🚨 R18/19 Warning: Please note that this translation is intended for adult readers and may not be suitable for all audiences. 🚨
“Did you... just realise that now?”
How deeply must he have resented her? How much hatred had he felt, knowing that the very thing sustaining his life was the same thing she swallowed without a second thought? What must it have been like to serve her tirelessly, witnessing her casually consume the one thing keeping him alive?
The fragments she had gathered, even if they were broken pieces, slipped away like sand grains, flowing through her fingers. The world surrounding Nokhee shattered.
Would this hell ever come to an end? Back then she had thought that: at least there was a servant who shared the same plight. If she could just endure a little longer, perhaps one day she could apologise for being so harsh back then, explaining that it wasn’t her true feelings.
“Yes. Since no one told me, there was no way I could know.”
She once dreamed that such a day might eventually arrive.
"Well, it’s not something I really needed to know, is it? What does a servant have to call his own? His life and his very existence — they’re just things meant to be given to his master, right?"
“...”
“Even if I didn’t realise it, I have you to thank for keeping me alive all this time. That’s why I came — to express my gratitude. But…”
Her lips trembled, and though she wasn’t running, her breath came out in shallow gasps. Struggling against the rising tide of panic, Nokhee forced the words out as if she were expelling something vile from her mouth.
“Those revolting things... Can’t you take them back?”
He, who had remained indifferent even as the Yoon family humiliated and belittled him, now displayed a sharp, intense glint in his eyes.
“Do you… understand what you’re saying right now?”
“I do.”
In the darkness, his golden irises glowed, narrowing into sharp slits. They resembled those of the snake-like beings she had encountered before, but the chilling aura emanating from him was far more disconcerting, causing her fingertips to tingle with cold.
Kijoon’s expression revealed his evident displeasure. Being asked to reclaim what had been forcibly taken from him must have seemed absurd. Still, Nokhee knew he wouldn’t simply disregard her words; after all, seven of those revolting things still resided within her.
“You must hate me as well, don’t you? A fool grasping at life, swallowing who-knows-what without any understanding — just to prolong this wretched existence a little longer.”
“...”
“Well, I hate it too. I’m tired of these revolting things clinging to my body.”
Nokhee hastily rolled up the sleeve of her jeogori, exposing the black scales on the inside of her left wrist. Even in the dim glow of the lantern, they appeared strikingly prominent.
Shoving her wrist in front of Kijoon's face, she launched into the excuse she had been rehearsing.
“You’ve heard the news about Bohee, right? That she might become the Crown Princess? Well, because of this, they say my chances of marrying are completely gone, Kijoon.”
Kijoon tilted his head slightly to the side. Her insides churned. She had never expressed any longing to marry a good husband, like other noblewomen dreamed of, having resigned herself to the belief that it wouldn’t happen in this lifetime, so she wasn’t sure if he would believe her now.
After a long, tense silence, Kijoon finally parted his lips, deliberately taking his time. It was slow enough to fray Nokhee’s nerves.
“...Do you wish to become the Crown Princess?”
“Yes. And even further than that.”
“...”
“I want to rise to the position of Empress.”
She spoke the words without the slightest hesitation, even though it was audacious for someone of her lowly birth to do so. Yet, she had no choice; she needed to dream big to make her desperation seem genuine.
"I want to rise to the highest position in this country. When I was young and cried from being ill, my father would soothe me, saying he would make me the Empress, so I shouldn't cry. Therefore, I must become the Crown Princess."
“...”
"But how can I possibly perform the wedding rites with a body like this? It would be a blessing if they didn’t cast me out for being cursed. While my father may have decided to send Bohee to the palace, he hasn’t even considered sending me."
“...”
“So please… take this back, Kijoon. Please help me become the Crown Princess. Okay?”
Before she realised it, her words had begun to sound like a plea. All she wanted was for Kijoon to remove the cursed scales and take them away, freeing her from this place once and for all. If she came across as a desperate, naive girl begging for something she didn’t fully understand — then so be it.
Just as she hadn’t understood that the objects she had consumed were the reverse scales of a monster, she had no real grasp of what it truly meant to become Empress.
She hoped that was exactly how she would appear in his eyes — nothing more, nothing less.
“This is tied to your life, right? Wouldn’t it be better for you to take it back?”
“Didn’t your father mention that it’s also the leash controlling me?”
