Early in the morning, several carriages entered the mansion, causing Euphemia, who had been sound asleep, to slowly open her eyes.
'...'
When Euphemia awoke briefly at dawn, she was certain that Ferzen was by her side. However, as she peered through blurry eyes, there was no one beside her.
Reaching her slender hand into the empty space, she could still feel the lingering warmth on her fingertips, indicating that he hadn't been gone for long.
'Then...'
Couldn't he have stayed in bed a little longer?
While Euphemia was grateful that Ferzen had returned to her side after fulfilling his promise to spend time with Yuriel, it still felt bitter to wake up alone.
Especially after being intimate just the night before.
A blazing bonfire brings warmth to those sitting next to it, but once it dies down, only ashes remain.
Is that how it feels when looking at those who leave without any regrets?
Grumbling at Ferzen, Euphemia pushed herself to her feet and turned her head toward the clock.
"Ah..."
It was then that she saw him.
He stood in front of the window, silently gazing out.
"You—"
Before Euphemia could utter a word, she flinched as Ferzen turned his head and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I..."
"..."
"I have never broken my promise to you even once. That disappointed look on your face is upsetting."
"Th-that..."
Just as she shook her head and was about to make an excuse, Ferzen approached and sat comfortably on the edge of the bed, extending his hand.
And in a flash.
His large hand swept across her collarbone with the back of the hand.
At the tickling sensation, Euphemia blushed and parted her lips.
"Wh-when I woke up briefly at dawn... I was sure you were by my side... But you were not there anymore..."
"Have you double-checked?"
"I-It's not because I don't trust you...! It's just... Just... Are..… Are you ok?"
Suppressing the excuses she had been about to give, Euphemia looked at Ferzen.
"I'm not sure..."
Ferzen responded with an ambiguous answer, leaving Euphemia feeling restless. Her unique golden eyes darted around anxiously.
At first, Ferzen thought it was merely an act. However, there was no lie in the anxiety that flowed out from those gestures.
He really didn't mean to worry her that much.
However, as he noticed, he was once again reminded that he had tamed Euphemia and made her dependent on him.
The woman who had once fiercely led Louerg was now nowhere to be seen. Yet, Ferzen couldn't bring himself to despise this version of Euphemia.
No, to be precise, he couldn't hate her.
After all, it was his own doing that had shaped her into who she was now.
Suddenly,
Suddenly, Euphemia's eyebrows trembled as she grabbed the shoulder strap of her lingerie and lowered it…
"Do you want to touch my breasts…?"
She made such a daring proposition.
"N-No…? Then… with my mouth, I'll pleasure you…"
"…"
"Do you want something else…? T-Tell me… I'll listen…"
"Euphemia."
"Eung…"
"I'm not offended, so there's no need for that."
"Is… is that so…?"
A sense of relief washed over her face, though uncertainty still lingered.
At that moment, Ferzen took her in his arms.
After gently patting her back, he stood up and spoke.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going…?"
"It seems my older brother has sent me some birthday presents. If he's true to his word… there will be several items for children. Actually, they're meant for you."
"Birthday…?"
"Ah…"
Ferzen realized that he had never mentioned his birthday to Euphemia.
"It's on June 30th. Since I won't be home that day due to my duty as an exam supervisor, you don't have to prepare much."
"I-I see…"
Though she desired to celebrate it…
If Yuriel didn't know Ferzen's birthday…
And if she was the only one to offer congratulations…
How much would she resent herself?
But now, with the carriages entering the mansion so loudly, she would inevitably learn about Ferzen's birthday, whether she had known about it already or not.
Setting aside those thoughts, Euphemia rose from the bed and followed Ferzen.
"Ah..."
Drip-!!
His seed poured from within her.
"Is something wrong?"
Ferzen put on a puzzled expression as he saw her standing still in an awkward posture.
At that, Euphemia lowered her panties slightly, then grabbed the hem of the lingerie with her two hands and shyly lifted it up.
Then, the thick semen flowed out between her sahved slit. On top of that, the semen that was connected with the middle part of the panty stretched out, creating a lustful scene.
"Your seed... Is dripping..."
Euphemia was ashamed.
However, when she was alone with Fersen, she allowed herself to be more vulgar.
Yuriel, the daughter of the great aristocratic family Alfred, wouldn't dare present herself in such a manner. Despite her knowledge of sex, she would have maintained a conservative approach to it.
"Can you... Wipe it for me?"
"..."
Humans who were accustomed to greater stimuli often found themselves unenthused by stimuli that fell short of their expectations.
And so, Euphemia couldn't help but wonder that every time Ferzen engaged with Yuriel, he would inevitably compared Yuriel to herself.
