The Sand Bride - Side Story 1.2

* * *

The large body caused the bead curtains to part with a heavy sound. Karzhen burst into the room in his usual hurry. On the wide bed toward which his steps were directed, a woman was sleeping, curled up like a cat. It was Esther. Karzhen approached the side of the bed impatiently.

“Still sleeping? Wake up for a moment…….”

At the sound, Esther slowly straightened her crouched body. Esther moved so slowly that Karzhen had to wait a long time until she finally looked at him. Esther’s eyes, finally lifting her body, stared blankly at Karzhen before dropping back to the floor.

Her expression looked exhausted. At her lifeless appearance, Karzhen licked his dry lips and sat down next to Esther. Then he pushed the puppy he was holding into her arms.

As something soft, warm, and fluffy was suddenly embraced in her arms, an emotion of bewilderment briefly flickered across Esther’s face.

She carefully looked at the object nestled in her arms and realized it was full of soft, white fur. The ball of fur twitched, and soon a small, bean-like black nose, two eyes, and a pink tongue were revealed. Esther blinked.

It was a puppy.

“…….”

However, even knowing it was a puppy, Esther didn’t show any particular reaction. Of course, she thought it was cute, but her mind and body were too exhausted to squeal and pet the puppy. Her mind was always fatigued, and today her body was too.

Last night, Karzhen seized Esther, whose period had just ended, and f****d her until dawn. Having fallen asleep almost as if she had fainted at the end, she was in the middle of a deep sleep when Karzhen woke her by calling her name. Thus, she was in a foggier state than usual.

Esther carefully set the puppy down on the floor. Even though she was exhausted, the hand that put down the cute, young animal was gentle. But the friendly puppy wagged its tail, put its front paws on the bed, and looked at Esther.

It was just as Esther, feeling a slight burden from the blind and innocent affection in its eyes, turned her gaze away.

“What, you don’t like it? Look closely. If the hide is good, I’ll raise it and skin it for you.”

“Ah, no. It’s alright, please don’t.”

Even so, Karzhen’s words about skinning the young puppy right in front of her were unpleasant to hear. Esther shook her head. However, Karzhen seemed disappointed that Esther didn’t show the reaction he expected.

He called the servants and had them take the tail-wagging puppy away. It perfectly matched the routine: he always brought things himself, but if Esther didn’t like them, he had others remove them.

After the servant holding the puppy withdrew and they were alone, Karzhen glanced between Esther’s collar. Seeing the clear marks he had left last night, his d**k seemed to stir again. He reached out and grabbed Esther’s b****t, but when she immediately turned her body, he withdrew his hand.

“Why, you don’t want to do it?”

“…….”

Esther indirectly expressed affirmation by slightly avoiding his gaze. Thanks to Karzhen not letting her go even as dawn broke yesterday, her lower body was still weak.

However, she didn’t expect him to take her circumstances into consideration, so when Karzhen pulled down his lower garments and took out his semi-e***t p***s, Esther lowered her head with a nonchalant expression, preparing to suck him.

But Karzhen pushed her away as she was about to lick his c**k, and lightly stroked the forehead of Esther, who looked up at him with a bewildered and slightly wary expression.

“It’s fine. You just sit still.”

Then, he grasped his semi-e***t p***s with his own hand and slowly began to stroke it up and down.

Esther was startled when Karzhen suddenly started m**********g and looked up at him with wide, rabbit-like eyes, but as soon as their eyes met, she dropped her gaze back to the floor as if touched by fire. Seeing her state made him feel somewhat pathetic about his own position, but Karzhen quickly shook off that thought and concentrated on his m**********n again.

As his hand moved, massaging the shaft and rubbing the glans, his p***s gradually grew larger. While jacking off, Karzhen pictured Esther in his mind. He moved his hand, recalling her cheeks flushing red hot whenever she reached an o****m, her sweat-drenched neck, and her pleading eyes.

Imagining this made his mouth go dry. Moving his hand while imagining it was inside Esther, who had tasted his palm countless times already, the self-mockery of calling it a ridiculous state before starting felt meaningless as he felt himself grow hard. Karzhen gritted his teeth and let out a suppressed groan.

“…….”

Hearing the groans of the highly aroused man so close, Esther was at a loss for what to do.

She turned her gaze towards the wall as much as possible, but she couldn’t ignore the heat because Karzhen was pressed so close. Her fingers gripping the blanket were white with tension. Every time the c**k made a squelching sound from the fluid oozing out of the glans due to his excitement, she looked distressed and trembled.

Karzhen, who had one hand pressed against the headboard behind Esther and was jacking off with the other hand pressed close to her, finally couldn’t hold back and thrust his face toward Esther. As she reflexively tried to pull her body up in surprise, he urgently spoke, his face inches from hers.

“I’ll just kiss you. You don’t hate that, right?”

“Ah…….”

“Yes, I said I’ll just kiss you, huh?”

Karzhen, who was murmuring as if comforting a child, thrust his lips forward as if afraid of rejection before Esther could even answer. He timidly shoved his tongue into her tightly closed, unparted lips and sought out Esther’s tongue inside.

A sticky sound was made whenever their tongues tangled. Karzhen bent his waist to kiss her while concentrating on grabbing and stroking his p***s with his hand.

As e*********n approached, Karzhen’s hand, which had been resting on the headboard, moved down. The large hand grabbed Esther’s nape, pulling her closer and forcing her lips to part wider.

As the hot, wide palm massaged her nape, Esther gasped softly and writhed her body. Then, her small hand, which had been flailing in the air, touched Karzhen’s p***s. He, who was already stroking it roughly due to the impending climax, immediately spurted his s***n the moment Esther’s hand made contact.

