The garden living room was semi-open. Although the autumn wind couldn't blow directly in, the air circulated much faster than indoors, and Ivan felt a bit chilly.It was only then that he gradually came to his senses. By this time, he realized that his outer coat and long trousers had already been taken off by Miss Suzanne, leaving him only in a thin silk shirt and a pair of small shorts.This outfit was really improper in any case. Ivan couldn't help blushing. He wanted to go back to his bedroom to put on his clothes.
"Ivan, come and sit down quickly," Miss Betty ordered as if she hadn't noticed anything. "Bring the dinner here," she added.The maids standing beside them immediately lowered their heads, blushed, and walked towards the kitchen upon hearing the summons. Although they had already been told by their master and Miss Betty that from now on, they shouldn't be surprised at such things, after all, they didn't have as good self-restraint as Miss Betty and couldn't be completely indifferent.
Sitting down at the dining table, Ivan was so embarrassed that he didn't know how to face Miss Betty.Unexpectedly, Miss Betty nodded slightly at Miss Suzanne as a greeting, then turned to Ivan and said, "Do you have any arrangements planned for tomorrow?""Arrangements?" Ivan glanced at Miss Suzanne."No, Ivan will be free all day," Miss Suzanne replied on his behalf."Then, Ivan, I'll take you to visit several influential families in Luxembourg tomorrow," Miss Betty said.
"To build emotional connections?" Ivan asked. He was quite familiar with this kind of thing. Audrey had given him extremely systematic courses on diplomacy, and he knew those diplomatic means very well.In fact, Audrey had praised him more than once for having a talent for diplomacy.
"It's not just about building emotional connections. Most of the families we'll visit tomorrow have been on good terms with the Madin family for generations. Even if you don't visit them, they will still be on your side. The visit is out of courtesy, and also to let you get familiar with and understand the connections among the various families in Luxembourg.
Although Mr. Juan must have already let you know something about this aspect beforehand, things in the materials can never compare to what you learn by experiencing them yourself, right?" Miss Betty said with a smile.
That smile made Ivan feel extremely kind."When will we set off tomorrow? What kind of preparations do I need to make?" Ivan asked."Don't worry. There's plenty of time. We'll visit at most three families. I'll help you prepare everything," Miss Betty said."Is it that my main job in the following period will be to visit these families one by one?" Ivan asked. He was no stranger to this.
Miss Betty nodded with satisfaction. "Yes. Visiting the noble families in Luxembourg, talking with the officials of most important departments in Luxembourg, and attending one or two banquets will be your main tasks in this month. Earl Kenneth and Great-aunt have discussed it. Your identity confirmation ceremony will be held in a month. At that time, all the nobles in Bart, Piton, Avila, and Southport under the jurisdiction of Luxembourg will each hold a vote that decides your fate.
What we need to do now is to win over a dozen or so big families in Luxembourg within this month. These families have the most powerful say. Their branches are extensive, and more than half of the nobles in the south of Francois have deep connections with these dozen or so big families."
"Will there be families opposing us among them?" Ivan asked."The situation is not optimistic. We don't have many supporters," Miss Betty sighed."Why? As far as I know, the Madin family is quite popular," Ivan asked, puzzled."The most important department in Luxembourg is the Treasury Department and its related branch departments, and the Treasury Department has already fallen into the control of Earl Martill," Miss Betty explained.
"Is he the old man who opposed me most when we were at the cathedral?" Ivan asked."Yes. The family of Earl Martill has been in charge of Luxembourg's finances for generations," Miss Betty said."What if all those nobles vote against me?" Ivan became a bit worried."That would be extremely troublesome. Although the nobles can oppose you, it doesn't mean they can deny your bloodline.
If this happens, generally, they will ask the church to confirm your identity and let the gods decide this matter. However, who will be dispatched and what methods will be used to confirm the identity will become a rather mysterious thing, but it's decided by His Majesty the King," Miss Betty said.
"Therefore, I must win the support of most families. That's the best way to avoid trouble," Ivan said, following Miss Betty's meaning."Yes. Great-aunt hopes so too,""Miss Betty, once my identity is confirmed, will I be the lord and be able to exercise the lord's powers?" Ivan asked again.
