After eating a not-so-tasty meal, we were told about the route we would be taking tomorrow and other unimportant things, and we spent the rest of the day drinking unappetizing alcohol as company.

I felt depressed when I thought about how many more days I would have to spend like this, but it was still my official duty, so I couldn't just run away.

I called out to a nearby sentry and went into the tent, where I found Olympia inside for some reason.

「Welcome back, Master.」

「This is not your tent.」

「I know. However, I would like to be by your side at all times during the encampment, just in case you should ever feel the need to embrace a woman.」

I approach her, smiling at her serious expression. I put my hand on her cheek, and she looked enraptured, as if she had misunderstood something. I'll put up a soundproof barrier just in case. There is no need to worry about sound leaking out.

「...... I have one more question for you. There were guards nearby, but how did you get in?」

「I tried to enter from the front, but they stopped me, so I used a disorientation spell to sneak in.」

「Hmph.」

「Fuehh!? ouch, ouch, hyaaa!」

As soon as she finished speaking, I pulled her cheek with all my strength. I pulled her soft cheeks to the limit and she finally realized that I was angry and got teary eyed.

When I let her go after pulling her cheeks as hard as I could, I saw that her cheeks were swollen and red.

「If anyone had noticed, I'd be in big trouble. And what are you going to do with your own tent?」

「......I-I'm sorry. But I've put up both physical and magical wards on my tent, so I don't think it's likely that the guards will know what's going on inside.」

「......」

「W-Was it bad?」

Why are all the women around me going all out in the wrong direction? It's as if they're shouting out that they don't want to be seen inside if they've put up an anti-physical boundary, a boundary that you can see just by touching them.

I thought about punishing her one more time to prevent her from committing the crime again, but seeing how depressed she clearly was, I decided against it.

「It can't be helped. I'll forgive you this time, but from now on, avoid doing things like this as much as possible.」

「! Okay!」

I think it was a naive decision, but I decided to tolerate it for her first time. There won't be a second time, though.

If it comes to it, I can just send her directly back to her tent with the <Greater Teleportation Other>, but it would be foolish to let Elle know the location of the kingdom army for that reason.

「Master, I mean, can you hold me already today?」

After I finished paying attention to her, Olympia gave me a covetous look. I knew that was why she had come to me in the first place, and since I had no reason to refuse her, I decided to meet her expectations.

I took off my clothes and sat down on the bed and hugged her as she approached me. However, when I touched her body on top of her clothes, I felt something rough. I was curious, so I took off her clothes and found a slightly thin rope.

I checked her face, and there was no mistaking the look of anticipation on her face. I knew that she had that kind of tendecy, but it made me feel indescribable.

「Um, ...... did you not like this kind of thing?」

Before I knew it, she was holding a blindfold in her hand that she had used before and asked me fearfully with an upward glance, and the gap between her strong-willed appearance and this cute appearance now made me feel frustrated.

I'm not particularly fond of abnormal play, but I'll go along with her here. I put on the blindfold she had given me, and it made her body shake with delight.

「Hyaa, nnghh ......」

I laid her down on the bed and slowly stroked up her thighs, and she wiggled her body, moaning with pleasure. The lack of visual information seemed to have sharpened her other senses, and even a light touch caused her to let out a hot gasp.

When I brought my finger close to her mouth, she began to lick my finger with great care, as if stretching her tongue to check its shape. When I put my fingers into her mouth and traced the inside, she moved her tongue hard to match my movements.

There was enough lasciviousness in the way she was serving me while still bound, enough lasciviousness to turn me on. I must admit that just being blindfolded increased my sense of immorality considerably.

I was about to push her over the edge, but then I felt someone approaching and stopped my movements. As I listened carefully, I could hear someone talking to the guards outside. It seemed that the next intruder was not going to sneak around and hide, but was going to come in with an open mind.

「Excuse me for coming in so late at night.」

Immediately after the voices outside had ceased to be heard, it was Melvina who entered the tent.

She bowed deeply as she entered, and her body tensed up for a moment as she saw Olympia and I attached to each other, but she quickly came to her senses and approached us with her eyebrows raised.

