Alcander comes towards us while grinning ecstatically, and the knights stiffly follow after him, with the father and daughter duo doing their best Jarn-walk impression.
"By the Gods, what a dazzling person the Emperor is," Alcander squeaks in adoration.
Eh, he's alright.
But the way Alcander's eyes follow the sun man's back tells us he's quite smitten… perhaps a bit too intensely for our tastes.
"He's Charmed, but it'll wear off soon," Ciel shares after using [Diagnosis] on him.
"Don't drool," Hana teases him, and he embarrassedly looks away as he immediately recognizes his odd behavior.
"Alcander's level isn't that far from ours, though…" Lina points out in confusion.
"If we didn't gain resistance from Arreira, we certainly gained it from Wolfy," Alissa wisely states.
Lina nods internally, and I can just imagine her bangs swaying. "True."
Ciel stops by the robotic pair and puts her hands on their shoulders. "Remember to breathe." Then she gradually soothes them, but too much attention will make the other knights jealous, so our resident angel also gives soothing words to the other, less tense knights.
"Recognize anyone?" Yunia soberly asks Alcander.
The pompous imperial man finally snaps out of his Charm and hums back, "Hm…? Oh, yes. Do you want me to introduce you to them?"
"No. There's a chance that they'll be averse to mingling with us, so go test the vines with them."
"As you wish, Your Highness," he obediently replies, then bows gently and leaves us.
Everyone takes a subtle look around, and with eight sets of eyes working together, we quickly build a good picture of the nobles gathered here. There are quite a few distinct groups, like the four silver elves who are keeping to themselves; the five hardboiled dwarves having a jolly good time with Grimto; the imperial officers with Reinhold who are starting to mingle with the dwarves; the submissive-looking, brown-haired Faiumi nobles surrounding Sa'Haa, Urmeie and a few others who are also possibly Princes and Princesses; four ginger nobles, likely from Maplethorne; two blonde nobles, possibly from Dyrmorder; the two rulers of Gnomeria casually talking to their Thalanthro noble friend and the werefox Elder grandma Alissa likes; the mildly colorful but human-exclusive group of snooty nobles that the Alkimeonids duo is in; a more eclectic, but also still a bit snooty, group of Mainland nobles at the opposite end of the room; a random collection of different races from the more faraway corners of the Empire; the Emperor's harem, along with the bare lioness who keeps glancing at Aoi; and an interesting group of young women who are eyeing up the men with shrewd gazes.
Alissa and Lina go greet the friendly Gnomeria group, Hana goes to the imperial officers and Reinhold to drink some beer, Roxanne and Aoi are invited to join the exotic group, Ciel continues to calm down the knights for a moment before she joins the Gnomeria group, Yunia goes to talk to her silvery cousins, and I, of course, go to the women. Though I'll miss having my wingwoman by my side, Gify's presence is a good substitute as they all stare at the cute little griffin like predators.
"Gih…" She chirps hesitantly.
"Letting them touch you would be like NTR for me," I whisper reassuringly, but then I add a promise of more Behemoth meat for good measure.
"Gih…!" She chirps with just a little more composure as we approach the group of female hunters.
Klein chooses to accompany me as a silent guard, but I glance back and see the look of regret growing in her eyes as she realizes where we're going.
"Lord Ryder! What an honor to have your illustrious presence here," a young ginger girl cheerfully greets.
"Lords, Madames, Dames, and Ladies, am I free to assume that I'm welcome in your midst?" I huskily reply and grin.
"There are no Lords, Madames, or Dames here, young Lord," a more mature weredog woman replies. Her lustrous hair and amiable air give me the impression of a posh Golden Retriever.
A busty dragonkin with milky skin and dark blue hair and scales suddenly grabs my arm, then sinks it into her considerable valley. "I'd love to have you here with us," she asserts, her youthful but composed tone giving her the air of an older-sister-type.
I calmly look around as I smile and point out, "It seems that there's a lack of male presence here, which I find almost a crime against society."
The young ginger replies with a pout, "Plenty of… well, most of the women here enjoy the company of other women, so it's not like we're lonely, or anything."
"Oh, but it is just a bit boring," the older-sister coyly complains.
"Would you prefer having the men competing for our attention?" The mature weredog amusedly retorts.
And she presses my arm harder against her chest as she dreams out loud, "That'd be fine, especially if they pulled their swords out to compare their lengths."
The mature woman agrees and calmly adds, "But they're all too into their scheming and their little games to play with us."
