Chapter 7

The beast, now stripped of his gentlemanly mask, acted as if every wisp of Isabelle’s downy hair and every strand of her locks belonged to him.

Her lower body, which had been filled all night by his massive member, remained open and unable to close. Isabelle, who had fallen asleep lying face-down on Ran’s firm chest, awoke to the sensation of his hard, hot flesh twitching between her thighs.

Though she had only blinked her eyes, Ran immediately knew she was awake and gently stroked her hair.

“Sleep a little longer.”

Isabelle smiled faintly at his tender touch and closed her eyes again, murmuring, “Is it morning?”

“No. It’s midday.”

“What?”

Startled by the word “midday,” Isabelle sat up. Her breasts, visibly marked by the man’s touch, swayed before Ran’s eyes.

Sensing his gaze intensify, Isabelle quickly tried to cover her chest with her hands. But Ran’s hand was faster.

“I told you you’d be punished if you covered up.”

“Ah… hnn.”

The way he reached out and twisted her nipple no longer felt painful; instead, it brought a wave of pleasure. Perhaps it was because her body had been accepting him all night. Even the slightest touch made her flush, and she began to leak hot fluid.

Ran pressed his erect cock against the cleft of her ass, rubbing it slowly. The distinct sensation of the ridge scraping against her wet flesh made Isabelle’s lips part, a soft moan escaping. Whenever the thick head grazed the entrance as if about to thrust inside, she trembled slightly.

She felt relieved, yet a part of her was disappointed. While she loved the feeling of his thick cock filling her completely, she was just too exhausted. The desire to rest outweighed the urge to cry out from the scorching pleasure he gave her. If he stimulated her any more, she knew she would end up sobbing and begging him to drive himself into her, just like the night before. She had to stop Ran, and fast.

Isabelle managed to pull herself together and looked at Ran with pleading eyes.

“Hnn… Ran, that’s enough. Please?”

“You wouldn’t let go of my cock all night, and now you want to stop?”

“W-When did I… Hngh.”

Ran raised an eyebrow, amused, and murmured something under his breath. Then, he moved his hand from her breast to grip her ass. His fingertips brushed against her sensitive flesh, and Isabelle let out a whimpering moan. Ran didn’t seem tired at all.

“I want to wash up. Please?”

“Sigh. Fine.”

Ran finally gave in to Isabelle’s whimpering, her eyes brimming with tears. They had spent the entire night tangled in each other’s arms before falling asleep. Though he liked the way their scents had mingled from sleeping so closely without even thinking to wash, they still needed to clean up.

With a sigh, Ran scooped Isabelle into his arms.

“P-Put me down.”

“You can barely walk, like a newborn fawn.”

“N-No, I can’t!”

Ran snorted, holding Isabelle firmly as she struggled to get down, and strode toward the bathroom. With a flick of his fingers, the bathtub quickly filled with steaming hot water.

“I told you not to use your magic.”

“This much is fine.”

Ran chuckled softly at her worried tone as he lowered Isabelle onto the chair beside the tub.

“Spread them.”

“What?”

“I filled you up inside. If you wash like this, the water’s going to get a mess.”

He had come inside her without any protection. It was true—her still-open hole felt so full that his seed threatened to overflow at any moment—but his blunt words still made her face flush.

“I-I’ll do it myself.”

“You? Your fingers won’t be enough. You have to scrape it all out from deep inside. Think you can manage that?”

“I…”

Before Isabelle could even finish her sentence, Ran grabbed her knees, spread them wide, and settled himself between her thighs.

“Ran! Ah!”

The entrance, softened from a night of repeated entry, welcomed and swallowed his fingers without the slightest resistance. Ran’s eyes darkened as he watched her lower mouth chew and suck on his fingers.

When he curled his fingers and gently scraped her inner walls, Isabelle bent forward and grabbed his shoulders. Thick, milky white clumps dripped down from his touch.

Though she trembled violently, she bit her lip to stifle her moans. Ran didn’t like that.

Changing his mind from gently scooping out his own seed, he deliberately stimulated her inside. Her drenched interior, slick and wet, easily accepted his touch. Ran thoroughly explored every fold of her inner walls, rubbing them with his firm fingertips.

The fluid running down his fingers and wrist had long since turned from a milky white to a clear liquid, yet his touch did not cease. Isabelle, biting her lip to stifle her moans and squeezing her eyes shut, remained unaware that everything inside her had already been drawn out.

Ran stirred his fingers in a circular motion within her warmed depths, murmuring, “Ah, what a waste.”

“Ah… What… What’s a waste?”

“It’s a shame to scrape out the things that could have become our child.”

Ran chuckled softly and pushed his fingers deeper inside.

A child.

