The Sand Bride - Chapter 54

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After becoming the Sayar, Karzhen’s residence was moved to the palace in the center of the royal compound. Among its sections, Esther’s inner palace was situated in the deepest part of the palace, its diamond shape appearing so complex from above that it resembled a labyrinth.

Beyond its structure, the inner palace was originally where the king’s concubines, spouses, or high-ranking foreign hostages were housed, so security was tight. Esther couldn’t leave, not even to visit her father, let alone venture outside the palace.

She could enter or exit freely if Karzhen, the palace’s owner, permitted it, but he absolutely forbade her from meeting her father, so Esther had to be content with exchanging letters.

At first, Esther was satisfied receiving letters from Karzhen and writing replies. But that was short-lived; as more time passed, she became engulfed in another wave of anxiety. Karzhen gradually brought fewer letters, and now he had stopped bringing them altogether.

By her calculation, Karzhen had consistently brought letters at least once every three days, no matter how late. But recently, not only had three days passed, but a week had gone by, and Karzhen still hadn’t brought a letter.

It wasn’t that he entered the room empty-handed. Just as when he brought letters, he now brought more clothes, jewelry, and sweets when the letters stopped.

However, the items he brought were all luxurious and extravagant, yet they clashed terribly. Esther soon realized that Karzhen had terrible aesthetic sense.

He would bring elegant, light-colored silk clothes along with gaudy necklaces made of red rubies and gold, or he would give charming coral bracelets and alluring lapis lazuli rings together.

Despite these awful, extravagant combinations, which defied any sense of taste, Karzhen always presented them to Esther with an arrogant look. His expression was one of absolute condescension.

Esther accepted the items with an awkward expression but never opened or wore them. It wasn’t just because of the strange combinations. She simply felt uncomfortable with the very fact that they were gifts from Karzhen.

Everyone knows that giving gifts is an act of goodwill. But Esther was uncomfortable with Karzhen’s goodwill. It felt like walking around in beautiful clothes that might ignite at any moment.

Above all, the most joyful gifts for Esther were not any jewelry or silk clothes, but just a few letters. Letters from her father.

However, when Karzhen stopped bringing her father’s letters, Esther began to worry. Had he grown tired of her? Did he no longer wish to do anything for her father? Even now, when she was noticeably calmer than before, such a future still terrified her to the point of dizziness.

Thus, with desperation and urgency rather than shyness or excitement, she began to adorn herself.

Although she couldn’t go out to get adornments, the room already had a pile of items Karzhen had left, so she didn’t need anything else. Esther hesitated but unfolded the luxurious items, which were taken out and opened for the first time since they were brought.

‘Beautiful…….’

She hadn’t looked closely when she received them, mindful of Karzhen’s gaze, but seeing them all together, such beautiful things were new to Esther. Ornaments made of gold, garments adorned with silk and jewels, fragrant oils…….

As Esther carefully arranged each item, she momentarily felt depressed by the reality that she had to cater to Karzhen’s whims. But thinking of her father’s body, ravaged by illness, and his suffering face, she felt she could even act coquettishly, let alone adorn herself.

Yes. If only her father could regain his health, she could endure anything.

Clinging to that hope, Esther first neatly combed her hair with the golden comb Karzhen had given her and applied fragrant oil to the ends.

The powder didn’t match Esther’s complexion, as she was from the Southeast, so she couldn’t apply it. But after applying vermillion rouge to her lips, her reflection in the mirror seemed acceptable. She finished her face makeup and rummaged through the clothes.

Most of the clothes Karzhen had recently given her were too flamboyant and extravagant, but fortunately, they weren’t as complex as those in the Kingdom of Donova. Esther felt relieved that they were simple enough for her to wear by herself.

However, overly luxurious and ostentatious clothes were burdensome, so she chose the simplest and most monochrome dress. After dressing, she put on her accessories. Fully adorned, Esther sat beneath the bed, gazing at the door, nervously rubbing her fingertips.

It was almost time for Karzhen to arrive.

As expected, footsteps soon sounded. The confident strides down the corridor grew closer, finally stopping with the rustle of the bamboo blinds. And then, a veil-like shadow fell over Esther’s head.

