Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 5: I Won’t Give You a Chance to Escape (1) (M)

From that day onward, Cassion began living in the Hyacinth Palace. Since the Hyacinth Palace was one of the eight palaces that made up the Emperor’s residence, it wasn’t a problem. It was also close to the main palace, allowing him to attend administrative meetings without issue.

As if it were the most natural thing, Cassion dined with Lavinia and shared her bed. Of course, it wasn’t just the bed they shared. The only night Cassion had “just held” Lavinia without taking things further was the one when he had initially comforted her.

As soon as night fell, Cassion would pull Lavinia into the bedroom without fail. True to his reputation in the novel as the emperor with unmatched vigor and skill, Cassion lived up to every descriptive title bestowed upon him. His prowess was such that every time, Lavinia felt as though she might not survive.

“Ahh! Y-Your Majesty… ahh… I can’t… ngh…”

“If you kept whining, I should have told you this is what I would do. Acting like that despite my warnings must mean you wanted me to do this, doesn’t it?”

Cassion’s hands gripped Lavinia’s raised hips firmly. Between her legs, spread wide, his powerful waist moved as if it belonged there by right.

“Ngh! Ahh, ahh! T-this position is… ahh! Ahhh!”

“It’s the one you enjoy so much you’re left breathless,” Cassion said, smiling in satisfaction before he began pounding into her with relentless force.

Though her upper body rested on the bed, her hips were lifted, leaving her lower half suspended. With this position, Cassion’s thick, burning desire moved lewdly inside her. Each thrust made her legs shake uncontrollably, her toes curling as they clawed at the air.

It was an obscene position, with her lower body suspended in the air, taking in Cassion’s manhood. This was the same position he had used on her the night after he had comforted her.

Back then, she had been so overwhelmed by pleasure that she hadn’t felt the shame of it. But now, the memory made her flush with embarrassment. She tried to close her legs, but Cassion’s rough, relentless thrusts made them tremble and flail uncontrollably.

“Ahh! Hah! Ahh! Ahhh!”

Lavinia was utterly helpless against the forceful thrusts of his hips. Even just enduring the overwhelming waves of pleasure made her feel as though she could hardly breathe.

“Ah! Ahhhh!”

Though she hadn’t lasted long and reached her climax quickly, Cassion showed no signs of stopping. As if savoring the way her trembling walls gripped him, he growled in satisfaction, grinding his thick length against her sensitive insides.

“I told you not to climax until I allowed it… and yet you came first again? For such a lewd woman, I’ll deal with you like this!”

“Ngh! Ahhh! W-wait… ahh, ahhh… ahhh!”

He pushed that enormous length in all the way to the base, grinding it against her deepest parts. The sensation was so tight and close that Lavinia could feel even the ridges of the tip, her eyes widening in shock.

“Ahh! Ahh, aah! Your Majesty, please… ahhh!”

The endless waves of pleasure left Lavinia breathless, and she knew she would eventually fall asleep in his arms after being thoroughly overwhelmed. The fact that she had to endure such nights every single day was already dizzying enough, but now, just a little over ten days into this routine, Cassion had started reaching for her even during the day.

“…Make sure you’re ready before I return from the administrative meeting,” Cassion suddenly said, his tone firm and commanding.

Lavinia froze, flustered by his unexpected remark. She was no longer naive enough not to understand what he meant. After all, she hadn’t gone a single day without being tangled in their carnal acts recently. Her face quickly turned crimson.

“R-ready? What do you mean by… ready?”

Does he mean for me to wait on the bed, undressed? Lavinia wondered, her face turning a deeper shade of red. But Cassion’s next words were even more mischievous and provocative.

“When I return, I’ll enter you immediately. Make sure you’re loosened up and ready for me.”

“W-what?!”

Lavinia couldn’t stop herself from raising her voice, her shock spilling out. Cassion looked at her with a playful expression, clearly enjoying her reaction.

“You can simply use your fingers to prepare yourself while I’m at the meeting. What’s so surprising about that?”

