.¡¯ Hesitantly, Ariel sucked Leandro¡¯s finger and moved her tongue gently. The feeling of soft, hot tongue coiling around his finger caused Leandro to flinch. This was odd. Despite Leandro¡¯s excessive and ruthless demands of embarrassing her, Ariel¡¯s actions were unexpected. Odd¡­ Regardless, her ferocious and captivating eyes sucked him in. Chapter 10 - Capturing His Heart Chapter 10: Capturing His Heart Flowers stuck to Ariel¡¯s skin. She smelled sweet, perhaps because of the bathtub full of rose petals. She could barely breathe in bed with Leandro locking her in tight. It was a bit difficult and hard, but she was somewhat satisfied that she was able to take in his engorgement without too much trouble earlier on. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Leandro parted his lips, gently patting her belly which moved regularly to the beating of her breath. She didn¡¯t have the energy to answer. Ariel laid on the bed dead, eyes blinking. Leandro raised his head slightly and placed his chin on his arm. Ariel looked at him with a long look on her face. The touch of Leandro sweeping down her red cheeks was somehow ever too cautious as the lingering imagery of their previous act had yet to fade away. Perhaps because the peace that came after the frantic madness swept them away that Leandro became gentle, too gentle like a predator who had his fill with delicious food only to relax thereafter. Ariel recalled the black leopard as she watched Leandro caressing her with soft touches. He was like the black leopard predator was so ferocious that no one could stop its hunger, but once resolved he¡¯d become gentler. This comparison was perfect for Leandro. Leandro looked at Ariel¡¯s clear eyes and remembered the first time they met. Ariel had gone on an inspection tour to her mother country. Though that no longer existed. Leandro was an emperor who everyone trembled in fear, an emperor who did not give much meaning to the existence of women. Regardless, one gesture from him left those very same women to take off their clothes and come running to him, but to Leandro, a woman was just a hole to satisfy his libido. For him, who had never been swayed by such emotions or experienced this thing called love, he saw women merely as an outlet to let out his pent up desires. But Ariel was different. Once he saw her silky hair gathered to one side and braided finely, Leandro became speechless. She wasn¡¯t just beautiful, she was pure and wore a somewhat wistful look that shook his heart. Looking at her figure and delicate eyes, Leandro thought that he needed to have her. It didn¡¯t matter what he was feeling, just that he needed to have her, to possess her. He wanted Ariel, the saint who hated lewdness and always kept herself clean to lay under his arms and have her shiver with debauchery, so he brought her to his palace. He didn¡¯t care about the method he used, nor the kind of despair she felt when she saw her fallen home country. It was none of his business. ¡°Are you cold?¡± Feeling a slight tremor in Ariel¡¯s hand, Leandro casually threw a question and pulled up the blanket that clung together at his feet and covered it over her alluring body. It was amusing though. He liked and enjoyed the sight of Ariel¡¯s distressed look. However, he had limits. He covered her with a blanket fearing that she¡¯d die from coldness. Ariel moved slowly and turned to a position facing him. ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± She leaned her face against Leandro¡¯s broad chest, surprising him very much so with her action. Mere moments ago he¡¯d just trample her without hesitation and ruthlessly so. ¡°¡­What did you call me?¡± he asked quietly, stroking Ariel¡¯s head. ¡°No matter how you treat me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Her voice was quiet and soft. Leandro stopped caressing her head as Ariel buried her face on him so that he couldn¡¯t see her expression. ¡°Just this small moment with you is invaluable to me, Your Majesty.¡± A sigh of a soft voice tickled Leandro¡¯s ear. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be embarrassed, confused how to accept her forwardness. She had been defiled, even trampled in the heat of the moment. He expected something akin to venting her resentment and hate, but there was none of that. Ariel raised her hand to Leandro¡¯s firm chest. It was the first time she stroked it with bare hands. She had now made the first attempt to reverse the original plot. Leandro¡¯s hand, which stood still at first, moved again. The feel of her soft hair slipping through the cracks of his fingers tickled not only his hands but his heart. To be swayed or to take the lead¡­ between the two, Ariel took the first step towards the latter. On the surface, it would look like Leandro was in control, but soon he¡¯ll be held captive by Ariel and unable to do anything. Ariel gently pressed her lips down the nape of his neck. Chapter 11 - First Move Chapter 11: First Move ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Ariel frowned as the sting intensified when she rubbed her swollen mounds. It was all because of Leandro¡¯s roughness. A few days had passed and she was given time to heal, but it still aches whenever she touched her bosom. Ariel sighed and covered her perky bosom with her clothes. However, whenever the cloth brushed against her twin peaks, it stung and she felt uncomfortable moving around. She picked up the bucket she put down. The lower part of her waist was stiff and sore as if not forgetting Leandro¡¯s roughness and libido whenever she bent down. Her lower area, her mounds¡­ there was not a place that didn¡¯t ache. Still, though, she couldn¡¯t simply lay down and rest. Though she had made love with the emperor, Leandro, her status was only that of a servant. She was no empress. Yet. She couldn¡¯t sit back and allow other women a chance to usurp the seat of an empress. Until that happens, she¡¯ll have to work twice as hard. Though, she was at least grateful that she was brought to the palace rather than being sold as a prisoner of war. It sounded deranged and crazed, but it was a good thing that she could live comfortably in exchange for spending the night with Leandro. When Leandro left her side to take care of otherworldly affairs, Ariel worked. Aside from Leandro and Carlos, Ariel was seen as a prisoner and a prisoner was the lowest-ranked, even below the lowest-ranking maids. ¡°What are you doing? Get your head in the game!¡± a crisp voice pierced Ariel¡¯s eardrum. Ariel, who was taking a short rest and thinking no one was nearby, was startled and hurriedly looked back. Temi, the servant who looked after the palace from the moment she first stepped foot inside the palace, stared at Ariel with her hands up at her waist. Ariel¡¯s beauty had spread far and wide, causing many rumors long before she was brought to the palace. Her red luscious lips so beautiful¡­ silky platinum blonde hair¡­ pink-white skin¡­ and delicate eyes of the oceanic sea¡­ any man who saw her would be captivated with one, short glance. Maybe Temi was jealous of her beauty, the beauty she¡¯d never have even if she fell to her death at this very moment. Temi put Ariel through many struggles and wanted to keep her away from the emperor somehow, though just because Ariel was kept away from the emperor didn¡¯t mean Temi had any chance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Temi viciously. ¡°¡­Working.¡± Ariel couldn¡¯t afford to deal with a troublesome servant. She had no energy to deal with Leandro all night long either. As Ariel muttered a small word and tried to leave, Temi quickly blocked her path of escape. ¡°You lie pretty well. I saw you standing there complaining. Hmmph! You think because you spread your legs to the emperor that you¡¯re above everyone else? You make me laugh!¡± What words was she spouting? It didn¡¯t really hurt Ariel. Ariel thought that it wasn¡¯t right to keep passively avoiding this woman. Keeping mute and quiet would only give the impression that she was scared and easy to bully. The author¡­ really screwed the female lead¡¯s life over. She was written as a weak-willed female lead that allowed anyone to push her over. How could the author allow Ariel, that poor character, to be persecuted to the very end? The original content of the novel was that Ariel, hurt by the maidservant¡¯s harsh words, shed tears, causing her aching heart to spread further. Ariel wondered if the author got off inciting the female lead¡¯s depression. But Ariel wouldn¡¯t let things be. She decided to change the course of the story, after all. She threw down the bucket with a thump. ¡°What are you talking about? I can¡¯t catch my breath once in a while?¡± Stepping closer towards her, Temi was short that she stood just below Ariel¡¯s chin. Her freckled nose and cheeks made her rough face look more grumpy than ever. Ariel understood to some extent why she was jealous of the female lead. Temi opened her eyes wide in shock; she didn¡¯t expect Ariel to strike back. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to accuse me of standing around as I take a breather, why are you chasing me around so carelessly? Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± Even if Ariel¡¯s country collapsed and fell to oblivion, she was still of noble spirit. And though her kingdom was small compared to the Baldwin Empire, the status she enjoyed was different from that of a servant. Ariel de Beluga was praised as a saint for her virtue and heavenly beauty. Even a mere servant would never dare to ignore her. Temi, embarrassed by Ariel¡¯s cold behavior and counterattack, stood in a daze unable to find a suitable answer. Ariel drove her to edge with powerful words. ¡°¡­Be careful in the future. If you get on my nerves one more time, you might get stabbed in the neck without knowing it.¡± ¡°Kuugh¡­¡± Chapter 12 - Her First Ride (19) Chapter 12: Her First Ride (19) When the original female lead heard rumors that she had a weak heart, that she could not break even a small wildflower that bloomed incandescently on the ground, she let them, allowed them to spread rumors. And so the servants never imagined that such vile words would come out of Ariel¡¯s pretty mouth. Looking at Temi¡¯s face that quickly turned blue, a strange victory spread through Ariel¡¯s heart. The only person she would obediently obey is when she was in the presence of the emperor, Leandro. *** Ariel had grown familiarly used to taking off her clothes in front of Leandro. Though mentally and physically tired from laborious work all day, she could not reject the emperor. Ariel carefully pulled her waistband. She was a bit nervous today, wondering why the room was brighter than usual. Her hand pulling the string trembled. ¡°¡­Let me help you.¡± Carlos stood behind her and watched quietly before suddenly cutting. As the guard who served the emperor and was the closest to him, he hadn¡¯t fallen far away from Leandro even for a single moment. He was always there. Leandro continued to pervade Ariel¡¯s mind to the very end, yet somehow, she always saw Carlos¡¯ presence with him from the beginning. Unlike Leandro, whose very presence makes others tremble in fear and keep their mouth shut, Carlos was more the gentle and good-looking man. Though to put it bluntly, Carlos was the soft kindred spirit sort of man considered an ideal type by gentlewomen. If the original female lead had never found herself in Leandro¡¯s strings, she might have fallen for the gentle Carlos. Carlos untied her clothes little by little on Ariel¡¯s behalf. The cloth on her shoulder fell and brushed past her peaks, her shoulder shrinking as the cloth touched her classic pink and sensitive nipples. She moved her shoulders as much as she could so as to avoid the cloth from rubbing against her peaks. Ariel, however, deliberately posed so that her highly sensitive mounds would not be swept away by the cloth. Leandro, lying halfway down on the bed, noticed her sore expression and smiled. Ariel¡¯s breathing hitched a bit, changing. She knew he expected an immediate response and she played the part well. And as predicted, it went well without an error. ¡°¡­Why did you do that?¡± Leandro prodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? Tell me.¡± What was she supposed to say? That he bit her chest and it hurt like hell? She had no inkling desire to be crushed under his huge stature nor did she want to imagine how painful it¡¯d be were she to be crushed under him. With a strange look on his face that looked akin to criticism, Ariel smiled seductively. On the surface, she seemed to conform to his wishes, but in reality, she played a deliberate act of innocence. ¡°¡­It¡¯s heartbreaking.¡± Leandro grabbed Ariel¡¯s arm and pulled it toward him. She had no strength to stop him. Leading her to the bed, she instinctively covered her cottony marshmallows. ¡°Don¡¯t hide it.¡± Leandro didn¡¯t plan to leave it untouched. He snatched her wrist and threw it to the side. He hovered above her in no time and pressed his lips against her soft pillows, examining it with ease. His consciousness weighed in his mind at the thought of driving her wild. The urge to covet and possess every nook and cranny of her body made him unable to restrain herself. Ariel gasped and groaned in pain. It was not until a little bit of his fiery desire that the guilt that came to him made him feel awkward, but the more unbearable thing was not the guilt of seeing her in pain but queer excitement. Guilt and pleasure mangled together. She was his, his own saint. Only Leandro could touch her. His perverse desire for conquest flared furthermore each time he saw a glimpse of here. ¡°¡­Come up.¡± Leandro flopped over the bed and dragged Ariel up, an act of concern that she¡¯d soon crush beneath his weight. Ariel had always been under him whenever they committed to a moment of passion It was her first climbing over him. She looked around innocently, pretending she had no idea what to do. ¡°Come up,¡± Leandro repeated. He loathed repeating the same thing twice and Ariel knew it well. She figured it was time to stop playing a fool and have him wait. Ariel carefully moved over his leg while she bit his lips. ¡°A little more up.¡± Leandro shifted and moved slightly, his member reaching her sweet entrance. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t ready to take him in. Yet. Ariel blushed and looked down at Leandro. ¡°Move your waist,¡± he said, licking her soft skin. Ariel never imagined she¡¯d get on top of him and shake her waist. Ariel, pretending to be naive, breathed in with a puzzled look. ¡°Like this¡­¡± Recognizing her hesitation, Leandro put his hand over her pelvis and pushed her hips downward. ¡°Ah!