"You're sixteen years old now, and the legal age of adulthood is eighteen. If His Majesty the King intends to delay the time for you to take power, you might not be able to become the real lord until you're twenty-two years old," Miss Betty said."That means in the worst-case scenario, I'll have to wait six years before I can take power. But what good would that do for His Majesty the King?" Ivan was really puzzled.
"Six years is enough time for many accidents to happen. For example, your accidental death, which would be the most ideal situation for them. Or you could be found to be an impostor. Of course, there must be enough evidence to accuse you. If there's no way to force you to step down from the position of the lord, they can also strip you of your power. With six years and no real lord in Luxembourg, anything could happen.""Then what should we do?" Ivan guessed that Mr. Juan must have already considered these things.
"Others can strip us of our power, and we can do the same to them. If there's a nominal lord, then His Majesty the King won't be able to interfere directly in the political affairs of Luxembourg. Whoever truly controls Luxembourg depends on their respective strengths. Although Earl Martill is in charge of Luxembourg's financial department, it's impossible for all the officials in the financial department to be from his family.
Especially for those lower positions, members of the Martill family are not interested.
Therefore, it's actually those small and medium-sized scattered nobles who truly control the Treasury Department. Besides, the main affairs of Luxembourg are jointly controlled by Earl Kenneth, Earl Levy, and Earl Martill. If the three of them don't agree, then it has to be resolved by a vote among all the nobles. Do you understand what I mean?" Miss Betty explained in detail.
"I understand. That's exactly why I have to show up, right?" Ivan finally understood in his heart why Mr. Juan had arranged such a trial for him.Although Baron Lipper didn't have much power, he had close contacts with many junior officials in the financial department. Contacting Baron Lipper undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for himself among the lower-ranked nobles.
It seemed that Mr. Juan had already planned everything.Ivan thought about all the things that had happened before and after and connected them together. Many originally vague impressions became clear now.Ivan was thinking vigorously when the maids brought the dinner in.Although they were much better than before, when they saw the appearance of Suzanne and Ivan, they still blushed all over and were extremely embarrassed.
As soon as the maids put down the dishes for dinner, they quickly fled back to the kitchen.Ivan brought the plate in front of him and was just about to pick up the knife and fork to start eating when suddenly Miss Suzanne stopped his action.She took a bottle and poured out something thick and sticky that looked like chili sauce.This stuff mixed with the food on Ivan's plate gave off a very strong fishy smell.
Ivan frowned and asked in confusion, "What is this?""It's a potion that can make you energetic and help you become an adult as soon as possible," Miss Suzanne said with a mysterious smile.Ivan brought his nose closer to smell it. The pungent fishy smell really made it hard for him to swallow."Is it necessary to do this?" Miss Betty asked."Since we're going to do something, we have to do it well," Miss Suzanne said.
"Does that medicine have any side effects? As far as I know, medicines for this kind of purpose will more or less have some bad effects on people's bodies," Miss Betty asked."Just a little. This potion is very effective. It can quickly promote the growth of certain parts of Ivan's body, but it will inhibit his height growth. He will grow more slowly than ordinary people," Miss Suzanne said casually. "In our place, sometimes we need to provide special services according to the requirements of special customers."
"I understand," Miss Betty nodded."But I don't understand, Miss Suzanne. What exactly were you talking about just now?" Ivan asked eagerly."Ivan, you should be able to guess what I used to do," A mocking expression appeared at the corner of Suzanne's mouth as usual.Ivan was stunned. He didn't know how to answer. Instead, Suzanne herself didn't care at all and said, "You know that Southport is a rather prosperous and wealthy place with a large number of rich people living there.
After having money, men will inevitably want beautiful women for their enjoyment. And I'm the kind of person who provides them with such enjoyment, that is, what people usually call a prostitute. I was the most expensive prostitute in Southport. Maybe you don't know that as long as a beautiful woman is willing to sell her body, money will quickly gather in her hands.
After having money, of course, I didn't need to sell my body casually anymore. It's much easier to organize those girls who have no money but are in urgent need of money to sell their bodies than to do those things myself. Of course, besides men needing to relieve themselves, women also need emotional comfort in terms of lust.
Especially handsome young men are quite popular among female customers. However, young men often don't have the strong capital to please customers. Female customers who come to me are not so easy to satisfy. This potion can not only make them superhuman in that aspect but also inhibit body growth, which also prolongs their youthful years of making money a lot."
