262

Time

Through the thick door of the crown prince's, the chorus of carnal pleasure drifted into the hall, each note of pleasure unmistakably real. The women moaned loudly inside the crown prince's room, but they were not exaggerating their pleasure by any means. After all, they had been living in a happy dream ever since the crown prince chose them-as if they would ever become anything special to him.

Alicia stood composed, her back straight, and her lips curled into a serene, practiced smile. The knights standing guard outside the room no longer stared at her in shock or cast her pitying glances as they once had a few years prior. They had long grown accustomed to her presence, as one might to a piece of furniture that, though elegant, had lost its purpose. She was invisible to them. Regardless, Alicia always did her best to maintain a mask of calmness as if all eyes were on her.

In truth, she didn't have to pretend-she had been the one to send those women into her betrothed's bed, knowing they were nothing more than bodies to sate his desires. Moreover, Oscar's dalliances were few and far between, his desire for women almost a passing fancy, each woman discarded like a spent candle afterward. Even those who had once fancied themselves his mistresses had never set foot in his private quarters. The emperor would not tolerate such indulgences, not while Oscar remained unmarried. No woman could claim such a title, and those women had never meant anything to him in the first place.

In fact, they couldn't even make themselves useful in bed. Alicia's graceful smile suddenly gained a sharper edge as she remembered the foolish women who had clung onto Oscar's arm and cast her arrogant glances, oblivious to their own insignificance. Even the ones in his bed now-the playthings she had handpicked herself-were no better than common harlots whose names would never even cross Oscar's mind by the end of the night.

In her early days, Alicia had struggled against these indignities, but over time, she had learned to simply control what happened in Oscar's bedroom. Why waste energy fighting what could be controlled? She even hoped one of those women she had chosen would win Oscar's favor. A well-placed pawn could always prove useful. However, this was something that had yet to occur.

For a fleeting moment, she entertained the idea of one those harlots successfully captivating Oscar's heart and he would refrain from treating the woman like a simple harlot, even if she was only another body to warm his bed at the end of the day.

But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. No woman would share his bed without her permission, and they would only be allowed to whisper the words that Alicia had scripted. She held the reins of them. She could easily place an orphaned beggar in his bed and have her bear Oscar's child, or take a young lady from one of the seventeen Great Houses and rob her of her lineage's future with a single sprig of pardita-a potent herb known to render a woman barren. She could even beat her like a dog if need be.

Truthfully, Alicia found these possibilities quite entertaining. A part of her almost wished Oscar would come to care for those women more so that she could bring her imagination to life.

A derisive scoff escaped her lips when the image of a certain black-haired woman flashed through her mind, but Alicia quickly collected herself. For the past few years, she had imagined including Inés among the harlots that she would send into Oscar's bedroom. She thought perhaps the woman who had once held his childhood affection might elicit some genuine emotion from him, since none of the beautiful women she offered to him in the past had managed to catch his attention.

Indeed, she had dreamed of seeing Inés reduced to something pitiful and insignificant. To have her known as a harlot introduced to the crown prince's bed by his betrothed was a vision that brought a wicked gleam to her eyes. Only if Inés would slip into Oscar's bed at her command just like those harlots, kneel at her feet, and bear a child whenever Alicia wanted, like any livestock, it would be a fitting fate.

Alicia could see herself forcing Inés to swallow bitter herbs that would ruin both her own body and child if Alicia wished to end the pregnancy.

Alicia had lived her entire life in Inés's shadow, forced to endure her presence, knowing that Oscar's heart would never truly belong to her as long as that woman lingered in his mind. But she had told herself that all would be worth it, if it meant she could one day crush the noble daughter of Valeztena under her feet. She thought nothing mattered more than seeing that woman ruined.

And perhaps then, Oscar would also get a chance to punish that insolent wench for spurning his undying love.

Alicia felt bile rise in her throat. Love... That blasted thing. No matter how much affection Oscar lavished upon Inés, that arrogant wench treated it as though it were a punishment. But Alicia thought it wouldn't be a terrible loss to have Inés stay by Oscar's side for a while. Once he grew tired of her, once her beauty began to fade and her body lost its allure, Alicia would personally see to it that Inés met her end-pathetic, undignified, beaten like a stray dog.

Although this explicit hatred was a fairly recent development, Alicia realized now that she had essentially wished for Inés's death her entire life.

She didn't care much about Oscar's selfishness and his disgusting desire for Inés. She didn't even care that he foolishly hoped to kill his most useful ally and blood relative to claim the woman who had long rejected him. She wouldn't mind if his soul was damned for eternity as the result of his sins; she would stay by his side regardless. She loved him, and he was the only man deserving of her pure, perfect love.

If he simply lusted after Inés's body and treated her like a plaything, Alicia might have gladly encouraged him. But his love- that was something she could never forgive.

Perhaps Oscar didn't know love like she did. What Alicia felt for him was true love. Her unwavering devotion to him, he way she cared for him unconditionally and wished for him to seize everything he wanted, was the undeniable proof of her love for him.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a high-pitched moan. "Y-Your Highness... Mm!" The noise was accompanied by the sound of bare skin slapping together. She could hear Oscar breathing heavily as he approached his climax.

