Grey quietly closed the door behind him and looked at Lady Veronika.
She was just as beautiful as he remembered. However, during their first meeting, he could only look at her through Junior's eyes. Emotions reached him only as faint echoes, and the conversation itself resembled a scene from a TV show: you watch and understand, but you don't participate.
Now, having taken the controller's seat, Grey fully felt the pressure Junior experienced when communicating with the hostess.
A single glance at Lady Veronika caused his teenage hormones to spiral out of control. He wanted to tear her thin dress, sink his lips into her delicate skin, pin her down on the couch, and feel the softness of her body. The desires were too intrusive and too vivid.
The fact that he was an adult at heart worked against him: having known fleshly pleasures, he craved them even more.
That was why they both feared Lady Veronika.
Any normal man in her presence would feel like he was losing his mind. The mind drowned in hormonal noise, the will weakened, and thoughts reverted to a primitive form, like an animal in heat.
After such an experience, all other women would seem like a pale shadow, devoid of scent, taste, and meaning.
Grey sharply clenched his injured hand into a fist, triggering a surge of sharp, throbbing pain that cleared his head.
He let out a sigh of relief, put on an innocent smile, and bowed politely.
"Greetings, madam. I must confess, I never believed the rumors. They say your smile is capable of bringing down an empire, but that's an outright lie. How could they underestimate you so badly? I'm certain you're capable of much more. Perhaps... a continent? The world? An entire pantheon?"
Veronika raised an eyebrow slightly.
At first glance, she noticed the subtle changes in the boy's character. It wasn't just his words. His entire manner of carrying himself had completely changed since their first meeting. He had become bolder and more proactive.
Back then, he had tried very hard not to reveal his emotions and had kept an impassive mask on his face. Right now, however, everything was exactly the opposite. Grey had become less straightforward, more willing to go with the flow, and no longer hesitated to engage her in a battle of words.
'How interesting...'
"Hee-hee-hee." Laughing softly, she leaned back against the couch and reached for the crystal cup resting on the bedside table.
Draining its contents in a single gulp, she looked at Grey and gave him a wink.
"I see you're learning how to flatter people," Veronika said with a smile. "Not a bad attempt. I'll give you... seven out of ten."
"Now, be a gentleman and bring me another bottle of Syracusan. They're easy to recognize. The cork is dark burgundy, and there's a sail symbol etched into the ceramic."
She nodded toward the locked door.
Grey wasn't even surprised. If Veronika had been as easy to deal with as Lydia or Monica, she would never have become a madam.
He gave a proper bow like an exemplary butler and obediently went to carry out her order.
Inside the dim storeroom stood rows of wine casks, glass bottles, and flasks. Such an impressive collection of alcohol would have astonished even a seasoned and wealthy nouveau riche like Grey.
'Just who exactly is Lady Veronika?' he wondered, pulling out the ceramic bottle marked with the carved symbol of a sail. 'I simply refuse to believe that the owner of a brothel on the very outskirts of the Magic Empire can afford this kind of extravagance. She's more like a NEET from my previous life... Sitting in her room all day, drinking, and doing who knows what else. I'm sure that if she had access to the internet, she'd lock herself in there forever and never come out...'
His movements never paused for even a second.
Acting with complete ease, he uncorked the bottle using a special tool and made sure the wine had retained its chill. Then he returned to the madam and bent down to retrieve the crystal cup.
As his eyes drifted lower, her cleavage took up more and more of his vision.
Veronika's dress had a bold neckline, highlighting delicate collarbones and a very alluring valley between her breasts. Deep inside it hid a pearl from her necklace, as if waiting for some daring seeker to venture and discover it.
Grey noticed with surprise that she was not wearing a bra: her breasts were held only by the thin, tight-fitting dress. With every rise and fall of her chest, the fabric shifted subtly, revealing glimpses of creamy, silky skin.
The intoxicating scent of her body drifted into Grey's nose—a rich blend of honey and damp flowers.
Her long hair fell in soft waves down her back, framing porcelain skin that glowed faintly in the mist and twilight.
He simply could not look away.
"Careful, you'll spill it," her clear voice rang out.
Grey snapped out of it and clenched his fist again, bringing on the familiar flash of pain.
However, he did not look away immediately. If he was already caught red-handed, it was best to remain calm and pretend nothing had happened. (c) Rules of Gentlemanly Behavior. Article No. 114.
"Do you like what you see?" Veronika purred in a passionate whisper, leaning in so close that her lips were only a centimeter away from his ear.
From her teasing words and warm breath, goosebumps ran down Grey's spine. His pupils pulsed slightly, but he managed to control himself and reply casually.
"I am a man too. The fact that I can still look you in the eyes can already be considered a feat."
"My eyes are higher up," Veronika chuckled.
Grey froze for a second, but his natural smile did not falter for an instant.
"I don't want to spill this drink on you. I'm afraid you would have to change your dress, and I cannot take such a risk," he cast another glance at the place where the fabric tightly clung to her figure, straining across her chest and hips.
"Aha-ha-ha..." the low and melodic sound of laughter seemed to fill the space.
Her sakura-colored eyes flashed and narrowed into two slits that intently studied him.