"Will excessive use of this potion make those young men unable to make women pregnant in the future?" Miss Betty asked cautiously. After asking this question, her face blushed slightly.Fortunately, Miss Suzanne didn't notice all this at all. She tilted her head and thought for a while and said, "As far as I know, the effect is just the opposite. Most of them will be troubled by having too many children after they form families."Hearing what Miss Suzanne said, Miss Betty breathed a sigh of relief.With such an explanation, Ivan certainly understood what these potions were like.
However, compared to these strange potions, Ivan cared more about Miss Suzanne's identity.Although he had guessed that Miss Suzanne was a prostitute for a long time, he had never expected that this beautiful and charming lady was actually a madam who lived by sucking the blood of girls. Since ancient times, people might sympathize with prostitutes and their misfortunes.But it was completely different when it came to madams.
Perhaps a madam was the most evil profession in the world.Although thieves, swindlers, pickpockets, and killers were also not honorable professions, they were much nobler compared to madams.If originally Ivan was just a little dissatisfied with Suzanne's sarcasm and heartless insults, now his heart was filled with contempt and disgust.In his eyes, Miss Suzanne's beautiful figure no longer seemed so alluring.Ivan's gaze at Miss Suzanne gradually became cold.
Suzanne was already used to this kind of reaction. She didn't care. What others thought didn't matter to her. She didn't need others' understanding.Dinner ended in a cold atmosphere. After thinking it over, Ivan finally ate the dinner mixed with that potion.After dinner, Ivan and Miss Suzanne went back to the room. Completely different from the beginning, without any impulse or good feelings, Ivan looked at Miss Suzanne coldly.
"Alright, no matter what you think, my job is to teach you to become a lecher who is proficient in all the skills of playing with women. This is the task that Mr. Juan gave me, and I'll do my best to do it well," Miss Suzanne said expressionlessly as well.After saying that, she still gently hugged Ivan as she did before.Although Ivan despised Miss Suzanne's identity, after all, he couldn't resist Miss Suzanne's skillful teasing techniques. Therefore, it didn't take long before he once again tasted the pain of the needle prick.
"You're really useless," Miss Suzanne still used her venomous tongue to stimulate Ivan's young heart. "I know you look down on me, but do you know that I look down on you even more, you useless little man. You surely haven't fully grown up. Do you want to suck milk?""Miss Suzanne, you will surely regret it in the future. I will definitely learn everything you teach me by heart.
I will learn it even better than you expect. At that time, I will definitely let you see the results of my learning. It will surely be unforgettable for you for the rest of your life."
"Oh, so ambitious. But I don't know if you're really ambitious or just being stubborn. Get ready to enjoy the pleasure of the needle prick again." With these words, Miss Suzanne once again showed her magical finger skills.Although Ivan had a tough tone, unfortunately, he was no match for Miss Suzanne's slender fingers after all.The feeling of hovering between heaven and hell was quite exciting, but also extremely painful.Ivan endured the torment between extreme pleasure and intense pain for several hours and finally fell weakly onto the bed.
In a daze, Ivan felt that Miss Suzanne smeared some sticky ointment on the area from his lower abdomen to the root of his thigh. Those magical hands repeatedly rubbed that part, making him uncontrollably feel bursts of passion. But every time the passion was about to burst out, those hands would timely hold back the source of the passion and suppress the passion painfully inside his body, leaving it with nowhere to vent.
That feeling was extremely painful. Ivan felt as if his body was about to burn up. His blood was boiling, and the skin in the area smeared with the ointment seemed to be burned by flames, stinging painfully.This unbearable pain tortured Ivan, but he couldn't move his body at all. He didn't know whether it was because of Miss Suzanne's magical hands or the effect of the medicine he had taken before.
Ivan didn't know how long he had endured the painful torment, nor did he know whether Miss Suzanne finally let him go or he himself couldn't bear it and passed out.When he woke up the next day, he only felt hot all over and his lower abdomen was aching.Beside him lay Miss Suzanne. It was undeniable that her perfect body did arouse Ivan's wild thoughts.
