“… Ryker… what is all of this…”

Patience practically hissed into his ear as she swept a polite smile toward what felt like the millionth person giving them their congratulations.

She had been happy when Ryker said that they would go out for a night on the town, she had even dressed up, wearing a dress that was much more flattering to her figure than the one she had worn to her father’s dinner. But then this… event was sprung on her.

Well, it wasn’t like she was complaining. The politics was a bit draining and annoying, but she was already used to it. It was easy for her to put it on autopilot. At the same time, she felt good hanging from Ryker’s arm like this, and every time someone looked at him with awe and worship, she would feel an unfamiliar swelling of pride as well.

It was just that, even now… she had no idea what was happening.

Ryker chuckled, taking her by the waist and leading her to the dance floor of the large palace ballroom. The music in the hall changed and Patience was quickly swept off her feet, lost in the cadence of Ryker’s steps.

She smiled and seemed to forget her questions, and in that moment, she felt like the center of the world.

Near the edges of the ballroom, a familiar trio stood, equally as confused about what was going on. They didn’t even know when Ryker got this much prestige in the Federation.

“Hello, I’m Cedric Vandermere the third, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Would you like to dance?”

At that moment, a smiling face appeared before Rosemary and Sofia, seemingly ignoring Desmond. In these sorts of noble circles, someone who wasn’t recognized was easily ignored as a person without status, so it wasn’t too surprising for Desmond that such a thing had occurred.

What did annoy him, though, was the fact that the young man hadn’t made it clear who he was asking to dance between Rosemary and Sofia. It was like he was implying he wanted them both, or that he would take either if he got the chance. He could hardly believe the audacity.

Rosemary frowned, seemingly picking up on this as well, but Sofia snapped first. She had been becoming increasingly annoyed the more and more lovey dovey Ryker and Patience acted, and honestly, she was hoping that someone would come up and ask her to dance, preferably a handsome man with a lot of status so that she could feel a little less annoyed.

But the first guy who came up was actually such an asshole. And the fact that he wanted them both was a particular sore spot for her.

Her leg moved before her brain even registered what was happening, and her shin cracked against the young man’s nuts.

Cedric released a sound that sounded like a cross between a dying whale and a belch, crumpling to the ground like a cheap folding chair.

Sofia didn’t seem satisfied with this and gave him another knee to the nose, sending a spurt of blood flying anywhere.

“You… fucking… asshat…”

Every word came with another kick.

She let out a huff as though she was out of breath and then stormed away in a whirlwind of fury.

By this point, many gazes had already landed on the situation, and quite frankly they were stunned. This was less because of the violence, and more so because Cedric was decently powerful. No normal person could put him on the ground like that even if they caught him off guard.

Unfortunately, the lady in question had already stormed away.

“Sof! Wait!” Rosemary hiked up her dress and rushed after her.

Desmond hesitated, but in the end, he decided to not go. Ryker’s words still echoed in his ears, and honestly, he felt that he wasn’t the man for Sofia anyway.

Of course, these weren’t Ryker’s words about marking Sofia, though that was part of it. It was more so his words about how Desmond wanted to use Sofia to bolster his status as well.

He had done everything to pursue Sofia in these years, but he had never truly loved her, he just liked her.

If he was going to swoop in and be her knight in shining armor with that as a foundation, wouldn’t he just be like everyone else?

He shook his head.

These were all just excuses, and he knew that. The real reason he was unwilling to go after her, although the other stuff played a part… was because he didn’t want to upset Ryker.

In the end, he made a choice based on status again.

He wasn’t born with Ryker’s talent, nor his background. If he wanted to make anything of himself… he had to rely on Ryker’s favor.

He sighed to himself and closed his eyes.

While it might seem like he was having a moral dilemma, his actual heart was quite tranquil. Whatever it took to grow strong… he would do.

…

Patience turned her head and was stunned to see what happened to Sofia. She blinked and then looked at Ryker.

