The Perfect Master Candidate
Let me be completely honest with you. It was the absolute best.
The kiss with Frey. Her sadistic streak running wild under the pretext of saving Aris. Having all my teeth ripped out and being choked. Every single bit of it was unbelievably, ridiculously... pleasurable.
I hadn't planned it, of course. Pressing my lips against Frey's was purely to wake Aris up. I didn't have any other motives—and even if I did, they certainly weren't this.
A sleeping princess is supposed to wake up to her prince's kiss. Just like how Aris in the original novel woke up to Yujin's kiss. The only problem was that I wasn't a prince. My kiss wasn't enough to wake her. Yet, despite that, it had just enough of an effect to trigger Frey's rampage.
Classic Frey. Once her true nature came out, she was utterly ruthless. Normally, Aris acted as a safety valve, but with Aris temporarily gone, Frey toyed with Lucia without a shred of hesitation. She slapped my cheeks, shattered my teeth, and choked me.
Anyone else would have resisted and fought back, which probably would have snapped Frey out of it. But since it was me, there was no one to pull the brakes. And this was the result: I got choked by Frey until I pathetically pissed myself and blacked out.
Eu-he... It was the best. Absolutely the best. When Frey pinned my abdomen down with her soft thighs and hips, I would have let out an embarrassing, high-pitched squeal if my throat hadn't been constricted.
I had intentionally held back my Super Regeneration. If I hadn't, my teeth would have grown back instantly, and my bloody nose and swollen cheeks would have returned to normal. But I figured that would have instantly killed Frey's buzz, so I refrained.
Even when my head got chopped off, I could stay conscious if I willed it. The only reason I had pathetically fainted from a mere choking was because I suppressed my ability. Deprived of oxygen, my brain quickly grew numb. Sensation faded from my extremities. My consciousness drifted, and my vision blurred. In the end, the only thing I could feel was the crushing grip of Frey's hands around my neck. The sensation of her fingers digging into my throat... I think she was actually trying to snap my neck.
It wasn't my first time having my neck broken. I've done it to myself quite often. Hanging myself is practically a hobby of mine, you know? Still, how should I put it? Having Frey's small, dainty hands desperately squeezing the life out of my throat was a completely fresh experience.
Just as the pressure reached its climax, I lost consciousness. Judging by the warmth in my lower half, it seemed I had wet myself yet again. Incontinent at my age... He-het, it was so incredibly embarrassing and shameful that my heart fluttered.
Maybe I should try it outside next time. Stripped completely naked, exposing my pale skin to the world, crawling on all fours, lifting one leg under a lamppost like a dog... Ahaha, just imagining it makes my lower abdomen throb. Doing something like that would mean giving up on being human entirely.
But come to think of it, didn't I do something similar recently? I guess Lucia isn't human anymore anyway. Should I bark? Woof, woof!
"...Cough, hack!"
The moment I regained consciousness, a violent cough burst from my throat. Something was pooling in the back of my mouth. It seemed to be blood from my injuries. I debated whether to spit it out, but decided to just swallow it down. The thick, metallic liquid slid down my esophagus. Ugh, gross. So nauseating.
I wasn't sure how long I'd been out. It didn't feel like it had been very long. When I opened my eyes, the familiar ceiling came into view.
"...Ah?"
My chest felt heavy, as if something was weighing down on it. Lifting my head slightly, a mass of deep navy-blue hair entered my field of vision.
"Frey?" I called out softly.
The girl was clinging to me, her shoulders trembling violently. I could hear her sniffing. Even straining my ears, I could only catch incoherent, muffled whimpers. There was no response from her. As if she hadn't heard me, she only squeezed my waist even tighter.
To put it mildly, my body was a total mess right now. I had bled profusely from having my teeth ripped out, broken out in a cold sweat, and even pissed myself. Clinging to me like this would only get her dirty. Actually, her clothes were already stained with my saliva and blood. Fearing she would get even filthier if we stayed like this, I gently tapped her shoulder to nudge her away.
"..."
Her reaction was unexpected. The moment I touched her, she shrank back as if terrified. Why was she acting like this? Did she hit post-nut clarity after her excitement cooled down? Yeah, I know that feeling. I know it all too well. She must have felt guilty for torturing me so thoroughly in her blind pursuit of pleasure.
"Um, Frey?"
But we couldn't stay like this forever. I needed to get back to business and bring Aris back... Wait, hold on. A sudden realization made me shut my mouth. I hesitated for a moment, pondering my next move, before gently stroking the girl's hair.
"...Aris?"
There was still no verbal reply, but her shoulders shook even harder. It seemed I was right. Come to think of it, there was no way she could have kept sleeping through a situation like that. In a way, this was a much more effective wake-up call than a kiss.
I ran my fingers through her hair. It was damp with sweat and blood, but it still felt incredibly soft. Sliding my hand down, my fingertips brushed against her back. Tracing the line of her spine, I murmured, "Aris."
This time, it wasn't a question, but a statement of absolute certainty.
Frey—no, Aris—shivered as if she were freezing. She pressed herself closer to me, like a child seeking the warmth of a parent. I didn't rush her; I simply waited. Patting her back soothingly, I wrapped my arms around her.
