Mesmerizing. From the wide hips and slim waist to the large breasts and lovely face, as soon as Mithras laid eyes on that woman, he was convinced that he faced a stunning enchantress with trails of broken hearts at her back. Not that this mattered now.
"Who…are you?" Mithras asked. As a Master Toxicologist, he could tell that the scent filling his room came from a rare demonic flower thought extinct in the Blood Smelting Kingdom: the Pyretic Demon Orchid.
Once lit on fire, that scarlet orchid released a lower king-class aphrodisiac that only served one purpose: sexual assault.
Any man who breathed the aphrodisiac's scent would go mad with lust, erect like an iron pole and fucking all the women in the vicinity for half a day before getting crippled from the waist down.
Women who breathed the aphrodisiac had it slightly better—temporarily turning into lust demons and gaining the essence-draining abilities of succubi for twelve hours. Afterwards, they would either go insane or never again be able to enjoy normal sex.
The only way to reduce the aphrodisiac's side effects was by eating Frigid Rose Petals beforehand. So, if the newcomer didn't seem that affected, it was naturally because she'd taken the petals already.
"Does it matter?" The blue-eyed woman asked and stepped forward, her dark-blue ponytail swaying and matching the rhythm of her hips.
"But of course. You come into my house with a king-class poison that perished alongside the Great Blood Empire, all to target tiny little me. So how could your identity…not matter?" Gasping for breath, Mithras asked. His skin turned redder by the second—now taking a ruby shade as pink flames filled his sclera.
"Honoria di Wisteria. Heiress of House Wisteria." The noblewoman introduced herself, lifting her skirt to curtsy at Mithras.
"Since you're telling me your name, I guess you don't plan to give me a way out. Wait…Honoria?" The Human Aphrodisiac couldn't care less for the false courtesy. But as Wisteria's name settled in his brain, his eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Honoria…of House Wisteria? Isn't that the name of the Queen Mother's closest attendant? How have I offended the queen mother of this nation?" Mithras seriously asked. But with each word that left his lips, his cock bulged further, as if trying to rip through his pants and smash this aristocratic cunt till her hole sucked the last drop of cum in his balls.
Unlike slaves and servants, attendants didn't form a class and came from various backgrounds. In theory, anyone could become an attendant. But minor nobles picked their attendants from the working class. High-ranking nobles such as the Astalon picked theirs from minor and intermediate noble houses. And the royal house only chose among the daughters of high nobility.
The only exception was the broad standing before Mithras, Honoria di Wisteria, daughter of Count Sitri. As a daughter of mid-level nobility, Honoria should have never been eligible to become the queen's attendant.
But three factors flipped the script in her favor:
One, she was exceptionally beautiful. Two, she possessed a second-class Inner Flame, and three, she was one of the most cunning and resourceful juniors of the Blood-Smelting Kingdom, the type of profile that King Gaiseric hoped to rely on to strengthen his nation.
The Queen Mother, Vel'Asha, loved being surrounded by women whose intelligence matched their beauty, whereas King Gaiseric just loved resourceful people in general. Honoria met all their criteria, quickly becoming their most favored retainer and the Chief Attendant of the royal palace.
Better, following her brothers' mysterious deaths, and her father's descent into madness, Honoria became the de facto leader of House Honoria, snatching back the wealth of her close and distant relatives to concentrate the house's power in her hands.
Now at just 25, she was already one of the 20 wealthiest individuals in the nation. It was also well known that the crown prince was head over heels for her, often trying to convince his father and grandmother to let him marry Honoria—or at least make her his consort.
Sadly, only the daughter of a duke or higher could become the Crown Prince's wife. As for royal consorts, they at least needed a Marquess background. Gaiseric and Vel'Asha could break the rule for an attendant job. But for matters of the royal family's bloodline and prestige, there could be no exception.
"Truth be told, the queen mother has nothing to do with this. Well—not in the way you're thinking. You see, no matter how hard you work for them, the high aristocracy will always see you as dirt. Likewise, all the achievements in the world cannot change the fact that I'm just the daughter of a count, unable to become a true member of the royal family.
Worried that I'd trick the Crown Prince into bedding me and making me pregnant, the Queen Mother sent me to spy on House Astalon—hoping to rely on my talents to find out Cassandra's secrets.
She wasn't wrong to be afraid. I was initially going to use this flower on the Crown Prince to leave them with no other choice than to make me his wife.
But fate is on my side and showed me a better path to success: you. Because yes, Mithras, from the moment you first bred Cassandra, I've been following you two, watching you increase her Sid rank at divine speed. And waiting for an opportunity to make you my toy.
To think that all along, you were the secret to Cassandra's meteoric rise. And such a handsome secret at that—makes me so sad that I have to ruin you. But at least…you get to become my first man and the stepping stone that kickstarts my legend.
Congratulations, dear Mithras. I won't kill you, but considering I will be recording and spreading the scene of you 'violating' me to get sympathy points and ruin Cassandra…there is no chance in hell that you don't get torn into ten thousand pieces by the crown prince." Crouching at Mithras, Honoria explained—stroking the Human Aphrodisiac's cheek as her lips curled into a sinister smile.
Not all women were troublemakers. Some could even make their comfort and happiness secondary to devote themselves to their man. But without a doubt, this Honoria was a demon. One of the most sinister troublemakers that Mithras had the misfortune to encounter.
Since the system could notice Cassandra leaving House Astalon, and even tell her purpose, it didn't take a genius to realize that it also knew about Honoria yet didn't bother to warn Mithras.
Not that it mattered.
While Honoria had her fun stroking his cheeks, the Human Aphrodisiac's lips curled up, and he lunged forth, pushing his lips into Honoria's.
The Pyretic Demon Essence accumulated in Mithras' body poured out with twice the force, flooding Honoria's body, and making her skin flush as her eyes widened in disbelief. Worse, Mithras' own Human Aphrodisiac Essence went unhinged, dripping down the noble lady's throat and setting her body ablaze.