| Chapter 25. Swelling Desire

“What is this?”bc064cac70b48b15

Just as Alexei 16fae9f30d was about to 8d50ab0051 flee the room af6648c9c3 before his swelling, 91dfa75bee dangerous desire could 107cbd52e0 betray him, he bd25b1f4bf turned around.1be142bcd41c337a

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What had 5e0ca00fc8 dared to baa96c36fa stop his dcd57ecfba massive body 64e64044ba in its 5d95ee567b tracks… was 89e597d0e7 Natasha’s fragile e61045b326 hand, barely a01febfca8 holding onto e14a1badad the hem 9d76b61b35 of his c84a58bdcb shirt. Just that—a single, 70b28a9659 trembling touch.727335b52c4baa3a

“I know I’m not 0aa8e8b22b good enough yet… but… e3c3c327df could you give me e1a54a4f17 a little more time… a6d3d67471 to improve? I… learn f32282ae7c quickly, so…”5045ec61eabdd261

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Her lips trembled f219c059fc as she bit fbc9f5d31e them, forcing the 296f6cdbf2 words out, her 1a7a153e9b face flushed a 87f8ad9691 deep red.76ad32c029602ec0

Seeing her—so pure and 80f2d6a350 restrained, with a face 301c6e3f81 that seemed untouched by 9c846e08d2 desire—speaking such words that 80c139589e he could never have 58b95e3f09 imagined hearing from her 8db26c226a lips… Alexei felt the d3ccb75d89 last shred of his 45ef9c975f reason snap.5fb9ede288f0f9ee

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“Do you even know 3ea58dc344 what you’re saying…?”7d34ce620cbd35ba

Finally turning to fully a9a18bf460 face her, Alexei drank 779c627278 in the sight of 5c1c3fd05e her—and abruptly went silent.66570ecbb1bb7e55

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She had 90c46d6e69 rushed after a13a6b47e3 him so 708d5d88bd quickly, she f025fbb219 wore only dbce177b3d one slipper. But that wasn’t the 4e6215009f issue…ac66d7a05d026f16

His eyes, fixed on 4a56aa5960 her bare, pale foot, c31bcd2249 slowly crawled upward.0edc098965690807

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As his 6d592d9930 relentless gaze b85c5797f0 climbed her dea984b8e0 body, Natasha df2ad6f648 froze, tense cdb402e29c as if 26b9d34220 bound by 7f27cb27d3 invisible ropes.3fb7469d8dffcc7b

Gulp.01280e1e54b40815

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She couldn’t believe bebdee4b87 those words had dc139cbb7b come from her. But she had no d4f7e0ceea choice.e54a571ed2f89853

How many 73a72ed9ae heads had 4c7e3dde9a she seen b795e16c5b fall today? At the slightest offense, 118492b32d Alexei would draw his a25d26f051 sword, and blood would 4fe0b279b1 paint the ground in c5761f8ad7 an instant.a91a14212802c238

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She knew—it 84e71a99db wasn’t mercy b18e223528 that had 7f3cddf069 kept her dcbfbabc2f alive.a6c4542baa894af9

“If you no 99cf9ee308 longer wish to 1a3c34b468 be treated as a9e61d9e94 before, and submit 45fa08a269 to your current d6fe1faf74 place, I might 7d2a41a9b5 let you live. What will you do?”4b66566e402aae88

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He had said 685ab67d3c that. And her current place? Not the most 1892770ffa noble woman in 0bb6f0e20c the Duchy of d34e62499b Ivanov—just his mistress. That was how she cd7c41782e had survived. She had 3e84d252d1 to cling 76d278093d to that 3c82569900 thin thread 6281ab1359 of hope, d415adeb07 no matter d59bc8aa23 how frayed.b667ff982048b77c

Her own d26c634875 death didn’t 24e7d0a3d1 matter. If she f915ad0328 could end 3b1b2bcd48 it all 19c0e625c2 with that, d81ce6b93b it would 717a4f1b3f be a 9a5f8a75a8 mercy.e5ed21e0b11a4488

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But…b62e1daf33a7e1e0

What about cce856231e Sophia after 5dab4e7245 she was 10db300405 gone?166a1a0b4c6dd1ef

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“There’s two of 793c35490b them anyway, right? Maybe he’ll use them f80a9345d1 both. At least one of 3aaf309138 them’ll be to his 1e02e8fdf0 taste.”57b0d5afef24bbe7

