The next few hours went by in a blur for Elsamina.

She couldn't remember exactly what happened the whole time, but what she did know was that whatever happened to her felt amazing — as usual.

And the one doing it to her was the man she loved the most, so all was well.

'It's unfortunate that Sillah had to wait for longer than I expected though...'

Elsamina held back a sigh as Ken carried her over to a dining table laden with eating utensils. She could probably walk by herself despite how her limbs felt a little wobbly, but since her beloved was so willing to do this for her, she had no reason to refuse. It was slightly embarrassing because the other customers in the hotel's attached restaurant were staring at them though.

Her cheeks burned from shame, but she also couldn't help but feel a bit of a desire to show off how much her man loved her.

"Is your back feeling okay?" He asked in a quiet voice, a smile on his handsome face.

"I'm fine, Honey. No need to worry."

"Really? I didn't go too hard again?"

Seeing his lips curl into a comically proud smirk, Elsamina couldn't help but giggle. "You went easy this time, so no."

He chuckled as he set her down on one of the chairs. "Anyway, what should I get for you?"

The hotel's restaurant offered a buffet-style service, so they would have to take food from the long table set at the back of the room and take it to theirs. Again, Elsamina was more than capable of powering through and doing it herself, but seeing her man so eager to do it for her, she yet again, couldn't bear to refuse.

Elsamina squinted at what was offered, barely catching sight of certain things she liked. “Could you just get me some veggies?”

“What about some duck meat?”

“Ah. Do they have some? I can’t see from here. I’d like some on the side, yeah.”

“At once, my queen.”

Elsamina rested her elbow on the table and cradled her face, a big smile on her face as she watched her younger lover excitedly run off to fetch her food. She couldn’t help but liken him to a big fluffy dog when he acted like this — which was a compliment since she liked dogs a lot.

‘Who would've known that Ken was actually Prince Reivan Aizenwald…’

From the very start, Elsamina had her doubts about Ken’s true identity.

After all, the Kingdom of Aizen had no nobility system. The only “nobles” they had were “House Mercer”, and the Mercers only really had that title because they were the most reputable ancient military clan in the kingdom, consistently producing top-tier talents for the knight order. Despite holding the rank of duke though, House Mercer had no actual authority.

What they had was the royal family’s trust.

And though that trust came with numerous benefits and responsibilities, House Mercer could not act with impunity in the kingdom's domain. They could not simply throw their weight around and expect to be slapped on the wrist for misbehavior.

That was why Elsamina’s confusion only grew the more she wondered who Ken truly was.

She couldn’t understand how impressive it was at the time, but the ease by which she carved out a spot for herself in the kingdom’s market was terrifying — especially if one considered the fact that Aizen had a number of trusted conglomerates they referred to as “Royal Purveyors” who even handled most of what the palace and the military consumed.

By all means, her little companies should have been crushed, never to rise above the rank of a “small business”.

If that was all, Elsamina would have thought Ken was the bastard child of some large conglomerate. But that wouldn’t explain why her companies passed checks and inspections faster than normal. And the fact that he could provide working visas just a few days after she asked for them was highly suspicious.

The thought that Ken was the king’s bastard crossed her mind at some point, but she had thrown that notion aside for its absurdity. For one thing, the king didn’t even need to hide a bastard child. Aizen was a place where the king could do whatever the hell he wanted, whether it be siring a thousand bastard children or bathing in freshly procured virgin blood.

Eventually, after racking her brain for who knew how long, she simply gave up on pondering who Ken really was.

In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter if her beloved’s identity was false as long as his feelings for her were true. All that mattered was that they cared deeply about each other. Everybody had secrets — even her. She realized that keeping some things from him but expecting him to tell her everything was far too selfish.

And so, Elsamina chose to ignore the so-called elephant in the room.

Afterward, the next few years were filled with blissful unawareness, only for the topic to once again be opened when she found a few strands of silvery-gray hair on their bed earlier that night.

