In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 1

Before dawn, Bellona quietly woke up and silently observed the man sleeping defenselessly beside her. His disheveled silver hair framed a face that, despite his ferocious nature, appeared gentle and serene.

This man, destined to become the Emperor—a noble prince wielding great power. Bellona had spent the night in his arms, listening to his confessions.

“My beloved dog, my beautiful courtesan. Soon, I shall make you my wife.”

Yet, those words, though they seemed like sweet confessions, were nothing more than disguised contempt, a dirty bait to tame her.

My dog, my courtesan.

Bellona understood the meaning behind those words better than anyone. By day, she was his sword; by night, his mistress. That was her duty, the life she was condemned to live.

Still, he always lured her with sweet bait, his tongue as sharp as a blade, before cruelly trampling her. Even though she knew it was poison, Bellona had no choice but to consume it. She was, after all, his hound.

His embrace was like a bed of thorns. Throughout the night, she endured his torment, crushed beneath him without even a thought of resistance. No, she couldn’t resist. To resist would be treason, and the fate of a dog that bites its master is death.

He had whispered words of love, as if brainwashing her, while his bites left her body aching with pain. The place where he had ruthlessly penetrated still throbbed as if it were torn apart.

She had to march out soon, but after spending the night catering to his desires, her body was in no condition for it.

“Sigh…”

Bellona let out a small sigh, carefully slipping out of bed to avoid disturbing his sleep. She gathered her clothes, but just as she was about to leave for her room, a lazy voice halted her steps.

“Is it already morning?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Hmm, you should have woken me.”

“It is still early. Please rest a little longer and come out at your leisure.”

Despite her polite reply, Impes’s lips curled into a mocking smile. His typical reaction didn’t faze Bellona as she stood there, naked, looking at him.

“Always so stiff, just like a knight.”

“My apologies.”

“No need to make that face. Seeing you cry out all night on my cock was quite thrilling.”

Propping himself up with a pillow, he languidly eyed Bellona’s naked body. Though she covered her most private parts with her clothes, the soft morning light bathed her in an ethereal glow, making her look both beautiful and sensual.

As he recalled the memories of ravishing her throughout the night, he admired her tempting figure. Her breasts, just the right size to fill his hand, made him throb below as he imagined devouring them whole, biting down as she let out her desperate moans.

And that round, firm backside…

Whenever he couldn’t control his excitement and smacked it, it would tighten around his member, making him feel as if he were deflowering a virgin.

With lust gleaming in his eyes, Impes licked his dry lips. Bellona’s appearance was more than enough to reignite his desire, even though only a few hours had passed. Just watching her alluring body made him stiffen again.

Noticing the predatory gleam in his eyes, Bellona lowered her head and spoke, “There is much to prepare before the march. Please allow me to take my leave.”

“Always in a hurry to run away from me.”

“…That’s not it—”

“Come here.”

As always, his orders were devoid of any consideration, and Bellona had no choice but to stand before him. Following his orders was her position and her duty, no matter what they were.

His eyes roamed her barely covered body with a lecherous gaze as he nonchalantly asked about the day’s agenda.

“Is this the last campaign?”

“Yes.”

When his fingers began to trace circles around her navel, Bellona bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.

“Hmm, it’s finally over. All of this is thanks to you, so I’ll make sure to reward you handsomely when you return.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Like a predator toying with its prey, Impes’s expression shifted from languid amusement to a sharp question.

“Is Caelus joining the campaign again?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“That persistent fool. He’s only tightening his own noose, yet he doesn’t see it.”

Impes abruptly sat up, his amusement fading. He stretched his neck back, shaking off the last traces of sleep.

Bellona, still standing rigidly, felt a wave of relief at his waning interest. Had he insisted, she would have had to satisfy his desires right up until the moment of the march.

Just a little longer, she told herself.

Once the sun rose, she would be free from this place.

Bellona watched as Impes’s face became fully visible in the growing light.

“This time, make sure you finish it. Though he’s an imperial family, it’s better for him to die in battle than to be executed for treason. At least dying by the hand of the ‘Goddess of the Sword’ would be an honorable death.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Her prompt response brought a satisfied smile to Impes’s lips. “That’s why I admire you so.”

His gaze roamed over her body once more, dark with desire. “This cold face of yours is what makes your desperate cries at night so irresistible.”

As the atmosphere grew heavy, Bellona quickly bowed her head. “Your Highness, I’ll go prepare for the march now.”