"What a shame…" I hum as I run my scaled hand along the older sister's back, and I feel her posture straighten as I apply a subtle spirit touch to my hand, then I feel Klein's envious stare on my back. I know she loves this kind of caressing.
"Is my body to your liking?" The dragonkin sister seductively asks, and I look her juicy body up and down. Dragonkin simply love loose dresses that show a lot of skin, which also offers the opportunity for the occasional flash with how they move, but nobody in this world has ever heard of pasties.
"Loose clothing is better than nothing at all because it forces thirsty men to stare if they want to get a glimpse of Paradise," Roxanne shares a piece of succubi wisdom.
But the most striking thing about this dragonkin is something else. You see, the floor is a mirror, and while women wearing pants is quite common, there are still a considerable number of them here wearing skirts, and most of those women aren't wearing anything underneath. Hana and Roxanne are also going without, but I'm fine with it.
"It is…" I huskily reply, the power in my voice making the hairs on her neck stand on end.
She doesn't even flinch when she notices where I'm looking at through the mirror's reflection, and I think that's a good enough sign for me to push this further. This sl-t's dress has a long opening in the back, showing off a fair bit of "butt cleavage," and it's the perfect place for me to rest my hand.
I squeeze her cheek, and we grin at each other, then I scan the rest of the women. None of them has even a hint of the aura of a high-level, so I use [Sense Soul] on them to get an idea of their levels, and they're all between level 20 and 30.
Then my eyes fall upon a petite, disinterested-looking imperial woman. She has those sharp eyes and cute lips that scream "tsundere ojou," and she's wearing alluring red underwear under her cute, frilly, gray princess dress. Her feet are also quite cute, too… and seem a bit familiar…
Suddenly, she gives me an intense side-eye, and I stop staring at her underwear to not offend her any further. Instead, I use [Sense Soul] on her, and she jerks her head towards me, but then immediately looks away.
I'm so confused by her actions that I forget to look at her stats, so I use [Sense Soul] on her again, and she shudders.
Soul Info
Name Koritipythia Lambros Race Human Level 30 HP 100 MP 111/120 Magic Power 50 Strength 6 Endurance 5
What did she use mana for…?
Something mean flares within me, so I repeatedly use [Sense Soul] in quick succession, and she begins to shiver, then her face flushes, and she presses her legs together while pressing one hand against her belly.
I stop, and she sends me an unveiled glare, which is mighty cute on her delicate and haughty face.
"What's gotten into you, Kori? Are you trying to resist his Charm for some reason?" Older-sister sl-t teases impishly, and I reward her with another squeeze.
But something is nagging me at the back of my head, so I look down again and focus on her well-manicured feet while trying my best to ignore her panties…
Then it hits me.
Those cute toes…!
She's the goddamn Oracle.
"I heard she has a big supporter, so maybe she's lost interest in playing around?" The young ginger sl-t wonders out loud.
"I apologize. It was very rude of me to stare…" I earnestly try to soothe her.
"Apology accepted," the Oracle haughtily replies and glances at me. Though her voice is different from the one of that arrogant little b under the Templars' HQ, it does sound remarkably similar.
But then the ginger sl-t steals my attention as she approaches me from my right. "Can I touch your tail?" She eagerly asks.
I magnanimously approve, "You can touch whatever you want, except for my nature spirit. She's very shy and loyal to me and my wives."
"Gih," Gify haughtily chirps and softly flaps her wings, pulling on the heartstrings of the less depraved Ladies, but it seems that the power of my [Spicy Charm] skill is overwhelming her cuteness, for I become the target of most of the predators rather than Gify.
Emboldened by the quickly intensifying spicy atmosphere, the ginger girl hugs my thick tail while suggestively touching it. Then she teases the tip with her finger and gives it a cute lick with her little, red tongue.
You. Damn. Sl-t…
"Oh, we can touch…?" The dragon sister coos coyly, then she sneaks a hand under my shirt and feels the muscles of my abs and chest. "My, you're quite muscular, considering your height."
Cheeky b-tch. I'll make you scream my name soon enough.
And the mature Golden speculates, "He's clearly above ten in 'Strength,' but I doubt he's much higher than that."
And the perfect moment for this revelation arrives, so I coolly announce, "Well, I have quite a few levels in [Mana Body] to compensate, and I'm known to be quite the mage as I have an MP pool of two thousand."
"Oh, my…" The Golden coos.
