A constant ache permeated her body when she came to.

She blinked her eyes open, blurry vision adjusting to an unfamiliar ceiling, and the surrounding curtains that were similarly unknown.

It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why, exactly, she felt like she had survived being run over by a truck.

More accurately, she survived being railed by a monstrous cock attached to a monstrous man with a monstrous stamina.

She groaned softly. She'd thought her pent up libido was high as fuck. She had counted on the man to keep up, of course, but she had not expected his drive to be so endless.

After her stunt with the blowjob, it had been as if the man had been possessed by some animal. His thrusts had become so powerful and primal that she could feel them in her guts. His hands held her body so tightly she thought she felt her bones creak. She had responded just as wildly, chasing her pleasure as she writhed under him, rolled her hips, and left scars on his skin.

There were slight lulls, of course. Where he just stayed inside her and ground gently. Or where she lay on him and played with his member. But they had always gone back to fucking with wild abandon.

The only time they paused was for dinner, which they took on the bed, with the Emperor feeding her because she'd felt too lazy to move. It was so wildly out of protocol that she feared she might be punished with confinement and another round of writing rules if people in the Palace found out about it.

But then again, when had she ever cared about protocol?

They had only taken the time to wash up after eating - no one wanted to smell or taste food when kissing, after all - before going right back to clawing at each other. Samaya didn't think there was a position they had not used. Her on all fours, him lying behind her and holding a leg up, both of them sitting and facing each other, her laid on him - she'd lost count. It continued until the break of dawn, by which time she was utterly exhausted, aching and content, having finally fulfilled all her unrealised and suppressed desires.

She might have gone to sleep with the man's cock still inside of her.

She couldn't remember.

She rubbed her thighs together. None of the stickiness from last night. She concentrated. She felt clean. She even had a thin robe on. So either the Emperor or the maids bathed and clothed her. She was willing to bet a fair amount of money on the former.

She exhaled softly and pressed her elbow on the bed, putting pressure on it to push herself up. Immediately, she felt her back and insides throb violently. She groaned softly and fell back on the bed. The Emperor had really done a number on her, hadn't her?

"Are you awake, my lady?" Aunty Luo's voice came from the other side of the curtain.

"No," she replied, unable to help the petulant note to her voice.

A soft chuckle echoed in the room and Samaya flushed. Of course, she knew what happened. Everyone in the damn estate probably knew what happened. They had not exactly been subtle. She did not quite mind. But she felt a little embarrassed at a genial elder woman teasing her.

"Shall I bring a heat pad for you, my lady? It will help with the soreness."

Samaya contemplated the question for a moment before nodding. "I'll trouble you, Aunty Luo."

A moment later, she heard soft footfalls moving away from her and eventually fading. Samaya sighed softly and let her head fall back on the bed. She'd thought of refusing for a moment. But she had a journey to make today. There was no use being stubborn.

It did not take long for the woman to come back, her footsteps more hurried than usual.

"My lady, I'm coming in."

She parted the curtains, revealing herself and three medium-sized pouches in one hand. Her fingers looked slightly red from the touch. Samaya blinked lazily at her. Aunty Luo smiled.

"My lady," she started, "I will need to put these on your back. It would be better if they touched your skin."

She did not want to get up now. Or ever.

Groaning softly, she pushed herself up, hissing as pain flared up in her lower back. She turned her back to the woman and untied her robe, pulling it off her shoulders and letting it pool around her waist.

She then gently laid down on her stomach, her back exposed and her lower body covered by the robe and blankets.

She felt the soft pouches gently land on her back, one just above the base of her spine, the other two on either side of her spine just below the middle of her back. The pouches were hot but not scalding. Immediately, a warm, soothing sensation spread across her body and she let out a soft sigh in relief.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Oh, that feels good."

"It is heated stone, and the cloth is coated with mugwort paste. Both help with pain.'

She turned her head and smiled up at the woman. "Thank you, Aunty Luo."

The woman's eyes moved from her back to her face. She opened her mouth, frowned and closed it, before shifting uncomfortably.

"What is it?" She asked softly.

The elderly woman seemed to debate something with herself before taking a deep breath and speaking softly. "The Lord… does he… is he good to you, my lady?"

Samaya frowned in confusion. "Yes. Why do you-"

She cut herself off as she realised that the woman's eyes were flicking back to her back… her back riddled with scars. She let out a soft chuckle that was more of an exhale.

"There is no need for concern, Aunty Luo." She gave the woman a reassuring smile. She seemed to be doing that often. But … it felt good. An elder fussing over her. "I've just … lived a hard life before meeting him, I suppose."

Though she did not know if it counted as hard. After being taken in by her mentor, she had never really lacked anything. If she were talking money, her mentor had been rich, and she'd been earning her own money through missions. Training was hard work, and missions were dangerous. But she never disliked any of it. In fact, she'd always loved the rush and adrenaline that accompanied her missions. Excluding the times when, sometimes, it would crash over her how desensitized she'd become to bloodshed and killing, most of her life had been quite comfortable and, if she thought about it, happy.

