It was another awful morning in the dismal graveyard that was now eastern Roble. Neia Baraja, an unremarkable squire, woke up to the pain of near-starvation, supplies running ever thinner as her mission neared the now toppled wall which formerly protected her countrymen from invaders. The delegation Neia was part of hoped to escape and find aid in neighbouring nations.

Rubbing her eyes, the girl slowly adjusted to the waking world, gaze surveying the hastily-made camp and exhausted paladins, illuminated only faintly by the first rays of the morning sun. Every morning, the reality of the situation felt like a kick in the guts. Never again would Neia wake up to her father's cooking. Never again would she watch sunsets with her parents. Never again would things be the same.

Neia started crying.

It was something she did often these days.

Of course, the girl was ashamed of her weakness, and so she turned around, pretending to fall back asleep and doing her best not to sob too loudly.

She just wanted her parents back. Her friends, too.

Her old life.

But it was gone forever.

Neia continued crying as the rest of the camp slowly came to life.

"Good morning, paladins! It's about time we rode again... And squire Baraja, are you still sleeping? Come on, there's no time to lose!"

The venomous voice of Paladin-Captain Remedios Custodio was of no help, Neia's trust in her commanders eroding day by day.

...

Neia Baraja was frozen in place, as was her steed. The stench of death was always a horrible thing to behold, but the sight of it was much worse yet. The bones of many were tossed carelessly into a pile along with other trash and waste near the massive hole in the great wall, the missing flesh of those bodies certainly used to feed the invaders as they marched ever deeper into Roble.

Were her father's remains somewhere in that particular pile? He was stationed somewhere at the wall when the attack happened...

Tears blurred Neia's vision.

"Squire Baraja! What are you doing back there?! You're falling behind!"

Biting her lip and clenching her fists, Neia rode on.

She wanted to give up and run away. She did not want to continue any more. It was all too horrible, too hopeless. She was too weak for this.

It would be so easy to just give up and die.

The only thing keeping the girl from doing so was a sense of duty to others, to help those suffering.

If this sense of duty was any weaker, even by a little bit, it would snap like a twig.

And Neia with it.

...

Neia Baraja woke up again. It was a morning like any other.

Because everything was perfect.

Neia was in the safest place there was, in Satoru's embrace. And soon, they would both get up, have a pleasant breakfast together, go greet her parents, check up on their daughter… Yes, everything was all right. Neia was safe and happy, the young woman's life more akin to a fairytale than reality, brighter than even her most naive childhood daydreams.

As her senses slowly returned, however, Neia made an accidental noise of discomfort, a headache and upset stomach being the culprits. She and Satoru got drunk last night, didn't they? Yes, and then Neia got all... dominant. Just then, her husband also seemed to be waking up, slow movements accompanying a sudden irregularity of breath. Soon enough, Satoru looked down, and their eyes met.

"... Neia?... Are you all right? I thought... I think I heard..."

"Sorry, I guess I woke you up... But I'm okay."

Satoru's eyes closed again, voice trailing off with seemingly unconscious self-directed mutterings.

"Neia's okay... Neia is safe... it was just a dream... Neia..."

The High Priestess felt concern creeping up. Did darling also have nightmares? Neia's were about the war again... or something like that. The angel could not quite recall, Satoru's warmth soothing her mind and making every painful memory seem like a distant thing, unworthy of even a stray consideration. A few moments later, Satoru's eyes opened again.

"Ah, good morning... Sorry, I'm really sleepy."

"It's okay, darling. Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter now... you're here, and you're safe... I love you."

"I love you too. So much."

After placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Satoru yawned and stretched, energy slowly returning to the spouses' bodies, clarity replacing the receding fog of deep rest.

"Sorry, Satoru, I think I'm a bit hungover."

"Ah, of course. Here, honey."

The king pulled a small glass vial out of nothingness. Through its clear shell, one could see a thick, white liquid.

"Thank you, darling."

Neia sat up as she took it, the blanket falling off in the process, exposing her entire, bare torso. With a yawn of her own, Neia popped off the seal and gulped the unpleasantly-tasting mixture without much hesitation, the consequences of last night's drinking disappearing in an instant. After placing the seal back, Neia handed the vial back to her beloved, who in turn stored it away inside nothingness again to be returned to and re-used by alchemists at a later date.

