Chapter 26: Past Wounds (2)
- Reira ☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
- Nov 18, 2025
- 6 min read
So that meant…
“Alto!”
If Viviana hadn’t mustered all her strength to push him away, he would have stayed like that until he collapsed from dizziness.
Viviana, chasing after Alto into the bathroom, threw herself against his body with force. Startled, Alto lifted his head out of the water.
Losing her balance, Viviana crashed to the floor with a loud thud.
“Viviana!”
Seeing her small, fragile body tumble across the bathroom tiles, Alto’s face turned pale. He quickly supported Viviana, carefully checking her limbs for any fractures while scolding her.
“What are you doing? You could get seriously hurt if you fall in the bathroom!”
“Hurry up and untie this damn rope!”
“Uh…!”
As Viviana struggled, the rope tightened, leaving scratches on her delicate skin. With no time to grab a knife or scissors, Alto held the rope with both hands and tore it apart.
It was a superhuman strength no human could believe, but Viviana, already aware of his true identity, was not surprised. She rubbed her reddened arms and muttered.
“Ugh, bondage play isn’t going to work. I can’t reach out to hold you when I want to. I should have just listened when you told me not to tie my arms.”
“Viviana.”
He was touched by her rushing over out of concern for him, and his heart ached.
But before he could express that feeling, another wave of nausea swept over him. Alto hurriedly got to his feet.
“Ugh!”
Even though he had already emptied as much as he could, he gagged again. Viviana, unsure what to do, fidgeted anxiously as she tried to comfort him.
“It’s okay, Alto. It’s okay. Is there nothing I can do for you?”
“Clothes…”
Alto’s request was truly unexpected.
“Please put on clothes.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Because of the rope marks on your body… ugh.”
She didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed important to cover her body. Viviana hurried back to the room and grabbed a slip.
‘Wait a minute. He asked me to cover up the rope marks.’
The sleeveless slip was thin and sheer, so the marks would clearly show through. As Viviana glanced around, her eyes fell on the shirt Alto had thrown off.
‘Wow, it’s really big.’
Alto’s shirt hung down like a dress, reaching the middle of her thighs. She roughly rolled up the long, dangling sleeves, and a freshly washed Alto stepped out of the bathroom. The moment he met Viviana’s gaze, he lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologise for. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
Viviana embraced the pale-faced Alto. She didn’t fully understand what was going on, but it was clear that the rope had been the problem.
‘The marks left by the rope are pretty harsh.'
Even though she had chosen a soft rope to avoid causing injury, vivid red marks, like those from a whip, were clearly visible.
‘He's been uneasy ever since the first time I handed him the rope.’
And yet, it was none other than Viviana herself who had eagerly asked to be tied up with the rope.
Viviana smiled awkwardly and tugged him closer.
“Come here.”
Just like how Viviana had climbed onto the bed earlier, this time, she lay Alto down. She carefully covered him with the blanket up to the nape of his neck and held him close. Her small hands brushed through Alto’s hair.
“You still look very shaken. Let’s lie down and rest today.”
But Alto seemed completely blank. With his lips pressed tightly together, he quietly accepted her touch, and after a long silence, he finally spoke.
What spilled from his lips was a bitter truth from the past, unbearable in its intensity.
“When I was young, my grandfather would lock me in the basement if I couldn’t control myself. When I was little, he didn’t tie me up, but as I grew older and stronger, he would tie me up and beat me.”
Tied up and beaten? Alto called it discipline, but wasn’t it essentially abuse?
Seeing Viviana dumbfounded and at a loss for words, Alto hunched his shoulders as if he were being scolded.
“It happened when I was a child. After I learned to control myself, it naturally stopped. So I thought I was fine now… but the moment I saw the rope marks on your body, it all came back.”
Alto’s face twisted as if speaking alone caused him pain. Viviana shook her head.
"You can stop talking now, Alto."
“Viviana.”
Tears welled up and fell drop by drop from Viviana’s green eyes. Alto sat up and pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve made you cry again. I’m sorry.”