「What is the meaning of this, Yard-sama?」

「No, that's my line. Don't try to sneak in using magic. What the hell do you think you're doing?」

「You've been so busy with that slut during the day that you haven't paid any attention to me at all, so I thought I'd like to sleep in your warmth at least tonight. And yet ......」

Melvina looked at Olympia enviously, her sad voice inviting my sympathy.

It was true that I had forced her to play the terribly boring role of being Alec's talking partner, and had even made her follow Olympia, but I hadn't done anything to make her work for it. She had a good point.

「I'm sorry, I give you hard time」

「Ah, no, it's not that ......」

I pulled her to me with my free hand and took her lips with mine. She was frightened for a moment, but quickly hugged me back and we kissed each other hungrily.

When we parted our mouths, our saliva mingled and connected in a thread, and she looked at me with the face of a woman in heat.

「Nnhh.........It's been a long time since we kissed. How was it?」

「Oh, it's just as wonderful as before. Next, let me check here too.」

「Ah, go ahead, nnghh」

I took off her clothes to expose her generous breasts and buried my face in them without hesitation. Her big breasts are soft and firm, but they also retain their shape without sagging. Thinking that I was the only one who could bury my face in her breasts, I felt a sense of superiority.

It seemed that she had wiped her body before coming here, but since she hadn't been able to take a bath during her trip, her body odor was still faint. But it was not an unpleasant smell, in fact, it was the smell of a woman who was inviting a man to come over, which excited me.

I was enjoying her big tits for a while, but Olympia, who had been neglected by her intrusion, finally lost her nerve and lunged at Melvina.

「What on earth are you doing! I'm the first one who needs to be hugged by Master!」

「Nnghh.....In addition to being a lewd, you also have perverted tastes, so there's nothing I can do to help you. Since I'm the one who will be receiving the favor of Yard-sama tonight, I think you should just shut up and comfort yourself?」

「Wha!? I'm here first, so why don't you wait with your fingers in your mouth!」

「Don't make too much noise.」

When they were about to argue, I gave them a flick on their forehead. The two immediately stopped speaking when I did so. Melvina was looking at me with frightened eyes, and Olympia was as small as a scolded child, so I took off Olympia's blindfold and sat them down.

「Before you fight over who comes first, let's have both of you serve me first. And if you curse each other again, I'll thrown you out of the tent on the spot, so be prepared for that.」

Both of them nodded after hearing my words, so I guess I can rest easy for now.

Well, I didn't invite them, but as a result, they both came. Besides, I'm sure we won't fall out if I say so much, so I'll just enjoy the situation honestly.

「Now, both of you, let's see what you can do to satisfy me.」

For the time being, I lay down on the bed and left it up to the girls to decide how they would serve me.

They didn't seem to get along, but that didn't mean they didn't want to cooperate. They didn't start discussing, but looked at each other for a while, waiting to see what would happen.

「Then I'll take this one.」

「Ah! Sneaking around is not fair!」

「It's important to make a quick decision in any kind of competition.」

While Melvina blinked, Olympia took the initiative and placed my meat stick in her cleavage and began to handle it while holding it from both sides. She bounced her ample breasts while making wet sounds with saliva dripped on them to make them slippery, and extended her tongue to the tip of the rod and licked it as if poking it.

「It can't be helped, I'll take this one ......Nnhh」

Melvina, who had fallen behind by a small margin, pressed her twin hills against my body and kissed me on the mouth as she had done earlier. She rubs her already hardened nipples against me, and I can feel the comfortable sensation of her soft big tits changing shape as they are crushed by my body.

It was hard to tell between the two of them, but if anything, Melvina's service was better.

Olympia was enthusiastic, but her pace tended to be monotonous, and she was still inexperienced in how to slow down. Melvina, on the other hand, is serving while watching my reactions. I guess there is a difference in experience here.

Well, even with some poor technique, I can still get excited just by the situation of two beautiful women servicing me, so it's not like I can't feel Olympia's service.

「Ah, Master's thing is getting bigger. You're about to cum, isn't it?」

Sensing from my reaction that my climax was near, Olympia increased the speed of her service. When Melvina heard this, she seemed to become even more enthusiastic about her service too, and began to rub her entire body against me.

Just when I thought I was about to reach my limit, Olympia stimulated my bell mouth with her tongue, which triggered me to ejaculate with such force that I felt as if I was going to spit out everything I had accumulated. Olympia seemed to try to drink the semen, but the amount was more than she expected and she pulled her mouth away, leaving a white stain on her face and breasts.