Alicia suppressed a wave of nausea-not because of the vulgar noises, but because the image of Inés would not leave her mind.

She thought about how Oscar was willing to clip Inés's wings and bring her crashing down into the dirt, all for the sake of his horrible love. Then she wondered why that love and attention couldn't be hers. Although he always spoke of Alicia's usefulness, he never tried to use her. Throughout all those years, he had never displayed any kind of passion for her. Their arrangement had only lasted so long because of the strength of her longing for him, and the fact that he hadn't cast her aside-nothing more. But now Oscar spoke of love. Alicia felt like she had been cheated. In a way, she had dedicated herself to him because she did not believe in true love-she simply thought Oscar was the best thing she could own as a woman.

However, Inés had managed to take all of him without giving him a single thing in return.

"Everything..." Alicia muttered under her breath.

She had been overjoyed when she finally managed to seize the position of Oscar's fiancée-something she had longed for her entire life-after Inés tossed it aside. However, Oscar had only agreed to marry her so that he could be with Inés. Indeed, his desire for that girl was so great that he was willing to destroy himself and kill his own relatives to have her.

Alicia contemplated the nature of the emotion she held when it came to Inés. Somehow, "hatred" was not the right word to describe her longing to destroy Inés's very being from its foundation.

Suddenly, the room fell silent. After a short moment, Alicia curled her cold hands into fists and rose from her chair. As the door opened in front of her, she forced her lips into a kind smile.

Inside, she could see her naked "courtesans" sprawled on the grand bed in the middle of the room. Although it was clear that they had all made a desperate attempt to seduce Oscar, as their bodies were turned toward his, there was only one who had managed to climb on top of him and feel his touch-one that had black hair and green eyes, just like somebody Alicia knew.

She glanced at a knight who was standing by the bed, and sent him a silent gesture to get the dark-haired woman out of her sight. Then she approached the bed and sat down next to Oscar. "I hope that was enjoyable," she said with a soft smile.

His eyes were glazed over as he stared at her for a moment, as if his mind was in another reality. She saw a flash of disgust in his gaze-he could never hide his true emotions when he was under the influence of a substance.

She pretended that she hadn't seen anything as she brushed back his sweaty locks with gentle fingers. This moment was one that she always savored for as long as she could, since Oscar would never allow her to do such a thing if he was in his right mind.

In the past, she had tried to stall for time in hopes that he would grab her hand and pull her closer. However, now she knew that was only a dream, since Oscar did not long for his own fiancée even when he was intoxicated.

She took out a small bottle containing the antidote and opened the lid to pour the contents in his mouth. "Slowly now," she whispered.

After a short moment, the haze began to clear from Oscar's eyes. Alicia sighed inwardly when she was reminded of the fact that his body was beginning to grow accustomed to the vergo. What shall I use once the vergo no longer has an effect?

"Get these out of my room," he said hoarsely as he dragged the sheets over to cover the lower half of his body, all traces of arousal gone from his face.

The dark-haired woman was the last one to leave the bed. As she walked out of the room, Alicia glared at her hair with venom in her eyes. Although she had previously thought it would be quite useful to have Oscar be fond of one of the harlots, she felt a sharp pang of contempt now that she was actually looking at one-it did not matter that he had already lost interest in the girl.

Somehow, Oscar always managed to take the harlot that looked just like Inés, even though he had to drug himself in order to feel aroused.

She abruptly realized she had been trying to avoid that fact for as long as she could remember. However, there was no point in facing it either-she would be marrying Oscar in less than a month, after all. A kind smile crept onto her face as she turned to face Oscar.

He directed an irritated frown at her. "You have fed me vergo again," he muttered.

She nodded gracefully. "Yes. I thought you might be in need of a... release."

The frown on his face only deepened. "I remember prohibiting you from doing such a thing."

"I simply wanted you to be happy. I know that you have been quite stressed ever since Lady Inés confined herself to the boundaries of her residence."

At this, Oscar gave her a twisted smile. "What a tearful devotion... I do not understand why my mother dislikes you so," he muttered, then stepped off the bed using the side opposite to the one she was sitting on. "Perhaps I will go ahead and kill all of your little rats..."

Alicia's gaze trailed after him. Although her face was cold, her voice was still polite. "My apologies if I made the incorrect assumption."

"No... I enjoyed myself," Oscar said as he brushed the hair back from his forehead. "However, do be aware that you can be too loyal, which then gives birth to suspicion."

"How could I ever be too loyal when your happiness is also mine?" she responded nonchalantly.

Once upon a time, she treated Inés Valeztena de Perez like she was some incredibly valuable and delicate gift, simply because Oscar acted the same way.

But now, the intensity of his love for Inés made Alicia want to bludgeon her until she was totally broken and shattered. Perhaps this twisted desire stemmed from the newfound resentment she felt toward Oscar, as well as the fact that she loved him enough to watch him crumble under her hands.