Citadel of Desire

Chapter 19 – The Blue Rose (1)

Rei woke up with a damp towel carefully placed over her legs. The cold temperature soothed her sore thighs. It reminded her of the time she’d fallen ill as a child and the way the maid had taken care of her. She tried to move her legs, but a sudden jolt of pain shot up from between her legs.

“You went too far.”

She heard a familiar voice from the edge of her bed and couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation and pretended to be asleep.

“You should’ve known better! She’s an ordinary person. You should’ve let her go after you were satisfied to an extent.”

Judging from the stern tone of the voice and the distance, Mary was the one constantly wringing the towel and replacing it.

“Satisfied to an extent?”

She figured that the other voice belonged to Clodan, especially due to the annoyance that laced his tone.

 

“If you were in my place and could see what the lady looked like…”

“Master.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to stop either.”

Rei heard the dull thud of footsteps approaching her bed.

“This…”

Her mouth twitched as a finger caressed her lips. She carefully peeked and saw Clodan push a finger into her mouth as he looked up at Mary, a smug look gracing his face.

“Look at the way her lips are wrapping around it.”

“Master, she’ll wake up!”

Despite Mary’s protests, Clodan only pushed deeper and ran his finger along her tongue.

“Soon, she’ll learn how to suck even while sleeping.”

 

“Leave her alone for the next few months. This will take a toll on her.”

As soon the words fell out of her mouth, Mary immediately regretted her words. She closed her eyes in resignation. She was well aware that she’d crossed a line. And her master abhorred others meddling in his affairs.

“I’ve been thinking…”

Rei could no longer follow the conversation. Suddenly, she felt a cold gust of wind rush into the room. Ah, maybe they left the window open? As she inhaled the freezing air, her lungs ached, causing her to cough and open her eyes in reflex.

“M-master!”

“Why do you keep forgetting your place?”

“I never thought of—”

As soon as she opened her eyes, she found Clodan standing near her bed with his hands shoved in his pockets. Mary suddenly fell, her head knocking against the floor with a painful thud. A harsh, bitter atmosphere surrounded them, unwilling to let anyone else close to them. Rei got up as quickly as she could, her joints aching in resistance.

“Master, it was my—”

Rei couldn’t understand what was going on. Clodan wasn’t even moving, so why was Mary begging for forgiveness while writhing in pain? The sight was too much for her to bear. So, she decided to let them know she was awake.

“Clodan?”

In an instant, Mary’s painful groans stopped. Despite the fact that she was rolling all over the floor just a moment ago, she immediately stood up, her posture with grace and poise. Clodan turned around and faced Rei, a smile as bright as the morning sun gracing his face. Both of them acted as if whatever happened before was a mere illusion.

“Are you alright?”

Rei was extremely confused. But when Clodan reached out to her with his hands, she recalled the way he’d incessantly tormented her before and avoided his embrace.

“Oh, you’re avoiding me?”

He sounded a tad disappointed, but his expression remained cheery. He lowered his arms and pointed at the table filled with steaming hot dishes.

“Eat something first.”

“Clodan…”

Rei’s gaze shifted towards Mary, who was now quietly wiping some glasses.

“Are you hurt?”

Mary didn’t even lift her head to look at Rei and replied in a curt manner. “This happens now and then. Please do not think too much of it.”

After saying that, she left the room in a hurry. Rei froze, unable to figure the change in Mary’s attitude towards her. Clodan, who was still standing next to her, spoke up against her behaviour.

“She’s so impertinent. Do you want to relieve her of her service?”

Rei hurriedly reached out and grabbed his wrist, surprised by his offer. “Why would you say that? She just seems a bit unwell…”

“Mary’s nice. She’s the one who took care of me whenever I feel sick.” She added.

“Well, hearing you defend her just makes me want to do it even more.” It was a murmur, yet with the silence in the room, it still reached Rei’s ears.

She could feel the frustration build up inside her chest. Even though he was smiling at her warmly, the way he treated felt distant, as if she was a stranger.

“Rei.”

Clodan leaned forward and lifted the blanket covering her body.

“I’m not a nice person.” His gaze wandered all over her thighs and lingered on all the red marks he’d left on her. “So, don’t bother me.”

“I’m bothering you?”

Rei almost wanted to rip out her hair in frustration. How could Clodan be so insensitive? Every word of his was like a stab to her heart. She recalled the way he’d taken her first time so aggressively and slowly grew angry.

“You…You shouldn’t act so shamelessly!”

Clodan chuckled and slapped his knee, as if he’d heard the most hilarious thing on earth. “How am I shameless?”

“You…you only want to tease me. Even when I’m tired, you were not gentle to me. And now, you’re speaking to me so rudely!”

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He ran his hand through her hair, gently untangling the knots in it, and tucked it behind her ear.

“So, you don’t like it when I’m like this?”

Rei couldn’t answer his question. She meekly covered herself with the blanket he’d taken away before and hid her face behind it.

“I’ve always been like this though.”

No, you weren’t. But Rei didn’t dare say that out loud.