TNKHC 79

Chapter 79 …

The feel of the new pajamas against her skin wasn’t unpleasant.

Soft and cozy, as if woven from silk, the texture was comforting.

Elena just lay there, staring blankly out at the darkened window.

She didn’t want to think about anything at all.

Creak—

At the sound of the door, she turned her head.

At the end of her gaze stood Decarus, his hair still damp.

“Did you finish washing?”

“Yeah.”

“And your body?”

“I’m fine.”

Suspicion lingered in the corners of his narrowed eyes.

He probably thought she was lying.

After all, anyone would, seeing her lying there so listlessly.

“I’m telling the truth.”

“Alright.”

He finally let go of his skeptical look and slowly approached the bed.

Through the black robe, his muscles seemed to cry out for her attention.

As his massive body climbed onto the bed, the neatly made sheets crumpled under him.

He rested his arm on the headboard and, without a word, stroked her soft pink hair.

Their eyes simply stared at each other silently.

“…Hold me, Carus.”

Her lips moved on their own.

Her head said no, but her body longed for him.

She wanted to caress and embrace him.

She wanted to collide lips, to explore each other wildly.

Even if just for a moment, she wanted to fill the hollow feeling in her heart.

“……”

Decarus quietly wrapped his arms around her waist.

Elena, nestled in his embrace, felt like a little puppy.

Without a word, he swept her long hair aside.

She closed her eyes, feeling his gentle touch.

From his broad chest, she could feel the beat of his heart.

The pounding rhythm slowly calmed her restless mind.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?”

Elena spoke softly against his chest.

She had expected him to interrogate her about what the Empress had done, but his silence was strange.

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s a bad memory.”

He must have realized what the Empress had done when he saw her earlier.

Knowing how terrible it was, he kept his mouth shut.

Elena nodded once or twice and burrowed deeper into his warmth.

It was perfect for sleeping—cozy and comforting like a nest.

Her heart, which had been racing, slowly regained a steady rhythm.

“Tell me about my past, Carus.”

“……”

“I want to remember, but I can’t remember anything. It’s like someone cut it all away with a knife.”

A low breath escaped her small, cherry-like lips.

Even if the memories belonged to someone else, they were already hers—Elena’s own self.

So she was all the more curious.

What had she been like before she turned seven?

What kind of person, what kind of appearance?

“I want to know.”

“Alright.”

Decarus kissed the top of her head, where her hair smelled faintly sweet.

His deep, dark voice reached her ear like a sticky jelly.

“You were always mischievous. You fought with Noah every day. I was there to mediate between you two.”

“……”

“And you were often willful. If things didn’t go your way, you’d throw a tantrum. The Empress loved that about you.”

“I see…”

Even if she couldn’t remember, even if she had been abandoned, she had been loved.

By her mother.

“The Emperor also adored you. He always kept you by his side. That’s probably why he even brought you to the council sessions.”

So her mother was the Empress, and naturally the Emperor was her father.

It made her chuckle inwardly to realize such an obvious fact now.

“And then…how did you and I meet?”

Decarus seemed to ponder for a moment before chuckling softly.

“When you were very young, at a banquet. A five-year-old kid puffing up on the throne.”

“Me? I did that?”

Seeing her doubtful expression, he gently kissed her eyelid.

His loving gaze was so sweet it felt like honey could drip from it.

“Yes. You were so spoiled, there was no tyrant like you. Even the old nobles clicked their tongues. Whatever you said was law.”

Just hearing it, she could almost imagine a real little tyrant.

She quickly changed the subject.

“When did you start liking me?”

For a moment, the hand stroking her hair stopped.

She looked up, feeling awkward—and saw his face flushed bright red.

Elena, embarrassed herself, stammered,

“Wh-why…why are you like this?”

“Time to sleep.”

He pulled the thin blanket over her face as well.

Gasping for air, she peeked out like someone surfacing from water.

His face was still flushed.

“Why are you—”

Seeing him embarrassed for the first time, she wanted to tease him.

Elena widened her eyes and stubbornly asked, pretending not to know.

