Chapter 66

### Chapter 65 Extra (?) - How to Steal a Woman (14)

‘...Where am I?’

When Lena opened her eyes, she saw a long row of bookshelves.

Her field of vision was incredibly low, and Lena was trembling with fear, clasping her tiny hands together.

Lena had returned to her childhood.

On either side, familiar faces were looking at her with worried expressions.

They were the maids who had taken care of her.

This was the library in the castle where she lived, a clean and tidy place where not a speck of dust was allowed.

Someone was approaching her with angry strides, not overly ostentatious but exuding an ancient charm.

Feron IV.

Her father.

But his appearance and the view before her eyes had changed significantly.

Feron IV had returned to his youth, and Lena had to crane her neck to look up at him.

But she felt no joy.

Lena could sense the reproachful look in his eyes, even though she didn't understand the situation.

Feron, standing before her with an overwhelming presence, shouted.

"Lena de Feron!"

"Ah... Yes, Father..."

The voice that came out of Lena's mouth was not that of an adult but a low, soft child's voice.

"Is it true that you dared to sneak into the library and deface the records!"

"T-That... Ahh..."

"How dare you ask where this is!"

"Huh... Huh..."

"Can't you even make an excuse! This is unacceptable!"

Feron's angry outburst left the maids standing beside him in a state of unease.

Feron, with the maids standing to the side, began to spank Lena's bottom demonstratively.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Ahh! It hurts! Ahh!"

"What are you screaming about!"

"Ahh! I'm sorry, Father! Huh, please forgive me! Ahh!"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

But even Lena's heartfelt cries did not stop Feron's punishment.

Feron IV was strict in disciplining Lena.

If she made even a small mistake before she became an adult, he would take out a cane and punish her, no matter where they were.

It might seem shameful and harsh for a princess, but it was because of this that Lena grew up properly.

Feron did not raise his children like other nobles, but as a leader of a country, he was strict.

Whenever he was angry, he would take out the cane, and Lena would accept the punishment willingly.

Her dream began with the cane and continued with Feron IV's continued punishment.

But even so, Lena did not feel anger or resentment towards the punishment.

She believed that her father's punishment was a form of love.

Lena had grown into a proper adult, and instead of the elaborate dress she usually wore, she was now in silver armor.

Feron IV, now aged, was sitting on the throne, shouting at her.

"Stop talking nonsense! Why are you going to the battlefield!"

"Grand Duke Feron! If I don't go now, there will be no one to lead the soldiers!"

Lena, who had always accepted her father's words as the truth of the world, was showing a completely different side.

The two stood face to face, neither backing down.

As they argued loudly, Feron IV clutched his left chest and collapsed.

"Ugh!"

"Father! Grand Duke Feron!"

Lena almost called him "Father" but corrected herself and rushed to support Feron IV.

The retainers around them also ran to his aid in shock.

"Ahh, no... I can't send you because I am... inadequate. Rather, I... Ugh..."

"Ugh... Grand Duke..."

Feron IV had ruled the duchy as a wise and gentle leader.

His political achievements and accomplishments were recognized by the people, but the problem was that he was born with a weak body that could not go to war.

The king did not need to go to war.

But the general who had been leading their troops had died in battle.

Feron and Betel, who were leading the war, needed not only troops but also a leader to take the front.

And the most suitable person for that position was Lena de Feron.

"Grand Duke Feron, don't worry! The war is coming to an end. I'll be back soon!"

As Lena said, the situation in her dream was that the fall of the Demon King's castle was imminent.

The siege of the Demon King's castle would be arduous, but with the hero by her side, it was practically a victory.

"Ugh... I'll go! Ugh..."

"Grand Duke Feron!"

Feron IV, spitting out a stream of blood from his mouth, pleaded with Lena.

"Lena... please don't go... for the sake of this father..."

"...Grand Duke."

"I am not a grand duke. You are my daughter... how can I send my beloved daughter to the battlefield..."

Feron IV had never treated Lena as his child in front of others.

It was a side of her father she had never seen before.

Lena clenched her teeth and smiled bitterly as she saw Feron crying.

"I will... I will return and accept a severe punishment."

"Lena! Ugh..."

Feron fainted and survived by lying in bed.

As Lena led the soldiers out of the castle, she made a vow.

'Grand Duke Feron... no, Father. I will return and... accept the punishment as a child.'

After that, Lena never saw Feron IV again.

The hero suddenly disappeared, and the war was lost.

When she woke up after the final battle, she was in the damp dungeon of the Demon King's castle.

She could only spend her life working for the Demon King to save the lives of the people of the Feron Duchy, whom she would never see again, and her father.

...

...

“...”

“Did you wake up?”

Lena lifted her upper body and had a dazed look on her face.

In her field of vision was a man.

He was leaning on one arm on the desk, holding a book with the other hand, and reading in a slanted position.

“I'm sorry.”

“You always say sorry.”

“...”

Lena was slightly hurt but tried to compose her expression.

But there was something that didn't match her memory.

She was clearly reading a book, but the book was gone.

'Something's off lately...'

Lena, who had been in a foggy state of mind, felt refreshed after having a dream.

And because of that refreshing feeling, she was able to clear her mind and notice the strange points.

'This man... he's definitely doing something...'

It was strange that she suddenly felt sleepy and fell asleep, and the dream she had was so vivid that it made her start to suspect.

'Yesterday's dream... sigh...'

Yesterday's dream was something Lena couldn't understand even when she thought about it.

She knew that dreams don't always follow logical thinking, but even Lena couldn't accept the situation.