‘Ken doesn’t have any gray hairs… and it was far too short for it to be mine. Not that I have any gray hairs either, I hope…’

Elsamina knew that there was a likelihood that Ken's face wasn't his true face and that he was using some kind of illusion artifact. And if he also disguised his hair color using some kind of illusion artifact, any hair that fell off his head would revert back to its true color after a certain amount of time.

That’s when she remembered hearing how Prince Reivan apparently had silvery-gray hair.

And right after having that thought, every clue she had ever gathered clicked into place in the back of her head.

If Ken was the prince, then all the benefits she enjoyed within the kingdom could be easily explained away through his use of “royal authority”. It would also make perfect sense why he would want a criminal organization under his control so the kingdom had a grip on Worgon’s light and darkness.

Her beloved’s preference for information gathering and increasing the organization’s influence rather than wealth hoarding also made sense. There was even clear proof of this because Prince Reivan regularly participated in illegal contraband raids in Worgon Outpost.

‘And when I told him about the incident with the prince…’

It didn’t take a genius to notice that Ken was somewhat possessive and clingy. She loved him for it, of course. In fact, she even fantasized about his desire for her growing to the extent that he would bind her in chains and never let her out of his sight — locking her away somewhere they could spend eternity alone together.

Precisely because of his possessiveness, whenever he noticed people leering at her too blatantly, she would glimpse a murderous fury in his eyes for a moment before blocking their line of sight with his body. Or he would outright ask them if they were picking a fight and proceed to raise his fists. Elsamina didn’t think he noticed that particular fact about himself, but she could be wrong.

But in one particular case, his usual reaction didn’t come out.

Ken's lack of outrage when she told him about the prince’s lascivious gaze surprised her greatly.

She had almost marked it off as him maturing, but it seemed she was wrong — he wasn’t mad at the prince because he was the prince. Surprisingly, before being shocked by such a discovery, she felt relieved by something inappropriate instead.

‘I'm kind of glad he didn't mature in that direction just yet…’

Actively picking a fight with people just because they leered at her could be seen as excessive behavior, but watching him get worked up over her was one of her secret pleasures in life. It wasn’t something she was proud of admitting, of course, but she hoped he wouldn't grow out of it until she was too old and wrinkly to get jealous over.

‘Oh, goodness. It’s slowly starting to sink in that I’m going to become a prince’s wife…! No, technically, a concubine. Though, he probably doesn’t have any intention of treating me as such…’

The remnants of a little girl who grew up on tales of knights and princesses awoke and started cheering in joy. But on the other side of that happiness was an overwhelming pressure to become worthy of such an honor. And with it was a sense of shame for the things she’d inadvertently done with a member of the royal family.

‘Can I get executed for trying to put a finger up his butt…?’

Surely not, she hoped.

To be honest, she wasn’t all that keen on doing butt stuff to her lover. It was all part of her master plan for him to agree to something she really wanted to try — a classic negotiation tactic where someone began by proposing something seemingly ridiculous, paving the way for a slightly less ridiculous suggestion that aligned with their true desires.

‘Ah, now how am I going to get him to agree…’

Elsamina blushed to herself when she thought about the perverted desires she kept hidden deep inside — to have her lover verbally abuse her while acting as if she was nothing like a plaything.

One would think that she would’ve grown to hate such a thing because she’d lived a life where tragedy was her reality, and they would be right, for she did hate it when other men did it.

But strangely, she felt like she would like it if Reivan did it to her. She trusted him with every fiber of her being, after all.

Certainly, he could be a bit rough when he got too excited. And Elsamina had to admit that it fulfilled her physical and spiritual needs to be desired so much by the man she loved.

But she wanted to try a bit more.

Really, she just wanted to try it out once to see how it would feel. That was all. Just some harmless curiosity.

If he could just be a little more rougher than the roughest he’d ever been. If he could spank her while taking her from behind until her white flesh blushed red. If he could just call her his filthy little slut.

How would that make her feel?

Elsamina really wanted to know.

‘Ugh… If I’m going to be a prince’s wife… I can’t have such perverted hobbies, I think… Oh, but I really wanted to try it at least once… Maybe it'll be fine...?’

