MAWBF 8

Chapter 8

***

Reina blinked in disbelief upon unexpectedly spotting him.

The voices mocking the man fell silent, and he slowly raised his gaze, looking slightly tense.

He stared straight ahead out of obligation, showing no sign of expecting a handkerchief. The ladies gasped and their eyes sparkled at the sight of a man more handsome than they could have imagined, but they forced themselves to stay put as they recalled who he was.

Thus, Reina's slow movement couldn't help but stand out.

His blue eyes reflexively turned toward her. Their gazes met instantly, and he blinked blankly.

Once, twice.

His eyes widened. Just like in the garden where the midnight banquet had taken place. Reina knew he had recognized her.

"...Ha."

A clear laugh burst from her before she could stop it.

His lips parted, and his earlobes flushed crimson as if on fire.

In that moment, nothing else entered her vision, no sound reached her ears. She only wondered if he had blushed that fiercely under the pale moonlight that night, or if he could possibly turn any redder now.

Reina descended the stairs as if spellbound, clutching her skirt hem. She lowered her head, gripping the banister. Her curling hair fluttered like crimson waves, and he could only stare, mesmerized, at her smile.

"Hello."

"......"

"We meet again."

"......"

"I was right, wasn't I? I'm usually very lucky."

The throne, the king, the queen—none of that mattered anymore. She had lived her whole life believing she would become queen someday, but now it seemed as if she didn't need to be queen at all.

"To your victory."

Reina willingly tossed him her handkerchief.

She admitted it was a very impulsive choice.

But she felt she wouldn't regret it.

She had a very good feeling about it.

Above all, she was confident she could make him happy.

After all, she was young and beautiful, kind to everyone, and the noble young lady of the House of Dazbel.

A beautiful, noble lady raised in the lap of everyone's affection. Anyone would be utterly flustered by a single glance or smile from her.

So Reina believed that any man chosen by her would be happy.

Back then, she never dreamed her foolish first love would make a man's life miserable.

"I am Reina. Reina Dazbel."

The man's name was Elijah. Not Elijah Wills, just Elijah.

***

"You started this."

So, he was right.

All this misery was entirely her doing. It was her greed that ruined that once-lovable man.

Suddenly recalling the moment they first met, Reina swayed in a trance.

Long past the point where pleasure felt like pain, her senses had long since dulled. She feared she might lose her mind again like this. She almost wished she would.

Then Elijah roughly grabbed her jaw, forcing her gaze to meet his. His eyes, clouded by the heat of passion, seemed to say, don't run away. Then, as if punishing her, he would pull back, grabbing her waist, only to thrust into her again and again, hard and rough.

"...Haah, haaah, ugh, ugh...!"

Each time the hard penis forced its way deep inside and crushed her, her limp hands and dangling feet reflexively tensed.

He grabbed her swaying breasts, and squeezed them, tracing circles. There was no pain. She felt nothing anymore. She was completely at her limit.

But as if none of that mattered, thud, thud. The sound of flesh rubbing against flesh grew louder and louder.

"Ah, ahh, ugh, ugh..."

A gasp, like she was about to lose her breath, escaped her lips. Her blurry eyes, staring at the ceiling, had lost focus long ago.

"Ah, haa, ah...!"

Suddenly, hot liquid gushed out from her pussy, and she trembled precariously, unable to make a sound.

Almost simultaneously, his penis surged, expelling thick, lumpy substances.

"Ha…."

It was long, even though it was his umpteenth ejaculation.

Feeling the thick semen pour inside her, Reina convulsed intermittently, pinned beneath him.

Even after he finished, Elijah didn't release her. For a long while, he held her tightly, his entire body pressed against hers. Only after a considerable time did he loosen the arms wrapped around her small frame and very slowly withdraw from inside her.

Her slender body shuddered as if it were her last.

Her legs, spread wide to accommodate his hips, slid limply to the side. From the slightly parted opening of her vagina, stretched all night to receive him, something thick and sticky oozed out.

Having ejaculated multiple times, the overflow was inevitable. Yet he seemed displeased, moving his fingers to forcefully push the spilled fluid back inside her.

Then his hand lingered briefly on her lower abdomen. It felt like a gentle caress, but Reina dismissed it as a mistake, closing her eyes as if dead.

Suddenly, the king rose abruptly, roughly draping his robe over himself before leaving the queen's chamber.

Thud.

The sound of the door closing echoed in her ears, muffled as if filled with water, and Reina knew the act that had felt like it would never end had finally concluded.

His semen continued to flow out between her legs. She wanted to get up immediately and wash away the sticky mess, but she lacked even the strength to open her eyes, let alone move a finger.

After the queen was captured while attempting to leave Elmaril by carriage, the king began visiting her chambers punctually on the union days set by the doctor.

Once he came, the king never released the queen easily, as he had done today. Each time, he pushed her body and mind to their absolute limits until she was utterly spent, unable to move even a fingertip.

And he would release himself deep inside her, again and again.

Then the doctor would come to examine her body, and during that time, she would be locked in the room, unable to move, once more.

As the nights together continued, the outside world seemed excited, saying the king had finally begun to show interest in the queen.

But Reina only felt an ominous foreboding.

"How dreadful."

Because the king hated his queen.

She couldn't know exactly what he was thinking, but she was certain it was never a good sign.

Even amidst her fear, her utterly exhausted mind gradually slipped into a deep sleep. Her thoughts could no longer continue.

Soon, Reina fainted.

***

Reina, who had been silently staring at the transparent liquid tinged with red, suddenly frowned and turned her head away.

"I don't want it today. Take it away."

Carla, who had been waiting for Reina with a forced smile, instantly looked troubled.

"But Your Majesty, the Duke specifically instructed me to ensure you received this tea. He said it's a very precious medicine."

When the King visited the Queen's chambers, the Duke, who hadn't sought out Reina for some time, personally visited the Queen's palace. He was insistent that she must bear a prince this time, and brought her numerous items said to be beneficial for the womb.

Among them, the transparent, reddish-tinged tea had been waiting for her every morning since their wedding night, each time she awoke after sharing the bed with the king.

It looked quite sweet, but it was bitter, and worse, it left her feeling queasy all day long.

Still, Reina hadn't refused the medicine until now.

"If you bear him a prince, everything will be better than it is now."

As Carla had said, she too had once believed it. That bearing a child resembling the king would somehow mend their relationship.

But now, Reina conceded.

The king's hatred for his queen ran deeper than she could have imagined.

He wished her misery, so he had no intention of letting her depart peacefully. He clearly kept her here to watch her wither away.

That was the conclusion Reina had reached after days of anguish.

Unaware of this truth, Carla was naively doing her utmost.

"Just a little more strength, Your Majesty. Please?"

"......"

Reina didn't want to disappoint the maids who had seen hope for the first time in so long. She knew better than anyone how much they had suffered all this time, punished for serving the wrong master.

Above all, his rage kept dragging her down.

"You started this."

Because it was all something she had started.

Instead of closing her mouth and stubbornly refusing, Reina silently held out her hand.

Carla beamed and signaled to the maid.

Receiving the golden cup from the maid's hand, Reina swallowed the transparent, reddish tea without hesitation.

It still tasted bitter as poison.