Chapter 250
A story of a brave prince who set off on an adventure to the cold land of ice, and a princess who did not lose her courage even in the face of the ordeal known as the dragon’s curse. For children, it would certainly be a fascinating tale.
In a bedroom dimly lit by the gentle glow of lamps, a young boy and girl’s eyes sparkled. Lyle chattered in an excited voice.
“So what happened next?”
Courtney gently brushed back Lyle’s hair.
She used to make up stories like this for her young nephew as well.
Back then, Edvard would completely forget his fear of monsters under the bed and beg her to tell him what happened next.
But no matter how she made up the story, the ending was always the same, as if stamped from a mold. After all, it was for children.
“The prince and princess lived happily ever after.”
“Wow…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Unlike the awed Lyle, Larissa pouted and stuck out her lips in dissatisfaction. Courtney poked her daughter’s chubby cheek and asked,
“Larissa, you didn’t like the story?”
“No, it was boring.”
“Why?”
“It would be more fun if they flew around on the dragon and the princess became queen and stuff like that!”
Larissa shouted, raising both arms in the air. But Lyle frowned and glared at his sister in disapproval.
“I don’t like that!”
Courtney barely stifled a laugh. The twins, who looked alike but had completely different personalities, were at once best friends and rivals. Of course, to Courtney’s eyes, both were simply adorable. As she tidied up the blanket, she said,
“That’s enough, you two. It’s time to sleep now.”
“Okaaay.”
The children replied with sullen faces. Courtney picked up Larissa and set her down on the next bed. It was probably time for them to start using separate rooms, but having been born at the same hour from the same womb, the children fought every day but never wanted to be apart.
Courtney gave both children a kiss on each cheek, one after the other.
“Goodnight.”
Larissa and Lyle poked their little hands out from under the covers and waved. Smiling, Courtney turned off the lamp.
Isabella, who had quietly kept her working here all this time, smiled softly. Even among noble ladies, it was rare for them to care for their children directly rather than leave it all to the nanny, and yet the Empress, despite her busy schedule, often made time to personally see her children to bed. Some might say it was excessive, but to Isabella’s eyes, it was a truly beautiful image of a mother.
The two women left the bedroom together. By the time they finished soothing the children, who insisted on staying up to play more, it was already the middle of the night. Courtney let out a tired sigh and said,
“You should go and rest now.”
There were now many ladies-in-waiting who served the Empress day and night, but the one Courtney trusted and relied on most was Isabella. She had always been dependable, from then until now. And a competent attendant, as expected, knew when it was time to withdraw. She bowed gracefully and answered,
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After seeing Isabella off, Courtney went down the stairs alone. Despite her body’s fatigue, her steps were light. And with each floor, as she got closer to her destination, her pace unconsciously quickened. But once she reached the basement, she slowed her steps again.
She walked toward the master bedroom with a leisurely gait, as if out for a stroll.
The door, which was always tightly locked and never used by anyone. Standing before the closed door, Courtney took out a ring of keys from her pocket.
The keys, each lavishly decorated, were all different in size and shape. Even with just one look, she could tell which was for what, but Courtney deliberately touched each one as if to confirm, before finally inserting a key into the lock.
Clack, the sound of the turning handle echoed loudly. Inside the bedroom, it was quiet as if no one were there.
Entering the room, Courtney closed the door and went straight to the mirror. The first thing she did was untie the tightly cinched waist ribbon. When she undid the button at the back of her neck, the light house dress slipped to the floor.
Now in her slip, she began to pull out the hairpins from her hair, one by one.
As she ran her hand through her voluminous hair, she finally spoke leisurely.
“Do you like my present, Richard?”
“Hiiic…”
A sob escaped him as if he’d been waiting for this moment. Since his mouth was gagged, only ragged breaths burst from his nose. It was a truly pitiable sound, but not enough to make Courtney look back.
Unlike the precarious Richard, Courtney remained completely composed the entire time. She took off her slip dress and hung it on the mirror, then took off her shoes and stockings one after another. After removing even her undergarments, she put on a nightgown.
Richard started to sniffle. He really was a crybaby. Since he was probably only half-serious, Courtney paid him no mind and wiped her face with a cloth soaked in floral water.
“They say it’s very difficult to take care of, actually. In truth, it doesn’t even really suit a greenhouse, even though it’s unusual.”
She grumbled as if she weren’t the one who had personally acquired the plant.
It all started at a tea party held at the Wrighton Duchy’s manor. The Wrighton Duchy was second to none in the Empire when it came to collecting rare plants. When he obtained a particularly precious specimen, he would sometimes propagate it and offer it to the Imperial family.
But just because something is rare doesn’t mean it’s beautiful. The Duchess complained that the new, hideous plant had ruined the entire greenhouse. When Courtney coveted the ‘plant’, the Duchess gave it away without a second thought. As for the Duke’s opinion, well… who knows? It probably didn’t matter much anyway. It would only be there for a short while.
At last, Courtney turned around. She could see Richard, who was enjoying himself with the gift she had prepared for him.
“But I think it fits our bedroom quite well.”
Courtney’s wicked idea had been realized to perfection. She’d been so distracted by naughty thoughts that even while reciting a beautiful fairy tale for innocent children, such images kept slipping in.
Two tendrils squirmed as if recognizing their owner. One tightly squeezed the protruding part at the front of Richard’s g***n, while the other was probing the narrow tunnel at the back. Overwhelmed by the unintentional intensity of the stimulation, Richard let out a muffled moan.
“Mmph…!”
With his arms and legs each fastened to iron stakes on the ceiling and floor, he couldn’t even curl up as he wished. In that state, his entire body was soaked with cold sweat from being constantly tormented by the living creature, which moved of its own will rather than a mere tool.
Courtney shuffled over to him in her slippers. Richard managed a faint smile through his sweat-soaked face. She scratched under her puppy’s chin and asked,
“Was it tough?”
Richard pouted in resentment. She knew very well that such an innocent expression only fueled her sadism.
But what he got in return wasn’t gentle comfort but a sharp slap. Smack. With a harsh scraping sound, his head snapped to the side. Courtney, in a soft voice that didn’t match her rough hand, asked,
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
“Yes, Master. It was hard…”
Richard whimpered pitifully. If he claimed he hadn’t enjoyed the neglect play, it would be a blatant lie, but being used for his Master’s pleasure was far better than struggling for pleasure alone.
But this time too, Courtney pretended not to notice what he wanted.
“Then, shall we rest now?”
Richard’s eyes drooped downward. This time, it looked like he really might burst into tears. Courtney placed a kiss in the middle of his chest.
“I’m kidding.”
Duke Wrighton’s special gift, regardless of his intention, was truly magnificent. Courtney used the tentacle plant as if it were an extra arm. Richard, who could endure pain but was weak to pleasure, was utterly overwhelmed. All night, he was tormented both above and below, in front and behind, to the point of fainting for the first time in a long while.
“It was… truly fantastic.”
What to do? Richard was so happy that Courtney couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. The plant she had acquired was a mutant, incapable of propagation and unlikely to live long.
Unaware of anything, Richard cared for the plant with utmost devotion as it withered day by day. Courtney thought it was better to use it at least once more before it completely died, but Richard was obstinate to the end. Even after the Duke was summoned to reveal the truth, he stubbornly refused to accept it.
A month later, the first-ever funeral for a plant was held in the Imperial Palace’s gardens.
Richard was the only one who shed tears in front of the modest gravestone.
