The Fragile Hope I Will Shatter
I watched Rene hesitate, her fingers trembling as they hovered uncertainly, and decided it was time to begin my performance. I stroked my chin with deliberate thoughtfulness, as if weighing something profoundly serious, and spoke.
She was clinging to that slender thread of hope. I wondered what expression she would make once I had used her thoroughly and then cut that thread. After all, her current owner had specifically requested that both her front and back be opened, so there was no way she could remain a virgin. But Rene didn’t know that… How utterly thrilling. I wanted to crush her hope as soon as possible.
To do that, I first had to give her hope. Well… if it didn’t work, I could simply take her by force. That would be delicious in its own way. If I broke my promise and violated her against her will, Rene would harbor an enormous grudge. And if I then took her by force after shattering that hope and leaving only that deep resentment… what kind of face would she make? Would she drown in pleasure? Or would she glare at me, desperately trying to hold back her moans? Or perhaps… I was genuinely curious. I wanted to see what Rene would become. In that sense, this wasn’t a bad approach at all. I secretly hoped she would fill herself with even more venom… because breaking that venom later would be far more entertaining. Both outcomes were satisfying, so I readily accepted.
Someone might condemn my twisted sexual desires. But what could I do? It seemed this was simply the kind of person I was.
“I’ll do it! I’ll do anything, so please… hic… just my first time… If I lose my purity, it could start a war… Please, I beg you.”
Rene bowed her head to me.
Purity causing a war? What utter nonsense.
What country would be so idle as to wage war over a woman’s virginity? This contrived situation was clear proof that her mental state was unstable. Still, none of that was bad for me. I flashed a sly smile.
Rene nodded in understanding and focused on her meal once more.
“Have you finished eating?”
Rene wore an embarrassed expression. Well, after devouring her food so greedily, it was only natural she’d feel ashamed.
“Mmm…”
I met Rene’s eyes. Her short hair, nearly pure white with a silvery-gray hue, those ruby-red eyes nestled between pinkish tones. Rene suffered from a mental illness—and quite a detailed delusion at that. I decided to make use of that setting in this fascinating situation.
“First, you claimed to be an imperial princess, correct?”
Rene averted her gaze as she answered. Perhaps she was remembering how crudely she had eaten earlier. I entertained a trivial thought while waiting for her reply. Eventually… cautiously…
“I am Rene Ryan-Augustus, Imperial Princess of the Empire.”
I had heard of the Empire before. A nation so arrogant it simply called itself the Empire. Usually, “Empire” was used as a generic term in daily speech. The massive empire with its capital in Roman had no other name. The word “Empire” referred solely to that country. I knew that Bairen, the city where I resided, was a free commercial city under the Empire but enjoyed autonomy. Notably, while slavery was illegal throughout the Empire, it was specially permitted here in Bairen. Slaves purchased in this city were recognized as private property, and because of that autonomy, the state could not arbitrarily seize goods bought here.
But… she really had guts. Even if it was a delusion, impersonating an imperial princess? Ryan-Augustus. I wasn’t particularly familiar with the Empire’s noble houses. Having lived in Korea in my previous life and not originally from the Empire, I hadn’t paid much attention to the imperial family. Still, my guess was… the Ryan-Augustus family was indeed the imperial bloodline. If Rene truly came from nobility, she would at least know the Empire’s ruling house.
Hmm… Then this was quite severe. The very fact that she was mentally unstable was evidenced by the question: what insane kingdom would turn a princess into a slave? Especially the imperial princess of an empire that held hegemony over the continent. If she had committed a grave crime, they would have killed her outright. It was hard to imagine the imperial family allowing their princess to be enslaved in a way that humiliated the entire bloodline. No matter how I thought about it, this was clearly a mental illness.
But Rene seemed to interpret my contemplation differently. With a cautious expression, she spoke.
“Do you… believe me…?”
I didn’t answer immediately, lost in thought for a moment. But what exactly did she mean earlier by saying losing her purity could start a war? If I understood the exact details of the delusion her illness had created… I could use it to stimulate her. So I asked carefully.
“You mentioned earlier that losing your purity might start a war. What did you mean by that?”
At my words, Rene stared directly into my eyes. It was as if she were searching to see whether I truly believed her. I spoke in a calm, measured tone.
When I threatened her with the very thing she feared—losing her virginity—Rene’s face filled with terror. She struggled to speak.
