Chapter 42

Jansen, who combined an ordinary look with a hint of wealth, would smile whenever his eyes met Ramona’s. It was the kind of reassuring smile that gradually won her over.

Even though she couldn’t help but compare him to Adrian the more they met, she didn’t mind. He was admittedly plainer and less handsome than Adrian, but she liked his average face. He lacked pectoral muscles and had thin thighs, but he had enough money to make a living, and she figured life would be fine as long as he remained economically active.

“How about having dinner at my place today? I’ve actually been learning to cook lately for you, Ramona. I’d be grateful if you could give me your feedback.”

“Really? Wow, that’s impressive.”

Seeing Jansen speak with such a shy voice, Ramona nodded in agreement. If he was learning to cook specifically for her despite not knowing how, the least she could do was go and taste it.

“My place is a bit humble, so please understand.”

As Jansen said, the house was indeed humble. Ramona briefly wondered if he just didn’t invest in his home despite being wealthy, but she stepped inside without much thought.

“I’ll help you out while you cook, Jansen. So don’t be nervous. By the way, I don’t see any ingredients. Did you put them away somewhere?”

She glanced around, but seeing not even a scrap of food, she tilted her head in confusion.

Swoosh-

Suddenly, a chilling sound came from behind her. Instinctively, she turned around. There stood Jansen—with his trousers dropped to the floor.

“Mr. Jansen, did you lose weight? Your pants fell down.” Seeing Ramona ask this with a voice that didn’t hold even a speck of agitation, Jansen’s eyes began to glimmer with a predatory sheen. Only when the gaze of the man who had always worn a gentle smile turned dark did Ramona’s brow furrow.

“Ex-Excuse me, Mr. Jan—?”

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for a day like this.” As Jansen took a step forward, his voice dripping with sleaze, Ramona flinched and cast her gaze downward.

“I think you’re going to have to wait a bit longer.”

“What? Does that mean you were planning on having a relationship with me too? But you see, I’m not really into ‘ordinary’ relationships.”

Acting as if he possessed some extraordinary skill, Jansen looked down at himself with a deeply satisfied smirk. He then approached Ramona, who stood frozen, unable to even back away.

“I’m going to make you feel ecstatic all night long, so look forwar—”

“Do you have some kind of special technique? Because to me, it looks like a shriveled shishito pepper that stopped growing halfway.”

At Ramona’s harsh critique, Jansen, who had no idea what a shishito pepper was, knitted his brows.

“Shishito pepper? What’s that?”

“It’s a wrinkled pepper they eat in the Southern Continent… actually, never mind. Looking at it now, it’s not even a stunted pepper; it looks more like a vestigial organ.”

Ramona wore a bored expression, as if she were looking at a shriveled muscle that might have been useful in the past but had evolved into uselessness in the modern age. She extended one finger as if to measure the length, then shook her head side to side.

“Forget a whole finger, it’s barely two knuckles long. How is that supposed to lead to ecstasy? I doubt I’d feel anything at all.”

“Wh-What? How dare you!”

His pride utterly shredded, Jansen lunged at Ramona. He had a reputation for being strong, but in his mind, a woman was just a woman. Confident that she could never overcome a man’s strength, Jansen tried to grab her and pin her down. Or rather, he tried to.

Unexpectedly, her foot lashed out like a choreographed dance move, landing a precision strike right on the center of Jansen’s pride. In an instant, unable to even scream, Jansen clutched his dignity with both hands. With bloodshot eyes and foaming at the mouth, he collapsed on the spot.

He writhed and shivered on the floor like a worm cut in half. Ramona watched him with indifferent eyes before stepping on the space between his legs. The squishy sensation transferred through the sole of her shoe.

“Hrk…!”

“Since this thing is useless anyway, maybe it’s better to just remove it…”

Just as Ramona was offering her “kind” advice to Jansen, a familiar voice echoed from outside.

— Ramona! Raon’s mom!

The moment she turned around, the door burst open to reveal Adrian. About to rush in, Adrian suddenly froze and instinctively pressed his legs tightly together. Standing behind him, Raon shook his head and crossed himself.

“Phew, Lord Jue, another one goes up today. I’m sorry, little pepper, for failing to protect you…”

Seeing Raon’s genuinely pitying expression, Ramona subtly pulled her foot off Jansen’s crotch.

“My little prince, just who are you worried about?”

“I was worried about you, Mom, obviously. You didn’t think I was worried about the shishito pepper, did you?”