「Amazing amount ...... It's wonderful」

The sight of her scooping up the semen on her face with her fingers while showing an enraptured expression gave off a very lewd atmosphere. Seeing this, my cock was erect without losing its hardness, even right after I cum.

「It's not fair that you're the only one to have Yard-sama's semen.」

「Eh? Ahh!」

Melvina, who uttered an envious voice, buried her face in Olympia's chest, who was licking the semen from her face in ecstasy, and licking off the semen that had collected in her cleavage.

「How dare you! He had it splashed on my chest, not yours!」

「You was serving Yard-sama's things, so it was only natural that the semen is splashed on you. You can't use that as an excuse because his ejaculation was the result of my service, kyaaaa!?」

I didn't want them to get into a fight over my semen, so I pulled Melvina aside and interrupted her.

「Wha!?」

「Olympia, you have to wait a little longer.」

「Uhh, I understand. ......」

She replied, but didn't seem convinced, and looked at me with a sad expression. I couldn't concentrate with her looking at me like that, so I tied her hands and feet with her clothes, put a blindfold on her, and let her roll around.

It was pretty bad treatment, but she was breathing a little hard, as if she was aware that this was neglectful play. I'm sure that when I take off the blindfold, she'll show her estrous face. For the time being, I left Olympia alone and faces Melvina.

「I'll take care of you first, since I couldn't take care of you during the day.」

「Y-Yard-sama ......」

When I whispered in her ear, a blush appeared on her brown cheeks. She blushed at the mere whisper, like a innocent girl, but I guess that's what she was expecting. When I pushed her down and opened her legs, she was already so wet that I didn't need to caress her.

I could have spent a little more time on the foreplay, but she was staring at me as if she couldn't wait, so I decided to put it inside her.

As I slowly moved my hips forward with my meat stick against her crack, it was swallowed without resistance by her debauched vagina. It wasn't loose at all, but it was adjusting its tightness to the movement of the meat stick.

「Nnnhhhh, Yard-sama's strong thing is coming inside me.」

「Even though you already have a child, and your vagina is so tight, I'd say it's a masterpiece.」

「Ohh, I'm so happy! If it's okay with you, please enjoy this body to the fullest!」

「Of course I'm going to do that.」

Without needing her to tell me, I grabbed her legs, which were spread wide apart, and started pounding my hips as hard as I could.

Each time I penetrate her vagina, I hear the sound of flesh colliding with flesh, and the vibration makes her breasts sway dynamically, visually pleasing me as well.

「Aahh, amazing, yaaa, aahnnn!」

「I'm pretty sure ............you're weak around here」

Her weak spot must have been the part of her body that felt a little stiff when I pulled on the meat stick.

「!! no, not there, aaaahhhhhh!」

Every time I rubbed up against her, she would let out a lusty squeal as she tightened her grip on my cock, letting me know with her own body just how much she was feeling.

The sweat from the intense workout made her brown skin slick and shiny, giving her an even more seductive appeal. Unable to resist the sight of her, I positioned myself on top of her and sucked on her swaying nipples as if to entice me.

「Hauuu, yaa, Yard-samaaaa!」」

As I sucked on her breasts, I was naturally close to her body, and I could smell the scent of a woman in heat even more strongly than before. Of course, I didn't stop moving my cock, but rather moved my hips with even more vigor, as if I were penetrating her cervix.

I could feel my climax approaching even though I had already cum once before, probably because I was tasting a wonderfully huggable body. I thought about holding back for a moment, but I still had plenty of energy left, so I decided to let it out.

「I'm almost at my limit, I'm coming inside you, Melvina!」

「Ahh, o-okay! Aahhhhh!」

「Kkuhh, ooohhhhh!」

「I-it's coming inside me, I'm going to cum tooooooo!」

The moment she climaxed, I slammed my meat stick deep into her and ejaculated vigorously, and the semen that hit her cervix forced her to climax as well. Her vagina contracted as her body shuddered with climax, and she sucked on my cock as if she wanted to suck out all the remaining semen.

When I pulled my cock out after the ejaculation was over, I found that the semen was spilling out.

