The Empress
"No."
"Huh?"
I held up the vibrator and spoke.
-Whirrrrr!
"Why not? I want it so badly! I think it'll feel incredible if you put yours inside me, Master!"
"Today you'll have to make do with this."
"Aah... Why?"
Rene stared at me with a forlorn, hollow look.
"It's not fully aged yet."
"Huh?"
I stroked her cheek as I explained to the girl who clearly didn't understand.
"Virginity is a precious thing, isn't it? If I'm going to devour it, I should savor every bite while it's at its most delicious."
"What... do you mean by that?"
Before the bewildered Rene could finish, I pressed the vibrator against her clitoris.
"Haaang!"
The lust that had been stacked to the absolute limit by Orgasm Control exploded out of her in a violent cry.
"Hyaaak! Haaak!"
Her arousal level spiked to seventy percent in an instant and kept climbing.
"Khup!"
Her mouth and eyes flew wide open. For a brief moment she couldn't speak at all, then—
"Hyaaaaaaaak!"
She let out a moan that sounded closer to pain than pleasure.
"Uaaaaaah!"
Her feet stretched taut, toes pointed, while her thighs clamped together desperately.
"W-wait! Th-this feels weird—eeet!"
Rene shook her head frantically, insisting something was wrong. Her arousal had already hit ninety percent.
-Splurt... Spluuurt!
A powerful jet of fluid gushed from between her legs.
"Uaaaaaah...!"
Her whole body shook violently.
I gently stroked her hair and whispered into her ear.
"You're doing so well. Such a good girl."
"Ah... Nooooo!"
Rene bucked her hips hard. Once her breathing began to steady, I pulled the vibrator away.
"Haa... Haa..."
She stared at the ceiling with completely dazed eyes. When I looked into them, her pupils kept dilating and contracting.
She came properly.
It seemed her brain had momentarily shut down from the overwhelming pleasure. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful—grey hair, red eyes, those slightly parted lips releasing hot, ragged breaths.
I leaned down and kissed her slack cheek.
-Smooch.
"Sleep well."
Late that night, inside Byzantion Palace in Nicaea, the eastern resort region of the Empire.
A black-haired man and a grey-haired beauty sat together in a spacious room. He read the newspaper while she perused a novel. They were none other than the Empire's Empress, Teodora Augustus—also called Thera—and her husband, Grand Duke Debian Ryan.
"Thera. I heard Rene went away for recuperation because she's ill?"
"What?!"
The grey-haired beauty looked up in shock.
"How ill is she?"
"I'm not sure. Hmm..."
The Grand Duke's face was full of puzzlement as he scanned the newspaper article.
Strange. If she's sick, why go all the way for recuperation?
The imperial palace already employed the finest physicians. Recuperation was typically reserved for mental or emotional ailments. Yet when he had left Roman, his daughter had been perfectly healthy.
Mental strain usually stemmed from some traumatic event.
There wasn't any incident that would have shocked Rene, was there?
For a moment he wondered if his son had been tormenting her, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew how dearly Ian cherished his little sister.
While the Grand Duke was lost in thought, the Empress frowned deeply.
"Honestly, look at Ian. His sister is ill and he doesn't even bother to inform us?"
"Well..."
"Anyone listening would think Ian was the emperor right now."
Her red eyes glowed with irritation at being disregarded. The Grand Duke calmly reached out and stroked her hair.
"So? You're not handing over the throne?"
"Of course I will. Next year."
Ever since she had become empress at twenty, she had scarcely lived for herself. A rebel had assassinated the previous emperor, throwing the empire into chaos. The only reason it hadn't collapsed entirely was because her husband had stepped in to stabilize it. Without him, the empire might have been ripped apart.
Perhaps that was why she cherished this traveling life with him so much. Still, an empress could not remain away from Roman forever. Her plan to abdicate to her son at the proper time and enjoy a peaceful retirement with her husband had never changed.
"Hehe. So let's stay out of it. Don't scold Ian for no reason."
The Grand Duke was content with their current life as well. He had been running without rest since the age of twenty-three. Having practiced noblesse oblige to the point of actual death once before, he would have liked to pass the Grand Duke title to his sister or nephew. However...
It feels wasteful to simply discard such a useful rallying point for the anti-emperor faction...
In any case, Ian could not inherit the title. The Grand Duke had already promised it to his sister's son. He only continued to hold it because the political influence attached to the position would burden the current emperor.
That's why I kept telling him to marry quickly...
"Even so, Ian not informing us that Rene is ill is hardly proper, is it?"
There the Grand Duke had no defense. Emperor or crown prince, failing to tell one's parents that their child was sick was difficult to justify.
But...
"Well? Are we certain she's actually ill?"
The Empress looked startled at his words.
"Pardon?"
"If she were truly sick, he would have told us. There's no way Ian wouldn't know that much."
At such common-sense logic, Thera's expression hardened.
"Then you're saying something has happened to Rene?"
"It's a possibility we cannot dismiss."
The Empress's face grew icy cold.
