A Humiliating Promise
"Haah, haah, ah..." Carmel's arms, which had been wrapped tightly around me, slowly began to loosen. Only then was I able to see her face clearly again.
There was none of her usual villainous malice left in the immediate aftermath of her climax. With tears welling slightly in her eyes, Carmel's flushed face was stripped of all venom, leaving behind nothing but an ordinary, peerless beauty—albeit one whose features were thoroughly painted with the lingering traces of intense pleasure.
But that vulnerability was fleeting. Slowly, the realization of what had just happened—that she had been driven to a humiliating climax through the teasing of her enemy—began to dawn on her, bringing a wave of sheer embarrassment.
"Ngh...!"
Perhaps she couldn't bear to show me that face any longer. Carmel quickly spun around and began to put her disheveled clothes back in order. She didn't utter a single word, but the tips of her ears were burning crimson.
Just as it had been when she took them off, putting them back on was no easy task. Though the tension of the moment had passed, a different kind of emotion seemed to be fumbling her delicate fingers.
"That was far more delightful than I anticipated. So much so that I'd love to do it again, if you'd permit me... Fufu, it seemed like you were thoroughly enjoying yourself by the end too, Mother."
"...Shut up..."
Even her response to my provocation lacked its usual sharp bite. Perhaps her verbal denial was merely a cover for what Carmel truly felt deep down.
I pushed myself up from the bed and stepped around to face her. Carmel hadn't even managed to fasten half of her buttons yet. After all, putting a dress back on is always far more complicated than taking it off.
"Let me help you, Mother. It would be quite dangerous if someone were to walk in right now, wouldn't it?"
Carmel glared at me with a weak, trembling gaze, but she didn't refuse. She lowered her hands, which had been struggling near her chest. Well, I had just been suckling those breasts moments ago. Brushing against her over her clothes now was hardly anything to fuss about.
Recalling the sequence of the maids' movements, I began to arrange her dress. I never expected that carefully observing Carmel change every single day in this room would come in so handy.
As my hands moved over her, Carmel seemed at a complete loss for where to look. She couldn't bring herself to look at me, yet she couldn't completely turn her gaze away either.
"There, all done, Mother."
With my assistance, Carmel's dress was restored to its perfect, original state. Even the most keen-eyed observer wouldn't be able to tell it had ever been unraveled.
Carmel swept a gaze over her immaculate attire, then abruptly stood up. For some reason, her voice carried a trace of bitter resentment as she spoke.
"...I won't thank you."
Well, of course. I never expected her to. If our current situation were to be discovered, it would be rather troublesome for me as well.
"Of course. This is nothing compared to what you have given me, Mother."
Carmel looked as if she had a bone stuck in her throat as she spoke.
"More importantly... this settles it, right? Your promise never to mention that box again... the deal is sealed?"
"Yes. As long as you faithfully fulfill the other condition of our deal, Mother."
The other condition: that she was forbidden from wearing underwear while staying in this room with me. At the mention of it, a suppressed groan escaped from deep within Carmel's throat.
"...I know."
"Fufu, I'm glad to hear it. Now, could you please call Reynard in? You must have a busy schedule to attend to, Mother... and we should ease Father's worries as well."
Hearing my words, Carmel spun around without a word and walked toward the door, her legs trembling slightly as if she couldn't quite find her footing.
I quietly lay back down on the bed, watching her retreating figure with a deeply, deeply satisfied smile.
"The bleeding has completely stopped now. I cannot find any other abnormalities in your body. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere, Princess?"
"No, none at all. My body actually feels incredibly light. To be honest, aside from the nosebleed, I've felt this way since morning."
"That is truly a relief. When I first heard that you were bleeding, Princess, I felt as though the heavens were falling."
"Mmm, I feel rather terrible for causing such a fuss over nothing. I must apologize to His Majesty and everyone else."
"Not at all, Princess. Everyone in the royal family—no, every citizen of the Rustie Kingdom—wishes for your well-being. No matter how trivial it may seem, nothing concerning you is ever minor."
He didn't seem to be merely flattering me. Then again, Princess Sera's reputation was exceptionally pristine.
"Fufu, thank you, Reynard. Is that the end of the examination, then?"
"Yes. It seems there is no need for any medicine. I shall go at once to deliver this good news to His Majesty."
Reynard picked up his medical bag and left the room. Perhaps my nosebleed really had been caused by the sheer agony of having Carmel's body right in front of me and not being able to touch it. Maybe my body had unconsciously triggered it just to create an opportunity to suckle her breasts.
As I lay there for a while, Sinia soon entered the room. It seemed she had waited until she knew Carmel was gone. Approaching me cautiously, Sinia clasped her hands tightly and spoke.