“Right? Well, I haven’t popped it yet, so don’t look so serious.”

As Ramona spoke with a bright smile, all the knights—except Raon—modestly pulled their legs together. Even though they hadn’t been hit, they felt a phantom pain in that very spot.

“Ra-Ramona… is, uh, everything okay over… there?”

Adrian couldn’t even bring himself to ask if Ramona was okay, given that Jansen’s condition looked so dire. Even though he was a villain, one couldn’t help but feel a momentary pang of sympathy.

“It’s a vestigial organ, but it’s still alive for now. He should at least have it attached when he stands in court. But more importantly, what brings Raon’s father here?”

When she asked as if he had just brought Raon out for an evening stroll with a squadron of knights, Adrian gave an awkward smile.

“Th-That’s… Raon said he wanted to see the village… right, Raon?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s right.”

Responding in a somewhat unenthusiastic tone, Raon ran over and buried himself in Ramona’s embrace. Stroking Raon’s messy hair as he nuzzled against her, Ramona cast a fleeting glance behind her.

***

The misdeeds of Jansen—who had fainted while clutching his “vestigial organ”—were revealed in vivid detail a few days later. He had been committing heinous acts against women and blackmailing them for money. That was how he had been able to spend money so freely on his next target, Ramona. His only mistake was trying his luck with Ramona and getting trampled for it.

At Jansen’s public trial, several women who had been toyed with by him attended, weeping as they testified about his filthy crimes. With the testimony of those who chose to speak out rather than bury the pain, Jansen was sentenced to hard labor at the border. His face turned ghostly pale at the realization that he would be working until he died without ever touching a paycheck.

The court decided that Jansen’s wages from his labor would be paid to the victims as small amounts of compensation. It was meant to force him to pay back his victims materially through his own sweat. The atmosphere was so refreshing it felt like everyone had just chugged five-star sparkling water; the ten-year-old congestion in their chests finally cleared.

“Ra-Ramona… I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was such a bad person when I introduced him to you.”

Jane, who came to visit after hearing the rumors about Jansen, apologized incessantly. Because Jansen had moved to this town after settling a sex crime in another region with money, Jane had been unaware of his past.

“I hope this doesn’t happen again. At the very least, I’d like you to introduce me to someone whose entire past you actually know.”

“Of course, definitely. I’ll do that from now on. I’ll think long and hard before I ever introduce someone to you again. I’m truly, truly sorry.”

If Ramona hadn’t kicked Jansen in his “not-so-good” place first, something terrible might have happened, so Jane apologized over and over. Accepting the sincerity of the apology, Ramona sent her on her way, saying they’d see each other next time.

“Phew…”

After everything was settled, Ramona returned home and collapsed in exhaustion. Seeing her slumped over, Toto ran over and started wiggling his butt playfully to cheer her up.

“Are you comforting me? Thanks.”

While Ramona offered a thin smile at Toto’s antics, Adrian—who had witnessed everything at the trial—was summoned by Adolf to his office.

“I heard something unpleasant happened while I was in the capital.”

Usually, the affairs of an ordinary commoner woman would never reach the ears of Duke Cassius. However, because the subject was Ramona, Adiel had reported it directly to Adolf.

“It has been settled well.”

“No, from where I’m sitting, the settlement seems flimsy. Do you think this will end as a one-time occurrence? This will happen countless times in the future.”

Adrian nodded slightly, seeing Adolf speak with such certainty about things that hadn’t happened yet.

“Then, what do you suggest we do?”

“What else? Bring her here.”

“But Ramona doesn’t want that.”

“If she doesn’t want to, then grab her by the legs and beg if you have to.”

Adrian, who had previously said he couldn’t beg because he’d never done it before, shook his head.

“Tsk, is there anything you can do?”

“What if I’m begging and Ramona kicks me… there?”

The image of Jansen foaming at the mouth and writhing in agony seemed to flash before his eyes. Adrian trembled at the memory of that terrifying scene. Seeing his son like that, Adolf clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, it wouldn’t even be a problem if you got kicked there. It’s not like you’re using it for anything anyway.”

“F-Father! How can you say something so cruel to your own son?”

“Hmph, have you forgotten I’m the lord here? Enough. Just do as you’re told.”

As the highest authority in the land issued his command, Adrian turned to Adiel standing beside him and spoke with a dead-serious voice.

“Can you go find me the sturdiest, most state-of-the-art male chastity belt currently available?”