As time passed, the full moon gave way to the glorious dawn that slowly drove away the darkness of the night.
"Hm~.....Ah."
Laura's conscience started to surface once more as her body began to regain consciousness after the long night.
"Charles."
Charles?
Who?
I don't know any Charles.
She was still drowsy since she suddenly woke up. Laura could barely recognize the owner of that familiar voice.
So she tried to move her tired body, but she found it extremely hard to do so.
As if her body had sleep paralysis cast on it, she desperately tried to at least move her fingers...
"Ah..."
But her effort bore fruit as Laura, who started to regain control of her body once again, took this opportunity to analyze her current situation.
"..."
At this moment, sudden memory fragments flashed through her mind — The gazes of lustful beasts, a dirty alleyway, and …
The man in front of her...
"Pro….fess…or?"
Why is Professor Ferzen here?
Drip.
"Ehe!"
From the corner of her mouth, saliva dripped down in a vulgar fashion.
She tried to clean her mouth, but the young woman noticed that both her mouth and clothes were stained with her own saliva.
"..."
But without even having the time to be ashamed of her condition, Laura noticed the numerous scars around Ferzen's body...
And when she realized that his firm hands were clutching her neck, her complexion turned pale.
'Ah...'
As a result of her albinism, her complexion worsened as her veins started to appear on her fair skin.
"Laura."
"Yes, Prof–"
"Have you regained your sense of reason?"
"..."
Nod.
Laura could only nod at him as Ferzen released the grip on her neck.
'I screwed up....'
A strong headache assaulted Laura as she tried to remember the previous night's events.
My head feels like it is going to burst open from this pain.
Even though she had been reincarnated in a body without the Genova bloodline, she still suffered from the curse of the full moon.
And in the midst of the fallout of her actions, while influenced by the curse, she found herself being confronted by Ferzen right as she woke up.
All of these circumstances, when piled on top of each other, overwhelmed Laura.
Flinch!
Moreover, the curse granted its host an intense feeling of pleasure as they fulfilled their most twisted and corrupted desires...
And due to their proximity, she noticed the strong and shameful scent imprinted on his body.
The scent of an aroused woman.
If someone entered this room and smelled such intense stretch, they would surely think that the man and woman in this room had an affair.
"Raise your head."
Quiver.
Laura shook her head.
However, Ferzen approached her, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look at him.
"Laura."
"Y-yes..."
"I never imagined that Rosenberg managed to sire an heir bearing the blood of the now Extinct Genova family."
"Ah…..Uh…..Uh..."
Laura's crimson eyes widened, and her lips trembled at his declaration.
「When someone is forced to kill people because of a mental illness…..Would you be capable of understanding him?.」
"From your reaction, it seems that my doubts were confirmed. However, it is indeed strange that you weren't aware of the curse your bloodline carries."
Puff.
Like a goldfish, Laura's mouth hung open as her heart thumped violently in her chest.
Aside from the fact he thinks I'm a descendant of the Genova Family, he must have known about their cursed bloodline.
'But how...'
Even if he has my former body — the corpse of Isabel.
It shouldn't be possible for him to know the truth.
Because in order to receive some sort of feedback from the corpse's memories, you still need to have prior knowledge of the facts.
'I have no idea....'
This is not something one can simply guess.
"Cur-Curse...W-What are yo-you...Ta-talking ab-about...…."
"The curse of the full moon that affects all those who bear the Genova bloodline. Perhaps your birth mother refused to disclose this information to your father when she was held captive."
"..."
"If you doubt me, then I shall lend you Isabel's corpse; since both of you share the same bloodline, you should be able to receive some sort of memory as feedback. Besides this proof, when the next full moon comes, you will once again suffer from the curse, and this will make your origins clear...."
Not waiting to listen to any more of his words, Laura reached out and covered Ferzen's mouth with her fair hands.
Just knowing that I will have to bear through this all again once the next full moon rises is driving me insane.
And to make things worse, from the way he's speaking, I think he wants to use my curse as blackmail material for my family...
Laura felt dizzy.
It was as if the whole world seemed to be spinning.
No, it was actually spinning.
Since her body was already frail, the events of the last night pushed her body to its very limits, and now she was feeling the recoil.
"Urgh….."
I feel sick.
It is as if I'm going to throw up at any moment now.
Beads of cold sweat flowed down her body as Laura trembled and shivered.
For a moment, Laura forgot where she was and with whom she was as she leaned on Ferzen's body and held his collar tightly...
"Argh, Bleh..."
She whimpered like a sick puppy.
"Laura."
Seeing her state, Ferzen reached out and started to gently pat her head as he whispered softly in her ear.
"You don't need to worry, I won't disclose your secret to anyone."
"Y-Your're…..Ly-lying…."
Brutein has always remained loyal to the Emperor.