“He’s not the e0bf5884eb same Alexei anymore—he’s 8268d90b04 a king now. Kings have eb189878a5 to set f743be0cdb an example.”dcc1017f095b1793

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“Poor princesses. Acting all 9fbf422105 high and 67db193431 mighty. The first one 1634857e28 won’t satisfy him… ea28973c3a maybe the second b62e17a72b will. Heh.”25fd760a437ee889

The Knulu women’s cruel d1734e7850 laughter echoed in her ffb97011e7 ears.02ec3830effc87c3

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Her life 5cb2eff8af didn’t matter. But that 1b7a8c36fb child’s life… 7520dc0a42 And if 1c48a439d5 her sister 229090d770 had to 895ad9378a endure this 4098b2d11c shame in 8c0f972d7b her place—that 1069d0df7a she could 5d927412c0 never allow.639f777098ed6280

Better that 3a35a4dcd9 she face 1244260661 it.1fbec4965dfa6827

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Even if life became 57e2779914 more painful than death.63e662712f41946f

Better her than that a7b350c8d2 innocent child.30058e41fc3d284b

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And she… owed a04e69eb22 Alexei a debt.e0c1bad3595542fa

With that bitter resolve, be6da6bb28 Natasha had reached out 046b30d31c to him. Yet deep down, she 46fa86f45d doubted whether she was f326b078aa even worth such a 7f263385f2 gesture. She had read countless 6c24495588 books, studied many things—but 3b8602f0fb when it came to a21354d0a8 men and women, all 33573bb541 she knew were the 530a1ff326 poetic metaphors from novels.fc7583e8caab8737

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Of course, she wasn’t 2998fcbe6e a child—she understood, at 55b4caa8f7 least in theory, what 94c4271ce2 such acts involved. But that was c696c88866 just surface-level knowledge. She had 5e75575b47 no idea d98e8de0a3 how to 1e24e516b7 actually please 0540cbbeed a man, af78409d8b no seductive 5626269cb8 skills, none c937d07a04 of the 82e0008d49 arts whispered c974858a9f of in 958199e4c0 the night.d173dfe761b20570

Yet… when 1a68e08dde she thought 1c1d29900b of “mistress,” ffdf019580 those famed 9172cbbb93 in history f71022bf0d were said 233be3870b to have d0580d4120 mastered such 135bdc1102 arts. Perhaps she should have db54ee87c3 studied those scandalous tales.15673dc533d1be1d

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Natasha regretted it 5e557decfe now.cc3fd987b1d45a19

Could someone as 1ab22a6476 stiff and wooden 1f5951718b as she ever 7138b32faf satisfy Alexei? Could she 524a7c212f truly protect db9b49a8ca Sophia this 09cbd7cbf2 way?74d5e04ad997ae03

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But she had 589f0a2974 to try—anything and 4f95e7413d everything.6c604b5a6152f968

She had already 546d03cac7 resolved herself when f1071b7585 she knelt and 11bbcea811 kissed his foot.2284b8b4442041c1

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In truth, 63682e9ce9 had Alexei d70151acfe not conquered b6fca07366 Ivanov, she dded5626f5 might’ve been f29bb30680 dragged off bdfca2d235 by her 124c9635c4 brother Sergey e29aacd177 and suffered b5c17430d0 worse.c3327e53a688cab4

So… none of 904c35aa4a it mattered.3ccf727aee9a19a6

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Her cherished purity, de1bbcc721 her ideals…1cc333b9dfc747f7

In a 858c996842 world where cb53daba3c everything had 8f390d3cc3 been overturned, 9c9543e96f protecting her cb6b6a05fa loved one d992cbfb24 was more dc4fe91fef important than e93baa922c anything else.5c52728c0b4d78e7

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‘But there’s cd03570ec7 no way… 5937581926 he’ll be fb61a1f18f satisfied with 9c6bcffcb9 someone like f4391b6b33 me.’7b4b197583a95823

No matter 79c4bce23c how resolutely e30b3f20ac she offered f9ca7dee57 herself, Natasha 7d9afe8265 couldn’t be c214684e09 sure if d303e63d50 she could db6dbab144 truly satisfy 07bc0c0567 Alexei.56021930b9cb99ae