“...”
“Even if you handed that to me, it wouldn’t bring any benefit to this household. Do you really think that if I received the reverse scales back, I would just leave, thinking it was the right thing to do?”
Kijoon asked indifferently, his head tilted slightly. Although his words were intended to be threatening, Nokhee unexpectedly let out a sigh of relief, something Kijoon could never have imagined, even in his wildest dreams.
"Starting with that weasel of a woman, your father, and every last one of your family members who shamelessly exploited me, not to mention those insolent servants of yours who dared to try to humiliate me, one by one..."
“...”
"What will you do if I tear them all apart and devour them?"
"It doesn’t matter. The death of a few obstacles in my path means nothing to me."
Nokhee met his piercing golden gaze head-on and repeated firmly.
"How could I ever ascend to the position of Empress without making such sacrifices?"
This time, she spoke with precise clarity, her voice steady and unwavering. Her words were so brazen they seemed to cross the line of audacity, prompting Kijoon to exhale in disbelief.
But Nokhee truly didn't care. Once Kijoon reclaimed the reverse scales, whether he devoured the members of this household, boiled them alive, or even tore her apart...
Would she have come if she hadn't been prepared for this level of resolve?
"The Grand Sharman and Father said I was too frail, so they petitioned the Crown Prince and the noble relatives to send Bohee instead. In the end, they chose Bohee over me."
It was only natural. With their biological daughter alive and well, how could they possibly send a mere adopted girl as the Crown Princess? The members of the Yoon family would even argue that it was a waste to send her off as a concubine without having had even a taste of her.
"But don’t lay a finger on Seonghyeon. Even if he’s just a half-blood illegitimate child, he needs to be placed above the head of the family to be useful for support later, right? I don’t want to be known as a nominal Empress without any maternal backing."
If she simply threw a tantrum about wanting to become the Crown Princess and asked him to take all of his reverse scales, it would certainly raise suspicion. So she pretended to negotiate with conditions to appear shrewd. But it was also what Nokhee truly desired.
After Kijoon took the reverse scales from her, she hadn’t completely ignored the thoughts about what would happen next. A yokai, especially an Imugi, was not something to be taken lightly even in folklore. She didn’t know for certain, but to resolve the grievances that had persisted for over a hundred years, even the mere act of shattering the noble household would not suffice.
However, even if he was a frustrating and despicable man, she could not bear to witness her only brother's death.
As if trying to read her intentions, Kijoon narrowed his eyes and scanned Nokhee's face like a snake, leaving her to experience the intense anxiety burning within her due to this silent man’s demeanour.
“Why so quiet? There are seven in total. With this much, don't you think you can stand up to the Grand Sharman?"
“What will you do if I say I don’t want it?”
"I’ll search for another yokai who can take this."
"Ha... That's an interesting thing to say."
At those words, Kijoon's expression finally shifted. He had been wearing an indifferent mask year-round, but it was as if he had been playing a prank, revealing his teeth with a broad grin. His sharply pointed fangs stood out prominently.
Nokhee stared at his face in a daze. She had never seen anyone smile so ferociously in her life. No, could that even be called a smile?
“Is it acceptable for a Crown Princess to have an impure body?”
“...Huh?”
"I am asking whether it is acceptable for someone who another man has defiled to consummate the marriage with the Crown Prince."
“Wh-what...?”
Kijoon's words surged like a storm, rapid and chaotic. Nokhee hesitated despite her bold assertion, struggling to understand his meaning. In an instant, he rushed forward and grasped her left hand tightly.
“To obtain these, one must either devour the lady whole or find another way to mate with her.”
“...”
“There must be some form of physical union, but I can’t just tear off and eat each of your scaled limbs one by one, can I? If the body of a new bride is tattered and hollow in places, it would be even worse than just having a few scales protruding.”
Kijoon’s fingernails which had suddenly grown sharp, gently scraped over the scale on her inner wrist. The rough sensation sent a shiver up Nokhee’s arm, causing her to flinch involuntarily.
“So, there’s only one option left. Is that acceptable to you?”
The man leaned in closely, whispering tauntingly in front of the pale-faced woman.
Was he trying to intimidate her by implying that she would have to succumb to a yokai? But regrettably, Nokhee already knew from Eokbun that her only option was to copulate with him.
―Do you know how to return a plucked reverse scale to its original owner?"
