episode_0197

[193rd Episode] – Responsibility of Choice (1)

“…Ah, my waist…”

Every time my waist twinged, the memories of last night kept coming back to my mind, and I found myself frowning without realizing it. The area between my hips was so sore that it hurt, and my waist trembled so much that it was difficult to stand.

Our breaths mixing to a hot degree, our saliva and fluids blending into a hazy color, bodies entwined so tightly that air couldn’t pass through. It was truly an excruciatingly lewd night.

“I told you to go easy…”

Last night, I could experience firsthand that pleasure, when excessive, can turn into pain. The pleasure surging up my spine made it hard to even breathe, and I thought I might actually faint from it.

The sensation of not just falling asleep on my own, but actually feeling like I might lose consciousness. Everything in front of my eyes turned white with ecstasy, making it hard to breathe, and even a faint moan couldn’t escape.

My pelvis trembling incessantly, unable to let go of Titania’s fingers, and underneath, soaked in saliva, veins bulging on the hand gripping the sheet.

“Ha, ah…!”

After that, as my whole body relaxed in the aftermath of climax, Titania would either bite my erect nipple forcefully or pinch my swollen clitoris painfully to wake me up.

The stimulation that turned from pleasure to pain tightened my throbbing head again, and every time, all I could do was plead with Titania that it was too much, begging her to stop. But…

“Ah, huk…! Ti, Titania… Please, ugh, stop now…”

“…Didn’t I tell you? Even if you faint, I’ll wake you up. I have no intention of letting you sleep today.”

Titania, as if determined to keep her words, pushed me to the end with an even more intense pleasure, a pleasure that made it difficult to regain consciousness. Because of that, there wasn’t much I could do.

Embraced in Titania’s arms, I could do nothing but cry, plead, sob, and moan like a child wetting the bed with love juice, which was all I could do.

…I think I really lost control at the end. The memory was so hazy that it didn’t come to mind. When I came to my senses, the bedding had been cleared away, and Titania just smirked silently.

“…Sigh.”

Was it because I was lying on the bed where I did such a thing yesterday? My lower abdomen kept twitching due to the memories of last night that kept coming back. It was hard to endure, but the fact that it was so good made it hard to let go.

But, I couldn’t afford to do this kind of thing again. I realized that excessive pleasure turns into pain. Moreover, I felt like I had done too much lately, so I thought I should refrain for a while.

Knock-

Someone knocked on the door of the empty bedroom. Huh, who is it? There shouldn’t be anyone entering the bedroom right now. The maids were dismissed under the pretext of illness, and Titania went to work.

In response to the sudden knock, I quickly put on the coat that was lying next to me, covering the traces of last night that Titania had left on my body. Then I cleared my throat and asked the person standing outside the door.

“Ahem, who is it?”

“It’s Bangscho, Your Majesty. I have something to tell you briefly…”

“Bangscho? Ah, well, come in for now.”

I was worried that the pungent smell of last night’s affair might still linger in the room, but I had aired it out and lit a scented candle, so it should be fine. Bangscho, who entered the bedroom with my permission, greeted me.

“I greet Vivian Snow White, Your Majesty. You said you were unwell. Are you feeling okay?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just a simple cold…”

As I sniffed the scent of the bedding for confirmation, only the scent of the scented candle lingered at the tip of my nose.

After checking the blanket, I responded to Bangsyo’s worried greeting with a bashful smile and reassured him not to worry. It’s just a slight cold. An odd kind of cold that makes only the lower body tremble so much that it’s difficult to walk.

As if relieved by my smile, Bangsyo approached me slowly, brought a chair, and sat down next to me quietly. When he sat down, he too let out a pained groan, as if his back hurt.

Come to think of it, Bangsyo has aged quite a bit. When I first saw him, his beard wasn’t so white, but now, when I came to my senses, Santa-like white beard had grown long on Bangsyo’s chin. He had so much beard, but why is his hair…

“Phew… I’m glad it’s just a simple cold.”

“Cough, cough. There’s no need to worry too much. Are you sure your health is okay these days? Isn’t it about time to retire considering your age? You seem to be suffering too much for your age…”

“Haha, don’t say such things. I can still go on for another 10 years. It seems too early to give this position to the young ones. Besides, who else will govern this country if not me? Everyone seems to run away from this position within a week.”

“Hahaha, that’s true. There’s no one else but you to do it.”

We exchanged frivolous jokes and laughter. I listened to Bangsyo’s complaints mixed with jokes and shared various stories. New ministers not listening, foreign minister causing chaos again.