The thought was a foreign concept she had never even considered. But now that he had spoken it aloud, he found himself thinking that a child who resembled Isabelle might actually be nice. As if she shared his sentiment, Isabelle softly whispered, “A child…”

“Just a little more. I want you all to myself, so I’m not thinking about a child right now… but someday, it would be nice to have one who looks like you.”

Ran murmured softly, withdrawing his hand, now slick with clear fluid, and pressed his lips against her gasping mouth.

Isabelle finally realized that his claim to scrape out every last drop was just an excuse, seeing how he brought his lips to hers.

Driven to the brink by his teasing, Isabelle ultimately had to sob and beg him to fill her. It had all been part of Ran’s plan.

A moment later, Ran sat in the chair Isabelle had been in, and Isabelle sat on Ran’s lap. Her lower abdomen felt so full it seemed as if it might burst through her flat stomach.

As Ran, seated in the chair, thrust his hips, Isabelle’s full breasts bounced up and down. Ran supported her waist, which kept slipping backward as she struggled to keep her balance, and buried his face between her breasts.

He left a trail of tiny kisses along her cleavage and licked the beads of sweat that had begun to glisten on her skin. The sweet scent of her flesh was already stained with his own.

Sated and eager, the ferocious beast inside Isabelle’s body began to stir and surge. Even a whole night would not be enough. He was consumed by a thirst like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

The shameless beast he had kept hidden away howled. It screamed for him to take more, to devour her until not a single strand of hair remained.

Ran smiled like a vicious animal, staring at the marks he had left clearly etched upon her pale skin.

Ah. This lovely young lady did not know how dangerous a beast could be when it finally met the sweet rain after a long thirst and snapped its leash. Her whimpering moans sounded like celestial music. Ran, smiling languidly as he licked away her teardrops, accelerated his thrusts.

She had belonged to him for a long time, but he needed the formality of marriage to claim her so no one else would dare covet her. Until then, it was easy enough to pretend to be a beast on a leash.

Isabelle, oblivious to the chilling smile in Ran’s obsessed eyes, was lost in the dizzying pleasure he bestowed upon her. Like an innocent young deer unaware it had fallen into a trap.

***

Cold. The first sensation the boy felt as he began to regain consciousness was coldness.

‘Am I dead? Is it normally this cold after you die?’

It felt as though his entire body was frozen solid. The boy was so utterly exhausted that he couldn’t tell whether this was what he felt while still alive or because he was already in the afterlife. His thoughts failed to form a coherent string.

He lacked the strength to move even a single fingertip. It felt as if every last drop of energy within his body had been completely poured out and spent. The only thing he could manage by gathering his strength was barely lifting his eyelids. Before his eyes was pure, solid white.

Where the boy lay felt like a space of flawless, perfect purity. Thinking that because there was nothing here, there would be nothing to hurt or torment him, his mind settled into peace. Yet, at the same time, the thought that no one was around made him feel lonely.

Just then, a small red dot was drawn in one corner of the pure white space. The dot, smaller than a fingernail, began to grow in size as it approached him.

‘No. Don’t come near. If you stay by my side, you’ll get hurt and suffer.’

The weak boy’s cry could not break out through his lips; it merely echoed inside him before fading away.

The red dot was a little girl.

A girl with hair as red as a crimson rose spotted the boy and rushed toward him. The girl’s clear amber eyes grew as wide as if they would spill over at a single touch, before heavy teardrops began to tumble down.

Those tears were so heartbreaking that the boy wanted to wipe them away, but he lacked the energy to raise his hand. Even his eyelids, which he had barely managed to lift, were slowly closing again. Seeing the girl shouting something at him was the boy’s very last memory.

When the boy opened his eyes once more, what came into view was a room adorned with luxurious decorations. Unlike when he had woken up before, the surroundings were filled with warm heat. Though still devoid of energy, the boy realized he could move, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

The items in the room were not in the latest trend, but they were of the highest quality.

Sensing his surroundings, the boy cautiously stepped down from the bed and walked toward the window. Pulling back the heavy curtains, all that met his eyes outside was a stark white landscape. Covered in white snow in every direction, it was hard to spot any natural colors.

“Was it not a dream? Where am I?”

The boy murmured, rubbing his fingertips against the window frosted with white ice. Feeling the chill beyond the glass transmitted vividly through his skin, he knew he was certainly not dreaming right now.

While organizing his thoughts to figure out what had happened, the boy raised his head at the sound of the door opening.

A blunder. Unlike his usual self, who was always watchful and tense, he had let his guard down. Squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, the boy cautiously turned toward the door.

“Are you awake?”

A middle-aged man with vivid red hair asked in a gruff tone, stepping inside with heavy strides.

