A Subtle Fragrance of Submission
The next morning, I woke up feeling wonderfully refreshed. Though my sleep had been brief, I felt incredibly rejuvenated. Stretching my arms and legs, I let out a long, satisfying yawn on the bed. Fragments of last night drifted through my mind like scenes from a dream. But it was no dream. It was a reality I had experienced firsthand—the absolute greatest moment of my life, including my past one.
The sensation of Carmel's skin against mine. To think I had finally laid my hands on that mesmerizing body, touching her to my heart's content. The sheer warmth of her inner walls, so slick, soft, and trembling... No, I should stop these thoughts first thing in the morning. If I wasn't careful, I would spend the entire day trapped in a state of wicked arousal.
The clothes I wore last night while escorting a trembling, weak-kneed Carmel back to her chambers had ended up soaked in sweat and bodily fluids. Of course, it wasn't just her wetness that drenched them. Because of that, I'd had to change everything, down to my undergarments, before finally going to sleep. I found myself eagerly anticipating my encounter with Carmel today. After panting and pleading so desperately last night, what kind of face would she make when she saw me?
Knock, knock. A polite rap sounded at the door. It was the maids, arriving to assist with my morning toilet. Surrendering myself to their practiced hands, I finished dressing and left my chambers for breakfast.
"Good morning, Sera. You seem exceptionally bright and cheerful today."
"Yes, Father. I had a dream, you see. A truly, wonderfully marvelous dream."
I exchanged greetings with Pehart as I took my seat at a table laden with a spread far too lavish for a simple breakfast. Seated beside him, Carmel had faint, dark shadows bruising the delicate skin beneath her eyes. Well, it was only natural for her to be exhausted. Both mentally and physically. Smiling warmly, I turned my gaze to her.
"Did you have a pleasant dream as well, Mother?"
"Yes... I suppose..."
Carmel offered a vague, evasive murmur and turned her head away. Yet, her inner turmoil was practically transparent to me. The moment she laid eyes on me, the vivid memory of last night's humiliation must have rushed back to her. She wasn't merely avoiding my gaze; she physically couldn't bring herself to meet it. After all, sharing a pleasant breakfast with the stepdaughter who had just thoroughly defiled you was no easy feat.
Pehart, utterly oblivious to the subtle tension crackling between us, reached for his plate, signaling the start of the meal. I dined with practiced elegance, my eyes secretly tracing Carmel's every movement. As she began to eat, a faint trace of vitality seemed to return to her pale complexion. Even so, she steadfastly refused to cast a single glance in my direction.
Then, Pehart suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm, Sera. Do you have something to say to the Queen? You've been staring at her for quite some time now..."
So the old man isn't completely brain-dead after all. I offered Pehart a sweet, innocent smile.
"I only thought Mother looked a bit unwell. Out of concern, I suppose I stared a little too intently. Are you feeling alright, Mother? Did you perhaps have trouble sleeping last night?"
Carmel had undoubtedly noticed my persistent gaze long ago. She likely knew exactly what I was trying to do—forcing her to confront the raw, stinging humiliation of last night. For the first time that morning, her eyes locked onto mine. Beneath the heavy exhaustion clouding her gaze lay a spark of unyielding defiance. A stubborn resolve that screamed she would never bow to me.
"Not at all. I am as perfectly composed and tranquil as always. Perhaps the Princess should focus on her own affairs instead?"
Ah... Carmel truly is the absolute best. This stubborn, prideful front was infinitely more delicious than some half-hearted, flustered reaction. Despite the profound degradation she had suffered, she was desperately trying to act as though nothing had happened. Even though her cunt had been thoroughly penetrated, her tongue submissively tangled with mine, raw groans wrung from her throat, and she had ultimately wailed like a vulgar, base female as she climaxed... she still tried to pretend it was just another ordinary day. How could I ever grow tired of her?
Completely blind to the truth, Pehart looked flustered by Carmel's sharp tone.
"M-My Queen... there is no need to be so prickly. Sera was merely asking out of concern for your well-being."
"No, it is quite alright, Father. I was the one who behaved rudely. Please forgive me for staring so intently, Mother."
"Ah, well..."
Pehart scratched his head, mollified by my flawless performance as the sweet, dutiful Princess Sera. To Carmel, of course, my display must have looked utterly loathsome.
"Hmph..."
Carmel coldly averted her eyes once more. As she elegantly manipulated her fork and knife, lifting a delicate piece of sliced salmon to her lips, her signature haughty poise seemed to return. I, too, resumed eating with graceful movements. Perhaps it was because my heart was so full, but the food—already exquisite—tasted even more divine than usual.
