In the Doghouse - Chapter 237
The next morning, Courtney called Anton to join her and Richard for tea. Even with the good news that the Emperor had become ‘abnormal’ again, the aide only gave a sarcastic nod.
“Congratulations. I hear Your Majesty’s head has gone strange again.”
“I think you’re the one who’s gone mad now.”
With a graceful hand that didn’t match his harsh tone, Richard picked up his teacup. When he met Courtney’s gaze, he softened and smiled with his eyes.
The aide watched the scene with a sour expression. He’d grown sick of witnessing it for years now, but it disgusted him anew every time. Clearing his throat, Anton finally turned to address the Empress.
“Then, Your Majesty… Can we stop looking now?”
“What?”
Courtney shot back. No one needed to ask her how she’d ‘cured’ the Emperor. Just yesterday, her complexion had looked dark and dreary, but now she was glowing, as if she’d finally pulled a rotten tooth.
Thanks to that, Anton was able to let out a breath of relief. He dumped plenty of sugar into his own tea and replied,
“The hypnotist, I mean.”
“No, we have to keep looking.”
“Huh? Is that really necessary?”
Anton’s hand stopped as he stirred his teacup. Courtney set her own teacup down with a clatter and casually pushed the pastry plate toward Richard as she continued,
“We need to find him and half-kill him. He said there was no risk at all, and we almost had a disaster.”
“Uh…”
Anton trailed off awkwardly. He glanced sidelong at Richard. But Richard, for his part, sipped his tea indifferently, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Courtney’s gaze turned sharp in an instant. Honestly, as Richard’s master, if she considered only what had happened the previous night, she didn’t particularly care to find the hypnotist and punish him.
But as Empress of the Empire, she could not possibly forgive it. What if something other than a s****l preference had been changed? Then again, if he’d become a diligent sovereign, maybe that would have been an improvement…?
The thought made her confused for no reason. Shaking her head, Courtney fired off another demand at her aide.
“So? Still no word?”
“Ah, yes! We’re searching everywhere, so soon enough we—”
“Put more people on it. If he manages to flee the country, it’ll be a real problem.”
Her grip tightened on her teacup. Thinking about it again, she started to suspect he might be a spy from another nation. If so, just half-killing him wouldn’t be enough. At minimum, she’d have to ruin three-fourths of him, so he’d never even dare wag that wicked tongue of his again.
Courtney glared at Anton. He felt cold sweat running down his back. It felt as if he were facing a wild beast. He’d die. If he got caught by the Empress now, there wouldn’t even be bones left to gather.
Anton gulped down his hot tea in one go. If he could just get out of here, he’d gladly drink lava. With trembling hands, he set his cup down.
“Understood. Then…”
Anton abruptly stood up. Courtney looked at him with a puzzled expression. Anton bowed stiffly and hurriedly left the parlor.
Courtney tilted her head. What’s with him? His behavior was certainly odd, but it didn’t seem worth worrying about. Given the weird Emperor she served, it was only natural the aide would be strange too.
At last, only the two of them were left. The abnormal Emperor spoke up.
“Ah, Courtney. Here…”
Richard held something out. Courtney’s gaze dropped to his hand. Resting in his palm were two rings and several jewels. She recognized them at once. They were the n****e piercings she’d given him as a gift.
In an apologetic voice, Richard explained,
“I found them in our room. I’m not sure when I took them off…”
He watched her for a reaction. But instead of getting angry, Courtney simply took the jewelry back without a word. At least they weren’t lost forever. Maybe, just maybe, the hypnotist’s punishment could be lightened… just a little.
Courtney gave a slight tilt of her chin.
“Take off your clothes. I’ll put them back in for you.”
Richard immediately loosened his cravat and unbuttoned his shirt. He stripped down to his bare chest and knelt obediently before her.
His manly, muscular chest contrasted obscenely with his large n*****s. Swollen from constant stimulation and yesterday’s torment, they were even bigger than usual. Courtney firmly twisted his right n****e first.
“Hnnn…”
Richard drew in a sharp breath. After rolling and fully hardening the n****e, she quickly put the piercing back in. Thankfully, the hole hadn’t closed up.
She repeated the process on the other side. His chest, red and marked from being pinched and twisted, now dangled with ornate jewels. Courtney took a moment to appreciate the vulgar sight.
The innocent look he’d shown yesterday hadn’t been bad either. But it was a novelty, something that was only good once. In the end, Richard’s lewd, vulgar self was what suited him best.
Even now, just being handled a little roughly, he was already tenting the front of his trousers. Courtney pressed her foot down firmly between his legs as she spoke.
“Don’t take them out on your own again. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
“Haa, yes…”
Richard shuddered as if struck by a wave of pleasure. Courtney glanced at the closed door. The staff were sharp, and they knew to take care of things on their own. She arrogantly tipped her chin.
Her smart little puppy, fully himself again after just one day of training. He quickly undid his waistband, and his tail sprang up high. Kicking off her shoes, Courtney smiled in satisfaction.
