Chapter 22
Severus guided Ninia to where he was waiting. Only the sound of their two sets of footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Severus often looked at her with condescending eyes, but Ninia had no time to worry about such gazes.
‘……Why all of a sudden.’
It was the first time he had summoned her since the incident at the banquet hall. And it wasn’t even to have dinner together as Ninia had requested.
In fact, Ninia had considered it a relief that he wasn’t looking for her. The fact that she had to be a person of value in order to live was already ingrained in her body.
But he was the first person to seek her out for a woman’s use.
‘Of course. He is… my husband.’
Husband. It was a word she could never get used to. It was natural for a husband to call for his wife, but Ninia often forgot that she had become someone’s wife, and that she even had a husband.
‘He must loathe me.’
He surely must have hated even touching Ninia.
What part of her had gotten on Tarahan’s nerves? Her fingertips grew cold. Before her pale lips could turn completely white, she had arrived at Tarahan’s office.
Knock knock. Severus knocked briefly. Just as his hand was about to grasp the doorknob, the door opened from the inside.
“You’re late.”
Tarahan was looking down at her. For a moment, Ninia held her breath.
The evening glow spilling from the open doorway drew a long line in the darkened corridor. The red light created the illusion of binding her entire body.
“Your Excellency, as you instructed……”
“I don’t recall summoning you.”
Tarahan cut Severus off. Paying no mind to the butler’s flustered state, Tarahan gestured with his chin at what he was holding.
“Leave it and go.”
Ninia stared blankly, then came to her senses when she saw the butler handing a basket to him.
She had been half out of her mind for a while, so she hadn’t even noticed the butler was carrying something. For a moment, Ninia, who thought he had meant for her to be left behind, felt her earlobes turn slightly red.
“Come in.”
Tarahan stood leaning at a crooked angle. Ninia passed by him and entered the office. Soon, the door closed. In the red space stained by the sunset, only Ninia and he remained.
Tarahan, passing by her side, leaned back and sat on the single-person sofa. The sofa, which seemed sturdy enough to support a grown man, creaked as if burdened by his large frame.
Ninia stood rooted to the spot, just as she had on her first day here, and watched the scene.
“Why didn’t you come find me?”
Tarahan asked Ninia, his arms crossed. At his casual arrogance, she couldn’t answer right away. Only after her lips moved a few times did a faint sound come out.
“……I didn’t know you were serious.”
Less disgusting than I thought.
He had said this after kissing Ninia. Ninia had returned to her room alone and pondered the reason he had kissed her.
‘He must want me to hate it.’
The conclusion was simple. Since Tarahan detested her to the core, he had endured the disgust to inflict pain on Ninia.
But only she knew if the violence he presented had truly tormented Ninia.
Perhaps the sensation Ninia felt that day was not what Tarahan had intended. That was why she hadn’t gone to find Tarahan.
That I felt something other than the pain you tried to give me. She didn’t want this fact to be discovered.
“You don’t even keep a promise.”
At Tarahan’s accusation, she silently lowered her gaze. Whatever Ninia said, if he said it was so, then it was so.
It was better this way. At least she wouldn’t have to open her own mouth and speak the truth.
“I don’t like it when someone looks down on me, Ninia.”
At his words, her blue eyes trembled. Her gaze, which had been calm as if to endure anything, wandered around confusedly before finally settling on the floor.
‘My name. So he knew it.’
While muttering to herself, she knew it was a foolish thought. Even people living in a small village at the edge of the empire knew Ninia’s name. It was impossible that Tarahan, who was married to the person in question, would not know her name.
It was just that this was the first time he had mentioned Ninia’s name directly.
A red gaze was scanning Ninia. Again. Ninia felt a stirring inside her body. It felt like her insides were boiling, yet it also surged as if riding her breath. The gods must have put something inside the human body when they created it.
She was having thoughts she didn’t even understand. He tilted his head once and commanded.
“Sit.”
Ninia’s gaze turned to where he was pointing. Tarahan’s legs were spread apart. Just enough space for one person to fit.
The sunset filtering through the window was particularly deep. Was it because of the setting sun? With the red light at his back, he looked like a god with a different name.
Ninia’s knees touched the floor. Tarahan beckoned with his hand between his legs. She had to approach, crawling on her knees, into the space within Tarahan.
Ninia was trapped between him. Tarahan’s gaze was like a leash. Her body was clearly free, yet like a leashed beast, she couldn’t move an inch.
