Creatures Lurking in the Dark

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

Three pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

Three different expressions were showing on their faces.

 

Bano, who was the calmest of the three, nonchalantly brushed his hair with his hand.

 

The woman next to him, Jenna, was the opposite. She was fidgety unrest, pulling the large brim hat to cover as much of her face as possible while trying to hide behind Bano. Her ears could be seen bright red in shame.

 

In front of them was the catgirl Rika. She tried to look as composed as she could, but her flushed face betrayed her emotion. She didn't know how to handle this situation; throughout her career working in this store, it was the first time she was faced with such an awkward situation, and she doubted any of her colleagues would be able to help her. So she just stood there and looked at them silently after exposing their act.

 

Luckily, as the door to the changing room was in a hidden spot, no one else but them in the knowing of what had happened.

 

"Hahaha, I'm sorry about that. You caught us with our pants down."  Bano was the first to break the silence.

 

His attempt to ease the situation was so disastrous that Jenna wished he would just shut up. So she silently pinched his underarms.

 

Her subtle movement didn't escape Rika's eyes. She looked like she had just remembered something and looked at Jenna.

 

"My apologies in advance. I recognized the gentleman as Sir Bano Gremhandlr. But are you, perhaps, Lady Jenna?"  Rika asked.

 

"S-Sorry, you've got t––"  (Jenna)

 

"That's right."  Bano cut it before she could completely deny her claim.

 

"Y-You..."  Jenna opened her eyes wide in shock. Wasn't the whole point of their disguise to hide their identity? And it was also his idea they dressed like this.

 

"Isn't it fine since the cat is out of the bag?"  Bano wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her into his chest, and looked at the catgirl in front of him. "You said your name was Rika, right?"

 

"Y-Yes!"  Rika was surprised by their blatantly showing off their intimacy in front of her.

 

"As you have guessed, I'm Bano, acting Minister of the Finance Department. And next to me is my woman, Jenna. She's the current Captain of the Royal Guard. I've been blessed to be in a relationship with her. Since she's been working so hard lately, I'm taking her out for a date. As you can see, we have to disguise ourselves to go out due to our political positions. We're sorry that you've caught us in this unfortunate incident. I would like you to keep this to yourself if possible."  Bano bowed with his gentlemanly gesture.

 

Although Bano asked her nicely, there was a hidden tone that suggested the question to be more of a command. Which he deliberately said to make sure the girl complied with his words.

 

"O-Of course. There's no way I would tell anyone about this. I promise I will bring what happened today into my grave. But you really shouldn't do that in places like this."  Rika frantically waved her hands to reassure the two.

 

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."  Bano walked over to Rika and whispered,  "I'll take the clothes you have prepared, and I'd like to request a few custom-made orders. Here are the measurements. The underwear is of a smaller size, so use these measurements to make her the correct size, please. The coin in the deposit should be more than enough, and you can keep all the change after the deduction."

 

"T-That!? Dear customer, even after deducting the cost, there should be more than 40 gold coins. This is too much!"  (Rika)

 

"It's okay; please accept it as a token of my apologies for the incident today. I just hope that you will keep it a secret just between us."  Bano patted her shoulder.

 

"T-Thank you very much!!! Please rest assured; your secret is safe with me!"  Rika bowed deeply. Her loud voice made the other customers look in their direction, but they soon lost interest and resumed what they were doing.

 

"I'm counting on you. Well then, it's about time for us to leave."  Bano turned back and took Jenna's hand.

 

"Allowed me to escort you to the entrance!"  Rika happily walked in front of them and led them downstairs toward the exit. "Thank you for shopping with us. Have a good evening!"  Rika bowed deeply to Bano and Jenna as the two walked away.

 

As their backs were facing Rika, they couldn't see the change in her expression. The moment they left, her smiling face turned expressionless instantly as her gaze followed the two until they were no longer visible. There was a subtle sneer mixed with a murderous glare after that, but it was just a fraction of a second before Rika walked back to the store to finish up her work.

 

Meanwhile, Jenna was not feeling well. Her body temperature was slowly increasing, and she could feel her legs were starting to lose strength.

 

"Hm? What's wrong?"  Bano noticed the change in Jenna and asked as he supported her falling body and had her lean on him.

