The Imprinting of a Knight
The royal palace dungeon.
Even though she must have heard my footsteps as I entered, Rika remained perfectly still, her eyes closed as if she were dead. Well, being suspended like that drains one's physical and mental strength far more than one might imagine. Especially given Rika's current predicament.
If she didn't wake up, all the better.
I pulled out the Hypnotic Incense and lit the burner. A sweet, luscious fragrance began to drift through the dreary cell. It was a thick, heavy scent that felt as though it were numbing every nerve in my body.
Of course, I was exposed to its effects as well, but it was no issue. I had already taken an antidote to counteract the Hypnotic Incense beforehand. Well, even without the antidote, it wouldn't have affected me all that much. Its effects targeted the mind. If one was aware of it and mentally prepared, it would, at most, induce a slight daze and a touch of arousal.
But Rika was different.
The Hypnotic Incense tore down the barriers of the mind. Under normal circumstances, that alone wouldn't produce such a dramatic effect. However, if a crack had already formed in one's heart, the incense would force that vulnerability wide open, leaving it completely defenseless.
Last night, Rika had watched Carmel being thoroughly defiled by me right before her eyes. Furthermore, the sole reason for Carmel's submission was Rika's own capture. The guilt of causing her master's ruin must be festering in Rika's heart, carving out a deep, dark abyss. It was the perfect state of mind for this sweet fragrance to seep in and work its magic.
I waited in front of Rika for a moment, quietly observing her bound form.
While she didn't evoke the same sheer bliss I felt just by looking at Carmel, Rika's body was still quite exquisite. Her well-developed muscles were prominent, yet they did nothing to diminish the distinct femininity of her physique. Of course, Rika would hardly appreciate such an assessment.
Even with her eyes closed, she was a striking beauty. The fierce impression she usually gave off seemed to be entirely due to her expressions. The words I had used to provoke her before were, in fact, somewhat sincere. Properly dressed up, her looks would easily stand out even among the daughters of high nobility.
Just then, Rika's nostrils flared slightly, and she opened her eyes.
"...Princess Sera..."
She was no longer able to growl at me as she once had. Rika avoided my gaze, unable to look me in the eye. The moment she looked at me, she would inevitably be forced to picture Carmel.
Staring straight at her averted eyes, I spoke.
"I have finished making the preparations to release you. As promised to Carmel, you will be set free outside Lurie tomorrow. But... are you truly content with that?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"You and your subordinates, who infiltrated Rustier in absolute secrecy, must have been Carmel's trump card. Not only did you blow that advantage, but you also got yourself captured and turned into her greatest weakness. To have your master sell her own body to buy your freedom... you truly are a model of an exemplary subordinate."
Rika's gaze snapped to me. Her expression was entirely different from when she was asleep. Her face was twisted, crushed under the weight of an unbearable, suffocating emotion.
Of course, the architect of this misery was none other than myself.
Under normal circumstances, she might have quickly realized my motive for provoking her with such words. But Rika was far from normal right now. Having inhaled the Hypnotic Incense, her hazy thoughts were rapidly becoming exceedingly simple.
Rika helplessly poured out her innermost thoughts.
"I know... I know I have no right to face Lady Carmel... That is why I must somehow make up for this failure..."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"H-how...? By devising a new plan, of course..."
"Do you honestly believe that is possible for you? When you have lost both the Earth Dragon's Gauntlet and all of your subordinates?"
The Earth Dragon's Gauntlet. That was the name of the gauntlet set with a yellow jewel that Rika had been wearing. According to the appraisal, it was an exceptionally rare magic item.
"Ugh..."
Rika's expression grew even more agonized than before.
I felt no sympathy for her. If not for the valor of my knights that day, my head would have been severed by Rika's blade on the spot.
"In fact, I intend to make good use of you. I must release you this time as promised, but capturing you again after you are freed has nothing to do with our agreement, does it? If I do, I will be able to have my way with Carmel's body all over again. Fufu, I wonder what kind of sweet cries my dear stepmother will let out this time. I can hardly wait."
Rika's face drained of all color. The thought of Carmel being violated once more because of her was clearly too terrifying to even contemplate.
She stammered in a trembling voice.
"N-no... You can't... Not that, please...!"
I watched her desperate struggle and waited for a moment.
I had anticipated that she would arrive at the obvious conclusion by now. However, paralyzed by sheer terror, her cognitive functions seemed entirely stalled.
Well, it couldn't be helped. It lacked a bit of elegance, but I would have to suggest it myself.
