Buying the Dip (5)
Theo hated nobles. As a child, he had never given it much thought. There had only been a vague sense of "someone important," nothing more. He knew such a class existed, but he had never actually met one, so he had no reason to like or dislike them.
Until that day. The day his younger sister was kidnapped by black mages and he himself nearly dragged away with her. By nothing short of a miracle, Theo escaped and ran frantically from place to place, battered and desperate, begging for help. The first person that came to his young mind was the noble who ruled the village.
"The noble lord is a great man. He'll defeat the evil black mages and save my sister!"
Another stroke of luck followed. Normally he would have been chased off without even seeing the noble's face, but at that exact moment the noble happened to be riding out in his carriage. Young Theo threw himself in front of the carriage without a second thought for the danger, bringing it to a halt. Kneeling before the noble whose life he had risked everything to meet, he begged. Please, save his sister.
And then, as expected, he was beaten half to death for daring to stop a noble's carriage and left in an alley.
Looking back now, Theo could understand why he had been beaten. If the startled horses had bolted, it could have caused a disaster—running over innocent people or even overturning the carriage and endangering the noble inside. So the beating itself, he could accept after time had passed and he'd grown older. He still resented it, but he understood.
What he couldn't forgive was what he heard while being clubbed senseless.
"Black mages, you say? …Tsk. What does that have to do with me? Hurry up and drive! If we're late to the party because of this nonsense, you'll take responsibility!"
Those words—spoken by someone who called himself a "great man," more concerned about being late to a party than a child's life hanging in the balance—struck deeper than any blow.
That was why Theo hated nobles. Not the class itself, but the vanity with which they flaunted their supposed superiority. "You're so great, so what exactly did you do?" The thought never left him.
The count's daughter was the very image of everything Theo despised about nobles. Powerless yet arrogant simply because she was nobility, using her status and authority as a shield to turn away from anything that truly mattered.
"As if that matters at all."
The party had nearly been wiped out. Theo had heard the full story. The three of them, excluding Faye, had pushed forward recklessly. After everything that happened, the decent thing would have been to let them go their own way out of guilt. Instead, she had desperately tried to block them. If she could resist hypnosis to that degree, it meant she had no intention of ever letting them leave.
Theo truly despised her. So he had placed a hypnosis on her to humiliate her body. He had sent Luna away too. He hadn't wanted her to see this side of him.
"My body…?"
The count's daughter tilted her head, setting down the teacup she had been sipping.
Clink.
Her posture still feigned composure, but the sound of the cup meeting the saucer was slightly rougher than before. After a brief moment of thought, her answer came.
"Very well."
It was acceptance.
"But the only thing I'm permitting Theo to have is my body. I cannot allow access to my status or wealth. And the duration will be limited to one week. I have many duties to attend to, after all."
The count's daughter began piling on conditions as if negotiating a contract. None of them meant anything to Theo. He had every intention of ending this right here and now. What truly baffled him was that the hypnosis demanding her body had actually worked. She had refused Faye's transfer by citing noble dignity, yet she found it easier to offer her body to a man she had only met a few times than to risk damaging that same dignity. At this point, it went beyond dislike into sheer fascination.
"Is that pride really so important?"
Theo quietly repeated Luna's words. Luna was a charming, straightforward companion, yet sometimes difficult to understand. But this time, he could relate completely.
That damn pride.
Muttering the words again in his mind, Theo reached out toward the count's daughter. His hand moved without hesitation and grabbed her breast, kneading the soft flesh roughly with no consideration for her comfort. It was a selfish, crude touch.
Even a woman unaccustomed to such sensations would have found it painful, yet the count's daughter only furrowed one brow and offered no real resistance. Proof that the hypnosis had taken hold properly.
She did voice a small complaint.
"…Do you intend to do it here? If it's a matter of lodging, I could…"
"No. We're doing it here."