 

"Haah... aah... I-I don't know. But I feel hot, and my body feels tingling, especially this place."  Jenna put a hand on her lower stomach.

 

"Huh? Is there something wrong with the love mark?"  (Bano)

 

"I don't know... But more importantly, when and how did you get my measurements?"  Jenna tried to calm her breathing down and asked Bano what had been on her mind.

 

Back when he gave the catgirl her body's measurements, she was curious about it the entire time. She felt like her own privacy and Bano could not co-exist.

 

"Well, It's one of the special techniques in the Gremhandlr. We can measure a woman's body simply by using our hands. And the accuracy is guaranteed. Ain't I amazing?"  Bano stuck his chest out proudly.

 

"... The heck is that. Are you kidding me...?"  (Jenna)

 

"Of course not. Well, since you are my woman, and with our current relationship, it won't be long before I welcome you as mistress of the Gremhandlr household. At that time, I will show you the family's special techniques. Our future son would need to learn them, too, once he is old enough."  (Bano)

 

"Heh, It's fine. I don't want to see them. I feel like the Gremhandlr members are just a bunch of womanizers."  Jenna smirked.

 

There was something strange in the statement she just said. Something that Bano caught on to. Although Jenna declined to see the family's secret techniques, she didn't refuse to become his wife and bear an heir for him.

 

Bano hugged her shoulder tighter when he caught on to it. But it also made him close enough to her body to hear her heart beating erratically. However, her body was unnaturally hot, and her skin flushed.

 

"Are you sure you are feeling well? Let's sit down somewhere for a bit. I know a good cafe that serves refreshing beverages. It's a little far away, but don't push yourself and tell me right away if you are unwell, alright?"  (Bano)

 

Bano led her to a terrace cafe to take a rest.

 

It was not a fancy cafe, but the way they decorated the area made it look homey. It was a perfect spot for couples to relax together, and it was also Bano's favorite place to chill.

 

"You can take a seat here. I'll go grab something for you to drink. Do you have any preferred drinks you want to get?"  Bano asked after pulling the chair for Jenna to sit down.

 

"No, I'll leave my choice of drink to the gentleman."  Jenna strained a smile. It was clear that she wasn't feeling well.

 

"Sure. Leave it to me."  Bano walked to the barista counter to order their drinks.

 

Jenna's eyes were following his back the entire time like she was yearning for him. It made her wonder how much she had changed. Their relationship was something akin to enemies at first, but now she saw him as her mate, the man she wanted to offer her everything unconditionally. She was surprised that she actually felt happy when Bano hinted at how he would welcome her into his family as a mistress. For a moment there, the tingling she was suffering from became soothed. Her womb also responded to the mention of bearing an heir for him.

 

(I've become such a shameful woman...)  Jenna thought to herself.

 

"Oh? It's really Jenna. What are you doing in here in that getup?"  (???)

 

A voice called out to Jenna. As a reflex, when she heard her name called, she turned toward the owner of the voice to see a pair of women mismatched in height.

 

"See!? I knew it was Lady Jenna. Good evening~"  The other woman said.

 

"Is that you, Lynn? And if I remember correctly, your name is Lainey?"  Jenna asked.

 

"Yay~ I'm so happy Lady Jenna actually remembers my name."  Lainey raised both of her arms up and exclaimed dramatically.

 

"You idiot. *Slap* Shut up and behave yourself. You're making me ashame just by walking with you."  Lynn spanked Lainey's ass to reprimand her.

 

"Ouch!"  Lainey rubbed the spot she was hit.

 

"*Chuckle* You girls are as close as ever. Are you not working as adventurers today?"  Jenna chuckled at the scene before her and asked the two.

 

"Hehehe~ We are besties. We kind of have an influx of money on us right now. So we are taking a break."  (Lainey)

 

"What about you, Jenna? Do you finally have a day off? You've been working hard lately."  (Lynn)

 

"Oya? Are you, perhaps, acquaintance?"  Bano returned with two glasses of their drinks.

 

"Hooh~ I see, I see. Lady Jenna has finally found a man!"  (Lainey)

 

"Oh? Are we intruding on your date?"  (Lynn)

 

"N-No, of course not. Anyway, let me introduce you. Bano, these two work as adventurers. This is Lainey, and this is Lynn. They also help the knight from time to time, so we had an opportunity to be acquainted during one of the jobs."  Jenna introduced the two to Bano.

