Chapter 14 – The Lady’s Feelings

Feicui Long and Reiko took a good shower, though they found it difficult to control themselves and couldn't avoid having another round in the shower, which delayed their bath even more. When they finally got out, Feicui Long wondered how they could be so compatible. He didn't understand it at all, but pushing that thought aside, he simply got dressed.

After that, the two of them sat on the balcony on one of the plush benches, looking at the bustling city of Vienna. They sat quietly next to each other without saying a word for a while.

Until Reiko said, "I…"

She paused before continuing, "I'm sorry… I'd like to apologize…"

Feicui Long, who had already expected this, interrupted her, "Why are you apologizing? In the end, I was the one who agreed to this too."

Reiko replied, "No, that's not what I mean, it's…" but she couldn't finish her sentence.

Feicui Long had already figured out much of what had happened and the reason for her behavior, so he spoke as tactfully as possible, "They… they raped you, didn't they?"

Reiko, surprised and with a frightened expression, asked him in a trembling tone, "H-how d-do y-you k-know?"

Feicui Long answered, "Besides being an alchemist, I'm a doctor. I noticed it in your behavior. Even though you invited me and seemed confident, after your conflict with Ha Neul, I could see a slight tremor. I also noticed when we returned to your house how you discreetly glanced around, showing insecurity. That's why you wanted to walk ahead of me, so I wouldn't notice."

Feicui Long paused briefly and quickly resumed, "Besides that, during dinner, I could see your discomfort in the chair—not just because you were alone with a man but also because your wounds made you uncomfortable. Lastly, when I removed your panties, I saw small scars, indicating that you had been hurt and had to resort to medicines that healed them quickly. Others wouldn't notice all this, but I have seen it many times."

Feicui Long wasn't lying. In his past life, he had been a doctor and a battlefield medic on Earth, which had been restored to its original form after the retreat of the Pillar of Heaven. During that time, he stood on the side of the mortal races against the superior races and, unfortunately, had witnessed many victims of rape. It was a common aspect of war, and many shared traits with Reiko, especially the aftermath of what had happened to them.

Reiko looked at him for a moment, her head lowered, wanting to say something but holding back. She also tried to discreetly take Feicui Long's hand but withdrew at the last moment.

Feicui Long, seeing this, only smiled bitterly and said, "That's why you can't blame yourself for what happened. You are not responsible for the harm they did to you. That's why you don't owe me any apologies. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you that this was my first time."

This time, Feicui Long technically wasn't lying either. It was true that in his past lives, he had had relationships and sexual partners, but in this one, his body was experiencing sex for the first time because most of his time in this life had been spent searching for ways to heal himself or simply survive.

That being said, instead of feeling better after hearing this, Reiko felt even worse. She couldn't help but cry a little and apologized, "I'm truly sorry... Forgive me, Feicui Long, for having your first time with someone as tainted as me, because of that disgusting bastard... I'm really, really sorry..."

Feicui Long genuinely felt pain in his heart upon seeing her cry, to the point that he couldn't help but embrace her with one arm and pull her close to him. He told her, "You are not dirty, not now, not ever. You are a wonderful woman, maybe a little spoiled, but genuinely good. If you were someone dirty, your maids wouldn't respect you so much or treat you this well. Not only do you not force them to wear classic maid outfits, but you also buy them high-quality clothes comparable to those of nobles. From the way they address you and the kindness with which they treat you, I can tell you are a good person, and that's why they appreciate you. How could someone like that be dirty..."

Reiko didn't avoid or reject Feicui Long's arm, on the contrary, she nestled more comfortably against his chest. Crying, she couldn't help it, she began to tell Feicui Long what had happened about fifteen days ago, something she had told no one.

...

That day, Reiko had a conflict with the first three groups, as she had obtained a rare beast through a deal, but the three groups used their influence and took advantage of the fact that her group was only in seventh place to snatch it from her by pressuring the seller and even buying it at a lower price.

Normally, when Amanitore was around, if something happened, she herself would take the initiative to go speak with the other party along with some members of the group, since she couldn't cause trouble for her young lady or Reiko's father. But on that occasion, they had been assigned to kill the Spectral Queen Erzsébet Báthory, in an area slightly southeast of the fortress city of Vienna.

