Chapter 9
9
Gunther, with Maria slung over his shoulder, headed out of the hot spring. Maria, however, offered no resistance, dangling like limp laundry on his shoulder. She didn't even stir until Gunther set her down on a wide marble table. Her eyes were devoid of emotion. This woman's soul clearly wasn't in her body but buried somewhere in hell. A surge of anger rose within Gunther.
"Until now, the world has praised you as Empress, hasn't it?"
"......"
"No. That's not right."
Even as he denied it, the attempt to look menacing only made the handsome man more striking.
'That's right, I'm a loser, a mute idiot.'
There was no need to remind her. It was a fact she knew all too well. But Gunther didn't take his eyes off Maria.
'Empress, I don't care about that. From the moment I met you until now, you've been nothing but a woman to me.'
A woman he had to possess. Gunther covered her body with his in an instant. The moment Maria's soft skin touched his rough skin, he lost all control. His tongue invaded her mouth, tangling with her soft flesh.
"Mmph."
Maria moaned, tilting her head back at the sudden onslaught of his breath. Soon, he gathered her breasts in his hands and buried his face in them. Even chewing and sucking wouldn't quell the desire that shot to the tips of his hair. It seemed only rough caresses would stimulate Maria. At the same time, he hoped she would snap out of it, push him away, resist, and run. He wanted her to be a fool who only knew him, but he didn't want a helpless woman who had given up all hope. Maria, like a water-soaked doll, passively accepted all of Gunther's rude actions.
'Does it matter who the man is?'
She was clearly a living, breathing woman, but her corpse-like behavior was starting to infuriate him. He wondered how long she would remain unresponsive, and a sense of defiance arose within him. He somehow wanted to make her feel shame and humiliation.
Gunther hooked Maria's smooth legs over his shoulders and devoured the place where her most secret sensations lay hidden.
"!?!"
Only then did Maria seem startled, twisting her waist and pulling her body back. But Gunther's large hands were already firmly gripping her waist, making it impossible for her to move. He liked her body's slight reaction. He made wet, suggestive sounds as he moistened her most tender and sensitive spot with his saliva.
She groaned and moaned but didn't push Gunther away. He, too, had long lost his purpose, wholly devoted to his desire. Consumed by a desire that blazed like a fire, Gunther wrapped Maria's legs around his waist and threatened to thrust himself inside her at any moment.
"Ugh."
The area below his waist stiffened, and the unreleased desire crackled. He wanted to tear through her body right away, make her groan in pain. Then, he would overwhelm her with ecstasy, making her cry out without shame, reminding her that she was a living being.
"Ugh... ha!"
Maria gasped for breath. Her mind grew hazy, and the sensations in her body reacted against her will, which flustered her. She had never had sex like this with Henry. The Emperor and Empress's bedchamber must not be frivolous but sacred, so when she lay down, Henry would grunt on top of her and finish. Of course, that was only with her. Later, the stories she heard from Laurent's maids were too obscene to repeat. Suddenly, Henry's memory surfaced.
[Give me a divorce.]
[Your Majesty, I... am still young.]
[It doesn't matter if the Empress is young or not, or if she is not a Barren Woman. I don't need any child but the one Laurent bears.]
'Henry, you were too cruel to me.'
Sorrow welled up in Maria's chest.
"Hen...ry."
She unknowingly called out Henry's name.
'Henry Coburg. You murderer who killed my soul.'
Gunther momentarily doubted his ears. He was shocked to see Maria calling out someone's name in a slurred voice and then bursting into tears.
"Henry, are you looking for him?"
He hadn't wanted this kind of reaction from Maria. A woman tearfully seeking her ex-husband, even though she hated him. Did she still have lingering feelings for him, even as she was engaging in unbelievably lewd acts with him? His feverish body temperature cooled. Women were incomprehensible beings, and he hadn't realized Maria was one of them. How could she long for Henry in this situation?
Was she perhaps enjoying the tragedy she was in? Or did she want to show it to others? In the end, she seemed to be indulging in self-pity, evading reality, and putting on a false front. Gunther, consumed by anger, bit Maria all over her body.
"Ugh... Ack!"
He bit her skin hard, leaving bruises and clear teeth marks. He wanted her to come to her senses. He wanted to make her remember who he was, who she was calling out in front of him. But the desire that had cooled mixed with anger and reignited his instincts. When he had caressed her gently, she had thought of another man while looking at him? He bit her even harder.