"Love, do you want to rest more, or maybe eat breakfast already?"

"Hmm... I think I'm still not fully recovered from the hangover."

"Huh? Are you sure? Did the potion not work?"

Her husband was, understandably, confused and concerned.

"Nope, the hangover is too strong for that, so you'll have to cure me with lots of kisses and cuddles."

Upon realising what was going on, Satoru sighed and chuckled.

"Ah, I see. In that case, we best get to it straight away."

"Gladly."

Neia fell back into Satoru's embrace with a smile, but on the inside, the young woman felt guilty about accidentally worrying her beloved. That worry stemmed from just how deep Satoru's love for her was, after all.

"... Neia?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me?"

"Of course. You've made it so far... You've fought so hard in that war, risen so much in standing, overcome the influence of so many years of judgement and unkindness from others..."

"It's because I've had you waiting for me on the other side of it all."

"I'm very happy I could motivate you to keep going, but what you've achieved is all your own doing, my love."

Neia squeezed him tighter.

"Thank you... I struggled so hard."

""I know, honey, I know. And I'll make sure you never will again."

"Haha, that's a very grand promise, you know?"

"You deserve only my grandest efforts."

... ...

After a pleasant breakfast, quick session of morning hygiene and Neia putting on some mascara, the spouses were still left with an hour or so to spare before it was time for the first item on the day's agenda, and they would use this time to check up on Ayame, and maybe do some lazy lounging around afterward.

But there were also just a couple of letters that had arrived overnight to the High Priestess' personal desk, so Neia wanted to quickly deal with those first. In the meantime, Satoru was laying back on one of the sofas, mostly thinking about useless things or staring at the snowglobes, an item he found quite charming even in the days of Yggdrasil. It was a cute little collection of decorations the guildmates all got together to complete every year, same as all seasonal exclusives.

But eventually, the Sorcerer King's gaze wandered to his Queen. She was incredibly cute, working so diligently and with such focus. Was cute the right word? Regardless, Satoru was absolutely enchanted by Neia's... everything, honestly. His beloved could probably be performing just about any mundane task and he would still be unable to take his gaze off her.

"Ah, darling!"

"Hm? What's going on?"

"Come, come! Look! It's a letter from Nazarick! Enri gave birth to a daughter last night, and they're both okay and healthy! She sent us a letter!"

Satoru rose and came over with haste.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Let me see."

"Ahhh, that's so exciting! Our daughters are probably going to be really good friends, right?"

"If they're going to be half as close as their mothers are, then of course."

"Can we visit today?"

"Hmm, that will probably take up a whole evening, won't it? I assume Enri might just want to rest, but I'll have a letter sent back."

"Thank you, Satoru. Ahhhh, I'm so excited!"

"And you're so cute when you are."

Neia's infectious smile was quickly accompanied by an adorable blush.

...

Stepping out of Neia's bedroom, the loving couple was only a few steps away from their daughter's room, where she was currently being tended to by maids. Satoru watched the High Priestess knock as quietly as possible, in case Ayame was sleeping. After several moments of silence, the door handle slowly turned, allowing a young red-haired maid to poke out her head and make conversation with Neia in a whisper.

"Ah, Your Holiness, Your Majesty! Her Highness is still sleeping."

"Oh, is she?"

"She's been a bit restless throughout the night."

"I see. Let's go inside."

"Yes."

"Come on, darling."

Neia hurriedly led with excitement as Amelia waited for them both to enter before closing the door again. Next to little Ayame's crib, on the bed which would become hers years from now, there sat a slightly bowing Emma. His wife whispered immediately upon getting close, gaze fixed on her daughter.

"Hello, how is she?"

"She woke up quite a few times tonight, but no other problems, it seems."

"Thank you. Ahh... she's so cute and peaceful when sleeping... look, darling."

If Satoru wasn't in his skeletal form, a massive smile would stretch from cheek to cheek on his face, not only due to Ayame, but also Neia's utterly ferocious wing flaps.

