I Want to Possess You.
“What exactly are you?”
Be ti's voice slithered into my ear, low and chilling. Goosebumps raced from her fingertips gripping my chin, spreading across my entire body. I swallowed dryly and forced my lips to move as casually as possible.
“What do you mean, my identity? I'm just the ordinary Third Imperial Prince of the empire, Rian, who'll become your husband in two years. Sure, I've been a bit too impressive lately...”
“Lies.”
Her curt dismissal made my smile twitch. Be ti tightened her arm around me, leaning her upper body even lower. Strands of her black hair tickled my cheek as they cascaded down.
“The Third Imperial Prince Rian was incompetent and weak. His only redeeming quality was his looks. But you?”
Her blood-red eyes scanned deep into mine.
“You invented a spice from paprika. You performed a miracle saving a dying child. And those bold jokes you throw at me. None of it matches the Rian I was told about.”
“Haha... Well, you never really know someone until you meet them in person and spend time together, right?”
Be ti's eyes flickered. It was more than suspicion—a relentless drive to pierce straight to my core. I sensed I had nowhere left to run. But I sure as hell couldn't reveal that I wasn't the real Rian—that I was a possessor.
I met her crimson gaze head-on without flinching and asked,
“...Be ti, do you love me, by any chance?”
Her eyebrows twitched at the sudden question.
“...What?”
“Or do you like me? Is that why you're cornering me, digging into my secrets like this?”
The air in the room froze solid. Be ti stared at me silently instead of answering. The quiet stretched so long I worried she could hear my heartbeat.
“...”
“Thought so.”
I tried to stand and end this, but Be ti didn't budge from on top of me. Finally, she broke the silence.
“I don't love you. And I don't like you.”
It was a cold, merciless denial. But her next move contradicted it completely. Be ti wrapped her cool hand around the nape of my neck and brought her face so close our breaths mingled.
“But I'm not some childish fool who can't grasp her own feelings. Rian—not Elian.”
She said my name. The short one I'd asked her to use when we first met—the one just for me.
“Right now, I want to have you. Yeah, it's possessiveness. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from anymore. You're an existence of infinite value, and I won't be satisfied until you're in my grasp.”
Her confession felt more like a declaration of war. Far heavier and stickier than any sweet 'I like you.'
I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I asked,
“...And how exactly do you plan to 'have' me? I'm not an object.”
“Well...”
Be ti leaned down, staring piercingly at my lips. Right then—
Knock knock.
The indifferent knock shattered the room's hush.
“Your Highness, it's Luna. I heard you were awake, so I've prepared a light meal.”
“...”
The tension cracked like glass. Be ti stared down at me motionless for a moment, then slowly climbed off, straightening her clothes. The hot, sticky atmosphere from seconds ago vanished; she was the icy duchess once more.
Be ti walked toward the door, paused with her hand on the knob, and turned to look at me.
“Rian.”
“...Yes.”
“To tame a dog, you give it affection and food. Look forward to it. How I'll tame you.”
She left a chilling smile and exited. Thud. The door's close echoed loudly.
Alone on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
'Shut up, seriously...'
I covered my burning face and let out a deep sigh. What would Be ti do next...?
“Your Highness, are you still in pain? You're just covering your face without answering. In that case, I'll clear away the meal I prepared.”
'Right! Luna came in with food!'
I hurriedly called out to the departing Luna. “No, wait! I'm starving right now!”
After that day, the Hestor Viscounty incident wrapped up swiftly.
Viscount Hestor, the pinnacle of incompetence, was immediately stripped of his position, and no one knew his whereabouts. 'Of course Be ti handled it.' I didn't know how long her 'for now' grace period would last, but he'd never see the light of day again.
Then came the changes.
First, the territory folk's reaction. In the two plague-stricken villages, people started hailing me—the miracle-worker—as the 'Saint of Winterfell.' Thanks to that, the paprika business I promoted as the saint's creation took off, becoming the empire's signature spice.
'Which means I'm scouting spots to expand the business now.'
But the biggest change was the woman sitting right beside me.
Clink, clink.
Only the sound of silver forks against plates filled the dining hall. Normally, I'd toss out some lighthearted joke first, and Be ti would coolly parry. But not today.
The silence wasn't heavy... it was humid. 'This isn't the dynamic I was going for...'
“Rian.”
Her low voice made my hand jerk, nearly dropping my fork.
The servants and maids standing by suddenly stiffened. For the first time, their lady had used his name instead of the formal 'Your Highness.' They bowed their heads, pretending not to hear, but their flustered faces gave them away.
“Ah... Yes, Be ti? What is it?”
I tried to sound natural, but panic crept into my voice. Be ti elegantly dabbed her lips with a napkin, then fixed her blood-red eyes on me. They brimmed with the same vicious possessiveness I'd seen on the bed days ago.
“When do you plan to leave?”
“Huh? Leave? Where to...?”
“Forgot? 'Sweet Snowflake.'”
I stared at her blankly. The new dessert shop on Winterfell's boutique street—the one I'd whined about as our first date right before the plague hit.
“Oh... You remembered? With everything going on, I figured it was canceled...”
“Do I seem like someone who breaks promises? Or did my talk of 'affection' amuse you?”
Be ti tilted her head slightly. Her black hair spilled over her shoulder. Her 'affection and food' declaration flashed in my mind. This wasn't just an outing. It was step one in her plan to 'tame' me her way.
“No way! Of course we're going. I'm all for anything with you, Be ti. Haha...”
I answered brightly to defuse the tension. But Be ti rose from her chair and approached me slowly. The servants held their breath. She stood behind me, lightly placing a hand on my shoulder.
Her cool fingers pierced through my clothes.
“Good. Then we leave tomorrow afternoon. As lord, I can't not accompany the Saint of Winterfell on a market survey.”
Be ti whispered right in my ear, lips brushing close.
“Don't even think of running off without telling me, Rian. No matter where you are, you're always in my sight. Don't forget that.”
She whispered it, then stepped away. “I have business to attend to, so I'll go ahead. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”
As she left, the frozen air thawed. Be ti glided out gracefully, and I downed my now-cold coffee at the table.
“...One more woof and I'm ignoring you from now on.”
I rubbed my temples and sighed.
Tomorrow's outing wouldn't be a simple dessert shop visit—even without the status window's mockery, I could tell. Be ti's 'taming' had only just begun.