The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.
Ai Hayasaka dried herself with a soft towel, surveying her surroundings.
The marble walls and floor were polished to a mirror sheen, and the air carried the faint scent of high-grade incense.
On the vanity sat top-tier skincare products flown in from Switzerland, every bottle worth a small fortune.
On the hanger was a complete set of brand-new clothing.
Not the business suit she had imagined, but a white dress, simple in cut yet of exquisite material. The fabric was silky to the touch, clearly the work of a master designer.
"Such extravagant waste..."
Ai grumbled inwardly.
To her, this kind of luxury, far beyond any practical need, was nothing more than the bored showing-off of the wealthy.
She slipped into the dress. The size fit perfectly, as though it had been tailored for her.
The cut accentuated her slender waist and the soft curves unique to a young woman.
Standing before the mirror, Ai carefully adjusted her damp, light blond short hair.
The girl in the mirror had cheeks flushed a healthy pink from the steam, and her ice-blue eyes were clear and calm.
She drew in a deep breath, clutched the "important" document envelope to her chest, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Outside, the maid was still waiting respectfully.
"Miss Hayasaka, please follow me."
The maid turned and led the way.
The two of them passed through a long corridor and finally stopped before a heavy oak door.
"The master is inside."
With that, the maid bowed and withdrew, vanishing down the far end of the hallway.
Ai steadied her breathing, raised her hand, and knocked lightly.
"Come in."
A young, magnetic male voice came from inside.
She pushed open the door and stepped in.
It was a spacious study.
The first thing that caught her eye was a bookshelf that spanned an entire wall, filled with all kinds of hardcover books, ranging from classical literature to modern finance.
A man stood with his back to her in front of the shelf.
He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, his frame upright and shoulders broad.
Even from behind, he carried an air of weighty composure that demanded attention.
Hearing her footsteps, the man slowly turned around.
The instant Ai saw his face, her heart gave a sharp lurch.
What a handsome man.
His features were sharp and defined like a Greek sculpture, and his black eyes were so deep they seemed capable of drawing out a person's very soul. He had done nothing, was simply standing there calmly, yet an invisible pressure poured off him.
He was even better-looking in person than on television.
Ai felt a quiet shock.
Meanwhile, Seiji Fujiwara was studying her too.
The freshly bathed girl had skin so fair it glowed pink, like fine mutton-fat jade.
Her light blond short hair was still slightly damp, clinging to her smooth forehead. Those ice-blue eyes were doing their best to stay composed, but deep within them, a trace of unmistakable tension and wariness lingered.
An interesting look in her eyes.
Like a small wildcat that had wandered into human territory and was pretending to be unfazed.
"Mr. Fujiwara, good evening."
Ai broke the silence first.
She bowed, the motion as textbook-perfect as it came. "I am the liaison sent by the Shinomiya Family. My name is Ai Hayasaka."
As she said this, she respectfully held out the waterproof envelope she had been clutching to her chest.
"This is the document the head of the Shinomiya Family asked me to deliver to you personally."
Seiji didn't reach for it right away.
His gaze drifted slowly down from her face.
It passed over the chest that was rising and falling slightly with her nerves, over the slim waistline traced by the white dress, and finally settled on the envelope she was holding so tightly.
A playful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He took two steps forward and extended a hand.
Thinking he meant to take the document, Ai pushed it a little further toward him.
But Seiji's hand passed over the envelope.
A warm, large hand closed directly around her slender wrist.
Ai's body instantly stiffened.
"Mr. Fujiwara?" Her voice took on a note of caution.
Seiji didn't answer. With his other hand, he casually plucked the envelope from her arms and tossed it onto the desk beside them.
A light slap.
The small sound was unusually jarring in the silence of the study.
Ai stared in disbelief at the envelope, discarded so carelessly, like a piece of insignificant trash.
"Mr. Fujiwara, what are you..."
Before she could finish, the grip on her wrist tightened.
An irresistible force yanked her forward. She gasped, and her whole body tumbled into Seiji's embrace.
A masculine scent, mixed with the faint aroma of red wine, wrapped around her in an instant.
"Let me go!"
Ai could no longer stay calm. She thrashed violently.
As an elite attendant of the Shinomiya Family, she had received basic combat training.
But her resistance felt utterly powerless against Seiji's iron arms.