Ivan shook his head vigorously to keep his mind clear.On the bedside table on Suzanne's side was a pile of clothes. His clothes were pressed under Miss Suzanne's long skirt and corset.He had heard others say before that a man's clothes should never be pressed under a woman's clothes, as it would be unlucky. He didn't know if there was any truth to this saying.Ivan quietly walked to the bedside and dug out his clothes from under hers.
Dressed neatly, Ivan walked out of the room. He didn't want to stay with a madam for no reason.In the Madin family's manor, besides the bedroom, the only place he could go to was the garden living room at the back.As soon as he walked into the living room, he saw Miss Betty sitting on a bench with a backrest, quietly reading a book in her hand.
Ivan walked to Miss Betty and sat down beside her. He tilted his head and glanced at the cover of the book." 'The Collection of Autumn Leaves'. Miss Betty, do you like poetry?" Ivan asked softly."Just read it occasionally," Miss Betty closed the book in her hand. Her face blushed a little and she asked hesitantly, "Ivan, Ivan, last night, did you and Miss Suzanne...""No, nothing happened between us," Ivan quickly explained.Miss Betty smiled and said, "But it's only a matter of time. Sooner or later, you and Miss Suzanne will reach that stage.""Miss Betty, actually I prefer to be with you," Ivan said.
"You don't have to be in a hurry. It's just a matter of time for you and me too, my little husband," Miss Betty seemed unusually affectionate for some reason.
"Miss Betty, is this your own will? I mean, there's such a big age difference between us. You can't really fall in love with me. Are you just obeying Great-aunt's wishes? In the future, when you meet someone you truly love, won't you regret it?" Ivan asked.
"Ivan, some people don't have the right to love, just like me. I have the blood of the Madin family flowing in my veins. I'm the last descendant of the Madin family. Therefore, I must be responsible for passing on the blood of the Madin family and keeping this family going," Miss Betty sighed and said.
"That's not necessarily the case. I think although Great-aunt seems rather cold on the surface, she's actually very kind-hearted. She shouldn't force you," Ivan said. "And you also have the right to pursue your own happiness."
"Like Aunt Bertha?" Miss Betty said.
"Not everyone will be as unfortunate as Aunt Bertha," Ivan said.
"Unfortunate? Do you think that's unfortunate? I don't think so. At least I think Auntie was extremely happy. I remember when I saw Auntie back then, what impressed me the most was her happy smile and the affectionate look in her eyes when she looked at her husband. That's not something an unfortunate and resentful person could have," Miss Betty seemed to be immersed in the memories of the past.
After a long while, she suddenly remembered something and said alertly, "Ivan, you just called Aunt Bertha 'Miss Bertha'. You should call her 'Mother' instead. How could you be so careless about such an important thing?"
Hearing what Miss Betty said, Ivan couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
Actually, originally he did regard Miss Bertha Madin as his mother. Having never had a mother since he was a child, he was quite happy for a while to suddenly have such a beautiful and dignified mother.
Yesterday, he was really shocked. The perfect image of his mother was shattered all of a sudden.
What's more, those special paintings vaguely hinted at an extremely shocking and licentious experience in Miss Bertha Maidin's life.
Ivan couldn't bring himself to identify that this woman, who combined elegance and licentiousness, was his mother in any case.
"Miss Betty, maybe Miss Bertha isn't as wonderful as you think. Maybe her life isn't as happy as you believe," Ivan said hesitantly.
"Did you find out something?" Miss Betty asked.
"Well, how should I put it? Miss Betty, have you noticed that Miss Bertha loves her child too much?" Ivan asked tentatively.
"I understand. It seems that what Great-aunt and I thought at the beginning was completely right," Miss Betty fell silent.
"Miss Betty, did you already know about it?" Ivan said in surprise.
"That child didn't like to hide his preferences. On the contrary, he liked to let everyone see his proud achievements."
Hearing this, Ivan nodded repeatedly. This was quite in line with what he had learned.
"Do you still think Miss Bertha's life was happy?" Ivan asked.
Miss Betty pondered for a while and then sighed. "It's hard to say. Everyone has a completely different definition of happiness. Maybe you think Aunt Bertha was struggling painfully in the abyss of licentiousness and shame, but maybe she didn't think so at all. Maybe she thought all of this was extremely happy and it was the life she loved. I may not know about others, but my mother's experience told me all this.