“You should go after her.”

Ryker chuckled. “Sending your husband off to another woman? How generous.”

Patience blushed down to her collarbone. With her delicate shoulders exposed and no longer restricted by silky fabrics, it was all the more obvious.

“When… what…”

Her words were a jumbled mess. Why would Ryker suddenly use that word? They weren’t married… not yet.

The thought made her heart race even faster.

Ryker smiled and cupped her cheek.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Patience looked up, a bit surprised.

“What would people think if I left to chase after some other woman? I would never embarrass my woman like that. Tonight is your night, our night.”

Patience’s eyes watered and she kissed Ryker without thinking, a tear streaking down her cheek.

In that moment, she had forgotten that she was the center of the world and was entirely focused on the man before her.

**

Late into the night, Sofia sat in her room, staring out blankly toward the crescent moon. The window was large, much larger than she was used to. She thought that she lived in luxury for much of her life, but compared to true wealth… well, she had never experienced something like this before.

Her tears had long since dried.

She knew he wouldn’t come, she didn’t want him to come, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow when it happened.

It was quite irritating. She didn’t even like the man, he was just a means to an end, a personification of the freedom she sought in her life. Their relationship had been nothing more than an exchange of benefits, and she had benefited greatly as a result.

At the very least, unlike Rosemary, she didn’t have to lose a dear loved one to get his attention. In fact, in exchange for her dignity, she had even managed to save one. If not for Ryker’s help, her brother, Waple, would have died during the Quota Check—especially after he lost an arm.

But the annoying part was that she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He had stepped over a line, he had tried to kill her… okay, maybe that wasn’t true. If he had really tried to kill her, she would die ten times over before she was even aware of what happened.

Even so, that night was too much of a shock to her.

During their… exchange of benefits, Ryker had always been gentle, he never abused her, he never did anything that hurt anything more than her pride. And even then, she knew what she was getting herself into. She had been there to spread her legs like a whore, so who was she to complain about him asking her to do exactly that?

In fact, she remembered some of those times fondly… not the rounds of near and almost-sex, mostly because she was too embarrassed to admit that she liked it. But instead she had come to enjoy their conversation, their banter.

Rosemary was her closest friend, but she had never been able to really unleash on Rosemary like she wanted to do. She liked to jeer and banter, but she was always worried about Rosemary taking it the wrong way.

Then there was Ryker who was seemingly an endless well of comebacks and biting remarks…

It was fun.

Then there was the fact that Rosemary, even being her closest friend, hadn’t truly taken her seriously at all.

She still remembered their conversation by the Angelfish river… Rosemary thought she was more simple minded than she really was, and never really saw her for her, but instead projected that person onto her instead.

That had begun to change in recent months, and they had grown ever-closer because of it, but Sofia couldn’t help but find it so very ironic that it was only because of Ryker that that was possible.

And then there was the true bitter pill to swallow…

He had made her face the worst pains imaginable, forcing her to face death itself… and yet, she had come out of it so much more powerful.

It was hard not to blend that experience with everything else. Wasn’t that what their whole relationship had been about? She swallowed something bitter for the hopes of something greater on the other side…

Suddenly, the unlocking of her door startled Sofia awake. It was long past midnight, and it was probably only two or three hours from dawn. She would already be asleep if it wasn’t for the fact she couldn’t find the urge.

Who the hell would—

She saw Ryker’s face beneath the moonlight and was instantly annoyed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here? Finally had enough and come to rape the weak little blond?”

The biting remarks made Ryker chuckle.

“If I did, would you like it?”

“Oh please. I don’t know what kind of fantasy you’re living in, but even if by some twisted miracle-for-you I did, do you think that would ever change anything? I hate you. I will always hate you. Now if you’re done, you can fuck off now.”

“Why’d you kick that guy in the balls?” Ryker suddenly asked, closing the door behind him.