「Hufff ...... it's hot ......」

She seemed to be able to feel the semen that was put inside her, and she let out a sigh of satisfaction. Her eyes were droopy and her languid mood was also sexy. It's a figure that stimulates my lower body to the point where I can't wait to pounce on her again.

But now that the sex with Melvina was over, it was Olympia's turn that was left alone. Perhaps it was because she was blindfolded and listening to us having an sex up close, but she was completely in heat.

Her cheeks were flushed, drool was dripping from the edges of her half-open mouth, and she was rubbing her crotch together in an attempt to get some pleasure despite the fact that her hands and feet were bound and she was unable to move.

「Olympia, I mad you wait.」

「Master, please, let me have your mercy quickly. ......」

I approached Olympia, who was shaking her body as if she couldn't wait, and untied her hands and feet, and she tried to stand up with slow, careful movements. The restraints were too tight, and she seemed to be a little numb.

I caught her so she wouldn't fall and brought my hand down to her hip. She was tall, but not slender like Fairis. She had a firm body shape that showed off her curves, and if I grabbed her, my fingers would sink lightly into the flesh.

「By the way, have you prepared this place?」

「Yes, ah, nnhhh ......」

Just by reaching out with my fingers and lightly playing with the area around her asshole in a circular motion, I could hear her sweet voice leaking out and her body trembling with pleasure.

I don't have to worry about taking her virginity anymore since she've already given the reigns to her brother, but I want to train her to the point where she only wants to be fucked in her asshole.

I scoop up her overflowing love juice and smear it on her asshole. I wondered if it was the coldness of her love juices from being exposed to the outside air, or if her asshole had already become her sexual zone, and her hole twitched every time my finger touched it.

It had been a long time since I had used this hole, so she had not yet loosened it up enough to use it immediately, but she seemed to remember some of the pleasure she had felt before. I'm sure she'll become less resistant as I works on it.

「No, ahh, Master. You can't touch me like that. ......」

「It was too hard before, wasn't it? I'm going to untie you carefully this time.」

I traced the wrinkles of her asshole with my finger, widened it, rubbed the edge of the hole from time to time, and continued to caress it while being careful not to enter it.

As if it had been waiting for me, her asshole tightened as it repeatedly contracted, pulling my finger in and out.

「Ahh, fuhhh, mmmm ......」

Her forehead was covered with sweat. I don't know what it really is because I've never actually had it in me, but the discomfort of having a foreign object shoved into her intestines must be considerable. However, when my finger was pulled out, it seemed to give the same pleasure as defecation, so I had to be patient for a while.

In fact, after a few times of thrusting it in and out, her pain seemed to lessen, and she began to moan and relax her expression. She seemed to have more time to enjoy the pleasure of pulling it out.

「How do you feel?」

「Huff, yes ...... Mmm, it feels so good ...... Huh, ahhhh ......」

Each time I pulled out, a pleasant gasp escaped from her mouth and my fingers tightened to keep them in place. As the pleasure intensified, she began to relax, and her asshole began to unravel enough to allow me to spread her hole wider. I guess it's time to put more than a finger in.

I pulled my finger out completely and placed the tip of my meat stick in the center of her asshole instead. I slowly moved my hips forward, but since it was bigger than my finger, it didn't go in easily.

「Nnnghhhh, ffuhhhhh.......」

And the moment the penis part entered her, the part that had been getting thicker and thicker ended, and the meat stick that should have been slowly advancing lost its resistance and entered her at once.

「─────, Nnfuuhhhhh!」

Her inside did not constrict the meat stick, but felt like it was in a soft tube. A hot, soft sensation enveloped the rod, a different kind of pleasure from the vagina.

The tightness at the entrance was not so tight that I was afraid that I would not be able to pull out like before, but it was just enough that I could feel the right amount of resistance.

「Does the size look okay?」

「Auhh, y-eshh! It's okaaaay!」

「I see, I'lll move now」

「Haah, fuuuhhhhh ......」

I pulled my hips to the limit where I could not pull the meat stick out, and now I thrust in a little faster than before. The sensation of her asshole tightening up is feel good as if they were handling the meat stick.

The pain of penetration seems to have almost disappeared. She was moving her hips to match my movements, trying to get some pleasure out of it herself.