¡± As he gently moved her waist back and forth, Leandro¡¯s hot, raging pillar rubbed against Ariel¡¯s sweet area. It felt different from the usual insertion. Ariel bit her lips. Chapter 13 - Coiled Flesh (19 Chapter 13: Coiled Flesh (19) Odd. Each time Leandro¡¯s meat pierced her insides, Ariel¡¯s body grew numb from chest to toe. Her movement slowed as if she had been struck by lightning. The same was true of Leandro. He was excited at the sight of her secreting fluids falling as she shook her waist. The image of her trying her utmost best brought to higher pleasure. Her awkward best made him excited. Ariel shouted her pleas to stop. She could not take him in any more. His shaft bulged inside her coiled pink flesh. Leandro lowered the hand supporting her waist and moved down her luscious behind. ¡°¡­Your Majesty?¡± Ariel¡¯s closed eyes opened upon Leandro¡¯s sudden change of gesture. Curious, she wondered what he would do. Through the gap in her hips, Leandro held her tight and pushed his waist forward, the tip of his manhood rubbing at the far depths of her dungeon. He dared explore her cave over and over. Through the gap in Ariel¡¯s hips, Leandro grabbed mine and took it to the vagina. The tip of the ear rubbed at the entrance was hot and damp. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it? I¡¯m going deeper and deeper inside you.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± she cried out hoarsely. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s narrow insides split open, giving in to his touches. She slowly sank over him, shutting her eyes tight. Her legs trembled with ecstasy, forgetting the short moment of pain. ¡°Haa¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± he asked, pleasurably. He persistently devoured every drop of her meaty flesh with his manhood, desiring to know her senses, her reactions whenever she moved. ¡°Ahh¡­ Your Majesty¡­ it¡¯s so¡­ big¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you like it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ gonna break¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be for long. Have a little bit more of this taste.¡± Leandro¡¯s full length had yet to pierce her deeply. He donned a relishing smile. She was cautious of him, unsure when he would begin his forceful passionate love-making. ¡°Move,¡± he said. And move she did. She moved her hips slowly, soft concave marshmallows bouncing up and down. Having spent a few intimate nights together, she learned how to handle Leandro. He was a man who was violent when disobedience came about but gentle when orders were followed. The pitiful female lead never learned of this. Maybe her life might have ended differently had she learned to take advantage of her current predicament. The more the female lead tried to escape, the more Leandro went wild with rage. Looking at Leando, she responded with gentle movements ¡ª slow and steady, letting out gratifying moans, heart full of satisfaction. She was too aroused to remain coy. She was growing used to the rhythm. Pain and pleasure from it all made Ariel high with her own arousal. The feeling was intense and maddening. Her breasts shook with each thrust until they were bouncing wildly between their sweating bodies. Leandro looked akin to a cute beast fierce in appearance. A sigh came out of the mouths of the two couples. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Leandro groaned. ¡°¡­I¡¯m gonna explode.¡± There was a familiar tightening in his balls. Ariel¡¯s tight flesh was narrower and godlier than any other woman he embraced. He was worried; he would soon come. Ariel¡¯s dense and narrow interior¡­ the saint¡¯s flesh was made of divine blessings. Ariel wrapped her arm around his neck and took a breath, giving time for her muscles to adapt to his size. That small breath was enough for her to loosen a little. She moved again, her knees shivering and trembling. She felt his thighs against the back of her own, as one of his hands stroked the crack of her globes. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Constant moans and grunts leaked from Leandro and Ariel. It mingled together. They were crazy with passion. Leandro was feeling ripples of pleasure he had never felt before with another woman. At the same time, he had stretched her so much that she would walk in pain afterward. Their climax was building and Ariel moved in long slow hard strokes. ¡°F*ck!¡± Leandro rose hurriedly and took the lead. The pace he sat at was not gentle. He moved as rough and as savage as a beast. She was taken to the high heavens faster than she thought possible. He smiled wickedly at her, burying his face in her full soft pillows. ¡°Haa¡­ Your Majesty¡­!¡± She was brought to a new dimension. His large manhood bounced in and out against her cervix; she cried out each time. They could not take it anymore. Leandro shook his back and waist faster than ever and stiffened, his whole body locked Ariel in his arms as if he would crush her. As Ariel was driven to climax, she milked the last of his own seed free. Ariel closed her eyes, feeling the fullness of his white fluids pouring in. She was catching her breath, thinking that she may sooner or later bear him a child like this. What was Leandro thinking? Ariel wondered whether the female lead had ever borne him a child. Chapter 14 - Plot Changes Chapter 14: Plot Changes Ariel, she was a narrow-minded servant; she threw the mop forward in annoyance. Perhaps Temi resented how frightened she was from the warning she received from the beautiful saint that she was determined to work Ariel to the bones. ¡°How am I supposed to clean all these stairs by myself?¡± Leandro informed her of his preoccupied schedule. He was to tend to the military officials for a few days with a hunting competition. In the meantime, Ariel was given a difficult time. She could hear laughter and giggles from afar. Miffed, she turned her head toward the servant laughing at her. She sighed. Annoyance filled her, but she was helpless. No matter how many times she warmed the emperor¡¯s bed, Leandro had yet to give her the title as the emperor¡¯s woman. It was an open secret to the court ladies, too, that he held Ariel in his embrace every night, and unless it was publicly announced what she meant to him, she was powerless. Even the freckled-face Temi was in a much better position than she was. Putting that aside, the frantic shaking of her waist last night left her sore. The side of her muscles clamped violently and ached. Breathing proved difficult. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± When she squatted to clean the stone-marble stairs, a sharp searing pain was felt. Ariel frowned and clenched her teeth. This is temporary, this hardship, Ariel thought. Soon she would become Leandro¡¯s only woman and take control of the palace, but¡­ her current predicament was driving her wild. As she scrubbed the stone-marble stairway clean, groups of shadows touched the floor in front of her, indicating someone was behind her. Ariel turned around, muttering irate words to herself, ¡°What do they want now?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ariel, softly. A group of maidservants looked at her, their gaze cold-chilling. ¡°There¡¯s a hierarchy among servants. You¡¯re a slave and you dare speak to Temi arrogantly?¡± Temi hid behind the backs of the maidservants and stared blankly at Ariel, wondering if the saint had the courage to deal with the group of servants alone; Temi doubted it. But much to Temi¡¯s dismay, Ariel was not afraid, only irked at the thought that she was not able to finish her task quickly because of the bothersome maidservants. ¡°So?¡± Ariel shrugged. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± The maidservants were left baffled. They thought a frightened look would cross her face. They looked at one another and exchanged perplexed glances at the saint¡¯s nonchalant expression and calm speech, wildly different from their expectations. ¡°And what will you have me do? You¡¯ll punish me for misbehavior?¡± Ariel laughed inwardly. This hierarchical structure, how oddly amusing. ¡°¡­Hold her,¡± the freckled maidservant muttered. The rest of the maidservants rushed to Ariel and grabbed her arm with force. Ariel¡¯s composure loosened with shock. She did not have the talent to beat the crowd herself. ¡°You seem to believe in that face of yours. If this beautiful shell breaks, will His Majesty ever try to embrace you again?¡± Temi jeered. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Ariel quickly recalled her scattered memories, checking if this event ever occurred in the book. Though the freckled-face Temi bothered the original female lead incessantly, Temi never made a move against her. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hide your ugly heart despite having a beautiful face. How about mutilating this pretty face of yours to match your ugly insides?¡± Temi smiled crookedly. ¡°L-let go!¡± A cold sweat broke out from Ariel¡¯s temples. She read the book several times, even memorized its contents and Temi had never dared to hurt the female lead. What was going on? Was it because she was not the female lead and she knew what would happen that the plot changed? Temi pulled a slender knife out of her pocket. Ariel struggled futilely to escape from the crowds of women holding her down. It was impossible to deal with five or six of them at a time. ¡°Stay still. If you struggle too much, I might end up cutting a large area of your pretty face. It¡¯ll only be a loss to you.¡± The future events of the book changed from what she knew because she reacted differently from what the original female lead had done. Otherwise, the predicament she was put in would not have happened. Harm upon her was highly possible at this moment. A shivering chill ran down her spine. ¡°¡­You¡¯ll scar my face¡­ which His Majesty loves?¡± Ariel needed to act and change the minds of the maidservants. She swallowed her fear and clenched her trembling hands; she raised her chin high as if nothing harm would come upon her. ¡°Yes, try and think about what will happen to you. Do you believe that His Majesty would abandon me merely because of a simple scar on my face? You don¡¯t think he won¡¯t dare to find out who hurt me? Think carefully and act properly.¡± Chapter 15 - The Struggle Chapter 15: The Struggle She didn¡¯t think of anything in the face of her extreme fear of death. She didn¡¯t care at all about the face that would have been ruined by tears. What does it matter how her face looks when her neck looks like it¡¯s going to be blown off her shoulders right away? ¡°Walk straight.¡± Despite the menacing order of the Royal Guard, her legs were not strong enough. It was hard to even stand properly, let alone walk, because her body just didn¡¯t listen. The other four servants except for her were decapitated before her eyes. She wondered why they didn¡¯t kill her on the spot. She thought she would rather die early than go crazy after suffering from fear. ¡°Ugh, this bitch¡­!¡± A soldier shouted beside Timmy, who was being dragged away by both arms. Temi, looking down at the sound of his outburst, was forced to blush with shame. It was because the yellow liquid that flowed down her thighs wet her feet as well as the feet of the people around her. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Unable to keep up with her words, Temi bit her lips. No matter how soon her head was about to be cut off, the mistake of urinating on the bright street was very embarrassing. She thought there would be no more tears left for her to shed because she had already spilled so much, but her nose prickled again. What did she do so wrong? Daring to hurt the body of the Emperor¡¯s cherished concubine? Was that petty reason enough to have five people killed for? Should they cut her down, too? Temi was just resentful of Ariel. Just because she was born beautiful, she could have everything without any effort. That¡¯s what it looked like in Temi¡¯s eyes. She really hated it. Servants, such as herself, would not even reach the Emperor¡¯s feet even if they were to die and reincarnate a hundred times, but she, too, naturally, wanted the emperor between her own skirts. The resentment of how the world could be so unfair and lamentation of why she was not beautiful gradually centered toward a woman named Ariel and turned into ugly jealousy. ¡°I told you to stand straight. If you dare act like this in front of his Majesty too I would take out your eyeballs first.¡± ¡°Hiii¡­ hiik¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was¡­ wrong.¡± Unaware of what she was saying to herself, Temi shed tears and bowed her head down again and again. Then, her lower back was frozen to the word ¡°His Majesty¡± uttered by the guard. ¡°What do you mean His Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°His Majesty will interrogate you himself about your wrongdoings.¡± At his hard way of speaking that didn¡¯t have any feelings on it, Temi¡¯s lips were quivering again. What kind of emperor is Leandro Apolliner? A blood-thirsty tyrant. He was so cruel that he was called a monster, not a human being. She can¡¯t believe such an emperor is interrogating her himself. Temi was more than willing to beg them to kill her right here. ¡°Please, just kill me.¡± ¡°Hold your mouth shut. Soon we will arrive at the emperor¡¯s palace.¡± Despite Temi¡¯s miserable and desperate plea for death, the Commander of the Guards did not even look back at her. Looking at him staring straight ahead and walking with discipline, Temi felt as if her whole body was losing strength. ¡®It looks like I won¡¯t die a pretty death.¡¯ * * * The strangling hand became more and more forceful. She couldn¡¯t breathe properly, so her vision blurred. Ariel looked up at Leandro with a struggle, floundering in pain. Leandro already seemed half out of his mind. Ariel puffed her mouth as she looked up at him with rage. She wanted to answer, but she couldn¡¯t get her voice out of her strangled throat. How can she answer when she can¡¯t even breathe? Leandro¡¯s face, which was dotted with anger and madness, even emitted a strong killing intent. ¡°Who is it? Who dares!¡± It was driving him crazy. His whole body feels numb from head to toe. Faced with an unbearable anger, Leandro¡¯s fingertips and toes were numb, as if the blood in his whole body was turning upside down. Even when he saw the wound on Ariel¡¯s shoulder, Leandro had a hard time controlling his violent impulse. However, seeing clear traces of someone putting his mouth on the back of her neck, he could no longer think of controlling his anger. Not only did he plan on making the one who dared to lay his hand on Ariel suffer, he was also determined not to let Ariel off the hook. He clenched his teeth so hard that veins popped out in his temples. ¡°Uh¡­ Uh.¡± It was not a situation where she could say anything. Just before she was out of breath, the original story came to Ariel¡¯s head when she thought she had reached her limit. The reasons and circumstances were different, but Leandro once strangled Ariel similarly in the original story. Ariel was willing to face death, and Leandro saw the shadow of resignation in her eyes before he took the strength out of his hands. Leandro couldn¡¯t kill Ariel. Chapter 16 - Trembling Fear Chapter 16: Trembling Fear He talked as if he could manage her life however he wanted, but he didn¡¯t. For Leandro, Ariel wasn¡¯t just a target to pour his frustrations on. Leandro will never harm her, because she meant more to him. When thinking about it, Ariel gained some confidence. ¡°I will make the one who made this mark regret having been born. Who is it?