Muen lifted Celicia’s black-stockinged foot into his hands and kissed it gently.

The thin black stockings were woven from some unknown material. Their smoothness far exceeded Muen’s expectations, like a layer of perfectly melted dark chocolate poured over rich, fragrant milk.

Dark chocolate was not sweet, yet its flavor lingered beautifully. That faint, captivating fragrance filled Muen’s nose, teasing nerves that had already begun melting alongside it.

He carefully kissed every inch of her instep, moving slowly from top to bottom. Through the thin layer of fabric, his lips transmitted scorching heat while one large hand lightly supported the sole of her foot, stroking it tenderly.

“Mmh...”

A sweet little hum escaped Celicia’s nose.

The ice and snow within her eyes melted faster than ever before. Ripples of moisture even began to blur her gaze, yet her elegant head remained slightly raised.

Her Majesty the Empress looked down upon her subject and questioned him coldly:

“You like it that much?”

“Of course... how could I not, when it’s this beautiful?”

The noble Empress’s feet were beautiful enough to resemble works of art. Every detail, every contour—even the greatest sculptor alive would feel ashamed of their own creations after seeing them.

To Muen, every part of the Empress surpassed anything artificial in this world.

So he wasted no time proving his answer through action.

One hand slid upward, lightly gripping Her Majesty’s slender ankle, while the other supported the front of her foot from below.

The texture of the stockings was delicate and smooth. The fabric around her toes had been thickened slightly, yet one could still vaguely see those little white-jade treasures beneath the black layer. As the scorching breath drew closer and closer, they twitched restlessly in unease.

Without hesitation, Muen wrapped his lips around the largest white-jade toe covered in dark chocolate.

“Mmh~”

Even through the stockings, the burning sensation remained vivid. Her Majesty’s soft cry immediately rose in pitch.

She shot her unruly subject an annoyed glare, yet his offensive actions showed no sign of restraint.

Nibbling, teasing, sucking...

Only after playing with it for quite a while did Muen finally release it and move on to the next one.

The unfamiliar sensation made Her Majesty somewhat uncomfortable. Her instep instinctively arched, trying to pull away, but naturally it achieved nothing. Instead, it only caused the other party’s movements to become even more careful and invasive.

Watching her subject intoxicatedly lick and kiss her jade-like feet, little by little, a strange emotion also began stirring within the Empress’s heart.

And Muen seemed to notice it.

At last, he released those pitiful white-jade treasures and began climbing upward along the smooth wall of dark chocolate.

The slender ankle that fit perfectly within one hand.

The beautifully curved calf.

The knee that felt like the summit of a towering peak, giving one the sensation of climbing ever higher...

And then finally, those firm, rounded thighs.

From bottom to top, it was like a staircase leading toward heaven itself, enticing people endlessly upward.

And once one reached the highest point...

Naturally, the next step was to part the clouds and see the light.

Muen lifted his gaze slightly. Only now did he realize Celicia was wearing an especially formal court gown today. The skirt was luxuriously layered and voluminous, while the waist was tightly cinched, the sudden contrast so dramatic it made one worry her waist might snap.

As for anything above that, the even loftier twin peaks concealed the view for the moment.

“You still have official business to deal with?”

“My original schedule was to meet several Kingdom nobles.”

“And you really think it’s okay to stand them up and come running here instead?”

“What’s wrong with that? Those arrogant fools may have surrendered, but they still cling to their pride. Leaving them waiting for a while will crush some of that arrogance and make later negotiations easier.”

Celicia snorted disdainfully.

“I see...”

Just imagining that the Empress—whom so many important figures were anxiously waiting to see, the very woman capable of deciding the fate of an entire kingdom—was currently moaning softly in his hands gave Muen an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Could it be...

Had he now become the kind of disaster that made “the king neglect his court for the sake of beauty”?

And honestly...

The feeling was unbelievably exciting.

The thought alone caused the heat in Muen’s body to rise several more degrees. He immediately threw all so-called important matters to the back of his mind and focused entirely on the present.

His hands moved upward, guided by the slick black stockings as he slowly lifted the voluminous skirt layer by layer.

Yet the pale skin he had expected never appeared.

The dark chocolate extended farther and farther upward. After passing a certain curve, it continued straight higher.

The black stockings outlined the intoxicating contours of a flat stomach, though the full view remained impossible to appreciate because the tightly bound corset cruelly concealed the scenery deeper within.

“Can’t get it off?”

The complicated structure of the court gown left even Muen—who had already cultivated his clothes-removal techniques to a high level—completely helpless.

Much less removing the pantyhose that had once been art itself but had now become an obstacle.

Instinctively, he looked up and found Celicia staring down at him as well. Amid the melting waves in her eyes floated a trace of sly amusement.

She had clearly done this on purpose.

“...You think something this trivial can stop me?”

Muen felt deeply insulted.

He, Muen Campbell, had traversed the world for so long. What hardships had he not faced? What towering obstacles had he not overcome?

Cults, Evil Gods, terrorists—none of the terrifying things that filled the world with fear had ever halted his steps.

And now Celicia thought she could stop him with mere pantyhose?

Ridiculous.

Muen’s hands stopped trying to climb higher.

If something could not be removed, then there was no need to remove it.

That was one of the life philosophies Muen had always upheld.

In that case...

Muen lowered his head and continued kissing Celicia’s smooth thighs, carefully sweeping his lips across every inch.

“Mmh...”