It has been like this since the establishment of the Empire.
And Laura won't be able to prove that she, in fact, doesn't have even a drop of the Genova Bloodline coursing through her veins.
The genocide of the Genova Family was something ordered by the Emperor himself, so Ferzen as the second son of Brutein, won't be able to allow a 'survivor' to escape his clutches.
"It's not a lie. In fact, I shall ensure that no one will ever come to know about the curse of the full moon you now carry."
"I-I'm not….bu-buying it….."
"Don't you think that it's rather degrading that your words contradict your very actions in this instant?"
"Y-You...Wh-What Y-You...Want...."
Laura is by no means a naïve child.
Since Ferzen will go to such lengths to protect her secret, there is surely something that he will want from her.
"This is something that will be discussed with your father – the head of Rosenberg. So there's no need for you to worry about such things...."
"N-No…..T-That's n-not g-good...."
My family is innocent.
I won't cause them trouble.
But Laura knew that...
Currently, she doesn't have the capability to take care of her own problem by herself.
"Laura, this is not something that can be resolved just because you are sulking."
"I-I Know....I K-know that...."
I don't know.
Be it rationally or sentimentality.
Unsure of how to convince Ferzen, Laura nervously squirmed in his hold.
"I…..I…..W-will do…..A-anything….Ju-just…..Ha…..I'll do it."
"..."
"Re-really….W-whatever you say…..I wi-will do i-it….!"
Laura then pulls down her shoulder straps, revealing her fair pale skin.
However, Ferzen grabbed Laura's hands and stopped her with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Laura, do not insult me. I'm not a hungry beast who would lust for the likes of you."
"..."
Holding onto her frail body, Ferzen carefully laid her on the bed.
Then he took a hair comb out of his subspace and fixed Laura's disheveled hair.
"However, it is not as if I don't understand what you are thinking about, so I will consider your request."
"W-what..."
"When the time comes, you shall convince your father to lend his aid to me. Since the current head of Rosenberg seems to be a doting idiot…. he will listen to your request."
"B-but if you don't uphold your pa-part..."
"Hoh, so the innocent child thinks she can threaten me?"
"..."
Having finished combing her hair, Ferzen stood up and grabbed the vest of his suit.
At that moment, Laura looked at Ferzen's scarred arms and spoke in an embarrassed tone.
"I…..I'm so-sorry….I….I'll do i-it…."
"It seems that with recent developments, things got convoluted. For that, I also apologize."
Touching the scars around his arms, Ferzen let out a dark chuckle.
"W-Wait….at l-least…..T-Take this with y-you…."
Laura then reached for the Rosario on her neck to take out an ointment for Ferzen.
Because of her frail body, even minor collisions or bumps can leave bruises on her skin. Therefore, she always carried expansive ointments with her...
"...?"
Where is it?
Why isn't it here?
Laura quickly got desperate, fumbling through her clothes, trying to find her Rosario, and seeing this, Ferzen let out an "Ah…." as he took out a silver Rosario from his pocket and gave it to her.
"I kept with me for a while."
"Ah…..T-Thank you…..Ha….L-Let me g-give….this to y-you."
Laura bowed her head at Ferzen to express her gratitude as she quickly took out an expensive ointment from Rosario and motioned Ferzen to get closer.
"H-here…..Y-your H-hand...Ple-please."
Laura gently applied the ointment over the wounds she must have inflicted on him last night.
Just how much did I bite him...
She quickly became shocked by the sheer quantity of wounds inflicted on his arms.
Rustle!
And after taking out a bandage and wrapping it around his arms carefully...
"O-okay…..It's o-over...."
Laura carefully examined Ferzen's expression.
"...Laura."
Looking at her handwork, and after confirming that there wasn't anything wrong with it, Ferzen then showed her his fingers.
"There are also some wounds here."
"Oh….M-more?!...I…..W-we need m-more….O-ointment….."
His fingers were even worse than his arms, as they were bloodied and full of deep bite marks. Especially his middle finger — Laura visibly struggled at that.
"Hum…..That is enough."
Not caring about her inner struggle, Ferzen got up from the bed and fixed his attire.
"Wait....!"
Laura hurriedly grabbed the helm of Ferzen's suit and uttered with her head down.
"W-Wait….I….Ca-Can…s-still h-help...."
"That won't be necessary."
"..."
Laura still held on to him, not caring about his stern answer.
If he stayed faithful to his words and kept her curse under wraps...
As for the wounds on his body, Laura was already willing to make up for them, since Ferzen didn't make any more demands.
...Because I don't want to owe him anything.
"Laura... The wound just looks bad because of all the clotted blood. However, it will heal just fine by applying saliva to it."
"But..."
Ferzen sighed at her hesitation, but he would not back down.
"...If you feel guilty, you can help me like this."