When she finally asked what she truly wanted to know, Eokbun had replied, trembling slightly.
Not only did an Imugi possess a unique spiritual core akin to a life force, but each yokai had one as well; for instance, the tail of a nine-tailed fox, the pouch of a goblin, or the horn on the forehead of an ogre.
If one could seize these, they would be able to absorb the yokai's power. While most yokai achieved this by hunting and devouring their enemies, there were exceptions. If a yokai’s companion weakened due to a loss of vitality, their strength could be replenished through mating.
The same principle applied to a human who had absorbed the reverse scales; to reclaim them, one would simply need to devour the human possessing them. However, aware of this, the Grand Shaman had divided the reverse scales among the Yoon family members to ensure it flowed through their bloodline for generations.
Since it was unclear which one possessed the reverse scales, he couldn’t simply go around devouring anyone at random. If he killed indiscriminately and allowed another yokai to consume what was hidden, reclaiming it would become impossible.
At least one was left, so he wouldn’t die, but a spiritual being without its spiritual core would weaken and eventually perish — this was the natural order. However, Nokhee had no intention of letting Kijoon die like that.
“...It doesn’t matter.”
Deep down, she wanted to say that she wouldn’t mind even if he tore her apart. If the others discovered that she had given all the reverse scales to a lowly creature, the Grand Sharman and Yoon Jucheol would come to kill her before she could take her own life.
It was uncertain whether they would kill her gently. Perhaps they would even throw her to the old lecherous men who had drooled over her in the past, telling them to have their fun before she died.
Before that could happen, she would prefer to give her pitiful body to a handsome man who might actually have some affection for her.
“Do you think I can’t even pretend to be a virgin? I can just sprinkle some animal blood to cover it up...”
But unlike her, Kijoon had to escape from this hell.
Nokhee muttered bitterly as if she were a woman driven to madness by her failure to become the Crown Princess.
“If I could just get rid of these repulsive things, I wouldn’t care about anything else.”
“Then hold onto the pillar, lift the hem of your skirt, and put it in your mouth.”
“...What?”
There was no opportunity to ask again. Kijoon suddenly took Nokhee's hand, pressed it against the pillar of the nearby pavilion, and then swiftly flipped her around so that her back faced him.
He then yanked the hem of her silk skirt up so roughly, as if to tear it, and brought the gathered fabric to her mouth. Before she could react, the cool night air brushed against her bare thighs.
"Ugh, Ki-Kijoon, Kijoon!"
Startled, Nokhee struggled, but she was wedged between the man behind her, who loomed like a mountain, and the pillar, unable to move an inch.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the bundle of fabric was shoved inside, and she protested with her mouth half-full.
"Ugh, wh-what are you doing?!"
"Didn't you say we should mate? Make sure to hold your skirt tightly so it doesn't fall."
The rough sound of the man's breath against her ear felt strange. This wasn't the usually indifferent Kijoon she was accustomed to.
"Ma-mate? But why are you lifting my skirt...?"
"I'm going to lick my lady’s pussy."
"Wh-what?"
"I’m saying I’m going to lick the hole where my cock will enter.”
"Ugh!"
Spouting vulgar words she had never heard before, Kijoon forcefully stuffed the rest of the skirt fabric into Nokhee's mouth and then abruptly bent down into a squat.
The hot breath that had been brushing against her ear a moment ago was now being blown onto her bare legs. Nokhee, who flinched at even that small sensation, was truly startled when one rough finger brushed near her groin and then finally pushed aside the undergarment covering her private parts.
"Did you wash before coming? Water droplets are forming on your hair... It’s unlikely that it’s already soaked with fluids.”
"Uh, ugh! Ki-Kijoon!"
"Be still."
Kijoon held onto her thighs firmly, preventing her from moving as he spread her legs wide apart. His hot breath brushed against her exposed genitals, laid bare without any barrier.
"Ung! Hng!"
Meanwhile, the man buried his nose in between and inhaled deeply as if smelling something. Nokhee gasped in surprise, feeling her opening twitch involuntarily.
“I thought you were just a little thing, as small as a mouse’s droppings, chasing after me... but before I knew it, you were giving off a distinctly strong female scent.”
"Heug, ah, don’t…”
The finger that had been combing through her damp hair slowly descended, brushing against the centre of her vulva, gently gliding over her most sensitive spot.