"Sooo... I suppose there's nothing for me or daddy to do for you now, huh? Rest well, Ayame."

"Rest well, dear daughter."

The parents quietly left the room, waiting until its door was closed one last time before exchanging more words.

"So I suppose we still have some time to kill before the wedding?"

"Seems like it. What do you feel like doing, love?"

"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe we could take a quick look at how the garden's doing?"

"Sure. Oh, and you really do look stunning, by the way."

Neia squeaked happily before the two started walking. When it came to the wedding Satoru was referring to, it seemed it was finally time for Adren and Linda to marry, choosing to do so in a private setting, under the roof of a reserved chapel, the ceremony only involving their families, good friends, and their good friends' good friends.

Due to the often vastly dissimilar practices in how the lovers' respective cultures handled unions of love, the wedding was to be, in many ways, a most peculiar series of stylistic decisions and compromises. Not that anyone present would think to complain, as closed-mindedness was becoming rather scarce within the Sorcerer Kingdom, and certain to not exist at all within the minds of those only few associations away from its monarch.

... ...

The initial stages of the wedding went pretty much exactly as everyone expected, the highly cheery and not-too-busy atmosphere enjoyed by nearly all the mansion's staff as liches filled in for guards and Pestonya took care of Ayame. Conversation bounced back and forth between all participants, Neia proclaimed the lovers as spouses, the bride cried tears of joy following the kiss, a wedding cake was served only as dessert following a bowl of traditional bafolk stew… The whole event was indeed quite pleasant.

Satoru, however, also felt incredibly guilty. He really wished he could've gone back and given Neia a better wedding, one closer to what she deserved, one where her parents could watch on proudly. Satoru wished he could've gone back and replaced his older self entirely, providing Neia with every possible luxury and all the affection he could from the very start. Satoru cursed that such a wonderful woman fell in love with someone like the person he was back then, a spineless, selfish, profoundly immoral man who took far too long to recognise how fortunate he was, almost squandering it all with foul murder of what would become his beloved.

"... darling? Darling!"

"Hm? Ah, sorry, my love. I was a bit distracted."

Scanning the surroundings, the king found himself in the centre of the massive table's attention, a subsequent sigh from Neia being a painful confirmation of the obvious. He must've picked a bad time to wallow in yet more of his pathetic melancholy.

"Hhahhhh, can you believe him, everyone? Just when I'm praising you for being such a good dad and attentive husband, you pull this again?"

Neia's theatrical tone and exaggerated gestures earned the High Priestess a fun-loving laugh from just about everyone, with even an embarrassed, but honest chuckle coming from Satoru himself. Neia playfully sprung up to give her husband a quick kiss on the cheek before producing a carefree giggle. A second or so later, however, her tone changed as she whispered.

"... Uhm, hey, just to be sure, is everything okay, darling?"

"Yes, don't worry. Just got lost in thought."

... ...

After all the points of the ceremony were properly carried out, the mood and pace of the event turned rather slow and even more easy-going. With afternoon turning into evening, Satoru and Neia agreed it was probably time to take their leave, as a good portion of the guests had already done. The undead king remotely contacted Pestonya, him and Neia joyous to hear that Ayame was still content and calm. Then, it was time to [Message] another certain someone. Following this person's response, the lovebirds gave their goodbyes and teleported away.

Appearing in a rather humble, very cosy home, the two were greeted by a bowing Nfirea.

"Your Majesty, Neia. Welcome, I'm sure Enri will be very happy to see you, she's been recovering well, like I said over the uhm, spell."

"Yes, please lead us to her."

Neia once again unconsciously took the lead, and soon they arrived in the bedroom, where Enri rested on her bed in a half sitting, half laying down position, back supported by several large pillows, holding her newborn in her arms, and with Nemu sitting on a chair nearby.

"Hello, Enri!"

"Hello, Neia, Your Majesty."

There was a profound exhaustion in the mayor's tone, and an equally great deal of happiness. Neia's wings started moving, but with some hesitation borne out of concern as she sat down on the bed, with Satoru following quietly and not too closely for now, waving to the sisters instead.