Oh well, there was no other way to truly explain her scars.

The woman seemed to search for something on her face and then slowly relaxed, nodding.

Samaya nodded back. "What time is it?"

"The first quarter of sìshi."

So, just past 10 AM. She'd slept - what, 5 hours? 6? That was enough, she supposed. Barely, considering what she did all night.

"Do you know when we will be leaving?" She asked softly.

"The Lord asked us not to disturb your sleep and to inform him once you awoke," Aunty Luo replied. "I have sent a maid to inform him."

So, she should get a time frame soon. Speaking of, when did the man even get up? She was pretty sure he slept at least half an hour after her. Damn monster.

"My Lady." Aunty Luo brought her out of her thoughts. "Shall I bring breakfast for you? You can rest while we set the table."

She gave a small nod. "Thank you, Aunty Luo."

She closed her eyes and let her mind drift. She wondered if last night would change things between them. Who was she kidding? They were basically tearing at each other like animals. Of course, things would change. But how? Would he become … loving, for lack of a better word? Would he put a distance between them, because he'd gotten what he wanted or simply out of awkwardness? Would he want more? Less? Until now, they were just acquaintance with some common goals. What were they now? Acquaintances with benefits? Did he even look at it the way she did? Maybe the entire thing was just a natural process for him, claiming his own concubine? Did he think of it that way? The thought left a bitter taste in the back of her mouth.

Fuck, all these thoughts were making her head throb.

She shook her head and tried to clear her mind, instead focusing on the soothing warmth on her back and how her painful throbbing had reduced to a dull ache.

She was dozing off again when she heard shuffling in the room, breaking her out of her trance.

"Aunty Luo?" She called softly, turning her head. "Are you back already?"

"Yes, my lady." The woman parted the curtains and stepped inside. "The maids are setting the table. Shall I take off the pads?"

Samaya nodded in reply. The pads were off her in seconds. Aunty Luo was quick in her work. It left her feeling slightly empty and strangely light. She shivered slightly as the cold air hit her now heated back. She exhaled softly and pulled herself up, putting the robe back on. She slowly got out of bed, wincing slightly as her insides throbbed. It was a good ache, but at the moment, annoying.

Aunty Luo put another robe on her. It was a silk robe, soft and airy. But it covered her body in a way the thin cotton robe underneath did not. She looked at Aunty Luo, raising an eyebrow in askance.

"You never know who might arrive, my lady," she said softly. "I did not interrupt you during your meal."

She nodded. She'd gotten used to their strict standards of modesty. This seemed mild in comparison to the Palace.

It was a good thing, too, because halfway through her meal, a servant boy knocked at the door.

"The Lord has sent soup and medicine for the Lady." The young boy said as he bowed, holding out a tightly covered bowl and a small pouch on top.

Samaya gestured at one of the maids and she stepped forward, taking the bowl from him. The boy bowed and spoke loudly. "The Lord says that preparations are underway to leave in two hours and asks the Lady to be ready by that time."

With that, he hightailed it out of there as fast as he could without running. Samaya suppressed a chuckle. The boy probably felt awkward amongst so many ladies.

The soup was brought to the table, and she gently untied the lid and uncovered the bowl. Immediately, a sweet aroma hit her. She wrinkled her nose slightly. That was a strange scent for a soup.

She heard a sharp intake of breath from behind her.

She turned to see Aunty Luo looking at the bowl of soup as if it were poison.

"What is it, Aunty?"

The woman blinked and looked back at her. "My Lady, that is … that is the Sleeping Seed Brew."

It was Samaya's turn to blink. She looked back at the bowl of soup. Sleeping Seed Brew. A contraceptive. Living near the red light district and being neck deep in the dirt of the underworld, she knew enough to know that this was one of the most effective contraceptive soups in this world. A soup made out of boiling mango, dandelion roots, and thunder god vines. Add qi to it during the cooking process, and the efficacy increased exponentially. But that option was only available to the elite. She had no doubt that this was the latter.

There was silence for a moment, and shuffling sounds as the maids around her shifted uncomfortably. The moment passed, and her lips curved upwards as she let out a breathy chuckle. She did not know why, but relief flooded her.

She had not really thought about the aftermath of unprotected sex. Which, stupid. Usually. But she had an IUD implanted in her, one with a 10-year duration. And it had been a long, long while since she last had sex. So, she was not surprised that it slipped her mind.

But the Emperor sending this meant that he still remembered her conditions, and respected her wishes not to be bound to him, to the Palace. A newborn child … would definitely bind her. For a while, at least. She did not want that. She did not want a child at all.

He … remembered. Warmth spread through her. She felt something else, something soft rising alongside. She did not dare examine it too closely.

A soft, genuine smile still playing at her lips, she took the bowl and unhesitatingly gulped it all down.

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