"Look, my lady. Even without lifting a finger, your juices are flowing out abundantly.”
As if to prove his point, he gently ran his fingertip against the tight opening a few times, producing a soft, squelching sound as the tender flesh rubbed against each other.
Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sensation rising from below, Nokhee found herself desperately grasping the pillar for support. Meanwhile, Kijoon’s amused voice rang so clearly in her ears that her face flushed a deep red and her breath quickened.
As the man’s fingers roughly explored the delicate flesh surrounding her inner body and the clitoris — areas she had never allowed anyone to see — Nokhee felt a tingling sensation deep in her lower abdomen, followed by a warm, slippery fluid beginning to flow each time.
Kijoon seemed indifferent as if nothing was out of the ordinary, yet she couldn’t understand why his simple touch left her feeling so agitated.
However, with her back turned and only clinging to the pillar for support, she remained oblivious. She remained unaware of how Kijoon’s golden eyes were fixed on the tightly closed crimson opening as if it had never been penetrated by even a fingertip and the glistening fluid that seeped from the narrow gap, clinging to his finger like fine threads.
Like a snake that has found its prey, the servant's eyes gleamed as he brought the moist middle finger to his mouth to taste it. The tart yet sweet scent of woman’s secretions coated his tongue. It was the same scent that would occasionally waft by when she forced him to hold a brush, insisting he help her with transcribing.
After sucking his finger clean until every last trace had disappeared down his throat, he finally inserted his saliva-coated finger into the lady's opening.
"Ah, heug!"
As a hard object suddenly spread her entrance and pushed inside her, Nokhee thrashed like a fish out of water and dropped the bundle of cloth she had been biting.
The soft silk hem gently brushed against her bare legs and draped over the man beneath. Despite having wormed his way under the lady’s skirt, the servant clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"I told you to hold it properly so it wouldn't slip, but you can't even manage that? You can't even write properly ― what exactly are you good at, my lady?"
"St-stop, stop... Ah!"
Something wet and soft touched her perineum. Even though she was inexperienced in the intimacy between a man and a woman, she knew what it was. It was Kijoon’s tongue.
As the finger slowly penetrated her opening, rubbing against the narrow inner walls, a long tongue lasciviously circled the area, eagerly licking up and sucking every drop of fluid that seeped out.
Though shrouded in darkness beneath the skirt, Kijoon, who was not human, could clearly see the scene below. A thick finger, calloused in places, was buried deep into the small, delicate pussy, which mirrored the lady's face in its daintiness. At first, it was tight and resistant, but the more he moved, the smoother and wetter it became.
If she were to witness this scene firsthand, what would the woman, who had audaciously claimed she would find someone else to take away the grotesque scales, say now?
The tip of his middle finger buried deep within the warm flesh, tingled as if a claw was about to unfurl. From deep within him, a savage desire surged upward.
If he wasn't careful, it seemed that he might scratch the delicate, tender spot with the tip of his finger. Instead, Kijoon forced his index finger into the hole and before the woman could notice, he began to lap at the exposed clitoris with his tongue.
Swiftly moving his finger up and down, suddenly, Nokhee’s body stiffened as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Uh, ah, heu, heunng!"
Liquid suddenly gushed out, dripping down along his finger. As he pulled his finger out from the tightly clenched hole and contemplated whether to lick them clean, Nokhee whimpered and pleaded.
"Huuu, haa… P-please, Kijoon... N-not that ticklish stuff, just put it in."
The sound of the little thing gasping for breath was surprisingly pleasant.
"If the hole gets torn and you end up limping around for a few days, everyone will think it's strange."
Upon hearing that, perhaps out of fear, the ragged breathing sounds stopped for a moment.
"Considering they’ve always stripped you bare for examinations, this time they might even tell you to spread your legs to check if you've been penetrated."
“How could that… Ugh!”
“Is that still okay?”
He immediately pulled out the two fingers that had been buried up to the knuckles. The flesh of her lower lips trembled, revealing a hole the size of a fingernail, where his fingers had been.
He was a yokai, not a human. How could she have not known? Kijoon found that even more intruiging.
Although quite a lot of liquid had flowed out, soaking the area around the hole, it was still far from enough. But what could be done? Since he had been caught in that situation with the reverse scales, he had to fulfil his role faithfully as a servant.
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