* * *
Ateol’s eyes burned with the same murderous glint I’d seen before—far too terrifying to be dismissed as something as trivial as hurt feelings.
And comfort him?
How was I supposed to do that in this state?
“…Ngh.”
Without releasing my chin, Ateol leaned down and kissed me.
Oh, hell no. So this was the “comfort” the system meant?
A full-blown R-19 romance route?
I explicitly said I didn’t sign up for this!
I twisted violently, shoving at his chest—useless, of course.
Ateol didn’t budge.
Instead, he hauled me up by the waist and carried me across the room, tossing me onto the bloodstained couch before climbing over me.
“Stop!” I shouted.
Ateol tilted his head slightly, lips curling into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Terrifying as it was, I forced myself to speak.
“…I don’t want to do this here.”
“Ah.”
I expected anger, or worse, outright dismissal.
But to my surprise, his expression softened.
“Fair enough. I’m not that much of a monster.”
[Event Cleared! Ateol’s mood has improved.]
What part of that improved his mood?!
I had no clue how his mind worked.
Another chime rang out.
[Special Affection Level 100% Achieved! ‘Bond with Ateol’ unlocked.
All reincarnation penalties have been lifted.
You are now free to act without restrictions. Congratulations!]
Now? Of all the damn timing.
The oppressive gauge that had haunted me vanished without a trace.
Finally, freedom from this madness.
I’d have cheered if I weren’t currently pinned under a homicidal lunatic.
“There’s a portal, right? Shall we go?”
Ateol’s grip on my arm tightened painfully.
“That hurts.”
“I’ll let go once we’re back at the palace.”
He looked dead serious—like he’d rather sever my arm than release me.
With no choice, I stepped into the portal, dragging him along.
The world flashed white.
When my vision cleared, we stood in a hunting ground near the imperial tower, already surrounded by the emperor’s knights.
“I could kill them all and escape if I wanted.”
“I know. But you won’t. You value life too much—especially the lives of those you care about.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.”
He meant Serta, my subordinate.
Rage flared, but I swallowed it.
Ateol hauled me straight to the emperor’s chambers, personally washing me and changing my clothes—even patting me down.
When he found the 50 gold coins hidden in my sleeve, his expression turned dry.
“Planning a childish escape?”
“It’s more than enough.”
A full commoner’s four-year salary.
Ateol only laughed.
Okay, maybe 50 gold was a bit lacking for a proper getaway.
He stripped and joined me in the bath, his hands wandering just enough to be deliberate.
I ignored it, pretending not to notice—until he pinned me to the bed afterward, kneeling over me with a gaze far too intense.
At least his eyes weren’t as unhinged as before.
We stared at each other until the tension grew unbearable.
The second I glanced away, he seized my face and kissed me again.
His hand slipped under the thin fabric of my robe, rough palms groping my thigh without an ounce of gentleness.
I jerked, but his grip was ironclad.
“Ngh—!”
Any protest was swallowed by his mouth.
His fingers trailed lower, sliding from my thigh to my hips, then further in.
I thrashed, but resistance was pointless.
“How did you act with him?”
“Wh—ah—!”
“Did he please you like this, too?”
It took me a second to realize what he meant.
Horrified, I shoved at him—futile, of course.
When his lips finally freed mine, I gasped out,
“No! What the hell are you thinking?!”
“Why not? You spent days alone together in that cabin. You expect me to believe nothing happened?”
“I’m telling you it didn’t!”
“You—the one who ordered your knights to attack me just to run away?”
“…”
I had nothing to say, so I kept my mouth shut.
When I fell silent, Ateol began acting as if he owned the place, doing whatever he pleased.
He pushed aside my clothes, sucking on my chest while his hands spread my legs apart, slathering a slippery oil between them.
By the time his fingers touched me, I was already trembling uncontrollably.
Ateol chuckled as he dragged his fingers along my hardened length, stroking it slowly.
“Ngh…!”
“You’re already like this from just a little touch, and you still say nothing happened?”
Suddenly, the memory of falling through the portal with Serta flashed in my mind, but I quickly shook my head.
Other than that, nothing had happened.
Serta held no ulterior motives toward me—unlike someone.
But Ateol, sharp as a devil, caught that fleeting reaction.
He flipped me onto my stomach.
“Seems like it wasn’t nothing after all.”
“N-no, it was nothing! Really…!”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Ah—hk…!”
The thick, slicked head of his cock pushed into me.
It felt impossibly tight, like it wouldn’t fit, but Ateol gripped my hips firmly, thighs flexing as he forced himself inside with a single thrust.
“…Ah, ngh—ah! It hurts…!”
“Try to relax. I can barely move.”
“No—ah, nngh…!”
Yet despite his words, Ateol moved just fine.
My slicked hole swallowed him greedily, the familiar stretch of his cock pressing against my walls, rubbing with each thrust.
My body grew hotter—truthfully, ever since he touched me in the bath earlier, my stomach had been burning.
His movements turned rougher, faster.
My head spun.
When his thrusts shallowed, I instinctively tried to crawl away, but Ateol caught my ankle, dragging me back effortlessly.
His cock plunged into me again, as if nailing me in place.
“Hngk…! Nn, ah—ah…!”
The head and shaft pressed deep, filling me completely.
The friction and pressure sent sharp pleasure coursing through me.
Sweat coated my entire body.
Gasping, I clenched around him without thinking.
Ateol let out a low groan.
My half-gone mind wanted to hear more.
Trembling, I tightened and released around him clumsily—until Ateol smacked my ass lightly, as if unsure whether to encourage me or make me stop.
The touch was almost gentle, but it strangely stoked my arousal.
The moment I moaned, I felt him grow even thicker inside me.
His thrusts grew faster, deeper.
My body rocked helplessly with each movement, his thick cock grinding against every sensitive spot inside me.
Every time he buried himself to the hilt, it felt like my insides were being flipped upside down.
Spit and mindless moans spilled from my lips without pause.
“Ah—ah! N-no… no…!”
I couldn’t tell if I liked it or hated it.
Did I hate it?
No—it felt too good, so much that I wanted it to stop.
My thoughts had long since scattered, leaving only heat in my mind.
The sensations climbed toward their peak.
Pleasure crashed over me like violent waves, pooling in my lower stomach before surging through my entire body.
“Ah—ah! Ngh…!”
We came at the same time—me into Ateol’s hand, him deep inside me.
Even as he spilled into me, he kept moving, hips relentless.
The overstimulation made my head spin.
The pleasure, cresting endlessly, finally burst—then ebbed away, leaving only a tingling heat behind.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed face-first onto the bed.
Ateol turned me onto my back, then brought his hand to my lips—the same hand now wet with my release.
Drops of my cum fell onto my mouth, some slipping past my lips.
Strangely, I didn’t find it disgusting.
Ateol watched me quietly before kissing my cum-stained lips.
“Hah… mm…”
* * *