She was a very powerful undead and had a great legion of minions. She had been sealed by an old monk of the God of Victorious Flame after he had defeated her with great difficulty in her peak state. However, she had somehow broken the seal, though in exchange, her power had fallen to the Spiritual Palace realm. The union of mortal races had sent out the mission to all the unions in Vienna, but almost no one dared to take it, as specters were very difficult enemies to deal with.

Amanitore was a special case. Her naturally special physical constitution allowed her to greatly reduce the damage from enemies who specialized in spiritual and soul attacks, and her supporting beasts further increased her resistance to them, making her the ideal candidate to fight her. So in the end, the mission was assigned to the seventh group, but Amanitore didn't want to put her young lady in danger.

It was then, after Amanitore had left, that the incident with the beast happened. Reiko tried to resolve it herself through diplomacy, but despite being popular in the union and having many supporters, this was almost exclusively among the groups ranked below the top 10. Most of the top 10, on the other hand, despised her and saw her as a spoiled brat who relied on her father's power, with only three exceptions, her own group, the fifth group, and the ninth group, who were absolutely loyal to her father.

So when she went to try to solve it, she was only met with pure and outright contempt. She was a strong-willed woman, and although she was not arrogant, she did have her pride. So she demanded that they return it to her since it rightfully belonged to her group, and if they didn't, she would report them to her "uncle," a friend of her father who held the first rank in the union as an individual.

At first, the three groups seemed willing to cooperate and told her that they would let her reclaim it if she participated in a duel against a member of their group, obviously not the leaders, since all of them were at the Spiritual Palace realm.

She foolishly accepted without even asking where or when the duel would take place. The only thing she knew was the single condition, either renounce the beast or win it. When they told her that the duel would take place at night, in a remote arena far from the union, and that she had to go alone, in her innocence, she stupidly did not suspect anything. She believed that even though the three groups despised her, they would not stoop so low nor be despicable enough to try to harm her, nor be so foolish as to break the union's rules.

It was a grave mistake. When she arrived, she found the arena filled with members of the three groups, who had been provoking her the entire time with vulgar words and obscene comments about her body. She tried to ignore them and stepped onto the battlefield.

Reiko stood on the battlefield and said, "Very well, I'm here. Let's begin."

Her opponent was a burly man named Ibrahim, who came from the southeast. At that moment, she knew nothing of what was said about him. If she had, she would never have set foot in the arena, because that would be the worst mistake of her life.

Ibrahim smiled grotesquely when he saw her but said nothing.

Without delay, Reiko summoned her beasts, especially her most treasured one, a great deep-forest stag that stood three meters tall, with a beautiful green coat and antlers resembling a tree, with leaves sprouting from them.

The battle started well. Her great deep-forest stag was a beast at the peak of the Astral Sovereign realm, and the monsters her opponent used were not even close to being rivals. But the leaders of the three groups knew that, which was why they had cheated. Before she arrived, they had set up formations in advance.

When Reiko realized this, she was furious, but her stubbornness made her stay in a battle that was already unfavorable, thinking that as long as she was careful, nothing would happen.

Because this was something completely against the union's rules regarding duels. While artifacts, talismans, and even formations were allowed, such as when an inscription master fought, these had to be set up during the battle or be embedded in artifacts. Otherwise, it would be no different from one side being thrown into a death trap.

Unfortunately, this was yet another display of her naivety, as the despicable and rule-breaking maneuvers did not stop there. Those provocations and obscene words continued, but this time they were accompanied by spiritual and mental attacks, even using creatures with certain abilities to influence the minds of other beings, something entirely forbidden because it constituted interference in the duel.

This clouded her mind, leading her to make poor decisions. At the same time, the formation ended up trapping her great deep-forest stag and severely weakening it, allowing Ibrahim's Gulyabani to kill it. The Gulyabani was a member of the intermediate giant species, belonging to the monster clan, entirely different from the lesser giants of mortal races or the common giants and superior giants, the latter also known as true giants, who belonged to the divine clan.

Although the death of her great deep-forest stag was a huge loss, causing her damage and forcing her to cough up some blood due to their deep connection, it was by far not the worst thing that would happen to her that night.

