Chapter 13
The powerful feeling of a foreign body hitting me caused me to thump into the wall again. Benya's thing was about the size of a human forearm. It's remarkable how I managed to accept it the other night.
Benya stretched over my shoulder, grasped both of my wrists and began to move, his other hand grasping my waist.
The depth of joy that rapidly pierced me was astounding. I let out a sigh, hoping he'd stop and then continue.
“Ahh! B-benya, take it easy! Ah, oh, uh... Hng…!”
My body jerked once more as the strength in the hand that clutches my wrist intensified. My arms moved on their own, and I wrapped them around his neck and clung to him.
While his thing was still inside me, Benya cuddled me and placed me on top of the chest of drawers with my underwear.
My cheek was touched by a warm hand. I bit his thumb and grinned with tears in my eyes. His delicate blue eyes lit up with a smile.
"You're so cute I'm dying."
“R-really? More than Wendy?”
“Why are you comparing yourself to that?”
“Well… hng!”
Without warning, the guy who clicked his tongue came rushing in. I put one of my ankles on his shoulder and moved it without hesitation this time.
Then he caressed my swinging breasts with his enormous, calloused hand, then proceeded down and rubbed my clitoris.
I felt I was going insane, yet tears welled up in my eyes as I was caressed to that point.
“A-ah! Ahh! Ngh, hng..!”
My entire body was heating up, and I was shivering with a shudder that made me feel like I was about to burst.
Benya moved his hand again, grabbing and tightening his grip on my buttocks as I fought to wiggle out of the back. The pressure that beat deep within me exploded in a high-pitched voice.
I was gasping for air because the pleasure was so intense.
“Ah…! Benya, j-just shoot me dead! Please be gentle...!”
"What? Do you want me to do it gently?”
“N-no… Hng...! Do… it like this, more, deeper... … .!”
I'm not sure if I'm amazing or if this man is awesome after heating it all up like that last night.
Anyway, after numerous rounds of that, we reluctantly let each other go by lunchtime.
We waved our hands at each other sadly after brewing and drinking contraceptive tea together and then went our separate ways.
* * *
"Please, madame, have mercy on my child on All Saints Day!"
"Thank you, you'll be blessed!"
"Could you share the blessings of All Saints Day with my younger brother?"
Traditionally, it was believed that holy days, including Christmas, were occasions during which the less fortunate in the imperial capital could legally ask for assistance.
The majority of those walking around the central church of the imperial city with cans were children.
Since it was daytime, various phrases of rhetoric and blessings echoed through the area, but amidst the individuals who turned away indifferently, a few unheard insults were exchanged.
By the way, isn't that person sweeping the front yard over there our hotel construction supervisor? He seems quite healthy to be a Night Butterfly who also works part-time at a church.
The aisle leading to the central building of the church was also filled with a long line of people waiting to receive donations.
I exchanged greetings with the bishop, handed over the alms money, and carried the bag full of presents into the church.
The donations primarily consisted of grains and winter essentials. Candy and sweets meant for distribution among children were individually wrapped and placed in baskets.
Each package bore an image of a snake, symbolizing Serpente.
"Could I have another one? I want to take it to my Noona."
"Thank you, kind madame!"
"Thank you! May you be blessed!"
I sat down on the steps and handed out the presents from the basket to the little ones, while the construction supervisor walked around as if overseeing me, wearing a raincoat.
All of the children were dressed in worn-out clothes, yet their eyes sparkled with excitement.
Taking out my hairpin, I handed it along with a candy wrapper to a curly-haired girl with a baby on her back. She seemed to be the girl's older sister. The girl's eyes widened in surprise.
"I thought this would suit your hair color better than mine. You have such pretty blonde hair."
"T-thank you! May you be blessed!"
I heard the construction supervisor coughing. It wasn't to discourage my actions; rather, it seemed he was signaling the arrival of someone.
Instead of turning around, I lowered my voice and focused on giving out gifts.
"Are you here for the All Saints Day service?"
"Yes, that's right. By the way, I'm glad you liked the puppy."
"It seems your son conveyed your greetings accurately. Lethy-oppa really adores animals."
"Yes, he does... It's truly kind to perform good deeds like this."
Jerome approached hesitantly and stood beside me, casting an uncomfortable glance at the construction supervisor, who was pretending to be a cleaner.
The construction supervisor glared at him. Jerome quickly averted his gaze and whispered to me.
"Do you need anything from me?"
I attempted to hold back my laughter and briefly glanced at Jerome.
If there was a difference in his demeanor from the last time I saw him – when he displayed a passive and meek attitude – it was that he now exuded a mixture of excitement and determination.
Is he under the impression that by blowing his Hyung's eyes like that, we had actually accepted him to be on our side?
"It's not exactly a request... I have something I'd like to inquire about."
"Just ask me anything."
Although his demeanor of feigning a benevolent uncle was somewhat absurd, I didn't show my amusement and continued.
