Vanessa added, "And that was when I met her". She slowly pivoted her head towards the punished Claire, her gaze fixated and fierce. At first, I thought that she needed help, so I offered my assistance by enlisting her as one of my workers. Little did I know, she would soon betray me in the most savage of ways, viciously stealing my blood and using a mysterious artefact to shapeshift into me and coerce me into a binding contract".

I asked. "A slave contract". My tone was laced with doubt.

"No, it was a trader's contract - a binding agreement that can only be established between two or more parties" Vanessa explained. "Despite it being just a Tier One trader's contract, it is sold for a hefty sum of 5,000 gold coins. The deal stipulated that I was forbidden from revealing her identity to anyone and was obligated to comply with any command she issued".

'That makes sense. Since there was a slave contract, then there has to be something like that too' I mused. Suddenly, I snapped my head to the side…. "Wait a minute!".

"AHHHHHH!!!" A sharp cry of agony assaulted my ears.

My body moved by instinct, and within seconds, I found myself by her side.

I stretched my hand forward and placed it on top of her jerky body.

"Full heal".

The water-based ability allowed me to breathe underwater and heal physical injuries.

Yeah, it was a cliché name, but I needed something simple to name it after I found out that naming my abilities makes it easier for my mind and body to remember them. So instead of thinking about the direction and flow of mana of a specific technique, just a little name tag was enough for my body to subconsciously understand what is it that I am trying to do.

And also, since I could unintentionally use some of the former Prince Wyatt's technique, I figured that it was definitely going to work.

And yes, this was something I had discovered when I had pounded and creampied Claire in her ass and was looking for a way to heal her, to continue her punishment.

A bluish warm glow escaped my hands and soothed Vanessa's body, healing and quieting down her screams in muffled groans.

Hah! And I always thought that fantasy characters saying the name of their technique before they cast it was a bit stupid. But, in some way, it still is, since they can just say it in their minds. Even if it's damn cool to say it out loud if the name of the technique is as awesome as the technique itself.

Hey, don't look at me like that. At least I am not the one screaming kamehameha while bouncing on a bed.

Well, everybody to their own choices.

After making sure that Vanessa was no more in pain, but was now deeply asleep after her consciousness went blank from the traumatic misery, I stood up and made my way towards Claire.

Our gazes locked. She trembled as I spoke, my voice frigid and commanding. "What on earth do you think you are doing?". I was not taken aback by the iciness of my tone, but by the fact that I haven't yet done something to her as I have done with both Clara and Knight Camille.

Why haven't I done anything anyway?

No! The BDSM session doesn't count, since I did the same to the two women, which they had enjoyed and hated at the same time, so it doesn't count. Especially, since Vanessa was innocent and the real culprit was Claire.

'Shit!' I cursed.

Don't tell me that I have gone soft.

I furrowed my brows in irritation and asked again. "Are you deaf? Did I not ask you a question?!". My voice was slightly raised as I arrived in front of her.

Sure, one of my main goals was fuck as many women as possible, young or old, while also building up my harems in the process. But when a woman like this comes around and thinks that she can easily exploit or use me just because she had sex with me, was something that I found amusing and irritable at the same time.

I was a straightforward man, so if she had come to me clean, I might have helped her after listing out my conditions.

Also, I was sure that I didn't look like some hentai protagonist, so only she knows where she thought such ideas would work.

I covered my head with flames before I tore away the ropes that bound her hands upwards and used my incredibly enhanced strength to throw the rod away to some corner.

"Her hands fell to the ground, weak and powerless. She raised her gaze to meet mine, her lips parted. "Haaa… Thank yo…..". But before she could complete her sentence, I lightly tapped my feet twice on the concrete floor, and her body sunk to the ground as though she was caught in a vortex of quicksand.

She yelled. "Wait! What are you doing?" Her eyes widened in fright as she stared at me. Her body struggled, trying desperately to break free, but it all ended in futility.

Did she really think that I would never do something so extreme?

I paused, my thoughts wandering back to our countless sessions and the BDSM punishment that we had just completed.

Of course, she would think like that. I was even sure that the thought of something terrible happening to her had never even crossed her mind.

Hmmm!

Well, if she didn't want to talk, I can keep her here or somewhere else until I get my hands on a slave or a trader's contract.

She would be more valuable as a silent slave for all my unfulfilled sexual desires, than ending up dead and becoming a wasteful liability to the soil.

"I WILL TALK!" Claire screamed at the top of her lungs in defeat.

And all my thoughts came to halt.

"Everything…. I want you to tell me everything".

Her eyes and expression hovered between complete fear, understanding, and an incomprehensible will to live.

On second thought, a queen that impersonated a brothel owner would do everything she can to live than die for something that she could easily avoid.

She took her time to stabilise her breathing and continued. "…. I am Queen Edna of the former Eser Kingdom" Her voice was crisped clear as she clarified.

"Queen of the former Eser Kingdom" I repeated, remembering something important. With a deep frown, I responded. "Isn't the Eser Kingdom the…".

She interrupted me and nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, they are" She nodded in agreement.

Nonetheless, I continued "So that means that Knight Boris is y….".

Again, she interrupted and nodded in agreement. "He was the leader of our royal guard, and was the only one closer to my former husband than me".

For goodness sake, the information that I was currently receiving, sounded like nothing more than a high-end soap opera show. I wasn't complaining though, because a little spice here or there, before or after sex was not something I would say no to. Especially since I had nothing to do but wait until my crewmen return.

I stared at her. "So as a queen, instead of helping your people who are in such a desperate time of need, you decided to become a proprietor of a brothel, because…?".

Her head snapped down to the ground and sweat began to form on her brows. Despite her conflicted expression, she bit her lips, and answered "Because I was banished".

Oh! Another revelation. Sure enough, I can feel my mind shifting into detective mood to uncover if there was anything more that I have missed from her by words.

"By the Eser Kingdom?" I questioned.

She shook her head and said. "No, I was banished by the royal court of Queen Mavena, also known as the Miracle Queen for threatening to release her secret".

I blurted out. "What secret?". My mind was in overdrive, My mind was in overdrive, racing to uncover every nook and cranny I could think of. I was overwhelmingly curious. Because as far as I was concerned, this was the first time I had heard anything negative about the Miracle Queen

Heaven knows how many times I have heard the people in this kingdom praising her as though she was some god-sent messiah in such a dreadful calamity.

Well, she was. But still, you get my point!

Hah! I Should have known that there was some kind of propaganda going on when a monarch leaves her kingdom to the naked hands of several fallen leaders whom she had granted refuge within it.

Interesting. Things were definitely getting interesting!

"She…." Claire paused. She looked around suspiciously before she cleared her throat and continued. "She killed my husband…. She is the one responsible for the death of the King of the Eser Kingdom".

I blinked. This… was it, wasn't it?

This was the big reveal that would leave me gasping in surprise for several minutes before I calmed down and thought about how to approach the matter.