Antidote

When I raised my voice in surprise, he chuckled and kissed my cheek.

“That way, we can get rid of those who are only attracted to your appearance.”

“There’s no one like that.”

“Is that so…?”

Jiyod laughed again. After laughing for a while, he leaned in close, burying his face into my shoulder. His lips slowly brushed the spot where my neck and shoulder connected. A shiver began there and spread throughout my entire body.

“I wish you would age faster.”

He sighed against my neck, his lips still pressed to my skin.

“When you get older, and your looks start to fade, those who flock to you like moths to a flame will disappear.”

Each time he spoke, his warm breath tickled my ear and neck, making my Adam’s apple bob. I shivered slightly and whispered back.

“And what about you?”

Jiyod laughed for a long time again, and instead of answering, he kissed me deeply. I decided to stop teasing him, thinking to myself how fortunate I was that he wasn’t someone who only cared about appearances.

As he kissed me, he lifted my hips with both hands, spreading them apart. The sheets slid beneath me. Before I knew it, his hardened member was pressing against me from below. I moaned and clung to his chest. His body fell back, and as I mounted him, his heated shaft slid inside me.

Lying against his chest, I panted heavily. The thick column inside me twitched, trying to push deeper, and I, frightened, slightly lifted my hips. His grip on my hips tightened harshly.

“Slowly lower your hips.”

He pulled me down, and I whimpered, trembling. I barely managed to lower my hips as he guided, and his shaft slid smoothly into my depths.

“Ah, ah…!”

The position only allowed a little over half of his length to enter, but even that much made his manhood pulse wildly inside me.

“Push your hips down more.”

“I can’t… anymore….”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

He slapped one of my cheeks hard, and the sharp sound echoed as I yelped, my body jolting. The spot where he struck burned as if set on fire. Tears welled up, and I finally began to cry.

“That… that hurt… you’re so mean….”

“Don’t you like getting spanked?”

His low chuckle vibrated against my chest.

“Who said I like that…?”

When I resisted, he slapped my already burning cheek again, and I screamed. As I tried to pull away, he smacked me a few more times, making me sob.

“Stop… stop hitting me….”

“Yet, every time I spank you, your ass clenches around my cock like it loves it.”

He kneaded my hips roughly as he spoke.

My face flushed with embarrassment. Tears fell as I shook my head. But it was true—my insides were contracting tightly around his shaft. I could feel every bump and ridge of his manhood, especially the swollen tip, pressing deep inside me.

He started to thrust his hips slowly from below, and the textured ridges of his member rubbed roughly against my inner walls. The pleasure was overwhelming. I clawed at his chest, moaning desperately.

“Please… be gentle… ah, ah…!”

“You enjoy it. You’re dripping all over me, just like when I spank you….”

At some point, the fluids leaking from me had soaked both of our lower abdomens.

I gazed down at him with tear-filled eyes. Despite his rough treatment—despite spanking me and ramming into me hard—his eyes remained gentle.

I lowered my head and gave his sweat-slicked temple a soft kiss.

“And you…,” I whispered softly, “you like spanking me too, don’t you…?”

The words left my lips shakily, but I managed to say them. Jiyod inhaled sharply, and for a moment, his eyes flashed like lightning had struck them. He wrapped his arms around me and swiftly sat up.

Before I could even scream in surprise, his shaft slid out of me. He threw me down onto the bed and mounted me like a beast from behind. His hands gripped my waist tightly, pulling my lower body up. I lay flat on the bed, panting, my hips raised high.

“This time, I’m going to go all the way in.”

His voice was low as he warned me, and immediately, his length slammed deep inside with a wet sound.

I couldn’t even scream. My entire body shook violently, and I gripped the bed sheets tightly.

“You like me spanking you?”

I heard his low murmur followed by another chuckle from behind me.

His thick shaft withdrew briefly before thrusting back in. The hard tip slammed against my insides. I couldn’t handle it. I tried to squirm away, but he followed, holding me firmly in place.

“Ah… ahhh…!”

Soft cries escaped my lips.

He held my trembling body in place, forcing my hips up higher as he thrust into me. Clear fluids dripped from my own manhood, soaking the sheets below. The sound of his member hitting deep inside me echoed repeatedly. I sobbed, trying in vain to crawl away from him.