"The story you shared with me earlier... Referring to that incident nine years ago, I'm a bit curious about the methods employed at that time. It can't have been easy to control the Empress in such a manner, even considering what happened to your older brother and his wife, am I correct?"
"Well, I'm not privy to the details of the situation at that time either. While I was aware of the plan, I wasn't directly involved."
"Absolutely, you're right."
His tone shifted urgently as he turned his head with a hint of disappointment.
"I distinctly recall Hyung mentioning a book."
"A book?"
"He was speaking rather triumphantly about gifting a book to someone within. I wish I could have gotten more details about the nature of that book, but now I can't inquire..."
"Naturally, he wouldn't tell you. Everyone knows that the Viscount is on our side.”
Jerome looked around as if someone was watching us, then lowered his eyes and whispered in a very private tone.
“They say the ones who saved the book were the Fibonacci. They deny it, but it's pretty clear they still have some secret ties with them..."
Guess who's unaware of that. Even before the war, Fibonacci truly wielded the most power as a dark force within the Empire.
That held true until the Dallas Myers Club was formed. It wouldn't have been surprising if they had been involved in plotting the assassination of the Empress.
“If you're willing, I'll make an effort to attend the collateral family meeting. I can't guarantee they'll accept me, but…”
"Thank you. Having the Viscount there certainly gives me some reassurance."
I didn't expect much from him, but I smiled nonetheless. Soon, Jerome walked away with a triumphant air, as if he were a conquering hero.
As I watched his pitiable figure recede, the basket in my lap jerked suddenly. When I turned my head, a strong arm emerged from nowhere and seized the little pickpocket by the collar.
It wasn't the construction supervisor as I initially thought.
“Hey, you little rascal. Who taught you to steal from the church?”
“… I... I apologize.”
“You should apologize to this kind lady, not me.”
"I'm sorry, Madame."
The boy who had attempted to steal from the gift basket (and was now caught by the King of the Underworld) repeatedly bowed his head to me.
I smiled as if to say it was alright, and Yann patted the boy's head before sitting down beside me. The boy quickly made his escape, disappearing outside the church.
“There was no need for you to do that.”
“What do you mean?”
“The hairpin you gave to that girl earlier. Even if you had given her something like that, she would have sold it without a second thought.”
“It would be nice if she could sell it and make some money.”
Yann looked at me in surprise for a moment before shifting his attention to the long line of people waiting for relief in the churchyard.
“Still, the numbers have decreased significantly. Back in the day, the church used to be packed to the brim during festivals, and police officers had to patrol with their lights on...”
“Did Yann and Valen used to come here too?”
"Yes. During festival days, the two of us would take turns going in and out to beg. That friend was there as well. As you know, we all came from Eldora Street."
"That friend" referred to the construction supervisor. I smiled.
"It's hard to believe all this now."
“I know, right? Back then, the police officers were so intimidating, but now I can handle them easily. Looking back, being conscripted and taken away was a blessing in disguise.”
“A blessing?”
“Because I met Benya there. Can you believe that Eldora Street was the biggest slum in the imperial capital before he had any involvement with it?"
“Benya seems to be quite selective in choosing his investments. How was he when you first met him?”
“He looked like just another unfortunate young aristocrat. To be honest, he was kind of annoying."
“Did you have the same impression about the Second Prince?”
His green eyes sparkled noticeably as I asked, and I couldn't help but giggle.
“Well, he was a troublemaker in a different sense. He's got both status and a pretty fiery temper. He's the same guy who took down an officer the size of his father for being too arrogant and gave him a thorough beating.”
"Oh, my goodness."
“It was Benya who broke up that fight back then. But apart from that, the two of them rarely crossed paths. Occasionally, the Prince's side would initiate a conflict, but doing that for too long on a battlefield where lives are constantly on the line can easily get you stabbed in the back. Are you curious about his temperament? It is apparent at what level his temperament was to poison you.”
"That's true. It's strange to think that some sense of justice still exists in an unexpected part of someone like him."
Yann's lips twitched momentarily as if he was about to burst into laughter, but he cleared his throat loudly.
“Indeed, but does this have any connection to your curiosity about what happened nine years ago? I did some digging, as you asked, and at that time, there were suspicions that the Empress didn't die from the plague, but was actually killed by the Emperor.”
It was completely unexpected, causing me to widen my eyes.
“But the Emperor…”
“He was known for his deep affection for her. Yet, when his wife passed away, the burial was hastily done. Regardless of how chaotic things were due to the plague, it does seem a bit suspicious. The Empress herself stated before her death that she wasn't infected, but was simply covered in plague and buried on the same day.”
“Dying individuals might say anything.”
“True. The key point here is that the once-loving emperor's behavior was a bit peculiar at the time. He was suspected of having a hand in his wife's death…”
“Or maybe he was protecting someone.”
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