Each One's Life and Bondage (5)

Theorad was miserable.

Going to the Count's castle with the elf would only cause Ashley pain and embarrassment.

He would have preferred to stay shut inside his own mansion. Then at least the trouble would fall on him alone.

A noble is worthy of the name only when he can take everyone into account, including himself. Remember, my son: innocent people must never suffer because of you.

His father used to say that.

The words had become one of the principles by which Theorad lived.

But an imperial princess had summoned him. He couldn't simply refuse.

After briefly congratulating Beynon on returning safely, he found himself walking out into the mansion's front courtyard with the elf following him.

Havid had already arranged a four-wheeled carriage, and the coachman was waiting beside it.

The red emblem of House Deharem stood out on the side.

Damn it…

Theorad felt another stab of resentment toward Beynon.

Yet it wasn't fair to blame his knight entirely.

Even if Beynon hadn't mentioned the summons in front of the elf, she might have found a way to follow. From what Theorad had seen at the ball, teleportation was well within her power.

Better to get this over with quickly.

He approached the carriage. The coachman bowed.

“My lord! Are you two the only passengers going to His Excellency's castle?”

“…Two?”

“Yes, my lord. Both of you.”

The coachman had addressed a slave with the sort of courtesy normally reserved for a guest. Perhaps he'd heard rumors that she was especially dear to the head of the household.

The elf wore a sweet, pleased expression.

For some reason, it made Theorad shiver.

There was no simple way to explain why the coachman's assumption was wrong.

“…Yes. The two of us. Please take us to the castle quickly. Her Highness the Princess has summoned me.”

“The Princess? Of course, my lord! I'll get you there as quickly and safely as I can!”

Theorad boarded and sat by the window.

The elf climbed in behind him and settled at his side.

“I'll close the door, my lord!”

The coachman shut it, mounted the driver's seat and urged the horses onward.

Neigh!

The carriage rolled away.

For a while, neither passenger spoke. The silence might have seemed peaceful to someone looking in.

Their thoughts were anything but.

Don't look at her. Stare out the window, shut your eyes and pretend to sleep. If I behave normally, perhaps she won't trouble me.

I lost the upper hand last time. That won't happen again. I'll show him who's really in control.

Theorad folded his arms and gradually closed his eyes.

The elf stole a glance at him.

Sunlight from the window traced his sharp jaw. His carefully arranged nobleman's clothes suited him, and even the stillness of his posture seemed elegant.

It would have made a lovely picture.

If only he hadn't been wearing that engagement ring on his left ring finger.

Her brows drew together.

Anyway… how does a woman seduce someone?

She'd never needed to learn.

Men had confessed their love to her without encouragement, drawn by her beauty. She'd never accepted any of them.

Even when Theorad had subjected her to humiliating punishments, she'd imagined that showing him her naked body would be enough to win his desire.

Yet she'd exposed herself to him time and again, and they'd even had sex. His heart still appeared to belong entirely to his fiancée.

How irritating…

The elf's competitive spirit stirred.

This feeling had nothing to do with the promise they'd made in the past. She wanted him to look at her, even if only a little.

She had never practiced seduction, but in her two hundred and fifty years she'd read enough human erotic literature and seen enough illustrations to believe she knew what to do.

Surely the things in those books will work.

Then Theorad would finally see her as desirable, and she could play her role as his toy even more convincingly.

She shifted closer.

She remembered reading that a man's desire could be stirred by the smallest touch from a woman sitting near him.

If the books were right, Theorad ought to be nervous already.

But wait…

Was a woman supposed to feel nervous as well?

Their thighs brushed lightly.

The sensation was unexpectedly unsettling.

When Theorad had been the one humiliating her, she'd hardly cared about such closeness. Now that she was approaching him of her own accord, something seemed to flutter inside her.

She refused to give up there.

Searching through her vast store of remembered reading, she finally found a promising idea.

In a work titled Vulgar Love with a Witch, published forty-seven years ago, the male protagonist had been far more affected by glimpses of a woman's skin beneath her clothes than by complete nudity.

