Erel stared blankly at the beautiful face enjoying her despair. The walls surrounding her were as high as bars, everything within her eye range was dark, and the air touching her skin felt colder than ice.

She was completely trapped in his territory. And this cunning man would never let go of her without a fight. Even though she knew it well, Erel couldn’t help but plead with her trembling lips.

“Send me home…..please. My family will be worried.”

“Hmm.”

Before answering, Barkan exhaled thick smoke through his reddish lips. The hazy smoke surrounded Erel like shapeless prison bars, causing her to feel suffocated.

“Do you want to go home?” He asked while licking his thick lower lip and savoring the aftertaste of the cigar.

At his question, Erel nodded hastily. Observing her pathetic expression, Barkan smiled and answered straight away.

“No.”

His eyes were full of delight as he gazed at Erel, who was obviously fed up with his words. Her breathing was labored and she appeared to be close to fainting. She looked so pitiful that he almost felt sorry, but it was inevitable.

Because in the end, his preference was to kidnap and deflower princesses.

But he knew things would become difficult if he pushed too hard. Otherwise, his prey might go crazy and or die.

“I don’t know. If Miss Erel behaves well, I might change my mind.”

“I…” –cough, cough– “How can I convince you to send me home…….?”

Unfortunately, Erel was unable to speak properly. It was because each time she took a breath, the cigar smoke that Barkan exhaled, filled her nose and irritated her throat.

It was a bitter yet strangely sweet smoke. But the lingering taste was so strong that her head was spinning and left her feeling nauseous. As a result, Erel was coughing constantly, which muffled her words to the point where she couldn’t speak.

“Oh…”

Erel wasn’t aware of this, but the cigar that Barkan was puffing on, was nothing less than poison. It was a drug that was so potent that even a miniscule amount was enough to knock out an ordinary person.

Naturally, Erel’s weak body couldn’t hold out.

Erel pressed a hand against her forehead as she struggled to keep her balance. After stumbling for a bit, she eventually fainted. Before her small, fragile head slammed into the marble floor, Barkan gently embraced her body with one arm.

“Oh, my.”

With a bitter smile, Barkan casually put out his cigar. And as if to get  rid of the aftertaste in his mouth, he kissed the nape of her neck. Then, a sweet and ephemeral scent overwhelmed his senses, causing his mouth to water.

It was the very scent that made Barkan go into heat again and again. Because of this, he spent countless nights unable to soothe the raging storm within him.

So, he couldn’t let her go, regardless of how much she cried and begged.

No, absolutely not.

“How did you manage to catch my eye?”

Barkan swept his hand through her long hair with a possessive touch. He lightly stroke her cheek and then hugged her closely as he headed to the bedroom.

There wasn’t an inch of her skin or hair that wasn’t soft and fragrant. Barkan relished the feeling of her body gently swaying in his arms with every step he took.

‘Do you know how much I enjoy your expressions when you’re trembling and pretending to not be afraid?’

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll let you off the hook.”

His hollow laughter echoed through the cold hallway.

* * * * * * *

When Erel opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in her bedroom, but was the same unfamiliar red bedroom she found herself in before.

Erel realized immediately that she was still at Barkan’s mansion.

‘Oh my god!’

She quickly sat up, feeling fully awake as if she had been doused in cold water. She had to find a way to escape before he completely devoured her.

The moment she was about to get out of the bed, a hot hand grabbed her shoulder and pressed her back against the bed.

“Where are you going?”

He exuded a deep scent similar to musk. The woodsy and earthy fragrance was mixed with the slightly bitter scent of a strong cigar.

‘Barkan?’

Erel felt her heart skip a beat. Even though Barkan had a large statue, he could conceal himself if he wanted to. He was like a black leopard hiding his claws and crouching in the shade of a tree, waiting for the chance to pounce.

“Did you sleep well?”

Barkan pulled her stiff body against his chest and kissed her forehead. It was a friendly touch like a lover, but when Erel received that kiss, she became terrified and her face paled.

Erel was now lying in bed alone with Barkan. She couldn’t think of a more dangerous situation, even the peril of hanging from a cliff with a frayed rope could compare.

“Let go. Let go of me, please,” Erel pleaded as she struggled to get out of his arms.

However, no matter how much she struggled, her efforts were in vain. His arms and legs, which were tightly clasped around her like iron, did not budge.

Masakas had physical abilities that were superior to those of humans, this was no different than a fight between a five-year-old child and an adult.