"It’s not because of you. I’m crying because I’m angry at myself. I didn’t even realise you were struggling like this…"
Without even realising it would touch his trauma, she had playfully handed him the rope. She wanted to smack her own head in shame at her ignorance.
“I’m sorry, Alto.”
“No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”
"I’m truly heartbroken. What terrible things did the Duke do to you as a child…?!"
Tears streamed down her face, and at some point, anger welled up inside her.
‘Honestly! I should have realised he was a crazy old man the moment he made me wear those black leather panties!’
She couldn’t understand why she hadn’t thought that such horrific abuse might also have been directed at Alto. Viviana clenched her fists and spoke through gritted teeth.
“I’ll confront the Duke about this! I’ll make him apologise, no matter what.”
“It’s already in the past.”
“But you’re still in pain!”
She flushed bright red with anger on his behalf, and he found her utterly endearing.
Alto cupped her face and kissed her. Viviana, eyes wide, slapped his forearms with her palms. Then, she went limp, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and surrendered herself completely to the kiss.
After a long while, Alto pulled back and planted kisses all over her face as if he couldn’t suppress his affection.
Viviana pushed Alto’s face away with her palm and twisted her body.
“Seriously! You’re trying to just let this slide like that?"
"I’m not saying this just to let it slide."
Alto drew her back into his arms and said.
"I really think things will be alright now, Vivi."
Even now, thinking back to that day in the past made his legs tremble with fear. But with Viviana there, crying and getting angry for him, he felt he could finally face that past fully.
“Thank you, Vivi.”
Alto whispered to Viviana with all his sincerity. Viviana, eyes brimming with tears as she glared at him, sighed and buried her face in her hands.
"I don’t know, really. I’m so stupid that I don’t know what I’m supposed to do."
“Vivi.”
“...”
Hearing her name spoken so tenderly, Viviana peered at Alto through her fingers. A soft blush coloured his cheeks.
“There’s something I’d like you to do.”
“What is it? If it’s something you want, I’ll do anything.”
“What I want is very simple.”
His hands, veins standing out prominently, gripped her slender waist tightly. Lewd words poured from his otherwise composed face; words she could never have imagined.
"I want to hold you. I want to kiss you ravenously, bite your pale shoulders, and suck your round breasts. After that, I want to enter your secret place that only I know."
“D-don’t say something so obvious. You just turned so pale and ran away a moment ago. Do you really want to say something like that now? You’re just trying to fluster me so I’ll push you away, right?”
“Why would I do that?”
Alto’s red eyes were full of pure curiosity.
“I always feel like I am lacking."
At a loss for words, Viviana could only blink and stiffen. Alto buried his face in her chest, pulled close by her, and whispered.
"I love you, Viviana. Please help me forget the pain."
“That…”
Viviana, still hesitant, flushed crimson and whispered back in a tiny voice.
“…What should I do?”
At her question, Alto nearly burst out laughing.
It was truly astonishing. He was much bigger than her. He was solidly built and exceptionally strong. He had never once fallen ill, as healthy as one could possibly be. Anyone would say it was only natural that she was under his protection.
And yet, she always stepped forward bravely. She said she would get angry on his behalf and asked what she could do to protect him.
‘You’re far braver than I am.’
That was why he liked her.
As he became aware of his feelings for her, his arousal stiffened again. Perhaps sensing it, Viviana, who had been resting quietly in his arms, broke into a sweat and straightened her back.
Alto lifted her up just as she was.
“Kya!”
Viviana screamed as she was suddenly lifted into the air, twisting her body in panic.
Fearing he might drop her, Alto held her tightly and carried her to the bed. Gently setting her down, he narrowed his eyes.
"Now, I’m going to do as I wish. You just need to stay still."
"W-what are you planning to do?"
“Thanks to you, I’ve tried plenty of sadistic things, so now I’m going to do something gentle.”
“Gentle?’
“You just need to stay still.”
Translator's Corner:
Apologies for the late post! I'll post this week's chapters for TWDS in advance since I completed them, too~
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