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She couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated and even a little mad at him for being so careless. If she never found out, she would have been clueless and happy. A few weeks of groundwork later, Reivan would have been compelled to give her what she wanted — no matter how much he would likely dislike abusing her.

‘The frustrated look on his face as he struggles to do what I wish even though he didn’t like what he’s doing…’

Despite herself, Elsamina’s legs couldn’t help but squirm at the thought. Maybe she really was a pervert at her core. She yearned for both the intensity of being struck and debased, yet found enjoyment in these sorts of things.

Ashamed as she was to admit, but perhaps she and Reivan were perfect for each other, in a way — they both had a near-boundless appetite for perversion. Although maybe that was just her love for him making things up.

In any case, now that she did know who her lover truly was, she could not, in good conscience, submit him to such things. At the very least, she should conduct a bit of an investigation if the royal family were accepting of such debauched desires. Privacy, after all, was not something people of power could afford sometimes.

‘Hm… I do wonder when he’ll tell me though. Perhaps once we get married? Or just before that? I don’t think he’s the type to deceive someone forever…’

Marriage.

The word itself caused her heart to flutter. And during his enthusiastic pleasure-seeking last night, he proposed to her again and again even though he already knew her answer. Of course, she never doubted his love for her, but all the same, it felt wonderful to get some verbal reassurance from time to time.

Some physical reassurance was nice too.

Especially now that she knew he was the prince of Aizen Kingdom — a man who could have just about any woman he could want.

He had such vast options and yet he still chose her — a former slave who couldn’t even count how many men used her body. Even she perceived herself as someone dirty and corrupted, and yet, Reivan didn't seem to mind it too much. Rather than ignoring that part of her, he accepted it — or that was how Elsamina felt, at least, but she could be wrong.

Really, he was too sweet.

“Here you go, my queen. Eat up.”

Elsamina snapped out of her thoughts when he set down two plates laden with food. His plate, as usual, was full of meat dishes, while hers had greens and a few slices of duck meat.

“Thanks…” she said, still a bit dazed from her thoughts.

Ken— or rather, the disguised Prince Reivan grinned and sat down opposite her. “I gave it a try earlier, and the duck is okay-ish.”

‘Well, if his picky little mouth says it’s okay-ish, then it must be delicious. Ah, come to think of it, his pickiness must come from being royalty too… So many things make so much sense now...’

Elsamina giggled at the thought of how she would have her work cut out for her if she ever wanted to cook for such a man. Perhaps it would serve her better to start learning immediately, and she already had a few chefs in mind to seek out as a tutor.

‘I’m… I’m really lucky he found me, huh?’

Thinking about how such a man was her future husband, Elsamina found even greater courage to bring up what she wanted to discuss. “Honey.”

Reivan looked up, his mouth too full to speak. He raised a brow, urging her to speak with his eyes.

“You see…” she hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’ve decided to return to the kingdom and settle down there…”

“Wh—!?” Reivan’s eyes widened and he seemed about ready to spit out everything he was eating, but he chewed rapidly and swallowed before asking. “What… What brought this on, I wonder?”

Elsamina giggled at his shocked expression, finding him far too cute and adorable to resist. She fought the urge to take him back upstairs and leaned over to wipe his slightly oily lips.

“Honestly…" she hesitantly began. "Staying here is too much hassle for too little gain right now. The Star’s influence is far too strong. In terms you can understand, they have multiple markets grasped by the balls. Furthermore, maybe I've been making too many bold moves because I've been getting a lot of pushback from other business groups. For now, I don’t think I can grow any further unless I start selling something revolutionary — which I can't since I probably can't protect it. And all in all, I’ve simply grown tired of matters in the republic. I think I'll have my people focus on internal stabilization.”

“R-really...?”

“Yes.”

‘Well, that’s part of the reason.’

Her biggest motive was to spend more time with him while they were both still young — well, in her case, relatively young.

Elsamina had realized a few months ago that she was burning through too much of her time in the republic, seeking fulfillment by realizing her dreams. She wanted to become someone great and powerful, both for herself and to pay back her savior by being someone of use to him.

But when she thought about it, she didn’t even have a specific goal in mind. She didn’t know how far she would have to go up before she was satisfied.

