Crimson Branding
I pulled over a wooden chair from the back of the room and took a seat. It was time to leisurely enjoy the spectacle of Carmel being thoroughly humiliated by her former subordinate.
"Ah... Nngh...! Rika..."
Rika's fingers ruthlessly worked their way inside Carmel's wet heat. Slick juices poured from her folds like rain. Rika brought her face so close that their lips would brush with the slightest tilt of her head, staring directly into Carmel's eyes and drinking in every detail of her face as it contorted in agonizing pleasure.
"Lady Carmel... to think your cunt is clamping down on me this tightly... Do you want to climax that badly? As your former servant... the least I can do is make sure you come as much as you desire."
"No, it's not... I don't want to... I would never think of... Ah, nngh!"
Rika's calloused fingers began to move with relentless speed. She seemed utterly intent on forcing Carmel over the edge. With her other arm, she locked Carmel in a tight embrace. The contrast between Rika's firm, muscular physique and Carmel's soft, voluptuous curves was exquisitely beautiful.
"Ah...! Nngh, ah!"
Carmel broke easily. Locked in Rika's arms, every single tremor of her shattering climax was transmitted directly to her former knight.
"Ah, Lady Carmel..."
Feeling the vibrations of her climax, a dark, ecstatic smile spread across Rika's face. Do pets truly take after their masters? Perhaps because she was so utterly devoted to me, Rika seemed to have inherited my exact tastes. To find pleasure in both being violated and violating others... though that particular trait might be reserved solely for Carmel.
Carmel spoke in a voice half-melted by pleasure. "R-Rika... ah... g-get a hold of yourself... What on earth did... Sera do to you?"
Depending on how one interpreted it, her words could be seen as an attempt to snap Rika out of it—an act of defiance. Rika turned her head toward me, silently asking if she should punish her. I simply smiled and nodded, signaling that it was fine.
Keeping her firm arms wrapped around Carmel, Rika whispered softly into her ear. "The Princess brought joy to my barren, wasteland of a life. Lady Carmel, it must be the same for you. That is why you have become so wonderfully lewd... To me, you look far, far more beautiful now than you ever did before."
"Nngh..."
It seemed Rika still harbored some lingering affection for Carmel. But precisely because of those feelings, she wanted Carmel to fall to the exact same submissive, slave-like state as herself. To wallow in the mud together with Carmel, whom she had once revered as a star high in the heavens—that was Rika's idea of ultimate bliss. Had she harbored these dark desires since the days she served her? Or was this the corrupting influence of the Hypnotic Incense? Either way, Rika possessed a delightfully twisted psyche. Of course, I found it utterly charming.
I reached into my bag and pulled out an object, pressing it into Rika's hand.
"This is..."
It was a riding crop—the very same one I had used to mercilessly lash Rika's clit back in the brothel. Upon seeing it, Rika and Carmel wore completely contrasting expressions.
"Use that to entertain Mother. Ah, but do be careful not to overdo it. Mother is surprisingly fragile, after all."
"Yes, Princess."
"Wait... W-what did you say...? You're going to... whip me with that...? Me? The Queen?!"
Though she had been humiliated in every conceivable way, I had rarely subjected Carmel to actual physical pain. A slap to the cheek or a light spanking was the extent of it, and with my slender arms, it couldn't have hurt much anyway.
"Well, Mother made a rather massive mistake this time, didn't she? It is only natural that you be punished. When you consider the lives lost because of your actions, a simple whipping is practically a mercy."
"Y-You can't be serious..."
She had braced herself for sexual degradation, but it seemed she was entirely unprepared for physical pain. Carmel's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as she stared at the crop in Rika's hand.
"Begin, Rika."
Crack!
"Hieee...!"
With a sharp, stinging sound, a bright red welt bloomed on the tender flesh of Carmel's inner thigh. The square, angled imprint left by the leather tip of the crop looked exactly like a fresh brand. Carmel still seemed unable to process what was happening. Without hesitation, Rika swung the crop fiercely once more.
Crack!
An identical welt was engraved symmetrically on the opposite thigh. If she were to close her legs, the two marks would overlap perfectly. Excellent control. As expected of a knight master of various weapons, she handled the crop with flawless precision.
"It is useless to resist the pain, Lady Carmel. Just accept it. Reflect on the sins you committed against the Princess as you take your punishment..."
"D-Don't make me laugh...! Sera, you...!"
Physical pain was something she hadn't experienced in a very long time as Queen. The sudden agony seemed to spark a brief flash of defiance. But the moment she tried to raise her voice, Rika's crop lashed across her buttocks.
Crack!
"Hieee...!"