 

"I see. It is my pleasure to meet you two beautiful ladies. Thank you for always helping my Jenna. My name is Bano Gremhandlr."  Bano put the glasses down on the table and flashed his usual gentlemanly smile.

 

"T-That...! Calling me beautiful... Hehehe~"  Lainey acted bashfully to his greeting.

 

"Oh~ How bold of you, claiming the Royal Guard Captain as yours. Can I assume your relationships were like that?"  (Lynn)

 

"W-Well... yes. We are sort of in a male and female relationship..."  Jenna flushed.

 

"Hahaha. I'm sorry, Jenna was a little shy. As you have guessed, I am currently in a relationship with her. We're on our date today and chose this cafe to take a short rest."  (Bano)

 

"Kyyah~ Lady Jenna, so romantic!"  Lainey squealed.

 

"Then we shouldn't bother any longer and leave the young couple to enjoy their date. We are also on our way to visit Aina after ordering a drink for takeout. Have a nice evening."  (Lynn)

 

"Hahaha, thank you for your consideration. But you two ladies are not bothering us at all. Now that we are acquaintances, please don't hesitate to call out to me if you ever see me anywhere."  Bano flashed a smile and waved goodbye to the two.

 

"We sure met a lot of your acquaintances today, huh?"  (Bano)

 

"I-I'm sorry. We were stopped so many times because of me."  (Jenna)

 

"Hold up right there, girl. I never say anything about that. In fact, I'm proud that my woman is such a famous person."  Bano reached out and took her hands.

 

"More importantly, how are you feeling right now? And don't hide it from me. I can see your face was a little strained when you were talking to those two."  (Bano)

 

"Hm... I feel a little quivering. Especially, um... you know... down there, around the mark."  (Jenna)

 

"Huh? That's weird. Did I mess up something? It was my first time branding a woman with it, but I'm pretty sure I followed all the procedures..."  Bano pondered.

 

"You... So you're telling me that you didn't ensnare other women like you did with me?"  (Jenna)

 

"Yeah? They were just a one-time thing. And all of them are just after my position. They even offered their bodies to me, so how could a gentleman like me refuse when the food was already on the platter? But you, Jenna, are different. Unlike those women, you are the only one I desire to own. Well, I must admit I had to expense a few tricks to nap you, but it was well worth it. Hahaha!"  (Bano)

 

"Kuh! You are a womanizer... Enemy of women... I can't believe I fell for such a scumbag like you."  Jenna took a sip from her glass and continued,  "But then again, why me? Aren't the other women willing to give you all of their love? Not just those vying for your positions; some must genuinely want to bond with you, right? Unlike them, I'm just a boring girl and awkward in a relationship. Isn't that, in the end, you are just after my body? If that's the case, then you can just use your underhand tricks and trick me into doing your bidding. Heh, I'm sure it's an easy task for a 'gentleman' like you. Why go all the way to make me love you?"  Jenna's voice became shaky near the end. 

 

"Haah..."  Bano let out a deep sigh. "Why are we going back to this topic again." He picked up his glass and down half of it. "First of all, unlike you, those women could not make me feel the way I do to you. Secondly, you are not a boring woman, do not make me repeat that anymore, or I'll be very angry. You don't even know how many dickhead want to stick their pathetic cocks inside you. Days in and days out, they all come to me and ask for a taste of you if I ever make you a sex slave. That was why I claimed you as my woman, so they would keep their dick in their pants if they didn't want to incur my wrath. And lastly... *Kiss*"  Bano leaned over the table and kissed Jenna on her lips. "At first, I was, as you say, just after your body. I'll emphasize the 'was' because after spending some intimate times with you, I realized something. Our bodies have good compatibility and chemistry. There's something in the gap between your usual cool and serious self with your melting expression writhing on the bed that draws me to you. That was when I was struck with a bolt of lightning and thought, 'Ah! This woman was made for me.' Happy now?"  (Bano)

 

"... It's sweet."  Jenna's gaze landed on the glass she had just taken a sip from and quietly mumbled as she traced where their lips touched. It was unclear whether she meant his words or his kiss.