I had a busy schedule ahead of me today. First and foremost, I needed to prepare for Rika's release, as agreed upon. My promise to Carmel was to set Rika free in two days. I had to finalize all the arrangements today and have her escorted out of Lurie. If it were simply a matter of slipping past the royal palace guards, Filgret could have managed it at any moment. However, I required time to make some very specific preparations. Furthermore, I had to keep the fact that Filgret was now my personal, loyal subordinate strictly confidential. To make these 'preparations,' I made my way to the headquarters of the Roberts Merchant Guild.
"W-Welcome, Your Highness. To what do we owe the honor of your visit..."
"I am here today not as the Princess, but as the guardian of Baron William Roberts. I have come to review the current state of the Roberts Merchant Guild. Might I ask your name and position?"
The man, already sweating profusely, looked as though he were being slowly strangled.
"I-I am Grus, Your Highness. I have long served as the assistant to Count Roberts... ah, no, to Lord Graham."
"So I may assume you have been managing the guild since Graham's exile?"
"Ah, y-yes, indeed..."
I flipped open the ledger he had placed on the desk and began to scrutinize its contents. Verifying the figures, items, and dates written on the parchment to spot any discrepancies... Suddenly, a memory of my past life flashed through my mind. Those dreadful, unmissed days when I used to stare at documents for eighteen hours a day. I silently pored over the stacks of ledgers until the tea Grus had served grew completely cold. Finally, closing the last book, I spoke to him.
"There are no issues here. Everything is perfectly in order."
Grus's face visibly relaxed with relief. However, upon hearing my next words, his expression instantly froze back into sheer terror.
"A beautifully fabricated 'orderly' ledger, that is. This is not the one I am looking for, Grus."
"P-Pardon? I... I do not quite understand..."
"Did I not mention it at the start? I have come here today as the guardian entrusted with the full authority of Baron William Roberts. Did you intend to show this fake even if William himself had come? Am I to take this as your intention to betray the Roberts family?"
Grus's face turned completely pale. In this regard, he was a spitting image of his former master.
"T-That is... ugh..."
It was only natural for someone who owed their livelihood to the Roberts family to be wary of me. However, as William's guardian, I was practically synonymous with William himself. Grus seemed all the more conflicted because he, too, understood this reality.
"It was I, Sera Rustier, who exposed Graham Roberts's crimes. Therefore, hiding anything from me is utterly pointless. Knowing Graham, he would have kept a meticulous record of the 'forbidden goods' as well, wouldn't he?"
Graham's downfall had ultimately been caused by his own obsessive merchant habits. With a face that had completely surrendered to despair, Grus hung his head.
"You came here knowing everything..."
"Indeed. But do not worry. As I said, I am here as William's guardian, not as the Princess. I have no intention of acting against his best interests."
Grus soon returned with a locked notebook. Unlike the previous ledgers, which appeared to have been written by a scribe, this one seemed to be handwritten by Graham himself—though he had likely disguised his penmanship. Recorded within were the darkest secrets of the Roberts Merchant Guild: transaction histories of goods strictly outlawed by the laws of the Rustier Kingdom. Though on a smaller scale than the previous smuggling operation, opium was listed among them. And there, amidst the illicit inventory, I found exactly what I was looking for.
Hypnotic Incense.
Of course, the word 'hypnotic' in its name did not imply any miraculous, absolute mind control. It was impossible to completely manipulate a person's mind as commonly depicted in fiction. Its effects were purely auxiliary. At most, it placed the inhaler into a hazy, suggestible state and slightly amplified the whispers of their subconscious. But that would be more than enough. In the original novel, Graham Roberts had intended to use this very item on Princess Sera... but now, our positions had completely reversed.
"Where are these items stored? I must inspect them with my own eyes."
"Understood..."
Deciding that further concealment was futile, Grus led me down into the depths of the headquarters' basement. He stopped before a massive bookshelf lining the stone wall. Rearranging the positions of several books like pieces of a puzzle, a low rumble echoed as the bookshelf swung inward along with a section of the wall, revealing a hidden passageway. Inside lay a hoard of rare and precious treasures amassed by the Roberts family. It seemed this place served not only to hide illicit goods but also to store their secret slush funds.
There, I discovered the Hypnotic Incense. Just as described in the novel, it was contained within an exotic, ornately crafted censer. Once the seal was broken and heat was applied, the hypnotic fumes would immediately begin to rise. I had no intention of using this on Carmel. Carmel was far too exquisite an ingredient to be cheaply ruined by such artificial sweetness. This tool was meant for a mere side dish. It was the perfect seasoning to bring out Carmel's flavor. Rika, who was still locked away in the dungeon... Recalling the fierce, rebellious glare in her eyes, a slow, dark smile spread across my lips.