Sofia frowned. “He was an asshat and got what he deserved. What does it have to do with you?”

“Just curious. I did have a few guesses, though.”

Sofia sneered, seemingly waiting for the list.

“The first was that he wasn’t nearly as handsome as me,” Ryker nodded to himself as though philosophizing the truths of life. “It would be really embarrassing if you started dancing with him, I saw, and then laughed you off the dance floor. Nothing worse than someone you like seeing you with a downgrade, right?”

Sofia burst into a fit of laughter. “Your imagination is commendable.”

“Ah, ah, I’m not finished,” Ryker grinned, clamping his hands behind his back as he strolled toward the large window. “Then there’s likely the fact that he isn’t as strong as me. Imagine the mighty Ryker Valorian getting kicked in the balls then stamped half to death by a petite little blond. Then keep imagining, because it would never happen in real life. Ultimately, though, it’s the same thing. Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Sofia rolled her eyes, this guy was actually unbelievable. Did he just come here to make fun of her?

“Ah, but there’s also a third reason, that unfortunately, again, seems to tie in with the first two themes.”

Ryker suddenly looked back toward Sofia, his smile fading and a kingly sort of indifference exuding from him. In that moment, Sofia could have sworn that she saw a crown above his head.

Memories of the past days surfaced in her mind. Ryker had gone from a meathead who could only seem to solve his problems with a whip and chain, to taking over the Federation and the hearts of the people in a manner of what felt like a few blinks to her.

It was hard for her to square these two things…

Which one was him?

What she didn’t know was that Ryker’s dream had always been to be an Emperor of All. The definition of All might have changed, but the root of Emperor would always remain the same.

As much time as he had spent studying methods of strengthening himself, he had spent just as much time reading political history and the philosophies of rulers of the past.

After spending almost two decades without a normal baseline of emotions, he had to learn how to fake them, and it allowed him the ability to read people, to understand their hearts, to grasp why they might do one thing or another.

Just because he had never shown his capability to lead, didn’t mean that he didn’t know how to…

It was only ever a matter of if these people were worth his effort or not.

“And that is you realize that a chance of a lifetime slipped through your fingers, that there’ll never be another comparable one. There will never be any man, any experience, even any amorphous thought in your mind that could reach my standards.

“And you regret it.”

Sofia was struck dumb when she heard these words. They didn’t carry the same playfulness as the others, and because of that, they cut deep, so deep that Ryker might as well have taken out a dagger and put it through her chest.

And then she saw red.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”

She launched herself from her bed with such force that its legs cracked and splintered, lunging toward Ryker with claws and fangs bared as though she had really become a wild beast.

However, just as she was bearing down on Ryker, she found her wrists easily caught in the air.

She was spun around and her back crashed against the hard stone walls, all the air in her being catapulted out through her throat.

Ryker pinned her wrists above her head and looked down at her, his gaze still frighteningly indifferent.

However, instead of feeling fear, Sofia was only more angry, swinging a knee right at Ryker’s crotch only to be blocked by a palm. It even felt as though she had kneed into a cloud.

Even with just a single hand, he was able to pin both her hands up. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t make any headway.

In the end, she huffed for breath, glaring up into his cold, blue eyes.

Despite the chilly night air, the room felt hot, almost too hot.

Sofia seemed to have forgotten that she was wearing a thin nightgown, her simple white panties viewable through the sheer pink gauze.

And even now, she didn’t care, she just wanted to bite Ryker’s throat out if she could just reach.

The two looked at one another, one glaring, the other cold, and yet somehow they moved at the same time.

Their lips interlocked, their tongues moving quickly afterward.

Sofia bit down on Ryker’s tongue as hard as she could, barely pulling out a few droplets of blood and receiving a crisp slap to her ass in return.

“… You fucking bastard, this changes nothing!” She wheezed out between gasps before diving back in for more. She couldn’t seem to get enough of Ryker’s lips and every pent up frustration was flooding out all at once.

