Chapter 2. Seria Siegfried (2)
I was facing the greatest crisis of my life.
Seria Siegfried. The beautiful woman once called the Empire's flower. No, now even stripped of the Siegfried name, she stood before me.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this woman?
I watched Seria, who stood there flushing red with what looked like humiliated fury, fidgeting her fingers. On the surface, she seemed meekly submissive, but that was far from the truth.
"I'll... kill you... I'm going to rip your limbs apart, burn them, and feed them to the stray dogs in the street."
I sealed her muttering curses with magic.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Did I say you could speak?"
I snapped at her in the coldest tone I could muster. With her mouth sealed, Seria struggled desperately to make words come out, but it was all in vain. A grand mage's Silence spell wasn't something to trifle with.
Whew.
Back to the matter at hand. What to do with this woman?
Three years possessing this body, and I still retained my sense of self as Choi Yoo-jun. Twenty-three years old. A total loner who'd never even held a girl's hand before. Even after possessing Morris, nothing changed. To return to my original world, to survive, I'd desperately avoided contact with others. My social skills were practically zero. My speech was stiff and cold as a result. Thanks to my job as a mage and my noble status, the image of a cold-blooded grand mage had stuck—small mercies.
It was so bad that in this massive mansion, the only servant was a single butler.
And now, suddenly, bring a woman into the house? The social difficulty had skyrocketed to inferno levels in an instant.
I looked up at Seria, who stood motionless. She was filthy, but still stunningly beautiful. Scour every woman in the Empire, and you wouldn't find one more gorgeous. A beauty so far beyond what Choi Yoo-jun could've ever approached. And now, she was my property.
The flower on a cliff, the object of everyone's envy, now in my grasp. All I had to do was clench my fist, and that beautiful flower would be trampled and defiled. Breaking that Seria—that was my role.
Just the thought sent excitement surging through me, my chest tightening. Why not just do it? I shoved the impulse aside. This was a rare opportunity. With a feast laid out before me, I had to savor it at its peak.
I forced down the corners of my mouth, which kept trying to curl up, and looked at her. Naked as she was, she still glared daggers at me.
"Pledge that you won't attack me again. Then I'll unseal your mouth—at least."
No response.
"Insolent slave. Need a sharper lesson?"
I made a snapping motion with my fingers, and she shook her head frantically.
"Good. Make noise one more time, and the punishment will be far worse. Remember that."
With her double confirmation, I released the Silence spell.
"Wh-what are you going to do to me?"
"Curious?"
She didn't answer, but her expression said it all. Whatever I did, she wouldn't break—that was the face she made. As if she were the protagonist. When she was just the vicious noble tormenting the hero.
"For now, nothing."
"Wh-what?"
I stepped right up to her, close enough to feel her hot breath.
"What, did you think I'd ravish you right here? Bend you over this desk in my office, make you scream and drool all over it?"
I chuckled, stroking her cheek.
Cotton candy?
So soft. Like grasping a cloud.
"Never imagined such crude words from the Magic Department's Minister."
Her face flushed crimson as she tried to play it cool.
"At least you were thinking it."
That blush said it all.
"Sorry, but office romps aren't my hobby."
I gave a cold smile as she bit her lip hard.
Whew, gonna die.
I was acting nonchalant, but honestly, I was shaking more than she was. Twenty-three—no, twenty-six now—Choi Yoo-jun with zero experience with women. This situation's difficulty was off the charts. But I was her master now. I couldn't let her take the initiative, no matter what.
Truth be told, I was pushing it a bit.
Damn it.
I slipped my slightly trembling hand into my pocket to hide it. Felt a bit arrogant, but whatever—better that way.
"That's enough talk. We'll be living together from now on."
No reply. Instead, she blushed deeper and bowed her head. Well, I hadn't expected one.
I let out a soft sigh and spoke.
"Now go wash up. Starting tomorrow, you'll have your duties."
"Eh?"
Seria blinked in bewilderment.
"I said wash up. You didn't seriously think I'd do something to you, did you?"
She stayed silent. Made sense. The fate of those who underwent status execution was rarely good. Toys for nobles. Slaves. Sometimes worse. She must've known. That's why she'd resisted at first. But after seeing my overwhelming magic, all she could do was curse inwardly.
Our first meeting had been intense, but it wasn't one hundred percent sincere. Necessary, though. To make her work well as a slave going forward.
A twinge of pity stirred. She was a side character from the novel I'd read, after all. But that was that, and this was this.
"Idiot."
No plans to be gentle, though. Gentleness would backfire.
"Did I seem like some lust-crazed pervert who'd rape his property on day one?"
This distance felt right for now. She took a step back.
"Get it together. 'Empire's flower' is ancient history. You're just an object His Majesty bestowed upon me."
I kept my tone icy.
"So wash up. I can't stand dust on a gift."