“Marquis Worel?”

The boy murmured in disbelief. In the Empire, if someone possessed hair that strikingly red, it could only be Marquis Worel of the northern border.

He had heard that the Marquis rarely left his fief unless there was an exceptional occasion due to the barbarians, so he wondered how this could be.

He cast a quick glance out the window. Thin snowflakes had begun to flutter outside. Soon, as if something came to mind, the boy let out a long sigh. As Marquis Worel showed signs of offering a formal bow, the boy shook his head to signal it was unnecessary, walking over to the sofa and plopping down.

“At ease. Sit first. It seems both you and I have much to discuss.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Marquis Worel stared fixedly at the boy before him. Vivid golden hair that could not be imitated by anything, and eyes so icy blue they felt freezing.

Unquestionably, the boy was the Second Prince. As if the rumors of him taking after the Imperial Concubine were no lie, the Marquis recognized at a glance that the boy was not the First Prince—famous for being a troublemaker—but the Second Prince.

Yet, he could hardly believe that the Second Prince, who should be in the capital, had appeared all alone here in the northern Marquisate.

“You seem quite curious as to how I ended up here.”

“Frankly, I am.”

The Prince was not one to miss the wary, probing look in the Marquis’s eyes.

Though young, the Prince was quick-witted and intelligent. It was only natural for a member of the imperial family raised in a palace teeming with conspiracies and schemes.

The Prince weighed whether the Marquis was a man to be trusted. Gathering every piece of information he possessed, he organized it rapidly in his mind. The conclusion was that the man before his eyes was trustworthy.

As if making up his mind, the Prince composed his breath and opened his mouth.

“I was certainly locked inside my palace.”

“Locked away, you say? Who on earth…? Ah…!”

The Marquis was about to ask who dared lock away a member of the imperial family, but soon found the answer himself. Who in the world didn’t know that the Empress regarded the Imperial Concubine—who monopolized the Emperor’s favor—and the Second Prince as thorns in her side? With even the Imperial Concubine, who had been the Second Prince’s pillar of support, dying due to the Empress’s schemes, the Prince before him was virtually standing at the edge of a cliff.

The Marquis quietly waited for the Prince, who seemed lost in thought, to open his mouth again.

He, too, was exceedingly curious as to how the Prince, who had been confined in the palace, arrived here—a place that took ten days of non-stop riding from the capital.

He wondered if he had traveled through a Gate, but since the Gate was managed directly by the Marquis himself, that could not be the case.

“Likely… it seems to be because of this.”

Frowning slightly between his brows, the Prince created a small fireball above his palm. Though the fireball vanished in an instant, it was something that could never be produced without magic power.

The Marquis stared at the Prince with wide, astonished eyes. Though he had never believed the imperial legend claiming they inherited the blood of the Gold Dragon, he felt he could believe it now.

The Prince’s sudden appearance. The fact that he hadn’t woken for days as if he had drained every ounce of his energy, despite having no injuries.

If it were because of magic power, everything was explained.

“Since when?”

“Since when… I do not know myself. What is certain is that I have become capable of wielding magic.”

He could not tell the Marquis everything just yet. He had thought he would surely die this time at the hands of the assassins sent by the Empress. And the memory ended with his body being enveloped in a swirl of light at that very moment.

It was clear his magic power had awakened amidst a life-threatening crisis. Though he had merely summoned a small fireball, he could feel his stamina was completely drained. He needed more training and practice. To do so, he needed a place to stay.

It was certain that even the Empress would not expect him to be here. While his presence here would eventually be discovered, he intended to remain hidden for as long as he could until he gathered sufficient strength.

‘Utilize whatever can be utilized.’

That was the way of life he had chosen to survive. To survive, the Marquis’s assistance was absolutely essential. Now that his mind was made up, winning over the Marquis before him was the top priority. It was time to put his appearance, often hailed as angelic, to good use. Wearing the most friendly and beautiful smile he could muster, he opened his mouth toward the Marquis.

“Marquis, I have a favor to ask of you.”

***

“Ran, look at this. I drew it. How is it?”

The boy, who had been gazing out the window at the falling snow, turned his head at the soft voice. A red-haired girl, looking as though she absorbed all the warmth emanating from the fireplace, stood holding out a sheet of paper with a bright, innocent smile.

The Second Prince—now beginning to be called ‘Ran’—walked over slowly and took the paper. He met the girl’s soft amber eyes and smiled faintly.

Persuading the Marquis had not been particularly difficult, largely thanks to the Marquis’s only daughter, Isabelle. Seeing a girl with red hair and amber eyes in a place of pure, solid white had been no dream.

