NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3 - The Imperial Princess (3)
Chapter 3 – The Imperial Princess (3)
“Ah….”
After pushing back the dumbfounded princess, I ordered the attendant who was standing blankly to grab her.
“L-let go! Don’t! I said don’t…!”
Violetta, restrained by her own attendant, couldn’t move an inch. No matter how she twisted her body and screamed, her desperate voice didn’t reach anyone’s heart.
That voice no longer contained any of the formality or dignity it had earlier.
Now she finally seems like a girl her age. I smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
It’s nice to have this kind of thing after so long.
Lately, I’d always removed my partners’ resistance before taking them, so this lively reaction felt rather refreshing.
I particularly liked that it was 100% her own genuine emotion, not something I induced.
Anyway, a human my ability doesn’t work on. If I’d known such a person existed, I would have come to the imperial capital much sooner.
Just when I was getting bored of having done everything possible with female bodies, Violetta was nothing short of a bundle of new stimulation for me.
Though I want to do all sorts of things to her right away…
The tastiest morsel should always be saved for last.
Leaving the struggling Violetta aside, I shifted my gaze to the woman who had just tried to threaten my life.
“Viola.”
When I called her name, she looked straight into my eyes. The eyes visible through her black mask were the same golden color as the princess’s.
I looked her up and down appraisingly. Upon touching to confirm, her breasts were just enough to fill one hand, and her hips were spread wide enough that her thighs couldn’t properly close. Thanks to her form-fitting attire, her arousing figure was clearly visible without needing to undress her.
A guard… How could a woman with such a vulgar body be the princess’s guard? First that maid, and now this—what criteria does the princess use to select people? Does she measure some kind of libido index or something?
Anyway, it was good for me.
Now it was time to check her face.
“Remove your mask and show me your face. Don’t hide anything, make sure I can see clearly.”
“Yes.”
Viola answered briefly and began to remove her mask as ordered.
After taking off the black mask and pushing back the few strands of hair that hung down, her face was finally fully revealed.
“What is this?”
Surprisingly, this one was just as interesting as the princess.
***
Suddenly, I recalled a story I’d heard from a woman I’d been with before.
Though immersed in pleasure, she was the type who freely babbled about imperial secrets and confidential matters without being asked.
According to what I heard, from infancy, each member of the imperial family is assigned a personal guard called a ‘shadow.’
These shadows are selected from children with no family ties and are raised with thoroughly instilled loyalty to the imperial family from a young age.
From childhood, they undergo various procedures to acquire the exact same appearance as the imperial family member they will serve, and in emergencies, they have the ability not only to guard but also to act as their master’s double.
“I didn’t know such things really existed.”
Well. Even then, I had only vaguely heard about such things in passing. At the time, I just considered it an interesting conspiracy theory or rumor and let it slide.
“……”
Viola was staring straight at me with her lips firmly closed. I grabbed her chin and turned it this way and that.
From any angle—left, right—Viola’s face was identical to Violetta’s.
I examined her in various ways, using sight and touch—pulling her eyelids wide open with my index finger, or wedging my thumb between her lips to feel the inside of her mouth.
“You perverted… What are you doing!”
It seemed that Violetta was quite displeased by the sight of someone playing tricks with a face identical to her own.
Hmm. Two people with identical faces.
My ability works on one but not on the other. There were many tests I wanted to try on the princess. Perhaps there might be some use for this woman who looks exactly the same. For instance, I think there were magical or mystical techniques that could connect two similar beings…
“Are you two twin sisters?”
“No, we are not.”
The answer came from Viola.
Well, even twins would find it difficult to look this similar. It’s certain that she’s a shadow created through some kind of procedure in the imperial family.
“By any chance, is your body shape also identical to hers, not just the face?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
I shifted my gaze back to Violetta, scanning her body as if licking it with my eyes. So beneath that puffy dress lies such a vulgar body. It seemed her face wasn’t the only presentable part of her.
“Good. From now on, you’ll go without your mask. It’s more pleasing to the eye that way.”
“…Yes.”
That’s enough for now.
I had no immediate plans for the princess.
I intended to consume her slowly, very slowly.
Until someday she would willingly throw herself into my arms.
What would it be like if someone immune to my ability came to desire me on their own? And what would the process of reaching that point be like? Just imagining it was thrilling. Already, various things I wanted to try began flooding my mind.
For the first time in a long while, I felt my heart beating.
***
It should have been a day like any other.
Like always, receiving morning attendance from her lady-in-waiting, finishing her washing, having a simple meal, handling her usual schedule…
That’s what the day should have been.
Violetta’s daily life was thrown into chaos in an instant.
Faced with rough treatment she had never experienced in her life, Violetta fell into a state of panic, not knowing what to do. The sight of people who had been loyal to her until now turning away without hesitation at a single command from the man was enough to instill fear even in her, who had grown up without fearing anything in the world.
“Your Highness, please walk properly.”
“Ugh.”
As soon as her pace slowed, a warning followed immediately.