“It hurts, ah, it hurts… ah…!”

“Don’t try to run.”

He pressed down on me with the full weight of his body. His heavy form pushed me into the mattress, trapping me between it and him. I could only cry out in agony. He gripped my waist tightly, lifting my hips as he thrust so deep that his lower abdomen was flush against me. The firm head of his shaft pried me open, pushing to the furthest point it could reach.

“Hiiit, h-hngh… ahhh….”

Mindless whimpers escaped my lips.

My lower lip was slick with saliva, and tears rolled down my cheeks, soaking the sheets beneath me.

Maybe he realized I had no more strength to escape, because Jiyod raised his upper body slightly. He shifted his hands, gripping my hips and spreading me apart.

“Do you know how your hole is swallowing me right now? This tiny opening is taking me in all the way to the base….”

He muttered behind me, pulling back slightly before slamming back in. My body trembled violently. He rubbed the taut ridges of my stretched entrance harshly with his fingers.

“Ah, ahhn… ahh…!”

“You’re lying there all spread out… Is it that good?”

He began moving his hips again. I could tell his gaze was fixed intensely on the point where we were joined. Embarrassed, tears welled up in my eyes again.

His hand slowly caressed my lower abdomen.

“Right now, my cock must be around here, inside you…”

With that low murmur, a few more rough thrusts followed. Then he pulled himself out of me.

I lay trembling on the bed. My own member had already released, hanging limp after spilling everything.

At that moment, Jiyod grabbed my hand, which was limp on the bed, and pulled it back. Panting, I barely managed to look at him.

“Spread yourself open.”

“I-I can’t…”

“You can.”

He urged me on. In the end, I reached back with trembling hands, crying all the while. Kneeling with my chest and shoulders pressed into the bed, I took on a ridiculous position, raising only my lower half and spreading my buttocks apart with my hands. My hole, already loosened from the earlier rough penetration, easily opened, and I could feel it twitching. The shame made the tears fall even harder.

“Stay just like that.”

After saying that, Jiyod positioned his member at the entrance. The blunt tip rubbed against the folds of my anus, moistening the area with pre-cum before the thick head slipped inside. I nearly lost my grip.

“Keep holding yourself open. Don’t let go.”

As he said this, he pushed in until the prominent ridge of his head caught at the entrance. It rubbed slowly inside before pulling out, only to push back in and part me again.

“Haa, haah… Aaah…!”

“Can’t take it anymore?”

“It’s too much… Ngh… Aah, aah!”

This time, he started to stimulate me with his fingers. Gently rubbing the entrance, he inserted them, stretching me wide. The cool air brushed against the inner flesh as I quivered, my hips trembling, drool slipping from my lips.

“I don’t like this…”

Sweat from my back trickled down. My hands, holding my buttocks apart, kept slipping due to the sweat, and I was losing strength in my fingers. Jiyod pried me open even further with his fingers before positioning himself again. His thick, slippery head slowly pushed in, deeper this time without stopping. With his fingers still spreading me roughly, the pain intensified.

When I whimpered in pain, he removed his hand and instead pushed his penis all the way in. A short scream escaped from me.

“While I’m thrusting, hold yourself open tightly so I can see.”

“Mm…”

I barely managed to nod, and he gripped my waist tightly on both sides, slowly beginning to thrust like a piston.

Several light, dry orgasms passed through my lower abdomen. I struggled not to lose my grip, but as another wave of climax twisted through my body, my hips buckled, and I let out a long scream, eventually losing hold. My mind became fuzzy, and I writhed and squirmed like a snake. Jiyod pressed down on me from above, relentlessly thrusting into my swollen inner walls.

“No, no, no… Aaaah…!”

My half-erect penis released spurts of a faint, milky fluid—whether it was semen or not, I couldn’t tell. I screamed and briefly lost consciousness. When I came to, Jiyod was holding me tightly from behind, his member deep inside me, violently pulsing as he approached climax.

“Haa, haah…”

As I let out a small moan, he panted heavily, pulling his penis outward. The swollen head caught at the entrance of my anus, teasing the sensitive area as it moved back and forth a few times before he finally ejaculated. His member twitched as he came, withdrawing completely and then thrusting back in again until it was over.