'Well, it's official. He has changed. He's started showing more emotion, no longer keeps up a cold mask, and even dares to tease me... It seems everything is fine... But his eyes. They've become somehow detached, otherworldly, and even... lifeless.'
'The longer I look at him, the less I understand him.'
'Come on, boy, reveal your secrets to me. This should be fun.'
She stepped back and pointed to a chair.
"Sit down. Stop standing there like a statue. Your aura of tension is disturbing my rest."
Grey immediately felt relief mixed with a trace of reluctance, but he obeyed and sat down cross-legged like a true gentleman.
He said nothing and simply waited to see what exactly the mistress wanted from him.
His summer-sky eyes no longer left her face.
Veronika frowned as though someone had taken away her favorite toy. She tilted her head, but instead of a smile, a predatory gleam flashed through her eyes.
"If I remember correctly, during our last meeting, I asked you not to cause trouble for my girls... One request. Not an especially difficult one. And what did you do?"
Her tone remained calm, almost indifferent, but Grey clearly caught the irritation hidden beneath it. It was cold and measured, and that was precisely what made it all the more unsettling, unconsciously affecting him as well.
"The very next day, Monica came back in tears. She refused to work. And all of it happened after meeting you. I had hoped you would settle things yourself. But then you disappeared and made her worry. She came to me three times, begging me to find you."
She paused.
"Would you care to explain yourself?"
Grey clenched and unclenched his fist.
Monica's behavior irritated him. Veronika's persistence irritated him. The way everyone treated him like a child irritated him.
He knew it was a natural reaction to his appearance, yet he couldn't suppress the anger rising from the deepest corners of his soul.
In his previous life, his mother had constantly lectured him, nagged him, and interfered with his every step. And although he truly longed for that feeling, for her overbearing care, attention, and love, he didn't want anyone else to take her place.
Especially not Monica.
Not like this! She had gone so far as to sell her own body just to pay for the useless help of a healer.
He knew this was her job. He knew this was her everyday life. He knew all of that. But he didn't want to be the reason for it. He had never asked for such attachment. It filled him with disgust, both toward her and toward himself.
Grey took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"It was an ordinary argument," he replied evenly. "We had a difference of opinion. You have nothing to worry about."
"I see." Veronika raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for further explanation. "So you simply had a difference of opinion..."
"Exactly."
"That doesn't explain why she's refusing to work."
Grey merely shrugged. "Maybe she's tired of working an sperm receptacle. Maybe she finally came to her senses and decided to start a new life. How should I know?"
A dangerous glint flashed through Veronika's eyes.
She didn't like his tone at all.
Nor did she like his attitude.
Was she too soft? Had she allowed him too much? After letting him take control of the establishment, did he think everything was permitted to him? What other reason could justify his foul language? It seemed he had no respect for her at all.
"Explain!" she said sternly.
There was no softness or playfulness left in her voice. The Bored Empress showed another side of her title.
The game was over.
If the boy failed to draw conclusions, she would stop indulging him and take immediate action.
An elder succubus like Lydia had not become her subordinate without reason. Veronika knew how to be authoritative. And she knew exactly when it was time to take up the whip.
Grey locked eyes with her and remained silent.
He clearly showed his attitude. And in that very moment, pressure fell onto his body, dense and suffocating, so strong that his breathing faltered.
He knew Veronika was an expert and he himself was just a powerless cripple, yet the real gap in strength was far greater than he had expected. The difference was absolute, almost humiliating.
She did not even move from her spot, yet Grey already felt the bones in his body creaking, as if they were about to snap. Veronika felt like a cold, boundless ocean to him, while he was nothing more than a small boat desperately fighting through a storm, trying to stay afloat.
'Damn it, what is this? The difference in levels?' he mentally turned to Junior for an explanation, but the latter had already plunged into a deep hibernation, 'Seriously... Just how high is the gap between us? Is this how the powers of the Saint Arbiters (6) feel? Or maybe the Sky-dwellers (7)?'
'Answer me, damn it!'
However, no one answered him.
Grey clenched his teeth until they bled. His vision blurred, his body broke out in cold beads of sweat, and his muscles trembled from the strain.
But he refused to say a single word.
There were many reasons, but the main one was shame.
Since when did he have to rely on a woman to get rid of a pathetic injury? He hated this feeling—helplessness mixed with dependence. He hated it to the point of grinding his teeth.
His past life flashed through his memory.
His "friends" from the Ivy League. Their half-mocking, pseudo-sympathetic looks when they found out his mother used to work for food at a garment factory. Their stares were deeply etched into his memory.
And now, to heal him, Monica had willingly spread her legs!
He swore he would take this shameful secret to the grave.
He could fear death all he wanted. He could humiliate himself, get down on his knees, and kiss someone's feet if necessary. But he would never—never—allow another woman to sacrifice her honor for him.
Even if Veronika decapitated him right now, he would not open his mouth.
He could only apologize to Junior and repay him in the next rebirth.
Grey could no longer resist the pressure. His consciousness slowly began to blur. His black pupils pulsed faintly in a final attempt at self-defense.
Veronika frowned.
She understood perfectly well how difficult it was for a small cripple to endure her suppression. And yet his stubbornness did not leave her indifferent.
She did not pity him—no. Rather, she was impressed.
That reaction only fueled her interest.
In an instant, she dispelled all of her threatening aura.
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