My First Companion (2)

The voice trembled faintly. Her blue eyes, looking up at me, were now glistening with tears that seemed ready to spill at the slightest touch. It wasn't mere suspicion or wariness. It was a bone-deep resignation—the bitter certainty that this miraculously sweet warmth could never be permitted to someone like her.

'...Huh? Wait a second. What the hell is she talking about all of a sudden?'

The atmosphere had grown so heavy it was hard to believe this was the same woman who had melted into my arms just moments ago. As I stood there frozen, too bewildered to speak, she slowly took a step back.

"Where... were you sent from? The Republic? Or the Kingdom?"

The Empress murmured with bloodless red lips.

"...No, at this point, it doesn't matter anymore."

She tried to squeeze out some dignity, but her voice was utterly hollow and dry.

"You must be an assassin, sent to end my wretched life."

'Assassin? Me? Wait, hold on!?'

Hundreds of question marks popped up in my head as I scrambled to deny it, but before I could—

"You can... stop this affectionate act now."

A sorrowful smile spread across her lips instead. It was the face of someone finally resigning herself to the long-awaited destruction of her fate—an excruciatingly sad expression.

"I know it all too well. For a monster like me, drenched in the stench of blood... such undeserved sweet happiness was never meant to be allowed in the first place."

Swoosh—

Her slender arms dropped limply to her sides, as if she had no intention of defending herself.

"I've grown so tired of enduring this horrible solitude all alone..."

Her self-mocking voice poured out as if she'd been waiting for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this moment.

"If it's you... if it's you who can take my life with such gentle hands as you did before... then I will gladly offer it to you."

She tilted her head slightly toward me and slowly closed her eyes. Beneath her damp lashes, a sigh of resignation that had festered for twelve hundred years finally shattered and fell.

The sudden solemnity left my mind completely blank.

'Uh, what do I do;; How the hell am I supposed to fix this?!'

I stood there in a cold sweat, utterly dumbfounded, when—

'Goddamn it, it's spouting this weird crap again!'

I was internally fuming at the system's nonsense when the warning window was instantly wiped clean and replaced with thick, intense red text.

'...Huh?'

Thwack—!

It felt like an invisible someone had kicked me square in the ass with all their might. My body lurched forward helplessly, hurtling straight toward her.

"...!"

The sudden, intense presence right in front of her face. The Empress, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, began to tremble pitifully, as if bracing for the cold blade that was surely coming.

But what covered her quivering form wasn't cold death.

It was a soft, searingly hot and wet warmth gently pressing over her tightly closed lips.

"Mmph...!"

Her blue eyes flew wide open in shock. I carefully slipped my tongue between her parted red lips, which had opened in astonishment.

"Mmm, ngh..."

At first her slender body went rigid. I wrapped my arms around her fragile waist, gently cradling the back of her trembling neck. My sweet guidance softly swept through her frozen mouth.

Slurp, smack.

In the silent terrace, the lewd sound of mixing saliva echoed. At that unfamiliar, intoxicating stimulus, the wall of resignation that had seemed eternal crumbled away without resistance.

Drip.

Hot tears finally burst from the Empress's wide eyes. The moisture trickling down her cheek slipped dangerously between their joined lips, and the moment the salty taste spread across my tongue—

"...Haa, ugh?!"

Our breathing reversed in an instant. The moment her two arms—supposedly so delicate—clamped tightly around my neck, I couldn't help but gasp.

'Holy shit, why is she so strong?!'

Come to think of it, this woman was the UR-rank character known by the terrifying moniker Bloody Empress. Her monstrous strength, with stats on a completely different level, sucked my upper body toward her with no room to resist.

Thud—!

Our bodies collided with no space between them. At the same time, an overwhelming, obscene volume completely engulfed and crushed my solid chest, threatening to suffocate me. Even through the fabric, I could vividly feel the heavy, massive mounds pressing and deforming against me.

"Chuuup, slurp! Mmm, hngh, haa...!"

There wasn't a trace of seduction or skill—it was the desperate craving of a starving beast. Unlike the overwhelming power that held me captive, her kiss was raw and clumsy, as if twelve hundred years of agonizing deprivation had finally exploded.

The blind suction that frantically devoured my tongue, as if trying to swallow every last bit of this warmth.

