After a long time, the blank contract was filled out while making sure that there weren't any loopholes.
Ferzen stamped his blood seal and Corleone stamped their family seal to complete the contract, and each took possession of one copy.
Immediately after, without any hesitation, Ferzen stood up and extended his hand to Yuriel.
"Yuriel."
"Y-Yes..."
He held his hand out to her.
"..."
This was the hand from three days ago, the one which said he was taking her with him.
Yuriel wondered if this was the answer to all her sulking.
Even though the outcome had already been decided, Yuriel shyly placed her hand on Ferzen's, as if to ask for his permission.
"Ah...!"
Ferzen immediately pulled her into his arms.
Yuriel wobbled on her feet, but Ferzen gently slipped his hand around her waist to steady her unsteady balance.
Yuriel felt a momentary flush of embarrassment at his casual touch even with everyone watching, but she blushed at the feel of Ferzen's hand against hers.
Push.
His scent invaded her nostrils.
Clutching the hem of Ferzen's suit, Yuriel buried her face in it.
"Let's go."
"Okay..."
Matching Ferzen's steps, Yuriel took a step forward.
BANG!
"Don't be ridiculous!"
But watching them, Geralt stood up, slamming the table violently.
Geralt had watched as the contract was drawn up, hoping that his terms would be better than whatever Ferzen will come up with, but it was just ridiculous.
The birth of a male child, the handing over of the custody of that child, and the insurance for the child's life during its birth were worth more than everything he'd offered?
Geralt couldn't accept that.
But Ferzen didn't stop walking, like a man letting a dog bark, he left this place with Yuriel.
The previous Heads of Brutein followed the couple in silence.
"My lord!"
Geralt faced Corleone.
No, he glared at him.
But the old snake was silent.
As if still relishing the afterglow of his climax.
"Corleone Wayne Barreta Alfred!"
But then Geralt yelled out his full name.
When his rage-filled tone invaded his ears.
The old snake's musings were interrupted, and so, he looked at the little mouse in front of him.
The disdain in his look was very evident.
Corleone looked at Geralt the same way the Brutein looked at the Alfreds.
And then, the old snake opened its fanged mouth, uttering a single phrase.
"Why are you still here? Get out."
As if the man in front of him was nothing more than a peddle on the roadside.
"Y-You...! You expect me to simply accept this!"
Sigh.....
Geralt rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
One of the things he had discussed with his family was that when his elder sister will be crowned as the Empress, she would claim the right to select her own maids.
Nowadays, the Imperial Power was stronger than ever.
Therefore, it would be a daunting quest for any family to secure their own share of influence on the Imperial Court, especially since most of the Imperial servants – With the exception of the Wizard Corps and the Imperial Knights — were in fact, commoners.
So their only chance at this was to become one of the Imperial Maids.
As they weren't only simple maids, but the Empress's direct servants.
As such, they would be able to exert greater influence over the other aristocratic families and also have their own eyes and ears within the Imperial Court.
And this scheme was something he had suggested...
Therefore, Geralt couldn't believe that he, someone capable of hatching such a plot, lost in such a way, and turned most of his future plans to ash.
"It's an already known fact in the medical community that the magical talent of the parents is not something passed down to their sons. So did you simply covet his talent or it's because he has the blood of Brutein? He's nothing more than a human, just as I am! I would have accepted this result had he even presented better terms than I....B-but this is simply…..A farce!"
At Geralt's outburst, Corleone simply straightened his back and looked at him, opening his mouth.
"Who said you were equals?"
"..."
"An aristocrat such as yourself should never say such things. You should already know that the value of a human life is not equal."
"..."
"And in this respect..."
Corleone's shivered face now sprouted a devious smirk.
"Your seeds are nothing compared to his."
"You old thing...You're out of your mind."
"Ha. Geralt Ren Millien Asran. You know the drill already brat. Did you get a big head because Alfred proposed this farce in the first place? You are nothing more than a lowly rat poking its head in the snake pit."
"..."
"You should even thank me that you were used as the groomsman. That should be a nice dream, although a brief one, isn't that so? Now little mouse, since I'm in a good mood today, I'll overlook your previous disrespect....But never again. Do you understand me, Brat?"
After saying that, Corleone waved his hand.
"Now...As Yuriel would have said with that potty mouth of hers...Get lost."
Crack!
Geralt's knuckles cracked.
His nails bit into his flesh, drawing blood.
At this insult, this humiliation, this...twisted gratitude.
He didn't dare to open his mouth.
So as soon as Geralt left the room, Corleone got up from his seat and grabbed the dagger that Ferzen had used to cut his finger.
His blood still remained on the blade.
And Corleone…..
Licked it.
"Haaa....."
The taste of perfection.
Such a heavenly thing should never be allowed to exist.
But it did.
An inexplicable thrill coursed through his body.
Then picking the dagger as one would pick a holy relic.
He plunged it into his goblet of cristal water.
And he watched in morbid fascination, as Ferzen's blood spread through the water.
But then, the old snake cut his own finger, adding his blood to the goblet.
"Ooooh...…."
Even indirectly, seeing both Alfred and Brutein's blood mixing...
Was indeed the most marvelous thing that has ever come to exist.