Ferzen then reached his scarred middle finger to Laura, touching her red lips.
"...?"
Flinch.
Laura looked at Ferzen's cold crimson eyes, confused by his actions.
"Laura, didn't I tell you that the wound would heal just by coating it with saliva?"
"..."
"Think of this as a form of punishment for your past deeds."
At Ferzen's words, Laura vaguely realized his intentions.
But of course, she was still embarrassed, but seeing this situation as a form of atonement helped her endure her shame.
So Laura closed her eyes and gently opened her mouth around Ferzen's middle finger...
...Lick.
She licked his finger in a clumsy manner.
"..."
Now she understood why this would be considered a form of 'punishment.'
Laura's pale face now had a noticeable blush as her shame soared through new heights.
...Slurp.
After swallowing his finger, Laura used her warm tongue to gently embrace it as she started to suck it carefully.
'His wounds...'
Her taste buds were quickly engulfed in a familiar metallic taste, the taste of his blood; with this, Laura knew that the wounds on his finger were indeed deep, so she stared at Ferzen with a worried look.
However, his face was calm and serene, and she couldn't decipher any hidden emotion behind his mask.
I can feel all of his wounds...
How can my saliva cure such deep wounds?
In the first place, just banging your finger on some hard surface is enough to make one writhe in pain.
And when the wound is caused by biting...
"Do I have something on my face?"
Shake, shake!
Laura shook her head shyly upon hearing his words and closed her eyes again...
...Slurp.
With her eyes closed, she focused only on 'healing' his finger — or that was at least her reasoning.
"Slurp…..Ha….."
Thinking she had suffered enough, Laura let go of his finger and wiped her saliva off Ferzen's middle finger with a handkerchief.
"..."
But Ferzen presented his other middle finger to her, his intentions clear.
"Why..."
Laura hesitated, looking at Ferzen's face and then at his finger...
...Slurp.
Knowing that she didn't have the right to refuse him, she once again opened her mouth and repeated the process.
And when she thought she had 'healed' his second finger enough, she let it out and tried to clean it with her handkerchief...
"Laura."
"Y-yes...?"
"There are three minutes left."
With a solemn look, Ferzen presented his finger to her, and Laura started to lick his finger again.
But Laura didn't forget to send him an icy glare.
From Ferzen's point of view, since Laura held his right middle finger in her mouth for seven minutes, then, naturally, she would have to do the same with his right middle finger...
But from Laura's point of view, Ferzen was just trying to bully her more.
...Lick.
...Slurp.
Just to make sure she won't say rude things to sour this man's mood, Laura devoted herself to sucking his finger to her utmost abilities.
"That's enough."
Ferzen, who had been counting the remaining time with his pocket watch, voluntarily pulled his finger out of Laura's mouth as she wiped it with her handkerchief.
"Since your body is still quite weak, you are excused from my lecture today. But don't worry, I won't mark you as absent. The Association shall record the contents of my lecture….. so when you are feeling better, go there to catch up."
So Ferzen, who had just finished fixing his attire, said this as he went out of the room.
And Laura, who was left alone, took a long and comfortable shower in the bathroom attached to the room and returned to her own room in the Academy— her solace.
I'm so tired, my body hurts, I just want to sleep...
But a letter she wrote to her father caught her attention.
It seems that I will have to change some of its contents now.
The original letter only contained the music sheet performed by Ferzen and some brief greetings, but...
In order to better achieve Ferzen's goal, she thought that it would be better to start preparing the terrain now in advance.
So Laura wrote some sentences describing her life in the Academy and also some stories about Professor Ferzen.
"..."
After writing a new letter, Laura checked it multiple times to make sure she didn't miss anything. Her actions were akin to a young maiden writing a letter to her lover...
She folded the letter neatly and put it in an extravagant envelope.
How would Lord Father react after reading this?
It should be fine since this is for his own good, after all.
Yes, it would be nice if he is receptive to this.
This way, that man's objectives would be easier to achieve…..
'Aside from that....'
Since she is a Warlock of Keter-class and also has a frail body, the damage she could have caused under the curse of the full moon was drastically reduced just by having someone of a higher rank suppressing her.
I was fortunate this time.
But who knows what is going to happen next time?
Ironically, even though she reincarnated, it seemed as if she was destined to suffer from the same problems that clung to her in her past life.
Laura could only heave a deep sigh at her own despair, but a question intruded her mind.
The curse of the full moon was only one side of Genova's Bloodline.
And since she manifested the curse in this life, albeit in a different manner than before, perhaps then she would also develop a heavenly talent in some field.
A hidden talent that remained asleep for 17 years.
A young woman suddenly drifted to the land of dreams while having such thoughts.
Holy shit this was the most tiring chapter I've ever translated wtf, you guys better be grateful...