Her face remained stiff, eyes shaking wildly.
"What's this now?"
"D-do you... not know how to wash yourself?"
She averted her gaze. Unbelievable.
"Ha."
High nobles always had attendants—I'd forgotten. But not knowing how to bathe alone?
"Ridiculous."
If she didn't know how, I'd just wash her. Problem was, no servants in the mansion.
The butler's away till next week.
Washing her was on me. I hated filth. But I couldn't tolerate her dirty body in my house.
"Haa."
A vein throbbed at my temple. No choice.
"Follow me."
"Wh-where?"
"Bathroom."
"Wh-why?"
I brushed off the dirt like shedding dust.
"I'll wash you."
Her face burned even redder.
Steam rose from the warm bathwater. I'd added a fatigue-recovery elixir I'd made myself. A fragrant scent wafted up. Might as well do it right.
Today, I'd give Seria a full-course Morris-style bath.
"Get in."
Seria hesitated.
"Worried it's poisoned?"
I levitated the dawdling Seria with magic and dropped her into the tub.
"Kyaa!"
Water sloshed over the edges. Her hesitation made sense now. The moment her body submerged, grime and dirt poured off her. She'd been imprisoned for quite a while. No proper baths, probably.
Embarrassed? Tears welled in her eyes as she bit her lower lip.
"No need to be shy."
"It's not... shame."
Cleaning it was simple. I cast a spell to purify the filth from the water in one go. Like I'd said—might as well do it right.
When the knights first dragged her into my office, I'd noticed how utterly exhausted she looked. Prison life must've been hell for someone used to luxury.
Preparing the bath, I'd given her body a quick once-over. Damaged hair, muscles rigid all over. Simple fix: bathe her with a basic massage.
She'd be in my house as my property. No headaches from her falling ill.
His Majesty's gift, after all.
That bastard wasn't exactly normal either.
He wouldn't want Seria, who'd tormented him, to die quick. Obvious what he desired: maximum suffering. For that, she needed to live long.
I wrapped my hands in mana. Blue energy gathered at my fingertips.
Hummm.
The mana resonated with the air, vibrating.
"I'll help."
"N-no, it's fine. I can do it myself."
"Defying me?"
My eyebrow twitched.
"No..."
I sat the protesting Seria down and poured water over her head. Warm water cascaded over her body. I lathered soap onto my mana-infused hands and stroked her shoulders.
"Haht!"
She flinched the instant my hands touched her.
"Relax. I'm not harming you—at least not now."
"Hngh."
She loosened at my voice. Soft skin met my touch. Different from her cheek—firmer, more yielding.
Hm.
Surprised by the texture, different from the knight captain's. Silently, I massaged her shoulders, wiping her down. From shoulders to arms, hands, fingertips. White foam trailed my hands over her skin.
As I meticulously cleaned both arms.
"Haa, haa."
Her breathing grew ragged.
Good.
Next, my hands slid lower. To her full, gracefully curving breasts. No plans to grope them.
"N-not there!"
She resisted mid-massage, but couldn't overpower me.
"Ahht."
My hands on her breasts drew a sweet moan echoing in the bathroom. I circled from the underbust upward. Foam piled like cake frosting atop her chest. Each finger movement made her tremble faintly.
Mana hands glided past her breasts to her waist. When they reached her ass.
"Hnnngh!"
Her cry was louder than ever. Where muscles bulked largest? The glutes, obviously. Origin of the lower body, packed with the biggest, toughest muscles. Prime fatigue spot.
"W-wait a sec!"
She tried blocking me desperately, but I didn't stop.
"Kkuuuhht!"
From ass to inner thighs, calves. Kneading her soft lower body, she thrashed. The tub rocked like waves.
"Don't move."
She wasn't hearing me anymore, wriggling wildly. Expected. Even the palace's top knight captain couldn't endure this massage.
"Pl-please st-stop, I c-can't t-take it!"
Unable to finish, she spasmed intermittently.
"Huaa, hngh..."
Her shaky breaths laced the air with eroticism. Still, I kept going. Not done yet.
Slipping into her groin, I calmly rubbed beside her sensitive parts. Stimulating lymph nodes to flush toxins. Not sexual.
This whole massage so far.
How Seria interprets it is another matter.
Still shuddering, she twisted into my touch. No resistance left. Fatigue from prison melted away into languid weakness; her form slumped.
I massaged every inch of her quivering body.
Done.
Finishing the soap-masked full-body massage, I rinsed her trembling form.
Whoosh.
Finally, I confirmed all the red marks and wounds that had dotted her body were gone.
My job was over. I draped a towel over her wet, sweetly scented, twitching body and stood.
Panting hazily, she looked up at me with glazed eyes. Seemed to want something.
But not tonight.
"You can dry yourself, right?"
That was it for me.
"Prepare breakfast tomorrow. No excuses."
With that, I left the bathroom.