* * * * * *
Back in the carriage.
Ferzen, who was still holding Yuriel's hand, felt himself getting a little sweaty due to the summer weather as he tried to pull away, but...
Squeeze.
He simply laughed when he saw Yuriel's reaction as if begging him to not let go of her.
And when she heard his laugh, Yuriel unknowingly shivered, as her purple eyes darted all around the place.
"It's h-hot, isn't it?"
Spotting a closed window at the far side of the carriage, she tried to open it, but...
"Leave it."
Ferzen stopped her.
"Ah..."
Bowing her head, as Ferzen's other hand rested on top of it, her nape was exposed.
And from it, a sweet peachy scent wafted in.
The once tranquil atmosphere was shattered, as Yuriel could already feel Ferzen's breath getting more erratic.
This time, he didn't bother to suppress the urge.
He leaned in close to her.
At this, Yuriel tilted her head to the side, brushing back the hair that covered her neck.
It was like presenting a feast to a hungry beast.
Indeed, why would the beast ever refuse such a thing?
"Ahh!"
Ferzen immediately pressed his lips against the skin of her nape, licking it lasciviously, and at this, Yuriel reached out to him, as she grasped the helm of his shirt.
"Ah...Yes..."
Such things slipped out of her mouth instinctively.
Yuriel worried that she might have been a bit too shallow and frivolous by doing this.
But now, all she could think about was the sensation of having her body being touched and licked.
Because the sensation of having her body being marked by him was good.
No, simply calling it 'good' would be doing it a disservice.
Like a chef rejoicing when a guest declared his creation to be delicious.
Yuriel felt a sense of satisfaction at the way his body craved hers.
"Anngh~~"
Yuriel continued to moan sweetly, reacting to the marks he was leaving on her body.
And since humans always get used to repeating stimuli, Yuriel whispered to Ferzen in a heated tone.
"Bite me."
And then.
"Ah...!"
Just as she said those words, Ferzen forsook a little more of his reason, as his teeth tasted the tender skin of her nape.
The neck is a vital area for humans.
The place where the carotid arteries exist to carry the blood from the heart to the brain.
And unlike the other vital places on the body which are protected by bones, the neck is vulnerable.
So it was safe to say that Yuriel expressed her intentions by presenting her neck to Ferzen.
"Ah~~"
Her womb ached as his teeth continued to scrape against her tender skin.
She briefly wondered if he could feel the way her heart beat quickened each time he marked her.
As the pleasure continued to build up, a new thrill rushed through her body, the herald of her climax.
And with just a little more....
Just a little more until her fever reaches a new height and the carriage is filled with her misfortune.
"Gasp!"
Yuriel felt the scent of countless flowers wafting into the carriage.
A cool breeze blows.
And the next thing she knew, the carriage was now parked in the middle of a tranquil garden, and Ferzen who had opened the window, removed his head from her nape as he started to breathe heavily.
"..."
Yuriel regained her composure as she let the cool night breeze calm her heated body.
But when she touched her nape, the tender skin was...Hot.
As if she had been burned.
From what she felt as if hours had passed.
When Ferzen made no move to leave the carriage, Yuriel simply glared at him, despite the absurdity of the situation.
'Is he thinking about that green-haired bimbo?'
'Ah....'
However, her eyes narrowed at the visible bulge on his pants as he sat there unmoving.
'Heh.'
The only reason Ferzen didn't get out of the carriage right away was that he couldn't calm his raging erection.
Yuriel tried to divert her gaze, but...
She couldn't stop looking at it.
'That's....Big...'
Through the corner of her eye, she looked at the weapon in his pants and carefully ran her hand over her lower abdomen, starting at her hips.
'But I think I can fit it in...'
In her dream, Ferzen's member was something oversized.
After all, a dream was a dream.
"Hic!"
As she made eye contact with Ferzen, Yuriel squeaked pathetically.
And the heat within her body now took a different meaning.
Embarrassment.
Rustle.
But Ferzen was not someone who would let things rest.
So with a hint of mockery in his tone, he corrected Yuriel's hands on her lower abdomen, whispering in her ear.
"I'm going to go all the way here."
"Y-you're lying..."
She didn't completely understand what he was talking about.
So, unable to contain her shame, Yuriel pushed Ferzen's shoulder, as he tried to lean in closer.
"You know you don't have to lie just because of your pride..."
"Hahahaha, Yuriel. My self-esteem isn't low enough that I would have to coddle my pride in this."
Because of their banter, Ferzen was able to calm his raging erection, so with a smile he opened the carriage door and got out.
"Besides, would there be any reason to lie about such things on the eve of our marriage?"
"..."
"Come."
Ferzen held out his hand towards Yuriel, in accordance with the escorting posture.
And even while trembling slightly, she reached out and took his hand as they walked together.
But as they walked, Yuriel glanced at her forearm, and then she remembered that his member was slightly bigger than her own forearm.
Just like in her dream.
'No….It can't be.....'
Yuriel shook her head in disbelief.
As they walked through the garden, her own scent mixed with the flowers, creating a mesmerizing fragrance.
Despite her fears, Yuriel still held on to a glimmer of hope. She desperately hoped that the massages she was given by the maids loosened up her joints enough.