¡± If you can¡¯t speak, you can just express yourself in a different way instead. Ariel struggled to reach out and point somewhere. Fortunately, her limbs were able to move. Only then did Leandro move his body, leaving his eyes fixed on her face. Slowly turning his eyes to where Ariel was pointing, Leandro looked at the man at her fingertips and puffed his mouth as if he could not believe it. ¡°Carlos¡­?¡± The dark-faced, brown-haired man was none other than Carlos. When his name came out of Leandro¡¯s mouth, Ariel¡¯s arm fell limply down. ¡°What is this? Why would you?¡± Leandro seemed confused. Leandro was an absolute monarch, and Carlos was his own dog, who put loyalty first. Dogs never bite their owners. No, he shouldn¡¯t ask. The trust between Carlos and Leandro was not built over a day or two. When it occurred to him that Ariel¡¯s pointing at Carlos must mean something else, Leandro slowly released her throat from his hands that were strangling her. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough.¡± After a few seconds that felt like hours, Ariel managed to breathe. Unable to cope with the sudden influx of air, Ariel gripped her chest with anguish. It was painful when she couldn¡¯t breathe, but now it was more painful as if the breath was tearing inside her throat. Leandro¡¯s eyes, looking down at Ariel, coughing and catching her breath several more times, were awfully cold. ¡°¡­Answer me. What¡¯s the meaning of your hand gesture?¡± He was so snobbish that tears formed in Ariel¡¯s eyes. There was also a great deal of difference between reading and actually experiencing it. The more she discovered Leandro¡¯s madness and the more she came across his fierce nature, the more suffocating Ariel felt. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­ He¡¯ll explain.¡± But she didn¡¯t mean to lose to him. Barely catching her breath, Ariel looked up and saw Carlos. It was a perfect moment, but their eyes looked at each other and Leandro did not miss the moment. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.¡± Carlos, who had been watching the situation silently, finally opened his mouth. Watching Ariel and Leandro¡¯s dangerous one-sided confrontation made him quickly freeze and unfreeze in the matter of seconds and Carlos almost jumped in unknowingly to try and stop Leandro. But he dared not do anything without the emperor¡¯s order in fear that he would make matters worse so he barely caught himself. Leandro, strangling her slender neck as hard as he could, or perhaps harder, seemed simply insane. It wasn¡¯t the first time he witnessed such violent behavior from him, but Carlos¡¯ heart trembled with fear. Then there was a real fear that Leandro might actually kill Ariel. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would have happened if she had lost consciousness before reaching out with her hand. Carlos took one step forward and flopped down on his knees. ¡°I have not properly carried out Your Majesty¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand Carlos¡¯ behavior, sitting on his knees out of the blue, asking for forgiveness. In the stifling silence that followed, Ariel managed to come to her senses. It happened in the middle of their affair, so their clothes were all in disarray. The sight of Ariel pulling up her dress with a pathetic face made Carlos feel uncomfortable. The sad look in her eyes and the lips quivering with shame were all Ariel¡¯s plans to draw out that response, but Carlos had no idea at all. ¡°I failed to follow through with your orders to protect her so that she wouldn¡¯t even get scratched. I apologize.¡± Leandro kept his eyes on Carlos¡¯ face, which was so calm that he could not decipher his inner thoughts. During their years together, Carlos had never violated Leandro¡¯s orders. This kind of apology saying that he failed to fulfill his Master¡¯s orders due to his incapability was also very unfamiliar to Leandro. ¡°Explain properly so that I can understand.¡± Chapter 17 - Loss of Reason Chapter 17: Loss of Reason Carlos was the son of a poor, humble family. Of course, he had no opportunity for education and had to earn money early on. When he became a squire to feed his family, people around him ridiculed and booed him, saying that he was a scumbag aristocrat who threw honor in exchange for money. He got used to being looked down on and ignored by others. If he hadn¡¯t met Leandro, the prince at the time, Carlos would still be living the fate of a low-life of servile behavior in front of others. He abandoned his life for the benefactor who saved it. Whatever he did, he only thought and moved for Leandro¡¯s sake, and never once did he put his own feelings first. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t even look at women even though his blood ran hot to the point of boiling. He had seen many people who ruined their lives by falling in love with women and succumbing to the temptation of alcohol, so he couldn¡¯t turn his eyes that way for fear that he might fail in serving Leandro. In a way, Carlos was a very pure and clear man. Ariel had a strange look on her face as she looked at Carlos, the man who could not take his eyes off her body. She was a faithful reader of the original book, so she knew Carlos¡¯ poor family history by heart. Everyone knew why he was strangely loyal to Leandro and how he felt when he saw Ariel. Carlos, who had sympathy and compassion for Ariel being ravaged by a violent emperor, had fallen in love with her, was the second saddest character after Ariel. So Ariel wanted to be nice to him. She wondered how things would change if she poured her affection on such a starved person. ¡°¡­Why do you look at me like that?¡± Ariel broke the silence between the two. It was not until he heard her weak voice that Carlos hurriedly turned his eyes. Although he touched and wandered through Ariel¡¯s whole body last night, it did not matter because it was what Leandro had ordered. But now there was no Leandro, and there was only Ariel and him in the enclosed space. Furthermore, Ariel was naked. A situation where he could not be conscious of. Carlos realized that his body was slowly reacting to the beautiful woman in front of him. It was dangerous. He mustn¡¯t do anything without orders from Leandro. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. How did you get hurt?¡± He tried to keep his expressionless face and repeated the same question. If the emperor were to severely punish the person responsible for harming his beloved woman, he had to know who they were. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­¡± Carlos was still holding her upper arm. Ariel¡¯s bare skin under the tips of his fingers was too soft that he couldn¡¯t take his hands off. ¡°If you put pressure in your grip, my pain gets stronger¡­¡± Her breath escaped together with her languished voice. Carlos¡¯s pupils trembled at her weak voice. Ariel slowly raised her free arm to Carlos and gently grabbed him by the back of his hand. She did not miss the brief moment when Carlos flinched at the unexpected contact. ¡®Look at him being surprised.¡¯ Chapter 18 - To His Majesty Chapter 18: To His Majesty As he moved his arm back as if to pull out his hand, Ariel flexed it and pulled it toward her face. Carlos was simply dragged along as she pulled, even though he could easily resist. His large palms became the pillar that supported her cheek. By the time Carlos¡¯s eyes shook even more violently as if at the sight of a lover whispering their undying affections, Ariel¡¯s moist lips gently pressed against the lower part of his palm. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Closing her eyes, she began to kiss the palm of his hand. Only then did Carlos panic and freak out. His reason was shouting, ¡°Get away from Ariel right now,¡± but instinct lured him, telling him to covet her more. Carlos clenched his teeth. Ariel was so beautifully god-like that he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her; especially when his blood had already rushed to his most sensitive area. ¡°Ha¡­¡± An unbearable groan flew out from Carlos¡¯ teeth. Without even clasping her full breasts or opening her legs and inserting himself deep in the bliss of her drenched haven, Carlos was captivated by the lone sense of her lips upon his palm. As Carlos gradually tried to let go of the leash of reason, Ariel opened her previously closed eyes. ¡°Lord Carlos, please take me to His Majesty. Right¡­ now.¡± ***** As she rode her horse to where Leandro was, Ariel pondered all along how to deal with Temi and her gang. If she were to drop a tear and put on the act of a poor defenseless woman, Leandro would immediately cut Temi¡¯s throat open. But it wasn¡¯t enough to finish her so simply. Rather, she wanted to take revenge more pleasantly and slowly. Instead of leaving it in Leandro¡¯s hands, she thought and thought about how to return the favor tenfold by herself. ¡°Be careful with your steps.¡± ¡°Yes, sir knight.¡± As she stepped down and started walking through a dangerous forest path, Carlos kept looking back at Ariel and checking on her. Despite his sculpted appearance, friendly personality, and upright heart, Carlos did not become the main character in the novel. The only role he was given was to shed silent tears for love that should not be hidden from the absolute monarch who was ferocious and diabolical. How old and boring this was. A ruthless tyrant who trampled on a woman. All of them, including the wounded supporting male lead, was part of a clich¨¦ setting. An emperor who behaved like a tame wolf in front of a ruthless but beloved woman; a handsome knight who was always friendly, but cold to others; a beautiful woman who shook these two with flowers in both hands. ¡®This would be much more attractive.¡¯ While raving alone in her wild thoughts, Ariel arrived in front of a large tent. Chapter 19 - Mine Alone Chapter 19: Mine Alone Soldiers guarding the entrance to the tent recognized Carlos and bowed their heads. After slightly nodding at their greetings, Carlos carefully rolled up the cloth and carried Ariel inside. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Leandro sat next to the torches that were blazing in the middle of the tent with his large shoulders hanging down. As soon as he saw Ariel entering the tent, the face of Leandro brightened as though greeting an old friend. He felt as if he had been away from Ariel for a long time, even though he hadn¡¯t seen her for a day. The moment he saw her face, the joy, longing, and desire that came surging through him made Leandro¡¯s heart skip a few beats. He reached out his hand in a hurry. He wanted to hug Ariel quickly. As soon as he held her hand, Leandro pulled Ariel into his arms and hugged her tightly. Yes. He needed this. The scent and touch singular to Ariel alone. Leandro closed his eyes and stuffed his nose into her neck inhaling her whole. ¡°Ah.¡± But when Leandro tightened his body and embraced her shoulders, the wound she had barely stopped from bleeding, burst again. Leandro was suspicious of Ariel, who exclaimed in pain even though he only hugged her. Leandro quickly took her out of his embrace. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Before Leandro hugged Ariel, Carlos tried to report on her physical condition, but he was a step late. Carlos hurried up to Leandro¡¯s side. ¡°Blood¡­?¡± The red spot that had sprung up through the cloth was gradually spreading. Leandro jumped out of his seat and began to strip Ariel of her clothes. ¡°Your Majesty¡­!¡± The shrill sound of the tearing cloth was so ominous. Ariel¡¯s body was reeling under his rough, urgent hands. ¡°Your Majesty, I confirm that there is a cut on both her cheek and shoulder.¡± Before Carlos could finish talking, Leandro ungracefully stripped Ariel of all her clothes from her upper body down. Dark red blood was flowing from her shoulders, sharply contrasting with her snow-white skin. Blood. The moment he saw blood. Leandro felt the wildness inherent in his heart awaken. A very savage instinct of a predator thirsting for a prey wrought his senses. ¡°What is this?¡± Anger slipped out of control. He was maddeningly angry that someone had delivered a graze to his prey. ¡°Who did this?!¡± A huge shout went out the tent and thundered through the forest. Like the roar of a beast, or even something even worse than that. Ariel forgot to breathe. She had never seen such mad, raw rage. He had just seen the wound in less than half a second. Neither Ariel nor Carlos had expected that he would shout this loud with bloodshot eyes. Leandro¡¯s fingertips were quivering with anger. Ariel had to be his own property, completely and thoroughly. She should have been a woman who belonged entirely to Leandro, whom no one dared look at. Faced with Leandro¡¯s terrifying fury, Ariel was suddenly terrified even though it was not her fault that she was injured. She knew that Leandro¡¯s obsession with Ariel was profound, but when she went through with it, she got goosebumps all over her body from head to toe. ¡®This guy is out of his mind.¡¯ It was a different madness than the time he held her. She felt as if she were going to lose her mind just by looking into his bottomless eyes, seeing a reason for fear in them. ¡°You are mine. My own thing that no one should dare touch or put in their eyes.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please calm d¡­¡± She thought that she would really get into trouble at this rate. Ariel tried to calm him down by patting his chest. ¡°Wanting to hurt you, and wanting to make you suffer, and¡­¡± Leandro snatched Ariel¡¯s hand touching his chest. ¡°Killing you, too. All of that is something only I can do.