"[Mana Body]!" Ginger exclaims.
The ladies giggle and flush as they seem to be quite aware of [Mana Body]'s hidden benefits and "recreational" uses.
I sneak a claw into the blue dragon's butt cleavage and extend my reach with [Mana Body] until I can feel her warm private area, then I vibrate it.
"Oh…!" She squeaks and grips the base of my tail, giving me a small amount of pleasure with her respectable grip strength.
"Hm…? Are you the type that enjoys getting your tail pulled?" Hana teasingly whispers in my mind while Alissa embarrassedly deafens herself to not hear my answer.
Getting your tail pulled is a sign of submission in wereanimal society, so I immediately decide to never admit to it and poke Hana's soul to punish her for this affront to her master.
The other ladies stare at their dragonkin companion in confusion as the sl-t's grin slowly widens and her milky skin becomes flushed.
I get the feeling that someone's glaring at me, so I turn around and spot Empress Hayakasha's cold stare trying to murder me. I'm a bit puzzled by her anger, but then I notice that this sl-t is strikingly similar to the Empress, but younger, and of a subtly different color, so I wonder if she's the Empress' sister.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Like I give a damn what the cold b approves of.
I enter the thirsty sister with my claw, and she lets out a very clear sound of bliss as her juices coat my draconic finger.
"Lord… Ryder… you're… amazing…!" She breathes softly, and the other ladies start to realize what's going on. Even the Oracle gives me a bewildered side glance, but the second time she looks at me, she fails to look away again.
You know what? Screw you, you haughty b. I'll teach you a lesson.
I use [Sense Soul] on the Oracle again, making her shudder, then I notice that her MP has dropped by another point. Maybe her "power" consumes it, but for it to have perfect efficiency is quite impressive.
Now's not the time for magical geeking out, so I begin to really f-nger the not-Empress while repeatedly using [Sense Soul] on the Oracle, who shows such a deeply flustered reaction that it puzzles me as I wonder why she doesn't just leave.
Then my attention is drawn away from the flushed Oracle as the dragon sl-t sneaks her hand into my pants. "Please… Lord Ryder… give it… to me," she whispers seductively in my ear as she caresses it, and the ginger sl-t starts outright sucking the tip of my tail like it's a sword.
Goddamn, am I that irresistible?
"Yes," Alissa immediately replies in my soul space.
I push the sl-t away, then lift her dress, and she immediately presents her ass to me, so I pull out my massive, [Mana Body]-enhanced sword and give her what she's craving for. Gify flies over to Lina's shoulder, believing the young dwarf to be the safest place in this hall considering how everyone else's minds are becoming corrupted by my depravity.
The ladies watch in awe as I do the tall older sister, their breaths bated and their eyes hungry for every detail of our glorious plowing.
Intermission - Koritipythia
My "Willpower" is too weak to look away.
The kind-looking boy comes in with a cheerful and confident demeanor, displaying a youthfulness that makes him adorable and a confidence from experience that instills respect.
As long as I keep my Eye of the Overseer closed.
His smile is dazzling, his mirror-like scales are stunning, his ferocity is frightening, and his gentleness is soothing. On the outside, he's perfect, but on the inside, he's a… monstrosity. Conflicting feelings well up in my heart every time I look at him, but even though his massive, disgusting, deformed, thing has "entered" my soul repeatedly in the most -bscene way possible, my legs simply refuse to move.
Gods… help me!
All I can do is bite my tongue and suppress the desire to touch myself in front of him while I watch his thing going in and out of the tall sl-t, but then the other auburn wh-re starts doing herself with his tail, and I struggle to decide who I want to watch.
No…! I-I… don't want this! Truly!
Long minutes pass as my eyes refuse to obey me, then they suddenly start to follow his white, fragrant, dazzling seed as it slowly runs down the depraved woman's muscular legs, yet he doesn't stop moving. Her face of absolute bliss makes me question her sanity as I don't understand how a brute's thing could be that good, but thinking about what his presence is doing to me, maybe this "ferocity" affects every part of his body?
But why is he so alluring?! Why can't I stop imagining his majestic, draconic sword piercing my frail body repeatedly?!
Then the brute seems to notice what he's doing to me and intensifies the… "m-lestation," making me realize something.
Oh, no… the Gods haven't stopped him because I secretly want this…!
My legs quiver as I feel it quickly rising up within me, and then I feel something wet run down my leg, and I realize that I'm leaking! I try to hide it, but he's still staring at my underwear, so he immediately notices it and grins devilishly.
