Ko-fi shop has been updated, you can find the link at the end of the chapter.
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Exposure
Her voluptuous chest, ripe like a well-matured fruit, spilled into view.
Even though she couldn’t see what lay ahead, Diana was acutely aware of the humiliating position she was in. The thought of a man’s gaze scrutinizing her bare chest made the nape of her neck burn.
“Master….”
Diana’s voice quivered with a hint of moisture.
Having her body exposed was nothing compared to revealing the slave mark imprinted on her skin. She hastily tried to cover her chest with both arms, but the attempt was quickly thwarted.
All slaves of the Dorthes bore the Empire’s emblem on the center of their chest. This special brand, intended to prevent escape, was indelible by any means for life.
Please, please, please. Diana fervently prayed that her life wouldn’t end here, in this very moment.
Felix stared intensely at the maid’s body swaying in the water. Her smooth, pale skin curved softly over her rounded chest, her exposed nipples flushed deeply.
There wasn’t a single trace of the unsightly slave mark anywhere on her translucent flesh.
In the now silent bathroom, only the sound of dripping water and Diana’s labored breaths echoed.
Bending forward, Felix extended his hand toward Diana’s trembling chest. His calloused finger grazed her cleavage. When his nail scraped lightly, it left a red mark on her tender skin.
Still, there was no scar on her chest.
At the very least, nothing had been artificially concealed. Her heaving chest rose and fell in rhythm with her anxious breathing. Diana’s eyes darted around restlessly, unable to hold Felix’s gaze directly.
She swallowed dryly over and over again, her heart pounding like a convict awaiting judgment.
She hadn’t come into this situation unprepared. Prince Aizen had ordered Diana to seduce the Crown Prince, and for that, her body had to be flawless when exposed.
***
“It would be better to cover that mark. It’d ruin the mood if things cooled off after going through all the trouble of undressing you.”
After leaving the Defierre estate, Diana had spent two days in an unfamiliar place, undergoing bathing rituals. The women washing her had scrubbed her chest meticulously, even giving her a strong-smelling ointment to apply daily. They’d urged her to make sure it absorbed completely each time.
Even this morning, she had applied the ointment and waited until it was fully absorbed.
Surely, the slave mark would not be visible. That must be why he said nothing about it, Diana thought, barely managing to open her mouth.
“Master, I’ll… I’ll tidy my attire and return. Please, grant me permission.”
“Permission is not something you request first.”
Rough fingers rubbed forcefully between her breasts. The part of her chest that no man had ever touched—and that she had no intention of letting anyone touch—flushed bright red.
The hand that had been probing her cleavage with persistence shifted its angle slightly.
A large palm cupped her right breast as though cradling it. The supple flesh collapsed and deformed under the firm pressure.
“Ah!”
Startled, Diana froze, holding her breath and curling her shoulders. A cold, commanding voice immediately followed.
“Straighten your shoulders and push your chest out. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Left with no choice, she unfolded her hunched shoulders, though her whole body trembled. The hand gripping her chest was rough with calluses and scars. It was also unbearably hot.
Each time the man lifted her soft breast this way and that, the coarse skin of his palm brushed against her areola. The unfamiliar sensation caused spasms near her navel.
Felix, who had been examining every inch of her chest, from her cleavage to underneath her breasts and even her underarms, glanced at the prominent nipples. Her pale-pink areolas, like camellia petals fallen on white snow, trembled along with her breathing.
When he flicked the peaked tip with his finger, Diana shuddered violently.
“Ah, hngh!”
The moan that escaped her lips startled her into covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She quickly bit her lower lip, her cheeks burning crimson.
When Felix pinched and tugged gently at the areola, Diana caught her breath. Her breathing grew noticeably heavier compared to before.
As he rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the maid’s hips shifted slightly.
“M-Master.”
Diana called out to him desperately. Her wet lashes fluttered toward Felix in silent plea. The resistance that had been evident in her expression earlier was gone, replaced by a hint of helpless yearning.
Felix examined her face thoroughly while enjoying the addictive softness filling his hand.
Why had they sent someone so utterly inadequate, someone who didn’t even know how to properly offer her chest in seduction? To evoke his sympathy, perhaps?
No, if they had known she was connected to the spirits of Ballestega, they wouldn’t have sent her to him.
Spirits that commanded and protected nature were rare. Spiritists, who could wield them, were even rarer. Their value was so great that nations could go to war over them. But a spiritist marked with the Karman Empire’s brand?
If he were to claim her, she must belong to him alone. If not, she had to die so that no one else could have her. Naturally, the latter was the easier and swifter choice.
Felix toyed with her swollen nipple, eliciting a soft gasp from Diana. Her legs instinctively pressed together as her sensitive nerves, concentrated in one spot, responded to the foreign stimulus. Her body twitched at the feathery sensation, as though being tickled inside and out.
“Hngh, ah, mm…”
The continuous moans spilling from her lips weren’t entirely unpleasant to hear.
He had no desire to indulge in something so sullied, yet the sight of her flushed face and soft skin might be worth observing for a few more days. Especially that intriguing hair color—something he had never once succeeded in replicating.
Though it was unlikely to hold his interest for long.
“Diana.”
“Yes, y-yes… Master.”
The trembling maid replied tearfully.
“Behave wisely. Then nothing will happen to you.”
Diana hiccuped at the touch of a hand ruffling her hair. She was helplessly drawn forward by the pressure pressing against the back of her head, her face burying into broad shoulders. The heat of the bathroom made her skin flush.
The warmth of the embrace and the hand brushing down the back of her head gradually eased her overwhelming fear. Desperately, Diana swallowed her tears and steadied her breathing.
Does this mean if I behave sensibly, he’ll let me go…?
The embrace was warm. It was the first time she had felt the warmth of another since leaving her homeland—no, perhaps for even longer.
A faint glimmer of hope surfaced.
Yes, if he were sure she was a slave, he wouldn’t touch her bare skin like this. He had even assured her that nothing would happen….
She had to believe it. There was no other choice.
By the time Diana had calmed down somewhat, Felix released her. A chilling cold rushed over her bare upper body as if it had been waiting for this moment.
“You’ve done enough. Leave now.”
“Yes….”
Her maid’s dress, soaked through, hung heavily and clung to her body. Using one arm to cover her chest, Diana gathered the hem of her dress and took a tentative step toward the edge of the bath. A lingering stinging sensation from her right nipple caused her to wince.
Still, she had managed to overcome this ordeal. Just as Diana exhaled in relief—
“The spirit of Ballestega remains, after all….”
The murmured words pierced her from behind, making the nape of her neck prickle.
While the suspicion that she was a slave of Dorthes had been dispelled, the Crown Prince still hadn’t abandoned his doubts. That knowledge suffocated Diana.
***
Does he know I’m a spy?
Since the first day she had attended to his bath, a new task had been added to Diana’s daily routine. Every night, she would fill the bath with warm water.
But if he knows, why does he keep me on as a maid?
The Crown Prince’s lukewarm attitude confused Diana. She couldn’t discern how much he had uncovered.
While he hadn’t discovered the mark on her chest, he seemed to have realized her connection to spirits. He kept mentioning other masters as if they were real, not just idle talk.
In the worst-case scenario… perhaps he had already figured everything out—not just that she wasn’t from the Osfil household but that she was from a filthy brothel, and even who had ordered her to infiltrate this place.
Is the Crown Prince also trying to keep the Emperor in check? It doesn’t seem that way….
Over the nearly three weeks she had worked in the detached palace, Diana had realized one thing: Crown Prince Felix had absolutely no interest in governmental affairs.
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