I collapsed, limp.

My vision was blurred, my eyes unfocused. Tears had soaked my eyelashes, making them stick together, and drool dripped from my parted lips.

“Ah… Aaah…”

My body was still trembling, unable to come down from the climax.

Jiyod withdrew from me.

As the head of his penis slipped out from where it had been caught, thick semen dribbled from the stretched opening. I could feel it running down the insides of my thighs. Each time I shuddered from the lingering pleasure, my anus twitched, and more semen oozed out. I closed my eyes again, too drained to feel embarrassed.

I was just relieved that, since he had ejaculated shallowly both times today, there was no need to flush out the semen with water.

Jiyod turned me over, pulling me into his arms as he lay beside me. His warm hands, still radiating heat, gently stroked me. His lips pressed softly against my tear-soaked eyelids.

“You did well.”

I didn’t reply, but instead, I hugged his waist tightly and burrowed into his chest. Our bare, sweat-covered skin clung together. He let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms and legs around me, holding me tightly.

With my forehead resting against his shoulder, I slowly steadied my breathing.

My body, still tense from the rough encounter, gradually began to relax.

Under his broad chest, I could hear the slow rhythm of his heartbeat. Listening to that sound brought a sense of calm that made the intensity of the earlier intercourse fade away. Between the beats, I could hear the gentle sound of his lips kissing my face. His tender, soft kisses stirred a sudden, unexpected desire within me.

I had thought I would be satisfied if we could just stay together until spring. But now, even after two seasons had passed, my desires were growing.

I opened my eyes and looked at Jiyod. His kind eyes met mine. We gazed at each other for a moment before he smiled and pulled his lips into a playful grin, leaning in to kiss my nose softly. I suddenly grabbed him tightly, pulling him closer.

Maybe you’ll stay in Karlac longer, and I can keep spending my days like this?

With that hopeful thought, darker, more pessimistic ones crept in.

The situation in Karlac was changing rapidly, and there had been no improvement in my madness.

Ismion said I was slowly regaining my memories, but aside from those dreams, nothing had changed in my daily life.

Ismion’s words about not giving up on anything, Jiyod’s whispers that everything was for me, and Urkal’s advice to just trust and wait… it all swirled in my mind.

I forced those thoughts away.

As I tightened my arms around him, Jiyod hugged me back.

“You don’t need to worry about anything,” he whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead.

“I’ll take care of everything….”

I nodded in response.

***

It was a peaceful afternoon, with a gentle breeze from the Kövisto River signaling the approach of summer, softly sweeping over the sturdy castle walls.

After giving the two sisters milk mixed with honey and putting them down for a nap, I had just stepped out into the garden, holding Kirsten, who had been whining for a new toy soldier.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion. Kirsten, who had been playing with my hair, blinked in surprise.

From one side of the garden, a servant came running, panting heavily. His face was as white as a sheet, and his eyes were wide open as if he had just witnessed something terrifying. Without even acknowledging me, he rushed past and disappeared to the other side of the garden.

As I stood there, puzzled, I heard quick footsteps approaching from the garden entrance.

It was Lisbeth. Her face was stern and stiff. About ten knights accompanied her, their expressions just as tense and rigid as hers.

“Slan!”

She spotted me and called out softly.

Holding Kirsten in my arms, I hesitated before bowing slightly. Lisbeth quickly rushed over to me.

“Take Kirsten to her room and go to your room too!”

“What’s going on…?”

“Hurry!”

She urged me.

Confused, I nodded, then quickly took Kirsten inside. Kirsten kept tugging at my hair.

“Why? Aren’t you going to play with me?”

“Later. I can’t right now.”

The boy whined in protest. I sat Kirsten down in a soft chair and gently patted his soft head.

“I’ll come back. We’ll play war games then.”

Kirsten pouted and mumbled something unintelligible. After making me promise several times that I would return, he finally let go of my hair.

I hurriedly left the room.

People were rushing around the corridors and hallways. Everyone’s faces were pale.

What’s happening?