"Ah..."
Without uttering a word, Ferzen retrieved a towel and knelt, delicately wiping her womanhood.
Euphemia couldn't help but feel a mix of strangeness and amusement. It was as if she were being treated like a child, yet also cared for. And so, a peal of a soft laugh escaped her lips.
* * * * *
"..."
Yuriel, having finished breakfast, accompanied Ferzen and Euphemia as they made their way toward the mansion's warehouse. A subtle frown appeared on her face.
She had always believed herself to be superior to Euphemia. However…
Ferzen's older brother.
The current head of the Brutein family.
Her brother-in-law.
Yuriel knew she wouldn't be regarded as favorably as Euphemia in Jeremiah's eyes. This realization caused her small fist to involuntarily clench.
The items meant for children couldn't be used right away. Euphemia curiously examined them, taking up Ferzen's time as the maids assisted her. Ferzen explained that his brother had sent them in advance without any intentions.
Considering their power and influence, Jeremiah must have been informed about Yuriel becoming Ferzen's concubine. It was highly likely that he had set boundaries in advance, fearing that her grandfather, Corleone, would use her as a pretext to approach him.
Unlike Ferzen, who would be part of a collateral line, Jeremiah would remain in the direct line of succession.
'I see no opportunity for intervention.'
Sighing, Yuriel turned away.
It was time for her to head to the academy anyway, to spare herself the cold gaze of Euphemia.
After exchanging a brief glance with Ferzen, Yuriel climbed into the carriage and settled comfortably.
"Let's go."
"Understood."
Without hesitation.
With a sense of ease.
The carriage continued its journey.
Inside, Yuriel gently caressed her lower abdomen.
Ferzen's seed had infiltrated her womb multiple times.
Had it succeeded in implanting itself?
'I hope… my next period doesn't come.'
A small wish drifted away with the wind that blew through the carriage window.
* * * * *
Step-!!
"..."
Roer Poliana Claudia had been wandering aimlessly in the park since early morning.
In fact, he found himself in the park without even realizing it, as if he had been walking in a trance.
'What should I do…'
Last night, his wife delivered a shocking piece of news that pierced Roer's already broken heart.
It was about the Claudia family's decision to actively support the First Prince in the succession battle within the Roverium Kingdom.
Despite his deep hatred for Ferzen, it would be futile to fight against the forces aligned with the Second Prince, supported by Brutein, within the Roverium Kingdom.
If they were to play an active role, they needed to expand their business and build their reputation elsewhere… avoiding the Roverium Kingdom as much as possible.
They were ill-prepared for the conflict, and stumbling upon it would be a foolish move.
However, when his wife—or rather, Corleone Wayne Barretta Alfred—gave them her order, Roer couldn't help but notice the unspoken pressure to avoid deliberately causing friction with Ferzen.
'Haha…'
The sword he had acquired to strike down his enemies with, after countless twists and turns, was now becoming the very chains that ensnared him.
Who would have predicted this?
If the saying that happiness and unhappiness come hand in hand was true, Roer couldn't fathom where the happiness the Claudia family should feel resided.
Rustle-!!
"..."
At that moment, Roer turned his head towards the sound coming from the bushes.
There, he spotted a snake.
Despite the misery he felt, Roer remained true to his role as a knight. He stood up and caught the snake, ensuring it wouldn't harm anyone.
He noticed a rat's tail protruding from the snake's mouth, unable to be swallowed whole.
And then, as the sight of the tail reminded him of the Claudia family, Roer forcefully killed the snake and slumped back down onto the bench, feeling helpless.
The snake's tail hung limp around his wrist.
Was the relationship between predator and prey truly irreversible?
"Nice weather, isn't it?"
"..."
Roer, who had been observing the fate of the Claudia family in the mouse devoured by the snake, instinctively turned his head towards the person sitting next to him.
Given that it was currently summer, he couldn't help but feel uneasy as the man was dressed in a robe.
"Do you, by any chance, know?"
"Know what?"
"These rodents that are regularly devoured by snakes, once winter comes, they visit the burrows of the hibernating snakes and chew and crush their heads."
"..."
"It's to increase their chances of survival and to satiate their hungry stomachs."
"..."
"Spring, summer, autumn. The food chain remains unchanged during these three seasons, but it shifts only in winter."
After all, there was no eternity in the mortal world.
When Roer realized that someone else had seen right through his current state of mind, he felt a sense of doubt rising within him, rather than wonder.
"Who are you?"
"That's a good question. Human connections begin with the desire to get to know each other."
"..."
A faintly visible face inside the robe revealed a slow curl of the man's lips.