¡± She could read it in his glaring eyes. Leandro¡¯s words were not simply a flying warning. All of Ariel¡¯s things, much less her life, were under his mercy. She felt terrible because she knew he meant it. Knowing the future ahead, she thought it would be easy to coax Leandro into playing between her skirts. However, upon seeing the horrible possessive desire in those eyes, Ariel¡¯s resolve was getting shallower and fainter as she was faced with the fear of the consequences tailing behind his ownership of her. Chapter 20 - A Great Tragedy Chapter 20: A Great Tragedy The first time Leandro killed a man was when he had just celebrated his thirteenth birthday. His mother, Lucilia, who was rumored to be beautiful, was Leandro¡¯s most beloved person in the world. She used to be publicly shunned by the royal family for not being born from a noble line, but she was a beautiful and tender woman who did not yield to such a thing and poured infinite love onto her son. Her figure was so brilliant that when she stood with her long silver hair to one side and smiled broadly, he thought that a goddess had descended from heaven. When he found Lucilia dead in a horrible way in front of his eyes, Leandro felt as if the world was over. Her hand that gently swept over his face, her arms that held him warmly¡­ And her face, which looked at Leandro with love, were all cut into pieces and dipped in the sea made of blood. Leandro, a young boy who shrieked on a floor filled with his mother¡¯s blood, was only ten years old at the time. Other than the fact that unknown assassins rushed into the empress¡¯ residence and killed Lucilia, there was nothing to be known about who was behind her death. Lucilia¡¯s funeral was held without finding anything to prosecute the culprit. Leandro did not speak for three years. He lost his voice in the shock of seeing his mother¡¯s miserable corpse. At that time, Leandro¡¯s father, Eckhart the Third, was busy licking his own wounds from the loss of his beloved wife and did not look back at his son who needed help for it was difficult for him to face Leandro, who would have looked exactly like Lucilia if she had been born a man. Leandro, who lost his beloved mother in a moment and was abandoned by his father, was left completely alone and neglected. No one came close, and no one even spoke to him. All he did was walk around the backyard, where he used to take strolls with Lucilia. Without any education or training as a crown prince, Leandro himself was cut off from the world. Perhaps if a squire he ran into on the forest path at the time had not spoken to him when he was crying, Leandro would have become a lunatic, not to mention an emperor. A brown-haired boy who abandoned his status as an aristocrat and became the squire of a low-level knight for money. If only he hadn¡¯t met Carlos. Three years passed in such a gloomy atmosphere, and Eckhart III met an aristocrat woman and recovered his vigor little by little. In the meantime, Leandro was crying inside, licking the rotting wounds by himself. A banquet was held to celebrate Leandro¡¯s thirteenth birthday, and Leandro felt a blood-boiling rage when he saw the woman sitting next to the emperor, already an empress. How dare she¡­ it was so unpleasant that such a woman would take the place of his mother¡¯s. As soon as the woman made a slip of the tongue about the terrible last moments of Lucilia¡¯s, Leandro unwittingly pulled the sword out and swung it at her because she knew the secret about Lucilia¡¯s damaged body that only he knew. Leandro heard her words and was convinced that the woman was the culprit in the assassination of the empress. When he came to his senses, the banquet hall was in chaos. At a gathering to celebrate the crown prince¡¯s birthday, the emperor¡¯s only heir wielded a sword against the new empress. Chapter 21 - Object of Affection (19) Chapter 21: Object of Affection (19) Perhaps Leandro would never forget the look of Eckhart, his father, who stood next to a woman and whose face was covered with blood. It was not a father¡¯s face looking at his son, but a look of fear as if he found a cruel monster. Of course, a reinvestigation into the assassination of Empress Lucilia was conducted on the basis of Leandro¡¯s words, revealing that the woman was indeed the true culprit. When he found out that the reason for the assassination was her jealousy of Lucilia, a commoner, becoming an empress, Leandro trembled at human greed and ugliness. She took the life of his one and only mother only for that petty reason? Nevertheless, Eckhart seemed unable to accept Leandro. It was awful that his little son, who hasn¡¯t even become an adult yet, had done such a cruel thing. Prince Leandro, who was praised for his beautiful appearance, brilliant mind, and mature character for his age, grew up to be a lunatic monarch obsessed with sadness, anger, darkness, and madness. ****** ¡®¡­If I didn¡¯t know this background, I wouldn¡¯t have understood this madness of Leandro.¡¯ Ariel remembered her death and thought to herself as she looked at Leandro, who was shaking all over with anger. There was a reason why a man who was fine became so cruel. She understood a little bit about his loss of reason upon seeing the blood and his contradictory behavior of wanting to hurt Ariel while being horribly obsessed with her at the same time. Blood alone reminded him of his mother¡¯s horrible death, and it was obvious that he hated all the femininity in the world because it reminded him of the ¡°woman¡± who killed his mother. It seemed, therefore, that he tried to cover up his own contradiction of feeling love and hatred at the same time while looking at Ariel. Of course, the original Ariel, who had no idea about his background story, thought Leandro was just scary and horrible, and now she was also very afraid of his level of madness. But what¡¯s different between Ariel in the past is that she knows the past, the agony, and sorrow of Leandro hidden behind his anger. ¡°¡­Your Majesty, I will not suddenly disappear from your sight.¡± As if to be heard, Ariel whispered in front of Leandro¡¯s nose. ¡°¡­What?¡± Leandro¡¯s tremors, which seemed unlikely to calm down no matter what he did, stopped like a lie. It was because Ariel¡¯s words accurately penetrated through the pain that was hidden deep behind his anger. Just like Lucilia did. If another person he loved with all his heart disappears from his side, Leandro would probably fall apart. Ariel was the first to recognize this hidden fear disguised as anger. Little by little, the strength was loosened from Leandro¡¯s grip, and Ariel¡¯s arm detached from his. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± His mother¡¯s face seemed to clash with Ariel¡¯s in his eyes when she said she would stay with him for a long time. Leandro¡¯s pupils shook visibly. Leandro wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised by Ariel¡¯s unexpected words. Carlos, who was straining his whole body out of fear that Leandro might lose his reason and strangle Ariel on the spot was also quite surprised by her calm and collected response. She wasn¡¯t the feeble Ariel they knew. Ariel slowly extended her arm to Leandro like a child whining for a hug. ¡°Give me a hug, Your Majesty¡­¡± Leandro¡¯s heart sank with a thump at the longing in her voice. ¡°Ha¡­, Ariel¡­!¡± My own Ariel. Mine. Ariel. Chapter 22 - A Bit Innocent (19) Chapter 22: A Bit Innocent (19) With clenched teeth and a hunched back, Leandro buried his face urgently in Ariel¡¯s chest. Her ample chest warmly embraced his face as he gave his hands a crushing force around her waist. Warm body temperature, dizzying body scent¡­ Ariel was the only one who could drive him crazy or calm him down. Ariel wrapped her arms around Leandro¡¯s shoulders and hugged his face. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Leandro, who was breathing deeply with his nose between her breasts, opened his mouth and began sucking Ariel¡¯s chest. They were soft and sweet. Everywhere his lips passed, there was a trace of red. Ariel gasped as the kiss, which began from the side of her chest, turned toward her pointed nipples. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± He was more tenacious and persistent than ever before. To the extent that she was worried that his heart would be sucked into his mouth, Leandro kissed Ariel¡¯s chest with all his might. One of his hands, which was wrapped around her waist, went down, and grabbed her buttocks. A low growl escaped his throat when he sharply grabbed the fullness of her bottom. Ariel, too, looked down at the face of Leandro sucking her breasts as if he were eating a very delicious fruit and bit her lips. It was so stimulating and exciting that the beautiful face of Leandro, who looked so good with his blonde hair, crushed her breasts. If Carlos was a handsome and pure-looking young man, Leandro was a raw primal man. ¡°Ah¡­ haah¡­.¡± The hand that was kneading her buttocks went down further, and then into the crack between the legs. Ariel unwittingly grabbed Leandro¡¯s head. Carlos clenched his fist at the sight of the pair who began to fondle each other. His lower part, which had already been stiff and in pain ever since he saw Ariel, cried out for release. ¡°Haaah!¡± One of Leandro¡¯s fingers slid through the tightly closed labia and rubbed against her inner flesh. Ariel tilted her head and shouted. He didn¡¯t even go deep inside, and only lingered at her entrance, but her whole body was quivering from head to toe. ¡°Ha¡­ Tell me. Who injured you?¡± Leandro opened his eyes and lifted his head from between Ariel¡¯s mounds and looked up at her. ¡°I won¡¯t let it go. I¡¯ll crush the hands that hurt this shoulder, one by one from the tips of their fingers, so that they may taste hell before they cry out for death.¡± The mere mention of it gave her the creeps. It was very simple to say a few names. But the consequences that would follow to that simple act were not at all simple. Is the mistake of landing a scratch on her body serious enough to pay for with their lives? Ariel grabbed Leandro¡¯s face and pulled him up. Leandro, who had allowed himself to be led by her, seemed surprised to learn that Ariel had tried to kiss him. He perched the corners of his mouth up very slightly, showing a feeble smile, and slowly closed his eyes. Ariel returned Leandro¡¯s wild kiss and saw Carlos standing far behind in her peripheral vision. Carlos, who had not taken his eyes off them for a moment, was perplexed when Ariel suddenly looked at him. ¡®He¡¯s also a bit innocent.¡¯ Ariel slowly closed her eyes, enjoying Carlos¡¯ gaze and Leandro¡¯s caress. The fact that both their hearts were directed at her was very gratifying. In her head, she was still thinking about what to do with Temi. If the culprit is revealed, Leandro would probably drag Temi and cut her throat before Ariel¡¯s eyes. So then Carlos¡­ would stand behind to cover Ariel¡¯s eyes. The two of them were these kinds of people. Leandro, the man who cuts everything that gets in his way to protect what was his, and Carlos, the man who gives warm hugs to protect the woman he adores. Their tendencies seem to be in a sharp contrast, but the object they wanted to protect was the same. ¡°Ah¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Stretch your legs wider.¡± Ariel, who had been lost in her own musings, came to her senses with her knees being forced open. A large, thick member, which was by far incomparable to a finger, was hailing in salute in front of Ariel¡¯s red-hot entrance. It was a wondrous thing that he endured it this long with Ariel¡¯s naked body dangling in front of him. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Leandro stabbed into her secret garden and straightened his back up. At the moment the two bodies were joined together, Carlos turned his head. Chapter 23 - Passionate Affair Chapter 23: Passionate Affair Ariel shuddered in her sleep. After a passionate affair, she fell asleep without wearing clothes. Her temperature dropped sharply in the cold air of dawn. The only warmth that touched her back belonged to Leandro. Ariel couldn¡¯t curl up hastily and simply wiggled her toes, fearing she would wake him up after tossing. ¡°¡­What?¡± As she shared his bed several times before, she knew that Leandro was a man of great senses. Even though he fell asleep deeply, he would wake up right away whenever Ariel moved a little. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± ¡°Your arms are cold.¡± Leandro grabbed the blanket that had clung behind his back and spread it over Ariel¡¯s body. Even so, he was afraid she would still be cold, so he didn¡¯t forget to hug her body tightly with his big arms. A faint, manly scent emitted from his body which wrapped around hers like a second skin. Warm chest and firm arm¡­ somehow a reassuring temperature took over her whole body, and Ariel had a strangely aching heart. When he started to penetrate her on the chair, Leandro treated her roughly enough for her to think that her stomach might be pierced, but now that his desire had been sated, he was worried that her bed might be uncomfortable. It seems that hiding inside him was a young and hurt boy who had never tried to express what was on his mind. Maybe that¡¯s why Ariel had a heavy heart for no reason. Ariel held Leandro¡¯s arm and wrapped it around her waist. ¡°Sleep, Your Majesty¡­¡± Ariel patted Leandro, as a mother soothed a child. In the gentle sweep of the palm of her hand, Leandro breathed a deep sigh from his heart. She hoped his crooked mind and wounded heart would get a little better through her. After stroking him like that for a while, she could feel Leandro¡¯s chest rising and falling consistently. His arms, which held her tightly, were gradually loosening up. ¡®He¡¯s asleep.¡¯ Ariel never saw Leandro smile. In the original version of the story, Leandro was a man who could not express his feelings of joy or happiness. He always looked angry when Ariel looked him in the eye, so she often got scared of him first. His firm mouth and sharp eyes always gave off a cool vibe. A mad lord, a cruel emperor. They were both the titles that followed Leandro. A ferocious angel who had no mercy, but lived simply in the feast of blood. But the moment he fell asleep was an exception. His mouth, which had been hardened cold, loosened gently, and his cold eyes were peacefully covered by his eyelids, making him show a completely different face from when it was awake. The sound of breathing followed his inhales and exhales of breath, making him look like an innocent child. It was a bit disappointing that she could not see Leandro¡¯s sleeping face because she was hugged with her back against his chest. ¡®I can¡¯t sleep.