Cattle Registration (6) - Reality
Yuriathenes opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.
Far too much time had passed, yet sleep refused to come.
The bedroom was silent, but her body continued to react with agonizing sensitivity.
Even the faint brush of her thin nightgown against her skin felt unbearable.
She pushed the covers aside and sat up.
She could feel her legs trembling faintly.
She raised a hand and pressed it lightly against her breast.
The moment her palm made contact, a subtle shiver raced up her spine.
This sensation should have become familiar by now, yet it only seemed to grow sharper with time.
‘……If things continue like this.’
She closed her eyes.
They had told her that once the Erosion Rate reached just twenty percent, her sexual sensitivity would increase nearly eightfold.
She was barely at nine percent now, and already this bad. The thought of what would happen at twenty percent was too horrifying to imagine.
If her body kept receiving stimulation even while she conducted state affairs, she would never be able to concentrate.
If her body reacted in front of her ministers, or worse, in front of foreign dignitaries, the dignity of the Empress would collapse entirely.
She rose from the bed and walked to the window.
When she opened it, the cold night wind brushed across her face.
Yuriathenes stood there, letting the chill wash over her as she slowly steadied her breathing.
‘I need to find an alternative.’
She ran through every possibility in her mind.
Using Chilheok to search for a more powerful antidote.
Training her body or enduring it through sheer willpower.
Methods to slow or even prevent the rise of the Erosion Rate itself.
But every option was either unrealistic or had already been tried without success.
She clenched her teeth.
Then one thought flickered through her mind.
‘……What if I centralize all reports?’
She would still handle state affairs personally, but all reports would be funneled through the Minister of State.
Each minister would submit their opinions in writing, and only appear for face-to-face reports when absolutely necessary.
Ministers would stand in for her at various ceremonies, and she would only appear in person for truly critical national matters.
On the surface, it could be presented as an administrative reform.
In reality, it was a measure to minimize contact with others as much as possible.
It was also a way to conceal her condition and preserve her imperial dignity.
Yuriathenes closed the window and slowly sat down in a chair.
She raised a hand to her forehead.
She couldn’t say with certainty that this was the best solution.
But among the options available to her right now, it was the most realistic.
She closed her eyes and murmured under her breath.
“……I suppose this is what I must do.”
Erosion Rate: 9.2%
Daily increase of 4% continues. Physical sensitivity already elevated.
The next morning, the state council convened.
Yuriathenes sat upon the throne with her usual imperious expression, as if nothing had changed.
One by one the ministers took their seats, and the meeting began.
She remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low, icy voice.
“Effective today, the method of reporting on state affairs will change.”
The ministers all lifted their heads at once.
Receiving their gazes, Yuriathenes continued slowly.
“From now on, all reports will be centralized through the Minister of State.
Each minister shall submit opinions in writing, and only appear for in-person reports when absolutely necessary.
Ministers will represent me at national events, and I will only attend in person for matters of true national importance.”
The council chamber fell deathly silent.
Most of the ministers looked bewildered.
Some couldn’t hide their dismay and exchanged glances, while others simply lowered their heads and remained quiet.
Reading their reactions, Yuriathenes thought to herself.
‘……They’ll think I’m abandoning my duties.’
She already knew that.
A newly ascended Empress who had only recently taken the throne, now handing over reports to the Minister of State and reducing her participation in ceremonies, would inevitably appear to be neglecting her responsibilities.
Still, she had decided to endure that misunderstanding.
One of the ministers cautiously spoke up.
“Your Majesty…… this is such a sudden change. May I ask the reason……?”
Yuriathenes looked at him.
Her eyes were cold and resolute.
“It is to increase administrative efficiency. I will entertain no further questions.”
Her voice carried an unmistakable finality.
The ministers could say nothing more. They simply bowed their heads with caution.
The meeting ended just like that.
Yuriathenes rose from the throne and slowly made her way back to her bedroom.
Even as she walked, she raised a hand and pressed it lightly against her breast.
Her body was still reacting with painful sensitivity, but she had decided to accept that fact.
At least for the time being.
Once she reached the bedroom, Yuriathenes closed the door and sank into a chair.
As the tension drained away, she felt her body grow heavy.