 

"Hm? What?"  (Bano)

 

"Nothing. That's the worst proposal I've ever heard in my life. I think you're the only one in the world who proposes to a woman like that."   (Jenna)

 

"Well, thank you."  (Bano)

 

"I'm not praising you! *Sigh* Uuurgh!!!"  Suddenly, Jenna's face cramped up as she felt something around her stomach tightened up.

 

It was the throbbing of her womb.

 

"Shit! What happened?"  Bano jumped off his seat and moved to the seat next to Jenna to support her body.

 

"W-Wait! Please don't touch me now! Nnngh!!!"  Jenna's body shook. She fell listlessly into Bano's arms.

 

"Seriously, tell me, are you hurt anywhere?!"  Bano looked her in the eyes.

 

And he saw something.

 

There was a heart-shaped mark in her pupils. And finally, he remembered a crucial piece of information, something he should have known better than anyone.

 

The reason Jenna was suffering right now was because of the instability of the love mark.

 

One of the mark's characteristics was when the target was first branded with it, it would increase the woman's libido. It was to make the target's mind become deeply engraved with the chosen mate by having sex. For the woman who kept on resisting this side effect, the mark would continue to mark the woman release her pheromone to attract the male until he gave her a large amount of his seed or bodily fluid by either consuming through the mouth or absorbing through her private parts. Typically, the amount of semen required to stabilize the mark was about two or three days for a healthy man to release.

 

However, Bano had completely forgotten about that fact because he could produce that much cum with what he called 'family's secret techniques.' He messed up the order of procedures he should have done. He should have imprinted the mark on Jenna first before they started having sex yesterday.

 

He did the opposite, so by the time they finished up their lovemaking session yesterday. Jenna had only consumed two doses of his cum; once with the wake-up blowjob and once more just now in the changing room. It was quite short of the amount required to stabilize the mark. And now it was forcing Jenna to the edge that simply being touched by him was enough to make her cum.

 

"Hhiieek! N-No! P-Please stop...! It's coming out. No, no, no, no!"  Jenna squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her thighs against each other tightly.

 

But it was like a broken damp. Nothing could stop the liquid from bursting out.

 

Jenna's squeak jolted Bano back to the problem at hand.

 

*Trickle* *Trickle*

 

Bano looked down and saw a small puddle formed right below her seat, and it could be traced back to her crotch, seeing how the line trickled from up there.

 

"Iyaa... ! P-Please don't look!"  Jenna hid her face with her hands. She was caught wetting herself in public by someone, and it wouldn't take long until the other customers noticed the commotion. It wasn't actually her urine because there was no ammonia smell. It was her squirt.

 

*Crashed* *Shattered*

 

With his quick thinking, Bano dropped one of the glasses on the floor and pretended that they spilled the drink.

 

"Dear customers, are you injured somewhere?!"  The barista rushed over to their side and saw the shattered glass on the ground.

 

"Sorry, she didn't feel well and was on the verge of collapsing, so I rushed over to her side and accidentally knocked down the glass. Of course, I'll pay for it."  Bano waved his hand to reassure the barista that nothing serious had happened.

 

"I see. Dear customer, you should take her back and rest. I will clean up the shards."  (Barista)

 

"That's the plan. Here's the payment. You can keep the change, and sorry for the trouble."  Bano handed him five gold coins.

 

"W-Wait, dear customer, this is too much. Even deducting the broken glass, half of a gold coin was more than enough. I cannot receive it!"  The barista tried to give back the gold coins.

 

"It's fine. Please accept it. I'm also a regular in this store, and it is one of my favorites. I will come back again in the future. We will take our leave now. Thank you."  (Bano)

 

"Thank you very much! Please take care on your way back."  The barista waved at the two.

 

"Haah... aah, hah... Mister cock, where are you...? I want Mister cock to play with me."  Jenna put her hand on Bano's crotch and rubbed his cock over his pants.

 

"Damn it, Jenna. It's not the place to play with Mister cock. Just wait a bit. I know a good place."  Bano slapped her hand away.

 

It couldn't be helped since they were in the middle of a street. Luckily, as the time was getting late, there was less traffic, so not many people could see how coquettishly Jenna was trying to molest Bano's private parts. And the people who saw it would just think that she was just another prostitute trying to seduce a customer to buy her for a night.

 

Jenna still had her hat on, so no one figured out that the woman who was acting like a prostitute was actually the idol they all loved and respected.

 

And so, under the moonless night, the two made their way to the slum area.

 

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