Chapter 17
Ever since kidnapping the necromancer Ian, Regina had been ensnared by instinctual impulses she couldn't rein in with mere reason. To be precise, it started on that first night—the moment she laid eyes on his erect cock.
It was a feeling utterly unlike the guilt she'd felt upon first abducting him, when she'd sensed no mana emanating from his body. This was something else entirely: a primal scent wafting from him, stirring her deepest instincts. As a beastkin, she found herself utterly captivated by the overwhelming urge it ignited, one she simply couldn't resist.
Was that why her long-forgotten heat cycle—buried deep since her assassin upbringing—had suddenly returned? The suppressed instinct paralyzed her rationality. Before she knew it, she'd developed sexual feelings for Ian. She'd even touched his cock with her own hands...
'To think I'd do something like that...'
And worse—she'd buried her nose in his semen, smearing it across her face and skin. She'd acted like a junkie addicted to the strongest drug.
Her severed instincts had regenerated, reborn as raw nature. She was flustered by it. At first, she couldn't even believe it. She'd long since discarded her femininity during her assassin training.
'...A heat cycle? Ridiculous.'
It made no sense. Assassins had to be numb to emotions, after all. Maybe it was a side effect of being exiled from the beastman kingdom. Or perhaps protecting Jubi had awakened her beastkin instincts, dragging the rest along with it.
But she had no time to ponder. Night after night, her body moved on compulsive instinct. Then, one day... Ian vanished.
At first, she thought it a relief. With him constantly nearby, her instincts—her lust—would keep flaring, trapping her in heat without her even realizing it. If she kept getting high on his semen scent...
'I'll stop being me.'
Of course, she wasn't entirely unconcerned about the frail guy. But better that than letting herself shatter.
Things would be fine now, she told herself. Regina masturbated alone...
...But that was a massive mistake.
After Ian disappeared, a throbbing ache settled in her lower abdomen every night. Her womb—an organ she'd never paid mind to—clenched and spasmed relentlessly. Her heart pounded like mad.
The first time? Sure, the first day. Blame the heat triggered by him. It'd fade with time.
...Like hell it did. It only worsened day by day.
Day two: until morning. Day three: until lunch. Day four: until dinner. From day five: all day long.
Her whole body burned. Her mind filled with thoughts of him.
'I'm going insane.'
Was it really her heat? Ironically, her instincts ignored every other male. Only Ian—only the urge for him consumed her entirely.
'I can't... hold out anymore.'
Then, purely by chance... Well, honestly, after scouring the castle high and low for him, she overheard that knights had locked him in an isolated tower room on the count's orders.
And that night, in the tower's secluded chamber, Regina found the sleeping Ian.
Quick, quick... just one more taste of his cock...
As she moved on impulse, her reason kicked in, halting her.
'...I can't properly smell his scent from there right now.'
If she caught a full whiff of his cock's aroma now, she'd lose control of this boiling, long-suppressed urge. Who knew what she'd do to him? He'd hate her for it.
'I don't want that.'
So the choice Regina made was...
"Aum..."
The fingers of his outstretched hand beneath the bed. The ones that had just scratched his groin in his sleep, carrying traces of that scent.
§
Grrr... Slurp... Lick.
I woke to the rough, raspy sensation at the tip of my finger. What greeted me was faint moonlight illuminating deep brown skin. Glossy black hair, and pumpkin-colored eyes with vertical slits fixed on me.
"Mm... Uh?"
What the hell? What's going on?
As my mind cleared, the sight before me was...
"...Regina?"
It had been a while since I'd seen Regina. Enemy or not, she felt almost welcoming now. I'd learned of her circumstances, so my old hostility had faded. Come to think of it, the only one still holding a grudge against her was Bella. Wait, no—Cheong-ah had some too?
"Uung... Lick..."
"What're you doing?"
"Slurp... Schluuuurp."
Ignoring my question entirely, Regina focused intently on licking... regretfully, just the tip of my finger. Or maybe fortunately.
If that cat-like tongue of hers had targeted somewhere else—some mucosal spot—even my sturdy cock, even me with my pain tolerance, couldn't have woken up this dazed. It would've been horrific. My brain would've flashed with agony.
