Monica's Proposal (3)
"Nngh..."
An itchy sensation pulled his eyes open. Hyangdan was crawling across his face.
"Hyangdan, I almost killed you..."
"Peep, peep—"
Half-asleep, he'd nearly swatted the little creature with his palm, mistaking it for a mosquito. Rian scooped Hyangdan into both hands and sat up in bed.
"Yaaawn. So sleepy."
"Peep-ri-peep."
"Peekaboo."
He laid Hyangdan across his palms and played with it for a while, yawning all the while. Once the little one felt settled, it drifted right back to sleep.
"I'm starving. You haven't eaten anything either, have you? Bet you're hungry too."
He laid Hyangdan carefully on the bed and rummaged around for his clothes. He figured he'd head downstairs, find something for Hyangdan to eat, and grab his own breakfast while he was at it.
A short while later, he left the room and went down to the first floor. At the counter, he ran into the innkeeper.
"Do you have any milk?"
"Milk? We had some until just a bit ago, but it's all gone now."
The dairy delivered fresh milk first thing in the morning. Rian had slept in, and the supply had already run dry.
"You should've come down earlier."
"I was too tired."
Left with no other choice, Rian ordered soup and bread. If there was no milk, so be it. He'd let the soup cool and feed that to Hyangdan instead.
A little later, the cook called out.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
He took the plate of bread and soup and started up the stairs when the innkeeper's voice called after him.
"Young man, sorry to bother you, but could you run a delivery for me?"
"What delivery? Don't you have any staff?"
"We don't hire staff. Trying to save money. I'm just too busy right now."
"If it's a long trip, I'm charging you."
The innkeeper laughed.
"Aigoo, it's nothing like that. You know Monica, don't you? She reserved breakfast last night, but she still hasn't come down. I figured since you two seem close, I could ask. Her room's right there on the second floor. You'll do it, won't you?"
"Well, if it's Monica... sure."
And so, with his own breakfast plate in his left hand and Monica's in his right, he headed up to the second floor.
It was morning, and most of the guests had already left for work. Climbing the stairs into the quiet second-floor hallway, Rian was met with a sight that made him grimace.
A man stood in front of Monica's door, pale ass bared, furiously masturbating.
"Fuck, that bitch is so goddamn hot! Hah! Hah! If I could just fuck her once...!"
He was peeking through the slightly ajar door, pumping away at himself with gusto.
"Monica...! Monica...! Get pregnant with my kid! Nngh!"
Rian watched the whole thing from behind in silence, utterly unmoved. His only thought was that it was far too early in the morning to be running into this kind of lunatic.
Is she doing something dirty in there?
He approached without a sound and came to a stop right behind the man.
I ought to ram a stick straight up his ass.
After entertaining that humorous thought for a moment, he spoke.
"Having fun, mister?"
"Hah! Hah!"
"If it's that good, let's watch together."
"Huh?"
The man, still clutching his penis in that awkward half-crouch, started to turn around. That was when Rian kicked him square in the ass.
Thud!
"Gah!"
The man lost his balance and crashed to the floor.
Crash!
Startled by the noise, Monica burst out of the room.
"What the hell? What's going on?"
She appeared wearing nothing on her upper body, covering her breasts with a wet towel. Spotting Rian standing there with a plate of food in each hand, she looked thoroughly confused.
"What are you doing here?"
Rian jerked his chin toward the man sprawled on the floor.
"This guy was peeking at you and jerking off. So I taught him a lesson."
"Seriously? What a freak."
Monica immediately looked down at the man with open contempt. Then she recognized him, and her face twisted into an incredulous laugh.
"You're the guy staying in the next room, aren't you? Unbelievable."
"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
"And who the hell would believe that?"
"I'll do anything! Please, I'm begging you, just let me live!"
The man dropped into a full prostration, pleading for forgiveness over and over.
"Go tell the innkeeper. I'll watch to make sure you do."
Rian said it like that, but to his surprise, Monica just laughed and shook her head.
"Why bother? Waste of money."
"Then what are you going to do?"
Monica turned a cold stare on the man.
"Hey. How much you got on you? Hand over everything you've got as payment for the show. Otherwise I'll gouge your eyeballs right out."
"I-if you'll forgive me, I-I'll give you as much as you want!"
Maybe it was because she was a merchant. Or maybe that was just who Monica was. She extracted a reasonable sum from the man and let his crime slide.
After he fled like a man running for his life, she spoke.