The intensity of his gaze makes me feel like I have my legs spread apart for him, just begging for it. Then he enters me one more time with his ability, and that sends me over the edge.
I can't hold it back! I'm sorry~…!
Just as my legs give out, but before I can collapse in a puddle of my own fluids, a fiercely hot presence washes over me, and I'm suddenly supported by the stalwart safety of my Sun's manly body.
Intermission end.
The Oracle stares into the Emperor's eyes, and even the girls feel a chill as we realize the implications of their gazes.
I slow down and finish off the not-Empress while rubbing the ginger sl-t's G-spot, making her instantly reach the summit and leak fluids everywhere.
"Lord Ryder, I give you permission to use [Clean]," the Emperor commands, his manly voice sounding faintly amused and tired, but the look he gives the Oracle as she convulses in his arms definitely isn't amused, and I instantly decide that it's better not to screw, literally or not, these ladies for now. "Stand, Lady Koritipythia. You should work on your resistance to bed skills and 'Charm' if you've so easily succumbed to a young man's allure."
The petite woman almost immediately recovers the strength in her legs and stiffly stands on her own while trying to awkwardly hide how wet her underwear is, then she composedly announces, "I'm honored that you're concerned about me, Your Imperial Radiance, and I'll dedicate my life to not disappoint you again by falling to such a shameful display." And she flashes me an angry, haughty glare.
Don't you glare at me, bitch.
The Ladies who aren't absolutely smitten with the Emperor raise their eyebrows at the implication of her words.
I vacate the not-Empress and instantly [Clean] everything up, though I leave a bit inside her so that she'll start leaking again in a minute.
Then the Emperor turns his stern, freezing stare towards me, and I suddenly feel like he has a dagger pressed against my neck. Then the power in his words make sure that the threat is firmly planted inside my head, "Perhaps you should ask your wives to help contain your draconic urges, Lord Ryder. One of them seems thirsty for masculine touch, so why don't you go satisfy her before she does something she might regret…?"
I do my best to smile daringly and smoothly reply, "I'm honored that you've expressed worry about my 'spicily rebellious' wife, Your Imperial Radiance, but I hold her on a tighter leash than is apparent."
But his eyes move past me, and I feel a horrible chill go up my spine, then I reflexively stand in front of Klein, and her legs stop shaking.
Point taken.
I flash a smile as I grab her hand, then I quickly turn around and drag her away while doing my best to keep my steps at a relaxed pace as the Emperor keeps his dagger firmly against my throat. His anger is so chilling that the girls have to control my legs so that they don't shiver shamefully. Hayakasha's cold glare is child's play in comparison to the Emperor's threatening gaze, and he doesn't relent until I'm halfway across the hall.
Hahahaha… I think I just survived mentally NTRing the damn Emperor!
But then again, that was a very close call.
I instantly sober up and quietly whisper, "Klein, are you aroused?"
"Yes…" She weakly answers.
"I'm sorry…" I earnestly apologize.
But she just pouts annoyedly at me. "Hmph… this isn't any different from being excited at the sight of a manly, bare man that isn't you, which has happened many times before, but this suits you right for messing with random women like that."
I narrow my eyes dangerously. "Seems like you're forgetting who owns you."
And she gives me a cheeky glance. "I'm still excited, so why don't you remind me what his name was, again?"
And I growl back, "You're too eager, so consider this a reminder that I control when you find bliss." Then I ignore her pleading.
Shortly after that, a very interesting proposal reaches my ears. Hana has found the perfect opportunity to fulfill a particular fetish of hers and requests to trade all of the freedom I've given her in exchange for this one indulgence.
I feel like pampering my loving wife just a bit, so I lay down some clear rules and go along with her desires.
Hana crosses her arms under her considerable chest, pushing it up just a bit, but also making the outlines of her bits clearly visible through the silky fabric of her dress.
"I apologize for my rude remarks to your husband, Lord Hanafuria," Alki-Alki "earnestly" apologizes while grinning like a devil. "I was merely surprised by his unusual, though majestic, appearance, and reacted in a shameful way."
Hana simply grins affably and calmly replies, "Alright, I forgive you, but I think you should invest in [Taunt] to improve the creativity of your banter. It would've been actually funny to me if you had used something better than just 'deformed.'"
Alki strokes his short beard as he reflexively asks in confusion, "You… want me to 'banter' with your husband?"