¡¯ Once she fell asleep and woke up, she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep easily. Ariel blinked in the dark and stared into space. ¡°Ah¡­¡± By the time her eyes seemed to somewhat adjust to the dark, Ariel immediately met the eyes looking down at her from the distance and took a breath of surprise. ¡°Ca¡­¡± Without realizing it, Ariel tried to put the name of Carlos on her lips, but she quickly shut her mouth. She couldn¡¯t wake Leandro up by making a sound. =================== Chapter 24 Chapter 24: Touch Here and There Only then did Carlos come to the bed where Leandro and Ariel lay with silent and agile footsteps, as if he had noticed that she had taken notice of him. How on earth was he standing like that and looking down at them? Ariel¡¯s eyes were strained with embarrassment. Carlos stood within an arm¡¯s length from her reach. With Leandro behind her back, Ariel couldn¡¯t do anything, so she bit her lip. It was not so hard for him to watch Ariel fall asleep after almost fainting under Leandro. But when the early morning air was cold or when she was falling off the bed, Carlos came to her on his own and almost covered her with a blanket. He shouldn¡¯t lay his hands on her without Leandro¡¯s orders. The idea held Carlos back. Fortunately, Leandro, who woke up upon feeling her tremors, covered Ariel with a blanket and even hugged her. Carlos felt relieved but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of loss; perhaps because he could not step forward to Ariel. The two pairs of eyes that met through the darkness lingered on each other for a long time. Ariel put her hand off Leandro and reached forward very slowly. The bed shook but she was very careful not to wake Leandro. Carlos looked at Ariel¡¯s hand, which was getting closer to him, and was at a loss for what to do. It was confusing because he didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but beyond that, it bothered him more because of Leandro, who was asleep behind Ariel. Two emotions stirred up a whirlwind in Carlos¡¯ mind: fear that he would disobey his master, and the obligation that he should not do anything disappointing to the benefactor who changed his life. Ariel couldn¡¯t even figure out why she was doing this. Seeing Carlos standing there alone and staring at her dimly made her want to hold his hand. Her hand and his two hands, which were slowly getting closer to each other, eventually met. Carlos was a pitiful man who lived a lonely life and then disappeared. Ariel looked up at Carlos¡¯ handsome face and clasped his hands. In her view of him, he was a man whose heart would bloom with a little love. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you take advantage of such a great character?¡¯ Ariel wanted to see Carlos crumble to his lust and cry bitterly before love, revealing himself completely. Leandro, who only knew how to show and never how to hide, and Carlos, who only knows how to hide but never shows. It would be interesting to live in this novel if the two men were to be stirred properly to suit her taste. Ariel touched the back of his hand with the tips of her fingers. Carlos¡¯ shoulders stiffened with tension, but he didn¡¯t move his hand away. He did not avoid, but accepted her touch. This time, Ariel grabbed Carlos¡¯ fingers more boldly. Again, he didn¡¯t move his hand away. His loyalty to Leandro was still greater than his affection for Ariel, so he could not accept her forwardness. Chapter 25 Chapter 25: Punishment As soon as the day broke, the servants¡¯ quarters went wild. The total number of servants who were taken away by the Palace Guards, including Temi, was five. They didn¡¯t know that Ariel would tattle to the emperor so soon, but the servants were quite phased by this. Temi was seized with intense fear as she was dragged by the Palace Guards with a cloth on her face and her arms bound together. Rumor has it that he was an emperor who relentlessly threw away women after using them, so Temi thought Ariel was a cheap girl who temporarily grabbed hold of the emperor¡¯s bottom area. She thought that if she cut her face, the emperor would abandon Ariel without mercy, but she didn¡¯t expect him to drag him away like this. ¡°Get down.¡± Temi arrived somewhere she didn¡¯t know. With a Palace Guard¡¯s hands pushing her forward as soon as he finished uttering the dry command, she fell to the ground. Her hands tied behind her back couldn¡¯t break her fall and she fell face first on the dirt floor, causing tears to well up in her eyes. ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± At the sound of a cold, grumble-like low voice, the five bodies of Temi and the other servants trembled like cottonwood in the wind. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Sa-save me!¡± Each of them burst into tears, raising their terrified voices. After kneeling on the floor until the last servant fell to the floor, the Palace Guards finally stripped the cloth off their faces. The sudden light made Temi frown. She could see someone standing in the distance. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°Huuk¡­¡± This was the emperor¡¯s camp. Having come to clean up several times, Temi immediately found out where she was. Ariel was standing opposite from her and with the emperor¡¯s guards next to her. Even so, her white face was even paler than usual. It wasn¡¯t only Temi who was surprised. The other servants, who restrained Ariel¡¯s arms from both sides and uttered their contempt for her before, were also caught in Temi¡¯s same state of shock, gasping for breath. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± In these cases, one absolutely had to bow down. Temi lowered her head and hit her forehead on the floor. What¡¯s the big deal about pride in front of one¡¯s life? If only she could live, Temi would crawl on the floor and lick Ariel¡¯s feet. ¡°What did you do wrong?¡± Her freckled and grumpy face that was full of tears and snot wasn¡¯t very pleasant to look at. Maybe it¡¯s because they hurt Ariel. Carlos looked through each of the faces of those servants and forced himself to swallow the boiling anger inside. ¡°What did you do wrong? I¡¯m asking.¡± There had to be three more days before the hunting competition was over. Since Leandro couldn¡¯t do it himself, he ordered Carlos to find and punish those who hurt Ariel. If Leandro hadn¡¯t told him to do it, he would have done it on his own. Carlos¡¯s teeth clenched at the mere thought of them daring to hurt Ariel and causing her to bleed. She was a woman whom one should never touche carelessly. It was maddening that they swung a knife at Ariel, for whom his heart trembled because she was so precious that he could only reach out to her without Leandro¡¯s permission. Swish- The sound of a sword being unsheathed resounded. When Carlos pulled out his sword, two of the servants burst into wails. If they had known that she was a person who had the emperor¡¯s favor, they would have never touched her. However, it was too late. Regret is late, at its earliest. Carlos¡¯s eyes, which checked the sword¡¯s point, flashed with a murderous glint. ¡°Lord Carlos.¡± If it weren¡¯t for Ariel¡¯s voice calling for him, Temi¡¯s neck would have been slain away. Carlos turned his head with the sword in his hand and looked at Ariel. ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡®You can¡¯t kill her so easily.¡¯ Staying up all night, Ariel pondered how to make Temi pay for her wound. And a little while ago, she came up with a good idea after she saw Temi¡¯s face which was mangled with tears. Chapter 26 - Swelling Breasts Chapter 26: Swelling Breasts At Ariel¡¯s request, Carlos¡¯ sword did not kill Temi the freckled servant. He wasn¡¯t sure what she planned to do with the servant, but Carlos decided not to pry, convinced that she wanted to take care of the person who hurt her with her own hands. He was rather attracted to her unusual appearance. He didn¡¯t think that Ariel, whom he thought was a saint of soft heart, had such a strong resolve. Still, the rest of the servants had to be punished by him. Leandro had ordered him to slice their necks and bring their heads to him. Carlos led the servants out to be beheaded by the guards and returned to Leandro¡¯s camp where Ariel would be left alone. When he saw Ariel sitting gently on the edge of the bed, Carlos suddenly remembered last night and the image of her coquettish actions in Leandro¡¯s arms. His heart felt numb. Following Leandro¡¯s instructions not to be exposed to any threats in the future, Ariel was instructed to stay in the emperor¡¯s bedroom. It was Leandro¡¯s complete and determined desire to possess Ariel and not hand her to anyone else. It was acceptable to have a woman in his bedroom for a night, but leaving a woman who was not the empress in the emperor¡¯s bedroom in the day was a perfect source of criticism from the retainers. Although the retainers wouldn¡¯t dare openly slander Ariel upfront for fear of losing their neck if they carelessly offended the wrong person, letting her stay in the emperor¡¯s quarters would definitely bring a negative impact to Leandro. It was proof of how much Leandro desired Ariel. Carlos laughed bitterly. To own or to throw away; to kill or to not kill. Carlos was happy that Leandro, who had always lived a life of choosing between one of the two opposing choices, began to do something different. He thought his master could now escape the terrible wounds of the past and live like a normal human being, but the fact that his target was Ariel made him feel miserable at the same time. Carlos had a thrilling experience with a woman for the first time in his life. He fell for her at the very instant he saw her when journeying with Leandro on an inspection tour to Ariel¡¯s native land. Her figure was extraordinary and magical, enough to think of her as a goddess who descended from heaven. She shone so brightly that he thought he¡¯d go blind. After returning home, Carlos couldn¡¯t shake Ariel¡¯s image out of his head for a long time. Already, deep in his heart, she managed to captivate his heart with a single encounter. He grew excited secretly imagining himself being with her until he found out that Leandro had the same thoughts as him. ¡°¡­Lord Carlos?¡± Carlos shook his head at the sound calling his name. An impossible idea was poison, it wouldn¡¯t do him any good to dwell on the past. ¡°You¡¯ll be living here in the future. You don¡¯t need to work, and from now on¡ª¡± ¡°The servants. Are they dead?¡± Ariel asked. It was an unexpected question, so unexpected that she cared not for her safety or the future days, but about the servants who were nothing compared to her. Carlos took a step closer to Ariel in case he misheard her concerns. ¡°They certainly did harm me, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to lose their lives.¡± ¡°¡­It was His Majesty¡¯s orders. It¡¯s not something you can interfere with. And didn¡¯t you keep that little girl alive as you wished?¡± Carlos didn¡¯t understand her unfound worries about those who came wielding knives towards her. In this dog-eat-dog world, it was enough for her to look down on people. Furthermore, this was the palace, a place full of predators seeking their next prey. She¡¯d become their next meal immediately if she didn¡¯t act. ¡°But still¡­¡± Ariel tried to get up but stopped moving. It was painful for her. The swelling of her breasts made them more sensitive due to Leandro¡¯s wild foreplay the previous night. Just the wind sweeping her nipples made her crotch wince in pain. It was difficult for Ariel to move her arms as the cloth would rustle and graze her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Carlos asked, concerned. ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± The cut on her shoulder throbbed and the chest bit by Leandro tingled. She was a total mess. In addition, her waist, which was full of handprints, made her muscles stiff, making it difficult for her to inhale deep intakes of breath. ¡°Where are you hurt?¡± ¡°Nowhere. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Carlos caught Ariel¡¯s shoulder with a worried face for fear that the wound on her injured shoulder had burst again. ¡°The wound¡­ does it hurt?¡± Holding on to Carlos, Ariel raised her head and made eye contact with him. Though similar in build to and was a little smaller in height than Leandro, Carlos was a big man compared to others. As she tried to make eye contact with Carlos from a closer distance, Ariel¡¯s neck was bent back painfully. Chapter 27 - desperate Need (19) Chapter 27: Desperate Need (19) The morning sun blazed down the window. Carlos, who had always relied on candles to see Ariel in the dark, was shocked by the close sight of her in broad daylight. Her glistening golden eyelashes held his gaze and wouldn¡¯t let go. It was as if he saw otherworldly beauty, not something belonging to this world. Her golden hair came down surrounding her pale cheek and fluttering at the nape of her neck. A momentary impulse to touch her cheek arose inside him. But he couldn¡¯t. Leandro said he needed to keep her safe for three days when he wasn¡¯t around, not ravish her. ¡°My chest aches,¡± Ariel replied, looking at his mysterious, deep ocean eyes. She could have answered that her wound hurt, but Ariel chose to say that her chest ached instead. She wanted to see with her own eyes how such a forward and direct choice of words affected Carlos. It would be cruel for Carlow to let him know how tired her body was from Leandro¡¯s rough ministrations, but Ariel hoped Carlos would be captivated by a strange imagination as he looked at her swelling breasts. If Leandro was a daunting opponent whom she had to be wary of and had an overwhelming desire for her, Carlos was the opposite. He was a man who she could handle however she pleased. ¡°¡­What?¡± Carlos inquired, voice trembling at the end. Carlos¡¯ face quickly turned red when he remembered the image of Leandro burying his head in Ariel¡¯s chest and greedily sucking her red nipples. Looking at his red-hot face, Ariel knew that her guess was correct. ¡°I can¡¯t move. It stings,¡± she muttered, laying her hand on the strap of her dress fastened on her shoulder. Carlos stared at her blankly. He soon realized what she was doing. He panicked. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± His poker face, which was always firmly closed to others, collapsed. He couldn¡¯t stay calm and collected at the sight of Ariel¡¯s beauty. She moved as if she was about to undress right there and then he hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her hand away. ¡°¡­Lord Carlos, don¡¯t you need me to show you where I¡¯m in pain so you can treat it?¡± Ariel¡¯s cheeks were painted with a shy flush. It was a blush with a different nature from Carlos¡¯ burning cheeks facing his beloved. She wanted to check the tremors she felt from his hands last night; she had expectations that Carlos, unlike Leandro, might treat her with a gentle touch. Ariel¡¯s life, which began after she was sucked into the book, was tiring. She couldn¡¯t relax even for a single moment. On the one hand, she had to treat Leandro without letting her guard down, and on the other, her mind seemed to be drying up as she tried to withstand the nightly throes of passion. She needed warmth¡ªa loving heart to embrace her instead of madness and obsession. Desperately. Slide. When she pulled the string, the cloth fell down powerlessly. Without giving Carlos any time to answer, Ariel untied the other shoulder strap. The dress, which slid down in a graceful curve, piled up at Ariel¡¯s feet. Huuk¡­ It happened in a flash. Ariel¡¯s white nakedness was revealed before his very eyes. As Carlos raised his hand in a vague shape, Ariel gently grabbed it. ¡°The tremors of last night¡­ was I the only one who felt it¡­?¡± asked Ariel. How could he look so desperate and pathetic? Carlos opened his mouth and let out a lamenting sigh. The meek voice of the young Ariel touched the purity hidden in his heart. ¡°Ariel¡­¡± Carlos clenched his teeth. He could give all his strength to Ariel if needed. ¡°¡­I need Lord Carlos right now.