Citadel of Desire

Chapter 10 – Devour Her

She entered the room and found Clodan sitting at the desk, relaxing as he inhaled small puffs of smoke from his cigar. He continued to gaze at his arm, not paying attention to the fact that she’d barged in again. That indifferent demeanor of his… It hurt her the most.

“I…I’m not sorry at all!” She said in a clear, loud voice, “It’s not my fault I can’t read.”

Clodan stayed silent, but he finally looked at her. Spurred on, she continued to ramble.

“I want to read books and write letters too! Y-you have no idea how desperate I am… D-d-do you know how embarrassed I was that day?! But today, I just wanted us to—”

Another sob fell past her lips as the tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The sight of her crying face was quite pitiable. Clodan took one look at her and put aside his cigar. He walked towards her with slow, firm steps.

“Today, you wanted us to do what?”

“Just… We…”

 

“Why didn’t you come all this time?”

Clodan wasn’t concerned with her illiteracy. It was the last thing on his mind. But Rei hesitated as she meekly clutched his shirt.

“I…I was so embarrassed. I can’t read and yet, I borrowed the book from you. I felt like a lying fool…”

“I don’t care about that.”

“E-even though I lied to you?”

“Rei, you and I got intimate that day.”

Clodan gently held her chin, softly caressing her lips with his thumb.

 

“If you don’t come by the next day, how else am I supposed to interpret it?”

He leaned in closer, his warm breath fanning her face. Just a little closer and they’d be kissing, but Rei was so surprised by his words that she didn’t even realize the small distance between them.

“Did you not like it?”

“W-were you waiting for me all this time?”

“Tell me, did you like it or not?”

Rei shook her head softly. Her tears had finally come to an end. Relief washed over her as she realized that he still cared about her.

“Y-you don’t hate me? You don’t think I’m a slow-witted idiot?”

Clodan closed the distance between them, and in no time, he pressed his lips against hers. He parted her lips with his tongue and passionately ravaged her. Rei felt weak in her knees. He was kissing her so deeply, almost as if he wanted to devour her; if he wasn’t supporting her with an arm around her waist, she was sure she would’ve collapsed onto the floor by now. Their soft lips continued to brush against each other, a warm building inside them.

But they eventually had to part to breathe. Rei felt as if she lost a part of herself when his lips left hers. Clodan seemed to have felt the same way, with the way he caressed and sucked at every inch of her face.

“L-lord, wait…”

“No.”

Rei tried to calm him down, but his desire was too strong. His stance was firm. He wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Lord, p-please…”

“I said no.”

“C-Clodan…”

Rei managed to utter his name. His eyes widened. He was shocked enough to finally leave her face alone for a while. She looked at his reaction and smiled shyly.

“Clodan.”

This time, she said it with a surge of new-found confidence, rendering him speechless.

“W-won’t you read to me, Clodan?”

“I’d prefer other activities.”

“B-but I looked forward to reading with you.”

Clodan couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“Really… You…”

He bit back his words and gave in. He let out a sigh, a sound that felt like music to Rei’s ears. Her lips, now bright red due to his kisses, split into a wide smile, causing him to furrow his brows.

“Why are you so pretty?”

Pretty? No one had ever called as such. Even her parents who’d raised her with care, had never uttered those words to her. Her brother was a lost cause, he only mocked and ridiculed her. A strong feeling welled up inside her. She couldn’t help but like him, the one who noticed things about her when no one else did.

Clodan and Rei ended up spending the whole day together. He found himself completely fascinated with her hair and kept running his hands through it, almost like a cat pawing at a ball of yarn. Rei forgot about all of her inhibitions and let go of herself completely. Soon, she found herself placing her feet on Clodan’s thighs as they read fairy books together.

Although she was broke and had nowhere to go, Rei now lived like a spoilt child who’d been given everything in the world. The precious way Clodan treated her deluded her into thinking that she was free to do whatever she wanted. He wouldn’t scold her if she roamed around the manor and would even offer her desserts every hour or so.

Mary was the first to notice this change between them. Since she was the one who prepared the meals, she was able to witness the different atmosphere before anyone else. Philip was the closest to Clodan, so he got to know about it next. And soon, even the gardener and Jack, the stable hand, heard the news.

“What?!”

Of course, by the time Heish arrived at the manor, it was already old news. He’d just come back from a long trip. After how things ended between him and Rei the last time, he thought it best to console her with some gifts before talking it out. But there were no carriages that were ready to bring him back to the manor. One after the other, they all kept refusing him. He endured it, thinking that a hot meal was awaiting at home, but the only thing that greeted him was that stiff, old man.

“Dinner time is already over. If you want a meal, you’ll have to prepare it yourself.”

“Hah, are you talking to me in that tone?”

“Is there anyone else here?”

“How can you be so rude?! Is this how you’re supposed to treat your guests? I spent an hour walking in the cold to get here from that village. Prepare my dinner immediately!”

Philip paid him no heed and left his shouting figure behind. To him, Heish wasn’t even a guest. He was worse than a persistent peddler who kept annoying them.

“Hey! Stop! Bring me my dinner!”

Heish was already burning with fury inside. His best friend, who’d asked him to leave everything to him, now kept avoiding his responsibilities and whatever goods he did deliver were not of good quality. The money Lord Clodan had lent him was running thin and his mother’s illness showed no signs of becoming better. He felt like the more he struggled to survive, the deeper he was drowning.

And now even this old servant was treating him like a beggar?! Livid with the unfair treatment, Heish picked up an empty dish and threw it at his head.

“You’re a mere servant, so act like it!”

The plate shattered as it hit Philip, causing him to come to a stand-still. He stood like a strong, old tree with its roots buried deep into the ground, unbothered by the blow. Philip stared at the scattered shards blankly.

“So? Was that dish so precious?”

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“Hey.”

Philip rose from his arched, saggy posture to his full height. He twisted his head sideways as his whole body shook. It was as if he was a snake trying to shed its skin.

“W-what?”

As his head unnaturally creaked in Heish’s direction, he noticed that Philip’s pupils had turned into slits, just like the eyes of a reptile. Green scales began to creep up his neck. And when his tongue slithered out for a split second, Heish immediately noticed its forked end. Fear washed over Heish in cold waves, rendering him unable to move.

“Behave. I’m already holding back because you’re so pitiful.”