"Everything alright? I hope your recovery is going well."

"Yes, in large part thanks to Pestonya's help and close attentiveness, everything's been fine."

"Ah, I'm just so glad everything went okay."

"I hope you weren't too worried. Heh, come on, I'm not going to let childbirth get the better of me, and Stella's been strong too."

"Just like her mom, huh?"

Everyone present was smiling happily, even if a certain someone's face lacked the skin to show this. Neia leaned in a bit closer, getting a better look at little Stella as her wings started properly flapping in full force and confidence.

"Ahh, she's so cute! What a little sweetheart..."

... ...

Eventually, well after the sun had fully set, it was time for the mayor to get some rest and quiet. Following pleasant goodbyes, the royal couple had returned to tend to their own baby, who was quite sleepy despite the excitement to see them, falling asleep yet again shortly after being breastfed by her mother. Seemingly not about to wake up anytime soon, Ayame was left with the maids while Satoru and Neia went to spend the night together in the bedroom, intending to make the most of it before the king had to depart for state matters come daybreak.

With the bedroom door closed and the couple granted privacy, Satoru adorned himself with flesh, Neia impatiently jumping into his embrace and attacking him with kisses as soon as the golden light retreated.

"Fuck I love you, Satoru... so much."

"I love you more."

"Huh? That's nonsense, completely impossible."

"Oh yeah? Prove it, then."

Accepting Satoru's challenge, Neia intensified her efforts.

[Note: full-on degradation/rough sex/humiliation/masochism kink stuff in the sex scene ahead, you can scroll all the way to the end of the chapter for the author's note if you feel like skipping it]

But as sublime as the moment was, he had something different in mind for tonight, pulling his face away and stopping Neia by placing a finger on her delicious lips.

"Say, about last night, how you acted so authoritative, so domineering... Don't think I'll let you get away with that."

"Hm? What do you mean, Sa-"

Satoru cut her off, though not with words, instead grabbing her buttcheeks, squeezing and spreading them apart under her clothes, forcing out of her a timid, meek noise of shock, but one that still had an unmistakable undertone of great excitement about the action.

"Huh? What's with the surprise in your eyes? I'm just doing the most ordinary, natural thing there is. I'm going to use and enjoy what belongs to me."

The resulting look in Neia's eyes was one Satoru could never possibly get enough of. It showed a perfect understanding of what sort of role Satoru wanted her to take tonight, and exactly what it meant for her. It was a look of knowing how her husband wanted to treat her. The things he wanted to say, the things he wanted to do. The degradation and humiliation that awaited should she accept. And it was the look of wanting it.

Neia responded in a tone similar to that involuntary noise. Meek, timid, almost shaky, completely yielding.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Please don't hesitate to take what's yours, please enjoy me as much as you want. My body is yours to use, my womb yours to fill."

Satoru smiled from ear to ear, knowing how much effort Neia had to put in to appear apprehensive instead of eager, to not have her wings flail wildly with excited anticipation, and to infuse this level of meekness into her tone.

"But before that, beg."

The High Priestess' eyes lit up with glee, left wing twitching just slightly. Satoru knew how much Neia adored this part. When his wife spoke again, her tone was desperate, as if begging for her very life.

"Please, Your Majesty, please use me. I want… no, I need you. Please use me... Please, Your Majesty, aren't I so obedient? I promise I'll do even better, just please give me your seed. I want it so much. I want you to enjoy me. I'll be such a happy toy, such a happy whore... All yours, just yours."

"Then prove how much you mean it. Get out of that dress and on your knees, where you belong."

"Yes!"

As Neia started undressing with all the speed she could muster, Satoru also removed his boots and pants, but leaving an open robe on. With the leftover time, the former salaryman also conjured a nice, thick pillow for Neia on the ground so that her knees wouldn't hurt. Turning back to his wife, Satoru smirked to himself upon seeing that her panties were already wet. With them off, Neia cutely ran over. The two started kissing again, Neia's hands caressing Satoru's lower abdomen. The Prophetess slowly moved her kisses down to the neck, and then to the chest, and then further and further down.

