Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world

Brandon sat comfortably on the plush couch in his private quarters, eating his food.

Books lay stacked in neat piles on nearby tables, with scrolls partially unrolled.

In front of him, there is a silver bowl of steaming rice seasoned with black sesame, while a larger plate had grilled slices of fish drizzled with lemon-infused oil.

Beside it, there is a bowl of creamy root vegetable stew.

There were also smaller plates: pickled radish with a hint of clove, a folded piece of soft flatbread still warm, and a cup filled with chilled golden pear juice.

As he slowly ate, he absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.

’Eira called me...’ he thought, tapping on the missed call notification.

He pressed the call button, waited, but after several rings, it went unanswered.

He tried again. Still no response.

His eyes lingered on the screen as his narrowed in concern. ’She usually picks up... Did something happen?’

With a soft sigh, he placed the phone down beside him and returned to his meal.

A few minutes passed before a gentle knock came from the door.

”Come in,” he said casually, continuing to eat.

The door creaked open with a faint groan, and Seonhwa stepped in.

Now that she is cleaned and has new clothes, Brandon saw that she is beautiful.

Her black hair is now clean and damp at the ends, neatly combed and parted, falling over her shoulders.

Her face was pale with some red marks and old scars running diagonally across her cheek and collarbone.

”Sit.”

Seonhwa hesitated for a breath, her hand tightening around the hem of her skirt.

Then, with careful steps, she approached the nearby couch and lowered herself slowly into the seat, sitting on the edge with perfect posture, with her knees together and hands in her lap.

Brandon gave her a brief glance before scooping up another spoonful of rice, chewing thoughtfully.

”Did you eat?” he asked after swallowing.

She flinched slightly and after a moment, she nodded.

”Yes, Lord Herald.”

He tapped his spoon lightly against the bowl.

”Hmm...” He hummed, finishing the last bite of fish.

He wiped his hands on a napkin before picking up the cup of pear juice and taking a slow sip. ”How do you feel now?”

Her gaze dropped to the floor ”A lot better than before, Lord Herald.” she said quietly.

”Do you want anything else? More food? Tea?” Brandon asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Seonhwa shook her head and replied ”No, My Lord.”

With a faint nod, Brandon spoke ”I want to know the full reason why you became a spy and why you desperately needed money.”

Upon hearing this, Seonhwa flinched and Brandon spoke ”Don’t lie to me... if I want, I can do a background check on you. It wouldn’t take long to dig through your life. Your family’s too.”

He has the Church and the Bleaufort house with him, so it really should be an easy matter.

Seonhwa’s gaze lowered ”...My niece,” she began softly,

”...she’s suffering from a rare disease. Her condition appeared around the time she turned six. It’s a degenerative disorder... something the doctors can’t even properly name.”

”The symptoms worsen every month, fevers, hallucinations, weakening body functions. She can barely walk now.”

Her voice faltered slightly, but she pushed on.

”At first, I tried everything. Sold everything my sister and I owned. Worked three jobs. Even offered to participate in dangerous ether experiments—clinical trials... You know the type. I thought if I could endure pain, it would buy her a little more time.”

Brandon’s eyes quivered upon hearing this.

”I awakened my ether core when I was twenty,” Seonhwa continued.

”It wasn’t a strong one, but it was stable. The government offered to sponsor me into a training program, but... I declined. I asked them to seal it permanently.”

He raised an eyebrow. ”Why?”

”Because I didn’t want that life,”

”I have seen what being an ether user meant. My mother was one. She died in a rupture trying to save people who don’t even remember her name.”

”I just wanted to live peacefully. Take care of my younger sister. Live as a normal woman, in a quiet home.”

She gave a bitter chuckle ”But peace doesn’t last. After I settled down, my sister died during a monster outbreak while taking my niece to the capital for medicine. A rupture opened near the rail line. She... she died shielding the child with her body.”

Seonhwa’s voice cracked faintly, and she closed her eyes tightly, suppressing the rush of emotion.

”I was left alone. My niece survived with broken bones and deep trauma... and her disease worsened.”

”I spent all the money I had trying to treat her. I begged for help.”

She opened her eyes and met Brandon’s gaze for the first time. ”That’s when they came to me.”

”They offered me money. Enough to put my niece in a private medical institution under a false name, where she’d receive treatment for a year.”

”All I had to do was infiltrate the Church and pose as a clerical servant. No questions asked. They said they’d handle the rest.”