¡± Ariel knew what he was hesitating for. Would he follow Leandro¡¯s orders or her beckoning? He couldn¡¯t pick one between the two, but she hoped Carlos would listen to the voice in his heart rather than the one rummaging in his head for once. It was a pity that he had always lived for others rather than for himself. Ariel pulled Carlos¡¯ hand to her chest. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­¡± If he wasn¡¯t willing to make the first move, then she would. That was enough. Ariel approached Carlos and blew a sweet breath on his chest. ¡°No¡­ we can¡¯t¡­¡± It was a word of refusal that had barely escaped his mouth. He clenched his teeth so hard that blood rose up to his forehead. Ariel took another step closer to him. Her soft, pillowy breasts touched Carlos¡¯ palms. Carlos, who was about to take his hand off in embarrassment, looked at Ariel. ¡®Don¡¯t reject me, accept me. Listen to the sound in your heart.¡¯ Her innermost thoughts were being conveyed through her eyes. Chapter 28 - Warm My Body (19 Chapter 28: Warm My Body (19) Would he come over? Or would he not? Ariel approached Carlos, hugging him. Without putting his hand away from her chest or groping it, Carlos bit his lips. He wanted to bring Ariel down on the bed right away and bury his face in her fragrant embrace. But holding on to his last speck of reason, he recalled Leandro¡¯s order: ¡°Protect Ariel while I¡¯m away.¡± Ariel¡¯s heartbeat was felt under the palm of his hand glued to her chest. Her heart beat as hard as it could. He wasn¡¯t the only one shaken. Carlos seemed a little relieved to feel Ariel¡¯s pounding heart. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­ it¡¯s cold.¡± It was a decisive remark. If it¡¯s cold, she should wear the clothes that she had just discarded with her own hands, but that wasn¡¯t what she wanted. ¡®Warm my body with your body temperature to the point where I no longer feel the chill running up my spine.¡¯ Carlos realized the deep meaning in her eyes at once. The skin of Ariel, which was so soft for his hand to slide over, was giving him a hail of goosebumps. ¡°Ariel¡­¡± Carlos managed to open his mouth and uttered a low growl. One hand was placed on Ariel¡¯s chest, and the other on her face, wrapping around her cheek. ¡°¡­You can¡¯t do this. You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°A few days ago, you touched me with this hand.¡± Carlos had no intention of making time for words of rejection. Ariel interrupted him and said to himself when he had spent a hot time with her in the bathtub. Ariel clearly remembered Carlos¡¯ alter ego, who¡¯s hot manhood poked her back painfully. He touched and coveted every nook and cranny of her body, but he had never pierced himself inside her. To think that there¡¯d be a lot of unanswered desires lingering. Ariel somehow seemed to be caught in a shiver down below. ¡°Here, like this¡­¡± Ariel moved Carlos¡¯ fingers to touch her breast. Her nipples, whether because of the cold or because Carlos was touching her, rose beyond all else. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Carlos gasped at the soft touch of the lower part of her chest, which was pressed down by the palm of his hand. The feeling of the cute nipple felt at the tip of his fingers. His bottom area swelled beyond control. Sweat gathered on his forehead, at the crossroads of accepting her inviting or turning it around and storming out of the place. ¡°If you do what I want to make me happy, this His Majesty would also be happy.¡± If Carlos hesitated because he couldn¡¯t betray his monarch, then she would convince him that his act wasn¡¯t betraying Leandro. Ariel casually uttered a very contradictory and nonsensical remark that it was her happiness that would please Leandro. It certainly seemed to work for Carlos. Ariel hugged him and he hugged her back with their chests and faces flush against each other. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Carlos, who had been fighting fiercely between instinct and reason in his mind, let out a startled sound upon making contact with Ariel¡¯s thigh, which passed over his crotch. With only a thin cloth between them, Ariel¡¯s bare thighs and Carlos¡¯ large pillars rubbed together. In a way, it was nothing, but Carlos almost let himself go at the light rub. ¡°Arghh¡­ Ariel, won¡¯t you regret it?¡± A hoarse voice. His release was right around the corner. Ariel smiled softly and lifted her lips. It lightly brushed against Carlos¡¯ lips. ¡°Hug me, gently¡­¡± No man in the world could refuse her dizzying invitation. She was a saint, a sculpture made to perfection. Carlos eventually succumbed to instinct. He grabbed Ariel¡¯s face in a hurry as she brushed his lips to the point that she was about to fall. Carlos clasped her whole body into his arms as Ariel staggered, unable to keep her balance by the kiss that began as wild as if to devour her lips. Stuck in the arms of Carlos, who was firm and strong, Ariel trembled against her restraints. It was a vertiginous entrapment. Ariel was embarrassed by the urgent and clumsy kiss. Such a clumsy act was unexpected. Yeah, that¡¯s right¡­ Carlos was a man who didn¡¯t know a woman until he was given Ariel at Leandro¡¯s order. The touch that he had groped Ariel in the bathtub that first time was so adept that she almost mistook him for an expert in the art of seduction. ¡°Huuk¡­ aah¡­¡± Carlos¡¯ tongue came straight in through her crevice. It was a clumsy kiss that shook her mouth wildly and sucked her lips. ¡°Lord Carlos, slow down¡­¡± After their lips met, Ariel murmured. The urgent and rough caress was something that she always went through in her affair with Leandro, so she hoped Carlos to be gentle with her. Carlos, who had detached his lips from hers with a short sigh, looked Ariel in the face for a few seconds without a word. With each of them reflected in the other¡¯s eyes, the two were in a state of unknown emotions. ¡°¡­Beautiful.¡± With Carlos muttering in a low voice, Ariel felt her nose tingling. =================== Chapter 29 - Like to Touch You Chapter 29: Like to Touch You (19) Carlos still held her in his arms and slowly swept Ariel¡¯s head with one hand. Ariel almost burst into tears at his careful hand and was grateful for the fact that he was so happy just by looking at her. Ariel blinked and kissed Carlos again. Mindful of Ariel¡¯s body, still shivering with cold, Carlos lifted her up and hugged her. ¡°Ah!¡± He carefully laid her down on the bed, with the strength of his arm muscles so that she won¡¯t get hurt. In the middle of the large bed laid a figure with golden hair spread out like a waterfall around her. It was dazzlingly beautiful. Carlos undid his armor and took off his cape, then came up to the bed and fell on her body. Ariel¡¯s heart throbbed at the heavy weight of Carlos from the top of her head down to the tips of her feet. Forgetting that where they lay was Leandro¡¯s bedroom, the two began to seek each other with heated passion. Lips finding lips, hands exploring chests and moving downward. It was an urgent gesture, but they tried and reminded each other not to rush as much as possible. In order to enjoy this moment for as long as they could, the two were thinking of slowly taking care of each other. A very strange sound came out as their lips clamped and unclamped. Her lips, smudged with saliva, were very sweet. Carlos closed his eyes and tasted Ariel, raising his hesitating hand to her br**sts. A soft mound of flesh, which he held in one hand, welcomed him. When he rubbed her nipple between his fingers, Ariel moved up and down and stretched out her chest to get closer to Carlos. With a gulping sound, Carlos lowered his lips little by little. Ariel laughed and shrugged her shoulders as if she were tickled when he kissed her chin and the crook of her neck. ¡°Now¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± She was laughing? Carlos stared at Ariel as if he had seen something unbelievable with his eyes wide open. ¡°Are you laughing?¡± Come to think of it, Ariel also never smiled in front of Leandro and Carlos. Carlos looked as if he were dreaming. His heart was about to burst because he never expected Ariel to show such a clear smile. A beautiful woman, a beautiful smile. ¡°What¡­ is it?¡± asked Ariel, stroking Carlos¡¯ back hair. Carlos¡¯ face, which was going down as if he were planning on biting her chest, stopped and looked up at Ariel, which made her feel embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, your smile.¡± Saying so, Carlos laughed following Ariel. His atmosphere was completely different from the usual expressionless face. She didn¡¯t think a smile would look so good on him. Ariel pulled Carlos¡¯s head and held him in her arms. If she didn¡¯t block her view, she would have caught his reddening face. ¡°Ah¡­ haah.¡± Carlos, who naturally thought it was an invitation to her body, opened his mouth and took a bite of Ariel¡¯s full br**st, as he had buried his face in her chest.The inside of his mouth was so warm and damp that her lower femininity was tingling. Ariel hugged Carlos¡¯ face harder. It was quite different from Leandro¡¯s harsh caress. Respect was ingrained in his every move. All he did in bed was kiss and touch her chest a few times, but Ariel knew that between her thighs was wet enough for him to slip inside. This is what it was like to make love through the heart. Ariel was gradually agitated by the secret contact, full of consideration and sincerity, they shared. Ariel also wanted to touch and taste Carlos¡¯ body. When she moved her hand and pulled the clothes on his shoulder, Carlos removed his lips from her chest and raised his upper body. She knew he got up to take off his clothes, but she felt empty and sad that his body temperature had gone away. Ariel sighed briefly and rose up along with Carlos. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Together, the two stripped Carlos of his clothes, and Ariel, unwittingly, looked at his body and voiced her admiration. The angular and distinct muscles, with none of them superfluous, were wriggling every time he breathed. She felt like she was looking at a well-made piece of art. Ariel reached out and touched Carlos¡¯ chest muscles. Then she moved her hand down a little more and touched his firm abs, which bulged out. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Carlos¡¯ body reacted hotly to her tickling touch. Ariel¡¯s flinched whenever her hand touched him. The idea that Ariel was touching his body and the fact that she wanted him had already led Carlos to the illusion that he had the whole world. Before he knew it, Ariel¡¯s hand, which had swept down to his navel, began to feel between Carlos¡¯ legs. Carlos clenched his teeth and tilted his head back. ¡°I¡¯d like to touch Carlos, too.¡± A very suggestive remark was made by Ariel, who caught Carlos¡¯s raging length, as if she didn¡¯t even care to hear his answer. Chapter 30 - Their Past Chapter 30: Their Past ¡°Can I touch it?¡± The wind swayed the grass outside, making a rustling sound. He didn¡¯t expect the prince to be sitting in the hidden rear garden, where he thought no one would be. Carlos smacked his lips dry with tension. He was told that the prince had lost his voice ever since he witnessed his mother¡¯s death in front of his eyes, but the Crown Prince¡¯s voice, albeit gloomy and somber, was much clearer than he would have expected. ¡°Yes¡­ Your Majesty.¡± Who would have imagined that he would run into the Crown Prince on a shortcut he took to run errands for his knight? Carlos gave his dagger to the blond young Crown Prince in an awkward posture. ¡°Is it a stoat¡¯s skin?¡± ¡°Yes, it is. Your Majesty.¡± The blond boy who accepted Carlos¡¯ sheath and inspected it carefully was Leandro, the one and only Crown Prince of the Baldwin Empire. Leandro Apolliner. Eckhard III¡¯s only enemy, and a prince with a beautiful appearance as his mother, Lucilia, the most beautiful woman in Baldwin. Carlos looked at his long golden eyelashes and opened his mouth without realizing it. The Crown Prince looked just like Lucilia, the empress whom he had passed by once at a distance. He is expected to become an adult in the future. ¡°Who made it for you?¡± He didn¡¯t know how he would be curious about a mere squire like him, the crown prince kept asking Carlos questions. ¡°Oh, my mother made it for me.¡± His mother, who was a noblewoman in name, made it for him by herself, saying, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least have a sheath made of leather?¡± Carlos did not quite understand why the old, shabby dagger attracted the Crown Prince¡¯s attention. ¡°I also¡­ had something like this.¡± When a squire appeared fearlessly in his own secret rear garden, Leandro was angry at first. But soon he found a familiar dagger in the squire¡¯s waist as he was bowing down to him in fear, and his anger turned to curiosity. It was because he remembered Lucilia insisting on making a dagger sheath for her only son before she died. At first glance, there was a look of sorrow on Leandro¡¯s face looking at the back of the sheath. Carlos felt sorry for the young prince, wondering if he was thinking of his dead mother. ¡°If you¡­ would like to have it, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡°What?¡± How dare a poor squire who has nothing to brag about tell the Crown Prince of a country to keep his dagger if he liked it. Carlos said those words without realizing how insolent they were and immediately regretted them. He could justly be criticized for being arrogant. Carlos clasped and unclasped his trembling fingertips. The prince¡¯s clear eyes staring at him silently made his palms wet with sweat. ¡°You¡¯re going to¡­ give it to me?¡± The eyes of two young boys met in the air. The air in the forest surrounding the two was warm. ¡°You¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Ly, Lyner.¡± Carlos lay flat on the ground, as if he had known that Leandro would accuse him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness. Forgive me for being rude¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s your first name, not your last name?¡± Carlos, who bowed his head down to the floor, slowly raised his head at the unexpected question. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Is he trying to learn his name to punish him later? Carlos wriggled his hands in suspense. ¡°Carlos¡­¡± ¡°Carlos Lyner. Carlos¡­ Lyner.¡± It felt strange to hear the Crown Prince muttering his name so many times. ¡°Carlos.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Will you be my friend?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, this is an order. Be my friend.¡± He almost got up in surprise. Looking at Carlos¡¯ bulging eyes, Leandro showed a toothy smile. Perhaps he found a place to lean on in this barren palace with nowhere to cross his heart on. It was only the first time he saw him today, and all he had to say was a few words, but Leandro strangely wanted to order the brown-haired squire in front of him to stay by his side. So Leandro, 12 years old, and Carlos, 14, whose paths should have never crossed became friends. Chapter 31 - Loyalty and Protection Chapter 31: Loyalty and Protection ¡°I want to touch you, Lord Carlos.