She raised a hand to her forehead.
Only now did the weight of what she had decided and carried out truly hit her.
Centralizing reports through the Minister of State and minimizing contact with others.
In the end, it was all a choice made to hide her condition.
And that choice was shaking the very way she had lived as Empress until now.
Yuriathenes slowly closed her eyes.
In that moment, Cassian’s face rose in her mind.
She clenched her teeth.
She couldn’t understand why she was thinking of him at a time like this.
Yet as her fatigue and tension melted away, thoughts of him flooded in stronger than ever.
Cassian had originally belonged to the 2nd Prince’s faction.
When the 2nd Prince began making moves to bring in foreign powers, Cassian had felt deep disappointment and inner conflict, but in the end he had no choice but to follow his lord.
Then, when the Empress eliminated the 2nd Prince, Cassian’s position had been shaken to its core.
The sense of loss from losing the lord he had served, mixed with complicated feelings about the Empress’s ruthless methods.
Even so, the Empress had kept him in her thoughts.
She lowered her hand and gently caressed her breast.
The more stress built up, the more sensitively her body responded.
Every time her fingers brushed across her breast, a faint tremor seeped into her.
Yuriathenes gritted her teeth.
This sensation was clearly due to the Erosion Rate.
Yet she did not stop her hand.
‘If only Cassian had been by my side at times like this……’
The thought suddenly came to her.
When her body had reacted in front of her ministers.
When she had been left alone and reached climax again and again.
When her heightened sensitivity had made even daily life uncomfortable.
If Cassian had been there watching over her through all of it……
She wanted to lean on him.
No, perhaps if she had been with him, she might have been able to endure all of this a little better.
Especially during those times when she had been treated like cattle and toyed with.
Those moments when her body had trembled from unbearable shame and pleasure.
If Cassian had been beside her then, perhaps she wouldn’t have felt quite so tormented or lonely.
The thought itself was shameful, but she could not stop the fantasy.
Her fingers began to move even more slowly.
The sensation of gently rubbing her nipples felt far stronger than she expected.
Yuriathenes breathed harshly.
This was because of the Erosion Rate.
She had no choice but to think of Cassian.
Even so, she pictured his face.
The way he had looked at her, the gentle tone of his voice, and the regret of not having chosen him.
Then, a status window appeared before her eyes.
Quest: Stimulate your nipples for 10 minutes.
Success: Erosion Rate decreases by 1%.
Overachievement: Additional 0.1% decrease per climax.
Yuriathenes stared at the window and let out a low laugh.
“……So this is how you’re going to play it.”
She did not stop her hand.
Her body was already reacting as she thought of Cassian.
She closed her eyes and pictured his face.
Then she began moving her fingers again.
The sensation of stimulating her nipples grew stronger and stronger.
She clenched her teeth.
This was because of the Erosion Rate.
She had no choice but to think of Cassian.
Even so, she repeated his name inside her mind.
Her fingers moved faster and faster.
She could feel her nipples hardening.
Yuriathenes breathed harshly.
Her body grew hotter and hotter.
She recalled the way Cassian had looked at her.
She recalled the gentle voice he had used with her.
And she recalled the regret of ultimately not choosing him.
“……Haa……”
Suddenly, her body shuddered violently.
An unexpected wave of pleasure shot up through her waist.
She could not stop her hand.
Her fingers continued to stimulate her nipples.
And finally, her body convulsed hard as she reached climax.
“……!”
She covered her mouth and curled in on herself.
Her body had already experienced climax many times in that other place.
Yet thinking of Cassian had made her react just as intensely in reality.
The climax was brief, but intense.
When it finally passed, she pulled her hand away and panted heavily.
The room was quiet.
Yuriathenes slowly looked down at her hand.
Her fingers were trembling faintly.
She closed her eyes and murmured in a low voice.
“……Is this who I am now?”
Shame washed over her.
At the same time, so did longing for Cassian.
She leaned back against the bed and stared at the ceiling.
The Erosion Rate must have gone down a little.
But that fact brought her no comfort.
She closed her eyes again.
Cassian’s face rose in her mind once more.
And once again, she remembered that she had ultimately failed to choose him.