'W-wait, I'm seriously running out of air...!'

Her stubborn refusal to let our lips part even as she panted. The brute force gripping my neck and the soft, heavy weight grinding against my chest made my mind go hazy.

"Haa, mmm, slurrp... hngh, haaang..."

Was she afraid this warmth would vanish like a midsummer night's illusion? She clung to me so tightly it felt like my bones might shatter, trembling faintly in my arms as she gasped with tear-soaked breaths.

My kiss, which had begun so tenderly, was now completely devoured amid the salty tears, sticky saliva, and the soft pressure squeezing my lungs.

"Haa, haa...!"

Finally reaching my limit, I desperately yanked my head back. Our red lips slowly parted. The thick strands of saliva that had been tangled between them drew a lewd silver thread before—

Drip.

It finally snapped.

"Cough! Hack...! Cough, haa...!"

I kept coughing, my lungs burning as if I'd nearly crossed the Jordan River. On the other hand, the Empress who had just mercilessly trapped me—

Swish.

She languidly wiped the clear saliva from her lips with the back of her delicate hand. The pitiful, tearful woman from moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Her blue eyes, slightly glazed with pleasure, swept over me with a gaze so seductively sticky it sent a shiver down my spine.

Gulp.

I couldn't help but swallow hard at that predator's stare. A chilling intuition hit me—if things kept going like this, I might actually get devoured like an animal right here on the terrace floor where the cold wind blew.

"W-wait! Hold on!"

I hastily stepped back half a pace and threw both hands up in surrender.

"L-let's talk first! I think there's been a huge misunderstanding!"

At my desperate shout, the Empress let out an amused huff.

"Very well. If that is what you wish, Hyun-woo, I shall gladly indulge you."

The Bloody Empress switch had flipped back on. She erased all traces of her earlier shrinking demeanor, puffing out her chest with a proud and arrogant posture. Of course, that only made her obscene volume jiggle even more obscenely, and she couldn't hide her skin burning bright red all the way to her chin or the thick sensuality dripping from her wet lips.

* * *

Some time passed. Having agreed to clear up the misunderstanding through conversation, the Empress and I stood on the open terrace, letting the cool breeze wash over us.

But my current state was... pretty damn weird.

"......"

I stood there like a scarecrow, arms spread wide like a cross, staring into empty space.

'Please, hurry up...! Just show up already, damn it!'

What I was desperately waiting for in this ridiculous pose was none other than the system window. Think about it. This thing had hijacked my mouth to auto-play some bizarre proposal, then literally launched my body to pounce on this poor woman. Since this insane system bastard had caused this mess by controlling me at will, it damn well owed me some after-sales service, right?!

'Next choices! Hurry up and give me the next options to fix this conversation, you irresponsible prick!'

I glared at a single point in the air while internally screaming at the system. But the Empress, completely unaware of my burning anxiety—

"Hehe..."

She seemed to have completely misinterpreted my wide-open arms as a gesture meant to gently embrace her. Standing before me with her hands neatly clasped, cheeks flushed like the happiest woman in the world, she looked up at me with a bright, bashful smile.

Right at that moment when my insides were burning pitch black—

Flash—!

A blue light flickered in the air before me. Along with the familiar mechanical hum, the translucent hologram window finally began to take shape.

'It's here...!!'

Finally! This damn system must have grown a shred of conscience and sent in a relief pitcher. With the heart of someone greeting their savior, I widened my eyes and focused every ounce of my attention on the text that would appear.

Something like [Choose an option to resolve the conversation].

Or [Three perfect excuses to clear up the Empress's misunderstanding]!

Anything, just give me the right answer already!

Slide—.

As if answering my desperate prayer, text finally appeared clearly in the center of the system window.

'...What?'

I doubted my own eyes for a second. [lol]? It wasn't a choice, a quest, or a status alert. Just that single, cheeky consonant arrogantly centered on the screen. Before my brain could even process this absurd situation, the damn system window that had been mockingly sparkling at me—

Whoosh—!

Shot off like a rocket with sudden propulsion, vanishing into the clear blue sky.

'...That crazy bastard is for real.'

I remained frozen in that ridiculous pose like a stone statue. The Empress, who had been watching this bizarre sight from the side, approached with a gradually worried look.