Her curt tone caused Impes’s expression to harden, and he turned his gaze to the window, likely to gauge the time. Noticing the brightening landscape, he clicked his tongue in irritation. No matter how powerful a crown prince he was, he couldn’t interfere with the knight commander’s march before a crucial campaign.

Resigned, Impes spoke with the reluctant air of a gracious crown prince, “Hmm, I suppose I should allow the knight commander to save face, even if it’s disappointing.”

Despite his words, his hand still lingered on her smooth skin, as if he couldn’t quite let go.

Bellona stepped back, dodging his final attempt to seduce her. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Tsk, come to me as soon as you return.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“If you succeed in this mission, you’ll become the Empress of this nation. You know that, don’t you?”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Finally, Impes let go of his lingering desire and lay back down. Bellona bowed deeply, her movements precise, and swiftly left the crown prince’s chambers for her own.

Only after closing the door did she allow her rigid posture to collapse to the floor. Though she was used to this, the rough treatment she had endured all night left her entire body aching where his hands had touched.

But Bellona didn’t even have time to lament her situation; she hurried into the bathroom.

***

After completing the ceremonial march, Bellona rode out of the imperial palace, her face expressionless despite the cheers of the imperial citizens chanting her name. Behind her, however, the hundred knights following her smiled proudly and waved on her behalf.

Bellona Riknis.

Despite having a name, she was more widely known by other titles. As the knight commander of the Imperial Knights, the prince’s personal guard, she was called the “Goddess of the Wind” by her fellow knights, for her swift and deadly swordsmanship.

Moreover, with a flawless record in battle, the imperial citizens revered her as the “Goddess of the Sword” or the “Beautiful Slayer.”

Bellona was the hero of the empire.

The imperial citizens adored her almost as much as they did the crown prince. Yet within the palace, she was known by a different set of names.

The imperial family’s loyal dog.

The empress’s hound.

The crown prince’s mistress.

There were other titles as well, none of them flattering.

But Bellona, the subject of these names, let them pass through one ear and out the other. She neither had the time nor the interest to care.

As she rode at the front, her face impassive, her squire, Eshil, approached.

“Commander, you look tired. Didn’t you sleep well?”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep much.”

“Are you sure you’re not sick?”

Eshil’s persistent questioning made Bellona silently nod before returning her gaze to the path ahead. Even when cut by a sharp blade, she wouldn’t cry out in pain.

Eshil, who knew her temperament better than anyone, looked at Bellona with concern before falling back.

Only then did a small crack appear in Bellona’s stoic expression. Eshil’s perceptive comment left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Sick?

‘Is there any word less fitting for me?’

In a life where even pain was not allowed, what good would it do to say she was sick?

In her blind pursuit of power, she had recklessly grabbed the hands of monsters, and the price was becoming a beast that couldn’t even admit its pain.

She had no one to blame but herself.

Her grip on the reins tightened.

Once they left the capital, Bellona exhaled a long sigh. As she gazed at the lush green forest, her green eyes, so much like the leaves, sparkled for the first time.

Simply leaving the palace made her feel as if she could finally breathe. The sunlight warming her chilled heart felt like a gentle caress.

Even though she was on her way to take lives with her own hands, she savored this moment.

Out here, she didn’t have to obey anyone’s orders. Out here, she wasn’t anyone’s dog or mistress—she was simply a knight.

For the first time in a long while, a faint smile graced Bellona’s face as she tilted her head back.

***

By evening, the knights had set up camp on a flat plain beside a valley deep within the forest. As soon as she entered her tent, Bellona gritted her teeth against the pain that flared up as her body relaxed.

There wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t hurt.

Sharing a bed with the prince, who had sadistic tendencies, was more grueling than any battle. What made it worse was that his sadistic desires intensified before a battle.

Impes, jealous of the praise she received from the imperial citizens, used sadistic acts to reinforce his ownership of her.

“Sigh…”

Just as she was about to lie down to rest her exhausted body, a commotion erupted outside. Bellona quickly composed herself and stepped out of the tent.

She saw a man approaching the camp, followed by the knights of the Valensis Order.

The man who stopped before her remained on his horse, looking down at her with cold eyes.

Caelus Perekinon de Fidentia.

The Emperor’s firstborn, the fallen crown prince, cast out by the imperial family.

The man she was meant to kill today.