The knight took the handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead—then his complexion abruptly changed. He buried his nose into the cloth and inhaled deeply. Having drawn in the thickly soaked scent of Chaika’s pheromones, the knight shuddered faintly. His chest heaved rapidly as if he were short of breath, and he licked his dry lips as though trying to moisten them. The muscles in his clenched jaw twitched visibly. Reason drained from his eyes.
“Sir Knight?”
With an innocent, worried expression, Chaika took a step closer to him. He reached out toward the knight’s face. Thud. The hand he extended was seized. Before Chaika could even react, the knight roughly dragged him toward a secluded corner of the garden.
“S-Sir Knight? Sir Knight?!”
Though still a greenhorn, he was nevertheless a fully appointed Alpha knight. The force with which he yanked Chaika along was tremendous. Unable to keep up, Chaika was dragged down and tumbled across the ground. Even so, the knight—his eyes already gone—paid no heed, hauling the fallen Chaika along without slowing. It took only moments for them to reach a corner of the garden completely hidden from view.
The knight threw Chaika down onto the ground. Then he began tearing open his own clothing below the waist. His eyes were utterly unfocused, his face filled with naked lust and a clear desire to dominate.
“N-No.”
Using his elbows, Chaika scooted backward. But he slammed into a wall, leaving him nowhere else to go.
“Help—!”
Just as he sucked in a breath and screamed, the knight lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Mmph. Mm-mmph!”
Driven mad by pheromones, the knight’s strength was overwhelming. His large hand covered Chaika’s mouth—and his nose as well—cutting off his breath. Even if you’re going to rape someone, shouldn’t you at least let them breathe? You stupid bastard. Chaika struggled with all his might, striking at the knight’s face, but the knight didn’t budge.
With one hand still sealing Chaika’s mouth, the knight ripped his clothes apart. Thick winter garments tore completely with just a few violent tugs. The cold winter wind stabbed into Chaika’s bare skin. He didn’t stop struggling.
“Mmph! Mm-mph! Mmph!”
Raping someone with only one hand free wasn’t easy. The knight struck Chaika across the cheek with his free hand. His head snapped to the side, sparks flashing before his eyes. He felt something warm and tepid flow from his nose. In that brief moment, the knight tore apart Chaika’s trousers.
Chaika flailed wildly, kicking and swinging his arms in frantic resistance. In response, the knight slammed a fist into his abdomen. Guh—! The blow felt like it would burst his organs. His breath was knocked completely out of him, and tears streamed down his face from sheer physical reflex. His body stiffened from the massive impact, refusing to move as he wished.
Even as he gagged for air, Chaika let out a small laugh. Seeing those who strutted around pretending to be civilized transform into savage beasts devoid of reason was deeply satisfying. Yes—this was your true form.
In the end, the knight tore away Chaika’s pants and underwear as well. Left completely naked, his body trembled violently from cold and fear. As the knight grabbed his thighs, trying to force them apart, Chaika gathered what strength he had left and raked his nails across the knight’s cheek. Smack. The blow landed cleanly, drawing a bead of blood at the corner of the knight’s mouth.
“You fucking bitch.”
The knight traced his split lip with his tongue, then struck Chaika’s cheek. Smack. His neck twisted as though it might snap. His vision went black. He couldn’t think. In that instant, the knight punched Chaika in the abdomen once more, completely crushing any remaining resistance.
“H-ha… don’t….”
Just from being slapped twice, Chaika’s lips and the inside of his mouth were already torn to shreds. He could only gasp weakly as he murmured, acting like a naïve omega trembling in fear, unaware of anything. The knight pulled the dagger from his belt and stabbed it into the ground right beside Chaika’s face. The blue gleam of the sharpened blade reflected his expression. The knight bent down and whispered into Chaika’s ear.
“If you scream or resist, I’ll kill you.”
There was no mistaking the sincerity in his whisper. Hk—. Chaika’s breath caught on its own. Perhaps deciding that was enough, the knight began undoing his pants. At this rate, there was no way to stop him. The plan had been to almost be raped—not to actually go through with it. He’d been beaten enough. It was time to end this.
Chaika yanked the dagger from the ground beside his face and swung it with all his strength. Caught off guard, the knight—midway through freeing himself—leapt backward. Gripping the dagger with both hands and pointing it at the knight, Chaika screamed with everything he had.
“Lord Mihail!! Lord Mihail! Lord Mihail!!!”
He managed to shout only three times, wringing out every last ounce of strength he had. Smack! The knight struck him across the face immediately. The dagger flew from his grasp, skidding away, and his body collapsed limply onto the ground. The knight grabbed his legs and forced them apart.
“Please don’t! Please, don’t!”
Chaika begged, sobbing. But the knight showed no mercy. As if annoyed by the noise, he punched Chaika in the abdomen once more to silence him, then shoved his cock between Chaika’s legs.
