Chapter 271
A thrown body.
The sound of the door locking.
The breath felt on her nape was so hot it could almost sear her skin, and every time Louise’s seductive hands blatantly caressed her body, Victor trembled and flinched.
‘Damn it.’
It took but a fleeting moment for her to reach a conclusion. Even though she didn’t say it directly, since it was just the two of them, there were no words more fitting to express Victor’s current feelings.
And with good reason. After all, wasn’t Victor under the effects of an aphrodisiac? The honey-like glint in Louise’s eyes as she glanced back at her made it clear she had taken one too.
…Seeing the pill bottle rolling under the bed confirmed it.
“Lu, Louise?”
Victor took a deep breath and grabbed Louise by the shoulders. The overwhelming physical contact made it hard to focus, but she summoned superhuman willpower to squeeze out her words.
“J-just wait. Could you wait for a moment?”“Wait? Hmm, for what?”
Louise responded while rubbing her wet groin. It seemed some time had passed since she drank the aphrodisiac, as her pants were already drenched.
“It’ll just take a moment, okay?”
“…”
“Please…”
“Alright.”
At Victor’s plea, Louise unwrapped her legs from her waist. With a squelching sound, a thick line of sticky fluid stretched out from between her thighs.
“Th-thank you.”
Regaining her freedom, Victor wiped away her cold sweat and stood up. Her legs wobbled under the effects of the drug, and her body trembled every time her clothes brushed against her skin. Even so, she gritted her teeth and walked toward the door.
Knock knock-
“Shiron, are you there?”
There was no reply, but Victor had trained in mana. It wasn’t difficult to sense the presence of the man sitting just outside the door, leaning against it.
“Shiron, why are you doing this? Do you hate me that much?”
-Victor, you’re gay.
Perhaps it was her pitiful tone, but a calm response came from the other side of the door.
-Sorry, but my stomach isn’t strong enough to sleep with someone of the same gender.
‘You idiot!’
-I’m not gay. I’m straight. I like women, not men.
‘Even Siriel noticed. Why haven’t you?’
-I’ve known for a while that you like me. But come on. No matter how pretty you are, when I think about what’s between your legs, my dick dies.
‘I’m a woman!’
Victor swallowed the words rising to her throat. If it had just been the two of them, she would have come out and said it, but Louise’s gaze weighed on her from behind.
-And another thing.
Even as Victor struggled, Shiron’s words didn’t stop. In fact, his voice lowered, becoming even more serious than before.
-Louise is really pitiful.
“…”
-I understand that you don’t like Louise because you’re gay. I can’t like you because you’re a man either. But that doesn’t mean you should ruin someone’s entire life.
Shiron looked out the window at the sky. It was so clear it seemed like the stars would spill out.
It had been the same on the Great Plains. He could easily recall Louise’s figure as she listlessly gazed up at the night sky.
She had left the palace of her own accord.
The reason? Simply because the emperor didn’t acknowledge her.
A lot of people had died because of her trivial personal greed.
Though it wasn’t her fault, but rather the apostle’s, in this latest expedition, everyone connected to Louise except for the Prient family had died.
She must have been drowning in guilt, unsure how to return to the palace. That’s why she had quietly slipped out of the tent and cried in silence.
Louise…
She probably thought even displaying her sorrow was a luxury. Even though she didn’t outwardly express it, she must have heard the phantom reprimand of “What right do you have to cry?”
-So just have sex with Louise.
Shiron spoke with force.
-You’ve both taken the aphrodisiac. Even if you aren’t aroused by women, your dick’s probably hard by now.
Just like Shiron’s, which was still as stiff as a rock.
-And don’t forget, you need to produce an heir for the royal family. Just close your eyes and count the stars. Louise will finish quickly. Oh, and by the way, I’ve placed a barrier that won’t let you leave unless you two have sex. So, don’t bother trying anything else.
Tap-
“Did you hear all of that?”
Louise placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder. Victor clenched her eyes shut and turned to face her. It wasn’t because she feared being assaulted by someone of the same gender. The reason she kept her eyes closed was because she was too ashamed to meet Louise’s gaze.
Louise, facing Victor, gave a bitter smile.
Her tightly shut eyes and sealed lips made her look like a frightened girl. She wondered if Victor had ever shown such weakness before, but she soon understood.
‘His Majesty was abandoned… shunned by Sir Shiron, just like I was.’
Just like me.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Louise smiled.
“Please open your eyes.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one being forceful here…”
“No.”
