The Sand Bride - Chapter 43

His thick tongue pressed softly against her lower lip before thoroughly exploring her mouth. Already wet inside, his tongue stirred and prodded, mixing their sticky saliva as if sucking on her tongue itself.

When Karzhen’s tongue rubbed against her palate before pulling back to suck at her lips, Esther, even in her daze, startled and tried to pull away. But as he thrust upward into her lower belly, a faint moan escaped between their joined lips.

“Mmm…! Hngh, ughh…! Ah……!”

Karzhen’s kiss was unbearably rough. His large mouth could easily swallow her lips whole, and his thick tongue ravaged her mouth completely. Esther struggled, limbs flailing as she gasped for air, but pinned under his heavy body, she couldn’t move.

Her slender legs stuck out between his sides, kicking weakly, but as he resumed thrusting, they curled inward. Karzhen kissed her while driving his hips down ruthlessly. Whether he was close or simply unrestrained, Esther sobbed and cried out again.

“Ugh, mmph… ah~! Hahh… ngh……!”

With her moans muffled against his lips, Karzhen’s back muscles tensed, and Esther felt something warm spreading inside her belly.

When Karzhen pulled out and lifted her into an embrace, the bead that had been pushed deep inside slowly descended. S***n trickled from her slightly parted entrance before the bead caught at the opening.

When it refused to come out easily, Karzhen shoved his fingers deep inside and began scraping it out. Esther’s hips jerked upward, her a*s shaking with each movement. As the bead was finally pulled free, pushing past her c**t, her body stiffened.

“Uuugh…! Mgh~~ ah…!”

The thick fingers digging into her p***y dislodged the bead, now coated in s***n and slickness, and it fell with a plop. Her twitching hole gradually tightened, and after a few weak upward jerks, her hips finally stilled.

For a while, Esther’s thighs and inner a*s quivered before she finally went limp, completely drained. She didn’t even have the strength to close her widely spread legs. Her unfocused gaze wandered somewhere in the room, her sprawled limbs looking like a broken doll’s.

Karzhen clicked his tongue before fumbling for a cloth and draping it over her body. Then, gathering her disheveled hair in one hand, he smoothed it down over her shoulder.

“Hey, Eder.”

Esther, still catching her breath with flushed cheeks, looked up at him at the sound of her name. Karzhen grinned cheerfully, lightly rubbing the faintly colored corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

“How about we go outside tomorrow?”

Since you enjoyed today so much. He added with a smile, stroking her back, but Esther didn’t respond, simply lying boneless. Her exhausted body, pushed to its limit, was overcome with fatigue.

Her head drooped sleepily before she finally succumbed to slumber. Karzhen looked down at her with a bored expression. After a moment’s hesitation, he properly laid her on the bed and stepped outside.

Though he had phrased it as a question, Karzhen had already decided to take her out regardless of her answer. Ordering his attendants to prepare for the outing the next day, he fell into deep thought once they left, lips pursed.

A conversation he’d had with his siblings not long ago resurfaced in his mind.

* * *

“Hard to say.”

Her toned arm muscles tensed as she drew the bowstring taut. Taking aim, she released, and the arrow sliced sharply through the air before embedding itself perfectly in the bullseye. The attendants clapped, but Greta didn’t seem particularly pleased.

After all, her arrows always hit their mark—and the bigger reason was her older brother sitting behind her, complaining incessantly about Esther’s behavior.

“You must be bored.”

Even to Karzhen’s grumbling, Greta responded with an indifferent tone, showing no active reaction. From her perspective, it was only natural.

A former slave woman that Karzhen played with was hardly an important figure to Greta, and true to the aloof nature expected of royals, she had no interest in those outside her concerns. But Karzhen scowled and grumbled irritably.

“At least say something with a little sincerity, Greta. As a woman around her age, don’t you have any thoughts?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Greta looked at him as if he’d lost his mind before scoffing.

“How should I know what goes on in that woman’s head? If I were her, I’d have either killed you or myself by now.”

“…….”

Karzhen silently acknowledged the truth in her words. Greta was right—not just her, but he and Hakan were the same. If someone desired them against their will, they would challenge, fight, and let victory or defeat decide the outcome.

The strong claiming victory was the natural order, and civilization had merely seeped into the process. Deep within Gharyam’s fundamental ethics lay an unwavering belief in challenge, defeat, and the resulting submission—especially among royals.

Thunk. Greta’s arrow struck the bullseye again. She was the best archer among the royals.

Having never missed a shot in her life, Greta spun an arrowhead idly on her fingertip before speaking again, this time with the minimal sincerity Karzhen had been seeking.

“Why not bring in Bianca? You know, that woman you saw before. I hear she was quite close to her.”

“Hm.”

It was a plausible suggestion, but Karzhen still didn’t seem satisfied. Just as Greta, unfazed, was about to propose Bianca’s visit again, a voice cut between them.

“Or perhaps going outside would do her good.”

“Outside?”

Karzhen shifted his gaze to Hakan, who strolled in with a shrug before continuing.