Stefan’s POV
Kara didn’t give me time to argue.
The moment she finished speaking she was already pulling her gown back on in movements sharp and efficient.
She opened the door and called out two short commands in the beast tongue. A pair of Bounds appeared almost immediately, their heads bowed, waiting.
"Take him back to the palace," she told them. "Directly. No stops."
I raised an eyebrow, still half-hard and completely unsatisfied. "That’s it? You’re throwing me out?"
Kara didn’t look at me when she answered. "You will be taken back now."
I huffed a quiet laugh, pulled my own clothes on, and followed the Bounds out. The carriage was already waiting. As they lifted the poles and started moving, I leaned back against the wooden wall and stared at the ceiling, my mind turning.
She was hiding something. The three women, the Silent Matriarch, the information she was supposed to bring back from the palace - none of it sat right. And the way she had shut the conversation down so fast only made the itch worse.
I was still semi-hard the entire ride, the lingering ache a constant reminder of how abruptly the lesson had ended.
Halfway through the journey the streets opened into a wider market. Despite that it was sunset, there were people everywhere. Stalls lined both sides, women moving between them with the same proud, unhurried confidence I’d seen earlier.
And in the stalls were arranged a lot of wares - strange fruits, carved tools, fabrics dyed in deep colors, small metal jewelries that caught the impossibly bright moonlight - things I didn’t recognize but that pulled at my curiosity.
I leaned forward and tapped one of the Bounds on the shoulder.
"Stop here. Wait."
They obeyed without question. I stepped down, tapped the pouch of currency at my side and when I felt it still there, heavy, I walked to the nearest row of stalls with confidence.
I bought a few things that caught my eye: a small knife with a bone handle, a pouch of dried herbs that smelled like coffee, and a set of smooth black stones that the seller claimed could hold heat for hours. Nothing useful for the system missions, but interesting enough to make the walk back feel less like a dismissal.
Now, I could tell myself and my ego that I left her place early than planned to get to the market right on time to buy those things.
When I finally returned to the palace the sun was already low. The Hand met me at the entrance to my rooms with a tray of food from the kitchen. I ate without really tasting it, washed, and dropped onto the bed. Annoyance from the dismissal pulled me under almost immediately.
~~~~~~~~~~
I woke to the loud chime of the System.
I stirred awake and I immediately felt that my body felt better than it had any right to after the previous day’s abuse - Incubus Physique doing quiet work while I slept.
"Not bad..." A small smirk of approval curved my lips slightly.
For a few seconds I just lay there, staring at the gold-veined ceiling, letting the aches settle into something manageable.
Then the System chimed again, softer this time.
[KARA — RELATIONSHIP INTERFACE UPDATED]
Desire: +10%
I stared at the number for a moment, then a bigger smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth.
Of course it had. Yesterday’s lesson had been thorough. I had taken her virginity against a wall, made her come on my cock, then put her on her knees to prove she remembered how to use her mouth. A ten-percent jump in Desire was the least the System could give me for that kind of work.
"Look at that," I muttered to the empty room. "Even when she throws me out half-hard, her body still keeps score."
I stretched, my joints popping, and sat up against the headboard. The memory of Kara’s tight heat and the way she had trembled when I first pushed inside her was still vivid enough to make my cock twitch with interest.
I ignored it. There would be time for round two later - assuming she didn’t try to shut me out completely after whatever secret she was sitting on.
The System, of course, wasn’t finished.
[Host slept well?] it asked, its tone almost polite. [Is host ready for the day’s missions?]
I groaned and dragged both hands down my face. "Dramatic entrance after leaving me be all day yesterday. What do you want now?"
A new screen bloomed across my vision, larger than the last.
[INCUBUS ASCENSION — Development Arc]
Purpose: An Incubus does not leave his women to their private affairs. He involves himself fully.
Mission: Make Kara share with you what she is hiding.
Reward: +10 Charm, +200 EXP, +15 Miracle Authority
Penalty for failure: Host will lose his voice for 48 hours.
Deadline: 48 hours
[Note: Incubus Ascension missions are compulsory.]
I read the penalty once and my nostrils flared in anger.
"Lose my voice? For two full days?" I threw one hand out toward the empty air. "You do realize talking is half of how I stay alive on this planet, right? Charm, lies, negotiation - most of my toolkit needs a working throat."
[Failure is not recommended.] The system replied.
"No kidding."
I pulled at my hair with both hands and let out a long, frustrated breath. The last thing I wanted was to dig into whatever backbiting noblewoman drama Kara had gotten herself tangled in. The Silent Matriarch, secret information, three women showing up at her door demanding results - it had all the markings of the kind of political mess that got people executed in places like this.
I had enough problems already: a suspicious Queen, a General who still looked at me like she was measuring my neck for an axe, and a sixty-day clock that never stopped ticking.
And yet...
My eyes drifted back to the rewards. Fifteen Miracle Authority. Two hundred EXP. Another chunk of Charm. I already had the Miracle Shop unlocked and twenty-eight MA sitting unused.
"Why am I still grinding for MA?" I muttered, dropping my head back against the pillow. "I unlocked the shop. I have leftovers. What else could I possibly need it for?"
[Miracle Authority continues to unlock advanced functions, permanent passives, and higher-tier inventory. Current total is insufficient for several pending features.]
I groaned again, louder this time. "Of course it is. There’s always another locked door with you."
I stared at the mission timer already counting down from forty-eight hours and felt the familiar mix of irritation and reluctant calculation settle in my chest. I didn’t want the drama. I also didn’t want to spend two days unable to speak while surrounded by women who already held most of the power on this planet.
Before I could argue further, the door pushed open without a knock. A court lady stepped inside, posture perfect, eyes lowered respectfully.
"Honored guest, Her Majesty the Queen summons you." she said.
I sat up slowly, the System screen still hovering at the edge of my vision, the new mission timer ticking down with quiet, relentless precision.
Well, I knew...
One problem never arrived alone on this planet.
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