"I am so sorry about earlier, Princess! It was because of my poor handling... But I am so glad Commander Filgret managed to prepare a fake letter."
It was indeed a clever measure. It seemed he wasn't just a brute who only knew how to fight; he was quite useful in these matters as well.
Sinia pulled the real letters from her bosom. There were three in total.
"He urgently added two more earlier. Of course, I do not know what is written inside them."
"Urgently?"
First, the first letter. Written in neat handwriting, it detailed the circumstantial movements of Carmel and the Lorencia family. However, they were strictly circumstantial; nothing was definitive yet. Well, this was within expectations.
The second letter was an additional report. It stated that he had appointed a man named 'Masker' as the new Royal Guard Commander. The introduction simply described him as someone perfectly capable of filling Wilter's vacant position.
Though I had left the personnel selection entirely to Filgret, 'Masker'... was a name I had never heard before. Of course, it wasn't as if I memorized the names of every single knight. Well, I'm sure he handled it well.
Finally, the third letter. Compared to the previous two, this one was written in a much more hurried, scribbled hand. And it wasn't just the handwriting that was rushed; the content itself had grown remarkably aggressive.
It outlined a contingency plan in case I was rendered completely incapacitated, detailed across a lo-o-ong series of tactical phases. Frankly, it was not something I particularly wanted to read. I skimmed through the finer details and skipped straight to the bottom of the page.
Well, from Filgret's perspective, his lord—who was currently under house arrest due to an enemy conspiracy—had suddenly contracted a mysterious illness. And all of this was happening while a plot involving the kingdom's greatest noble family was actively unfolding.
It really is always the quiet, exemplary types on the outside who harbor the most extreme thoughts on the inside.
But I had already brought Carmel to her knees once. There was still plenty of amusement waiting for me in the days ahead. I felt a bit sorry for Filgret, but I intended to enjoy this situation a little longer.
I picked up a pen and began to jot down a brief reply.
To prevent any risk of discovery, future letters must not exceed twenty lines.
Trust in my capabilities and wait. I have already secured a means to escape this situation whenever I wish. Therefore, I will not tolerate any excessive actions that deviate from my intentions.
Unless critical information is confirmed, await reports from W.
— S
Well, this should be enough for him to understand.
While Sinia finished up her maid duties, I gathered Filgret's letters and burned them over a candle flame. Sinia swept up the remaining ashes and mixed them into the trash.
Just before leaving, Sinia took my reply and looked immensely relieved to see that it was small enough to fit inside her sleeve when folded. She had likely been quite harassed by Filgret, who was constantly trying to send additional letters.
Shortly after Sinia left, a group of maids arrived at the room. Their business was a special order handed down by King Pehart.
The special order was to escort Princess Sera, despite her house arrest, to the grand bathhouse so she could enjoy a bath. It was undoubtedly a measure taken after hearing Reynard's report.
Well, I had no reason to refuse. While having the maids wash me every day was convenient, nothing could compare to the simple pleasure of soaking in hot water.
By the time I returned to the room after a delightful bath, it was already evening. The time for Carmel's return was drawing near.
Sure enough, not long after, the door swung open and Carmel stepped into the room. Her posture was far more dignified now than when she had left earlier.
The maids gathered around the returning Queen. With practiced, professional movements, they began the process of changing her out of her beautiful but cumbersome dress and into comfortable indoor wear.
However, the moment one of the maids pulled a pair of silk underwear from the wardrobe, Carmel raised her hand to halt the process.
"Is... is something wrong, Your Majesty...? Is there perhaps something you do not like...?"
To the maids, it was a terrifying situation. But to me, knowing exactly what Carmel was about to say, there was no entertainment more exquisite than this.
"The... the underwear... leave it."
"Pardon? Ah, yes! Understood! I apologize profusely! I shall prepare a different one at once—"
"Y-you fool! I said... I am not... wearing any underwear."
Though she started with an authoritative shout, her voice trailed off weakly at the end. A wave of confusion rippled through the maids, who had been trembling in fear of another one of Carmel's hysterical outbursts.
Good, she was keeping her promise. Well, it wasn't as if she had any choice in the matter.
Come to think of it, the reason I had ended up staying in this room in the first place was because of Carmel's tyrannical abuse of her maids. In a way, this was poetic justice.
How did it feel to suffer such humiliation in front of the very maids she usually treated like worthless trash without a second thought?
I stared at Carmel's resentful face, feeling a dark, wicked desire of a completely different nature swell within me.
[An error occurred. Reference: 073b153d-f3e2-46bf-97b8-b2383a09072d at 2026-05-26T16:27:29.894Z]