What would it take for her to earn the label of “success”?

What would she need to do to achieve such a thing?

What would she lose to reach those heights?

Elsamina had been slowly thinking about it on her own.

And then on a particularly cold morning, alone, in a big mansion with none of her loved ones in it — she realized the answer.

Was she not already successful?

Although few people knew it, she actually took a gang of nothings and turned it into an international organization that had hands above ground and under it. Sure, she received a prince’s aid — which was a very big part of how she did so well, now that she thought about it — but in the end, she was also an integral part of Ouroboros’ growth.

Nobody oppressed her anymore and she was surrounded by good people. She even had a sweet young man she loved, who loved her just as much, if not more.

If that was not success, then what was?

Cold and lonely in a room far away from the people she cared about the most, Elsamina had learned that in her pursuit of some vague idea of success and happiness, she failed to appreciate what she already had. It was almost as if she ignored or downright looked down on the things she’d achieved and the people she met along the way.

When she grasped just how much she'd been neglecting, the fires of ambition in Elsamina's heart died as if they were never even there — replaced by an overwhelming urge to go home.

To where the people she cherished were.

With a new goal, she steered the Ouroboros branches within the republic in a direction where she could control it remotely. All so it would still function even while she was enjoying life with her soon-to-be husband and her sisters from the days when she was still a filthy slave.

‘They all got married while I wasn’t around… But I hope they’ll show up for mine... Or maybe not, if it's supposed to be a secret wedding. Ah, I don't think concubines get to have weddings... But I'm convinced Ken— no, Reivan will force one anyway. He's sweet like that.’

Filled with tranquil thoughts, Elsamina stared at her beloved, who was secretly a prince. She knew he would be surprised by her decision to return to Aizen, but would also celebrate such a development.

“Uhm…” Reivan, contrary to her expectations, had an awkward look on his face, seemingly holding something back. “A-are you really sure about going back there…?”

“I’m sure. I’ve actually thought about this quite a lot…” Elsamina was about to ask why Reivan didn’t seem to be keen about her return when she remembered something.

‘Oh, right. If he’s Prince Reivan, he will have to stay at the embassy for a while… I forgot about that…’

From the moment they met earlier, she had been excited to tell her that she could spend a lot more time with him. But the sudden discovery of his identity just a dozen or so minutes ago wasn’t in her plans. Obviously, she still wasn't done adjusting to such a shocking revelation.

‘I shouldn’t have told him yet… Now I’m going to make him feel guilty even if I take it back.'

Elsamina spent the next few seconds berating herself for getting too excited. Only when she was satisfied did her thoughts head in the direction of solving her predicament.

'I have to think of an alibi… Ah, I already have one, don’t I?’

“Actually, even though those are my intentions….” Elsamina chuckled sheepishly, averting her gaze. “I think I’ll have to stay here for a while. I don’t think the subordinates I trained are completely ready yet. I just wanted to let you know my eventual plans.”

She knew that her beloved was unusually good at sniffing out her lies — really, that aspect of him made it hard to set up surprise birthday parties or the like — so she mixed in some truth to her words.

Her subordinates really weren’t ready yet. But Elsamina was sure they, with their capabilities, would only make minor failures at most. None of them were foolish enough to make any fatal mistakes that would jeopardize the organization. And she hoped their small failures would push them to improve faster.

And really, it wasn’t like she would have left for Aizen immediately even if Reivan agreed. There were all sorts of formalities to attend to before she journeyed back home.

“Is that so…?” Reivan nodded in understanding, obvious relief on his countenance. “Well, I hope it goes well and you can return soon. Ah, and we can hold our wedding around that time too.”

His words brought a big smile to Elsamina’s face. “That sounds great. I’d like it if I could pick some things out myself though.”

“Of course, of course. You can just pick out whatever you want. Price doesn't matter, I'll pay for everything.”

“Oh, speaking of weddings…”

Reivan finished chewing his mouthful first before speaking. "What about them?”

“Your fiance. The pretty black-haired one. Shouldn’t you marry her before me?” Elsamina tilted her head as she wrapped a piece of duck meat in a leaf and shoved the whole thing in her mouth.

