The Stepmother's Confession
Carmel was deeply conflicted. She was seriously contemplating whether she should grovel on the floor, completely naked, and beg for my forgiveness. To think that Carmel—once so proud, haughty, and venomous—would react this way simply because she had been deprived of my attention for a mere half-day. I felt a dark thrill stir deep within my gut. This sight alone was more than enough to satisfy me.
"Ugh... mmgh..." Carmel bit her lip, cautiously reading my expression. I stood over her with my arms crossed, looking down in silence. Finally, she began to lower her head, inch by inch.
"If... if I do this... will you be satisfied...?" Carmel's voice was slightly choked up. It seemed she utterly loathed subjecting herself to such a humiliating form of apology.
I gazed down at her prostrate form. Her spine formed a deep, alluring curve down her soft, pale back. An urge welled up inside me to trace that line with my finger. Slowly, I stepped closer and moved to her side. As I crouched down beside her, I felt her body tense up instantly. Her hands were pressed together politely against her forehead. There was absolutely nothing blocking my view—or my touch—from her incredibly lewd body.
I placed my hand on her buttocks and began to stroke them slowly. "How did you spend your day today, Mother?" My voice was flat, devoid of any real emotion. But to Carmel, that cold indifference must have sounded like proof of my anger.
"I... I was wrong... Even though our agreement dictates that I must obey you... I acted... so insolently... I have been reflecting deeply on my behavior..."
"Hmm..." I kneaded her flesh like soft dough, giving her rear an occasional light slap. The way her skin clung to my palm proved she truly possessed the most exquisite backside.
"You do know I can read a portion of your thoughts, right, Mother? So let me guess. You're probably thinking something like, 'I'm going this far, and she still won't forgive me? Unforgivable.' Am I close?"
"...What...?" A startled gasp escaped her lips. But she quickly composed herself and tried to play dumb. "N-no... Of course not...! I am sincerely begging for your forgiveness, Sera... P-please believe me! I mean it!"
She was desperately trying to salvage the situation after falling right into my trap. My firm kneading had left her buttocks quite flushed. I continued to pat her there as I spoke.
"Very well. I shall graciously forgive you. Though, truth be told, there was never anything to forgive. I wasn't angry in the slightest."
It took Carmel a moment to process my words. Even after grasping their meaning, she had already been burned by my trap once, so she asked cautiously.
"You weren't angry...? Truly...?"
"Yes, truly. In fact, I am in an exceptionally pleasant mood right now."
"T-then why... why didn't you show your face even once today...?"
"The remnants of Lorencia caused a bit of trouble. It took some time to deal with them. I tried to wrap things up as quickly as possible, but it still ended up being quite late."
Carmel pushed herself up halfway and stared at me. The moment she saw the smug, relaxed smile on my face, she sprang to her feet.
"S-Sera! You... you...!"
Just imagining what had been going through Carmel's mind—jumping to conclusions over absolutely nothing and going so far as to perform a naked dogeza—was the ultimate delicacy. As she marched toward me, her face was a perfect, golden ratio of humiliation, shame, and sheer resentment.
"Why... why didn't you say so from the beginning...! I... I was...! Ah..."
"Because... it was amusing. Watching you squirm as if you had committed some unspeakable crime, Mother. Were you really that terrified of being hated by me?"
"W-who... who would ever...! Someone like you...!"
Carmel was so choked with rage that she could barely form words. Her self-loathing and embarrassment seemed just as overwhelming as her anger. She had essentially laid her innermost feelings bare. She had shown me, with her own body, just how desperately she craved my attention and affection—and that she was willing to endure any humiliation to get it.
No matter how hard I tried to keep a straight face, the corners of my mouth kept twitching upward. Seeing my amusement only made Carmel fume even more.
"Sera, you... you are the absolute... the absolute worst...! Ugh...! Grr...!"
"How harsh. Especially coming from the woman who tried to bring down the entire kingdom by conspiring with foreign powers."
"...Ngh...!"
My little tease was nothing more than child's play compared to the atrocities Carmel had committed. Left utterly speechless, Carmel clenched her fists and glared at me, trying to suppress her rage. I stepped closer to her, closing the distance until I could feel the radiating heat of her flushed skin.
