* * *
Ateol kept dragging me back, spearing me onto his cock over and over.
Through my blurred vision, I caught a glimpse of him—his expression strained, no trace of composure left.
A bead of sweat dripped from his jaw.
With effort, I lifted my arms, which had been sprawled helplessly on the bed.
Seeing this, Ateol bent forward, letting me wrap them around his neck.
The angle deepened as I clung to him.
Pressed flush against me, he ground his hips in a slow, maddening circle.
“Nngh—! Nn, ah—! D-don’t… don’t do that, ah…!”
His cock pressed hard against a sensitive spot deep inside.
My swollen walls clenched in waves around him, writhing under the relentless friction.
A scream tore from my throat.
My whole body burned, electric and oversensitive.
My mind melted, my vision flickering.
Ignoring my protests, Ateol braced his thighs and thrust even harder, grinding into me.
“Ah—! Ah, ah—! N-no, nngh… hah…!”
A near-scream burst from my lips.
My arms, weak and slick with sweat, started to slip from his shoulders, so I dug my nails into his back instead.
I felt his muscles twitch under my fingers.
Ateol adjusted his grip on me and resumed pounding into me at a brutal pace.
“Hah—! Ah, ah—! Ah…! Nngh, ah—!”
“Hah… ngh…”
I had no idea when I’d come, but my stomach was already wet.
Yet another orgasm was building, my insides tingling, my head throbbing.
My breath came in ragged gasps, tears spilling—I couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but cling to Ateol like a lifeline.
My mind went white, drowning in the rising tide of pleasure.
“Ah—! Hah… ah… ah…!”
I came with a broken cry.
My vision swam, my consciousness fraying.
As I clenched around him, Ateol cursed and crushed me against him, spilling deep inside.
I shuddered, taking every drop.
Each time he pulled back slightly before thrusting back in, the mess between us made lewd, wet sounds.
Half-conscious, I slumped into his arms as he held me.
“Nngh… pull out…”
But Ateol only laughed.
A hazy sense of dread flashed through my mind—and sure enough, he flipped me over and slammed into me again.
“Ah—!”
A large hand gripped my ass, the stinging slap reigniting the dulled sensitivity.
I glared at him through clenched eyes, and he responded by pressing a loud kiss to my eyelid.
“Did you really think we were done?”
My dread had been right all along.
(Bonus Extra Scene)
“He tried to cut out your tongue?”
I nearly dropped my spoon in shock.
Clodden silently refilled my cup with warm tea before continuing.
“Luckily, Bell was there to stop it.”
It was rare for Serta to react so emotionally.
In any case, it was a relief that Bell was with him.
Apparently, the knight who almost got his tongue cut out had been brazenly whispering about how the Tower Master was a fake.
And not just anywhere—he said it in the training grounds of the Tower.
Serta, upon hearing that, had immediately drawn his sword and tried to cut out the knight’s tongue.
Bell had stopped him.
Normally, it’s Bell who has the short temper, so how angry must Serta have been for Bell to hold him back…
In any case, if Serta really had cut the knight’s tongue, the rumor would’ve spread completely out of control.
“He’s not the kind of person who acts without thinking about the consequences… What happened?”
Cloden tilted his head slightly.
“Rumors seem to have reached even inside the Tower. Sir Croyler was on edge as well. They say he wanted to set an example.”
“And that’s supposed to help? It’ll only backfire.”
Mid-sentence, a thought from the past suddenly came to mind—maybe Serta or Cloden had already guessed some part of who I really was.
Just like how people get angry when their weak spot is hit, when someone is suspicious but desperately denying it, if they’re given even a bit of proof, they become emotional.
Maybe Serta too…
“What happened to the knight?”
“Bell submitted a request to strip him of his knighthood and expel him from the Tower.”
I nodded.
Cutting out his tongue on the spot would’ve been excessive, but letting a knight spread baseless rumors about the Tower Master inside the Tower—whether they were true or not—was unacceptable.
“…What should we do about the rumor?”
Cloden looked grim. I shrugged.
Even if magic was almighty, it wasn’t powerful enough to sweep away rumors that had already spread like shadows.
In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t so almighty after all.
“People who want to believe it will keep believing it anyway.”
Even now, though their numbers are small, there are always people who’ll believe a rumor no matter how ridiculous.
Let’s say a rumor started that a politician was an alien.
A certain percentage of humanity would take it seriously, upload analysis videos to streaming sites, and someone else would hit “like” on those videos.
And in this case, since the rumor is actually true, it’s even harder to bear.
My appetite vanished instantly.
I put down my spoon and took a few sips of tea.
A sudden wave of helplessness hit me so hard I couldn’t even bother chewing.
Staring blankly at the feast laid out in front of me, I asked Cloden:
“If the rumor were true… what would you all do?”
Cloden looked startled—like he couldn’t understand why I’d ask such a thing.
Then he gave a bitter smile, which soon faded into a complicated, shadowed expression.
“Yuri.”
“…”
“We’ve spent all those years with you. There’s no way we wouldn’t recognize you.”
I said nothing. There was nothing I could say.
The Yuri they’d known for so long is now in the Fourth Prince’s palace.
That spot had been taken by a fake Yuri for a while.
And now even that fake Yuri’s place has been taken over by me.
In my past life, I deceived them for six whole years.
The guilt weighed so heavily on me, it couldn’t possibly be expressed with just a “sorry.”
“I want to be alone. Also… I’m out of medicine. Bring more.”
“…Yes.”
Cloden looked like he still had more to say, but he simply bowed his head.
Ateol came by again that evening. I considered kicking him out, but unfortunately, I had no excuse to.
I’d fallen asleep under the effects of the medicine and had just woken up—not sleepy at all.
He entered my bedroom like it was the most natural thing in the world, his face relaxed—as if being kicked out had never occurred to him (which made sense, since I never had).
He casually undid his cloak and sat down like it was his room.
When I glanced at him, he winked.
“Something good happen?”
He looked way too cheerful. Unlike me.
When I asked, Ateol tilted his head and, still smiling, replied:
“No, not at all.”
“…”
Confusing as ever.
When I lowered my gaze again, he continued.
“The Lantern Festival is coming up.”
I nodded vaguely.
This place held festivals nearly every month, and the royal family and Mage Tower always took part.
The Lantern Festival, as the name implied, was when people released floating lanterns into the sky.
“It’s the perfect day to show that the Tower Master is alive and well, don’t you think?”
“…I guess.”
It’s true that there’s no better time than a festival for a public event.
But I had no idea what to do.
* * *