‘He doesn’t talk about her too much…’

The two women who seemed most likely to marry the prince had rarely met, but now that Elsamina knew who Ken really was, she could also surmise that the mysterious fiance was actually Helen of House Mercer.

Prince Reivan and Helen Mercer were childhood friends. And Helen seemed nice enough from what Lady Vinna — who was probably the former queen, Vianna Aizenwald — said.

To be honest, Elsamina held no hostility for someone who was supposed to be her rival in love. She was actually looking forward to getting along with Helen when they all started living together. If anything, Elsamina was delighted she wouldn’t have to take on her future husband’s limitless libido on her own.

Contrary to what one would expect, Elsamina wasn’t anxious about having her man's attention stolen at all. For she was sure that Reivan would treat them both with love and affection. How he normally treated her filled her with infinite assurance that she wouldn't just be thrown away like some used toy when he got a new toy to play with.

‘Anyway... This pervert in front of me will definitely ask if he can sleep with both of us at the same time… I can already see it.’

If he could go an entire year into the marriage without asking for a three-way, Elsamina would eat her entire shoe collection.

Reivan loosened the collar of his shirt, seemingly troubled by her inquiry about his other fiance. “Why are you asking about her?”

Only after she’d finished her mouthful did Elsamina reply honestly. “Nothing in particular. I mean, you have to marry her before me because she’s your official fiance, right? I know that there's an order to these kinds of things. She was engaged to you first too. I just thought it’d be nice if I could attend the wedding. And get a good gift.”

“Ah, so that’s it… That would be great, yeah.”

"Right? So, how is it with her?"

"Uhm... About that..." Reivan seemed to hesitate for a few moments as Elsamina waited patiently for him to speak. Eventually, he took a deep breath and looked down at his food. “It’s… getting there. We... Well, we got a lot closer recently…"

Elsamina smiled warmly as she picked apart her salad. "That sounds nice. Can you tell me about it?"

"Uhm, we..."

"Yes?"

"We, uhm..." Reivan trailed off in a guilt-ridden tone. "Consummated our marriage in advance…”

"Oh." Elsamina's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded. "You mean you haven't already done it with her before?"

"Not yet..."

"Really? Why?"

Reivan cleared his throat, grinning sheepishly. "I mean, if you ask me why, I don't really know how to respond other than it just didn't happen..."

"Really...?" Elsamina's brows furrowed as she stared at her somewhat embarrassed lover.

'This guy? Really? He didn't lay a hand on such a pretty fiance!?'

Whenever they were in the same vicinity, the mysterious Ms. Helen seemed to run away or avoid her. But all the same, Reivan's mother kept on gushing about how her other future daughter-in-law was as pretty as a doll. The former queen Vianna even boasted that Helen may have been prettier than her — though Elsa found it quite hard to believe since they'd never met in person.

The fact that Reivan hadn't laid a hand on her before was honestly mind-boggling.

'Oh, that's right. Aizen has those old customs... I mean, the common populace is starting to loosen up, but the upper class is still pretty entrenched in that stuff, I suppose.'

Elsamina slowly nodded in acceptance. No wonder they hadn't moved their relationship that far yet.

'But then again, since they did it before marriage anyway, maybe tradition was never the problem?'

After thinking about it, Reivan was an absolute hornball in his early to mid-teens. Of course, Elsamina hadn't believed him when he mentioned his age back then, but those were typically the years when a boy was most... eager, from what some people told her. So it made sense. And certainly, during all those times, Reivan had a tendency to fixate on certain parts of a woman's body.

'Hm. I guess he's into more developed women, then? So he was never attracted to girls his age before now...?'

Elsamina hummed to herself as she pondered the intricacies of her fiance's psyche, but then gave up quickly after. "Anyway, I'm glad you've grown closer."

'Welcome to the club, I suppose, Lady Helen. I hope we'll get along. Maybe we can even trade stories or tips on how to deal with our troublesome husband.'

With a big smile on her face, Elsamina gazed at her lover with a mix of exasperation and blissful happiness.