Ant Hell (17)
I stroked her soft belly with my rough hands. How long had I been doing this? It was somewhat amusing, but I couldn't keep it up forever, so I asked her while still caressing her stomach.
"How about it? Feeling better now?"
Today's young Sun Quan seemed to have a stomachache. She'd been whining about it, and since I was still playing the role of her father, Sun Jian, I faithfully continued rubbing the belly of my little daughter who claimed it hurt.
"......"
She shook her head from side to side in response to my question. Each time she did, her long, flowing red hair swayed back and forth across the floor.
"No... not yet."
"Really? Maybe we should show you to a doctor after all."
"No. I like it when Daddy does it."
As she spoke, Sun Quan widened her vivid green eyes and stared straight at me, as if what she said was completely true. But I could see the mischief sparkling in them, so I let out a small chuckle and pinched her nose lightly in reply.
"You little rascal. You're faking it, aren't you?"
"Ehh, no I'm not~"
Her voice came out a bit nasal as she protested. While scolding her, I realized I had unconsciously broken into a father's smile.
This was a scene that might have happened on some summer night. If I'd actually had a daughter, I probably could have enjoyed these small, everyday pleasures for real. But nothing lasts forever.
It had been genuinely enjoyable to reenact a happy moment from Sun Quan's childhood memories, one that was probably buried somewhere deep inside her. But even pleasant times must eventually come to an end. Time flows on, and children grow into adults. My touch, too, was gradually shifting from the gentle care one gives a child to something meant for an adult.
"......"
My hand, which had been silently stroking her, began to move slowly upward and downward. The motion was still soft, but the intent behind my fingertips was clearly no longer about looking after her. Sun Quan's breathing grew rough as she felt every bit of that touch. It was no longer the breath of a child.
She began letting out heated sighs, and I savored her reactions, reaching out more boldly. Her naked body gradually became exposed to the moonlight. I revealed the evidence of my desire on her form, and she responded with clear, eager welcome to my intentions.
Though dreams may be separate from one another, the body was still one. And so her body showed me a natural familiarity built from all the experiences we'd accumulated together.
"Alright, then..."
The way she immediately lifted her hips slightly and raised her legs to help me enter proved it. Her appearance hadn't changed, but the knowledge accumulated in her subconscious had already transformed her from the innocent young girl she once was. That became even clearer when I thrust deeply into her with her willing assistance.
"Mmmph...!"
Instead of a scream, she let out a moan thick with pleasure. I stimulated every familiar spot on her body, helping her feel it all even more intensely. Her body, already well-accustomed to me, heated up faster than before. Everywhere I touched, she reacted instantly, responding sensitively to every external stimulus.
"Ahh..."
At some point she had wrapped her arms tightly around me. I conquered her without restraint. When I kissed the nape of her neck, she was right there with me. When she reached her climax, digging her nails into my back and leaving vivid marks, I was there too. I released deep inside her, and she took all of me, biting down hard on my shoulder.
I don't know how many times we repeated it. I left my marks all over her body. And after accepting everything I gave her, she held me tightly so I couldn't pull away. Then, suddenly, she began to cry.
"Daddy... Daddy......"
Sun Quan kept repeating the same words as she wept. She cried until she was exhausted and fell asleep. I gazed at the dried tear tracks on her cheeks, confirmed she was fully lost in slumber, then slowly withdrew from her and stood up.
"......"
It was a night when I didn't feel like saying much. Even now, I had no intention of suddenly pitying her, regretting my actions, or stopping what I was doing. But regardless of my thoughts, the bitter taste in my heart was something I couldn't shake off.
In the end, unable to easily dispel that feeling, I stepped outside for a while, wandered around, and only managed to fall asleep when the night was nearly over.
*
"Are you awake?"
The next morning. I'd slept in a bit because I'd gone to bed so late the night before. When I opened my eyes, the sun was already quite high in the sky. I bolted upright in a panic, only to find Sun Quan already up. She gave me a bright smile and immediately held out a bowl filled to the brim with rice, greeting me for the morning.
"Uh..."
"You said we need to eat well to fight, remember?"
"Ah, so you cooked..."
She must have woken up earlier than me and made it all by herself.
"Yeah. I haven't done it much, so it's probably not that good."
Her face was slightly flushed as she spoke, and she was holding her own bowl of rice. When I looked closely, the despairing expression from yesterday was gone. Instead, her face was bright and clear, without a single shadow. Unlike yesterday, she had filled her bowl properly and was eating without hesitation.
"I see... Thank you, I'll eat well... But."
She seemed to have shaken off her worries. Was it thanks to the medicine? Its effect was truly outstanding. If only it didn't have those damn side effects, I might want to try it myself... As I thought that to myself, I suddenly noticed something off and let out a deep sigh, snatching her rice bowl away.
"Ah..."
"No way. Burnt rice is bad for you."
I scooped half of my rice into her bowl, then put half of her burnt portion into mine. What was this, some kind of mother's heart? Why was I hiding the burnt parts at the bottom to eat them myself?
"Bad food should be shared."
"Is that how it works?"
She smiled at my words and quietly accepted the bowl. There weren't any proper side dishes, and honestly, the rice was a total failure—burnt on the bottom and undercooked on top. Still, since we were starving, it went down our throats easily enough.
Sun Quan and I finished the rice in no time. As usual, I handled the cleanup while she scouted the surroundings and set a new escape route.
"Want to come out for a bit? I think we're almost at our destination."
When I finished cleaning up, she returned after checking a few notable landmarks and said that to me. Of course, I knew nothing about the terrain around here, so I had nothing to add. I could only blink and follow her outside, half-heartedly scanning the areas she pointed out.
"Really?"
"Yeah. If we head that way for about half a day, we'll reach where I hid the boat. Our sailors are stationed there waiting, so once we make it, we can board immediately and escape. The only problem is buying enough time so the enemies chasing us can't reach the boat before we set sail..."
"If that's the case, then I—"
I volunteered to be the bait before she could even finish. Because to me, this was the perfect opportunity to carry out my plan.
My plan was simple. First, I'd offer myself as bait and go out alone. Then I'd bring Ju Tae, who was being well cared for elsewhere, over here. After that, I'd appear in a near-death state to plunge Sun Quan into despair. Only at the very end would I reveal my true identity and all the secrets in between. On top of that, if I restrained her body, made her realize with a clear mind what had been done to her in those hallucinations, and let her see the broken Ju Tae... the plan would be executed perfectly.
I smiled darkly to myself and prepared to take that first step. But in the next moment, I froze completely.
"Wha... what...?"
My body suddenly refused to obey me. Or more precisely, it felt like my mind and body had separated, floating apart, each moving uncontrollably like something flailing in midair... As I grew bewildered by the unfamiliar sensation, I recalled having seen similar symptoms recently. My eyes widened in horror.
"It can't be!"
The medicine I'd willingly taken last night. The first meal she'd ever cooked. And the walk after eating. Why hadn't I noticed even a single suspicious link between those three things?
As I turned my head toward Sun Quan with that self-reproaching thought, she slowly nodded, as if she'd read my mind. It turned my suspicion into certainty.
"That's right."