With my heart pounding, I quickened my pace toward my room. Just as I reached the entrance to the annex, I heard a loud crash, like something heavy had fallen, coming from the south wing of the main building. My head instinctively turned in that direction. At that moment, an older knight in armor shouted at me from the corridor leading to the main building.

“Get inside, quickly!”

Startled, I rushed through the door and into the hallway.

No one was there.

Limping slightly, I made my way to my room, and after closing the door, I finally let out the breath I had been holding.

My heart was still racing. I pressed one hand against my chest, holding it down. It took almost a full minute before the frantic pounding, as if my heart was about to burst through my ribs, began to subside.

I had nearly forgotten about my aching ankle as I paced around the room in circles. Only when the throbbing returned did I stop and sit down on the bed.

What’s going on?

What was that loud noise?

A wave of overwhelming anxiety made my hands tremble.

As I bit my nails in nervousness, someone carefully pushed my door open. I jumped up in surprise.

A small head cautiously peeked through the slightly opened door.

“May I come in?”

It was the boy who had brought me food before.

I waved him in excitedly, hoping he had brought even the smallest bit of news, like a messenger pigeon. And my hope wasn’t in vain.

“Did you hear?”

“I was just about to ask you. I haven’t heard a thing.”

“They’ve ordered the gates of the mansion to be locked. From now on, no one can come in or go out.”

“What?”

My voice raised unintentionally, and I quickly covered my mouth in shock. My hand, pressed against my trembling lips, shook. Locking down the entire mansion and forbidding entry or exit was not something that happened often.

“Why?”

“That, I don’t know yet… I’ll find out and come back to tell you. But right now, the knights are patrolling everywhere. They’re walking through the courtyards and corridors in their armor. I felt like stepping out would get more than just my tongue cut off—my whole head.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Concern surged up in me, and I couldn’t help but voice it.

“Knights don’t hesitate to kill.”

“I know,” the boy said with a mischievous grin, winking playfully.

“The head cook says I’m good at sneaking around like a mouse. Don’t worry. And I do value my neck.”

With that, he left quietly, whispering that he’d be back. I sat back down on my bed, trying to suppress the anxiety rising within me.

The sun had started to set by the time I finally left my room. The hallway was eerily silent. I tiptoed carefully, making my way toward the main building. The effort to keep my footsteps silent made my left ankle throb.

As I pushed open the side entrance door, a large figure blocked my path.

I swallowed hard and looked up.

A knight, fully armored, stood before me. He seemed barely twenty. I had seen him with Lister and the other knights before. He looked down at me with a troubled expression.

“Please go back inside.”

He spoke in a blunt tone. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to push me back but couldn’t bring himself to touch me.

I took a small step backward.

“Madam Lisbeth…”

“Madam Lisbeth has strictly ordered that no one leave the mansion. If you need anything, she will summon you herself.”

His firm words made my shoulders droop, and I nodded in resignation.

As I turned back into the hallway, I heard heavy footsteps behind me and the sound of the door being thrown open. Startled, I looked back.

Lister was standing there. He closed the door and strode into the hallway.

I instinctively took a step back. But just beyond the doorway were other knights, some of whom were Lisbeth’s followers. I struggled to steady my erratic breathing.

“Why are you out here?”

His question came out in a blunt tone.

I didn’t want to talk to Lister, but now wasn’t the time to run.

Suppressing my urge to flee, I kept my gaze down and spoke.

“I was just curious… about what’s happening.”

Lister spat out a curse angrily.

“That bastard…!”

His voice was filled with fury.

And what he told me next was truly shocking.

I don’t even remember how I managed to escape back to my room.

Just a few hours ago, while I was playing in the garden, changing Kirsten’s torn clothes, and bathing him, Jiyod had drawn his sword in the heart of Karlac Castle and severed the second head of the Triumvirate.

Not metaphorically, but literally.

Blood spurted as the old man’s head flew off. Since there had been no warning of the murder, everyone at the scene screamed and collapsed on the spot.