“…I don’t want this. I don’t want it… Lord Mihail….”
He no longer had the strength to resist—or even to scream. Lying on the filthy ground smeared with snow and mud, Chaika wept uncontrollably, whispering Mihail’s name. Would he arrive in time? This had all been calculated under the assumption that he would—but now, suddenly, Chaika wasn’t so sure.
“Soon enough, you’ll be dripping and begging for more anyway. Omegas are all like that. Right?”
The knight sneered, his face full of anticipation. He pressed himself against Chaika’s entrance. Unlike with Mihail, Chaika’s rear was painfully dry and tight. The knight spat into his palm and smeared it over the opening, then pushed his cock firmly against it. Chaika squeezed his eyes shut. What are you doing, taking so long, you slow bastard?
“…Lord Mihail….”
His murmured words, spoken with eyes clenched tight, were soaked with sobs. Even if this had been intentional, the disgust was unavoidable.
Just as the knight’s cock began to force its way into the tight entrance—hot liquid suddenly splattered across Chaika’s closed eyelids. Startled, Chaika opened his eyes. What he saw was the knight straddling him—no, not the knight, but a body with its head completely gone. The headless corpse tilted slowly to the side, then collapsed heavily onto the ground.
With the knight’s body no longer blocking his view, Mihail came into sight. The moment Chaika saw him standing there, sword in hand, his face terrifyingly rigid, tears burst forth without any need to keep acting.
“Why did you take so long?!”
His true feelings slipped out before he could stop them. Ah—. He immediately regretted it. The innocent Chaika wasn’t someone who would blame Mihail like that. As if nothing had happened, Chaika curled in on himself, desperately trying to cover his naked body, and cried miserably. Mihail took a cloak from a nearby knight, wrapped it tightly around Chaika, and carefully lifted him into his arms. Then he pulled the cloak up over Chaika’s head, shielding his face.
“I was so scared. I was so, so scared.”
Chaika sobbed, repeating only how frightened he’d been. The arms holding him tightened. In Mihail’s embrace, he felt safer than anywhere else in the world.
After walking for some time, Mihail set Chaika down on something soft. When the cloak covering his face was pulled away, he found himself on Mihail’s bed. As Mihail tried to straighten up, Chaika grabbed the hem of his clothes with both hands, clutching it tightly. With eyes brimming with tears, he shook his head desperately.
In the end, Mihail remained by Chaika’s side when the physician arrived. Summoned in haste, the physician couldn’t hide his shock upon seeing Chaika’s condition.
“Wh-what on earth….”
He began speaking without masking his dismay, then fell silent upon seeing Mihail’s cold, hardened expression.
“We need to treat the injuries first.”
The physician set his bag on the table and took out his medical tools, selecting a few before approaching the bed. Seeing him come closer, Chaika panicked and pressed himself tightly against Mihail’s back, trying to hide. Watching Chaika cling desperately to Mihail, trembling all over, the physician looked troubled.
Without needing to ask, the physician seemed to grasp what had happened. He set the treatment tools aside, poured a small amount of wine into a glass, and added a few drops of liquid from a glass vial in his bag.
“He’s suffered a severe shock and appears to be in a mild state of trauma. After taking a sedative and getting some proper sleep, he should improve somewhat. His injuries are serious, so they’ll need treatment as soon as possible.”
The physician handed the wine mixed with sedative to Mihail. Mihail took it and brought it to Chaika’s lips. Chaika, tense and terrified, swallowed the wine little by little as Mihail held it for him. After being struck so many times, his lips and the inside of his mouth were completely torn, making even a single sip of wine excruciatingly painful.
Each time Chaika swallowed, his body flinched. Mihail gently pried open his mouth to look inside. Seeing the torn flesh within, Mihail’s gray eyes froze even colder, the muscles of his clenched jaw twitching violently. The raw anger leaking from him made the physician and the butler stiffen and step back several paces.
“Even if it hurts, you have to drink it all. Just bear with it a little longer.”
Though his face was rigid with fury, his voice as he soothed Chaika and helped him drink was gentle and tender. Tears welled up again in Chaika’s eyes. As he endured the pain and swallowed the wine in small mouthfuls, the tears pooled and spilled down his cheeks. Once he finally finished the wine, Mihail laid Chaika down on the bed with extreme care, as if afraid of hurting him further.
“After you sleep for a bit, you’ll feel much better.”
“Please don’t go anywhere. Stay with me. I’m scared.”
Clutching Mihail’s clothes like a lifeline, Chaika pleaded through tears. Mihail stroked his hair and nodded.
“I won’t move from your side until you wake up. When you open your eyes, I’ll be here.”
“…That’s a promise, right?”
The sedative was beginning to take effect, making Chaika’s speech sluggish and uneven. Mihail nodded again, a faint smile finally touching his otherwise cold face.
“I promise.”
Only then did Chaika seem reassured. His eyes slid shut, and soon he sank into darkness.