Because of his immense height, more than a head taller than her, Karzhen’s shadow was also exceedingly long.

“…….”

Immediately after entering the room, Karzhen stood still, not calling her name or coming closer to embrace her as he usually did. Esther subtly glanced at Karzhen, and when their eyes met, she habitually lowered hers. In front of her, Karzhen kept his lips tightly shut and said nothing for a while.

An uneasy silence hung in the room. Had she done something unnecessary? It was when Esther finally, crestfallen, twitched her lips to utter an apology.

“Ah!”

A heavy, large body suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Esther and pressing her straight to the floor. Esther gasped, surprised by the hands holding her arms and pressing her down, but her scream was immediately muffled and scattered beneath Karzhen’s clamped lips.

Karzhen, straddling Esther, immediately thrust his lips onto hers. His large tongue, boldly invading her parted mouth, wildly stirred and rubbed inside her small mouth, then sucked at her lips with loud smacks. Esther gasped and pulled back, deprived of breath by his rough kiss.

“Ah, f**k… Don’t pull away, just stay still for a moment…….”

“Hngh…….”

As the body beneath him kept retreating, Karzhen, in his eagerness, cursed lowly and mumbled, but Esther was already terrified. He had lunged too quickly.

His furious movements, like a starved beast after three days of hunger, were so intense that Esther, accustomed to resigned acceptance, instinctively tried to escape.

Karzhen, pushing down the trembling, recoiling body, frantically buried his head in her neck and earlobe, beginning to bite and suck. Each time, the vermillion rouge on her lips smeared onto her chin, cheeks, neck, and his lips.

“Ah, ah~ ha~ah……!”

Only after he had thoroughly bitten and sucked her neck and cheeks to his satisfaction did Karzhen lay his hands on her clothes. His thick hands tore at the silk dress, pulling it up.

The rough motion broke the necklace around her neck, sending pearls scattering across the floor, but Karzhen didn’t spare them a glance. Only Esther was panting in terror, her breath ragged and sore from the oppressive atmosphere.

For the timid Esther, Karzhen’s eyes seemed terrifying. They were always scary, but his bloodshot whites and gleaming amber eyes were dozens of times more frightening than usual.

But before Esther could regret doing something unnecessary, a large, broad hand began to lift and pull at her silk dress.

“J-just a moment……! Just, a moment……!”

“A moment for what? I told you to stay still!”

Esther, startled by the force that felt like it would rip her clothes, tried to get up, but Karzhen pressed her back to the floor again. He seemed to have no time to fully undress her.

Instead, perhaps more aroused by her clumsy resistance, as soon as her soft b*****s were exposed through the roughly stretched neckline, he buried his head in Esther’s chest and began to suck.

Esther writhed, twisting her body at the sensation of him licking her areolas, then setting his teeth and tugging at her n*****s.

She flailed her arms, repeatedly murmuring in broken syllables for him to go a little slower, but Karzhen seemed to hear nothing. Instead, his hand frantically lifted her skirt and then plunged between her legs.

“Hngh!”

Esther threw her head back and moaned. Karzhen seemed to rub her p***y a few times before immediately thrusting in his thick fingers. Her still-dry p***y cried out in pain from the rough insertion of his fingers.

Esther trembled, timidly pushing Karzhen’s forearm, but the fingers plunging into her c**t did not stop. Karzhen’s panting clearly licked at her ears.

“Ha… I can’t hold back. Really…….”

His vision swam. Karzhen felt his heart pound heavily, like falling from a great height. His heightened excitement surged even more with each touch of Esther.

The fragrant oil in her hair had a sweet scent, and each time he kneaded and bit her b*****s, and plunged into her p***y, her ankles twisted, jingling. It was the sound of the thin gold ornaments on her anklets trembling with her body. It was an item Karzhen had brought with the most care.

He had given it to her because he thought the jingling sound would be pleasant to hear each time she walked. Thinking of Esther waiting for him, changing into her clothes, adorning herself, and putting on this anklet, Karzhen felt his chest surge with both lust and another emotion. He simply couldn’t hold back.