What he had thought to be a space of flawless purity was a snowy plain. It was Isabelle who had rescued him as he lay collapsed there. To her daughter’s demand that he be allowed to stay until he recovered, the Marquis offered no real objection and agreed to let Ran stay in the Marquisate.

Isabelle did not know Ran’s true identity. To the young girl, the boy was not the Second Prince hiding from the Empress, but simply ‘Ran.’ Being with Isabelle brought him boundless peace and warmth. Without shedding the smile that formed naturally on his lips, Ran looked down at the paper.

“Hmm. It’s a drawing of a bride and a groom. Did you draw this after seeing the wedding we passed by a few days ago?”

On the paper were a bride wearing a pure white veil and holding a bouquet, and a groom with a boutonnière pinned to his chest.

Assuming she drew it after catching a glimpse of a wedding held at a chapel during their outing a few days ago, Ran asked lightheartedly.

As if displeased by Ran’s words, her fair cheeks puffed up and her small lips pouted.

“No! It’s you and me, Ran. Look closely!”

Isabelle pointed her finger at the hair color of the groom on the paper. Looking at it once more, the groom’s hair was indeed gold, and the hair visible beneath the bride’s veil was red.

“Belle, do you know what marriage is?”

“You think I wouldn’t know something like that? It’s promising to stay together forever with the person you like best.”

At Ran’s question, Isabelle answered triumphantly. Her grumbling behavior, asking him not to treat her like a child who knew nothing, was that of a complete little girl.

“Then will you marry me, Belle?”

“Of course! You said you liked me best, Ran. Was that a lie?”

Worried that Ran might call it a lie, her amber eyes wavered as if tears might fall at any moment.

“How could it be? My lady, even if you cry later and say you won’t marry me, I won’t let you go, so be prepared.”

Ran smiled gently and kissed Belle’s flushed cheek. Though this little girl might not know it, his heart had been bound to her from the very moment their eyes first met in the snowy field. The sole chain capable of quieting the beast that sought to run wild, his firm restraint, was this tiny girl.

“Grow up quickly until that day comes, Belle.”

Ran smiled softly as he smoothed her ruffled hair and tucked it behind her ear.

Taking in the sight of the girl smiling back at him, Ran whispered quietly in his heart.

‘When that day comes, I will devour you without leaving a single trace and possess you entirely.’

***

“Mmm… Ran?”

“Yes, it’s me. Shh… Sleep a bit more. You must be tired.”

Laughing softly to himself at the memory of the past, Ran gently stroked and patted Isabelle’s back as she rustled, about to wake up. With just a few soothing pats, Isabelle quickly drifted back into a deep sleep.

Yesterday had been their wedding day. Having lost sleep preparing since dawn and remaining tense throughout, it was only natural she was exhausted. Though strictly speaking it wasn’t their first night, using the excuse that it was their first night as a married couple, Ran had not let Isabelle go until she fell asleep from utter exhaustion.

Because of some damned etiquette—he had no idea who made it up—they hadn’t been able to see each other’s faces for a week before the wedding, even while staying in the very same palace. To make up for what had accumulated during that week, Isabelle wouldn’t be able to leave the bedchamber for at least a fortnight. No, perhaps he should have mentioned taking a month off just to be safe.

Recalling Halo’s expression when he mentioned a fortnight, Ran felt like burst into laughter thinking that the man might have fainted on the spot if he had said a month instead.

Having lost the First Prince, the Empress attempted to assassinate the Emperor and make herself Empress Regnant. Thanks to the Empress hastily pushing forward out of cloudiness from losing her son, clearing out the Empress’ faction had been simple. Though unintended during the process, the Emperor also met his end at the Empress’s hands.

Upon realizing that she had personally placed Ran on the throne—when she had been watching for a chance to kill him all along—the Empress went half mad. She hadn’t even regained her senses when she was beheaded for treason. While it was regrettable for Ran that he couldn’t exact a proper revenge, the past was the past; the present was far more important.

Halo, who had taken the position of Prime Minister after Ran became Emperor, would have to pull all-nighters every single day on behalf of the Emperor who would be away for a fortnight, but Ran didn’t worry in the slightest. Contrary to his complaining, Halo was a dependable subject.

Tossing and turning, Isabelle snuggled infinitely into Ran’s arms in search of warmth. With a gentle smile hanging on his lips, Ran quietly looked down at the sleeping Isabelle. The face of the little girl who had boldly claimed she would marry him overlapped with Isabelle’s sleeping face. Then and now, she remained as pretty and lovely as ever.

“Belle, my lady, be prepared when you wake up. I’m going to love you as much as I’ve waited.”

Ran laughed merrily and kissed Isabelle’s red hair. The peace he had desired so desperately since childhood was fast asleep right beside him.

[Main Story End]