Amidst the shouts to seize the murderer, Jiyod calmly placed the severed head on a silver platter and presented it to the Duke of Karlac. He didn’t forget to bow respectfully, saying he offered the head of a traitor. As soon as the Duke of Karlac screamed to bring evidence, witnesses streamed in, as if waiting for their cue. A knight who had long served the second head of the Triumvirate, an apprentice of the household magician, and a merchant who supplied oil to the manor… It seemed there were at least thirty witnesses.

What was the expression on the Duke of Karlac’s face as he sat on the throne?

I imagined her pale and beautiful face twisting in anger, though I was terrified.

No matter how powerful the Duke of Karlac was, he couldn’t possibly ignore over thirty witnesses. Even if the traitor they unanimously pointed to was the second head of the Triumvirate, who had been like her right hand….

Purge.

That bloody word suddenly surfaced.

Everything I knew swirled in confusion in my head.

“Don’t forget. Everything I do is for you.”

Jiyod’s words echoed a hundred times in my ears.

Is this all for me, too? I wanted to ask, but there was no one around to answer. I cried a little and then fainted, overwhelmed by a severe headache.

When I regained consciousness, it was dawn.

The surroundings were so quiet, it felt as if there wasn’t a single living soul left.

I slightly opened the door, and for a moment, gazed down the dark corridor that stretched out like the entrance to an endless hell, before closing it again.

Ten days passed like that.

During those ten days, a bloody storm swept through Karlac Castle.

Knights stormed into the mansions of the high nobles who had once been part of the Triumvirate. Starting with the youngest children, down to the elderly and even the clueless servants, they were all beheaded.

Those who tried to save their lives scattered in all directions like sparrows hit by stones, with the knights chasing them down. The brutal manhunt turned the entire Karlac Castle into a sea of blood. Blood flowed between the pink sandstone and white marble tiles, and corpses piled up like mountains.

Lisbeth, refusing to take part in any of it, firmly shut the doors of Glenberg Manor and barred the massive gate from the inside.

Some of those fleeing the knights knocked on the manor’s doors, begging for help. Among them were even servants belonging to Glenberg Manor and relatives of knights who served Lisbeth or Lister. But Lisbeth allowed no one to enter or leave the manor.

In the end, it was a wise decision. The enraged Duke of Karlac either exiled or beheaded anyone who so much as showed the slightest sympathy toward the traitor’s side.

I locked myself in my room and trembled all day long.

Even with the door firmly locked, the stench of blood seeped through, and no amount of incense burned or cleaning done by the servants throughout the manor could get rid of it.

All night long, the sound of someone sobbing floated through the corridors of the manor like a ghost.

The door, which had been shut as firmly as a rock, finally opened after ten full days. A long bloodstain was left on the surface of the sturdy gate.

The heads of the traitors and their families were hung on the high walls. The stench of blood from the bodies mixed with the soft summer breeze and the scent of grapes in the bright sunlight.

Before a month had passed since the shocking news that the second head of the Triumvirate had plotted treason against the Duke of Karlac, a second death was announced.

It was Enric.

He succumbed to a winter fever he couldn’t shake off. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but given his young age, the long illness, and the chaotic atmosphere in the castle, gossipers were spinning suspicious stories about his death. They whispered that it was strange for someone to suffer from winter fever for so long, that he was too young and healthy to die from such an illness, and that his appearance at death didn’t seem typical of someone who died from winter fever….

But Enric had been a wizard of Karlac, someone who had no inclination toward any side in the power struggles within the castle, so those rumors were soon overshadowed by the shocking stories of treason and the purges. New rumors quickly replaced them.

Ida, who had been meant to serve only temporarily while Enric was ill, continued to care for me. I had secretly preferred the calm and taciturn Ida over the somewhat shallow Enric, and had once wished that Enric would remain sick a bit longer. That cruel and secret desire seemed to have somehow contributed to Enric’s death, and I was tormented by guilt. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a quiet joy at the news that Ida would continue to attend to me. Realizing this made me feel utterly miserable and wretched.

Around that time, someone was chosen to fill the vacant seat in the Triumvirate.

A loyal young knight, who had once served as a royal guard and the gatekeeper of the Orzen Gate, was appointed to the position. Someone brought up the issue of how he had once opened the Orzen Gate without the Duke of Karlac’s permission to allow the Lord of Ipsen through, but the matter was quietly buried.