The idea of taking Carmel's place in being defiled.
I reached out, gently lifting Rika's chin, and spoke to her. My voice was as sweet as the fragrance drifting through the cell.
"Rika. As you must have realized last night, my goal is Carmel's body. Carmel probably didn't tell you, but I have already defiled her body numerous times."
"Ah..."
Her eyes shook violently with distress. Staring deep into her trembling pupils, I continued.
"However, violating Carmel, the Queen and my stepmother, is not something I can do openly... That is why I have been searching. For another woman who can satisfy me in Carmel's stead."
My voice dripped like warm honey. Rika seemed to gradually grasp what I was hinting at.
My fingers, which had been toying with her chin, slowly traced a path downward. Despite the clear intent behind the movement, Rika made no attempt to resist.
"Fufu, you catch on quickly. Good girl, Rika."
My descending fingers brushed against her nipple. However, I had no intention of starting the real defilement just yet. That would come later. For now, I was merely testing her reaction.
I lightly flicked her nipple and pulled my hand back. At that, Rika gasped in tension and spoke.
"Y-you want me... to take Lady Carmel's place...?"
"Yes. I am sure you can satisfy me in her stead. You and Carmel... are so very alike, after all."
Of course, it was a lie. Nothing could ever replace Carmel. Ravaging Rika's body to my heart's content would only bring a fleeting pleasure, offering little real satisfaction. It would be nothing more than a trifling amusement before I returned to Carmel.
But Rika, having no way of knowing my true thoughts, seemed to take my words deeply to heart. Her expression even brightened slightly at the claim that she resembled Carmel.
Yet, almost immediately, caution washed over her face once more. It seemed that even the Hypnotic Incense could not completely erase her wariness toward me.
"Wait... Even if I do... what guarantee do I have that you won't lay a hand on Lady Carmel if I submit to you?"
I stroked Rika's cheek, a cruel smile playing on my lips.
"Of course, there is no guarantee. But look at it this way: there is no longer any way for you to be of use to Carmel. You are nothing but a burden to her now. So, consider this the final mercy I am offering you. The last and only chance to devote your body to Carmel's sake. Are you truly going to throw that away?"
Had she been the proud, confident Rika I first met beneath the tree, she would have scoffed at such an underhanded scheme. But now, her face looked as though she had been pierced by a blade.
"T-then... swear it! Swear that in exchange for taking me... you will not do to Lady Carmel what you did yesterday..."
"Very well. I swear it on the honor of the Rustier royal family."
I couldn't care less about the honor of the Rustier royal family, but it seemed to hold some weight with Rika. I continued.
"As planned, I will release you tomorrow. The moment you are freed, go to the location written on the note I will give you. That is where you will reside from now on. Naturally, you are forbidden from leaving that place or contacting Carmel."
I expected her to resist at least once more. However, Rika merely nodded, looking utterly defeated.
"...Understood..."
The address written on the note was none other than a brothel. Of course, I had no intention of letting filthy men touch Rika's body. That would only ruin her value. She would merely be staying there.
Yet, in Rika's current state, simply being in such a place would likely chip away at her mental fortitude.
The Hypnotic Incense was a blend of two distinct fragrances. One was a common scent used even in medical practices to relax the mind and body, breaking down mental barriers. The reason it was called Hypnotic Incense, and the real reason it was classified as a banned trade item, lay in the other fragrance mixed within it.
A magically infused scent known as the Incense of Imprinting.
An 'imprint' meant that whatever the mind accepted under its influence would take deep, permanent root in the subconscious. According to what I had read at the Roberts Merchant Guild headquarters, it was a substance frequently employed in sinister religious rituals.
Right now, that very imprinting was taking place within Rika. The belief that her own defilement was for Carmel's sake, mingled with her fear of me, was sinking deep into her subconscious.
But there was still more to imprint.
To possess Rika completely, fear alone was not enough. Physical pleasure—that irresistible sensation—needed to be deeply engraved into her mind as part of the imprint.
I opened the small box I had brought with me. From within, I pulled out a long, slender device.
A device shaped exactly like a man's member.
"T-that..."
It wouldn't have been difficult to guess its purpose from its shape. Rika stared at me and the object, her eyes filled with nothing but dread.
"We don't have much time, so we will just do a little practice. Don't worry, I will make you feel good soon enough."
"Ah, n-no..."
As Rika weakly shook her head, not a single trace of the gallant knight I had first met remained.