¡± At Ariel¡¯s words of wanting to touch him, Carlos suddenly recalled his childhood memories. The memory of his 14-year-old self when he first encountered Leandro. The first thing that the Crown Prince, Leandro, said to him was, ¡°Can I touch it?¡± Why did the memory come to his mind at this moment? Perhaps it was because both the Crown Prince and Ariel tried to reach out to him through contact. Carlos held Ariel¡¯s hand gently as it was heading down his belly. ¡°¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t know Carlos would block her hand, but Ariel looked up at him with a curious look on her face. ¡°¡­I¡­¡± Beautiful Ariel. Oh how he wished he could break down under the glare of her eyes, but not like this. The presence of Leandro was still too great for him. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t let go of Lord Leandro.¡± It was a warm but resolute tone. Ariel, who was willing to welcome him, was grateful. She felt he was loveable, too. But his relationship with Leandro wasn¡¯t just a fake and treacherous disposition. Leandro was Carlos¡¯ purpose of existence. To betray him was impossible, and never to be. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ariel¡¯s eyes watered. It wasn¡¯t because of the shame or embarrassment of being rejected. The only reason she got emotional at this moment was that Carlos¡¯s loyalty had easily surpassed her expectations. The relationship between Leandro and Carlos, which he was exposed merely at a reader¡¯s point of view, was not as impressive to her as this. Ariel¡¯s heart was broken by the realization that Carlos¡¯ heart was so loyal toward Leandro. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­¡± Carlos, who mistook Ariel¡¯s tears, looked hurt. The guilt of making his beloved cry must have pierced his chest. ¡°Come¡­¡± Carlos carefully held Ariel in his arms. Hugging him gently, Ariel breathed a shallow sigh. This was enough. Carlos didn¡¯t push her, he didn¡¯t let go of Leandro. This fact warmed Ariel¡¯s heart. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid to sleep alone, I¡¯ll stay with you until you fall asleep.¡± With Ariel in his arms, Carlos slowly laid himself on the bed. When the cold quilt touched his back, a thunderous shudder rose on Ariel¡¯s arm. Carlos opened the b*tton on his coat with one hand and held Ariel tightly in his bare chest. ¡°¡­There¡¯s nothing like body temperature when it¡¯s cold.¡± Thump. Thump. When Carlos¡¯ face touched her bare chest, his trembling heart beat was heard. Thump. Thump. Thump. His broad shoulders and large chest muscles held her tightly. If there was a bit of fear and a thrill when she was held in Leandro¡¯s arms, now she was feeling just at ease in Carlos¡¯ arms. The feeling of being protected by a secure fence. Carlos supported Ariel¡¯s face with his arms and made her as comfortable as possible. With one arm he pillowed her head, and with the other he was busy smoothing over Ariel¡¯s disheveled hair. His hands were so rough and cautious that Ariel almost laughed. ¡®You¡¯ve never really touched a woman¡¯s hair.¡¯ It was strange to her that she felt better under his awkward caress. Ariel bowed her head and put her forehead against Carlos¡¯ shoulder. Carlos¡¯ hand, which had been sweeping over her head, went down behind her neck and began to pat Ariel on the back. Just as a parent would soothe their young daughter. The heat that had engulfed them madly a moment ago had turned into a very warm and cozy atmosphere. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Ariel found a long scar on Carlos¡¯ chest and asked. At first glance, the dark scar seemed to have resulted from quite a deep wound. ¡°¡­Several years ago, from a stab wound in the war against the Dario Kingdom.¡± ¡°Then what about this?¡± Carlos¡¯s body was covered with scars. Ariel asked again, moving her finger to a scar near his ribcage. ¡°That too¡­¡± ¡°The wound you got while trying to protect His Majesty?¡± Carlos¡¯ face, nodding his head instead of answering, was very calm. The wounds that were made to protect the emperor in times of crisis were not shameful, but pride-worthy. It is a measure of loyalty toward their master. It was like that for the knights. ¡°It must have hurt a lot.¡± Ariel stretched her fingers and gently caressed his side. ¡°That¡¯s nothing to a knight.¡± Carlos pulled Ariel¡¯s back and hugged her tightly. The desire he barely quenched was about to rise again at her touch. This moment with Ariel was happy, but lines must be kept to a certain extent. Carlos, who held her flush against his whole body so that she could not move, gently lowered his chin to Ariel¡¯s head. Ariel, trapped in Carlos¡¯ large arms without room for escape, buried her nose into the nape of his neck. Carlos¡¯s cool, soft, clear and tough body made Ariel sigh. Ariel liked the smell and temperature of his bare skin. It was the same when she was in Leandro¡¯s arms. When he handled her violently, she shed tears in pain, but when he held her dearly as if she were a precious being, Ariel trembled with the fullness of her heart. As they shared their body temperature, listening only to each other¡¯s breathing, she felt sleepy little by little. Her heavier eyelids and slower breathing made Carlos smile. Ariel looked pure like a child, unlike the face she made when she was groaning in pain or moaning in excitement. ¡°May your dreams be pleasant.¡± It was a heartfelt murmur. It was certain that he loved Ariel, but he didn¡¯t know how to express it. It¡¯s just Leandro who hurts her, and Ariel who has to endure one-sided pain. And he has to watch them from the sidelines. He wished no one got hurt. Before he knew it, Carlos kissed Ariel¡¯s forehead, who was breathing out evenly. Then he slowly closed his eyes after her. He didn¡¯t even know there was an eye behind them, hiding beyond the curtains, far away from the bedroom. =================== Chapter 32 - Injured Leandro Injured Leandro After the dreamy pure bed cuddle they shared, Carlos did not come near her. He seems afraid that Ariel would touch him. The only times that he came anywhere close to her was when several others were together. Ariel alone could never get out of the bedroom without Leandro¡¯s permission. It hurt a little to just stay in the room all day doing nothing. She knew what Carlos was afraid of, so she couldn¡¯t approach him without a moment¡¯s notice. She wished they could just be friends and talk to each other. Perhaps the story of the servants who lost their necks upon messing with Ariel had spread through the grapevine, the servants who came to clean the emperor¡¯s quarters did not dare to look at her. On the second day after spending a full day without talking or having anything to do, Ariel was stunned to see Leandro, who returned to the palace earlier than expected. It was because he, who was fine just the day before yesterday, was carried on a stretcher nursing great wounds. Without knowing what the hell was going on, Ariel hurriedly laid Leandro on the bed and examined his wound. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem as bad as it looked. When she overheard the soldier who was reporting the incident to Carlos, she figured out that someone who mistook Leandro for a beast shot an arrow deep in the forest, and fortunately, he missed his shoulder, but he fell off the horse and injured his arms and legs. Carlos went out to search for the criminal with a grim face she had never seen before. Ariel never said a word to Carlos, who was appalled to find an ignorant man who dared to shoot an arrow by mistaking Baldwin¡¯s Emperor for a wild beast and ran out to punish him severely. He was away only a day and a half, but Leandro held Ariel and did not let her go, as if he hadn¡¯t seen her for a month. His longing for Ariel seemed endless even with an unfit body. ¡°Leave it as it is, come here.¡± He gently called for Ariel as she was trying to get the immobile Leandro some water to drink. Although he was annoyed by his injury, Leandro felt good inside thinking that Ariel was taking care of him. Her voluntary interest in him was always welcome. Ariel put down the glass bottle and approached Leandro¡¯s bedside. ¡°Your Majesty, do you need anything?¡± He was very satisfied seeing the anxiety and anxiousness in her deep blue eyes. Leandro raised his unharmed arm and stretched it toward Ariel. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need you, Ariel. I need you. Come here.¡± It felt so alien for him to ask her to give him a hug with his huge physique that could allow him to hunt wild animals with his bare hands. Rage and innocence. Cruelty and candor. Somehow the gap between the two completely different personalities felt cute. Ariel smiled softly and held Leandro¡¯s outstretched arm. ¡°Oh.¡± When Ariel didn¡¯t come into his gentle embrace, Leandro pulled her hand hard. Ariel, who almost fell into Leandro¡¯s arms, jumped up from her seat. ¡°Your Majesty! What are you going to do if I touch a sore spot?¡± ¡°Your weight won¡¯t affect me.¡± Leandro held Ariel tightly in one arm. Stuck in his magnificent arm muscles, Ariel wondered if this would break her body. Leandro, who had his nose pinned on Ariel¡¯s forehead, closed his eyes and breathed a comfortable sigh. His Ariel, his own Ariel. When he hugged her, I felt a little breathless. Leandro¡¯s bare chest touched Ariel¡¯s cheek as he had taken off his upper chest to disinfect and stop the wound. Chapter 33 - Thrilling Excitement (19) Thrilling Excitement (19) After being wounded during the hunt and escorted to the palace, Leandro smelled of sweat. ¡°Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else besides your arm?¡± Ariel asked, slowly poking his chest. His muscles flinched wherever her hands brushed them. Such an honest reaction. It¡¯s cute, too. Even the ferocious and manly emperor, Leandro was more of a child if she peeled off one of his defensive layers. A young boy who has to have what he likes, what he wants, even in droves, and who hates being rejected very much. ¡°Another place does get a little uncomfortable when you do that.¡± Ariel¡¯s breath only grazed his neck, but Leandro¡¯s body reacted immediately. He could not restrain himself when the very woman whom he thought he would not get enough of even if he were to hug her every day was pressed against him. ¡°Another place, Your Majesty?¡± As if she didn¡¯t know what you mean, Ariel looked up at Leandro with a naive look on her face. She was well aware of how her innocent expression melted his heartstrings. A man quickly loses interest when he gets what he wants at once. He should be as anxious enough and thirst for her so that he doesn¡¯t lose his attention elsewhere. Ariel raised herself up. ¡°Would you like me to change your clothes?¡± Pretending not to know, she began to strip off his clothes, brushing her hand elsewhere except for his central part. Every time Ariel¡¯s slender fingers went near his groin, Leandro¡¯s abs grew more prominent. He wants to crush her under him right now, but he¡¯s holding it in because he¡¯s not feeling well. Ariel smiled surreptitiously so that she could not be seen. ¡°You must have sweated a lot, but I¡¯ll wash you first and change your clothes, Your Majesty.¡± Ignoring the longing in Leandro¡¯s gaze, Ariel stood up. There was a bathtub brought by the servants by the bedside. It was Leandro, who normally would have told her to take off her clothes first, but he lay still as Ariel told him to. ¡°If you want to clean my body, don¡¯t you have to take it all off?¡± A smile was built on his face at the thought of Ariel touching him with her own hands. Leandro comfortably settled down and turned his stiff downward area at Ariel. Instead of answering, she blushed and Ariel loosened Leandro¡¯s belt. He thought Ariel would be embarrassed if he asked her to take off his clothes, but she wasn¡¯t. Rather, the embarrassment was on Leandro¡¯s side. He heard a few rustles of cloth rubbing and unbuckling, then he felt the cool air down below. As she stripped him of his pants with a quiet expression, Ariel wetted the cloth and began to wipe his body carefully. ¡°Um¡­¡± When the muscles of his whole body, which fell from the horse and became stiff, met with warm water, he could not help but groan. Leandro closed his eyes and breathed languidly. The firm, large chest muscles were resilient. With a feeling of being sucked in, Ariel wiped Leandro¡¯s chest and bit her lips. Women are as excited to touch the other sex as men are. Furthermore, with such a beautiful body, she couldn¡¯t help but get aroused. Ariel felt her body drooping while she was wiping his, and she was flustered. Rather, it was a more bizarre feeling than putting his length in her mouth or inside her womanhood. Her imagination was greatly stimulated when she touched the beautiful body with only a wet thin cloth between them. Meanwhile, Leandro was thrilled with the idea that she was groping him herself, and that their roles have been strangely reversed. Ariel¡¯s hand gradually went down his chest towards his toned abs. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She could feel that Leandro, who closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, had given a lot of strength down his waist. It was because Ariel¡¯s hand was so sweet and teasing, only brushing slowly around his groin area without touching the important part. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chapter 34 - Wipe My Body (19) Wipe My Body (19) Patience was a far cry from Leandro. When Ariel did not think about coming, Leandro grabbed her back and pulled her strongly toward his belly. ¡°Do you intend to dry my blood to death?¡± Unable to overcome Leandro¡¯s strength, she fell and kissed his stomach. It was closer to a collision than to a kiss, but when Ariel¡¯s breath touched below his navel anyway, Leandro¡¯s alteration heated up even hotter. ¡°That¡¯s not fair. Your Majesty. I¡¯m just going to wipe your body.¡± ¡°Do it yourself with your own hands.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t need your hands. Wipe my body with your mouth.¡± The hand grabbing Ariel¡¯s by the back of her head gradually gave more strength to the grip. Yes. It wasn¡¯t Leandro who could just quietly be subjected to what Ariel did. Whatever it was, he had to always take the upper hand and force it down, but in a way that could get rid of Ariel¡¯s impudence. The lead has now been handed over from Ariel to Leandro. Ariel¡¯s lips moved slowly and settled at his lower abdomen. Leandro pushed his hips up to meet her lips. He wanted to quickly get inside her warm, narrow, and wet little mouth. Ariel slowly jabbed at the tip of his length. The warm touch of her tongue, which stimulates his libido, was so dizzying. