Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

"Look how cute you are! Look how cute you are!" her mother spoke as she began to tickle her.

"Mom! Stop! Stop!" Althea laughed.

"How could I when I have the cutest daughter in the world?!" her mother exclaimed as she sped up her tickling.

After a few, the mother stopped as she felt a hand over her shoulder.

"Oh honey," the woman exclaimed as she gazed at her husband. With an awkward cough she got on her feet.

"Dear, we have many children, do you plan to spoil all of them?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

The woman laughed. "Yes! Yes I do!" she spoke proudly as she puffed up her chest.

With a sigh the man placed a hand over his hand.

"When are you going to stop acting like this is a game, sooner or later our children have to grow up you know?"

Before the woman could retort Althea butted in.

She stood proudly on her toes trying to appear taller as she puffed up her chest and spoke in pride.

"But I am big! I can act like a grown-up!" Althea reassured.

Her father released another sigh as he patted her on the head.

"Just because you're turning ten doesn't mean you're grown up yet."

Althea grimaced. "But I am!" she insisted.

"Sure sure, now go play with the other kids." her father spoke as he got back to his work.

"I will show you!" Althea spoke with a frown as she went to play with the other kids.

Her tenth birthday was pretty fun.

*****

"Mother?" Althea spoke awkwardly as she knocked on the door.

Hearing her daughter's voice the woman turned to her with a smile. "Oh, dear, what is it?"

"Um… there is something weird happening to my body I… can you check it out?"

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Sure come in and close the door."

Inwardly, her mother was thinking, 'Something weird? She's fourteen—so isn't it a bit late to be asking such intimate questions? ...Oh! Maybe she's in love with a boy! That would explain it!'

The mother gestured with her hand for her daughter to sit across from her.

Althea sat on with a worried expression.

"So? What is it?" the woman asked.

Althea pointed at her chest.

Seeing that the mother teased. "Come on! I am your mother there isn't a need to be embarrassed by me!"

Althea looked at her mother's eyes for a few seconds then began to remove her clothing one by one.

Her mother watched her with a slight smile.

Then the smile disappeared, her eyebrows furrowed as she focused her eyes.

'Is that?' she wondered.

Then her expression changed from neutral to pure horror.

'Oh gods! Oh gods! Oh gods!' she repeated endlessly in her mind.

Althea looked at the ground for a few seconds after she had undressed above the waist waiting her mother's judgment.

But her mother was quiet so Althea looked at her.

Althea's eyes narrowed as she saw the expression of her mother.

"Mom? Is it that bad?" Althea asked as she took a few steps towards her.

"Don't touch me!" her mother shouted as she jumped out of her seat trying to make some distance between them.

Althea looked at her mother in shock.

Couple of seconds later the mother regained a part of her composure.

"Wait here I will bring your father."

Without saying anything else her mother left, as Althea was now alone in the room, partly naked.

"Did I do something wrong?" she whispered quietly but there wasn't anybody that was here to answer her.

*****

"Muscle rot curse, also known as muscle rot illness." the doctor spoke as he inspected Althea's body from afar.

"Thank you sir." Althea's father spoke as he gestured for the man to leave.

As he did now Althea was alone with both of her parents.

"Did I do something w—"

"Shut up! I am trying to think." her father cut her off with anger in his voice.

Althea flinched at the voice and kept shut.

"What are we going to do now honey?!" the mother cried as she had buried her face in her hands.

"She was so beautiful! We were going to marry her off to some royalty, only for her to end up like this!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" the man shouted in pure rage, causing Althea's mother to fall silent as well.

He was overcome with anger, his hand gripping his hair tightly.

"I will find a way to get rid of the burden," he muttered to himself.

*****

'I can't believe this is happening,' Althea thought as she stepped into the bedroom of her new husband, Draconis.

She had been accepted even despite her curse and no less it was emperor!

At the beginning she doubted when her parents said that the emperor didn't mind it, but seeing as how fast he was getting undressed made her smile as she did the same.

…

Draconis looked at her naked body silently.

"Althea… what is that?" he asked with grim emotion as he pointed at her body.

"...I… my body?" she answered unsure of herself.

"No… why does my wife look like this?" he asked in disbelief.

"I thought that you had been informed about my curse," Althea spoke in shock.

Upon hearing that, Draconis took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"You... thought that I, the emperor of the mightiest empire, would desire a woman with a defective body like yours? You lack a blessing, making whatever your class is utterly worthless. The only reason I took you as my wife was because of your pretty face and your body. But beneath all your clothes, this is what I find?"

Althea didn't know how to respond, staring at him in silence.

It was painfully clear that her parents had never informed her future husband about her curse.

'They… sold me off?'

She couldn't explain what she was feeling—betrayed, humiliated, angry, frightened.

"Be gone," Draconis said coldly. "Do not ever appear before me again in such a state. Once was enough to ruin my sight for a lifetime."

Althea moved, forcing herself not to think. She knew she shouldn't express her feelings in that moment—it would only make things worse.

Quickly dressing, she left her husband's room, feeling humiliated beyond measure.

She had thought that today, she would experience what it felt like to kiss someone. She had believed she was going to lose her womanhood.

'Never, I will never try to interact with any man again!' she cursed in her mind as tears were falling down her eyes.

*****

She was never going to interact with any man ever again.

Yet now she was gripping the hand of one, unwilling to let him go.

Taking a few seconds to register what she had done, Althea let go as she jumped up from her chair.

'Why did I tell him not to go?' she asked herself. She had acted before she had a chance to think, as if her heart had forced her into it.

Zaroth and Althea locked eyes, standing in silence, neither speaking for several moments.

'She told me not to go… does that mean...?' he wondered, taking a step forward.

Althea remained silent, her gaze fixed on him.

Zaroth stopped just a few inches from her, slowly reaching out to place his hand behind her waist. Gently, he pulled her closer.

Althea didn't resist, her arms instinctively wrapping around him.

In that moment, their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss.

Althea's heart couldn't bear to let Zaroth go, no matter what.