A Taste of Submission
"W-what did you say...?" Her face twisted as if she had just heard something utterly beyond belief. Honestly, since she had already shown me her breasts last time, she really should have expected this much.
"It is exactly as you heard, Lady Carmel. Strip naked before me. So that I may admire you at my leisure."
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you really think I would do something so humiliating...?" Sparks seemed to fly from Carmel's eyes as she shrieked. Does she still not understand the reality of her situation?
"This isn't even a negotiation, to be honest. The situation is entirely different from last time. You have no right to refuse." I gripped the glass vial in my palm. Carmel must know the truth—that what I held in my hand right now was the power over her very life and death.
"The crime of regicide carries a minimum penalty of death. As the acting regent, I can sentence you to any punishment I desire. I could have you flayed alive, or turn you into a sex toy for diseased beggars whose flesh is rotting away. Compared to that, exposing your naked body here for a brief moment is a rather light humiliation, don't you think?"
"...Ugh..." Carmel's hands trembled with fear as she wrapped her arms around herself. Everything I said was the absolute truth, without a single lie. Even though she knew the charges were entirely fabricated, she had no choice but to accept them. The look on Carmel's face as she struggled to contain her resentment was incredibly sweet. Surely, Carmel wasn't foolish enough to gamble her fate by testing my mercy.
"I... understand..."
"What do you understand?"
"...I will strip... Without a single thread... naked... I will stand before you..."
The moment I heard Carmel say those words, a surge of intense excitement welled up inside me. Masking my thrill, I spoke to Carmel with an angelic expression.
"Fufu, but don't you think our positions are a bit reversed? Merely stripping naked in exchange for your life... This seems like a situation where you, Lady Carmel, should be politely begging me. Come now, let me hear it."
"...Kh..." Tears even welled up in Carmel's eyes. But she had no choice but to comply with my demand. "I beg of you... Princess Sera... I will show you my naked body... so please... spare me from the punishment..."
Begging the very enemy who had trapped her, the enemy she ought to hate. It was no different from throwing Carmel's pride into the mud and trampling all over it. Ah, ah...! A dark red joy welled up in my chest. It was hard to keep the corners of my mouth from curling upward. I barely managed to reply in a voice that feigned composure.
"Ahem, very well, Mother. Shall we begin stripping now?" Carmel's fingernails dug into her own arms. Her glare, looking as if she wanted to kill me, had not yet lost its spark. Yes, that is the villainess Carmel I know. Even while enduring a humiliation that made her entire body tremble, she possessed a pitch-black will that refused to abandon its malice. Only then would it be worthwhile to break her.
"...Fine." It seemed she decided that acting dignified would be less shameful. With a resolute expression, Carmel let the straps of her dress slip off her shoulders. In an instant, most of the fabric covering her body slid down. Her underwear underneath was black. I was completely captivated by her body, which could only be described as perfect.
Carmel also seemed conscious of my gaze. Compared to how unhesitatingly she had shed her dress, her hands were trembling violently as she reached to remove her underwear. However, as if steeling her resolve, she reached behind her back to the clasp. A moment later, the ecstatic breasts I had witnessed last time revealed themselves before my eyes.
"...Kh..." Beautifully rounded, shapely breasts. The pink buds were still soft. Perhaps conscious of my gaze, Carmel's nipples were gradually hardening.
"Now, lower your hands. They're blocking my view of your breasts. And hurry up and take off the last piece." Carmel silently let her arms drop to her sides. The last piece. The black underwear pitifully guarded her final shred of dignity. And then, finally, it began to slide down. In a state of uncontrollable excitement, I watched the small piece of black fabric descend.
Passing her thighs, the panties soon slid completely off and pooled on the floor. "...Ugh..." At this point, her dignified attitude was nothing but a laughable bluff. It only served to entertain me further. Between Carmel's thighs, sparse black hair and a narrow slit were visible. Thus, Carmel stood completely naked before me.