Mother was originally Father's personal maid. Father didn't love Mother. My birth was just the result of a young man who had just entered adolescence being curious and passionate about sex and thus trying that most wonderful experience in life on his personal maid. But Mother didn't think so. She always thought that she was one of the happiest women in the world. The days when she was with Father were the most wonderful time for her.
However, there was never a real romantic relationship between Father and Mother. Father liked Mother, just liked, there was no love. Mother also liked Father, a young master four years younger than her. That kind of liking might indeed have a bit of the meaning of love in it, but it was more just affection. The affection of a maid for a young master. Do you think my mother's life was happy? Presumably not, but my mother was content with all of this."
"Miss Betty, then what about your life?" Ivan asked.
"Me? I also feel very happy. At least I know I have a noble father and a gentle and considerate mother. As an illegitimate daughter, I'm also extremely lucky because Great-aunt took me in," Miss Betty said with a smile. "By the way, since you asked me this question, then I also have the right to know what your answer to this question is.
Your life is the most exciting one among the people I know. I know you have excellent skills and wisdom that doesn't match your age.
Your performance at Baron Lipper's banquet has already spread throughout the whole of Luxembourg. What's more, you're also a promising magic apprentice. This is even more enviable than your current identity as the heir to the lord. What's more, there's that beautiful and charming lady by your side. In the eyes of many people, you're undoubtedly the lucky one favored by the God of Fate."
"Lucky? Maybe," Ivan thought for a while. He wasn't even sure himself whether everything that had happened in the past few months could be considered lucky for him. "I do know quite a lot of things, but Audrey is truly a learned scholar. What's more, the more I know, the more I realize there are even more things I don't understand, Miss Betty.
I'm definitely not just saying empty words. As for becoming a magician, that's my aspiration. Besides that, I also hope to become an adventurer like Mr. Juan. As for Miss Suzanne, she's just my teacher, teaching me what women are, what a woman's body is like, and how to make a woman's body feel pleasure. That's all."
"You don't seem to like Miss Suzanne very much. Is it because of her profession..." Miss Betty blushed and stopped talking."No, I like Miss Suzanne very much. She's beautiful and charming, and she has a perfect body," Ivan said insincerely.Anyone could tell that this wasn't what he really thought in his heart.
Although Miss Betty knew it clearly, she couldn't argue. With a flushed face, she said in an extremely soft voice, "I know you're eager to learn. Presumably, you'll also be Miss Suzanne's most satisfactory student. After you've learned all the skills, will... will there be no one else who can bear your affection except Miss Suzanne?""I don't know. I don't think so," Ivan said, puzzled. He didn't understand why Miss Betty had such a question.
Miss Betty felt so embarrassed under Ivan's gaze. Since her relationship with Ivan had been determined under Great-aunt's strong request, she had an indescribable strange feeling towards this underage little boy. She was very interested in everything that happened to Ivan and wanted to figure it out by all means. "I once heard from a few sisters that those young men who had received special training, when they grew up and started families, their partners were usually prostitutes much older than them.
Ordinary women couldn't bear their affection, let alone conceive and give birth to children."
"Why? I haven't heard Miss Suzanne mention such a thing," Ivan asked in surprise."Taking that kind of medicine for a long time will make them less sensitive in that aspect," Miss Betty stopped talking. She guessed that Ivan should have understood what she meant.Although Ivan didn't fully understand it, he could roughly guess what it was about. He didn't know how to answer this question.
Miss Betty was obviously also extremely embarrassed. She stood up from the chair and then, as if nothing had happened, said, "Ivan, you'd better get ready quickly. We might be very busy today. We'll set off after having breakfast. Those nobles are waiting for us."After saying that, Miss Betty paused for a moment. Obviously, she was hesitant. After a while, she blushed again, bent down, and leaned as close to Ivan's ear as possible and said in a whisper, "Ivan, you must never call Aunt Bertha 'Miss Bertha' again. She's your mother. No matter what, she's your mother. You must remember this."
Suddenly, as if she remembered something else, Miss Betty lowered her head even more and whispered, "If you really can't call her mother, then you can call Miss Bertha 'Liddy'. That's her nickname."After saying that, Miss Betty turned around and quickly walked out of the garden living room.Only Ivan was left in the living room, silently pondering over what had just been said.