She shrugs, and the strap of her emerald dress shifts slightly to the side. "I'm a dragonkin; I enjoy fighting, even if it's with words or 'swords.'"
Then his white teeth appear from behind his beard as he grins daringly. "You said that you're with him because his sword is big. Is that all there is to it?"
She just gives him a coy glance and cryptically replies, "Banter is the art of mixing truth with lies that aren't exactly lies."
He gives her a bold stare as he asserts, "I am quite proud of my size as I've repeatedly confirmed its superiority."
She shrugs once again, and the strap slides further down her shoulder, revealing the edge of her tanned bit. "Well, pull it out then, and I'll judge it."
But he scoffs, lightly offended. "I'm a virile man, but I'm no carnal beast. I need proper stimulation."
She gives him a stern look with her striking, yellow eyes. "I'm not touching you."
He slowly reaches over and grabs the straps at her shoulders, then he pulls them apart and down, revealing her bare, round pillows. They're so alluring that he simply stares at the exposed pair of beauties while standing before her, their faces quite close, but not so close that he could catch her off-guard.
Then his hands go down from her shoulders, but she stops him before he can cop a feel while also holding her dress up to keep it from falling to the floor.
He snorts as his sneaky plan clearly hasn't worked, but then he glances down through the mirror to get a glimpse of her faintly moist flower, and the bulge in his tight pants slowly grows until it's at the same size that he had shown to her that day.
"Pull it out…" He orders huskily.
"No…" She whispers back as she briefly leans forward, giving him a taste of her breath.
He grabs her hand, but he immediately discovers that even though she isn't as muscular as him, her "Strength" is only a single point lesser than his, and her [Draconic Body] gives her such a boost that it allows her to easily resist him.
He stares intensely at her arm, surprised by the sudden growth of emerald scales on her tanned skin, but then he turns his eyes to her bare chest again and breathes in deeply to savor her scent, his sword begging to be unsheathed.
But without another option and too aroused to think straight, he gives in and hurriedly pulls it out with his free hand. It's paler than his middle-eastern skin tone, with a clear pinkish color, and definitely bigger than mine.
He glances to the side, then immediately grins victoriously as he growls suggestively, "Definitely bigger. Although you can see it, why don't you also feel it inside you?" Then he slowly strokes his weapon, and a bit of early juice collects on the considerably large head.
He tries to force her hand down, but that only reinforces that he's too inadequate, unqualified, and weak to actually make her bend to his sword.
She leans forward, almost touching foreheads with him while keeping her mouth as far away as possible from his, then she smirks derisively and delivers the blow, "Are you blind? Look again, and try to tell me that you're bigger than that!"
I stop beside Hana and wave… The Holy Draconic Sword of Saint Ryder, Joy of Women, Purifier of Prostitutes, Enslaver of Sl-ts, Destroyer of Flowers, Shifter of Shapes, Plougher of Fields, Seeder of Ovens, Giver of Life. May thy Hallowed Name be Everlasting, thy Stamina be Inexhaustible, thy Flesh be Immortal, and thy Juice be Boundless. May every male who lays their Godless eyes upon The Holy Sword be promptly executed if their vile presence doth not immediately kneel and wor-…
"Enough…!" Ciel angrily interrupts me, and since Klein has already finished oiling it up, I rip off Hana's dress and give it to her.
She can't take such a Godly Tool so roughly without immediately reaching the summit, so she does, which makes her leak copiously from her Blessed Flwoer while also weakening her legs, forcing her to grab Alki-Alki's shoulders to keep herself from falling over.
She tilts her head back and stares him in the eye as her gorgeous face warps with desire and her vertically-slitted eyes gloss over in bliss. Her body shudders and writhes with every thrust, making her bits jiggle alluringly.
Her jaw goes slack from bliss as her hot breath hits the bearded and stunned man in the face, and more early juice leaks out of his lonely and pathetic little friend. He's feeling intimidated by her stalwart composure, and his animalistic desire to br--d has clouded his mind, leaving him like a helpless little puppy begging for a pity plow.
He makes to do it himself, but she chuckles and grabs his hand, then forces him to hold her arms, making full use of [Draconic Body] and [Enhanced Strength] to assert her superiority.
A mix of our love fluids soon leaks out of her and runs down her legs. The face he makes when he notices it is that of surprise and disbelief as his muse is being completely dominated by another so barbarically, yet his sword quivers again as another considerable amount of early juice leaks out of it.