Seeing her stripped like this, her body was indeed flawless. The charm that overflowed even when she was clothed was now generously revealing its source. Her slender thighs without a speck of fat, her plumply rounded hips—every single part of her was as porcelain-white and smooth as if it had been baked in a kiln. Even the one place, with its untamed hair, felt like it carried the wild breath of the northern tribes, which was quite a sight to behold.
And below that, the tightly closed slit... It seemed she had almost no experience receiving a man. I barely managed to suppress the surging desire to touch her. Carmel's naked body could only be described as erotic. Just looking at her sent a thrilling shiver of pleasure up my spine. It was hard to maintain my mask as the angelic Princess Sera.
"Are you... are you satisfied now?" Carmel spoke in a voice that seemed to squeeze out the last of her dignity. Her words betrayed a desperation to end this humiliating time as quickly as possible. Of course, I had no intention of ending this delightful time so soon.
"I am far from satisfied. Oh, and of course, covering yourself is forbidden, Mother. Show me every single detail of that beautiful body, down to the last hair."
I deliberately strolled behind Carmel. The gentle curve of her back and waist reminded me of a crescent moon. And below that sat hips that begged to be grabbed tightly. Though not as prominent as her breasts, were her hips on the larger side? For Carmel's otherwise slender figure, the volume here felt quite substantial. Or perhaps her pelvis itself was simply wide.
Knowing that her every twitch and wiggle brought me pleasure, Carmel did her best to remain perfectly still. I extended a single finger and lightly pressed it near her spine.
"H-hyah...!" Carmel gasped, clearly startled. Did she think my finger was a dagger?
"W-wait, touching me is..."
"Oh? Did I ever say I wouldn't touch you? Well, don't worry. I won't do the kind of things you're worried about."
Indeed. I was not a foolish person who would greedily devour the world's greatest delicacy the moment it fell into my hands. Forcing myself on Carmel right here and now would never yield true submission. The moment when her hopes were crushed one by one, and she chose to submit to me of her own free will—that was the moment I needed to save my intense desires for. For now, I would simply savor this body with a single finger.
I slowly, very slowly, dragged my finger down. I could see Carmel's clenched fists trembling. Just this was carving a humiliating scar into her heart. The lush curve leading from her waist to her hips. My finger paused there for a moment, struggling to suppress the urge to grab her with my entire palm.
Be patient, just a little... just a little more... Repeating this to myself, my finger retraced its path upward. Ascending the porcelain-white hills slowly but surely, my finger drew a circle at the end, concluding its sensual journey. I pulled my finger away from Carmel and stepped in front of her once more.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mother." With an angelic smile, I dropped the glass vial in my hand onto the floor. Crash! At the signal of that small shattering sound, Carmel hurriedly threw her fallen clothes back over her body. I stood there leisurely, enjoying even that sight.
Covering herself with her disheveled clothes, Carmel glared at me venomously. "This humiliation... I will never, ever forget it! Everything you did to me... I will return it exactly as it was—no, dozens of times over! I will pay you back for everything!"
"Hahaha, hearing that from someone who was shedding tears of frustration just a moment ago makes it a bit amusing."
"You... you...!" Carmel looked as if she wanted to chew me up and swallow me whole. She had probably never felt this much humiliation in her entire life. She likely believed that once Pehart woke up and deposed me as originally planned, her chance for revenge would come. What a cute idea. Leaving Carmel to grind her teeth, I stepped out of the room, feeling immensely satisfied.
King Pehart woke up two days and ten hours after being poisoned. Extremely weakened, he could barely manage to swallow some water. The royal physician informed me, his daughter, of this fact first.
"Reynard, I wish to speak with my father alone for a moment. All the maids, please leave as well." Everyone immediately vacated the room, leaving only Pehart and me in the King's bedchamber.
"Are you awake? Everyone was so worried, Father." I gently caressed his face with a soft touch.
"Se...ra..." His voice was terribly cracked. It seemed extremely difficult for him to even make a sound. Indeed, the secret medicine of the North was remarkable.
"W-why... did you..." His eyes were filled with absolute terror.