Viola, who was originally her shadow, now seemed preoccupied with serving her ‘new master.’ This was evident in how she gave warnings and tapped Violetta’s shoulder without hesitation just because her steps slowed a little.
Violetta bit her lip in distress.
‘Why on earth did things turn out this way?’
Everything was incomprehensible.
From that man’s ability to manipulate people despite the power of the relic, to Viola’s mental barrier being breached when it should have been nearly impenetrable.
Even for a powerful magician, this was nonsensical.
Thinking carefully, it was strange from the beginning that a mere magician who could cast some mind control spells had so boldly breached the security of the imperial palace.
Look even now.
A woman who is the princess of a nation is being dragged away helplessly, yet not one person passing by shows any concern.
That man.
From beginning to end. Everything. Is strange. It deviates from reason.
‘Something is wrong.’
Violetta vaguely denied reality. Everything had been a series of surreal events from the moment she woke up until now. The first sight upon waking was an unidentified man assaulting her maid. And what about everything that happened afterward? Not many people could remain calm while being dragged away, held captive by the guard they had known since childhood.
“…Hey.”
At her weakly uttered voice, the man turned to look at Violetta.
“What?”
“Where are we going right now?”
“To your room.”
“My room?”
“Yes. The space where you sleep and live.”
“But why there…”
“Because I plan to confine you there.”
Confine?
“…Me?”
“That’s right. I’m going to confine you to your room. From now on, unless something special happens, your living radius will be restricted solely to your bedroom. For today, I don’t particularly plan to do anything else, so just lie still in your room and think about your future.”
“What… don’t be ridiculous! I have a schedule and things to do!”
“Cancel everything.”
“W-what?”
“Or have someone else do it.”
The man spoke as if he was doing her a favor.
“You asked me earlier to use my power for you, right? I’ll do as you wish. From now on, when you give orders to others, most reasonable requests will be granted without refusal. However, only as long as they don’t conflict with the rules I set.”
“What use is that if I can’t leave the room!”
“That’s for you to figure out. Should I be even more accommodating here?”
“What, that’s…!”
“We’ve arrived.”
Creeak-
With the sound of the door opening, Violetta was pushed into the dark bedroom before she could protest further.
“Kyaaak!”
She let out a scream at the rough hands pushing her.
“S-stop it…!”
Violetta screamed fiercely and struggled to get back outside. But what use was there in feebly resisting with the body of a frail woman? It only made the hands restraining her rougher.
Soon she realized that such reckless resistance was meaningless.
Wait. He won’t stand guard at the door forever.
Eventually, Violetta stopped her futile resistance and tried to calm her trembling body while watching for an opportunity.
“…”
How much time had passed since she was locked in the room?
Darkness, silence. All kinds of negative phenomena and emotions gradually seeped in. She tried to act calm and rational, but in the end, she was just a young girl. She struggled to suppress the anxiety that was creeping in.
When the commotion subsided, Violetta carefully tried to open the door again.
“Hik…”
That man had gone elsewhere, but instead, two soldiers were standing firmly in front of her bedroom with stern expressions, like guards watching a prisoner.
They were vaguely familiar faces. People she had encountered once or twice in passing. The kind who would lower their eyes and hurry to bow whenever they met, afraid of being found at fault.
But now, there wasn’t a trace of submission in the soldiers’ eyes. They were so emotionless that they almost looked like large toy soldiers.
Violetta cautiously spoke to them.
“…May I go out?”
“…”
There was no answer.
It felt like talking to a wall.
Soon realizing that conversation was meaningless, Violetta carefully observed their reactions before silently stepping over the threshold with her right foot.
At that moment, the soldier who had been standing motionless suddenly moved.
“Ugh!”
The soldiers grabbed Violetta as she tried to go outside and roughly shoved her back into the room. There wasn’t a trace of consideration in their handling.
Thud!
Thrown back, Violetta ended up landing hard on her bottom.
Looking down at her as she sat there bewildered, the soldiers said in a heartless tone:
“If you have any requests, speak without coming out.”
Creak-
The light seeping through the door crack narrowed,
Thud.
Soon darkness embraced her. The room, without a single light turned on, was dark and desolate.
Until now, she had been someone who was revered by people and enjoyed all the finest things. It took Violetta far too long to accept her current situation.
She sat in silence like that for a long while.
Suddenly, the spot where she had landed began to sting.
“…”
Violetta quietly rubbed her tailbone when she suddenly felt something flowing down her cheek.
‘…Tears?’
The wet sensation trickled down both cheeks, formed droplets at the tip of her chin, and fell one by one onto her clothes.
Violetta raised her sleeve to wipe her eyes, which had become red and wet with salt.
Strange. No matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn’t dry. Instead, they increased in volume, and before long, they began to pour down like a broken faucet.
“What is this.”
A single phrase burst out like a scream.
“Why do I have to suffer like this…”
The sudden tears weren’t just because her tailbone hurt.
Only after the situation had ended did delayed reality and feelings of sadness rush in all at once. Anger and feelings of injustice surged within her.
Violetta’s face looked more angry than sad.
She trudged over to the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and sobbed quietly. She felt like she needed to release her anger somehow.