STM 116

“You might not care about me, but you definitely wouldn’t let the pigs starve.”

I barely resisted the urge to be sarcastic and simply shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s a punishment.”

“A punishment for what? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Well, for coming to a place I shouldn’t have…”

“I don’t know how you were treated in Adeye, but you are the person who will become the Grand Duchess. There is nothing you cannot do here, save for one thing.”

It should have been a moving sentiment, but the pressure felt heavier. If I were allowed to do anything, it felt as though I really would become the Grand Duchess. Every privilege comes with responsibilities and duties.

I couldn’t say that I’d rather just take the punishment. Then, Tairok continued with a calm deduction.

“And the reason you came into the fog was because of the people gathered in front of the mansion. You wanted to confirm the curse for yourself.”

Not at all. I’d heard the path to the Acorn Forest was blocked, so I was looking to see if there was a way through the fog. I turned my head away, feeling like I was deceiving him, but he misunderstood my silence.

“Don’t worry about them.”

“Ah, well. Ahem. Then, is it really alright for me to enter the fog? Am I allowed to see for myself what the Kun family’s curse is?”

“Do you want to see it?”

If I said yes, it felt like he would simply nod in agreement. But that felt like an even bigger burden. I’m not the real Salvation; I have no idea how to break a curse. When I hesitated to answer, he added dryly:

“I don’t expect you to break the curse.”

“Why not?”

“Because that is my burden to carry.”

The way he said it made it seem as though he was used to it. Like a man who had made it this far by shouldering every hardship as his own responsibility.

“Since I can detect black magic, I’ll be of some help. If nothing else works, I can at least help you find the dark mage and beat them up.”

He smiled again, and the way he looked at me made my skin tingle. Feeling awkward, I quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, what is the one thing I am not allowed to do here?”

“The promise written in the contract you wanted.”

At the mention of ‘contract,’ my dormant willpower came to life. According to that promise, there was only one thing I had to do: follow the Kun family rules and be faithful in my married life.

Thinking about it now, it was a bit too broad, but I suppressed my complaints. Until I had that contract in my hands, I had to be the most sincere person alive.

“You can assume I was born just to follow the Kun family rules.”

He smiled again at my flattery. Yet, why did I still feel like he didn’t quite trust me? I tried to butter him up a bit more.

“And since I’m quite the sincere person…”

“Adeye Lu is sincere?”

No, Team Leader Kim is. Damn it. I held back a curse and forced a smile.

“Well, since I’m getting married now. I think marriage suits my constitution. I suddenly feel like being very sincere.”

“If that’s what you think, then the contract…”

The contract? And then? I leaned my ear in, stretching my upper body forward, but I couldn’t hear the rest. Instead, his gaze slid down past my legs and stopped at my ankle.

“Are you hurt?”

He sounded alarmed. Surprised by the change in his tone, I looked down at myself. I must have looked unnatural while trying to keep my painful leg still. But he was so perceptive for noticing that so quickly.

“I just twisted it a bit. More importantly, ahem, you were saying something about the contract.”

“Later.”

“No, we should discuss it now… What are you doing?”

I gasped and tried to pull my leg back. Suddenly, Tairok had dropped to one knee on the floor, reaching out to grasp my foot and lift it. When I tried to pull away, my ankle moved, and I felt an intense pain.

Urgh.

I winced, holding back a groan.

“Is it here?”

“Ah, yes, it’s there, so please don’t touch it.”

“Why?”

“Ngh! Because it hurts!”

But even though I shouted, he didn’t let go. Instead, he took off my shoe and put my foot on his knee.

“It’s swollen, but it’s not broken.”

“Yes, so please just let go… Huh?”

My protest turned into a gasp of surprise. As he covered my ankle with his entire palm, a warm heat spread through the joint, relieving the pain. How…?

[Those who wield the power of a divine beast possess simple healing abilities.]

Before I could voice my shock, Mo chimed in with a quick explanation. Wait, he has healing powers too? I thought only those with holy power in the Temple could do that.

So this man can receive the power of a divine beast, has reached the level of Sword Master, and now he can heal?

“You’re looking at me like I’m some kind of monster.”