'I must be crazy... asking to be hit...'

Lena not only felt the situation in the dream but also the emotions.

Lena, who woke up with a clear mind in the morning, remembered and felt the emotions of offering her bottom to Sungshuh for a beating.

Lena thought of Verius, who had been entrusted with the key.

'Could that child... No, even if he did, he wouldn't give the key away so easily.'

Even though Lena's trust in Verius was at rock bottom, entrusting him with the key was a sign of minimal trust.

Lena thought about the man.

'Incubus? No, he looks like a normal human. I should be cautious.'

Even though her mind was clear from the dream, the unease didn't go away.

'Anyway, he's leaving in a few days... Yes, in a few days...'

Thinking that the man in front of her would soon leave, a sense of emptiness washed over her.

The sense of relief she felt when she was with this man was like a last hope.

Even the eccentric dreams made her laugh, and walking around the garden or library made her feel at ease. This man gave her a sense of hope.

He was like a stopper in the turbulent waves of her heart.

The thought of him removing the stopper and leaving again made her feel like the waves were crashing again.

The man in front of her helped her regain her composure.

Suddenly, the man stood up.

"Let's go. I'll read the rest tonight."

"Yes, I understand."

Sungshuh was holding two books.

Lena thought about helping him carry the books, but the man quickly headed towards the librarian.

"Can I borrow these two books for a moment?"

"Of course! The books in that section are mostly useless and should be discarded. You can take them!"

Lena's forehead twitched slightly at his words.

'They worked hard on them. Useless...?'

Lena wasn't the author, but the thought of books containing human records and memories being called useless made her heart ache.

The man took the two books and left the library, and Lena followed him.

As they headed towards the guest room, the evening sunset was shining down the corridor.

The sunset, like a carpet on the corridor, made Lena's day end happily.

When they arrived at the guest room, the man spoke.

"I'm hungry. We don't have any dinner plans today, right?"

"No, we don't. Would you like to eat?"

"Yes, two servings."

"...Understood."

The dinner with him was an awkward yet anticipated occasion.

Just as Lena was about to turn and head to the kitchen, the man called her.

"Wait."

“...?”

"Take this."

"This is...?"

She didn't notice when it was on his arm, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was the book she had been reading.

"Put it in your room on the way and read it later when you're comfortable."

"Um..."

"I'm going in."

The man didn't wait for Lena's response, opened the large door of the guest room, and went in.

***

"I have a rough idea about the princess."

[I never thought the reason for wanting punishment would be something like that.]

'Well, human emotions aren't perfect. It might not be true.'

She probably never thought that her first act of defiance, after following the grand duke's orders all her life, would be her last.

The situation was good with the hero, but she didn't expect him to suddenly disappear.

She thought that when she returned from the war, her father would smile and punish her, but she ended up never seeing him again.

Although it's unique, it seems she has a hidden desire to be punished.

I put the thoughts about the princess aside and thought of Viola.

"Is she still playing around?"

When I returned to the guest room, Viola was still not there.

She had gone out in the morning and hadn't eaten.

I felt that I had been too indifferent.

She would be fine if she met Beatrice, but it could be dangerous if she wandered around without meeting her.

"Damn, I'm suddenly feeling uneasy..."

[You don't need to worry too much. They will be cautious since they know a human guest has arrived.]

"That's a relief."

As soon as I stepped out of the guest room, I saw two people approaching.

Viola and Beatrice.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew..."

Just as I took a step towards them, I heard them bickering.

"If it weren't for me, you would have been in big trouble, nya!"

"Ugh... They suddenly made me do all sorts of things..."

What's that all about?

..

..

Viola said she had been wandering the castle in the morning, looking for Beatrice.

But the problem was that she got lost and ended up in the dining hall.

By chance, the dining hall was being cleaned by women, and they thought Viola was a new woman and made her clean.

Viola, not knowing what to do, just did what they told her, but she enjoyed cleaning so much that she happily did it all day. She was eventually found by Beatrice and brought back.

But according to Beatrice, it wouldn't have been a problem if they had only made Viola clean, but the noblewomen had called her stupid and low, among other nasty things.

"...What the hell!"

"Ugh, I'm sorry. Mr. Shuh..."

"No, no! Viola, I'm not angry at you."

I hugged Viola, who was covering her head with her hands, thinking I was angry at her, to reassure her.

Beatrice, with her shoulders squared, said,

Wow, that's a lot of shaking.

"Really! If I hadn't seen it, you would have been cleaning all day, nya!"

"Really, thank you!"

"Hehe. If you're grateful, bring me more clothes later, nya."

"Ooh, I'll give you panties as a gift!"

"T-That's okay, nya..."

Beatrice took a step back with a look of disgust.

I'm hurt...

Actually, I was planning to let the noblewomen off with a warning.

I was already busy dealing with the men.

But my mind changed.

After seeing the princess's dream, I didn't want to let it go.

I asked Beatrice,

"Beatrice, how did the thing I asked you to do yesterday go?"

"Ah! I asked the manager, and he said it was enough, nya."

"Is it enough for about 20 people?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure about that, nya. I'll have to ask, nya."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Alright, nya."

"If you do well, I'll definitely bring you panties."

"Alright, nya!"

Touched by my words, Beatrice ran out of the guest room with a tsundere-like tone.

'She's so cute...'

[...]

"Armonia."

[Yes.]

"Is it possible for women too?"

[It's definitely possible. It's even cheaper than the male version.]

'Great, great... Hehe... Just thinking about it is so exciting.'

I held Viola in my arms and smiled wickedly.