Because when she realized she had lost, she simply accepted the loss of the beast as agreed and informed the opposing leader, "I have lost, Johannes. The beast is yours." But as she turned to leave, she heard something.

A tall and handsome man said, "Does the princess think she can challenge us and just walk away like that?"

Reiko frowned and said, "I have already lost, I accepted my defeat. Isn't killing my bonded beast enough?"

Johannes spoke in the darkness, "I don't think it's enough. I believe the arrogant princess should learn a little lesson, don't you think, Ha Neul and István?"

Two other voices followed. First, a frail but unbearably arrogant woman's voice answered with a laugh, "Yes, of course, we must teach her 'humility.'"

Then, an old man's voice spoke, "I think the young lady needs a little correction."

Reiko, now worried, realized the situation she was in, but it was too late. That pig, Ibrahim, jumped behind her and grabbed her arms, throwing the already weakened Reiko to the ground due to her internal injuries.

Like a wild beast, Ibrahim tore Reiko's shirt, exposing her breasts to the air, and proceeded to play with them.

Furious, Reiko shouted, "Let me go! Don't you dare!"

But Johannes's angry voice hurried him, "Idiot! Do you want the guards to discover us? Stop playing and do it now!"

Reiko's words drowned in desperate sobs as Ibrahim ripped off her pants and underwear. The freezing air against her skin made her shiver, but it was fear that paralyzed her. For the first time in her life, she felt a terror so deep that not even words could express it. "No! Stop, don't do it! Please!"

But that beast Ibrahim didn't stop. Despite her screams, pleas, and cries, he continued and continued until he couldn't anymore, because the sun was starting to rise, and they all had to flee.

Sore and broken, Reiko gathered the last bit of strength she had left. With trembling hands, she dressed in spare clothes she carried with her. The physical pain was nothing compared to the weight of what she had just lived through. She used the medicines she had on hand to try to soothe her wounds, but her mind remained trapped in the darkness of that night.

Upon arriving at the union the next day, she hoped to find some refuge, but reality was even crueler. Rumors of what had happened had already spread. The mocking, pitiful, or disdainful gazes were even harder to endure than the physical pain. That night had not only stripped her of her dignity but had also shattered the image others had of her.

…

Feicui Long felt bad, he had guessed correctly. He knew that such an innocent attitude would probably get her into trouble sooner or later, he just didn't expect it to happen before even meeting her.

He wondered if maybe, had he introduced himself earlier to evaluate her, he could have changed something in her and prevented it from happening, but he simply dismissed the idea. As the god of time, he already knew there was no point in thinking about what could have been. Even with the power to control time as he once had, where he could change the past, he did not do so, as time works in an unpredictable and often complicated way.

So, instead of dwelling on what could have been, he tried to focus on the present, though ironically, he lived constantly thinking about everything he could have done in his past life to prevent what had happened. This made him laugh internally with a smile of pure irony at himself.

Without Reiko noticing, he shook his head from side to side and focused on her. Thinking about everything she had told him only filled him with anger and fury. Feicui Long, enraged, embraced her more tightly this time, with both arms, and said, "Those damned bastards, how dare they do that to my woman? Right now, I may not have the strength to take revenge for you, but when I return, I will officially take you as my woman so that I can immediately make them suffer a fate worse than death."

Reiko had already calmed down. She lifted her head and looked at him, half-smiling and half-doubtful. "Who says I'm your woman?"

Feicui Long replied with an unusually serious face, "You yourself said so yesterday, all night long."

The memory of what had happened hit her like a gust of wind, and her face turned crimson. Unable to hold his gaze, she buried her face in Feicui Long's chest while lightly punching him with her fist.

Reiko protested in a muffled voice, "Don't say it so easily!"

But Feicui Long ignored her. It was true that, in his first life, he would never have considered taking her as his partner just because of one night of mutual pleasure. In his first life, he had too many encounters and sexual partners, but none became his wife or even a concubine. However, his other lives had slightly changed his perspective.

Now, he was somewhat more capable in what were called romantic relationships than before. Although he still did not feel love for Reiko, he could not ignore what she had done. Having faced such a tragedy and still seeking comfort in him, telling him everything without reservation, and even apologizing… If after all this he was still incapable of understanding her intentions, then he did not deserve to be called a person.