“Is it that embarrassing? Huh?”

“Time to sleep.”

For the first time, he turned his back to her.

Usually she was the one to tease, but now the roles were reversed—it was amusing.

“Carus.”

Calling his name softly, she hugged him again, seeing his ears turn completely red this time.

Her playful spirit awoke, and she pressed herself close, tickling his firm chest.

He grasped her hand tightly, pinning her in place.

“What…Carus!”

In an instant, his strong body settled atop hers.

She lifted her head in shock and saw his face even more flushed than before.

He growled like a lion ready to pounce on its prey.

“You started it.”

Suddenly, something soft and wet roughly claimed her.

It pushed in relentlessly, leaving her barely able to breathe.

When she parted her lips slightly, his warm tongue immediately explored her.

He clasped her face with both hands, kissing her deeply.

Decarus captured her wandering tongue, holding it tightly.

His fierce intensity made the roots of her tongue ache.

The stronger he pressed, the deeper her nails dug into his broad back.

Their saliva mingled chaotically in their mouths.

When he pulled back slightly, strands of saliva stretched like webs between them.

“Carus…stop…”

Elena murmured with a pained voice, eyes shining like a pleading deer.

“But…what can I do?”

“……”

“Crying won’t help you today, Elena.”

Clap—

Clap—

Clap—

A harsh slap brushed her skin.

The sharp crack echoed through the room, piercing like eardrums being torn.

Each time her face was struck, her neck twisted unnaturally.

The Empress glared wildly, eyes blazing.

Her raised white hand trembled like a leaf.

Through her tightly pressed lips came ragged breaths, as though holding back a storm.

“You insolent wretch! How dare you defile me!!!”

The Empress screamed like a madwoman, convulsing in rage.

Her face was red with fury, threatening to explode.

“I should have realized from the moment that bastard wagged his tail!”

“……”

“Exposing Elena before me wasn’t enough, and now you dare lie to me!!!”

Kneeling, Noah’s face remained cold and expressionless.

His cheeks were swollen and red from countless blows, blood dripping from his mouth onto the floor.

Yet he looked at the Empress without concern, eyes sharp and unyielding.

“Now that’s done, may we move to the main point? I am here only to offer the Empress a very favorable proposal.”

“How audacious, Noah. You dare—”

“You cannot refuse me. Your will to survive is great, isn’t it?”

Noah smiled broadly, lips curling.

Around him lay guards and attendants, their throats cut, bleeding profusely—a scene reminiscent of a horrific battlefield.

“Blame yourself for creating this situation. You, the Empress, are the one who made this monstrous creature in the first place.”

He laughed loudly, as if this scene amused him immensely.

The Empress, despite her fierce expression, couldn’t hide her fear.

The dog she raised had become a tiger—a monster.

“Give me command over the army. I will strike the Emperor myself. You, Empress, will merely watch from behind.”

“In that case…Elena…kill Elena…If Elena lives, I will die… I—”

The Empress’s face turned pale as she clutched her chest, gasping.

Her trembling was almost comical for a woman representing a nation.

“The Empress will die anyway. Refuse me, and I will kill her. If Elena lives, the Empress will die helplessly. Do you know why I spared you until now?”

Noah’s hands clenched tightly.

His eyes, sharp as a tiger’s, glared at her.

Blood, still fresh, ran from his mouth as he gritted his teeth.

“I spared you because you are Elena’s mother, Veronica. I didn’t want Elena to suffer.”

“……”

“But that is no longer necessary. I need only Elena. Torn and broken, it is enough that Elena remains.”

The Empress trembled under a presence she had never felt before.

He was no longer the child afraid to crush a chicken’s neck.

Now a perfect killer, taking life was mere amusement to him.

“Do anything, just spare me. Somehow…save me.”

“Aren’t we on the same side? Naturally, I will save you.”

He knelt before her and briefly kissed the back of her trembling hand.

The wrinkled hand quivered with terror.

Noah sneered at her fear.

“The real fun is just beginning.”

He rose, brushed off his knees, and turned.

“I wonder how it feels to be soaked in blood.”