Rose (5)
The warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips.
As if savoring that warmth, I pressed my palm against her, and a strained breath escaped her pale red lips.
The red-haired girl lay on the bed, utterly disheveled.
"Haah, haah..."
Her wavering gaze fixed on me.
I hadn't even begun the actual treatment, but she seemed exhausted from her fierce resistance.
Killing intent dripped from her leaf-like eyes.
"You... again, this kind of thing, how dare you...!"
Her clenched fists looked ready to unleash violence at any moment.
Behind her coldly seething voice lay shame and shock at her current predicament.
Had she finally realized that resistance was futile?
Elise lay with her limbs limp, only her eyes blazing with defiance.
I responded with a smile.
"It's the same as last time. Don't worry, it won't hurt."
"I, clearly... told you to get out!"
"I didn't intend to go this far, but seeing Your Highness's condition, I decided to take a stronger approach."
"Don't... Ugh, don't touch me...!"
"I'm afraid I can't grant you that request."
I shook my head firmly.
It was clear that Rose wouldn't listen to anything I said right now.
Even if I had to resort to somewhat forceful methods, I believed I had to restore her broken state.
Holding her soft skin, I spoke.
"Then... let's begin the treatment."
At the same time, shadows flickered at my fingertips.
Thinly coating my knuckles, they began to seep onto the skin they touched.
A wriggling sensation.
Rose's pupils dilated in surprise.
A faint moan accompanied the breath she'd been holding.
Her breathing was deeply agitated.
"Hnh...?!"
Her voice rang out with particular clarity.
Her frail body trembled as if in fear, but the coiled serpent had no intention of releasing its prey.
It merely flicked its tongue across the nape of her neck.
"You'll feel better soon."
This was the beginning of the real treatment.
If yesterday was a light taste test, from today onwards, it was time to address the root cause.
I channeled a small amount of power.
Swoosh-.
The thinly spreading darkness seeped into her abdomen.
Before long, it caused an invisible change within her.
"······?!"
Elise's shoulders twitched.
Was it because of the unfamiliar sensation?
Her body's sensitivity was currently amplified almost twofold.
By maximizing the stimuli the patient received, I could easily detect the flow of mana throughout her body.
Thanks to this, the girl was more sensitive than ever.
"St-stop, sob, stop it... what are you doing to me...?"
Perhaps the sensation she felt was even more amplified.
The stimuli entering her body had suddenly increased from 100 to 200.
I had adjusted the potentially dangerous sensations like pain, but other nerves were still alive, so it must have been overwhelming.
For instance, smell, hearing, touch... or even pleasure.
Therefore, the patient's intense reaction was not unusual.
"Ugh, uh... it's strange, why suddenly...!"
I stroked her hair as if to soothe her.
Did even that feel alien to her?
She turned her head sharply, forcing me to withdraw my hand.
'This seems more difficult than I thought.'
It seemed I had to postpone any other thoughts.
I stopped hesitating.
I focused my power on my fingertips.
Then, as if savoring the warm flesh, I pressed my palm firmly against her snow-white belly.
Precisely on the spot where her dantian resided.
"Eek?!"
A gasp escaped her lips.
Was it due to the intense stimulation?
Her waist arched slightly, but even that was blocked by my pressing hand.
Her frail body could only tremble.
"You mustn't move."
Was the beginning always this difficult?
I had anticipated this kind of reaction, so I calmly waited for her to settle down.
With my other hand, I stroked Rose's hair.
"Ah, ah... what are you, haah, trying to do?"
"As I said, it's treatment. Please refrain from sudden movements, as this is delicate work."
The treatment method was simple.
Restoring her contaminated mana channels one by one. Injecting mana into her dantian, the core, letting it flow into the delicate channels, and pushing out the reversed energy with pure mana.
It sounded simple, but in reality, it was close to impossible.
First, I had to manipulate the mana individually.
I had to control it at a granular level while ensuring the flow didn't deviate from the correct path.