Celicia’s breathing grew increasingly uneven. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

At first she had felt somewhat uncomfortable with this sort of behavior, but now she had completely sunk into the warmth that seemed intent on swallowing her whole.

Thus her tense body gradually relaxed, and those long, powerful legs slowly forgot their original duty...

Seizing the opportunity, one of Muen’s hands suddenly slipped deeper, lightly stirring at the deepest and most crucial place.

Riiip...

The sound of delicate fabric tearing arrived exactly as expected.

Celicia’s expression changed slightly. Her long thighs instinctively snapped shut, but she was already too late.

That hand easily slipped through the final line of defense, skillfully brushing aside the black lace that barely qualified as protection at all.

Then, like a serpent returning to its nest—

“Wait...”

Celicia’s legs instantly tensed.

But at this point, now that things had already become reality, this defensive action not only failed to keep the rebellious subject outside the gates—it instead tightened the connection between them even further.

Her beautiful face flushed crimson. Her elegant neck arched upward as both hands instinctively tried to push him away, yet they could not shake that solid force at all.

She could clearly feel that the disobedient subject had already begun moving.

He knew precisely where she was weakest, most vulnerable, most sensitive—and so he launched his assault without hesitation.

This had never been an equal battle to begin with.

Every attempt at resistance proved utterly useless.

And so, after tensing and curling tighter than ever before, Her Majesty the Empress’s delicate body finally softened completely.

Naturally, the rebellious subject would never miss such a perfect opportunity.

His hand, already drenched, withdrew briefly before pushing outward again, spreading her thighs apart.

Muen immediately buried his head within that garden, carefully drinking the sweet nectar there.

“Mmh... no...”

Softness and heat invaded the most delicate, sensitive place, rampaging recklessly within it. Even Her Majesty the Empress could not help shaking her silver-white hair wildly, her eyes hazy and pitifully unfocused.

“There’s so much.”

The shameless man who loved taking advantage while pretending innocence mumbled praise against her skin:

“You’re almost on Ariel’s level.”

“...”

Celicia buried all ten fingers into Muen’s hair and aggressively ruffled it in retaliation, ruining his hairstyle as she said coldly:

“You’re not allowed to kiss me later.”

“Seriously? Even you think it’s disgusting?”

Muen sighed innocently.

But the instant the words left his mouth, his attacks became even fiercer.

After surviving so many battlefields and so many hopeless one-against-many situations, the improvement in his oral skills had not merely made him better at sweet-talking people. Naturally, his abilities in other areas had improved just as dramatically.

Thus, very quickly, the Empress who had been coldly scolding him moments ago once again arched her insteps tight, straightened her waist, and tilted her head back.

Muen instantly abandoned the sweet nectar below that he so hated leaving behind. He suddenly rose upward, climbing along Her Majesty’s soft body until the height difference reversed completely and he pulled the Empress into his arms instead.

Then, utterly ignoring the warning she had given moments earlier, he directly kissed those glossy, jelly-like lips.

The strange taste made Her Majesty’s brows knit instinctively for an instant, but it was soon overwhelmed by a far more addictive sweetness.

She completely forgot her own warning and passionately returned his affection.

Another fierce exchange of lips and tongues followed.

When the decadent thread between them finally broke, Muen stared into those shimmering eyes.

“May we proceed to the next step now, my beloved Empress?”

“...”

Her Majesty did not answer.

She merely leaned obediently against Muen, abandoning all defenses.

That alone was permission enough.

Overjoyed, Muen’s wandering hands immediately became busy again.

The clothes could not come off.

Muen knew full well that dressing in this kind of court gown took an absurd amount of time. Time was already limited enough as it was. If they had to waste even more of it getting dressed again afterward, wouldn’t that only shorten his happy moments?

Besides, with the magnificent imperial gown symbolizing the Empress’s status still draped across her body, paired with that cold and disheveled face, the entire scene became even more stimulating.

Sometimes, not taking it off was better than taking it off.

That was another one of Muen’s life philosophies.

With that thought, Muen stopped wasting time. He lifted the voluminous skirt higher, wrapped an arm around Celicia’s slender waist, and thrust forward.

Yet just as the great dragon was about to return to its nest—

Celicia suddenly tightened her waist and abdomen, keeping him firmly outside the gates.

“My beloved Empress, what exactly are you doing?”

Muen’s face twitched.

Was there anything in this world crueler than being stopped at the last possible moment?

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Did you forget? I’m punishing you.”

Celicia narrowed her beautiful eyes coldly and spoke with arrogant composure.

“Punishing me?”

Muen stared blankly, only now remembering that yes, she had indeed said that earlier.

But after all the hard work he had put in, none of that counted as punishment to her?

“And how exactly are you punishing me?”

“...”

Celicia wrapped both arms around Muen’s neck and demonstrated the punishment directly through action.

Those long, firm, beautifully rounded legs clad in black stockings spread apart slightly, trapping Muen’s unsheathed weapon between them.

Yet she absolutely refused to let it enter the most important place, instead slowly rubbing it against the already-soaked outer folds.

“Hss...”

Muen shuddered violently.

The sensation there was unbelievably pleasurable—but at the same time, the stimulation was several times stronger.

In every possible sense.

And after that stimulation came the pitiful emptiness and longing of a baby dragon unable to return home.

“I want to go home.”

Very quickly, Muen wore a miserable expression, suffering and blissful all at once.

“No.”

Celicia glanced at the clock on the wall. Her tongue swept lightly across her red lips as she whispered arrogantly and coldly into Muen’s ear:

“We’ll discuss that once you truly understand what you did wrong.”