They tore one another’s clothing apart with a practiced ease before Ryker pinned her down to her destroyed bed.

“Is this still considered rape?” Ryker asked with a cold grin.

“I’ll deny what happened tonight to my last breath, so if you fucking dare breathe a word of it, that’s exactly what it’ll—”

Sofia let out a soft yelp of surprise before her body melted. The feeling of being filled up was so intoxicating that her eyes rolled back and her lip quivered. The latter didn’t last for long before they were covered by Ryker’s own.

They had told her for so long that the first time would hurt, so where the hell was the pain? She wanted to have a reason to continue hating this man, any reason, and yet that last strand of hope was whisked away.

She had been too ready, the anticipation was too great. Even in those moments while she was glaring at him, she had felt herself opening up, the memories of how he touched her, how he caressed her filling her mind along with the one thought that…

She wanted him to do it again.

Her nails dug into Ryker’s back, every thrust making her feel like a small boat in the middle of an ocean.

“You taste even better than I thought you would,” Ryker pulled out of their interlocked lips and breathed out the words into her ear.

Sofia clenched around him, the words arousing her more than she could have ever expected.

Ryker grinned, slowly pulling back and varying his strokes. He paused deep inside her, slowly grinding with pulses of his hips.

“Fuck…”

Sofia gasped, her moan coming out in an uncontrollable stream as her legs locked around Ryker.

“… I fucking hate you,” Sofia mumbled incoherently even as her hips subconsciously writhed for more.

Ryker pulled back, resting the tip of his cock at her moist entrance. Feeling the delicate folds of pink on his head, he took in a light breath.

“What are you doing…” Sofia wiggled her hips closer, somehow feeling both satisfied and unsatisfied.

Ryker clicked his tongue. “Nono, I’m calling the shots here.”

“Fuck you,” she wheezed out again, reaching down to grab him. Unfortunately, she got her hands pinned above her head again.

She shook as she felt Ryker gently pulse into her entrance before pulling back, and then doing it again.

“You want it?” Ryker asked with a chuckle.

“Fuck you.”

Ryker gently bit her collarbone, then sucked at it, causing her to tremble more.

“You sure?” He whispered.

Sofia’s hips wiggled again, and Ryker truly felt that she was a looker.

Her skin glistened with red hues and slick sweat. Her nipples were so pink they almost glowed with her own light, and the blond tufts that hovered beneath her belly button were another enticing sight.

“Just fuck me, dammit!” Sofia growled.

Ryker pulsed into her entrance a little deeper, making her legs quake, but unfortunately, he pulled out again.

“Sure, I can fuck you. As long as you agree to be my obedient little cumslut from now on.”

Sofia forced her own eyes open, just so that she could glare.

“I hate you!”

“Mhm,” Ryker kissed and sucked on the other side of her collarbone.

“Tonight is the last and only night!” She pushed out again.

“Mhm,” Ryker nodded again, this time taking one of her erect nipples into his mouth, feeling the soft, suppleness with his chin and face as he dove in.

He pumped into Sofia a little deeper and her entire body practically convulsed.

“I’ll do it…” she said in a whisper, the desire accumulating in her heart.

She wanted to be stubborn… no, she just wanted the illusion of being stubborn. She knew that somewhere deep inside, she wanted Ryker to push a bit. And this was exactly that.

“You’ll do what?” Ryker smiled, kissing her deeply and playing around with her tongue.

Sofia huffed out haggard breaths when he pulled away.

“I’ll be… your obedient little cumslut…”

‘For only tonight!’ She roared in her heart.

Ryker grinned as though he could read her thoughts, but even so, he obliged, pushing into her so deeply that what felt like a fountain of liquid came out from her.

“… Oh god… yes.”

When Ryker said even her imagination couldn’t compare, she had really wanted him to be wrong.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t.