"But I still love you, even if you are a wicked mother. If you remain obedient like this and willingly dispel the Curse of Mystillia, I might just shower you with infinite affection."
My voice was as sweet as a devil whispering temptations to a saint. Carmel's ragged, excited breathing gradually began to steady.
"Would it make you feel any better if I told you this? Honestly, what you did to me yesterday wasn't half bad."
Provided it was only once in a while, I thought it might actually be quite enjoyable to be on the receiving end. Of course, it would always have to be followed by a thorough re-education session.
"......"
Perhaps I had teased her too much. Carmel looked as though she couldn't quite bring herself to believe me. I pressed my body even closer to hers and whispered in her ear.
"You still look like you can't forgive me. Then how about this? Do you remember the toy we used when I offered my virginity to you last time? Tomorrow, I will use that very device to make you climax over and over again. Until you beg me to stop because you can't take any more... Heh, how does that sound?"
Carmel stared at me, dumbfounded.
"Y-you call that a peace offering...? In the end, you just want to satisfy your own desires...!"
So dishonest. I had already seen it—the way her tense expression had melted the moment she heard my proposal.
"My, I didn't expect you to reject me... Perhaps a small down payment will help sweeten the deal?"
Without giving her a chance to reply, I pressed my lips to hers. It was a relatively innocent kiss—just a soft press of lips and a gentle brush of tongues. But it was more than enough to unlock Carmel's heart.
"...Mmh..."
Her face was still bright red, but her demeanor had completely shifted. I didn't need words to know that her resentment had already washed away.
"Heh, then I shall see you tomorrow, Mother. Look forward to it."
Glaring at my beaming smile, Carmel sat down on the edge of the bed. I turned to leave, but a sudden curiosity struck me.
"Mother, may I ask you something?"
"...What is it?"
"On the day I tried to escape Lorencia in the rain... if I had been captured then, what did you plan to do with me?"
On that day, with the Curse of Mystillia at its peak, Carmel had intended to defile me on the spot. But logically, that was something she never should have done. If her plan was to use me as a bargaining chip against the King, violating me would only diminish my value. The only explanation was that she was driven by her own personal desires—a dark, twisted lust not unlike my own.
Carmel struggled to find an answer. Having already been defeated and captured, it couldn't be easy to confess the wicked deeds she had once planned to inflict upon me. After a long hesitation, she spoke in a quiet murmur.
"I probably would have done... something similar to what you are doing to me now."
"What about Elond? Didn't he want me the most? If he intended to oppose the royal family, there would have been no weapon more powerful than holding me hostage."
"I had absolutely no intention of handing you over to a bastard like him."
"...Is that so?"
I halted my steps and turned back. Carmel looked startled as she watched me stride purposefully toward her.
"S-Sera?"
"Now I'm incredibly intrigued. I simply must hear what exactly you wanted to do to me."
"Ugh, th-that's..."
There definitely was something. A lewd, detailed plan for when she captured me. I leaned in close, my face inches from hers, and pressed.
"Come now, speak, Mother. What kind of delicious degradation did you have in store for me?"
"Now, Mother. Can you see anything? You're completely in the dark, correct?"
"I-I told you, I can't see a thing..."
A thick black blindfold was tied securely over Carmel's eyes. I had personally tested it to ensure she couldn't catch even a glimpse through any gaps at the bottom, so there was no need to worry. Today, our play would take place in Carmel's own cell rather than the training room. Naturally, I had bound her with ropes. After all, a little restraint always made things far more thrilling.
"Heh, blindfold play... You have surprisingly elegant tastes, Mother."
"Mmm, n-ngh..."
The mastermind behind this current scenario was none other than Carmel herself—even if our roles as the dominant and submissive had been completely reversed. Depriving someone of their sight to heighten their other senses was a classic, time-tested method. Since this was tailored to Carmel's own personal preferences, she was bound to find it deeply satisfying.
"Let us begin then, Mother."
Over Carmel's trembling body, four hands—belonging to Rika and myself—began to crawl.