After sharing several lively stories, I looked at Bangsyo and asked. Surely, he had something to tell me when he entered the room. It should be okay to get to the point now.

“Yes, you have something to tell me?”

“…Yes, I have something to tell Her Majesty the Queen.”

As I brought up the main topic, the cheerful atmosphere that had been present until now suddenly turned cold. Bangsyo stared at me intently, lips pursed. Not the usual smiling eyes, but a serious gaze.

“…Your Majesty, I respect your choice.”

“…? What do you mean-”

This is about the “relationship” between Her Majesty the Queen and the former Queen. Whatever love you two have, I intend to respect both of you.

“…Huh? I, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Bangsho. My relationship with Titania? Love? What does that even mean…”

In an instant, it felt like my heart dropped to the ground. Bangsho’s words seemed to pierce through me, making it difficult to breathe properly. What on earth is this…

…Am I caught? Have I been exposed after all? How? Where? Our relationship with Titania was only in the bedroom, right? We didn’t stick together or anything outside because of others’ gazes, did we? Where on earth…

My heart raced, my mouth dried up, and my stomach churned. I managed to swallow the urge to vomit. What should I do? What should I do? Should I just pretend it’s not true for now?

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’ve been watching over Her Majesty the Queen and the former Queen for over 10 years now. In doing so, you come to know things even without being told, don’t you?”

Bangsho’s words gave me a terrible certainty. Ah, I’ve been found out. In the end, our relationship with Titania has been exposed to someone else. Was it a wrong choice after all? What should I do from now on?

“Ah, well, I…”

My lips, pale from shock, twitched and uttered meaningless words. With no answer in sight, tears welled up, and in the shock, my mind couldn’t continue to think.

What should I do, what should I do. Lost in these thoughts, I felt Bangsho’s wrinkled hands clasping mine. With that sensation, I looked at Bangsho with teary eyes.

“Don’t worry too much. Didn’t I tell you? I respect Her Majesty the Queen’s choice. In this entire palace, no, in this entire kingdom, I am the only one who knows this fact.”

“Ah…”

Bangsyo started to comfort me by gently stroking the back of my hand. He respected my choice, and without asking for reasons or probing further, he simply offered a kind smile.

“I didn’t come here to blame the queen. Love isn’t a sin, you know. Haha!”

“Bangsyo…”

In response to Bangsyo’s joking laughter, I found myself laughing too. Love isn’t a sin, but no matter how much I think about it, my love with Titania is nothing short of a sin. Bangsyo replied that he doesn’t care.

“I’ve just come to ‘discuss’ things that will happen in the future. It seems that the patience of the other ministers is reaching its limit.”

“The other ministers…?”

Annoyed, Bangsyo sighed deeply, then firmly grasped my hand and looked at me with a serious expression. At the mention of the patience of the other ministers, I had a vague sense of what Bangsyo was going to say.

“…Queen, cruel as it may sound, while the choice is free, the responsibility for that choice must be taken.”

“Responsibility… surely not…”

“…As you expected, it’s about the ‘successor.’”

The word “successor” made my head spin and sent a shiver down my spine. I had thought it was a problem to be solved someday, but I hadn’t expected such urgency so soon.

“…The other ministers are feeling anxious.”

“Anxious, you say…”

“Even to the Queen who seems to have no intention of marriage and to the Queen who doesn’t reprimand her. If things continue like this, everyone is seriously worried that we won’t have a proper successor.”

“Ah…”

“Actually, I never intended to meddle in the relationship between the Queen and the Queen Consort. I thought it would be a secret I’d take to my grave if possible. However, the fact that I’m saying this now…”

“…It must be an urgent situation for you to come to me. So urgent that it’s hard to stop.”

Bangsyo nodded and let out a sigh.

What on earth made Bangsho come looking for me and say such things? I was momentarily irritated to the core, but it wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand the minds of the other ministers.

Whenever the topic of marriage came up, Titania always found a way to avoid it, even though she said she was open to matchmaking. Last time, the sight of Minister Munsu imploring me flashed before my eyes.

“Well, for now, the plan I’ve thought of is—”

“…Bangsho.”

Reaching out to Bangsho, who took out various documents from the bag, I nodded slightly. In response, Bangsho seemed to understand, put the documents back in the bag, and let out a deep sigh.

For now…

“…For now, I’ll talk to Titania alone. We’ll hear your suggestion after that.”

“…Understood.”

Talking to Titania was the priority. What does Titania want? How does she view this situation? It seemed like I had to listen now. Surely, Titania was preparing for this situation.

…Probably.