Perhaps because it was a fleshier target, the strike landed with far more force than the ones on her thighs. The soft flesh of her buttocks rippled violently, sending a shudder through her suspended body that rattled the iron chains. A welt far redder and angrier than the ones on her thighs bloomed across her rear. Carmel's eyes welled with tears from the sheer, stinging agony.
"Rika, ah... how could you... do this... to me..."
"My apologies, Lady Carmel," Rika replied. Yet, despite her polite words, a dark smile played on her lips.
Of course, I was enjoying myself just as much. I recalled that rainy day, and the arrogant, triumphant face Carmel had worn as she looked down on me. Overlapping that memory with the pathetic spectacle before my eyes, I couldn't suppress the boiling ecstasy rising within my chest. Carmel cried out to me, her face stained with tears.
"I-I'll reflect...! I hate the pain...! Just stop the whipping...! I'll do anything else... I'll truly repent, okay? Sera..."
I let out a soft chuckle. "Repent? Whatever do you mean, Mother? Did you honestly think I was doing this just to extract an apology from you?"
"T-Then... why...?"
"I simply want to see Mother's pristine, pale skin stained in brilliant red. Seeing you writhe in pain, sobbing and trembling... it makes something hot boil deep inside me. This is purely for my own amusement. So there is no end, Mother. Not until I am fully satisfied."
"...What...?"
Stunned, Carmel's shock quickly turned into a fierce, venomous glare. "You d-devil...! You are a demon and a witch, Sera!"
It was rather amusing for a member of the Black Sanyanghoe—a cult that literally worshipped sinister, occult forces—to use 'demon' and 'witch' as insults. I offered her a sweet, gentle smile. "Fufufu, then I suppose I must show Mother the true nature of this witch, shouldn't I?"
As I spoke, I gave Rika a subtle nod. Rika immediately lashed the other side of Carmel's buttocks with identical force.
Crack!
"Heegh...!"
It was a truly heartwarming spectacle. There was a strange, moving beauty in the way Carmel writhed, utterly helpless against the pain. The contrast of her pale skin, the vivid red welts, the heavy black chains, and the violent swaying of her gorgeous body... it possessed a raw, artistic quality.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The crimson welts multiplied across her body. On her breasts, her flanks, her stomach. Though her fleshy buttocks remained the primary target. The marks ranged from light pink to vivid, angry crimson. Rika was clearly controlling her strength, ensuring Carmel was thoroughly tormented without being permanently damaged.
"Stop."
At my command, Rika immediately froze. She was panting heavily, her chest heaving with an excitement she couldn't entirely conceal. I took the crop from her hand and pressed the tip against Carmel's dripping cunt.
"Ah...!"
With just a slight nudge to part her folds, sweet honey overflowed from her entrance. Even while being whipped, Carmel's cunt had been dripping like this the entire time. Whether she had awakened to a new world of pain or if the lingering pleasure from earlier was simply too intense remained to be seen. I teased her clit, swirling the leather tip of the crop around her wet folds.
"You endured beautifully, Mother. Fufufu. We shall call it a day."
I reached into my bag once more and retrieved a small ceramic jar wrapped in parchment. Unwrapping it and lifting the lid revealed a thick, white ointment. I began to gently spread it over Carmel's welts.
"Help me apply it, Rika. Spread a thin layer over every single welt."
"Yes, Princess."
Every time our ointment-slicked fingers stroked over her raw, red welts, Carmel let out a soft groan and shivered. Even receiving medical treatment, she looked incredibly erotic. Once the ointment was fully applied, we pressed sheets of gauze over her skin. Thanks to the adhesive nature of the salve, the gauze clung perfectly to her body.
Next, we unlocked the heavy iron chains binding her body. Rika held Carmel's arm just in case she collapsed, but the former Queen seemed to have lost all will to resist or flee.
"I would strongly advise against trying to escape. Unless you happen to know the labyrinthine layout of Senain Castle's dungeons inside out, you will only get lost and starve to death in the dark."
"I have no intention... of running..." Carmel muttered weakly.
Draped in nothing but patches of white gauze, she somehow looked even more scandalous than if she were completely naked—though, of course, her most intimate areas remained entirely exposed.
Rika and I blindfolded Carmel and led her out of the chamber. We brought her to another cell in the depths—one slightly more hospitable than the training room we had just occupied. Of course, it was still a dungeon. A worn-out cot and a single wooden bucket for her waste were the only furnishings. When we removed her blindfold and let her take in her new surroundings, Carmel grimaced.
"You will have to remain naked for the next week, but it shouldn't be too cold. I went out of my way to provide exceptionally warm bedding. Do let me know if you feel a chill."
"...I don't need your pity."
"Then I wish you a pleasant evening. Do your best tomorrow as well, Mother."
Clack. Locking the heavy iron door behind us, Rika and I walked away. And so, the first day of Carmel's week of degradation drew to a close.