Ryan shuddered, hearing those bone-chilling words.
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, wishing for further elaboration.
"I think it's time for a reward, don't you say?" the Duchess asked, a wicked grin on her face.
Grabbing Ryan's wrist, she pulled him closer before whispering into his ear, "Let's see how far I can push you tonight, shall we?"
Looking into the Duchess's eyes, Ryan could feel his body hardening. 'I forgot who I was dealing with.'
Pulling the duchess toward him by her arm, he kissed her neck gently.
As their lips moved against each other, Ryan wanted to touch more than just her soft skin.
His fingers trailed down to her collarbone, and he heard her sigh happily when he began to run them along its curve.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Ryan pressed the Duchess up against the wall.
She gasped as his cock brushed against her thigh, causing a new wave of desire to course through her.
Pressing his mouth onto hers again, Ryan allowed the Duchess to lead this time, slowly sucking on her lower lip as she nibbled on his.
"You're such a tease," the Duchess panted.
"I'm not sure that's what you'd call it," Ryan replied, moving his hands under her dress.
As they kissed, Ryan could feel the Duchess's heart beating rapidly in her chest like a drum.
"Tell me your name, Duchess Vanroth," he said before biting her earlobe softly.
Her entire body shuddered from the contact with his tongue before she gave a muffled moan into his mouth.
"I-I... it's Sienna," she murmured, blushing furiously.
"Well, Sienna," Ryan said, looking deep into her eyes while she gazed back at him. "It's time for your reward."
The Duchess's breath hitched as he reached behind her and unzipped her dress so fast her head spun.
Reaching down to the corset, he undid the laces with practiced ease, then let the top fall off to reveal a bra he quickly unsnapped and discarded.
Breaking the kiss, the Duchess gasped when his hand went over the front of her panties, giving a soft groan when his fingers brushed across her mound.
His finger made a trail toward her dripping slit but stopped right before touching her wet flesh as the Duchess trembled excitedly in his grasp.
"Take them off," he commanded after staring at the duchess's flushed face.
"W-what?" the Duchess asked hesitantly.
"You heard me," Ryan growled, causing her to jump slightly. "Now!"
The duchess gulped hard before letting go of her skirt to stand still, completely naked except for her shoes.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ryan pulled out his member from inside his pants before moving closer to the Duchess.
He could feel his dick rub against her stomach until it reached the center of her pussy.
Running his hands along the sides of the Duchess's hips, he looked into her eyes as he pushed forward.
With a loud moan, she parted her legs further so he could enter deeper into her body.
"Please..." Sienna whispered, feeling him push through the walls of her channel. "Do... do it... please... harder... faster... oh my-"
Her pleas were cut off by a muffled sound that escaped deep within her throat.
It took her several seconds to realize what had happened, and then she realized her mouth was being forced open.
Ryan slid his fingers into her warm mouth while looking down at the Duchess. Sienna's cheeks burned red hot as he stared at her before pulling his fingers away and moving back just an inch or two.
"Open wider," he said firmly, pressing back in again with two long slender fingers.
The duchess complied, letting out a small whimper as his finger slowly moved in and out of her depths, stretching her inner walls.
As they were going at it, a voice came behind them, causing the pair to freeze in shock.
"How could you betray Aurora?"
Turning around, the pair saw a woman clad in black, drenched in the darkness like it was her shield.
Ryan pulled out of the Duchess and drew his sword, getting ready to summon his harem when he heard, "Wait!"
"Asmaya, what are you doing here?" the Duchess asked. "And what do you mean? I would never betray sister Aurora."
'Aurora from the Dawn Pavilion?' Ryan thought, remembering what Velmuuth had told him about the leader of the Dawn Pavilion.
"Then what are you doing with him?" Asmaya questioned, pointing a black blade drenched in darkness at Ryan.
"He killed the Tree Vine Queen!" Asmaya roared. "He set off the aura alarm my sister erected. She sent me here to follow him, and what do I find."
"Sienna Vanroth, someone I thought we had finally found within the human empire we could trust, yet it was all a facade, wasn't it?" Asmaya spat.
Bewildered, the Duchess turned to Ryan, who seemed just as confused.
"You do realize that you sent the Queen against me, right?" Ryan asked, tilting his head.
"I just joined the competition, and I got greeted with an attempt against my life," Ryan said, irked by the situation.
"Tell me, Asmaya, how do you know Ryan is working for the human empire?" the Duchess asked.
"Because I know for sure that he isn't. He's the one in this room with the most reasons to try and bring it to the ground," the Duchess said.
Furrowing her brow, Asmaya looked confused but kept her blade pointed at Ryan.
"What do you mean? What makes you so sure?" Asmaya asked, hearing the confidence in the Duchess's tone.
"Because," Ryan drawled, tired of this charade, "of this."
Waving his hand, he displayed his oath as he had for the Frost General.
Ryan knew the Duchess already knew about his oath from Emily's letter.
He just hoped this Asmaya was really from the Dawn Pavilion and the Duchess wasn't being played.
"My heavens," Asmaya whispered, withdrawing her blade.
Falling to one knee, she lowered her head and said, "Forgive me. I have offended…" abruptly halting her words, Asmaya slowly widened her eyes, trembled, and looked up.
"It can't be. You don't look like him. You don't have the same hair or looks, but your eyes…"
Seeing Ryan's exposed member, there was no doubt that this man was a boy.
"V-v-velox?" Asmaya trembled.
Like a bolt of lightning, Ryan was struck dumb at hearing that name.
The name he had uttered when saying the critical-level oath. And the name the woman in his dreams called him.
Opening her mouth to speak again, she gasped as an arrow slunk into her stomach, causing blood to spurt from her mouth instead of words.
The Duchess's aura flared, and she flew at supersonic speed toward the archer, cutting their head off.
But it was too late.
As Asmaya lay shaking on the ground, she whispered, "Velox, come here."
Tears filled his eyes for unknown reasons, Ryan's body moved on its own, and he arrived in front of the dying woman.
"You've grown so big, my little Velox. Aunty is proud of you," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"Y-You ha-ave to be. . . strong. Find Aurora," Asmaya coughed, spraying blood onto the cold ground.
"Find your mother."