"Mr. Fujiwara! Please conduct yourself with dignity!" She hardened her tone in warning. "I am the personal attendant of Lady Kaguya Shinomiya, and I represent the face of the Shinomiya Family!"
"I know."
Seiji's voice came right next to her ear, tinged with a teasing smile.
His hands had already begun to wander freely over her body, finding every sensitive spot on the girl with practiced precision.
"But it seems you've gotten one thing wrong."
"Let go! You... mmh..."
Ai's warning was cut off by a stifled gasp.
She felt the strength drain from her body, drawn out little by little under his skillful caresses.
"The gift the Shinomiya Family sent over wasn't that envelope..." Seiji laughed softly, the cruel words spilling against her ear. "It's you, Ai Hayasaka."
"You're lying!"
Ai's eyes went wide in disbelief. "That's impossible! The head of the family, he..."
"You don't believe me?"
The smile on Seiji's face deepened.
He let go with one hand, scooped her up around the waist, and ignoring her cries and struggles, strode toward the broad desk.
A thud.
He pressed her down against the cold, hard surface.
The white dress stood out vividly against the dark wood.
Seiji took his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, pulled up a number, then held the phone to her ear.
"Listen for yourself."
Ai looked at him, her eyes filled with shaken disbelief.
The call connected.
"Hello? Mr. Fujiwara?" From the other end came a voice she knew all too well, the head butler of the Shinomiya Family.
"Help... help me!" Ai cried out at once.
But the response on the other end made her feel as if she had plunged into an ice cavern.
"Hehe," the butler chuckled, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "Mr. Fujiwara, is the child we prepared being too unruly? If she doesn't suit your tastes, we can swap her for a more obedient one at any time."
Swap... her?
Ai's mind went completely blank.
Seiji took the phone back and laughed into the receiver. "No, that won't be necessary. She's a little wildcat, a bit feisty, but that has its own flavor. I'm satisfied."
"Wonderful, wonderful." The butler's voice was full of fawning. "Then... Hayasaka, you be a good girl now. Serve Mr. Fujiwara properly. Don't bring shame on our Shinomiya Family."
That last line was directed at her.
Then the call was cut off without ceremony.
Beep... beep... beep...
The dial tone struck against Ai's heart like a death knell.
Her body went completely limp.
Those ice-blue eyes that had fought so hard to stay clear and wary were dimming, light fading from them moment by moment.
She understood.
She had understood from the very beginning.
The document handed over with such ceremony, the unnecessary ritual of bathing and purification, the pity in the driver's eyes, the maid's hesitant expression that seemed on the verge of saying something more...
Every detail clicked into place.
She wasn't the messenger.
She was the message.
A gift, carefully wrapped and sent off to please another person.
...
Seiji looked down at the girl slumped on his desk like one whose soul had drained away, a gentle smile on his face.
"See? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"
His tone was like someone soothing a sulking child.
"Now, be a good girl. Come to me on your own. Please me."
Ai's body trembled violently.
She buried her face in the crook of her arm, her shoulders shaking again and again.
Humiliation, rage, betrayal... emotions churned through her like a roiling tide, threatening to tear her apart.
But she knew it was over.
Resistance was meaningless now.
Ai slowly raised her head. There wasn't a trace of color left in her delicate face, only an ashen pallor.
She slid down from the desk, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. She caught herself, then straightened the rumpled white dress on her body.
Then, step by step, she walked toward Seiji.
Her steps were slow, stiff, like a marionette whose strings had been wound the wrong way.
Finally, Ai stopped before him, lowered her head, and like a beaten beast cornered at last, threw herself into the hunter's arms and offered up a kiss. It was a terrible kiss, stiff and off-center, a trained servant performing a thing she had never done and had always despised, her mouth cold on his, her hands not knowing where they were allowed to land.
He let her finish it. Then he turned her around without any hurry, bent her down over the cold dark desk where the discarded file still lay, pushed the white dress up off her, and took her there, one hand flat between her shoulder blades to hold her down against the wood. Her body, guided by Seiji, moved stiffly under him, trying to give the coquettishness she had never shown anyone, because she had understood that this too was part of serving well now, and Ai Hayasaka had never once in her life served badly at anything.
Seiji smiled, satisfied.
This was the part he savored.
Taking a proud, sharp little wildcat covered in thorns and, one by one, pulling out her claws, sanding down her edges, until at last she offered up everything she was on her own.
...
Meanwhile.