The corners of Tarahan’s lips drew a languid curve. It was a sign of satisfaction.
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
His fingers tapped the armrest as if weighing a thought. At his following words, she couldn’t lift her head.
“You act like a dog that doesn’t know what to do unless it’s serving someone.”
Tarahan laughed silently, watching her body tremble noticeably.
At first, he hadn’t liked this submissive attitude. He thought it was all an act, a lie.
But the woman who was a former saintess was more honest than he had judged and didn’t know how to hide things. Just like right now.
“You’re trash thrown away by the goddess, so I’m debating whether to pick you up or not.”
“……Ah!”
Tarahan’s hand grabbed Ninia’s chin, forcing her head up. Her gaze darted around, trying to avoid his, but in the end, she cast her eyes down.
Her blue eyes looked as busy as a churning wave. She wasn’t racking her brain, she just didn’t know what to do.
‘If I tame her well, I might have some fun.’
Even if Ninia was abandoned by the temple, those petty folks believed without a doubt that she still followed the goddess.
‘Even a beast will bite its master after a near-death experience.’
Showing them a fallen cleric tamed in his own way and watching their faces crumple without mercy seemed like it would be a decent amusement.
“Hh……”
Perhaps he had unconsciously put strength into the hand holding Ninia’s face, as she let out a shallow breath. When he pressed her cheek with his thumb, he saw her focus even more.
Watching her react to a small stimulus brought a sadistic pleasure. He slowly began to tell Ninia the reason he had called for her.
“Well then, shall we have dinner.”
At his words, Ninia’s eyes blinked rapidly, not understanding. Tarahan ignored her reaction and reached out his hand.
Tarahan picked up the basket he had received from the butler earlier. Inside the basket was food. Sandwiches and milk that could be eaten lightly. The last thing to come out was a grape.
‘It’s a fruit.’
The purple grape was slightly different from the common variety. The berry, which should have been round, was a little elongated, and its color was deeper.
It was the first time she had seen fruit since coming here, so it was a little fascinating. Tarahan, noticing her eyes were on the grape, asked.
“Do you want to eat it?”
She hesitated, not knowing what to say. She had no memory of being picky about food or asking for it in her life. Such a life was natural, so she had never thought it strange.
But if she were to answer that question purely, she was on the side of wanting to eat it. She hesitated before answering.
“……Yes.”
At her answer, Tarahan, without another word, plucked a grape from the stem and brought it to her mouth.
Ninia carefully opened her mouth and accepted the grape. The smooth surface rolled onto her tongue. When she bit it with her molars, the juice burst out. The juice that spread instantly inside her mouth was sweet enough to break down her nerves.
“It’s about time for uninvited guests to storm in.”
Following his mutter, as if to himself, a large hand stroked Ninia’s head once.
It was an abnormal sensation. Feeling the warmth left on her hair, Ninia’s eyes once again shook dizzily.
Kneeling, receiving food, and having her head patted. Ninia realized belatedly that she was being treated exactly like a dog.
“Get ready.”
It was a short command. The blue eyes were already stained with shock. He patted Ninia’s cheek. As if that were some kind of switch, Ninia’s skin flushed bright red.
‘Is it shame? Or……’
Tarahan’s gaze turned to her nape. The dress Ninia was wearing was larger than her frame, so a gap was visible whenever she bowed her head. His slow gaze clung to the white skin before pulling away.
“You wear rags like this so well all the time.”
His hand moved toward Ninia’s neck. He didn’t apply force, just wrapped his hand around it, but the pressure was immense. Ninia’s breath grew subtly ragged.
“When you hear me, answer immediately.”
Tarahan’s brow furrowed slightly. Looking back, Ninia had never answered his words immediately. Such a habit was not good.
As his skin touched hers directly, he could feel her trembling. It was almost like holding a bird, not a person.
Because of her pale and delicate skin, it seemed a mark would be left even before he could break her neck. Perhaps one had already been left.
“……Yes.”
Ninia nodded a beat late. Not even knowing what she had to do, she answered indiscriminately when pressed.
It was a foolish attitude, but it was the answer he wanted. Moreover, her entranced gaze remained unchanged, so Tarahan was momentarily immersed in a strange sense of fulfillment.
‘If it’s a beast that still wants a master even after being abandoned, I’ll use it as much as it wants.’
Isn’t this also a mutual transaction?
A deep fire ignited in his eyes as he looked at Ninia.