A few minutes passed in silence. Aris, who had been burying her face as if trying to shut out the world, slowly lifted her head. Our eyes met. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying so much that it pinched my heart. She parted her lips, but no sound came out. Her face, messy with tears and snot, was still adorable, but it stirred a deep sense of pity. Aris was weeping, looking utterly broken and sorrowful.
"S-s..."
What was she trying to say? She twitched and parted her lips, but only faint, airy gasps escaped. It took several more minutes before she could finally squeeze out a proper voice.
"S-sorry... I-I'm so sorry..."
Her voice was completely hoarse, so rough and raspy that it barely sounded like her. Her tears dripped onto my chest, one by one. Aris stammered, repeating her apology over and over.
"I-I'm sorry... S-s-sorry... I-I'm sorry... S-sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
In a rare turn of events, her stutter gradually faded the more she repeated it. Aris, who usually stuttered so severely that she had to carry a pen and notepad everywhere, didn't stumble over her apology. She must have repeated it countless times. While I was unconscious, when I woke up, and when I spoke to her. After endlessly whispering it to herself in a barely audible voice, she had finally managed to say those words without trembling.
"I-it's... b-because of me... I..."
"You don't need to apologize."
Because Aris hadn't done anything wrong. From her perspective, this must have been utterly baffling. She fell asleep, only to wake up to the unprecedented disaster of her alternate personality choking her best friend.
Aris was a good girl. She was kind-hearted and possessed an incredible capacity for empathy. For someone so sensitive, who felt others' pain and joy as if they were her own, today's events must have been an immense trauma. Especially since she cared about me enough to completely give up on life when she thought I was dead.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Aris. Why are you apologizing?"
"B-but I... I..."
"I'm perfectly fine. Aris, please don't blame yourself."
I believe the only way to soothe a child weeping from guilt is with pure, unadulterated affection. Tightening my embrace around Aris, I leaned in slightly. *Smooch.* I planted a brief kiss on her forehead.
"So don't cry. Your cute face is all ruined, see? You look much better when you smile, Aris."
"L-Lucia... ungh..."
Uh-oh. She started crying even harder. Was that not enough love? It seemed the mental scar was deeper than I thought. What if this ruins her relationship with Frey? That would be a problem. I want the two of them to get along without fighting.
"Neither you nor Frey did anything wrong."
Just in case, I offered her a bright smile. If I, the victim, defended Frey, it would help ease her mind, right?
"Are you worried about Frey hurting me? It's really okay. I was the one who asked her to do it. Both Frey and I... we just wanted to wake up our sleeping princess."
"..."
"We thought a little shock might wake you up. It was a bit extreme, but... look, you're back now, aren't you?"
"I-if... I... h-hadn't... f-fallen asleep..."
"That was my fault too. I acted too carelessly and hurt you. You thought I was dead, right? You fell asleep because you were so sad."
Honestly, how many people could watch their friend's head get chopped off and roll across the floor without losing their minds? Even someone with nerves of steel would have their heart drop. Let alone a fragile girl like Aris. It all happened because of my momentary greed—my desire to have my head severed in front of everyone. Of course, it was part of the plan to draw Astaroth's attention, but I couldn't deny that my own twisted desires played a part. So Aris was blameless. If anyone was at fault, it was me.
"If anything, I was happy. Because I got to see just how much I mean to you."
So I really didn't want her to feel guilty. To be honest, far from suffering, I had enjoyed myself immensely, but I didn't want Aris to be hurt over it. Besides, I fully intended to use today's events to my advantage later.
Frey was sadistic, but she wasn't inherently evil. She was an alter ego derived from Aris, after all. Her core foundation was the same. Frey back then was just like me when I wore the bunny girl outfit. She had simply succumbed to a long-repressed urge and lost her mind for a moment.
Since that day, I had never worn the bunny girl outfit again. I wanted to avoid another disaster where I was swallowed by my desires and ran wild. Frey was bound to be the same. Once her excitement died down and her head cleared, she would turn pale at the atrocities she had committed against me. Of course she would. That was straight-up torture. It was only because I was Lucia that I enjoyed it; anyone else would have been traumatized for life.
She was going to feel indebted to me. Heavily so. As much as the tears she had shed. Even the highly suspicious Frey wouldn't doubt me anymore, and she'd have no choice but to accept me as Aris's friend. Someday, when the moment came where I no longer had to hide my true nature... I planned to use today as leverage.
'Frey. Whenever I think of that day, my chest throbs right here. It's because of you, so you have to take responsibility.'
If I framed it like she was the one who turned me into a masochist, Frey would have no choice but to obediently become my Master. Frey gets a punching bag she can beat to her heart's content, and I get to be showered in endless "love." A literal win-win. Scratching each other's backs.
Yujin was a candidate for Master, but he was far too gentle and kind-hearted to pull off the kind of play Frey could. He has officially dropped a rank from his undisputed number-one spot. My number-one candidate for Master is now Lady Frey!
I should probably prepare a dog collar in advance. I already have the trench coat and the whip. Ah... I can't wait to go for a walk. I'm still a bit clumsy at walking on all fours... but I can always practice!