"Ah... Aack!"
"Damn it! This is so frustrating!"
Harsh words spewed from his mouth. He felt like he could only completely satisfy his raging desire by tearing through her insides and stirring them up, but his anger was already on the verge of exploding. He then made Maria lie face down and unleashed his white fury on her curved waist.
"Hah!"
Gunther roared like a beast. Maria, on the other hand, wept on all fours. Gunther wiped the white liquid running down Maria's waist with a towel, put on a gown, and disappeared.
* * *
Maria headed to the room the maids led her to. As expected, it was simply extravagant. A round bed was placed in the center, and the furniture and decorations were all high-end, but they didn't harmonize and felt out of place. Maria lay on the bed and covered her body with a red silk blanket.
The maids hadn't even given Maria minimal underwear. All they had done was leave her alone in the hot spring, and then they had come to find her and lead her here. But she didn't know why she had suddenly burst into tears. She had been so desperate that she couldn't feel sadness, but as she replayed the memories, her chest filled with resentment. It was then. She heard small footsteps pattering from a distance.
"!?!"
Maria involuntarily rose from her spot and looked at the intruder in her room. It was a child, maybe two or three years old, with curly red hair and turquoise eyes like Gunther. Somehow, their features seemed similar.
'Is that person's son.'
In any case, it was definitely the prettiest and cutest child she had seen recently. She could believe it was a fairy... She wanted to ask who it was, but she couldn't speak. She had no choice but to wait for the child to speak first.
"Maiya?"
'How does he know my name?'
"Guntter towd me."
Maria's eyes widened at the child's answer. How did he understand her question and answer it? There was no way such a young child could have guessed.
"Guntter not my appa."
'Can he read my mind?'
It was unbelievable, but it was true. When she first saw the child, she thought he might be Gunther's son because he resembled him. But he denied it... More than anything, the sharpness in his eyes suggested he wasn't an ordinary child.
'Then what's your name?'
Maria wanted to confirm again.
"Stton."
'Stton? Ah, Stone.'
"Yes, dat it."
There was no room for doubt. The child named Stone had a special ability to read minds. Just then, Stone jumped onto the bed and sat in front of Maria.
"Pwetty."
Stone touched Maria's face with his small hands and smiled innocently. Then, he tilted his head, looking at the bite marks on her neck, shoulders, and arms.
"Maiya, must hurt."
His worried face was somewhat mature for a child.
"Did a mousie bite you?"
'A mousie, meaning a rat?'
Maria then laughed weakly. The problem was that it was too big and didn't fit to be called a rat.
'It wasn't a rat, but a Red Dragon bit me.'
Maria recalled what had happened with Gunther in the hot spring. She had given up everything herself, but he seemed to be trying to awaken her.
"Guntter bit you. Fwiends should pway nicely."
Maria couldn't laugh at Stone's cute words. Looking at the innocent child made her pain feel even more intense.
"Don't die. Bad people do dat."
"!?!"
Maria's heart sank at Stone's words, which had discerned her feelings. In fact, she had intended to give up on life in some way, though she didn't know when. No, that intention hadn't changed. When she closed her eyes, she was invariably tormented by nightmares, and the image of her parents dying miserably wouldn't disappear. Those who hadn't experienced that pain would never know. She realized that revenge could only be done if there was some hope left. Even if she punished Henry, she couldn't go back to the past. So, why should she live and seek revenge? It was all futile.
"I make it not hurt."
Stone put a lot of saliva on his chubby finger and rubbed it on the bite marks on Maria's arm. Then, a very strange thing happened. The bite marks where Stone's saliva touched faded and disappeared completely.
"!"
Before Maria could be more surprised, Gunther appeared. Stone was startled when he saw him and got off the bed.
"Stone, don't touch her carelessly."
"Sowwy."
"Tell me."
Gunther looked at Maria and asked Stone.
"Maiya dinking of dying."
"Thinking of dying?"
'Still caught up in ridiculous delusions.'
Stone nodded at Gunther's question. But Gunther's face hardened coldly. For a while, a cold silence lingered in the bedroom. Stone had already left the room, and only Maria and Gunther were staring at each other.
"I'll give it to you."
"?"
"The chance for you to die."