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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hee hee.”
Sen hummed happily, pleased with the matching tableware and bedding we’d chosen.
After a quick lunch, we headed back to the palace. I had nothing else to do, and I wanted to check on Eris.
Sen, having bought everything she wanted, readily agreed.
As we walked, arm in arm, Sen leaned her head on my shoulder and asked,
“So, brother, who’s going to be your sister-in-law?”
“Don’t ask that.”
I couldn’t answer that question. She looked up at me, bouncing excitedly.
“Why not? I’m family now! I should know who’s joining the family!”
“You’re still a student. What sister-in-law?”
“You’ll be married by next year. Someone will snatch you up.”
I flicked her forehead.
“Don’t say that.”
She rubbed her forehead, then nuzzled my arm, purring like a cat.
She leaned closer, resting her head on my chest.
“I’ve never had a family before. I might make mistakes, so please be patient with me.”
Her quiet confession, her face hidden against my chest, touched my heart. I smiled and placed my hand on her head.
“You’re my sister now. No matter what you do, I’m your brother.”
“Hee hee.”
“So, let the past be the past, and move forward.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly.
Her white hair brushed against my hand. A reminder of all she’d lost, a color that would never return.
I hoped she could leave the past behind and look towards the future.
‘May all the tragedies that await you become the past.’
I hugged her tighter, and she leaned into my embrace.
After a while, she looked up at me.
“But brother, if you get a sister-in-law, there will be four of us living together?”
“Well, Diana’s at the Dragon’s Boundary, so it would be three, but four when she’s on leave.”
“That’s a bit crowded.”
“It is.”
The house had been built for just Diana and me, so it was small. Even three people was a bit tight.
“So, we just… combine?”
“Combine what?”
“Think about it. One person, two roles.”
“Hey…”
I was about to flick her forehead again, but she buried her face in my chest and whispered,
“Think about it, Daniel.”
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“Haa…”
I walked towards the meeting place, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Sen calling me “brother” had once been heartwarming, but now…
The sun was setting, casting a warm glow that felt strangely comforting.
But I wasn’t happy.
It felt more like a heavy obligation, like dealing with a difficult in-law.
“Haa…”
I sighed again.
The final battle against the apocalypse was approaching, and I wanted to spend time with my friends, but…
I’d never met someone I was so reluctant to be alone with.
Bertia stood at the end of the hallway.
I’d come to have dinner with Elise out of obligation, but her gentle smile made me want to turn back.
“Welcome.”
She greeted me before I even approached.
I slowed my pace, a sense of unease washing over me.
I stopped completely before her.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s just dinner.”
“You think I’ll believe that?”
“Hee hee, that suit looks good on you.”
She smoothly changed the subject and opened the door. Elise sat elegantly at a long table in a grand dining hall.
“She awaits you.”
“I feel like I’m walking into a tiger’s den.”
My tie felt tighter. Sen’s worried expression and warning, “Stay alert,” echoed in my mind.
“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.”
Elise was adorned with jewelry and a beautiful dress. She was probably wearing a small fortune.
“Shall we begin?”
“Sure.”
The table was long, putting some distance between us, but she didn’t seem to mind.
As I sat, a procession of dishes entered, far too much food for just two people.
“Don’t expect proper dining etiquette. I don’t know any.”
“It’s alright. Eat as much as you like.”
“…”
She was strangely accommodating.
I pushed aside my unease and began to eat.
“Is the food to your liking?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
The palace food was always good, but tonight, it was exceptional.
“It’s a shame we’re the only ones eating.”
“Hee hee, there will be leftovers. We can share with the others.”
She smiled, covering her mouth, the picture of elegance and grace.
“…What are you planning?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t believe you invited me here just for dinner.”
Elise, the craziest student I knew, being this calm was unsettling.
But she just smiled, as if expecting my suspicion.
“I thought it would be nice to spend some time together.”
“…”
“I know you’re hiding something. You would have told me if you could.”
I knew she’d see through me.
“But it’s alright. I trust you. So, please, enjoy your meal.”
“Alright.”
I hadn’t expected this.
I relaxed and took a bite.
“Thank you, this is…”
Thump.
“Huh?”
My heart skipped a beat. I panicked, thinking something was wrong with the mark, but…
Thump-thump.
My heart raced, and my face felt hot.
I looked up at Elise. She was approaching me.
“I trust you, but… I thought I should secure a promise, just in case.”
“What… what did you do?”
“Nothing much. Just… added something to the food that… boosts vitality, makes you restless, and… increases certain urges.”
What was that supposed to mean?
I tried to calm my trembling hands.
Elise pushed me, and I fell back. The composed princess was gone, replaced by the crazy Elise.
“Master… let me be yours completely. Mark me with your presence!”
“You crazy woman!”
“Master!”
The drug was clouding my mind. I felt dizzy, restless, my body urging me to move.
Elise’s perfume filled the air as she climbed on top of me, her lips pressing against mine, insistent and intoxicating.
One thing was certain.
She’d practiced kissing. A lot.
She was almost frighteningly passionate.
“Haa… haa…”
She pulled away, her eyes unfocused, and began to undress.
“Delicious… so delicious…”
“W-wait! Calm down!”
“Calm down? Then it wouldn’t be delicious.”
She lunged at me again. And strangely, the drug, whatever it was, made it… not unpleasant.
My body felt like it was melting.
Her warmth, her scent, her gaze…
It was overwhelming, a forceful affection that felt like a physical blow.
I was losing myself.
Was it the atmosphere? Or the drug?
Whatever it was, surrendering felt… comforting. I reached out and placed my hands on her shoulders.
Her eyes lit up with anticipation. She smiled, a hint of challenge in her eyes, but…
“Stop!”
I pushed her away and stood up. My mind cleared.
She looked at me, bewildered, then shouted,
“That’s impossible! That was a powerful aphrodisiac! I got it from the dragon-kin! The kind they use on wyverns!”
“You used that on me?!”
That crazy woman!
Wyverns were massive.
What had she given me? It was practically an animal aphrodisiac.
“Haa… haa…”
I threw open the window, letting in the cold air. It had been sunset when we started dinner. Now it was completely dark.
Over an hour had passed.
“We only ate for ten minutes…”
Had we been… doing that for fifty minutes?
I felt dizzy. It had felt like five.
Elise, equally stunned, looked at the clock.
“I ruined it! I got caught up in the small things and missed the main event!”
She pounded the floor in frustration. She had no idea what she’d done wrong.
“If you ever do this again, I won’t forgive you.”
“Not forgive me? Do it now! I have everything prepared! Collars, whips… here!”
She pulled a collar from under the table, put it in her mouth, and crawled towards me on all fours. Her expression was frighteningly manic.
“Uh huh, uh huh juhl!” (Give it to me, give it to me!)
I stopped time, approached her carefully, restarted time, and chopped her on the back of the neck.
She collapsed, now only in her underwear. I covered her with my coat and shouted,
“Bertia!”
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“I’m so bored.”
Rin, confined to her room for weeks, lay sprawled on her bed, complaining.
After yesterday’s incident with Elise, I was wary of being alone with her in such a vulnerable position.
“I’m bored, Daniel.”
She rolled over, facing me. Her whining reminded me of when we lived together in the village.
“Want me to bring cards?”
“I’ve played enough cards with the others.”
“Hmm.”
“I was so excited for my turn… and it was just like any other day.”
She pouted playfully. I wanted to do something for her, but I couldn’t think of anything.
“Sit here.”
She patted the bed beside her.
“What for?”
After yesterday’s experience with Elise, I was wary. Rin clicked her tongue impatiently.
I sat down stiffly, and she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind.
“…”
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