“But… but…”

Lavinia stammered, flustered. She had never done such a thing before. Even after discovering pleasure in Cassion’s arms, she had never needed to prepare herself—he always took care of that for her, with meticulous attention.

“When I return, I’ll enter you right away, so make sure you’re ready. Otherwise, the one who will suffer will be you,” Cassion said matter-of-factly.

Lavinia’s expression turned dismayed. Cassion had always taken the time to prepare her with care, and the thought of having to do it herself was both mortifying and overwhelming. Just imagining it made her cheeks burn.

“If you find it too difficult… you can use this,” Cassion added casually, pulling out a golden jewelry box from a drawer. He handed it to Lavinia, whose wide, skeptical eyes darted between him and the box.

When she opened the lid, she found several small metal containers inside.

“It’s an aphrodisiac. Applying it will help,” Cassion explained.

Aphrodisiac?

While Lavinia was still flustered, Cassion kissed her forehead and stood up. The duration of administrative meetings varied by day, usually lasting between three to seven hours. Having teased her like this before leaving, Cassion would likely try to wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible to return to her side.

“So I should assume I only have two to three hours at most…”

Placing the bottle of aphrodisiac on the table, Lavinia sighed and followed Cassion out. Although it was merely a short walk from the Hyacinth Palace to the main palace, the scene resembled a wife seeing her husband off to work.

“I’ll be back,” Cassion said, glancing at her with a mischievous smile.

Lavinia, her expression tinged with distress, stood helplessly at the entrance, watching as Cassion headed off to his administrative meeting.

＊ ＊ ＊

As Cassion exited the Hyacinth Palace, his adjutant and secretary, who had been waiting at the entrance, bowed in greeting. Unlike the warm expression he reserved for Lavinia, Cassion responded to them with his usual stoic demeanor.

“…The Duke of Wendell has submitted a formal request for approval to re-adopt Albert Tride as his heir,” the secretary reported hesitantly.

The adoption process for high-ranking nobles, such as dukes and marquises, was far more stringent than for regular aristocrats. Especially in the case of dukes, imperial approval was required. Normally, Cassion might have granted such a request after receiving certain concessions in return, but now…

“Albert Tride, you say?”

Recalling the black-haired knight, who had intruded into the Hyacinth Palace like a wolf, Cassion turned to the secretary with a fierce glare. The secretary, visibly nervous, quickly nodded.

“Yes, it seems the Duke has changed his mind after previously disowning him.”

Apparently, the fact that Albert had infiltrated the Hyacinth Palace had not been disclosed to Maxim, the Duke of Wendell. If Maxim had known about Albert’s reckless actions, he wouldn’t have dared submit a request to adopt him as heir again.

“If I refuse or stall the approval, will Maxim come to me directly?”

Cassion pondered for a moment. Maxim was someone who could barely stand confidently in Cassion’s presence. He wouldn’t dare approach the emperor without being summoned. If anything…

“He’ll likely try to go through Lavinia.”

It wasn’t exactly a secret that the emperor was staying in the Hyacinth Palace and showing particular favor toward the Wendell princess. Everyone had assumed that Cassion, who had originally intended to marry Lavinia, would soon make her his empress. Cassion himself had every intention of doing so.

Maxim, aware of this, would likely try to use Lavinia to convey his request. The thought annoyed Cassion deeply.

Ever since realizing his growing affection for Lavinia, Cassion had ordered a thorough investigation into her background. He had conducted a preliminary investigation before, in preparation for making her empress, but this time, the inquiry was more in-depth.

From the investigation, Cassion learned that Lavinia had grown up neglected by her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Wendell. She had even been forced into a rivalry with Albert over the position of heir.

Parental neglect was common in noble households, so Cassion had initially dismissed it as nothing out of the ordinary. However, pitting her against an adopted son for the title of heir? That was unusual.

Further reports revealed that Lavinia had taken on much of the duke’s responsibilities. Not only had she managed the estate’s finances, but she had also overseen both internal and external affairs, managing a large number of people connected to the Wendell household.

To Cassion, it seemed that Lavinia had essentially been fulfilling the role of heir in all but name. Yet, despite this, the duke had brought in an adopted son to inherit the title.