…

While Feicui Long meditated on how he himself had changed, Reiko's heart was a mess. Feicui Long did not know her, but she, on the other hand, knew him. Long before even seeing him in Vienna, she had spent some time in the sanctuary of all races, where she saw Feicui Long. At that moment, she found him incredibly beautiful, and since he was of her age, she wanted to approach him.

But her father stopped her, as she could not get close to him. Their statuses were far too different. He was the heir of a superpower-rank force, while she was the daughter of a disinherited and self-exiled prince. It was a difference as vast as the heavens and the earth. She would never have the opportunity to even speak to him. But when she learned that he had arrived in this city at the age of fifteen, she could not help but watch him from afar for a while.

She couldn't help but feel pity for him, how cruel fate had been to let him fall into such a miserable situation. Yet, she never had the courage to approach him. Even though she continued observing him and watching his movements, it wasn't until he decided to take the evaluation that she found the chance to approach him without seeming like a stranger or a weirdo.

Unfortunately, she had already been tainted by a beast. But then, an idea crossed her mind. Although it might seem awful, she thought it would be fine if it were him. He could cleanse her. To her, he was an angel descended from the heavens. He would erase the traces of having been defiled by such a lowly being. That was why she decided to take a risky gamble.

However, this thought filled her with guilt. Using Feicui Long in such a way was something she despised about herself. She had sought out her angel with a selfish intention, and even though she had managed to stay by his side, she could not help but feel unworthy of him.

...

After a while, Reiko calmed down and cleared her thoughts. She gathered her courage to say something she had dreamed of for a long time, and, closing her eyes slightly, she said, "Feicui Long, I like you. I would love it if you could give me a chance to be your partner."

Feicui Long, who was watching her, couldn't help but think how adorable she looked as she closed her little eyes to confess. However, he didn't wait long to respond and said, "Didn't I already tell you? You are mine."

Reiko opened her eyes in shock and said, "But I thought you were joking…"

Feicui Long replied, "I don't like joking about these kinds of things. Reiko, you are my woman. Even though, at this moment, I don't have the power to take you without putting you in danger, once I do, I will take you, and nothing and no one in this universe will be able to stop it."

Reiko's face turned a deep shade of red as she felt her heart pounding as if it were about to leap out of her chest. Trying to hide her nervousness, she stammered, "W-when will that be…?"

This time, Feicui Long smiled bitterly and said, "I still don't know, but I will achieve it. I know because whenever I set my mind to something, I get it… or well, at least almost always."

When he said that last part, he couldn't help but recall his greatest failure, but he simply buried it within his memories for the time being.

Reiko nodded in understanding and, with some reluctance, confessed something else. "You know, I… I already knew you, Feicui Long. I saw you at the sanctuary of all races. You were about ten years old, being guided and protected by several people. Maybe you didn't see me, but I was there with my father, among the crowd watching you pass by."

Feicui Long then tried to recall if he had seen her, but he couldn't. His memories of the sanctuary weren't entirely pleasant. At that time, his mother's condition was rapidly deteriorating, and the only things on his mind were her and Huo Baoshi, who was the one supporting him through those difficult moments. Most of the people in the sanctuary looked at him in a way that made him feel too distant from them, so he paid them no attention. And his father… well, let's just say he was a man with very little time.

Feicui Long then replied, "I see. Honestly, I can't remember. My time at the sanctuary wasn't all that great."

Reiko, though a little disappointed, simply said, "Oh, it's nothing. What do you think about having breakfast? We can keep talking while we eat."

Feicui Long smiled and said, "That sounds perfect."

Reiko pressed and injected energy into the stone, and the maids entered once again. However, this time, when they reached the bed, they let out surprised cries. It seemed they had forgotten to tidy up the bed for the two of them, and now they were faced with the messy sheets.

Reiko, embarrassed, avoided looking at them directly. Instead, she took refuge once again in Feicui Long's chest, murmuring something inaudible. It seemed that gesture was becoming her usual way of hiding her face in embarrassing moments.

Only a few of them stayed behind to tidy up Reiko's room.