“I have a fiancé… He is the prince of the Union Kingdom, which has had a historically bad relationship with our Empire… But in recent decades we’ve lived in peace, so we made a marriage alliance as a symbol that we would avoid war and hostility in the future.”
She pleaded with me, her voice trembling.
“So… if I… lose my purity… it might trigger the start of a war.”
After hearing the full story, I pondered for a moment. It sounded like something straight out of a third-rate romance novel. What ruler in their right mind would go to war over a woman’s virginity? War wasn’t a child’s game. The idea of fighting over something as trivial as purity made no sense. Having heard the whole tale, I was now certain. She truly was mentally ill. And quite severely at that. If this wasn’t treated later, it would hinder my reputation. It wasn’t urgent, but this issue would eventually need to be resolved.
Still, training came first. Now that I roughly understood the nature of her delusion, I might as well make full use of it.
“Hmm, I see. Then your purity must be incredibly important?”
Rene nodded quietly, then spoke again while fighting back tears.
“Yes… so… if you promise to protect my purity… I’ll do whatever you command.”
“You’ll do whatever I command…”
I wondered if she truly could. How interesting. The current situation, that is. In that case, I might as well test her a little.
“Then first, try asking again using proper formal speech. What kind of slave makes a ‘suggestion’ to her master?”
Her eyes widened. Sniffling, she spoke again.
“I… I’m sorry… If you… protect my… purity… I will do… hic… everything you command.”
She couldn’t hold back her sobs any longer. Her voice broke as she spoke. The sight was unbearably adorable. She looked like a young girl carrying the weight of all the world’s sorrow. Yet she was a twenty-year-old adult. She must know everything there was to know.
“Then I’ll ask you a few questions. Have you ever masturbated before?”
But she ignored my question and begged desperately.
“Please… please answer me first…”
Seeing such a beautiful face beg so pitifully excited me, but this was a bad habit. A slave must not ignore her master. I decided to correct it right here.
I spoke quietly.
Rene remained silent. I stared at her blankly and asked again.
“Is there a slave who refuses to answer?”
“I’m sorry… I have… done it.”
Damn… I had thought she was completely pure. No wonder the ring had been flashing so intensely this morning. I felt a surge of disappointment internally and asked the next question.
“At what age did you start?”
Her face burned bright red as she answered.
“Last night… after Master left, I did it. That was… my… first time masturbating.”
Her words brought a refreshing sense of novelty.
“So that was the first time in your entire life?”
Her face flushed an even deeper crimson. She answered in a tiny voice.
“Yes…”
At this rate, Rene’s face looked like it might explode. I savored the brief silence. Dragging this out must be making her anxious, right? After letting the tension build just enough, I finally spoke while gazing at her face.
“Very well. I’ll grant your request.”
When I accepted her wish, she could no longer hold back her sorrow and began to cry.
“Hic…! Thank you, thank you, Master.”
She kept bowing her head repeatedly, thanking me over and over. Unaware of my scheme, she poured out her gratitude. I wondered… just how far would she degrade herself for the sake of her purity? How much would she ruin herself for the imaginary citizens in her delusion? I was looking forward to it.
“However, in three months when your true owner arrives, he will be the one to take your first time. Keep that in mind.”
I deliberately fed her false information. A three-month grace period. If even that short timeframe turned out to be a lie, how would she react?
“Even that… even that much time is enough.”
I realized immediately. She was buying time, planning to escape from me somehow within those three months. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have accepted such a strict deadline so readily. For now, I pretended to be fooled again.
“Good. Then I’d like to see how a princess masturbates. Show me right here, right now.”
She clearly hadn’t expected such an order. Her face turned scarlet with embarrassment.
“B-but… every time I masturbate, a barrier magic activates, so…”
I removed the ring and said,
“Now you can do it freely. Go ahead.”
She froze. I spoke to her rigid form.
Rene looked like she might cry again. Then, as if resigning herself to obey, her hand slowly moved downward.
“Wait. I can’t see properly. Stand up first.”
“Yes.”
She looked puzzled but stood up nonetheless. I pulled down the dress that had been covering her body.
Thud.
It fell to the floor.
“Ugh…”
Her body trembled with humiliation. Beautiful breasts of a perfect size. Pink nipples adorning their tips. A slender waistline. And her intimate place, surrounded by thick silvery-gray pubic hair. All of it looked like a single work of art. But what truly filled my lust was her pure face, flushed with shame.