The Night's Wife
Bound, constricted, and pulled taut by cold iron chains, Carmel's body was displayed in the most exquisitely beautiful manner. I reached out toward her chest. As I squeezed her soft breasts, Carmel thrashed as if to reject my touch. Of course, her struggles did nothing but make her scandalous body look all the more enticing.
Even after being left in this state for several days, the spark in Carmel's eyes had not yet faded. I kneaded her flesh, marveling at how soft she was no matter where I touched, and spoke.
"Mother... you have truly crossed the line this time. Treason? You should have stuck to those cute little schemes of yours, just like you always did."
Carmel could not answer. A gag had been stuffed deep into her mouth, blocking her throat. Except for the brief moments when liquid meals were poured down her throat, she must have been forced to wear it constantly. I grabbed her chin and pulled the device from her mouth. Saliva that had pooled inside her forced-open mouth came trickling out along with the gag.
The moment it was freed, Carmel spat out in venomous desperation, "What... what are you planning to do with me?!"
"Do you still not understand, even after being reduced to this? First, I will make you pay for your sins in full with that scandalous body of yours. But you were truly reckless this time. Revealing your true colors not just to me, but in front of the knights and even the soldiers of the Empire... Wouldn't it be much cleaner if you were to suddenly 'go missing'?"
"M-Missing...?"
"It is far too risky to keep you in Lurie, so keeping you here in Senain Castle seems like the best option. Consider this a rehearsal. Of course, I will do my best to visit you as often as possible. Hmm, as for your caretaker, it should definitely be a woman. After all, a male guard would find it quite impossible to control his lust upon seeing your body."
My hands, which had been kneading her body, slid down to cup and squeeze her buttocks. But Carmel was in no position to worry about such trivial violations right now.
"Wait... what are you talking about? Y-You're joking, right...?"
"Do I look like I am joking? The penalty for treason is, by default, death. Surely being confined here and becoming my toy is a far better alternative to being executed?"
Carmel's fatal mistake was trying to grasp too many things at once. Predicting my movements was brilliant. However, her desire to witness my ultimate defeat with her own eyes proved to be her undoing. Well, I suppose that urge must have been incredibly difficult to resist. Her repeated defeats at my hands had driven her to such desperation. Regardless, the price of her recklessness this time would be heavier than ever before. If I were to actively use the testimonies of the knights, sending Carmel to the executioner's block would be trivial. Of course, if anyone actually stepped forward to demand her execution, I would actively stop them. I had absolutely no intention of letting her die.
"Ugh, ah..."
Despair pooled in Carmel's eyes. It seemed she had finally, truly grasped the reality of her situation.
"In the chaotic state Lorencia is in right now, nothing is outside the realm of possibility. Shall we blame it on the Empire? That seems like the most plausible scenario."
"N-No... Rotting away in a place like this for the rest of my life... I absolutely refuse..."
"Then are you saying you would rather proudly accept your execution? What a noble resolve."
"O-Of course I don't want that either...! P-Please, Sera... S-Spare me... You, you can get me out of this! ...Ah..."
Watching Carmel beg so pathetically for her life, I slid my hand down to her wet folds. I thrust two fingers deep into her slick heat, ruthlessly stirring the tender flesh inside. Though her face burned crimson with humiliation, Carmel could not offer even a shred of resistance to my touch.
"Even for me, this is a difficult situation to resolve. Do you truly believe the knights, who just lost two of their comrades, will keep quiet so easily? Your confinement here is the only way you will survive, Mother."
"Liar! You seized control of the Knight Order a long time ago!"
"Sigh..."
Having blurted out those rebellious words reflexively, Carmel immediately looked as if she regretted it. I let out a soft sigh and withdrew my fingers from her wetness. As I made a show of turning away, Carmel cried out in a panic.
"W-Wait...! I-I was wrong! I just misspoke... Please wait, Sera!"
I turned back to Carmel and began to knead every inch of her body, starting with her breasts and her wet folds. Though her face was flushed with utter humiliation, she endured it with a remarkably submissive expression.
"Fufu... Then, to show your sincerity, why don't you try squeezing my fingers with your sweet folds, Mother?"
"Ah... I-I understand..."
Steeling her resolve, Carmel began to tense her muscles. With one of her legs hoisted high, it was an incredibly awkward posture to exert any force. Furthermore, being bound for so long had drained her of physical strength. Yet, Carmel strained with everything she had to tighten her folds around me.
"Hngh...! Haah..."
It was a comical sight in a way—a proud Queen desperately squeezing her intimate parts with all her might to beg for forgiveness. Yet, Carmel had never been more desperate. Her tight walls clamped hard around my slender fingers. Even while bound, she did her best to grind her hips back and forth within her limited range of motion, attempting to provide more stimulation to my hand. Watching her, I had to suppress a sudden urge to laugh out loud. A joy as dark as pitch flooded my entire soul.
