Cold stone. Saki opened her eyes, still lying on the floor. Bruises from last night's alley throbbed all over her body. Arms, thighs, stomach—purple welts everywhere. Just moving a finger sent dull pain racing under her skin. (Here... the Moonlit Manor.) She stared at the ceiling's wood grain. Sweet perfume mixed with dust. Distant laughter echoed. A client. Or a whore. The door opened. Soundlessly. "[cold]Get up." Saki's body went rigid. That voice alone made the slave mark on her neck pulse with pain. Madame Vespa stood there. Long black hair. Cold golden eyes. A gaunt frame wrapped in a jet-black dress. A small gem on her left ear glinted dully. Behind her, the dim hallway stretched on. "[cold]Morning. Come to the office. I'll teach you the rules." Saki tried to stand. Her knees buckled. The bruises sapped her strength. She pressed a hand to the wall and somehow got up. Vespa had already turned her back and started walking. —Meaning: follow. Stone hallway. Cold bit into her bare soles. Morning light through the windows cast long shadows. She passed the other whores' rooms. Breathing sounds leaked from behind some doors. The office. Vespa sat behind the desk. Ledger shelves covered the walls. Candlelight flickered. "[cold]First, the rules of this establishment." Vespa began listing them in a voice devoid of emotion. "[cold]Do not defy clients. Do not try to escape. The mark is always active. Whores who can't earn are sent to the back." Saki's mouth started to open. Vespa's golden eyes shut it down. A single look forced her lips closed. "[cold]Your price is 130 gold. You start earning tonight." Tonight. Saki's fingers trembled. "[scared]W-wait... I'm not... I haven't..." "[cold]Your client is Major Dorf of the Imperial Army. Soldiers are impatient. Don't displease him." Vespa's eyes were already on her papers. The conversation was over. As if she couldn't see the terror bleeding onto Saki's face. — Night. A private room on the second floor. Saki stood in the corner. Her heart pounded deep in her ears. The bruises still ached. But scarier than the pain was the client about to arrive. (It's fine. I have knowledge.) She'd seen it online. Read about it. The techniques were in her head. (If I take the lead, I can break his pace.) (Maybe I won't have to suffer.) She clenched her trembling hands. The door opened. Dorf entered. Thirty-eight. A large man in military uniform. The air grew heavy the moment he stepped in. Smell of alcohol. Smell of sweat. Saki knelt. "[whispers]Welcome..." Her voice shook. She said it exactly as Gallon had taught her. Dorf looked down at her in silence. (Now.) Saki reached out. Her hands went to Dorf's belt. Unbuckled it. His penis emerged from under his trousers. Not yet hard. (Start with hands.) She wrapped her fingers around it. Moved them up and down. The handjob technique she'd seen online. Grip the shaft. Rub the tip with her thumb. Dorf's breathing didn't change. Saki panicked. She leaned in and extended her tongue. Licked Dorf's nipple. She'd read about it online—that men's nipples felt good too. Her tongue traced small circles. (Why.) (Why isn't he reacting.) Saki's movements were clumsy. Just knowledge. No real experience. Saliva dripped. Her breathing grew ragged. Dorf's brow furrowed. "[cold]A whore trying to be clever." —A fist. Impact on Saki's cheek. Her head slammed into the wall. White exploded behind her eyes. The taste of iron filled her mouth. She couldn't understand what had happened. Her hair was grabbed. Yanked up. —A second fist. It hit her nose. Something warm dripped down. Blood. "[cold]Cocky little bitch." Each time his fist sank into her face, a dull meaty sound echoed through the room. Blows on top of bruises. Saki's face swelled before her eyes. She was pinned to the floor. Her clothes were torn off. "[crying]Stop... please sto..." Her mouth was too full of blood. The words wouldn't escape. Dorf's penis forced its way in. Pain like her vagina was tearing. "[angry]Say it." Dorf grabbed her hair and yanked her face up. "[angry]Say: 'Please cum inside me, Major.'" "[crying]Please... cum... in... side..." The words wouldn't form. Too beaten. Her tongue wouldn't work. —His hips slammed into her. "[angry]Again!" "[crying]Please cum inside me, Major...!" He made her say it over and over. Her body shook with each thrust. Bruises scraped against the floor. Pain shot through her. Eventually, Dorf pulled out. He grabbed her head and shoved it toward his lower body. "[cold]Lick it. My asshole." His anus was pressed right in front of her eyes. The smell of male sweat and something else assaulted her nose. She extended her tongue. Ran the tip along the wrinkles of his anus. Salty. Bitter. She licked, just as Gallon had taught her. (The knowledge from my old world was completely useless.) That fact seeped into her bones. (I knew nothing.) Tears overflowed. Mixed with blood. Her face became a mess. —It was all over. Dorf left the room. Saki collapsed on the floor, unable to move. Her face was swollen. The inside of her mouth was cut. The bleeding wouldn't stop. Only voiceless sobs kept leaking out. —How much time passed? The door opened. "[cold]You dead?" A voice. Low and short. Saki couldn't lift her face. Blood pooled on the floor. Footsteps approached. "[sad]It's a pain if you die." Camila. A woman with long, dark purple hair tied back carelessly. A thin scar on her left cheek. Cold silver eyes looked down at Saki. She crouched. Pulled out a cloth and pressed it to Saki's nose. Stopping the blood. A man's angry shout from the hallway. Dorf had come back. "[angry]Hey, that woman is my—" Camila stood up. She looked at Dorf without a word. Just a single glance from those cold eyes. Dorf shut his mouth. Camila said nothing. She simply pointed toward her own room. Meaning: get out. Dorf clicked his tongue and disappeared down the hallway. —Silence. Camila crouched again. Pressed a cold towel to Saki's swollen cheek. "[cold]Don't take the lead with clients." Camila muttered. "[cold]Only do what the client demands. Don't show off extra cleverness." Few words. A curt tone. Not a shred of kindness. But it was—the bare minimum rule for not dying in this brothel. "[scared]Why..." Saki's voice was hoarse. "[scared]Why did you... help..." "[cold]Because it's a pain when new girls die." Camila turned her face away. But the hand holding the towel didn't move. Saki's tears wouldn't stop. For the first time since being transported—someone was beside her, not to "take" something. Camila said nothing. She just kept pressing the cold towel to Saki's face. Silence. From far down the hallway, faint laughter from another room echoed. The night was still going.