Chapter 39
“Riddles were never my taste. I’d rather ask something else.”
“Like what…?”
“How about a deal? Just so you know—you’d be wise to accept. That way, I’ll let yesterday slide. Today’s answer too. Even the suspicions that grew because of it.”
Katie’s eyes widened. She was still trapped in the tension of his earlier question—meaning the advantage was already his.
Yet here he was, offering to bury it all.
Why?
Her mind couldn’t make sense of it.
“What are your terms?”
“Satisfy another curiosity of mine.”
Simple enough. She’d expected demands for money, a life, or classified intel.
But she’d overlooked one thing: Helion was never predictable.
He slid his thigh between her legs, pressing up deliberately against her core.
Katie gasped.
Her lower half, still sore from yesterday, reacted instantly to even this light touch.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Hmm. This?”
His lips brushed her ear.
A hot exhale, and the delicate shell flushed crimson.
“I’m curious, Katie. What color are your insides? What sounds does your mouth make when the lower one’s wrapped around a c**k?”
Helion felt no duty to the Empire that had tried to kill him.
“The Empire’s safety is the Crown Prince’s safety?” What a joke.
A spy’s identity mattered less than his own interest—and right now, she was far more intriguing.
“How can you say such things?!”
“You asked for my terms.”
“You Perv!”
“Sharp observation. I appreciate you noticing without me having to spell it out.”
Katie’s face twisted in fury, her teeth grinding—yet she couldn’t bring herself to shove him away.
This was the devil’s whisper. He knew nothing, had no proof she was a spy—this was just a ploy to test her.
Don’t fall for it. Stay sharp.
If she accepted his offer now, it’d be tantamount to admitting she had something to hide.
But if she refused… What if her earlier answer had been wrong? What if he already knew, and she was kicking away her only chance to survive?
“If I agree to this deal… what happens?”
“You’ll spend every night gasping beneath me. Don’t look so shocked—it’s nothing you haven’t shown me already. Two weeks ago. Just last night.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Tch. You’re better off not knowing.”
Helion’s gaze lazily drifted downward. His lips, which had been teasing her ear, trailed lower, pressing against the bruised flesh of her throat—where he’d bitten her the night before.
“Don’t assume I’ll only bite your neck. I’m a virtuoso of torture.”
Only then did Katie realize: She never had a choice.
Whether she accepted or refused, he’d take her body. The only difference was whether it’d be gentle or brutal.
“You bastard—even hell wouldn’t take you.”
Her fists clenched. But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to swing them at him.
* * *
The terms of Helion’s deal were simple. Katie would satisfy Helion’s curiosity, and in return, Helion would refrain from probing into her true identity.
On the surface, it was a perfectly rational exchange—one curiosity answered for another.
The only catch was that Katie’s virginity was on the line.
Drip. Drip.
Inside the humid bathroom, where water droplets fell steadily from the ceiling, Katie sat motionless in the tub, lost in thought.
“Don’t overcomplicate it. Just think of it as providing labor.”
She already moved her body in exchange for payment—she was a knight, after all. So, in a way, this deal wasn’t so different. The only distinction was that the “labor” involved was something society deemed lewd.
“Easier said than done. Damn it.”
No matter how she tried to rationalize it, the unease wouldn’t fade. In the end, she’d curse under her breath and bury her face in her knees.
But there was no turning back now. Her silence had been her acceptance.
Almost immediately after, Helion rearranged the guard shifts.
“From now on, Dame Katie will be in charge of my night watch.”
“You mean permanently, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
“Working every night will be exhausting—not due to any failing on Dame Katie’s part, but because of the human body’s limits. Disrupting the natural circadian rhythm is harmful to one’s health.”
Despite Edward’s sincere advice, Helion didn’t budge.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of my kitten.”
Knowing Helion’s stubbornness, Edward couldn’t press further.
And so, the day had finally come.
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