Brandon’s gaze narrowed slightly ”And you believed them?”

”I had to,” she whispered. ”I had no one else to turn to. I knew I was going to die if I failed. But I thought... at least she would live.”

”I thought if I died, they would still keep their word. That maybe... I could protect her just like her mother protected her.”

Her fingers trembled slightly ”But then I was caught. And I realized... no one would keep that promise. They probably left her to rot the second I failed.”

Brandon sighed in his heart and looked at the broken woman in front of her ”What’s her name?”

Seonhwa blinked in surprise ”S-Solbi.”

”Do you have her full name? The facility you placed her in?”

Seonhwa hesitated but then she slowly nodded ”Solbi Jin. I had her admitted under the name Jin Areum at the Lumière Pediatric Center in East Bellenstadt. I... I used every last favor to get her in there. They wouldn’t have accepted her otherwise.”

Brandon reached for his phone without another word and quickly typed a message for Callista.

Looking at Seonhwa, he spoke ”I will find her. If she’s there, I’ll make sure she receives proper care. If she’s not, I’ll find out what happened.”

Seonhwa hurriedly stood up from her couch ”R-Really? Will you really help me?”

Brandon nodded his head with a faint smile on his lips ”Mhm...”

Tears swelled in her eyes and began to stream freely down her scarred cheeks.

She quickly kneeled and bent low until her forehead nearly touched the floor ”I will do anything... anything you ask,”

”Just as you said earlier. I am even willing to die... I have no value. No future. But she, my Solbi.. she deserves to live.”

”She deserves to smile and go to school and dream of a future. If I must die to give that to her... I’ll gladly accept it.”

Hearing this, Brandon let out a sigh ”Get up first.”

Seonhwa raised her head and looked at him ”Lord Herald.”

Looking into her eyes, he muttered ”At first, I had that plan. To stop the riot, use someone as a sacrifice to shut the people up.”

”That’s why, instead of a civilian I thought of killing a criminal there.”

”But seeing you crying in the cell, I was curious and asked about you, and here we are...”

He exhaled, leaning back on the couch with a tired expression ”As of now, I have no plans of killing you.”

Seonhwa lowered her head once more and a wave of relief washed through her heart ”If it’s for her, I will do anything for you, Lord Herald.”

Seeing this, Brandon just sighed in his heart and spoke ”For now, just focus on recovering your body...”

”I will call you when I get even more information about her. Now you go and rest.”

Seonhwa slowly stood, her knees wobbling slightly from being down for so long.

She bowed her head once more and opened the door, leaving the room.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Brandon finally picked up his phone from the low table beside the couch.

He unlocked the screen with a swipe, and his thumb hovered briefly over Eira’s contact before he hesitated.

He had already tried calling her several times earlier. Still no response.

A soft frown formed on his face as he instead scrolled down and tapped a different name.

Ravene who was sitting on the couch, quickly attended the call ”Kael...”

Hearing her voice, Brandon’s gaze softened ”Aunt Rave... did you eat dinner?”

With a shake of her head, she replied ”No, I am about to. Made a salad with poached chicken and poured myself a glass of juice.”

Brandon smiled faintly ”Mhm.. Also can you check on Eira in the dorms? I have been calling her but she hasn’t picked up. It’s not like her.”

Hearing this, Ravene couldn’t help but chuckle and replied ”Well, maybe she is upset after the little talk I had with her today.”

Huh? Brandon raised an eyebrow ”What did you talk about with her?”

Ravene grinned ”Oh, don’t worry... nothing serious. And she is perfectly alright. Don’t have unnecessary thoughts and go to bed.”

-_- Brandon asked again ”Dear.. what talk did you have with her that made her upset.”

Ravene just smiled and lowered her underwear below her hips.

Sitting on the couch, she spread her legs as she reached out, gently caressing her clit ”Now.. I am going to masturbate to you. Call me later, Kael.”

With that, she cancelled the call and her thumb navigated to the gallery.

Her heart quickened and a faint flush spread across her cheeks as she scrolled through the images, her eyes scanning for the one she wanted—Brandon, her Kael.

She paused on a photo from a recent summer day, his dark hair tousled by the wind, his eyes crinkling with laughter as he stood by the beach, the sun painting his skin in golden hues.

The sight of him stirred a heat deep within her and a pulse of desire made her clit throb beneath her fingers ”Haa... why are you so goddamn cute, Kael.”

Meanwhile, Brandon stared at his mobile blankly ”...What?”