Theresia, alone by the river, was squatting on a flat stone, watching the small fish fry swimming in the crystal-clear water.
"Cough~ cough cough~"
Hearing the sound of dry coughing, Theresia turned her head. Regulus and Carol had returned.
She stood up and proactively went to meet them.
However, as she got closer, she noticed something was off.
Carol's face was flushed a deep red, but her expression was haggard. Her hand was constantly rubbing her throat, as if she were in discomfort.
"Welcome back," Theresia said gently. "How did it go?"
"Naturally, I found her very smoothly," Regulus replied with a satisfied smirk.
"As expected."
Theresia had already guessed this outcome. She looked at her friend with concern.
"Carol, what's wrong? You don't look very well. Your voice sounds... hoarse."
"I... cough... I'm fine," Carol rasped, averting her eyes.
"Really?"
"Really. Don't worry, Young Lady."
Carol tried to smile, but her throat felt raw and swollen.
She was not fine.
The cause of her hoarseness—and the phantom sensation of choking—was vividly etched in her mind. If she hadn't gagged so violently during the "game," she might be okay now.
But the memory of the taste, the texture, and the invasion made her stomach churn.
I will absolutely never eat bananas again! Never!
At that moment—
"These are the rest of the bananas Carol bought. Do you want some?"
Regulus held out the paper bag he was carrying.
Theresia instinctively reached out.
To be honest, she didn't have any particular craving for the fruit, but since Carol liked them so much, she often shared them.
"They look great," Theresia said, peering into the bag. The fruit was large, yellow, and fresh.
She reached in to break one off.
Swish!
The bag was snatched away instantly.
Theresia looked up in confusion at Carol, who was clutching the bag to her chest like it contained a bomb.
"The Young Lady cannot eat these!" Carol declared, her eyes wide with panic.
"Why?" Theresia blinked.
"Because... this..."
Carol looked at Regulus, who was standing nearby with an innocent expression. She grit her teeth.
Giving these to the Young Lady? Inviting her to eat them now?
This man definitely had ill intentions.
If Theresia ate a banana in front of him, Regulus would undoubtedly superimpose the image of what just happened in the inn onto the innocent Sword Saint. He would mentally defile her.
How could Carol, as her guardian, stand by and watch her pure Young Lady be used as fuel for this man's twisted fantasies?
"These are for me to eat," Carol lied desperately.
"For you to eat?" Theresia asked, surprised.
"That's right. They are mine."
Carol's attitude was unusually firm, bordering on aggressive.
Theresia was confused. Carol wasn't usually like this. When she had something delicious, she always actively shared it.
Regulus, however, wouldn't give up his entertainment so easily.
To paint a pure and flawless girl with his own colors—this was a temptation a Bishop of Sin couldn't refuse.
"Carol," Regulus drawled, stepping closer. "Don't you have a lot in there? It wouldn't hurt to give Theresia just one, would it? Sharing is a virtue."
"No! Not even one."
"Really? You're being quite greedy."
"No means no."
Carol glared at him with hatred.
She had bought these bananas. If she handed one to Theresia now, she would be an accomplice. She would be helping him mock her mistress.
"In that case..."
Regulus leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper only they could hear.
"Didn't you say these were for you? If you can eat them all, right now, we'll drop the matter. Otherwise... I think Theresia looks hungry."
"Eat... them all!?"
Carol looked at the bag. There were at least five or six large ones left.
"That's right. Every single one. If you can't finish them, the rest go to Theresia."
"You...!"
Carol glared at the bully in front of her.
Theresia, watching the standoff, realized Regulus was teasing Carol, though she didn't understand the context.
"Carol, why don't you just give me one?" Theresia persuaded gently. "You'll get a stomach ache if you eat them all. Besides, bananas aren't poison. There's no harm in me eating one, right?"
"Young Lady, you can't eat them! At least not in front of him!" Carol shouted, losing her composure.
"Why is that?"
"Because..."
Carol couldn't say it.
She couldn't bring herself to describe the white, sticky fluid that had coated her throat just minutes ago.
"Anyway, it's just not possible! I will be responsible for eating all of these!"
With that, Carol ripped a banana off the bunch.
Facing the fruit in her hand, she felt a wave of nausea.
Damn it!!!
Her heart was filled with indignation and shame. She peeled it with trembling fingers.
Munch.
She took a big bite.
It was sweet. It was soft. It was exactly the same texture as... him.
Theresia watched with concern as Carol aggressively stuffed the fruit into her mouth, chewing with tears in her eyes.
She was certain Carol had some unspeakable difficulty. But what was it?
Theresia's gaze turned to Regulus.
It definitely had something to do with him.
"Huh!?" Theresia was momentarily stunned.
In Regulus's eyes, besides a hint of a smile, she saw a hidden, burning excitement.
Noticing her gaze, Regulus smiled at Theresia.
Carol's current appearance—cheeks bulging, eyes watering, forcing something down her throat—reminded him perfectly of the scene at the inn.
It was a wonderful encore.
After some time.
Carol finally swallowed the last bite of the last banana.
"Are you okay?" Theresia asked, stepping forward to support her swaying friend.
"I'm... I'm... Urp—!"
Carol immediately covered her mouth, her face turning green.
She was clearly not okay.
"Sorry... please let me be alone for a bit," Carol gasped.
Without waiting for a reply, she quickly walked away toward the bushes. She wanted to run, but with her stomach so full, strenuous exercise would result in immediate disaster.
She forced herself to endure until she reached a spot where she wouldn't be seen or heard.
"Phew~ Haa..."
Carol leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.
"I never want to see a yellow fruit again," she muttered, wiping cold sweat from her forehead.
However, after a few minutes of deep breathing, the nausea subsided. She had protected the Young Lady. Her sacrifice was worth it.
"I need to go back. Leaving him alone with the Young Lady... who knows what bad ideas he'll come up with."
Carol straightened her uniform and hurried back to the riverside.
But when she emerged from the trees, she froze.
Her blood ran cold.
In the distance, by the riverbank...
Theresia was kneeling on a flat stone. The height was perfect.
And Regulus?
He had pulled one last banana from who-knows-where—perhaps hidden in his sleeve, perhaps conjured by magic.
He was peeling it slowly.
He held it out, not handing it to her, but holding it up to her mouth.
The naive Theresia, with a puzzled but trusting expression, opened her lips to accept the bite from his hand.
From Carol's angle, the silhouette of the kneeling Sword Saint and the standing man perfectly mirrored the scene in the inn room.
"No..." Carol whispered, her soul shattering.
Her sacrifice had been meaningless.
If she hadn't just gone through it herself, even she wouldn't have understood the obscenity of the scene. But now, she saw exactly what Regulus was seeing.
And he was smiling right at her.
.....
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