'…Where am I?'
When Lena opened her eyes, she saw rows upon rows of bookshelves stretching endlessly before her.
Her field of vision was unnaturally low, and Lena, with her tiny hands clasped together, was trembling in fear.
Lena had returned to her childhood.
On either side of her were familiar faces, looking at her with worried expressions.
They were the maids who had taken care of her.
This place was the library within the castle where she resided, a spotless and immaculate space where not a single speck of dust was allowed.
In the library, which exuded an old-fashioned charm without unnecessary extravagance, someone approached her with furious steps.
Feron IV.
Her father.
But his appearance and the perspective from which she saw him had changed drastically.
Feron IV had returned to his younger days, and Lena had to crane her neck upward just to look at him.
But she felt no joy.
Even though she didn't understand the situation, she could sense a reproachful gaze in his expression.
Pheron, standing before her with overwhelming authority, shouted.
"Lena de Feron!"
"Hic… Yes, Father…"
From Lena's mouth came not the voice of an adult, but the soft, trembling voice of a child.
"Is it true that you sneaked into the library and messed up the books?!"
"Th-That… Waaah…"
"Do you know where you are? Stop crying!"
"Hic… Hic…"
"Can't you even defend yourself? This won't do!"
At Feron's angry outburst, the maids beside her fidgeted nervously.
Feron, with the maids standing by, began to spank Lena's bottom as if to make an example of her.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Haaak! Ouch! It hurts! Kyah!"
"What are you screaming for? What did you do right?!"
"Waaah! I'm sorry, Father! Hic, please forgive me! Aaah!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
But despite Lena's desperate pleas, Feron's punishment didn't stop.
Feron IV was strict in his discipline of Lena.
Until she became an adult, even the smallest mistake would result in a spanking, no matter the place.
While it might have seemed harsh and humiliating for someone of her status as a princess, it was precisely because of this that Lena grew up properly.
Feron didn't raise his child as a father would, but as the leader of a nation, with strictness.
Whenever he was angry, he would always take up the rod, and Lena accepted the punishment willingly.
Her dream began with the rod and continued with scenes of being punished by Feron IV.
Yet, despite this, Lena harbored no anger or resentment toward the punishments.
She believed that her father's discipline was an act of love.
Lena had grown into a proper adult, and she now wore silver armor instead of the extravagant dresses she had worn before.
Feron IV, who had aged, sat on his throne and shouted at her.
"Don't talk nonsense! Why would you go to the battlefield?!"
"Duke Feron! If I don't step forward now, there will be no one to lead the soldiers!"
Lena, who had always accepted her father's words as the law, now showed a completely different side.
The two of them stood their ground, neither backing down.
As they exchanged loud words, Feron IV clutched his left chest and collapsed.
"Kuhk!"
"Ah, Father! Duke Feron!"
Lena, who had almost called him "Father," quickly corrected herself and rushed to Feron IV, supporting him.
The vassals around them also rushed to his side in shock.
"Ah, no… I can't… I can't send you because I'm inadequate. I'd rather… Kuhk…"
"Kuh… Duke…"
Feron IV had ruled the duchy as a wise and gentle leader.
His political achievements and accomplishments were recognized by the people, but his frail body, unable to withstand the rigors of war, was a problem.
A king doesn't need to go to war.
But their general, who had been leading their troops, had died in battle.
Bethel and Feron, who had initiated the war, needed not just troops but also a leader to step forward.
And now, the most suitable person for that role was Lena de Feron.
"Duke Feron, please don't worry! The war is nearing its end. I'll return soon!"
As Lena said, the situation in the dream was on the brink of the demon king's castle falling.
The siege of the demon king's castle would be grueling, but with the hero by her side, it was as good as won.
"Kuhk… That's why I'll go! Kuhk…"
"Duke Feron!"
Feron IV spat out a line of blood as he pleaded with Lena.
"Lena… Please don't go… For the sake of your father…"
"…Duke."
"I'm not the Duke. I'm your father… How could I send my beloved daughter to the battlefield…"
Feron IV had never treated Lena as his child in front of others.
It was a side of him that he had never shown before.
Lena, looking at the tearful Feron IV, clenched her teeth and smiled bitterly.
"I'll… I'll definitely return and accept severe punishment."
"Le-Lena! Huhk…"
After that, Feron fell unconscious and lived out his days bedridden.
As Lena led the soldiers out of the castle, she made a vow.
'Duke Feron… No, Father. I'll definitely return and… accept punishment as your child.'
After that, Lena never saw Feron IV again.
Suddenly, the hero disappeared, and the war was lost.
When she woke up after the final battle, she was in the damp, dark dungeon of the demon king's castle.
For the sake of the people of the Feron Duchy, whom she would never see again, and for her father's life, she could only dedicate her life to working in the demon king's castle.
***
"…."
"Are you awake?"
Lena sat up with a dazed expression.
In her field of vision was a man.
He had one arm on the desk and was holding up books with the other, reading in a slanted posture.
"I'm sorry."
"You're always saying sorry."
"…."
Lena felt slightly offended but held back and composed herself.
However, there was something that didn't match her memory.
He had clearly been reading a book, but now the book was gone.
'Lately, something's been off…'
Lena, who had been feeling foggy and disoriented, felt refreshed after dreaming recently.
And thanks to that refreshed feeling, she could now recall the strange details.
'This man… He's definitely up to something…'
It was strange how she suddenly felt drowsy and fell asleep, and the dreams she had were so vivid that it made her suspicious.
'Yesterday's dream too… Sigh…'
Even Lena couldn't understand yesterday's dream.
She knew dreams didn't follow normal logic, but even she couldn't make sense of that situation.
'I must be crazy… Begging to be spanked…'
Lena not only remembered the situation in the dream but also the emotions that came with it.
