“You don’t need anyone else’s approval. I only have one wife, and that’s you, Cece.”
“I-I know that. I do, but I just can’t stop getting emotional about it. I want all of you, just like you want all of me, you know!”
Who cares if it’s selfish or unfair? There are some things I just won’t budge on! You’re the only one who’s ever meant this much to me, and I want you to be mine. All mine.
The words left my throat feeling raw. One tear slid down my cheek.
I wiped it away quickly and waited quietly, bracing myself for Lucas’s reply. We’d raised our voices enough that under normal circumstances, someone would’ve come to see what the commotion was about. But the barrier held up around us, keeping our surroundings quiet. All I could hear was my pounding heartbeat, and I just couldn’t stand still.
Say something, please! I reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.
His voice was steeped in madness, rippling through the mana like it could tear the barrier apart.
“Then give yourself to me. Right here and right now. Just for me.”
“What?”
“You got to do what you wanted, didn’t you? Putting your body on display for people who aren’t me. You let them look at you and lust, let them think you were inviting them in closer. But you’re mine. Cecilia Cline Herbst is mine. Mine. So since my wife’s had her fun, don’t you think it’s only fair that her husband gets to have his turn?”
He said “mine” three times. To make it crystal clear…and to make me feel guilty.
“B-but we’re just standing in the hallway. Anyone could walk by and—”
“I don’t care.”
B-but I do! I definitely care!
Okay, yes, I let him take me from behind in the garden. And right outside the ballroom. Wait a minute, what am I doing with my life?! I’ve done such indecent things with this man that I can’t in good conscience claim innocence!
Still, even with the barrier, someone could walk by, and there would be nothing I could do about it!
“I-I can’t… Eek!” I was shaking as I tried to refuse, but he caught my wrist, spun me around, and pinned me against a massive column.
Startled, I reached out instinctively to try to catch my balance.
But then he wrapped himself round me, pressing his body flush against mine, grinding his thick bulge against the small of my back. My whole body froze.
“Ahh!”
“You can.”
That’s not what I meant by “I can’t!” I wanted to scream that, but I couldn’t. Not with how he was grinding up against me, hot and insistent, and clearly in no mood to listen.
With the barrier or without it, Lucas would have had no second thoughts. He was really going to go through with this, right here and right now. It scared me so much my throat seized up, and a fresh wave of tears poured from my eyes.
I barely managed to whisper, “I can’t,” one more time.
He leaned in and brushed his face close to my ear, inhaling deliberately.
“You’re sweating, and you smell incredible.”
“Nngh!”
“Haaah…”
“L-Lukie, no…”
He exhaled then, heavy and hot with desire. I felt the pressure between my legs growing. I could feel the heat, the heft, and the shape of him. And it made me remember exactly what he could do to me. My spine shivered with fear and something else I didn’t want to put a name to.
“You really think you can’t, Cece? You underestimate yourself. And that hurts my pride as a husband. Let’s fix that misunderstanding, shall we?”
His voice brushed against my ear in a teasing breath, and the way he said it in a voice so calm and measured…and so threatening it made my nipples harden in response. The fabric of my dress hung taut upon them, begging for Lucas to touch me. The moment I noticed it, I felt a wave of shame and fear rushing through me, which made my whole body heat up.
And I knew that whenever he was holding me was the only time I felt safe. So even if he pushed me a little more, I’d forget where we were. I’d let everything go and surrender to him. That was why I had to resist.
“I-I really can’t do it here. I can’t get in the mood in a place like this!”
I’m a royal princess. I’m the wife of the Hero, for crying out loud!
There was no way I could have sex in some corridor in a foreign banquet hall. No way!
But Lucas seemed completely unfazed by my protests. And the more I watched him, the more convinced I became that he was hiding something. He always had something up his sleeve.
And knowing my sadistic husband, he was probably just waiting to strip away every last word of protest to have his way with me no matter what. So if that was his plan, maybe I should try fluttering my eyelashes and whispering, “Only for a little bit.” Maybe he’d go easy on me if I played it cute?
No, no, no. What are you even thinking right now?! You can’t give in! Not here! If you show weakness in front of a beast, you spell your own defeat!
I clenched my jaw, trying to work up the nerve to refuse him decisively. I even squeezed my eyes shut, but then that bully of a husband of mine laughed at me.
“Ha! You can’t get in the mood because of where we are? Is that the only thing stopping you?”
“U-um, that’s not what I meant. Is it…?”
Uh-oh. Oh, no. That is so not what I meant! But I can’t say it with confidence…and the fact that I had to ask him in the end?! My husband has completely trained me!
“You’re really too adorable, Cece. If only I could ruin that sweet, good part of you forever… How about I take a nice, long look and show you just how crazy I am about you? Then you can tell me how much you crave me, too, my lovely wife. Once you finally admit it, maybe you’ll drop the whole ‘proper lady’ act for good.” He whispered the words like they were a precious treasure.
And then he ripped off my skirt.
The metal clasp around my waist snapped apart, and the fabric tore loudly. I could only stare blankly as the silk fluttered to the floor.
And when I glanced down and saw my lower half completely exposed, I had to stifle a scream.
“Wh-wha… No way! L-Lukie, that’s so mean!” I barely got the words out before I saw the way he looked at me. At my panties… If you could even call them that… And just like that, I couldn’t even think about resisting anymore.
I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!
“So that’s why I couldn’t see any lines. You danced for them in this? This is even more revealing than what you wore at the inn! What the hell were you thinking?!” His voice was low and harsh, though his fury seemed to be directed not at me, but at himself for letting it happen. My shoulders trembled.
The mixture of guilt for putting my own desires first and the dark possessiveness he thrust upon me made something inside of me shiver with a shameful delight. I lowered my gaze.
Then he grabbed the top of my panties and yanked them up hard, pulling them tight between my legs.
“Ahh! L-Lukie, please, I’m sorry! Stop…”
Due to the outfit’s design, its undergarments had to be as thin and insubstantial as possible. And because they were so flimsy, they slid effortlessly up into my slit. The sharp sting between my legs had me standing on my tiptoes. I tried to escape the sensation, but Lucas held me close against him.
“One little accident and the whole room could’ve seen everything, Cece.”
My legs were already visible through the slits on the side of the garment. I knew the hem would fly up when I danced, but I’d checked beforehand to make sure my panties wouldn’t show.
But I never imagined I’d end up like this, half naked in just my jewelry and panties. And I could hear distant voices echoing through the corridor.
I felt a cold trickle of sweat run down my back.
This was too cruel. He was being far too mean. But the fear that someone else might see the parts of me that belonged only to him was overwhelming. I couldn’t take it.
“Lukie, please… Someone might come…” I clung to the pillar, trying to hide myself. My body had moved on instinct, trying to turn around and grab onto his chest…
But I ended rubbing up against his dick instead. I felt him grind into the decorative ornaments on my back, and the low moan he let out made my mind go blank.
“Nngh, haah… Cece, that hurts a little. Don’t press up against me so hard with those ornaments.”
“No, stop… It’s too much,” I pleaded.
I didn’t want this, and I definitely hadn’t asked for it. That’s what I tried to say, but the words caught in my throat. Because if I said it out loud, I’d be saying I didn’t want him to take me. And that would be a lie.
Because I had expected this.
I knew Lucas would end up like this all along.