But why the hell was Regina licking my finger?
"Why're you licking there?"
"Uung, u... Ua?"
She seemed to try explaining in response, but I couldn't understand a word. Knowing that, she gestured with her body... but sadly, the room's only light was the dim moonlight barely illuminating her pretty face. Her motions were lost in the thick darkness, hard to make out.
She looked surprised, like she was asking what happened?, but without clear words, I couldn't be sure.
"Hmm..."
How can I figure this out? As I pondered, Regina gripped my hand tight. Then...
Scritch- Swipe. Slooow stroke.
She rubbed and dragged her remaining fingers across my palm repeatedly, like writing letters...
Wait—letters?
The realization hit: she was clearly trying to convey something through writing. A bit clumsy, but legible letters I could recognize.
A little,
worried.
"Ah, you were worried? About me? Why?"
We had some... subtle closeness, sure. But we were still enemies. This felt kinda touching. My heart swelled unexpectedly.
Ian, weakling.
No mana.
"...Hey, why bring that up? More importantly, why worry about me? We're, uh, enemies, right?"
Some weird tension between us, yeah. She'd jerked me off, smeared my cum on her face and skin—shared some bizarre moments. But still enemies?
In response, Regina blinked nonchalantly and kept writing.
Ian, I captured.
I must take responsibility.
"Responsibility...?"
I muttered in confusion, and she nodded firmly.
Responsibility. Me, count's subordinate.
Ordered. But didn't obey all orders. Ian.
Weak. But I had no choice. So must protect.
Or you'll get hurt.
Scribbling roughly, but piecing it together: She'd had no choice but to follow the count's orders and kidnap me, but as a powerless weakling, it sat wrong with her. So she'd felt responsible, protecting me from harm as best she could.
I'd kinda picked up on that much already. That first day, when the count raged and came looking for her—it was obvious.
Somehow felt different from Bella's stories. She'd described her as a heartless bitch who took jobs without mercy, means be damned.
"Yeah, thanks."
She nodded contentedly at my gratitude.
"Ua..."
"So why were you licking my finger? Related to protecting me?"
"...Uuuu?"
Suddenly playing dumb. Her eyes swirled, vertical pupils spinning like a cat's. Avoiding my gaze, innocent as could be. Shameless expression included.
"What for? Why not explain?"
"U, ua..."
"You don't know?"
"Uuaa."
She shook her head firmly at my questions, scribbling urgently on my palm.
Me. Never did
that.
I raised my soaked hand—the one she'd just been licking and sucking.
"Never? This finger's drenched in your saliva..."
"Uaaaaang...!"
Suddenly, Regina lunged, smothering my hand with her body. Her saliva smeared onto her clothes and skin, wiping it clean. The problem was where it wiped.
Squish-.
A hefty, substantial weight—not modest, but impressively full—pressed firmly into my palm. I'd underestimated at first because my perspective was off. Reflecting on that, I savored the overflowing heft filling my hand.
Squeeze, knead-.
"U, ua...?"
Regina's shocked, flustered face. Seemed to blush, but the dim light hid it well. Whatever—I feigned ignorance, kneading her surprisingly bouncy, ample breasts until she rose from my hand.
"What's wrong? Something up?"
"U, uh. Uuuhht..."
"...Why? What's the matter?"
She pouted, rising from my hand. Who told her to smother it with her body?
As the plush sensation faded...
"Ua, uuuu..."
Regina crossed her arms over her upper body, scooting a bit away to sit. Like a butler who'd pranked her and gotten the cat all sulky—adorably so.
"What's up, Regina? Did I do something wrong?"
Playing dumb with a straight face, she eyed me suspiciously. Maybe my acting was good; perhaps she thought I truly didn't realize I'd groped her tits.
She sighed deeply and shook her head.
"Aua."
"Nothing?"
"Au."
"Then come closer. You're too far; can't see your expressions well to read you."
"Umm..."
A brief hesitation. But she scooted back beside me. I grinned slyly, leaning in to whisper.
"Hey, Regina."
"A?"
"Can I touch your tits just once more?"
"...?!"
Her expression then? Just like Dina's when I'd snatched the last bite of food she'd been saving.