“Haa…….”

Karzhen let out a low breath and removed his hand from his now limp p***s. It was a pleasure that was disappointing in many ways.

Esther jerked her head to the side at Karzhen’s s***n that had soaked her thigh area. Not just her cheeks, but even the skin around her eyes had turned bright red.

Seeing her lips, wet with saliva, trembling softly, Karzhen moved his lips in disappointment but ultimately withdrew. He thought he should stop for now, as she genuinely seemed unwell today.

He tidied his lower garments and lay down right beside Esther. After throwing away the blanket stained with s***n and pulling up another blanket underneath, he stuck close to her. He felt his lower body heat up again, but he firmly endured it.

Esther tried to awkwardly pull away from Karzhen’s embrace, but Karzhen’s arm held her waist tightly, making it impossible.

“Esther.”

Karzhen, looking contentedly at Esther nestled in his arms, called her name. Esther replied faintly.

“Yes…….”

“Have you decided what to name that son of a b***h?”

“…….”

That son of a b***h? Esther flinched slightly at the vulgar word, then soon realized it referred to the puppy Karzhen had brought today. She slowly shook her head.

“No…….”

“You don’t have anything in mind?”

“Not really…….”

As Esther replied without any enthusiasm, Karzhen frowned with dissatisfaction. He hadn’t expected her to faint with joy, but he thought she would at least agree to name it, yet Esther genuinely seemed uninterested.

“Ah, of course! Within a week, they grow so attached that they smile, saying they are happy just looking at it.”

Oh yes, in a week, you’ll see me again for whatever reason. While Karzhen, recalling the face of the self-assured young merchant bastard, ground his teeth, Esther laid her tired body down in a deep sleep.

* * *

By the time Esther lifted her sleeping body, it was already early morning. Karzhen was gone. Instead, the servant who woke her informed her that Sayar had gone out early in the morning for his duties.

Having slept soundly and haphazardly, Esther felt much better and ate her early breakfast.

The table was set with boiled eggs, fresh young leaf vegetables drizzled with a sweet and sour sauce, grouse meat grilled crispy over fire without oil and seasoned only with salt, and white bread to accompany it, all for her, who especially lacked an appetite in the morning.

Thinly sugared biscuits and milk were also served, but Esther finished her meal by eating only a pomegranate, then quickly washed her body.

While the servants were drying Esther’s hair, one servant disappeared somewhere and returned when another was brushing Esther’s hair. In the servant’s arms was the familiar puppy. As Esther raised her head, the servant set the puppy down on the floor and bowed respectfully.

“Sayar has commanded that you spend time looking at this animal for one week.”

Only after her hair was brushed, braided, and adorned with ornaments did the servants withdraw. Esther, left alone, stared blankly down at the puppy wandering on the bed.

The puppy was already shaking its head, chewing on the tassel of a silk cushion that had slipped off the bed. The large cushion’s tassel was bigger than the puppy’s head. It was that small and young a puppy.

Watching the puppy, she suddenly wondered which would take longer: the puppy’s lifespan or the time it would take for Karzhen to tire of her, but she quickly stopped. Neither outcome would be changed by Esther’s will.

The puppy would grow up vigorously in this palace whether Esther wanted it to or not, and Karzhen would similarly manipulate her as much as he desired. Thus, thinking about it was pointless. An unchangeable future was like that.

Esther burrowed into the bed without enthusiasm. She tried to sleep again but had to open her eyes because of the puppy licking her toes.

Esther hesitated, got up from her spot, and looked at the puppy. More accurately, seeing its snow-white fur, she recalled the beautiful friend for whom she always felt guilt and remorse in a corner of her heart. Bianca. My friend who must have died lonely in that desert.

Pressing down on her stinging eyelids, Esther picked up the puppy. The puppy innocently rolled its eyes and wagged its tail. Its white, fluffy, warm fur gently enveloped Esther’s palm. It felt like a warm snowball.

Esther pursed her lips slightly in thought, but ultimately relaxed her face, deciding she had to name the puppy. After all, she didn’t want this puppy to genuinely have its skin peeled off.

“I’ll think about your name.”

Esther whispered softly, watching the puppy, which immediately started chewing on the blanket when she set it down on the bed.

The first name that came to mind was Bianca’s, but she couldn’t easily decide, feeling she didn’t have the right. To use the name of Bianca, who died because of her, for a puppy. That felt too senseless.

Esther remained deep in thought until it was time for lunch, when the servant came to take the puppy away again. Yet, even at the moment she met the merchant who gave her the puppy again, she hadn’t managed to name it.

* * *

A week had passed since Jeremy gave the puppy to Sayar. Jeremy, who had been resting comfortably in an expensive lodging with the money earned from selling the puppies, had to open his eyes one morning on the eighth day since sending the last puppy, awakened by a hand shaking him roughly.

Just what servant would treat a guest so roughly!

Jeremy got up, thinking he would immediately express the appropriate complaint to the lodging owner as a guest, but was startled to see that the person in front of him was not a servant of the lodging but an unsmiling military official, and he sprang out of bed.

“Sayar’s lawful wife wishes to see you.”

“What?”

Jeremy blinked, unable to process the situation. His demeanor suggested he wondered if he was still dreaming.

However, perhaps severely displeased with his attitude, the soldier frowned.

“Hurry. Do you intend for the likes of you to keep her waiting?”

The soldier, with sharp eyes, looked down at the instantly intimidated Jeremy and motioned with his chin. His eyes asked why he wasn’t getting ready immediately.