The book had treated his fascination as shameful, even deserving of punishment.

Still, perhaps the idea was worth trying.

The elf stole another look at Theorad.

Then she began unfastening the buttons at her collar, fanning herself with her free hand.

“Master… The weather is so warm. I think I need to loosen my clothes…”

Click. Click.

A couple of buttons came undone, revealing the upper curve of her breasts and a little cleavage.

There. That should do it.

Surely Theorad would open his eyes now.

“…”

He didn't move.

His eyes remained closed, his arms folded.

She had moved close, exposed some skin and even spoken suggestively, yet he seemed entirely uninterested.

“Ahem!”

The elf cleared her throat, embarrassed.

He must have decided to ignore her.

Well, she wasn't going to let him get away with that.

She leaned toward his ear and blew gently against it.

Still nothing.

Is he truly asleep?

His expression was so peaceful that the possibility suddenly seemed very real.

And if he had been asleep the whole time, her elaborate attempts to tempt him had been for nothing.

Her face grew hot.

Annoyed, she decided to take a little revenge.

She whispered against his ear.

“What an insolent man.”

Theorad's brow tightened slightly.

Perhaps her voice was finding its way into his dream.

The elf smiled mischievously and lowered her voice again.

“I'm tired of living as your slave. I'm going to take you to the Great Forest.”

Theorad began to breathe faster.

The ring and index fingers of his left hand trembled.

“You'll stay there with me for the rest of your life.”

“Ah… ngh…”

His chest rose and fell sharply.

“Why me…? Ashley can't…”

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

It seemed he was trapped in a terrible nightmare.

The reaction was far more violent than the elf had expected.

Have I gone too far?

Suddenly concerned, she leaned forward to take back the words.

“No, I was only joking—”

“Hah!”

Theorad jerked upright, gasping.

He clenched his hands, slapped himself, and looked wildly around the carriage and out the window.

Only when he seemed certain of where he was did his shoulders begin to relax.

He took a handkerchief from his coat.

“Thank goodness… Thank goodness…”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, color gradually returning to his face.

The elf watched in silence.

She had known he disliked her, but she hadn't imagined the prospect of being taken to the Great Forest would terrify him so completely.

Her expression darkened.

Then Theorad noticed her looking at him.

He stiffened.

What now?

The person who had haunted his nightmare was sitting beside him, glaring.

He couldn't imagine a more frightening sight to wake to.

If she spoke the same words he'd just heard in his dream, he might actually lose his mind.

He needed to take control of the conversation before she could threaten him.

He swallowed, put away his handkerchief, and adopted the expression of a cold-blooded master.

“What are you staring at?”

“Ah… Well…”

“And what's with your clothes? Have you gone into heat just because I closed my eyes?”

I wasn't in heat. I was trying to seduce you!

The elf almost protested.

How could he not understand the difference?

She sat in offended silence.

“I'm not in heat,” she said at last.

“No?”

Theorad gave a disbelieving little laugh.

Then he reached toward her face and brushed her bangs behind her ear, running his hand lightly along her hair.

The elf was confused by the gentle touch.

“No,” she repeated. “It's simply hot, so—”

His fingers suddenly closed on the hair at the side of her head.

He pulled.

“Ah!”

The sharp pain brought them closer together.

Theorad inclined his head and spoke quietly into her ear.

“Talk back to me once more, and I'll fuck you like a dog. You're of a lowly race.”

The elf shivered.

For an instant she couldn't think how to reply. A strange sensation had unsettled her.

Theorad let go and clicked his tongue in disgust.

He stared down at her as if she were something beneath notice.

“Answer me.”

“Ah, I…”

She opened her mouth, then shut it again.

There were a dozen things she wanted to say. Somehow, with her heart beating so hard, none would come.

“…I'm sorry, Master.”

She lowered her eyes and clenched her fists.

For the moment, she couldn't think of any way to turn the tables on him.