Now eye-level with Satoru's penis, Neia focused on starting a bit slow and ramping it up, as always. Satoru watched her kiss his erection over and over, each warm kiss as genuinely loving and committed as one meant for the lips, all the while her eyes studied him closely, her enjoyment directly proportional to his. Eventually, Neia decided it was time to escalate, moving onto kissing and licking the balls. Quiet sounds of pleasure which were not quite yet moans began to escape Satoru's lips, causing Neia to falter for a moment in keeping her wings still for the purpose of the act.

After regaining control and focus, Neia escalated further, one hand now cupping and massaging the balls while the other was wrapped around the base of Satoru's shaft, though unmoving for now. And then came the licking, focused mostly on the tip, and initially still very timid in nature. Satoru was slowly getting noisier and noisier, the warmth and smooth wetness of Neia's tongue feeling divine. This, of course, only motivated and excited her further, craving to hear more such sounds from him. Next, Neia started getting more active and dexterous with her tongue, hitting all the right spots in all the right ways. The angel also took the occasional break to french kiss his tip, pure love felt clearly in the gesture and its wet passion.

And following the first proper moan from Satoru, Neia's hand started moving up and down his shaft in sync with her lips, now firmly wrapped around his erection, letting Satoru feel enveloped in his wife's warmth. Heavenly movements of the tongue followed, and with Neia being highly skilled at all aspects of the act by now, Satoru's vocalisations of pleasure only became louder and more common. The final piece of the puzzle was Neia pushing the hand which massaged the balls forward, taking focus away from them and instead using her fingers to put a light pressure on his perineum, with the palm stimulating the testicles instead, though not especially well. Satoru let out moan after moan, his expression of pleasure and affectionate look straying from his role. Neia's acting, too, showed some cracks due to this, wings now noticeably quivering in happiness and satisfaction with her own performance.

Wishing to return to their roles a bit more, Satoru gathered Neia's hair into a ponytail, which he then held firmly. The Prophetess took her hand off Satoru's shaft, relaxed her posture, and took several deep breaths, all in preparation for what she knew was about to happen. Satoru took complete control of his wife's head using her hair, and on the very first push, forced his entire erection down her wet throat mercilessly, keeping his entire length there for a good while. After pulling Neia's head back far enough for her to breathe, Satoru could now properly see the first stages of yet another beautiful look in the angel's eyes. Even trusting that Neia wouldn't hesitate to use their safety gesture, Satoru often hesitated to do what he was about to.

Breathing in to steel himself, he finally started to repeat his previous movements, except faster and faster, Neia's head being forced up and down over and over as each push forced a beautiful, adorable gagging sound out of her. Satoru only allowed his wife very brief moments of respite to breathe again, during which the spouses exchanged deeply loving gazes. As they continued, Neia's cheeks became wet with mascara-infused black tears, and Satoru's moans of pleasure reflected his closeness to climax.

He was glad Neia was wearing mascara today. The black tear stains were an incredible visualisation of his wife's discomfort, the discomfort of fighting her body's reflexes just for his enjoyment, because that's how dedicated she was to his pleasure, that's how devoted and loving she was.

\\\

Neia had to blink often due to the tears clouding her vision. Although the High Priestess knew her beloved enjoyed them a lot, she still somewhat wished to not have to deal with them, as they made it harder to see Satoru's wonderful expression, and on it, the fruits of her efforts and practice. The gagging and downright painful lack of air were hard to ignore, but it was all worth it, because it made darling feel good.

'I love you, Satoru. I love you, I love you, I love you! So much! I fucking love you.'

Her dear husband could not see into Neia's thoughts, but that was okay. They were in the middle of an act of love, after all. One specifically highlighting Neia's dedication to him.

"Neia..."

WIth Satoru moaning her name, Neia made sure to put extra focus into properly massaging his perineum, and soon enough, Satoru pushed her head down far harder than before. Warm, divine seed filled the Prophetess' throat.

"Hhaa, fuck... Neia... haaa..."

Moaning turned to laboured breathing as the king relinquished his grip. Neia pulled back slowly and with a good deal sucktion, lips locked tightly around his weakening shaft. After spending a bit more time gently cleaning Satoru's penis up with her mouth, he suddenly and quickly bent down and initiated a passionate kiss.