"Very good. Fufu... You are doing wonderfully. I believe in your sincerity now, Mother. I shall overlook your slip of the tongue just this once."
"Haah, haah... Ah..."
Carmel seemed completely tattered, both in body and mind. At this point, even a gentle push would likely break her completely. I continued to thrust lazily inside her loosening folds as I spoke.
"Since this is a transaction of sorts, there is something you must consider, Mother. In exchange for me covering up your treason, what can you possibly offer me? After all, your body is already mine to do with as I please."
"Ugh, ah... T-That is..."
Carmel's body was already entirely in my grasp, perfectly prepared to be devoured at any moment.
"I-I'll do anything...! Just as you said before... I will expose my naked body to the public with only my face covered, and... and I'll even couple with a beggar if you command it...! I will gladly accept whatever you do to me...! So please..."
"Couple with a beggar...?"
Carmel had likely said that to appease me, but those words flipped a dangerous switch deep inside me. I could barely tolerate her coupling with King Pehart, and now she was suggesting what?
"Ah...!"
I thrust roughly into her wetness, my voice growing slightly faster and sharper.
"Your imagination is remarkably loose, Mother. Do you indulge in such fantasies regularly? As your daughter, I cannot help but question your sense of chastity."
"N-No, I didn't mean it like that..."
"Come to think of it, Lorencia is famous for its high-quality pork. Instead of a beggar, how about a pig? A loose woman like you should find it quite manageable."
"A p-pig...? Me... the Queen...?"
Carmel's face drained of all color. Soon, tears began to spill from her eyes.
"P-Please, anything but that, spare me... *sob*... Sera, no, I don't want a pig, please..."
Seeing her cry in genuine terror softened my mood slightly. Wearing a gentle smile, I lightly cradled her face.
"Fufu, of course I am not serious, Mother. There is no need to be so frightened. Did you truly believe I would throw you to beggars or beasts? How cruel of you to think so poorly of me."
I could never waste her like that. No matter how depraved my tastes might be, I had absolutely no intention of sharing this exquisite woman with some nameless, filthy bastards.
"Ah, hngh... Sera..."
Relieved of the terrifying prospect of being violated by beasts, Carmel looked at me with genuine gratitude—even though I was the one who had instilled that fear in the first place. Stroking her hair, I whispered to her tenderly.
"It seems you are in no state to organize your thoughts properly right now, Mother. Allow me to make a proposal instead. There are three things I require of you."
"Three... what are they...?"
"First. You will remain here for the next week and obediently submit to everything I do to you. Of course, I have no intention of bringing in anything vulgar like beggars or pigs. Only Rika and I will enter this room. What do you say?"
"...Rika..."
At the mention of Rika's name, Carmel cast a pained look toward the corner of the room where Rika stood. But she quickly nodded and spoke.
"I understand... No matter what you do to me for the next week... I will obey you..."
"Excellent. Second. Once this week of training is over and we return to the royal capital, we will dispel Mistylia. You must cooperate fully with that process."
"Dispel Mistylia? H-How...?"
"That is not for you to worry about. I have already prepared the means to do so."
For Saintess Rielia to dispel the curse, both the medium of the curse and the cursed individual had to be in the same place. Originally, I had planned to subdue Carmel by force, but I never expected an opportunity like this to present itself so easily. Compared to her immediate acceptance of the first condition, her silence was somewhat prolonged this time. I gave her nipple a sharp pinch and spoke.
"Is there really anything to think about? Surely that curse is not as precious to you as your own life."
Carmel hesitated to answer. Did she truly value Mistylia that much? But soon enough, she nodded.
"...I understand. Then, what is the third...?"
The third condition... Feeling a dark, insidious smile spreading deep within my heart, I spoke.
"It concerns the relationship between you and me. Once we return to Lurie, you will remain my stepmother by day... but by night, you must be both my mother and my wife."
"...W-Wife...?"
It was clearly a condition she had never anticipated. Carmel asked with a look of genuine bewilderment.
"If... if I become your wife... what must I do?"
"You do not necessarily have to do anything. You simply need to agree to become my wife by night and keep that awareness in your mind. Shall we seal it with a kiss of vows? Ah, and regardless of the other conditions, this is a permanent contract. One you can never escape."
"W-What does that even..."
Carmel's eyes trembled. She seemed utterly confused, unable to grasp my true intentions. Leaning my lips close to hers, I asked.
"Will you become my, Sera Rustier's, Night's Wife, Mother?"
Being a wife was a mere formality; she didn't actually have to do anything. There could be no easier condition. Yet, Carmel still hesitated.
"Do you perhaps object?"
"N-No... I will... I will be... your wife..."
"Wonderful, Mother. Then let us seal it with a kiss of vows."
Smiling, I leaned in to kiss my lovely, naked bride, who was shivering in her chains—the woman who would soon be both my mother and my Night's Wife.