Theo dismissed her protest. He had no intention of dragging this out. He wanted a clear answer about Faye right now.
"How long is this room reserved for?"
"There is no time limit on the reservation. Though if we stay too long, they may start giving us looks."
"Define 'too long' more specifically."
"I don't know the exact details. Typically, if we consider extending from teatime into conversation, four hours should be acceptable."
Four hours. Theo couldn't fathom spending that much time in a teahouse under normal circumstances, but at least it worked in his favor now. He released her breast and pushed the table in the center of the room aside.
"Stand up."
The count's daughter rose from her chair at his command. Theo looked her over from head to toe. His hatred of nobles clouded his vision, but objectively speaking, her appearance was undeniably beautiful. A body well-nourished and carefully maintained since childhood, the elegance in her posture and bearing, and the luxurious dress that accentuated both without excess—she embodied the fantasy of a "noble lady" that country girls dreamed of.
The way Theo stared at her chest and thighs almost looked like he was entranced by her beauty. But unfortunately, compared to Luna, Faye, or Claire, her charm inevitably paled. So even as he ogled her body, his heart remained unmoved. If he had to name the feeling, it was simply, "Hmm. Well, she's pretty."
Still, Theo took his time, slowly dragging his gaze from the top of her head down to her toes. He knew prolonged, sticky stares made women uncomfortable, and mental resistance wore down quickly when forced to endure something unpleasant.
"Lift your dress."
"Pardon?"
"I said lift the front of your dress."
The count's daughter hesitated, then grasped the hem of her dress. She slowly raised it, stopping once it had revealed half her thighs.
"I-Is this enough?"
"Are you joking? You understand my words perfectly well. Should I strip you myself? Actually, that might not be so bad. I am curious how many seconds it would take to peel off a noble lady's clothes."
Rude. Violent. Theo channeled the tone of the mercenaries he had known during his days as one, layering in some acting. Compared to the real thing, it was almost gentlemanly, but it was effective enough on the count's daughter.
"…I'll do it myself."
She chose to strip herself rather than let Theo do it. With trembling hands full of shame and humiliation, she yanked her dress up sharply. Cool air brushed against her skin from her garter belt all the way to her navel.
"Oh. Bold of you. Were you actually hoping to show me?"
Her panties were so sheer that her pubic hair was visible through the fabric. Despite the dress reaching her ankles, the underwear beneath was this lewd. Even Theo was surprised.
"N-No, that's not it! This is special underwear made from expensive material. It's durable, comfortable, and the latest trend—kyaa?!"
Theo had no interest in her excuses. He reached out and stroked her pale thigh. The count's daughter let out an involuntary yelp at the sensation of a man's hand on her inner thigh. His fingers traced back and forth over sensitive, intimate areas—from near her knee all the way up to the deep crease of her groin. The deeper his touch went, the more her body trembled with unfamiliar sensations. At first she thought it was just ticklishness, but it was more than that.
Before she could fully grasp what she was feeling, Theo's hand withdrew.
"You're wet."
"Ah…"
Her face flushed crimson at his observation.
"Wow. This is what you call underwear? A little moisture and everything's showing through. Perfect outfit for a whore."
Tap. Tap.
Theo flicked his fingertips against her sex over the fabric. The count's daughter could feel her soaked panties clinging to her. From her perspective, with the dress held up, she couldn't see what Theo was looking at or doing, which only amplified her anxiety.
"I-I cannot accept humiliation! I only permitted you my body. My honor is—!"
"Shut up."
Theo grabbed the count's daughter's panties and yanked them down in one sharp motion. Her body went rigid as the wet fabric was stripped away, rolling up and catching on her thighs. A long strand of aroused fluid stretched from her thoroughly soaked folds.
Visibly drenched as she was, it still wasn't enough lubrication for Theo's size. But that didn't matter. He had no intention of caressing her with affection like a lover. As long as she was wet enough for him to push in, it was sufficient.
"Put your hands on the table."