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ha¡­¡± As his tip picked Ariel¡¯s narrow, red lips and went inside, Leandro moved his hand that held her head straight and poked through Ariel¡¯s clothes. A glimpse of breasts between the cracks of cloth in front of her chest seemed to have been shouting at him to eat it for a while. Leandro pulled Ariel¡¯s white, voluminous breasts over her sky-blue dress. The sight of Ariel going down on him and fluttering her chest in a half-kneeling posture, was enough to drive him beyond crazy. Leandro moaned briefly, not hurriedly trying to raise his upper body. His shoulders throbbed as he fell on the floor. ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t strain yourself.¡± Ariel looked up in surprise when she saw Leandro moaning. Gently stroking and coaxing him back to his seat. Leandro, who was lying in bed as he was told, pressed his lips down on Ariel¡¯s appetizing white neck. ¡°It always looks delicious.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Your Majesty.¡± When he saw her slender neck, Leandro always felt the urge to bite it. However, Ariel endured it because she thought she would not be able to endure it if he were to put his teeth to her thin neck. Biting her chest or anywhere else, would make his desire grow. Leandro, who had his mouth on Ariel¡¯s collarbone and breathed in the scent of her skin, frowned upon seeing the red mark just below her chin. He never made a mark on Ariel¡¯s neck with his mouth. Even if he sucked and bit her chest and womanhood as he liked, he would have never touched her neck. Leandro fixed his face on the mark for a moment. Ariel also opened her eyes when his lips, which had been touching her neck, stopped moving. ¡°Your Majesty? Why¡­ahh!¡± Somehow, when her eyes met with Leandro, who had a terrifying face on, Ariel was thrown roughly onto the bed. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Leandro clasped Ariel¡¯s neck with one hand and pressed down hard. He strangled her as he climbed onto her. ¡°Your¡­ Majesty, why¡­¡± With a twisted smile on his face, the man who was affectionately kissing her neck just now was no more. A harsh look similar to the one he had on the first time he dragged her here settled in his eyes. She couldn¡¯t understand Leandro¡¯s sudden change of attitude. Ariel looked up at him wistfully with a look of one demanding an explanation. ¡°This mark¡­ Who left it on you¡­?¡± The sound of a toothy gnarl scratched at Ariel¡¯s whole body. Chapter 35 - The Struggle The Struggle She didn¡¯t think of anything in the face of her extreme fear of death. She didn¡¯t care at all about the face that would have been ruined by tears. What does it matter how her face looks when her neck looks like it¡¯s going to be blown off her shoulders right away? ¡°Walk straight.¡± Despite the menacing order of the Royal Guard, her legs were not strong enough. It was hard to even stand properly, let alone walk, because her body just didn¡¯t listen. The other four servants except for her were decapitated before her eyes. She wondered why they didn¡¯t kill her on the spot. She thought she would rather die early than go crazy after suffering from fear. ¡°Ugh, this bitch¡­!¡± A soldier shouted beside Timmy, who was being dragged away by both arms. Temi, looking down at the sound of his outburst, was forced to blush with shame. It was because the yellow liquid that flowed down her thighs wet her feet as well as the feet of the people around her. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Unable to keep up with her words, Temi bit her lips. No matter how soon her head was about to be cut off, the mistake of urinating on the bright street was very embarrassing. She thought there would be no more tears left for her to shed because she had already spilled so much, but her nose prickled again. What did she do so wrong? Daring to hurt the body of the Emperor¡¯s cherished concubine? Was that petty reason enough to have five people killed for? Should they cut her down, too? Temi was just resentful of Ariel. Just because she was born beautiful, she could have everything without any effort. That¡¯s what it looked like in Temi¡¯s eyes. She really hated it. Servants, such as herself, would not even reach the Emperor¡¯s feet even if they were to die and reincarnate a hundred times, but she, too, naturally, wanted the emperor between her own skirts. The resentment of how the world could be so unfair and the lamentation of why she was not beautiful gradually centered toward a woman named Ariel and turned into ugly jealousy. ¡°I told you to stand straight. If you dare act like this in front of his Majesty too I will take out your eyeballs first.¡± ¡°Hiii¡­ hiik¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was¡­ wrong.¡± Unaware of what she was saying to herself, Temi shed tears and bowed her head down again and again. Then, her lower back was frozen to the word ¡°His Majesty¡± uttered by the guard. ¡°What do you mean His Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°His Majesty will interrogate you himself about your wrongdoings.¡± At his hard way of speaking that didn¡¯t have any feelings on it, Temi¡¯s lips were quivering again. What kind of emperor is Leandro Apolliner? A blood-thirsty tyrant. He was so cruel that he was called a monster, not a human being. She can¡¯t believe such an emperor is interrogating her himself. Temi was more than willing to beg them to kill her right here. ¡°Please, just kill me.¡± ¡°Hold your mouth shut. Soon we will arrive at the emperor¡¯s palace.¡± Despite Temi¡¯s miserable and desperate plea for death, the Commander of the Guards did not even look back at her. Looking at him staring straight ahead and walking with discipline, Temi felt as if her whole body was losing strength. ¡®It looks like I won¡¯t die a pretty death.¡¯ * * * The strangling hand became more and more forceful. She couldn¡¯t breathe properly, so her vision blurred. Ariel looked up at Leandro with a struggle, floundering in pain. Leandro already seemed half out of his mind. Ariel puffed her mouth as she looked up at him with rage. She wanted to answer, but she couldn¡¯t get her voice out of her strangled throat. How can she answer when she can¡¯t even breathe? Leandro¡¯s face, which was dotted with anger and madness, even emitted a strong killing intent. ¡°Who is it? Who dares!¡± It was driving him crazy. His whole body feels numb from head to toe. Faced with an unbearable anger, Leandro¡¯s fingertips and toes were numb, as if the blood in his whole body was turning upside down. Even when he saw the wound on Ariel¡¯s shoulder, Leandro had a hard time controlling his violent impulse. However, seeing clear traces of someone putting his mouth on the back of her neck, he could no longer think of controlling his anger. Not only did he plan on making the one who dared to lay his hand on Ariel suffer, he was also determined not to let Ariel off the hook. He clenched his teeth so hard that veins popped out in his temples. ¡°Uhg¡­ Uhnn¡­¡± It was not a situation where she could say anything. Just before she was out of breath, the original story came to Ariel¡¯s head when she thought she had reached her limit. The reasons and circumstances were different, but Leandro once strangled Ariel similarly in the original story. Ariel was willing to face death, and Leandro saw the shadow of resignation in her eyes before he took the strength out of his hands. Leandro can¡¯t kill Ariel. Chapter 36 - Trembling Fear Trembling Fear He talked as if he could manage her life however he wanted, but he didn¡¯t. For Leandro, Ariel wasn¡¯t just a target to pour his frustrations on. Leandro would never harm her, because she meant more to him. When thinking about it, Ariel gained some confidence. ¡°I will make the one who made this mark regret having been born. Who is it?¡± If you can¡¯t speak, you can just express yourself in a different way instead. Ariel struggled to reach out and point somewhere. Fortunately, her limbs were able to move. Only then did Leandro move his body, leaving his eyes fixed on her face. Slowly turning his eyes to where Ariel was pointing, Leandro looked at the man at her fingertips and puffed his mouth as if he could not believe it. ¡°Carlos¡­?¡± The dark-faced, brown-haired man was none other than Carlos. When his name came out of Leandro¡¯s mouth, Ariel¡¯s arm fell limply down. ¡°What is this? Why would you?¡± Leandro seemed confused. Leandro was an absolute monarch, and Carlos was his own dog, who put loyalty first. Dogs never bite their owners. No, he shouldn¡¯t ask. The trust between Carlos and Leandro was not built over a day or two. When it occurred to him that Ariel¡¯s pointing at Carlos must mean something else, Leandro slowly released her throat from his hands that were strangling her. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough.¡± After a few seconds that felt like hours, Ariel managed to breathe. Unable to cope with the sudden influx of air, Ariel gripped her chest with anguish. It was painful when she couldn¡¯t breathe, but now it was more painful as if the breath was tearing inside her throat. Leandro¡¯s eyes, looking down at Ariel, coughing and catching her breath several more times, were awfully cold. ¡°¡­Answer me. What¡¯s the meaning of your hand gesture?¡± He was so snobbish that tears formed in Ariel¡¯s eyes. There was also a great deal of difference between reading and actually experiencing it. The more she discovered Leandro¡¯s madness and the more she came across his fierce nature, the more suffocating Ariel felt. ¡°Lord Carlos¡­ He¡¯ll explain.¡± But she didn¡¯t mean to lose to him. Barely catching her breath, Ariel looked up and saw Carlos. It was a perfect moment, but their eyes looked at each other and Leandro did not miss the moment. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.¡± Carlos, who had been watching the situation silently, finally opened his mouth. Watching Ariel and Leandro¡¯s dangerous one-sided confrontation made him quickly freeze and unfreeze in the matter of seconds and Carlos almost jumped in unknowingly to try and stop Leandro. But he dared not do anything without the emperor¡¯s order in fear that he would make matters worse so he barely caught himself. Leandro, strangling her slender neck as hard as he could, or perhaps harder, seemed simply insane. It wasn¡¯t the first time he witnessed such violent behavior from him, but Carlos¡¯ heart trembled with fear. Then there was a real fear that Leandro might actually kill Ariel. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would have happened if she had lost consciousness before reaching out with her hand. Carlos took one step forward and flopped down on his knees. ¡°I have not properly carried out Your Majesty¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand Carlos¡¯ behavior, sitting on his knees out of the blue, asking for forgiveness. In the stifling silence that followed, Ariel managed to come to her senses. It happened in the middle of their affair, so their clothes were all in disarray. The sight of Ariel pulling up her dress with a pathetic face made Carlos feel uncomfortable. The sad look in her eyes and the lips quivering with shame were all Ariel¡¯s plans to draw out that response, but Carlos had no idea at all. ¡°I failed to follow through with your orders to protect her so that she wouldn¡¯t even get scratched. I apologize.¡± Leandro kept his eyes on Carlos¡¯ face, which was so calm that he could not decipher his inner thoughts. During their years together, Carlos had never violated Leandro¡¯s orders. This kind of apology saying that he failed to fulfill his Master¡¯s orders due to his incapability was also very unfamiliar to Leandro. ¡°Explain properly so that I can understand.¡± Chapter 37 - Placing the Blame On Temi Chapter 37: Placing the Blame On Temi Ariel knew that Leandro would take a look at her neck. He was very sensitive to ¡®completely owning her. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was an object or a person. He¡¯ll just make it his own. It was Leandro¡¯s perverse possessiveness to keep things he liked whole and intact should he make up his mind to add them to his collection. Of course, the only exception to this was himself as he could destroy his things as he liked. He just can¡¯t stand anyone touching his property before he¡¯s had the chance to trample on it himself. So facing Ariel, he always scrutinized and examined her whole body from head to toe. Just in case someone broke his shiny new doll while he wasn¡¯t looking. The fingernail-sized scratch on her ankle was also noticed by the attentive Leandro. He was so dedicated to monitoring Ariel, and it was almost impossible to hide the obvious love bite mark that someone else had laid on her. There was a reason that all the other servants who threatened Ariel were executed except for Temi. Temi was a person who tried to bully Ariel by constantly manipulating someone else, even though she did not directly harm Ariel. The latter didn¡¯t want to let her die the same as the other maids because she remembered how much of a hard time her ugly jealousy had put Ariel through. That¡¯s what she felt at the moment. This time, she even attacked Ariel with a knife, unlike in the original story, so Ariel was worried about how much more vicious she would become going forward. So Ariel deliberately left Temi alive and seduced Carlos. She wondered if there was any way she could punish her severely. Because that¡¯s the conclusion that she came out with. Since Leandro was bound to choose the most vicious method to exact punishment for this kind of thing, she thought to borrow his hand and decided to pin the blame on her. In fact, there were many alternatives besides Carlos. Since he¡¯s a guy who¡¯s got a lot of responsibilities in the palace. But judging from Carlos¡¯ uptight personality, she thought he would never covet Ariel and go until the end without Leandro¡¯s permission. And her prediction hit the mark. It was a good deal for Ariel, for she could stir up Carlos¡¯ heart, arouse Leandro¡¯s jealousy, and punish Temi. But the only thing she didn¡¯t expect was the power of Leandro. She thought he would be angry at Ariel, having all kinds of imaginations when he sees the mark on her neck, but she didn¡¯t know he would strangle her so harshly. If she had reached out a little later, if Leandro hadn¡¯t noticed what she meant and had strangled her a little more. He would not eventually kill Ariel, but it occurred to her that she might have really lost her life. As long as she decided to become Ariel in the novel and change her life by taking the lead, she had to survive somehow from all the dangers that threaten her safety. Ariel wrapped her sore throat with her hands. Perhaps by tomorrow she¡¯ll have a shriveled bruise on her neck making the shape of Leandro¡¯s hand. That wasn¡¯t bad either. Whenever he sees the traces he left behind, he¡¯ll feel sorry for Ariel. In the quiet bedroom Leandro, Carlos, and Ariel, were each preoccupied with their own thoughts. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve brought in the criminal.¡±