After struggling for some time, Erel was completely exhausted and breathing heavily. Barkan’s eyes had a strange glow as he watched her struggle helplessly.

“If you keep gasping like that… …I’m going to get a little excited.”

Erel inhaled sharply at his words.

In this place, Barkan could have her as many times as he wanted, however he wanted.

Because this was his mansion, and no one could stop him, the great Masaka and ruler of the underworld.

“Why are you shivering all of a sudden? Are you cold?”

With their bodies touching, Barkan quickly noticed Erel’s shivering and her attempts to control her breathing. He knew she was well aware of his observant nature, so he had no clue why she was trying to hide her fear.

Barkan grinned and pulled her closer, while pretending he didn’t notice her distress.

“I should warm you up”.

His breath swept over her skin, leaving behind a lingering heat. Erel flinched, and tried to suppress her growing panic. She felt like a mouse being between the large paws of a predator.

Even if she grew desperate enough to raise a hand against him, she wouldn’t be able to inflict the slightest scratch on Barkan, and would only be risking her life.

Erel felt trapped in a situation that she had no hopes of escaping. The depressing thoughts left her feeling weak and helpless.

Sensing the change in her mood, Barkan narrowed his eyes and looked down at Erel as if he was suspicious of her behavior.

Raising her head slightly, her gaze fell on his handsome face, and with her eyes brimming with tears, Erel asked helplessly.

“When are you going to send me back?”

If she couldn’t use force, she had to find another way. If she couldn’t run away, it would be wiser for her to find a compromise with the least amount of risk and danger.

This was the inevitable part of surviving for the weak.

“You want to go out? But I don’t want to go out right now.”

Barkan smiled mischievously as if he didn’t understand the meaning of her words. However, when he stared at her without blinking, his eyes were as deep and dark as a bottomless swamp.

‘I can’t even begin to imagine what’s lurking beneath the surface.’

“Please, let me go.”

Erel knew it would be useless, but she pleaded to him over and over again. However, Barkan pulled out a cigar and tilted his head with a smile.

“Hmm… Your pleading voice is pretty. Can you beg some more?”

It was hopeless.

Like a puppeteer manipulating the strings of a marionette, Barkan had  her dancing to his tune. Regardless if she was mentally or physically hurt, it was only a game to him.

When the realization hit her, Erel sniffled as her sky-blue eyes began to moisten and tears began to roll down her cheeks. Seeing this, Barkan’s mouth hardened indistinguishable with displeasure.

‘Her crying face is so annoying, I hate it so much.’

He hated noisy things, and crying sounds seemed to really amplify his thirst for violence, like a poison slowly spreading throughout his body.

Because of this, the more someone cried, screamed, or begged, the more sadistic he became.

Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to kill a precious Resabre for being noisy, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

But, Erel didn’t make a sound as she cried. Instead, she closed her eyes so tightly that her pale lashes acted like a barrier, preventing majority of her tears from falling, while silently brushing away the tears that did escape.

“What do you want?” Erel asked slowly.

“What do you think I want?”

“Please…. If you tell me exactly what you want, maybe… Maybe we can quickly find a compromise,” she pleaded in a timid voice.

While her voice was shaky, she did not back down in the end, which impressed Barkan slightly. He didn’t expect to see such tenacity from Erel, who trembled whenever she was in his presence.

[Ding! Barkan’s favorability has increased by 3]

Sometimes a bit of unpredictability could be fun. The same was true of the display of Erel Elorence’s ability at the hat shop the othe day.

‘Maybe she will make things a bit more exciting.’ 

Barkan expected as much.

“You’re quite brave Miss Erel.”

If she could satisfy him, naturally, he would treat her well.

Sitting up, Barkan broke the unlit cigar in half and threw it on the floor. Then he straddled her body, his weight pressing her lower body firmly against the bed, and placed his hands on either side of her head. He gazed down at her while Erel shifted nervously beneath him.

“You asked me what I wanted.”

His beautiful eyes slowly swept over Erel. His gaze was unrelenting, as if he planned to devour her down to the bone marrow.

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“It’s very simple. I’m a very powerful Masaka, so I need a suitable Resabre to match.”

He reached out and caressed Erel’s cheek meaningfully. And with his thumb, he gently brushed away the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes.

“I hope that will be you, Erelle Elorence.”

Then, his touches became less gentle as his thumb swept under her eyes repeatedly.

Until her eyes were painfully red, and wet with fresh tears.