"Even if you report it, the soldiers just laugh it off. If I'm not going to kill the bastard, the best move is to scare him half to death and squeeze him for cash."
She smiled, satisfied, then pointed at the plates.
"Is that my food?"
Rian held out the plate he'd been carrying, not even noticing how sore his arms had gotten.
"It's yours."
"It'll be cold and taste like crap. Come in."
Before Rian could even reply, she disappeared back into the room.
"Hyangdan's waiting for me..."
Figuring he'd just set the plate down and leave, he followed her inside anyway.
The moment he stepped inside, a strange, fishy smell filled the air.
"What's that smell?"
He asked without thinking, and the answer that came back was not what he expected.
"My milk."
"Milk?"
What on earth was she talking about?
"I was expressing it by myself until just a moment ago."
"...?"
Monica pulled away the towel covering her chest and proudly presented a pair of lush, ripe breasts.
"A while back, I got bitten by some bizarre bug in a village I stopped at for business. Now I've got this condition where I produce breast milk. Damn it."
She spat the curse, then grinned slyly. She didn't seem particularly worried about having contracted a strange disease. The next thing she said made that abundantly clear.
"It was hard doing it alone, so this works out. Want to milk me?"
Milk welled from her swollen, reddened nipples and dripped onto the floor.
"Do it yourself."
Rian turned his gaze away as if he couldn't care less. Inside the trash bin, he spotted thinly peeled carrot skins. So she had eaten the one she'd taken yesterday.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Are you serious or joking?"
"I'm serious. It really is hard to do by myself."
"Still. Do it yourself."
"So firm about it."
Rian couldn't figure this woman out. But he had a feeling that putting his hands on some woman he barely knew would only tangle up his life, so he threw out a convenient excuse.
"There's a woman back home I promised to marry. You get what I'm saying, right?"
Monica let out a hollow laugh.
"You had a girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
"That's disappointing news."
"Now you know. I'll be going, then."
He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
"Stay for a cup of tea at least. You caught that bastard for me. The least I can do is offer you a drink. That's just manners. Besides, I've got something important to talk about."
Rian thought it over for a moment, then sat down in a nearby chair.
"Make it quick."
"They say men who rush also finish fast. Makes the nights pretty boring, apparently."
This woman, seriously. Yesterday she'd been fine, but today she was tossing out these shameless remarks without a hint of hesitation.
"Cut the crap. What's this important thing you wanted to talk about?"
"Those carrots were really delicious. Did you actually grow them yourself?"
"I cultivated them. Why?"
"A mere farmer like you?"
"And what's a mere farmer not supposed to be able to do?"
"Growing first-grade carrots of that quality takes a lot of money. A lot of labor, too. It's amazing you pulled it off by yourself."
"It's the fruit of hard work."
"Luck, or skill?"
Monica dropped dried leaves into a teacup and poured in hot water. She stirred it a few times with a teaspoon, then looked at Rian with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Want me to add some milk?"
"Where would you even get milk?"
Rian, who'd been glancing around the room, looked over at her. As if she'd been waiting for that, she grabbed her breast and aimed it at the steaming teacup.
"My milk. How much should I add?"
She giggled. Rian was briefly at a loss for words. Was she doing this on purpose, just to enjoy watching him squirm? He had no intention of giving her that satisfaction.
"Ten drops."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
She looked startled.
"What? I thought you had a girlfriend."
"Kidding. Don't put any in."
The moment he said it, a droplet beaded on her nipple and dripped into the teacup.
"Oops? It went in."
Whether it had been accidental or not, Monica burst out laughing. After a good, hearty laugh, she twitched her lips and said,
"I'll make you a fresh one."
"Nah, that'd be a hassle. Just give it to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'll just drink it."
"You pervert."
Chuckling, she came over and handed him the cup. Rian took a sip right away.
"So? How's my milk taste?"
"Smooth. Full of flavor."
She doubled over laughing again. She really was a woman who laughed a lot. Lively, too.
"I should probably cover up, right?"
"If it's uncomfortable, leave it. I don't mind."
Truth be told, he'd seen plenty of a woman's chest living with Audria. He was used to it. But Monica pulled on a white robe anyway.
"You'll have trouble concentrating, so I'd better cover up."
She sat down across from him and crossed her legs. Her expression had turned quite serious; the mood was entirely different from a moment ago.
"I'll get straight to the point. I'm impressed by your skill."
"My carrot-growing skill?"
"Yeah. Let's make an exclusive contract."