I was wondering if it would be okay to be a little more rough with Olympia when Melvina, who had finally gotten up, noticed me and approached me. As I looked at her staring at me, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

「Eh, kyaaaa!?」

I pulled Olympia up from her all fours position and made her sit on top of me. This way, the connected parts can be seen from the front. Melvina, who had a confused expression on her face, seemed to realize what I was thinking after a bit of thought.

She approached, muffling the sound so that Olympia wouldn't notice, and slowly reached out with her hand to Olympia's private parts, plucking the buds with just enough force to not cause pain.

「─────! Nniiiiiiiiiiiiiii!」

The effect seemed to be so great that Olympia climaxed with just that. It seemed that being played with in unexpected places was more stimulating than she had imagined, and she gritted her teeth and fought to keep herself from being swallowed up by the violent pleasure.

「You're a terrible person, Yard-sama, letting me help you abuse another woman.」

「You're just as guilty, though, for doing it without hesitation.」

「Fufu, I understand. Then let me help you until she's ready.」

Then Melvina let go of the flesh buds she was plucking, brought her face closer, and began to lick Olympia's secret area, which was dripping with love juice, using her tongue instead of her fingers.

「Stop, hyaaa! Afuu, ahhh, ahhhh, aaaahhhhhhhh!」

Olympia, who was now being attacked not only in the back but also in the front, opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue, desperately sucking in air. She doesn't seem to have enough time to speak coherently anymore.

I was about to reach my limit when she started to climax again and again, each time her asshole tightened and stimulated my meat stick.

「Kkuhhh, I'm gonna cumming inside you. Oohhh!」

Finally, I thrust my cock deep into Olympia and ejaculated vigorously inside her. Melvina, who had probably been watching the timing of my ejaculation, also bit Olympia's pubic mound sweetly.

「Aaaaah! I'm cumming, I'm cumming, I'm cummiiiiiiing!」

Olympia was screaming and climaxing with too much pleasure. Her body jerked and jumped as if in convulsions, and even after she stopped moving, her half-open mouth let out an inarticulate gasp.

As soon as I pulled out the meat stick, the semen that I had let out inside of her immediately came pouring out. I was surprised that I could produce so much even though it was the second time, but first I let Olympia lie on the bed, limp with exhaustion from her climax.

「Yard-sama, if you're not satisfied, I can still keep you company. ......」

「No, I've had enough for today.」

「I see, I understand.」

Melvina is showing off that she can still do it, but if she looks tired when she hasn't done any exercise during the day, it will cause suspicion. It would be better to stop here for today.

Melvina knew that, so she didn't force me to go further, even though she looked a little disappointed.

「Don't look at me like that. I'll hold you when we get another chance.」

「Yes, please do so when that time come.」

She smiled happily at my words and leaned in sweetly. After that, the conversation was cut short and I let Olympia do as she pleased for a while until she regained consciousness.



Before dawn, I had erased all traces of the sex and sent them back to their respective tents, and I took a nap in the hope that I would feel a little less tired.

The sun had risen, and after making quick preparations for departure, I was to ride in the boring carriage again today. I wondered if I could have passed the time a little better if I could have ridden a horse.

Alec's bragging seemed to be in full swing again today, and Melvina, still tired from yesterday, was shaking her head and listening to Alec's stories. As for Olympia, the vibration of the carriage and the sound of his voice made her drowsy, and she fell asleep as soon as the carriage started running.

「By the way, Melvina-dono. Where did you go last night?」

「Huh? Wh-what are you talking about?」

「I visited your tent last night, but unfortunately, you went somewhere else.」

「Th-that's right. I just wanted to get some fresh air. ...... My apologies.」

Alec, who had been bragging for a while, suddenly remembered last night, what she heard was unexpected, and Melvina, who was half asleep, hurriedly made a smile to cover it up.

However, she could not think of an excuse with her drowsy mind. She seemed to be trying to cover it up with a smile, but the guy who couldn't read the air at the critical moment wouldn't stop pursuing her because of that.

「I thought that the reason why you are wandering around outside in the middle of the night with no light is because of some circumstances,......,Haa, are you threatened by a nobleman who has a grudge against the Demon Empire......? Do they have your daughters as hostages?」

「No, it's not like that.」

「I see. But it is very dangerous for a woman to go out alone at night. There are people in this army who don't take kindly to you being a former member of the Demon Empire. You may think it was a casual act, but it may cause them displeasure.」

「Yes, I was rash. I'll be careful from now on.」

「Right, and if you don't mind, could you tell me what you were doing yesterday? We were supposed to refrain from doing anything at night, so I need to keep a record of what you were doing.」

「I understand that very well, but umm ......」

Melvina, who was at a loss for words again, looked at me as if asking for help. It seems that Alec's pursuit is not because of military norms. He's a vindictive man, and he probably won't stop until Melvina tells him everything in detail.