"Hyun, Hyun-woo...? Are you alright? You've been staring into space in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that strange position for a while now..."

"Uh... I'm fine."

I quickly lowered my awkwardly raised arms and answered. Only then did she seem relieved, her previously tense lips curving into a pretty, gentle smile. But soon her gaze dropped to the floor. Fidgeting with the hem of her dress, she spoke in a voice so timid it was barely audible, as if gauging my reaction.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Huh? Sorry for what all of a sudden?"

"I acted too selfishly. I got carried away by your kindness ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and rushed ahead on my own... and I even suspected your pure sincerity of being an assassin's deception, falling into despair all by myself..."

A deep sigh mixed with self-loathing and mockery.

"If you find someone as unsightly and capricious as me embarrassing... I have no excuse. So if you've lost interest..."

As I quietly looked down at her bowed red head, the words suddenly caught in my throat. She hadn't done anything wrong. Had she been so thoroughly alone for so long that she'd even forgotten how to rely on someone? Just because she'd been a little honest with her feelings, she was now cowering and watching my every move.

Suddenly, an inexplicable rage flared up in my chest. It wasn't anger toward her. It was pure fury at the endless loneliness that had made such a dazzling woman shrink away like this, and at the damn system that had irresponsibly bailed on me.

'Ah, fuck it. I don't care anymore. Screw the system.'

I clenched my teeth and looked her straight in the eye with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serious gaze.

"Hey, Erzsébet."

"Y-yes?"

Staring directly into her surprised blue eyes, I took a deep breath and began spitting out my entire profile like a machine-gun rap.

"My name is Kang Hyun-woo, I'm twenty-seven years old! My favorite foods are stir-fried pork and pork cutlet! My hobby is lazing around at home playing games! My personality is that I can get a bit hot-headed sometimes, but I take insanely good care of my people!"

"U-um...?"

"My flaws are that I sleep in like crazy, people say I have zero tact, and I'm way too optimistic without any plan! Oh, and I have rhinitis so my nose gets pretty bad during seasonal changes! And the most important thing—my ideal type is definitely a super busty, wide-hipped, glamorous style exactly like you right now!"

"......!!"

"To be completely honest! I'm the kind of guy who jerks off like crazy every night while staring at characters with bodies like yours on my phone screen, panting and moaning!!"

"...W-what?!"

"But I absolutely hate being fickle! Once I decide someone's my person, my woman, I'm the type who'll give them my liver and gallbladder and take responsibility to the very end!! ...Or at least I think so."

"U-uhhh...? H-Hyun-woo...?"

'Well, I've never had a girlfriend so I don't have any real experience...'

The Empress was completely stunned by the sudden waterfall of context-less TMI and high-level self-introduction. I firmly gripped her small, fragile shoulders with both hands and drove the point home clearly.

"Your one and only husband, and companion."

At that decisive statement, her eyes widened. The rough, straightforward confession had hit her like a bomb. Her blue eyes trembled slightly at my bold declaration, and then her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Ah..."

She looked clearly flustered, but she didn't try to pull away from my grip on her shoulders. Instead, as if making some great resolution, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

"T-then... as your companion, I shouldn't hide anything either."

Her gaze met mine directly. Having tried to erase her earlier timid demeanor, she opened her mouth in a very careful, trembling voice.

"My name is Erzsébet Erna. What I like is drinking tea in a quiet place... As you can see, my personality is quite timid, and I'm very awkward at conversing with others."

She was adorably mimicking my self-introduction, shyly continuing her own story. It was so unbearably cute and lovable that the corners of my mouth twitched without me realizing it.

"And..."

She paused, licking her red lips as if choosing her words carefully, then quietly delivered the final blow.

"My true identity is the last princess of the Elf Kingdom, which was destroyed in the distant past and whose name has been forgotten by the world."

'...Huh?'

I doubted my ears for a moment. Elf? Princess?

"U-um. Then have you never heard of the 'Bloody Empress'?"

"....?"

When I asked back with a dumbfounded face, she tilted her head with wide, round eyes.

"Empress? What is that? After my country was destroyed, I have never once left this empty castle in my entire life. How could such a grandiose title be attached to me?"

She looked up at me with an utterly innocent face, as if she genuinely had no idea what I was talking about.