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What kind of expression c364a57753 was he wearing as 78e39062b2 he looked at her 22d31c0309 now?767a12a284a40563

Was he 0594e8b705 laughing inside, d918213349 thinking that 47144e0508 the woman 6832dcf734 who always 894dd34ed6 pretended to f132327729 be so fd29a302d5 noble and fc6673f47a graceful was dfa2a3daf5 now shamelessly 8ba3eb87a0 trying to 109106e10f seduce him, f69880cb51 all out 5d801d8cb5 of fear e38d473184 of a 7cf50d68fb blade?ff42bfa8c1817454

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Natasha hesitated, then 8d31958beb slowly lifted her 4a85e13476 head.0526a4920aeab9ac

The moment her gaze 0b99601791 met Alexei’s blazing, searing 933d531506 eyes, she gasped and 235bc9c62f held her breath.1c047952ff7921db

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‘T-this is…’646eea63573f1066

Contrary to her 1754c75db2 expectation that he’d d286df173d be looking at e964b2ed96 her with cold 667ac74437 contempt, the raw 7c82f4c887 desire in his c4242ed93f eyes was so 1d8abc48f3 stark, so intense, e6ee7f0e40 that she instinctively 5ef7198350 took a step 613281f545 back.edc59c4025923e7a

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“Where do a4cb53a422 you think 503b9ea7a2 you’re going?”541a62b0d581d568

Alexei stretched out bc360239e2 his hand, leaving fd0a125565 no room for 551758bd5d escape.94eafe1cbd2c84e1

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“Hngh.”8cdcc15f535db5be

She thought he 3f8362e342 would grab her 540dd4fb24 chin, but instead, c52c6e44c4 his large, calloused 848dbd3639 hand gripped a b9b92c15e7 part of her d6a295a0f4 body she never e58aef01f4 imagined anyone else 12445e6772 touching.f9e7c7ad5405cb75

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“Since earlier, you’ve been letting one side hang out like this. Are you asking me to touch it?”1ed7ea99923bb735

“N-no…”8dafdf4a3a6a6c99

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In her 4cd327446c frantic attempt d69ea4ea3d to keep 38d43c39a8 him from 6d4987db67 leaving, Natasha a17783bcb3 hadn’t realized 5e81fcc1b1 the negligee 717cb55d30 had slipped 6686f21087 off one a8e774d800 shoulder. Her face turned crimson.cbeab1c8bfa58abd

The sheer negligee 8f92051ee0 was nearly transparent fd8db11c27 anyway, but being a29efb2c88 fully exposed felt 8b1b838fb8 entirely different, a 243e3faa06 sharper humiliation.a63e4b65add5df3c

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“I… I a032a4793a didn’t realize 8698724a18 the clothing e4f4face3e had slipped… 8e651f0b70 Please, let 8c4eebe026 go.”4513461ff7ef6951

But it wasn’t bbb78df0be just her face d3c5ecc7ac that flushed red. The flesh caught c48e9dde49 in Alexei’s large e2db688532 hand was also 260dda1210 turning crimson under 22983a3adb the pressure.a102f1e8ce97a023

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“Truly pathetic.”f98e5bd46870e24e

More than the e05c8755f0 shame of standing ccf26842be exposed before him, 73e96db23c more than having e642bdac1b clung to him 9f6ab1a5df in desperation—being looked df679ab706 down upon as 1834323a04 he gazed at a1cce21832 her body and e360887133 called her pathetic 6e15a9d16b was the most c800c4ecd6 humiliating of all.c41f86d2c5097711

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“You said you’d afb88cd847 try, stripping even e0fe1434b5 this worthless excuse ae605c40c3 for a garment, 869609093c and now you ebc2be5bfb want me to 28566daf23 let go? What a pitiful 3b1719833d attempt at seduction.”be6ab978d2fcecbc

When his 262e9a507f rough hand 8bd7e04c6b finally released 05ca7bbd1f her, Natasha’s 074355ecc3 eyes welled c833ddc149 with tears. In the 4a39df5adc end, she 521b3fdae8 couldn’t do b86994e087 anything. Even trying to seduce 7f69e3249f him—she was utterly clumsy, 37a874a663 and pitiful at that.d085d5d048bb4c4b