This process had to be applied to countless channels one by one, so the difficulty of the procedure, as well as the time it took to complete the treatment, was considerable.
It was a task impossible for ordinary healers.
'Of course.'
For me, it was the best method.
I could take my time with the treatment, allowing for a gradual recovery, and the burden on the patient was also significantly reduced.
I could leisurely devour the princesses during the given timeframe.
The difficulty of the manipulation posed no problem for me.
I could restore even a chimera with a flick of my wrist; if I couldn't handle this, my title of "Worst" would be a joke.
With a faint smile, I continued the treatment.
"You're doing well."
Press.
I pressed on her abdomen again.
Her shoulders twitched.
Her erratic breathing now simmered like a low fever.
Her weak hands clutched the bedsheets, and her lips were bitten as if to suppress a cry.
She was desperately trying to endure.
"Ugh... Stop, it hurts, stop it... I don't need treatment, hnh."
Press.
"Hngh...!"
Elise squeezed her eyes shut.
Her ragged breaths simmered like a low fever.
Was she afraid of the strange sensation? A slight moisture glistened in the corners of her eyes.
Despite that, the killing intent in her eyes remained unbroken.
With her pitiful thorns still raised, she truly resembled a single rose.
Was it because her resilience was particularly admirable?
I stroked Elise's hair several more times.
"Good. You're getting used to it."
"You... I'll kill you, ugh, you trashy... bastard...!"
"That wouldn't be a bad ending. Of course, after Your Highness's treatment is complete."
"Ugh, uh...!"
Press.
The girl trembled pathetically.
It seemed she was looking for someone to help her, but unfortunately, there was no one in the darkened room.
Only the frail rose and the golden serpent existed.
Since Charlotte had agreed to follow my instructions completely, she was waiting in the next room with her maid.
Even if Elise screamed, it wouldn't reach the other side.
I had soundproofed the room, just like yesterday.
"Just keep going like this."
Press, press.
The repeated motions continued.
The first treatment concluded after about three hours.
Perhaps it was because I had expended a considerable amount of power.
As I withdrew my cramping hand, Rose's exhausted breaths reached my ears.
Elise lay limply.
"Haah, haah..."
She was drenched in sweat.
Her wet nightgown clung to her, revealing what lay beneath, and the sticky scent of her skin filled the air.
Her unfocused eyes were particularly beautiful.
"You've worked hard."
I offered a light acknowledgment of her efforts.
Elise's attire was disheveled.
Her nightgown, revealing the swell of her breasts, barely concealed her nipples.
Faint handprints remained on her snow-white belly.
"Your body should feel much better. With consistent treatment, you'll be able to recover."
I snapped my fingers.
Click!
A light popping sound followed.
The disheveled girl returned to a neat appearance.
I had considered that she might be uncomfortable from the sweat, so it was a small consideration on my part.
And I tidied up the surroundings as well.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
"······."
"I'll see you again tomorrow."
"······Die."
Rose muttered, scraping the words together.
Venom dripped from her upturned eyes.
Had her spirit not yet been broken?
I smiled in response and caressed her still-warm cheek.
Thorns lay hidden beneath the soft texture.
"You'll come to realize,"
I whispered with a deceitful tongue.
"that even such resistance is meaningless."
My sweet breath tickled her ear.
Elise merely trembled, her body near exhaustion, her fists clenched.
Even if she resisted now.
These hands, which she would soon be unable to defy.
"I can do as I please with Your Highness, at any time."
Her pale complexion was particularly delicate.
As I felt the warmth of her skin, a voice suddenly brushed past my ears. A fragment of a shattered past.
- Big brother... I'm hurt.
- I missed you so much I cried, but I listened to the nurse and stopped.
- Hehe! So pet me now!
I felt her fragile warmth and vowed.
To prevent the coming tragedy, to save Charlotte from despair, and to ensure a happy ending for everyone.
So that your fairytale would be different from mine.
"I will definitely save Your Highness."
Definitely.
I will save you.
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