Chapter 336: Bonus Chapter 26: The Cries of Masochists: Silverøse Is Lonely

"M-Master, please slap me more, hit me harder, I have been waiting so long for this moment!"

"Me too, Master! I have been dreaming about this! Step on me with your boots! Pull my bunny ears as hard as you can!!"

Two completely naked, thoroughly disheveled women were begging on their knees in front of a slightly disturbed Benjamin, their faces flushed with desperation and their eyes wide with pleading and their bodies trembling with anticipation and need.

***

Let me explain how we got to this strange situation!

It all started that morning, before the sun had fully risen over the treetops and cast its golden light across the village below.

Benjamin was taking a leisurely walk around Verdant Spire, enjoying the peace and quiet of the early hour, feeling the cool morning air wisp gently through his light brown hair like invisible fingers combing through the strands.

The floral and green smell of the surrounding forest filled his nostrils with every breath he took, a natural perfume that calmed racing thoughts and soothed anxious hearts.

But then, as he walked along the familiar paths between the treehouses and the communal buildings, he received a telepathic call from a familiar presence, a mental voice that he would recognize anywhere.

[Sakura? What is going on with you? Why are you calling so early in the morning? Is something wrong?]

Benjamin sent his thoughts across the distance between them, his mental voice carrying a note of mild concern.

[What is that supposed to mean, Benjamin?! I love you with all my heart, and I am allowed to call you anytime I want, no matter how early or how late it is!]

Sakura’s mental voice was loud and full of righteous energy, as if she had been waiting all night for an excuse to start an argument with him.

Benjamin made a soft smile appear on his face, the corners of his lips turning upward with genuine warmth and affection, before he responded to her in a calm, measured mental tone.

[I love you even more than that, Sakura. But really, is that the only reason you called me this early in the morning?]

[Wha--! Why are you being so eager to not hear my voice and enjoy my company?!].

[Well... For the majority of yesterday, you were constantly speaking to me through our telepathic connection. You were dropping all manner of messages and telepathic kisses into my head while I was trying to focus on other things.

[And you were doing all of this while also managing your political duties and your royal responsibilities, even in your meetings with officials and dignitaries! I’m sorry to say this, Sakura, but I have to draw the line somewhere! Please focus more on your work and less on sending me virtual hugs, while you’re supposed to be negotiating trade agreements or whatever it is you do all day!]

[Wahhh!! This is terrible! Benjamin is scolding me like I am a naughty child and he is my disappointed parent! This is the worst day of my entire life, I tell you!]

Sakura’s mental voice was dramatically sorrowful, though the theatrical quality of her distress suggested she was not actually upset, just clearly enjoying the back-and-forth banter.

[I’m not scolding you. I’m just asking you to be reasonable. And I can tell from the texture of your thoughts that you have something else to tell me. So go ahead and spit it out already.]

[Hmph. You are so cheap and unromantic, Benjamin. Fine, fine, I will tell you the real reason I called. It is about Silverøse.] Sakura’s mental voice shifted to something more serious and concerned.

[Silverøse? I haven’t been seeing her around Shishi-no-su for the past several days, now that I think about it. Is everything okay with her? Is she okay?] 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

[Everything is fine. Do not worry about that. It’s just... she says she wants to see you.] Sakura’s mental voice was hesitant now, choosing her words carefully.

[Ugh. I think I already know why. I’ve been increasingly avoiding having sex with her over the past few weeks.]

[I completely understand. When I first saw her with you and Usagi-chan, in the middle of that encounter... I could not believe that the upright, proper, and highly organized Silverøse would be so lewd and demanding in private. However, Benjamin, I would also like to plead for her on her behalf. She is genuinely suffering from the lack of your attention.]

[I know... But the problem is, Sakura, she keeps telling me to be more rough with her. Harder slaps, tighter grips, more aggressive handling. And her demands only get more extreme and intense with every single intimate thing we have together. It’s becoming difficult for me to keep up with her expectations, and honestly, it is making me uncomfortable to hurt someone even when they are asking me to do it.]

[Silverøse works very hard in the kingdom, Benjamin. She is everywhere, constantly moving, organizing, solving problems and putting out fires or managing crises. She acts like a high ranked servant rather than a member of the royal family, doing the work of ten people without complaint. One would never know, just from watching her during the day, that she was part of the royal family who had claim to power and privilege.

[It is with these demanding and intense sexual encounters she gets to unwind and let go of all the pressure and responsibility she carries on her shoulders every day. The pain and the submission, or the loss of control, are her escape from the burden of always being in control.] [Saku]

[...] [Ben]

[Please? Will you do this for her? And for me? I hate seeing her so sad and frustrated... It’s lonely.]

[Geez, you’re really putting me in a difficult position here. Fine, I’ll do it just this once, as a favor to you and a little courtesy to Silverøse. I’m not a fan of hurting people, even when they enjoy it or find it pleasurable. This is why I often avoid having single private sessions with Heka as well.]

[I thank you for this, Benjamin. And wait, Heka is also a masochist? The stern and responsible Heka wants you to hurt her during sex?]

[You don’t know even half of it, Sakura. Heka’s desires make Silverøse look like a priestess sometimes. I normally tremble at her enthusiasm, at the way her eyes light up when I reluctantly agree to do the things she asks for. Anyway, when should I come to Shishi-no-su to deal with this situation? What time works best for you and for Silverøse?]

[Ah, no, there is no need to trouble yourself with a long journey! I do not want you to go out of your way just for this!]

[I... can literally appear there even before a single second has passed. Teleportation makes travel times irrelevant.]

[Still! I would prefer to send Silverøse to you at Verdant Spire, rather than having you come here. She needs to get out of the palace anyway, stretch her legs and see a different environment.]

[Fine. That arrangement works for me. I will be here, waiting.]

And with those final words exchanged, their long telepathic call finally came to an end, leaving Benjamin alone with his thoughts and his complicated feelings about the upcoming encounter.

Teleporting into his room in a treehouse that had become his personal quarters, Benjamin let himself fall backward onto the large bed of soft feathers and comfortable cotton.

His body sank into the mattress as the sweet scent of the bedding wisped through the air around him and filled his lungs with every breath.

His blue eyes stared blankly at the wooden ceiling above, following the grain patterns and the shadows cast by the morning light filtering through the windows

But then, the vine curtains at the entrance of his room were pushed aside by a hand, rustling softly as they parted.

"Hm? Did you need something from me... Heka?"

Benjamin asked the question casually, turning his head toward the doorway.

Then he raised his head fully to meet the flustered face of the blonde dark-skinned woman standing near the entrance.

Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide, with her hands fidgeting nervously at her sides, as if she had been caught doing something she should not have been doing.