At first, Cassion thought it was merely a ploy to incite Lavinia’s competitive spirit. However, he had recently been informed that she had stopped her training as an heir and was now undergoing lessons to prepare for marriage. That revelation left him stunned.

“They have their own bloodline heir, and yet they’re preparing to hand the duchy over to an adopted son?”

Officially, the justification was that they were bringing in a talented individual as an adopted son to marry Lavinia and continue the Wendell bloodline. But Cassion scoffed at the notion.

While it might seem at first glance that Albert, as a Swordmaster, was a remarkable candidate, a duke’s position required far more than skill with a sword. A duke needed to govern over vassals, lead people, and oversee the duchy’s enterprises and affairs holistically.

These were all abilities Lavinia had already proven herself capable of. Bringing in someone like Albert, who was less qualified than Lavinia, was utterly absurd.

Sensing that there must be more to the story, Cassion ordered further investigation. What came to light was rather intriguing: Albert had revealed his true status as a commoner and fled the duchy. Recently, he had returned, claiming that the weight of the heir’s responsibilities had caused him to lie.

Cassion, however, dismissed this explanation as a lie.

Those conducting the investigation under Cassion’s orders suspected there was more to Albert’s story and dug deeper. Yet, they found nothing.

No one seemed to know anything about Albert’s past. Moreover, anyone who might have had knowledge of him had met suspicious ends—whether through bandit attacks, mysterious accidents, or other unexplained deaths.

It was as though someone had deliberately erased Albert’s past. Or perhaps Albert wasn’t Albert Tride at all, and whoever he truly was had killed anyone who might have known the real Albert Tride.

Cassion suspected Maxim, the Duke of Wendell, to be behind it all.

The Duke of Wendell, by nature, wasn’t the sort of man to take bold risks. Cassion believed that if Maxim hadn’t personally orchestrated the situation, he wouldn’t have dared to adopt someone as dubious as Albert.

But why? Why would Maxim adopt Albert? What benefit did he stand to gain?

Unable to uncover the connection, Cassion grew irritated. Could it be that Maxim had some kind of leverage over Albert? It was possible, but Cassion doubted that was the case.

Maxim might have been a foolish man, but he had been a duke for decades. If Albert, who had no real standing, had tried to blackmail him, Maxim would have eliminated him long ago.

“…What should we do?” the secretary asked cautiously.

Cassion recalled the way Albert had stood in his path, attempting to block him from approaching Lavinia.

“Summon the Duke of Wendell. Tell him to bring that so-called adopted son with him when he enters the palace.”

As he spoke, Cassion’s eyes gleamed coldly, his expression sharp and unforgiving.

＊ ＊ ＊

Back in the bedroom, Lavinia was deep in thought. Knowing that Cassion had left those instructions, it was clear he wouldn’t let the administrative meeting drag on. She likely had only about two hours left, and the thought of following his orders embarrassed her terribly.

“Would you like some tea, my lady?”

“N-no… I think I’ll just rest for now. Could you all leave the room?”

Lavinia paused, considering the potentially awkward situation that might arise once Cassion returned and her attendants tried to announce his arrival.

“And… even if His Majesty comes, there’s no need to send someone to let me know. Just tell him I’m in this room.”

Her maid looked surprised at the instruction but refrained from asking further questions.

“Understood, my lady.”

Everyone assumed that Lavinia simply wanted to take a nap before the emperor arrived, especially since the emperor had showered her with affection last night, just as he had every night recently.

“Shall I draw the curtains?”

“Yes.”

Lavinia chose not to correct the misunderstanding. It was better for them to think that, as the truth was far too embarrassing.

“His Majesty… honestly…”

Over the past several nights, Cassion had been relentless. Despite having held her every single night, he behaved as if they hadn’t been together for months. His stamina was boundless, and he acted with the unrestrained appetite of someone who thought of nothing but that.

And the teasing…! Even with her memories from a previous life, Lavinia found herself overwhelmed and unable to keep up with him. She figured today’s situation was just another example of his mischief.