At the Shinomiya main residence, in Kaguya's room.
Kaguya Shinomiya stared at the clock on the wall. The hour hand had already reached eleven at night.
Ai still hadn't returned.
A nameless restlessness and unease rose in her chest.
She tried calling Ai, but no one ever picked up.
"What is going on... no matter how important the task is, she should at least send a message."
Kaguya tossed her phone onto the bed in irritation.
She tried contacting the head butler at the main residence to ask about Ai's mission, but he refused to disclose anything, citing "confidentiality."
This abnormal state of affairs only deepened her unease.
She didn't believe Ai would suddenly go silent for no reason.
Something must have happened.
She picked up her phone again and dialed that familiar number.
...
In the study.
Ai lay bent over the desk, her cheek to the cold wood, her consciousness blurring under wave after wave of him moving in her, the white dress shoved up to her waist and her hands splayed flat on the desktop with nothing to hold.
Just then, a phone began to ring abruptly.
The sound came from the pocket of the clothes tossed onto the sofa.
Buzz. Buzz.
The ringing pulled a flicker of clarity back into Ai's hazy mind.
Is it... the young lady?
She thought dimly.
It must be Lady Kaguya, worried because she hadn't returned.
She couldn't answer.
In a situation like this, she absolutely could not pick up the phone.
She would just have to wait until things were over here, then call back to apologize.
Ai sighed quietly to herself, deciding to ignore the ringing.
But Seiji had paused.
With great interest, he walked over, fished the buzzing phone from the school uniform's pocket.
On the screen, the words "Lady Kaguya" flashed on and off.
"Oh?"
A wicked grin spread across Seiji's face.
He brought the phone back to the desk and pressed the answer button.
Then he held the phone to Ai's ear. He did not stop moving in her. He did not even slow.
"Hello?"
From the other end came Kaguya's voice, anxious and edged with anger. "Hayasaka! What on earth are you doing? Why haven't you been answering my calls?!"
Ai stared at Seiji in horror. Of every person in the world it was this one on the line, the one she had sworn her service to, the one who did not know and must never be allowed to know, and he chose that exact moment to drive in harder, so that her first word came apart before it reached the phone.
"Hello? Hayasaka? Are you listening? Why aren't you saying anything?" Kaguya's voice was full of confusion.
"I... I'm here..."
"Your... your voice, what's wrong with it? Have you caught a cold?" Concern overtook the anger in Kaguya's voice. "Where are you right now? Isn't the mission over yet?"
"Still... still busy..." The last word broke in half on a deep thrust, and she pressed her lips white to keep the rest of the sound off the line, behind her teeth, away from Kaguya.
"Busy? What are you busy with? Why am I hearing strange noises?" Kaguya was even more puzzled.
"It's... it's a performance!" Ai blurted out the excuse. "I... I was passing by a plaza... someone's putting on a show..." It was the truest lie she had ever told. There was a performance. She was in it. She was bent over a desk and being used while she said the word performance into her own mistress's ear, and the obscene exactness of it was a separate humiliation laid down on top of all the others.
"Really?" Kaguya sounded half-convinced.
"Anyway... I have to hang up! Lady Kaguya! I'll explain when I get back!"
Ai couldn't hold on any longer. The moment those words left her, the sound she had held back for the entire length of the call forced its way up, and she could no longer suppress what was happening to her, or what her own body had started, shamefully, to do back.
Seiji thoughtfully ended the call for her.
Listening to the dial tone, Kaguya was so furious she nearly threw her phone.
"That bastard Hayasaka! She actually hung up on me!"
She lay on the bed, fuming, deciding that when Ai got back, she was going to give her a proper scolding.
...
Back in the study.
The instant the call ended.
Ai could no longer endure. The voice she had kept flawless for her mistress for the length of one phone call gave out the moment it was no longer needed, and what came out of her in its place was not a voice at all.
She slumped lifelessly against the cold surface of the desk, her ice-blue eyes losing focus, her will sinking into instinctive pleasure, the last proud sharp thing left in her finally filed down to nothing while he went on, without hurry, behind her.
She didn't know how long it lasted, but eventually everything settled.
Seiji brought it all to a satisfying close.
At the same moment, a cold system notification rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Conquest Target 'Ai Hayasaka' detected.]
[First stage of conquest achieved!]
[Stage reward issued: Permanent ability, Swordsmanship: Divine Mastery!]