When she woke up in the early morning with a clear mind, the memory and emotions of begging the castle guard to spank her while sticking out her bottom came flooding back.
Lena thought of Berius, to whom she had entrusted the key.
'Could it be that kid… No, even so, he wouldn't just hand over the key carelessly.'
Even though Lena's trust in Berius was at rock bottom, entrusting him with the key was a sign of at least some trust.
Lena pondered over the man.
'An incubus? No, he's just an ordinary human. I'll be cautious.'
Even though dreaming cleared her mind, it didn't erase her anxiety.
'He'll be gone in a few days anyway… Yes… In a few days…'
When Lena thought that the man before her would soon leave, a sense of emptiness washed over her.
The comfort she felt when she was with him was like a last hope.
Even the bizarre dreams made her laugh, and as she wandered through the garden or the library, feeling her mind and body stabilize, this man gave her a glimmer of hope.
He was like an anchor in the swirling waves of her heart.
The thought of removing that anchor and him leaving again made the rough waves surge once more.
What snapped her out of her turbulent thoughts was the man in front of her.
Suddenly, the man stood up.
"Let's go. I'll have to read the rest tonight."
"Yes, understood."
The castle guard had two books in his arms.
Lena thought she should carry the books for him, but the man quickly headed toward the librarian.
"Can I borrow these two books for a while?"
"Of course! Most of the books in that section are useless anyway, so they're due to be discarded. You can take them!"
Lena eyes twitched slightly at those words.
'They must have worked hard on them. To call them useless…'
Though she hadn't written the books herself, her heart ached at the thought of books containing human records and memories being called useless.
The man walked out of the library with the two books, and Lena followed him.
As they headed toward the guest room, the evening sunset bathed the corridor in its light.
The sunset, spread like a carpet in the corridor, made Lena's day end happily.
As they neared the guest room, the man spoke.
"I'm hungry. No dinner plans today, right?"
"No, there aren't any. Shall we have dinner?"
"Yes, for two."
"…Yes, understood."
Dinner with him was both awkward and something to look forward to.
Lena quickly turned to head to the kitchen when the man called her to a stop.
"Wait."
"…?"
"Take this."
"This is…"
She hadn't noticed it while it was tucked under his arm, but now she could see clearly.
It was the book she had been reading.
"Put it in your room on the way, and read it later at your leisure."
"But…"
"I'm going in."
Without waiting for Lena's response, the man opened the large door to the guest room and slipped inside.
***
"I think I understand the princess now."
[I never thought the reason she wanted to be punished would be something like that.]
'Well, human emotions aren't perfect. And it might not even be true.'
She probably never thought her first act of defiance against the Duke would be her last.
With the hero by her side, the situation was favorable, but she never expected him to disappear suddenly.
She thought that after the war, she would return and her father would punish her with a smile, but in the end, she never saw him again.
It seems she had a unique desire to be punished, buried deep within her.
I set aside my thoughts about the princess for a moment and thought of Viola.
"…Could she still be playing around?"
When I returned to the guest room, Viola was still absent.
It seemed she had been out since morning, wandering around without eating.
[The castle's security is good, so there shouldn't be any problems, but Viola is human, and there are demons who might not distinguish her.]
"Let's look for her first."
I realized I had been too careless.
If she had met Beatrice, it would be fine, but if she was wandering around without meeting her, it could be dangerous.
"I'm suddenly worried…"
[You don't need to worry too much. They know there's a human guest, so they'll be cautious.]
"That's a relief."
As soon as I stepped out of the guest room, I saw two people approaching.
It was Viola and Beatrice.
I immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew…"
As I took a step toward them, I overheard their grumbling conversation.
"If it weren't for me, something terrible could have happened!"
"Ugh… Suddenly making me do all that…"
…What are they talking about?
***
Apparently, Viola had been wandering the castle since morning to find Beatrice.
But the problem was that Viola got lost and ended up in the dining hall.
The dining hall was managed by women who were in charge of cleaning, and they mistook Viola for a new maid and put her to work.
Viola, not knowing what else to do, went along with it, but she enjoyed cleaning so much that she happily did it all day, and Beatrice happened to find her and brought her back.
But according to Beatrice, if it had just been cleaning, it would have been fine, but the noblewomen had called Viola an idiot, lowly, and other nonsense.
"…What the hell!"
"Ugh, I'm sorry, Suho…"
"No, no! Viola, I'm not mad at you."
Thinking I was mad at her, Viola covered her head with both hands, so I hugged her to reassure her.
Beatrice puffed out her chest proudly and spoke.
Wow, her chest is really something.
"Seriously! If I hadn't found her, she would have been cleaning all day!"
"You did great!"
"Hehe. If you're grateful, get me more clothes later."
"Oh, I'll give you my underwear as a gift!"
"Th-That's not necessary…"
Beatrice took a step back with a look of disgust.
I'm hurt…
I had planned to let those noblewomen off the hook.
I thought dealing with the men was enough.
But my mind changed.
After seeing the princess's dream, I didn't want to let it slide.
I asked Beatrice.
"Beatrice, how did the thing I asked you about yesterday go?"
"Ah! I asked the manager, and he said it's enough."
"Is it enough for about 20 people?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure about that. I'll have to ask."
"Please do."
"Got it."
"If you do well, I'll definitely get you my underwear."
"Th-That's not necessary!"
Touched by my words, Beatrice ran out of the guest room with a tsundere-like tone.
'So cute…'
[….]
"Armonia."
[Yes.]
'Can that thing work for women too?'
[It's perfectly possible. In fact, it's cheaper than the male version.]
'Great, great… Hehehe… Just imagining it is thrilling.'
I hugged Viola with a sly smile.
***
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