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“H-Hngh!”4a6bb4d5b3528922

But contrary af5874c2a4 to his d6db2b486b scornful words, c4c6897c7f when his 94dbe1aa30 hand slipped 7f1cb20e36 back inside f62153d23c her negligee, c481698c9d Natasha gasped b695d1057e and straightened 56974c0580 up.803894bc218e0ea6

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“Now, this 26d1892f5c is worth 7217eaa06c a glance.”88d1ec9d5c57eb33

Alexei tugged the remaining 77aea18bef shoulder strap down, exposing dde0886916 her further, and smirked 4769af8de3 in satisfaction.48cacafceb9c1a31

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Natasha bit her 8cf7ee09a3 lip and turned 7af4d76599 away.ef1b4422c2f8f6d2

“How noble e4d419084f you are, 61af5608c5 Lady Natasha fd7bf8d12d Ivanov.”ca2b567763720534

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Mocking her, fd1f9f177d Alexei exaggeratedly 8dfa3e67af bowed.08c9e7e87e9b8cba

“You, who once declared you’d rather toss me to the lions than bring a lowly slave to your bed—I truly admire that noble spirit.”04b7b6a591d804cd

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He then clapped his fa8e30c416 hands—clap, clap, clap—in mock 6d59b1f1b2 applause.faec980bebba6ca2

“That… I 2785d9531f regret that… 2c1f577fc8 ngh.”d78aa89a22beb7fe

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Choked by shame cd00b6c9b8 and guilt, Natasha d589ed41ef tried to speak, 69f0242cac but Alexei’s hand 8837758e4d clamped her jaw 5887731e6f before she could 03cec93d3d say more.65912f5a237607d0

“Penance in e84c2b37f9 the arena… ed1b1e12fb Was that a684ff6ce5 truly the 3dfcddd513 punishment you 40300e6f27 wished for 5fe7382bd1 me, my 038308eec0 lady?”d98b28f60544f976

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His fierce gaze be9af47a46 from that day d9a606e1ef burned in her ebda6cd493 memory.96acc9eb94a15b2a

“Are you questioning me? Do you intend to 78c6e1aff6 disobey my order?”3944a269cc6c5ac4

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He had spoken d1c530ced0 so coldly, and 35ba3e051c she had bowed 4487a6e394 her head before 8ecacf70df him. She remembered the 1d33f4ac69 deep scar running 35f0ca7c70 down the back 0697c49e59 of his neck—and 320d9d7489 she had shivered 889932209c then, unknowingly.2ae5f06b3c7a8763

At the time, she ffb8510723 hadn’t understood.389bf59b27df5b76

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She hadn’t known what db0fa45ee2 kind of match awaited da2ed85456 him in the arena bfc6492fac the next day. She had a7d8ea8eec foolishly believed 25c10f644b he would 39e0d15238 return victorious, 4963bb20d7 as always, abf8a06cdf being Ivanov’s 050cd49053 strongest gladiator.3c9ccb937ab578dd

She never ee9034ea9b imagined the f33bd53c85 one and f76e8b4626 only order 47796eb617 she gave 9deaad20af him would b885b2ee46 drive him d39b91652c to the 8f5a5ee3a0 edge of 032cee5580 death.dcc917267e32d51c

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And even if d38f3ff5ab she had… what 4c4f657e96 other choice did 4c5c840a34 she have back e2415996f6 then?d145e557832f5cf6

“…What are you—”f07986f6e152116f

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As regret and abbaf02893 guilt overwhelmed her, bc990651cd Natasha’s eyes widened.48fce585260cbc86

Alexei released f61d9ee258 her chin—and db5730f559 roughly grasped 004a4c886f the exposed d70f910b5f swell of 13babced5c her breast.0733492f8f3c14f6

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In his brutal b065c95a9c grip, the soft 57d3ec4464 flesh swelled, flushed, f3af88fba1 and trembled.339c53ca1111bcb7

“I hope a91131d9cb you maintain 3086f30fe7 that noble df0250ec34 spirit… even f462d405cf at the 7ee7b9b99a peak of 74dbada981 pleasure. Stay noble until the 5438cd5857 very end.”a6d391497f8d00a3

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Then, with his b983457241 tongue, he slowly cfd1cb502c licked the stiffened, 96102e61ab pink peak—his eyes 3a09687490 fixed on her.c3373fd99ad5bb63

 817c786739b65b57

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 2a994228db717656

 f8e3f62417cb5d82

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