* * *

“Your sister can reply through the Carrier pigeon as well.”

Killian unfolded a small piece of paper and dipped a quill pen into ink.

The sharp nib glided smoothly over the surface, leaving dark, clean lines behind.

Even Nael, who couldn’t actually read, could tell that Killian’s handwriting was precise and elegant.

When the black cloth was lifted, a raven as large as a hawk was revealed.

It blinked, its piercing gaze scanning the room before it ruffled its feathers and let out a harsh cry.

Nael instinctively recoiled.

The bird seemed as fierce as its master, its sharp talons poised to claw him mercilessly, its beak ready to strike.

“You don’t need to be so afraid.”

Killian rolled up the note tightly and tied it securely to the raven’s spindly leg.

Holding the cage, he turned to Nael.

“Do you want to watch it take off?”

“…If you’ll allow me clothes, yes. I’d like to see it.”

Nael instinctively knew Killian wouldn’t play cruel games when it came to sending the raven.

Though merciless, the duke was too steadfast for such deception.

This was his way of letting Nael send a farewell message to his sister.

A slight nod granted permission.

Dressed at last, Nael followed Killian onto the deck.

The brilliant sunlight was blinding.

For the first time, he stood on a ship in the middle of an endless ocean.

Everything about this—the ship, leaving the southern lands—was new to him.

The boat sliced through the heavy waves with an unhurried grace, as if savoring its journey.

Swept along by the cruel hand of fate, Nael had ended up here.

The raven, released from Killian’s massive hand, flew south.

Farther south, until it was a mere speck in the sky.

One of the chaotic tasks came to an end, and as soon as Nael thought it was over, exhaustion hit him like a wave.

His battered and aching body seemed to have drained all his energy onto the ground, leaving him drowsy and unable to resist the pull of sleep.

Even without Killian giving specific orders, Nael began to take off his layered clothing.

The fact that he felt sleepy in this situation was absurd, but no matter how much he rubbed his eyes, it didn’t help.

His sore soles made it hard to stand, and his stinging backside made it difficult to sit.

“Master…”

Killian was by the window of the bedroom, sipping from his glass as he gazed out at the sea.

“You may rest for a while.”

With Killian’s permission, Nael sluggishly made his way to the bed.

Killian hadn’t given him a separate room, and when they were together, he was always told to undress.

Sharing the same bed seemed to be the expectation.

Feeling as heavy as a waterlogged sponge, Nael wanted nothing more than to lie down wherever he could rest his head.

Killian hardly made any noise.

The occasional faint clinking sound was almost like a lullaby.

Nael’s heavy eyelids slowly drooped shut.

He only intended to rest his eyes until Killian finished his drink.

“Hmm…”

His legs spread wide as he felt warm liquid touch a sensitive area.

Nael rubbed his eyes to clear his hazy vision.

“M-Master?”

Killian had spread Nael’s legs apart, his glistening hand generously coated in oil, stroking Nael’s ass.

The sharp stimulation as soon as he woke made Nael grab Killian’s wrist, but the response was a light slap to the back of his hand.

It was a clear command to move his hand away, but Nael hesitated, overwhelmed by a sudden and urgent need to relieve himself.

“M-Master, please, wait. I need to go to the bathroom…”

“Do it here.”

“Master…”

“Whether it’sh*t or something else, just let it out.”

Ren had told him that clean water was precious here by the sea.

If so, wouldn’t washing these bed linens require a lot of water?

Nael kept pleading, trying to stop Killian.

“Please, just wait. Water is scarce. But if we soil the bedding, it will need to be washed…”

“Ha.”

It was clearly a laugh of mockery.

Nael’s face flushed bright red.

Even if Killian was wealthy, how could he be so unaware of this?

To scrub such thick bedding clean would take enough water to fill three tubs.

Using that much water in just one day would surely mean there wouldn’t be enough drinking water later.

“Washing it will be a hassle.”

“Nael.”

“…”

“By tomorrow, it will be replaced with new bedding, so it’s not your concern.”

Ah. Nael blinked at Killian’s emerald-green eyes.

Killian chuckled softly and pinched Nael’s cheek gently, almost playfully.

“Now, focus.”

“Ah…”

Killian swiftly stoked Nael’s body, heating it up with his touch.

It was only the second time they had been intimate.

Such a small number of encounters wasn’t enough for him to grow accustomed to it.

Still, Nael’s body trembled as he matched Killian’s rhythm, arching his back.

Even though the rough handling caused his c*ck to ache, he found himself inexplicably aroused, unable to understand his own reaction.

Was it, as Killian said, because his body was naturally lewd?

The train of thought, branching out like tangled vines, was abruptly cut off.

Smack!

The slap to his cheek and head left a stinging sensation.

A chilling aura radiated from Killian, enveloping Nael in its sharp intensity.

The piercing glare in Killian’s eyes seemed as if it could stab straight through his heart.

Nael clutched his face, covering the spot he had been struck.

“Not paying attention? Stop getting distracted.”

“Ah…”

“Get on your stomach.”

At the command, Nael’s world tilted as his view shifted.

His shoulders and face pressed against the soft bed while his hips were raised high in the air.

His c*ck instinctively tensed at the thought of what was to come.

“M-Master, I’m scared…”

It wasn’t the humiliation of exposing himself that terrified him.

It was the fear that Killian’s imposing hands would tear him apart and damage something vital inside.

Nael buried his face in the pillow, trembling.

Like a kitten separated from its mother, facing a predator, his body quivered in fear.

Their first encounter had been excruciatingly painful at the start, as if his lower body were being severed.

Back then, he’d had a reason to endure, no matter how much it hurt.

But now… he wasn’t sure.

He just wanted to lose consciousness and escape it all.

No one had ever warned him about this part of life.

He wasn’t even sure if this could be called intimacy.

The longer he stayed exposed, the more his anxiety grew, making his body stiffen.

Killian’s thick c*ck loomed ominously.

He aligned its tip, slick with saliva, with Nael’s tense ass.

The small, clenched ass looked too tight to even admit a single finger.

“If you don’t relax, you’ll tear. And just so you know, I’m not stopping. Don’t make yourself useless enough for me to throw into the sea.”

The calm tone sent Nael’s heart racing.

His pulse thundered in his ears. Killian’s threats—to break his ankle, to throw him into the sea—didn’t sound like empty words.

The baron had handed over Nael’s ownership to Killian, making it clear that disobedience would be met with severe consequences, perhaps even death.

But the duke wouldn’t grant him a swift death.

The fear was paralyzing, conjuring nightmarish images of his limbs being torn apart or being thrown into the sea to be devoured by terrifying creatures.

“Ah…”

All Nael could do was sob softly, unable to lower his raised hips.

Could he ever find a way out of this?

He prayed that the promise to let him return someday wasn’t a lie.

From now on, he would have to live clinging to faint, fragile hope.

* * *