"Is anyone outside?"
-Yes, Your Majesty!
At the knight's prompt reply from beyond the door, Teodora spoke with chilling authority.
"We return to Roman first thing tomorrow. Make the preparations."
-By your command!
The sound of the knight's footsteps faded, but an odd silence remained inside the room.
"Nothing serious has happened... right?"
It could simply be something trivial. If they were traveling quietly without the usual entourage of imperial knights, the situation made sense.
"It is possible. After all, Ian isn't exactly known for his intellect."
He should have reported it, but...
Perhaps he thought Thera would object?
She had always been a strict mother. He might have feared she would forbid it. That would explain the silence.
Without visiting the palace ourselves, it's impossible to know for certain.
Apparently sharing the same thought, the Empress spoke cautiously.
"Could they have simply gone on a trip?"
"That seems the most plausible explanation."
"Honestly... Look at those children. The moment their mother and father leave, they start acting like this... Ha..."
She sighed deeply, yet her face had brightened considerably. Both parents now believed their daughter wasn't ill at all—she had simply wanted a quiet getaway. The idea of anyone kidnapping an imperial princess was so absurd that neither of them even considered it.
"In any case, let's head to Roman. It's been quite a while."
Nearly a year had passed since they left the capital, so the Grand Duke thought it was the perfect time to return.
"Speaking of which, what are we going to do about Ian's marriage?"
The current crown prince remained unmarried. The woman he was seeing was a maid. Neither the Grand Duke nor the Empress could possibly approve such a union. The empire's absolute monarchy was still relatively new. Local nobles still wielded considerable power. For the crown princess—the one who should serve as a steadfast political ally—to be nothing more than a maid? In the worst case, the empire could fracture. Yet if Ian himself refused to marry, there was little they could do.
"Ha... Ian really needs to marry soon and produce an heir..."
"Hearing you say that reminds me of your mother."
The Grand Duke smiled faintly, remembering how his mother-in-law had schemed endlessly to make them produce an heir.
"Really now. That was your fault, wasn't it?"
"It was. Which brings me to..."
When he gazed at her with deep, suggestive eyes, the Empress paled.
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Shall we make a little sibling for our Rene?"
"L-look at this man—"
-Thump! Thump!
She grabbed a pillow and began hitting him with it.
"The children are already grown! How could I face them if I became pregnant?"
He blocked the blows with his arm and drew closer.
"Why not? You used to seduce me all the time saying you wanted another child. I'll give you one more."
"No thank you! That was then—this is now. Are they even comparable?"
"To me, whether then or now, you are still unbearably beautiful."
"Ugh... Absolutely not!"
She tried to push him away, but he was faster. He leaned in and breathed warmly against the elegant line of her neck.
"Haa..."
Even after twenty years of marriage, the couple's passion had not cooled in the slightest.
"Haaam!"
Sunlight poured through the window. I'd stayed up far too late dealing with Rene yesterday...
Finishing a training session didn't mean my work was over. I still had to write the training log and prepare the curriculum. At least I'd managed to draft the curriculum before falling asleep.
The plan I'd made last night was straightforward: fellatio training before and after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After meals, sensitivity development training. Currently Rene responded strongly only through vaginal stimulation; her breasts and reactions to spanking were still weak. Those areas needed development as well. Her rear would have to be trained gradually too.
The silver lining was that we had plenty of time. For the immediate future, the focus would be Kegel exercises and anal development. Kegel exercises were every bit as essential as fellatio training. Even a loose woman could become a supreme-grade treasure with proper Kegel work. Given the natural shape of Rene's pussy, she was already a born masterpiece. Once her pelvic floor was strengthened, she would be capable of devouring any man with ease.
In the evenings, depending on her performance that day, I would reward her with the pure romantic play she loved, or else move on to cock-sucking practice or another session of Orgasm Control. Her fellatio had improved dramatically after yesterday's denial training.
Yes, this should be sufficient.
"Haaaaam!"
Yawning, I rose from the bed and stepped out. It was eight in the morning, so Lili the maid would arrive in about an hour. Perhaps I should conduct some pre-breakfast training.
I crossed the living room and headed for Rene's bedroom.
-Creak.
When I opened the door, I found her still fast asleep in her pajamas. She must have regained enough awareness yesterday to put them on afterward.
She slept peacefully, breathing soft and even. I gazed at her face, lost in thought.
She's so beautiful...
Once I bought a building and established myself as a proper butler, I would need to acquire a personal slave. An assistant would be necessary eventually.
Since I wanted to begin training before Lili arrived, I needed to wake her. I shook Rene's shoulder.
"Miss Rene! Miss Rene, wake up. It's morning."
"Seville... just let me sleep... a little longer..."
Sleep-talking. Who was Seville? Her former maid, perhaps?
"Miss Rene? Miss Rene?"
-Thump.
With no response, she simply rolled over and continued sleeping. At times like these, a master had to enforce proper discipline. I retrieved the slime mouthpiece I'd used the day before and approached the bed.