"... You did good, my toy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty... Did I earn you using my vagina next? If not, please give me another chance. I'll do even better. I'll cry even more, if that's what pleases you."

"What a desperate, pathetic thing... But yes, you did earn what you want."

"Thank you. Your Majesty is such a kind, generous king... such a kind owner."

"Of course I am. A filthy thing like you doesn't deserve the kindness I show you by letting you gag so pitifully on my manhood. Now…"

Neia felt Satoru hesitate for a moment, making the young mother wonder what her beloved must have been considering. She got her answer quickly as the king grabbed Neia by the throat, carrying her to their bed that way. Due to instinct and not expecting this, Neia flailed and kicked wildly for a moment before finally managing to calm down and just clenching her teeth through the pain and lack of air. After being thrown onto her back, the High Priestess did not get much rest before Satoru stood upright between her legs, his hand was once again wrapped tightly around her neck, though only pinning it down for now.

Her husband grabbed a glass vial out of nothingness, a specific type of stamina potion, one that would instantly restore his erection and ensure it would stay up for a good, long while. After chugging its contents, Satoru threw it away and began rubbing her inner thigh with his newly freed hand, touch building anticipation and sensitivity of her most private parts.

"What are you, Neia Baraja?"

"Wh-what?"

"Answer."

"I… I'm… I'm nothing except for the enjoyment you derive from me, Your Majesty. I'm nothing except for the pleasure my body can give you. I'm your personal whore. That's all I am, that's all I ever will be. That's all I ever want to be. I love that this is what I am."

"And what do you want?"

"I want you to let me fulfil that purpose, Your Majesty. Please, please use me. Please enjoy me. I need you to. It feels so good. I'm completely addicted to you, I'm completely yours. I love you."

"Pathetic."

"I know. Please forgive me and use me despite this."

"Why should I? Why shouldn't I find a prettier face to ruin? A woman of more noble blood instead of wasting my seed on your worthless womb?"

"There's no reason. But please… please…"

"Pathetic."

With that, Satoru started rubbing his rapidly hardening penis on Neia's clitorits, the repetitive motion sending waves of pleasure through her entire body. And then, the hand around her neck squeezed, depriving Neia's head of blood flow and air.

Everything became blurry and dark, struggling vision then further hampered by fresh tears. Thoughts began to lose meaning, time distorting.

When the Prophetess' beloved finally released her, Neia could feel what seemed like her body sighing in relief, but also begging her for no more of this.

But it felt too good.

Satoru finally inserted his now full erection while preparing to stimulate her clit with the free hand. Neia could not help but smile with both happiness and pain at the man she loved more than anything.

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty. I'm so happy. Please enjoy me… I love you."

In response, Satoru began thrusting into her, rubbing her clitoris and squeezing her neck. If Neia's throat were not being crushed, happy moans would escape it, and so she was forced to enjoy Satoru's actions in silence.

As Neia felt her consciousness rapidly slip further and further into pure instinct, into nothing but the sensations of both pleasure and pain, her hands clawed and scratched at the arm choking her due to desperate reflexes, but thankfully she was able to avoid anything too similar to their safety gesture.

And whenever it slipped even further, Neia's very last voluntary thought was always the same.

'I love you.'

And then, a release, vision and clarity of mind returning, senses graced with the presence of her dear Satoru. The sight of his face, the smell and warmth of his body, the feeling of his erection filling her, the sounds of his pleasure…

This loop would repeat again and again, late into the night.

...

Hello! Sorry about the small delay. Still dealing with the stuff in my personal life, but I believe I can maintain a schedule of a new chapter once every 10 days pretty consistently again.

Other than that, don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter! I hope everyone's enjoying all the new plotlines and stuff I've been writing about after the Nazarick fiasco was resolved. If not, don't hesitate to throw suggestions my way.

Side note: choking like that is very dangerous in real life, where we don't have healing magic and resurrection spells! Do a lot of research before even considering trying it for yourself! Stay safe, everyone.