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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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In Tesha’s room.
Tesha sat on her bed, staring blankly at the wall.
“That was… moving.”
She closed the book with a thud. Ever since Tia had given her that list during summer break, she had been borrowing books from the library and reading them at night.
“…Am I really… like that?”
Whenever she thought about Ethan, she felt a warmth spread through her chest. Tesha fidgeted, her thighs rubbing together.
She didn’t like pain, not normally.
But when Ethan had insulted her, she had felt a strange thrill. The memory of the incident in the club room flashed through her mind.
“What am I going to do…?”
She was a princess, admired and respected by everyone. And yet, she had these… unusual tendencies. It was a secret she couldn’t share with anyone.
She wanted to confirm her suspicions.
“If I really am like that… then Ethan would be my… master…?”
She wanted to be scolded by him, reprimanded, even punished.
“…I’ll test it! But what if Ethan doesn’t like it?”
This was just a test. Tesha sat up and picked up her communication crystal.
―Ethan, it’s me, Tesha! \٩(•^́•́๑)و//
How are you doing? ₍•͈ᴗ•͈₎
Summer break is almost over.
I was wondering what you’ve been up to, so I decided to contact you…
.
.
.
A short while later, she received a reply from Ethan.
―Hey, Tesha. I’m doing well. How about you?
I moved out of the dormitory and got my own place.
Tia helped me find it.
‘Ethan moved out?’
―Are you with Tia right now? •︠ˍ•︡
―Yeah, I’m with her.
Tesha felt a pang of jealousy.
―Can I come over?
―Sure, if you want to.
Tesha quickly got dressed and left her room. She ran into Sepia in the hallway.
“Tesha?”
“Sepia?”
“Where are you going?”
There was no point in lying.
“I’m going to Ethan’s housewarming party.”
“Housewarming party? Ah, because of his daughter? Did you know Ethan has a daughter?”
“D-daughter?”
Was Ethan a single father? Or even married?
Tesha’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You should come. She’s adorable. You’ll love her.”
“W-what? What do you mean?”
And so, Tesha ended up going to Ethan’s apartment with Sepia.
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The three main heroines were sitting in my living room. I couldn’t exactly refuse their request to visit.
The academy dormitory had separate wings for male and female students, so it was rare for Sepia or Tesha to visit my room.
I suddenly regretted moving out. But I had no choice. I had to take care of Hessia.
“…So, that’s how I ended up with her.”
I explained the situation, summarizing the events that had transpired in Airasvan and Atlan.
I didn’t want them to misunderstand, like Arthur had in the original story.
I didn’t want to be mistaken for a single father, or even a married man.
“So, please keep this a secret.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Ethan, have you named her yet?”
“Yeah, Hessia seems to like it.”
“Fufu, I chose the name. It means ‘dragon with potential’ in Elvish.”
Tia puffed out her chest proudly. Sepia greeted Hessia.
“Hello, Hessia! It’s Sepia! Do you remember me?”
“Yes… Sepia…!”
Hessia shyly waved, but she still refused to leave my side.
“She’s so cute!”
Sepia squealed, patting my shoulder excitedly.
“H-hello, I’m Tesha!”
“Tesha? Tesha…!”
“Y-yes! That’s right! I’m Tesha!”
As I had predicted, Tesha and Sepia adored Hessia. They were all looking at her with loving eyes.
I felt a strange sense of pride.
“Should we invite Arthur and Anya?”
Tia’s apartment was large enough for Hessia and me. I should probably tell Anya to avoid any misunderstandings.
I tried calling Anya, but she wasn’t answering. I sent her a text message.
―Anya, what are you doing?
I also texted Arthur, but he didn’t reply either. A while later, I received a reply from Anya.
―I’m fighting a bear with my bare hands.
Ah, Anya was wrestling a bear.
Her response was so Anya that I was speechless.
―Oh, okay. Good luck!
I returned to the living room. Hessia was surrounded by the three heroines, looking at me with a desperate plea in her eyes. It seemed like she was overwhelmed by their affection.
“Hessia, I’m Tia Erze. Call me Tia.”
“T-Tia…?”
“Good job! Don’t forget I named you.”
“Hessia, don’t forget we met first.”
No wonder she was overwhelmed.
I called Hessia over to my side.
“It’s almost dinner time. Are you guys hungry?”
Sepia and Tesha had even brought housewarming gifts. I had to offer them something to eat.
The problem was, I had nothing in the fridge.
Being a bachelor meant having to cook for myself.
“I’m going to get some groceries. Wait here.”
I left the apartment with Hessia. The main street was only a five-minute walk away.
I figured I might as well do some grocery shopping.
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After Ethan left, an awkward silence fell over the room. Sepia was the first to speak.
“Isn’t she adorable?”
“She’s very cute.”
Tesha agreed.
“As I said before, I chose her name, Hessiater.”
“It’s a shame. Seju would have been a perfect name.”
“Seju?”
“Sepia Junior.”
Tia was horrified. Seju? For such a cute child? That was a terrible name. Even Yong-yong was better.
‘Sepia, you’re trying to subtly tell Ethan that you want to be the child’s mother, aren’t you?’
Tia could see right through her.
‘But there’s no way I’m letting you take care of her. I’ll do it myself.’
A silent battle was brewing between the three heroines.
“I’m sorry, but Hessiater is a much better name than Sepia Junior.”
“Really? Whatever. The child likes it, so it can’t be helped. Tia, are you wearing perfume again?”
The scent of Luzel perfume filled the room.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
Sepia shrugged, as if she knew everything. Tia had started wearing perfume again after the school trip.
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“Why don’t you just confess your feelings to Ethan?”
Confess and get rejected, that’s what she meant.
“Worry about your own arranged marriage.”
Tesha watched their exchange nervously. The atmosphere was getting tense.
“You always bring up my arranged marriage when you have nothing else to say.”
“Who started talking about perfume?”
“Why are you two fighting?”
Sparks seemed to fly between Sepia and Tia.
“Did you know Ethan likes girls with big breasts?”
“How do you…?”
Sepia smirked triumphantly and shrugged. Tesha glanced down at her own chest.
“You know, Sepia, you look… flat.”
“Sorry, but that doesn’t hurt me. It’s not true.”
Tia, with her elven heritage, aged slower than humans. She had a slender figure, but her breasts were still quite ample.
“And those breasts will sag when you get older. That’s a fact.”
‘What…? Is she… is she trying to make me angry?’
Sepia was even more annoyed than when Tia had brought up her arranged marriage on Arvis Island.
“Why are you two fighting? Is it because of Ethan?”
This was like a scene from a novel. Tesha had never experienced anything like this before. But it was too late to mediate. The situation had escalated.
“Are you done?”
“My, my, look at that temper. Trying to act innocent in front of a child.”
“And you’re trying to act like her mother just because you named her. Do you think you’d be a good mother with that personality? I pity the child who would be called Sepia Junior.”
Sepia bit her lip.
“Are you done now?”
“Yes, I’m done.”
Tears suddenly welled up in Sepia’s eyes. Tia, who had been relentlessly mocking her, stopped and stared at Sepia.
‘Why… why is she crying?’
Even Tia hadn’t anticipated this.
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