The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 6
Roina entered the Imperial Crown Prince’s study, a little unsettled. Though the Crown Prince often fixated on her body, he rarely summoned her outside of the bedchamber and usually ignored her.
“Perhaps I’ll get a break today,” she thought, glancing at Ethan, the Crown Prince’s shadow-like bodyguard who had followed her. She didn’t know for sure, but having him around meant there might be some protection.
Roina took her usual position and stood quietly, but she sensed something was off about the Crown Prince. Until she made a sound, he had been frowning, deep in thought over some documents, but as soon as she entered, he stood up abruptly and stared at her intently. Then, he spat out the words,
“What have you done?”
“What?”
Bang!
Roberto quickly grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall. The impact made her wince, but before she could react, he was already snarling at her, his golden hair disheveled. Instinctively, she froze.
Lowering her eyes, she took a deep breath. What had she done? His accusation made no sense.
When she didn’t answer, he gritted his teeth and roughly tore open her blouse, grabbing her bosom.
“Ugh-”
It hurt. His grip was too tight. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she could see a hint of satisfaction in his expression as he watched her writhe in pain.
It was always like this. He found pleasure in her suffering.
“When did you start wagging your tail at the Archmage?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Ha!”
He smirked.
“You’re such a sly one. Trying to find a new master and then pretending you don’t know anything? You’ll be punished.”
“Master, I really don’t know what-”
“Lift your skirt.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Even though she was outside his bedchamber, she unconsciously called him ‘Master’ because he was acting so differently. But he didn’t let her finish. If she resisted or disobeyed now, the pain would only be worse. Resigned, she lowered her head and did as he commanded.
Her hands trembled. It was unusual for him to behave like this outside of his bedchamber, especially with someone watching.
Noticing her gaze, the Crown Prince sneered.
“You’re supposed to obey my every command, yet you worry about others’ opinions?”
“H-huh… no… no…”
Roina couldn’t stop her body from trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes. It was unbearable. She thought she had grown accustomed to it, but she hadn’t.
When she couldn’t stop trembling, Roberto sneered, seemingly displeased.
Her maid’s uniform, usually buttoned up to the neck, was torn open, revealing her undergarments. Even her undergarments barely served their purpose, precariously caught on the faint pink tips. The woman wearing those clothes was trembling with shame and fear, her skirt hiked up, revealing the garter belt and stockings that climbed up her thighs.
Roberto was displeased with her fear. It was clear that he derived pleasure from her suffering, but even that wasn’t satisfying him today.
“Turn around,” he ordered Ethan, the loyal knight who stood like a shadow behind him. The knight nodded and turned.
Roina, taking the opportunity, glanced at him. What was going on? Was he changing his mind again? The man who had been so cruel just moments ago now seemed to be a gentle angel with his golden hair. His blue eyes sparkled with a melancholy that was almost unsettling.
She shivered. She had never seen him like this before. It was as if he was putting on a mask, pretending to be a noble lord treating a lady kindly.
“Roina, have I not given you everything? Why are you so afraid?”
Roina hesitated before answering. Did he really not know? Was he insane? She was horrified on the inside, but she forced a submissive expression.
“No, Your Highness… You have bestowed upon me grace as vast as the sea. If it weren’t for you, I would have ended up as a beggar on the streets.”
The words came out automatically. It was a memory from the original Roina’s life. But the one who had given her that life had also taken it away. She owed him nothing.
When she had possessed this body, she had instinctively known that the original Roina had ‘died’ just before she arrived. And she, too, had died in her own world just before coming here.
The reason she had come to accept this life, no matter how much she hated it, was simple: she couldn’t return to her old one anyway.
The Imperial Crown Prince smiled softly. To an outsider who didn’t know the truth, that smile would have been mesmerizing. Slowly, he leaned in, his breath brushing against her ear. A warm, damp sensation barely grazed her earlobe, and against her will, Roina felt a tingling in her lower abdomen, causing an involuntary moan to escape her lips.
Roberto laughed softly, sweetly, like a sugar figurine melting away. The ferocity he had displayed earlier seemed like a lie, replaced with the demeanor of an entirely different person. He cradled the bosom he had just moments ago gripped painfully, now stroking it gently, almost as if to comfort it. Unlike before, his touch was tender. Roberto pressed his lips to her ear, kissed her neck, and teased her skin with his moist lips and tongue, brushing lightly along her throat.
She had steeled herself for his usual rough treatment, but the way he acted now—like a lover doting on someone precious—left her long-tamed body confused and overheated. It was beyond her control. Her senses sharpened, fully attuned to the Imperial Crown Prince holding her. Each time his lips traced her collarbone or his tongue playfully flicked across her pale skin, it felt like sparks erupted in her mind. Her toes curled involuntarily.
Roberto noticed her reaction immediately, chuckling lowly against her skin. His breath tickled her already sensitized flesh, causing her to flinch again.
Roina couldn’t utter a word, her breath catching in the dizzying sensations, and Roberto remained silent too. In the room, there was only the faint rustle of her clothes slipping off, layer by layer, and the occasional, trembling sighs she struggled to suppress.
Then, as if teasing her further, Roberto slowly slid his lips downward, playfully toying with her taut peak using his tongue. His warm, damp tongue brushed lightly against her, a stark contrast to the cool air around them. The soft, deliberate touches sent sharper jolts through her than if he had outright sucked on her skin.
A shiver rippled down her spine, her body trembling in response. With his mouth still teasing her sensitized skin, Roberto called her name, his lips grazing against her flesh as he spoke. Every movement of his mouth sent unbearable chills coursing through her, and instinctively, she grasped his shoulders.
“Roina, say my name.”
“Ah… Y-yes, Roberto….”
Roina couldn’t believe her own reaction. This was all a sick, deceitful act. Roberto wasn’t doing this out of affection; he was setting her up to be thoroughly humiliated. He wanted her to fall in love with him, only to crush her completely once she did.