Victor spoke with determination. Her pants had been soaked as if she had peed herself long ago, and her body felt as if it was burning at the slightest breeze, but she couldn’t face Louise with a pitiful expression in this situation.
“It’s my fault. Like Shiron said, I’m the one who ruined your life.”
“Your Majesty…”
“You heard him, didn’t you? I… I love Shiron.”
Victor’s eyes welled with tears. A single tear trickled down her cheek, just like her sodden crotch.
‘Your Majesty…’
Louise thought she had witnessed so much in this moment. Every day, she received love-filled letters from Victor, and every time they met, Victor greeted her with bouquets of flowers in full bloom. At night, Victor serenaded her with beautiful songs. Even when Louise threw tantrums, Victor empathized and comforted her as if it were her own problem.
So,
Louise thought Victor was someone strong.
“I’ve caused trouble again, haven’t I?”
Victor’s physical abilities were not even half of Louise’s, but she thought that, unlike Louise, who couldn’t endure loneliness and indifference and caused accidents, Victor had a stronger heart.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“What… are you sorry for?”
“Because I’m causing trouble right now, aren’t I?”
By the time she came to her senses, Louise was also crying. On the floor wet with her honey-like fluids, her tears formed more puddles. Louise wiped her tears with her sleeve. The erotic lingerie she had prepared for the day rose and revealed the damp parts of her body.
“I can’t control my feelings. I hate myself for being like this, and it makes me cry even more.”
“…”
“I knew, Your Majesty didn’t love me. I knew you loved Sir Shiron. But still, I wanted to be loved by you.”
“Louise…”
“I even resorted to something like this, but in the end, I just made you sad…”
Louise took a step back. In her blurred vision, she could see Victor’s sad expression.
“I’m… really a bad woman, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m selfish and childish, so it’s natural for you to lose affection for me.”
“…That’s not true.”
“This selfish and disgusting woman has one last request. Please share your seed with me. After I have a child, I will leave the palace myself.”
Victor silently gazed at the weeping Louise.
She couldn’t understand how things had come to this.
…No, she actually did.
She knew that Louise was crying bitterly because of her, and that Shiron’s heart was heavy behind the wall because of her as well.
Her chest ached. She had known for a long time what kind of feelings Louise had for her. But Victor had been raised her entire life to become the emperor.
At a young age, she was pitted against her older brother, who was ten years her senior, and from then on, she had been relentlessly trained to become emperor. Her education focused on removing her emotions and replacing them with logic.
So, she thought she had no choice, that she had to justify her actions…
“Louise.”
“…Yes.”
“You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Was it because of the aphrodisiac? Or was it because of the guilt she felt towards Louise?
“I’m the selfish one.”
Victor could no longer maintain her façade. She began removing the ornaments she was wearing.
Plop, plop. Like threads snapping, the gold trinkets fell to the floor. Each time, a layer of the mask she had worn peeled away.
“The selfish one… is me.”
Victor revealed her true self. The face she had shown to only one person since her mother passed away was now a whirlwind of emotions.
Frustration. Injustice. Regret toward her father. Resentment toward her mother. Lament over her situation. Sympathy and sorrow for Louise. And lastly…
“I’m not gay… I’m a woman!”
A small love, carefully hidden and now unreachable.
“…Your Majesty?”
Louise stared at Victor with wide eyes. The handsome young man was gone, replaced by a woman with short-cropped hair.
Victor looked at Louise with a sense of relief.
Louise’s mouth hung open in shock, and her honey-dripping eyes had shrunk to tiny beads, trembling furiously.
“Sorry, I’m really sorry.”
Victor bowed her head, repeatedly apologizing, but no reply came.
Of course, it was natural for her to be shocked. She might even resent her. It was obvious that Louise’s heart was more in turmoil than Victor’s at this moment.
Unlike Victor, who had achieved her goal of becoming emperor, Louise’s entire life had been denied from this point onward.
So Victor, clutching her aching chest, decided to apologize.
This sin was one she would regret for the rest of her life, and no matter how many times she apologized, it would never be enough. She only hoped that Louise wouldn’t beat her to death.
At least, until she felt the soft, warm touch. Louise had grabbed the kneeling Victor and kissed her.
“…”
With wide eyes, Victor gazed at her sorrowful face. It didn’t take long for them to move to the next step.
It wasn’t as repulsive as expected.
So, at the very least, she could respond by gently caressing her trembling back.
Bam!
“What the hell? Victor’s a woman?!”
The two women were startled by the man who had barged in during their kiss.
“It’s true?!”