Then anger takes over him, and he tries to both touch her assets and kiss her, but through [Enhanced Reflexes] and [Muscle Explosion], she easily dodges his attack and pushes him back, nearly making him trip backwards onto his ass as he struggles to remain upright.
All he can do is stare and hold the stunning and fiery beauty as she spams and climbs the summit repeatedly in his arms. Her bountiful assets shaking wildly, her tanned skin sweating with desire, her folds leaking another man's superior seed, and her derisive smirk implying how pathetic and inadequate he is.
Suddenly, her eyes roll up into her skull, and the sweetest sound leaves her lips as her whole body locks up, then she begins to shudder uncontrollably from the massive bliss wracking through her entirety.
"C-m for me…" She commands, her voice infused with just a hint of [Godly Language].
Then Alki-Alki's pathetic sword pulsates, and a massive jet shoots out of it, landing squarely on her shredded emerald dress, ruining it beyond repair with his repulsive excrement.
She continues to lean on him for a moment as she catches her breath, and he's simply too stunned by the situation to even move or make a sound.
Once she's recovered, she affably whispers, "Thank you for the help, little Alki." Then she [Equip]s a new micro dress, which hides just a little more than an elven dousnadeia, and his mast starts to deflate.
But before he can reattach his lost balls, Hayakasha's bone-chillingly cold tone strikes me from behind, "Crown Lord Wolf Ryder, I must ask that you take your beastly depravity elsewhere until you've regained your self-control."
How convenient!
"Right away," I cheerfully agree and drag Hana away.
"Unfortunately, I've also become quite excited. Excuse me," Yunia politely announces to the other stunned elves and unceremoniously joins Alissa, Klein, and I as we leave the hall.
"You're just jealous that he won't do you like how Wolfy just did her, aren't you?" Empress Piscila, The Naked, whispers in Hayakasha's ear, only loud enough for Alissa to hear.
"T-they used a sort of magic that isn't allowed!" The cold Empress hisses back, her embarrassed tone sounding like bliss to my ears.
"Harmless fun that I know made you very excited," Piscila cheekily replies.
"Shut up…" The cold woman grunts and walks away.
"It seems that our families are… making up, aren't they?" Cleinias' wheezing voice unpleasantly reaches Ciel's ears, making her freeze as she gets an idea.
She has a mounting suspicion about Cleinias due to all of the peculiarities surrounding him, and this petty move of his is the perfect opportunity to confirm it.
The angel quickly turns around and cheerfully replies, "Decien Cleinias Alkibiades, what an honor to meet you," her voice loud enough that everyone nearby can clearly hear her.
He wheezes a chuckle and retorts, "Please, the honor to meet new Royals like your family is mine."
She takes a step forward and offers her hand for a shake, but Cleinias' stern knight also takes a subtle step in response, now in position to quickly get in the way between them if needed.
Cleinias remains unfazed and immediately starts spouting his bullshit, "I certainly didn't expect those three to 'mingle' in such a way, but it appears that my boy has received such passionate forgiveness that I wish for this event to repeat in such a way to strengthen our ties-…"
"Then let's celebrate our newfound closeness with a handshake!" Ciel suddenly exclaims, drawing a bit of attention to them.
The feeble old fart stops talking for only a second before resuming his bullshitting without pause. "The sharing of-…"
But Ciel takes another step forward, a perfectly angelic smile on her juicy lips while she keeps her hand extended, ready to cast [Detect Evil] the very instant she touches him, but the knight moves his hand to block hers from coming any closer.
Cleinias and Ciel stare at each other for a tense second, but now Ciel is the faster one as she loudly declares, sounding hurt, "I understand rebuffing a handshake with my husband, but me? I'm a priestess of Love, Decien Cleinias. Please, have some trust in the temple. We know very well how to not hurt our elders with our energetic youthfulness."
Cleinias flashes a smile and doesn't waste a beat before continuing with his bullshit once again, "I apologize for the rudeness, but I have a condition that makes my bones quite brittle, and the enchantment that protects me from the harm just from standing is deactivated to not offend the Emperor, so I plead to you to understand my situation and to not see the harm in my dismissal of this social norm."
Fucking bullshit.
But the precedent has been set. The Emperor's radiant gaze is unmistakably staring at Cleinias, and he's unamused.
"Bring me proof of his Wickedness, and I'll execute his wretched existence right where he stands!" Ciel furiously shouts in my soul space as she finally pulls back her hand.