「Alec-dono.」

「Hmm? Yard-dono, what's wrong?」

「From what I heard, you went to her tent in the middle of the night, why would you need to visit her in the middle of the night? As you said earlier, I thought we were told to refrain from going out at night unless it was an emergency. Or was there some urgent requirement?」

「Oh, no, that's ......」

「Now that I've heard what you've said, I have to ask you about your reasons for going out, but I'm very sleepy and don't want to talk about it any more. You understand, don't you?」

「Y-yeah. Everything was fine, yeah.」

Alec said something, but I just turned my head away, not wanting to talk about it anymore. He may have been somewhat suspicious of Melvina's relationship with me, but what he had just said would be enough to shackle anyone who felt that his actions were despicable. He was a man who couldn't read the air, but he wasn't fatally stupid either.

Alec began to talk about something else to cover up the awkwardness, and Melvina was heard breathing a sigh of relief that he was not going to pursue her, so let's call it a done deal for now.



The next few days, my buttocks were starting to hurt from being on the carriage all day, but we still hadn't even made it to the imperial capital. The journey to our destination is far.

「Speaking of which, who is going to negotiate with the other side's nobles?」

「I'm going to be the negotiator! His Majesty is expecting a great deal from us, and since we can't afford to fail in this mission, we can't leave the crucial matter of negotiations to others.」

Olympia, who had quite a bit of free time on her hands, asked me about this negotiating role. She didn't sound as if she was expecting an answer, so I was thinking of ignoring her, but Alec answered first, probably because he was happy to be asked a question after so long.

「These are the nobles who didn't dominate the kingdom even when the imperial capital fell. In addition, I believe that there were many nobles in the north who supported the Emperor. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think they will follow us even if you have a chance to negotiate with them.. ......」

「Mughh, I see.」

He seem to be interested in Olympia's explanation, but normally you would find out as much as you can about the people you are negotiating with. Why would he want to play the role of a negotiator if he doesn't have the level of knowledge she described? His simple thought process is something I can never understand.

「But the Imperial City is in our hands. If the imperial capital is taken from us, the emperor's authority will be damaged. If they are lifting the emperor, we should be able to negotiate in their favor.」

「 ...... Considering the fact that the imperial capital is on the side of the kingdom, and yet they have not changed their attitude, they may be planning to cut off the Emperor, or they may be planning to set up a leader to replace the current Emperor.. ......」

Olympia whispered, but a guy who understands such things doesn't usually say he wants to negotiate. The current Alec would only listen to words of praise for him.

But this time, I promised to give him the credit, so I'm going to do something by force, no matter what the other side thinks. If I don't have to choose any means, it doesn't matter how many they have, I can easily kick them to the curb. I'm not going to be foolish enough to worry about every little thing.

「Master, are you sure that that person is okay?」

「To put it bluntly, anyone is fine as long as they have the ability to talk to the people of the Demon Empire. Even if he's incompetent, there's no problem, so you don't have to worry about it that much.」

「Understood.」

Alec was telling Melvina what he would do after the success of the mission without realizing that he was being ridiculed in an inaudible whisper next to him. I'm sure he already knows that she's a married woman, except for the fact that I'm dominating her, but does he really think he can win her over?

Well, it's none of my business what happens to his love life in the first place.

「That guy is amazing. He's bragging again about what I heard the other day. I don't know how that woman can listen to him, if it's me I would have punched him.」

Olympia was also fed up with Alec's insanity. It's a problem that she's so quick, but Melvina, who's been along for the ride since yesterday, feels like she could have given Alec a smack or two.

She was talking to him again today with a tight smile on her face. The sight of her listening to his boring conversation while trying to stay awake was too painful to bear. It was depressing to think of how many more days this would go on.

I wished in my heart that we would arrive as soon as possible, but I had to stop Alec who was in a good mood to help Melvina, whose face was starting to pale.