“No, I’m just… surprised.”

“It only relieves simple pain.”

Just as he said, my ankle was still swollen and I couldn’t put much weight on it. But this was a godsend. It meant he could be incredibly useful whenever a sudden headache or toothache flared up.

I looked at the human TyXnol in front of me with pure admiration. I must have been looking a bit too intensely, because he suddenly laughed. He brushed his hair back and turned his head away.

“……This is driving me crazy.”

Driving him crazy? I quickly made a suggestion.

“Then try putting your hand on your own head. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be cured instantly.”

“It won’t work. To get better…”

He cut himself off and slowly turned back to look at me.

“I have to use a more certain method. Do you want your ankle to heal too?”

“Of course. I couldn’t even make it back to the mansion because I can’t walk. Why, do you have some medicinal herbs on you?”

I asked without much thought, but then I noticed the look in his eyes had changed from a moment ago. Fortunately, I was quick on the uptake. Plus, I had Mo, who was even quicker.

[In Tubain, it is believed that sexual intercourse has a healing effect.]

Right, that was exactly why the people here were so messy. They believed that sharing each other’s energy could heal the body.

I still found it hard to believe, but the man in front of me seemed to be suggesting exactly that. Of course, I had no intention of running away. In fact, hadn’t I been waiting for this?

However, it was different from what I expected. I thought our first time together would be a loud, tense battle of wills, like soldiers going to war. But it wasn’t.

It was quiet, suffocating. In the silence, his hand moved like a shadow. Slowly, from my ankle to my knee. Very slowy.

“It’s much more effective than herbs.”

He muttered softly. As he spoke, his hand moved past my knee and higher up. His hand was so large that my thigh looked thin as it disappeared beneath his palm. But it wasn’t a strong grip.

Because of that, his slow movement made my skin feel even more sensitive. I couldn’t take my eyes off his hand, and quietly ordered Mo.

‘Mo, sleep mode.’

[System maintenance can be performed in sleep mode, but it takes about a day. Shall I postpone the system maintenance?]

A day or more? Before I knew it, his hand had stopped at the top of my thigh and slid inward. It wasn’t even a big movement, yet it felt as if my entire body was being overtaken by that hand.

It was surprising. Why didn’t his touch feel unpleasant? Well, there was no need to go hunting for a reason right now. Whatever it was, it worked for me.

‘Mo, it doesn’t matter. It’s going to take me more than a day anyway.’

I had no intention of backing down from the challenge Tairok had started. However, to understand my opponent, I had to figure out his leanings.

Does he want to dominate, or does he want to submit? I’m not talking about sadistic acts like whipping or hitting. I believe everyone has at least one foot stepped into one of those two categories.

The Master or the Submissive.

Of course, one might assume he’s naturally the former, but in reality, people in high positions often have tendencies opposite to their social personas. Perhaps they find relief in escaping the tension and responsibility of their status. And I secretly hoped Tairok was that type. That way, I wouldn’t lose myself completely in this relationship.

I lean a bit toward the submissive side myself. Considering this relationship wasn’t real, it felt safer to act the part of the dominator. So, I deliberately spoke with a cold voice.

“It doesn’t hurt there.”

“I have no choice if I want to treat you.”

“You’re treating an ankle through the thigh?”

“No. Inside you. By shoving my dick in.”

He blurted out obscenities in a calm voice. It was blatant sexual harassment, but it wasn’t offensive. Ironically, my body reacted to the vulgar language.

A chill ran down my spine from the back entrance. His hand remained motionless on my thigh, yet my body responded just from hearing those words.

In the past, I only felt pleasure from stimulation of my genitals, so the heat starting from the back was unfamiliar.

It was flustering and strange, but on the other hand, I was worried. Not because I’d hate it, but because I felt like I would be too good at it. Like I’d feel everything far too much.

I moved my gaze from the hand on my thigh to the space between his legs and replied.

“Then you’d better make sure that dick doesn’t get injured. You won’t be able to treat anyone if you can’t shove it. Take good care of it.”

I looked up after giving that advice, only to be met with a smile. I stared, entranced, at his face as it slowly turned into a grin.