The Maid's Warning and the Viscount's Daughter
Hans stood in front of the mirror the next morning, letting out a long sigh.
"Ugh... what the hell do I look like?"
The off-the-rack suit he'd hastily bought at the clothing store yesterday. He'd picked it thinking it would make him look neat, but somehow it came off as strangely old-fashioned. And then there was the problem with his neck. A hellish gradient of Eila's vivid red kiss mark layered over with Masa's dark purple bite mark. No matter how high he turned up his shirt collar, the slightest turn of his head revealed the blatant evidence.
"They want me to go to the lord's house looking like this? This is insane."
But Mari's warning that the mansion would be reduced to ashes if he didn't show up was burned into his mind. With the bitter resignation of a man swallowing mustard while crying, Hans stepped out of his room.
In the first-floor lobby, Masa was leaning against the counter. The moment she saw him, the corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Oh my, our baby. All dressed up so nicely? Anyone would think you're heading off to get married."
Masa approached and straightened his clothes for him.
"But... your neck looks awfully tight, doesn't it?"
Her gaze fixed on Hans's throat. She boldly loosened the necktie he'd tied so tightly it nearly choked him in an attempt to hide the kiss marks.
"W-wait, Masa? If you do that..."
As the tie loosened, the colorful marks between his shirt collar were laid completely bare. Hans panicked and tried to cover them again, but Masa sharply slapped his hand away.
"Stay still. Why are you trying to hide them? They're pretty."
Masa's eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
"You need to walk around with it clear who your owner is. That way, those other bitches will think you're a dog with an owner and won't dare approach. Don't you agree?"
She gave the loosened tie knot a few light taps, then brought her lips right up to his ear.
"Don't hide it. My scent, my marks... go around the neighborhood showing them off proudly. Understand?"
Her cold breath flowed across the shell of his ear. Hans shuddered, his spine tingling as he shrank back.
"Y-yes... I'll keep that in mind..."
"Good. Off you go. Until you return... I'll be in the kitchen sharpening my knives, alright?"
Her eyes were smiling, but the meaning behind them was crystal clear. It was a chilling warning that if he tried to play innocent and got caught, those knives might end up cutting something other than ingredients.
Masa gave his backside a firm smack. A sharp, resonant slap echoed through the lobby.
"Ow!"
"Hurry up and go. If you're late, there won't even be any broth left for you."
"Y-yes! I'll be back soon!"
Hans rubbed his stinging rear as he stumbled hurriedly out the inn door. Behind him, without even looking back, Masa's "hohoho" laughter followed like a hallucination.
The Viscount of Ludel's mansion sat atop a hill north of the village—a rather stately three-story stone building. The guards stationed at the iron gate crossed their spears, blocking Hans's path.
"Halt! State your identity!"
"Ah, um... I was invited by Lady Elise."
Hans pulled the pink invitation from his pocket and showed it to them. For a moment, the guards' eyes wavered. Not with suspicion, but with deep sympathy.
"You've got it rough, sir."
The guards lowered their spears and stepped aside. Their solemn gazes were like those of comrades seeing off a soldier marching to his death.
With a heavy creak, the massive iron gate opened. Someone came walking down the garden path. It was the maid he'd seen yesterday—Mari. She wore a perfectly pressed maid uniform and bowed with an expressionless face.
"You've arrived. Welcome."
Her tone was polite, but her eyes were ice-cold. It was as if she were saying, You've crawled into hell of your own free will.
"My lady is waiting. This way."
Mari led the way. Hans followed her into the mansion.
The hallway was magnificent. A red carpet covered the floor, and portraits of past lords hung on the walls. But what caught Hans's eye was something else entirely.
Mari's backside.
With every step, her maid skirt swayed, brushing against the curve of her hips. Whoa... that's some serious hip-up game. She must exercise a lot; her rear was firm and toned without an ounce of fat. Though the long skirt hid her bare skin, the silhouette alone was incredibly stimulating.
Hans found himself staring fixedly as he walked. Then Mari suddenly stopped.
"We've arrived."
She opened the door to the reception room.
"You've come! My Northern Grand Duke!"
The moment the door opened, a booming declaration rang out. In the center of the reception room stood Elise. She wore an even bolder pink dress than yesterday, with a deep V-neck that plunged dramatically between her breasts.
"I shall melt your frozen heart! Come, sit here at once!"
Elise stood dramatically like a theater actress, spreading her arms wide in welcome. Hans walked toward her as if in a trance. But his gaze wasn't fixed on her face—it was locked somewhere else.
Like a magnet, his eyes were drawn to the deep, swaying valley of her cleavage.
They're huge... they're seriously huge...
The memory of nearly suffocating between Masa's breasts yesterday overlapped in his mind. But Elise's chest had a completely different charm. If Masa's were like ripe, heavy fruit, Elise's were like bouncy, jiggly pudding. Her pale, milky skin looked dangerously close to spilling out of the dress, yet it maintained its firm, elastic shape.
If I buried my face in there... what would it feel like?
Hans's Adam's apple bobbed visibly. At that moment, Mari passed by him carrying a tray with a teacup and teapot. In the brief instant she overtook him, without even turning her head, she whispered low enough for only Hans to hear.
"Eyes forward. Keep them where they belong."
The cold voice pierced his ear.
"I saw you ogling my lady's chest. If your gaze drops even once more, I'll gouge those eyeballs out and steep them in the tea."
Hans flinched and glanced sideways. Her eyes burned with genuine murderous intent. It was loyalty to the viscount's family that had taken her in when she was poor, and a protective instinct toward the foolish but beloved young lady. To Mari, Elise was a sanctuary that must be protected. A pure flower that must not be defiled by some beast who had crawled out of who-knows-where.
"U-understood... I'm sorry..."
Hans broke out in a cold sweat and hastily fixed his gaze on the chandelier on the ceiling.
"Oh my, Grand Duke? Why are you looking at the ceiling? Am I making you shy?"
Elise seemed to interpret his reaction as the bashfulness of a pure-hearted man. She covered her mouth with her fan and laughed elegantly.
"It's alright. I'm nervous too. Shall we... sit and discuss the terms of our contract?"
She gestured toward the sofa. Hans walked over stiffly like a robot and sat down. Elise took the seat opposite him. When she leaned forward, her cleavage deepened even further, creating a breathtaking view. Hans desperately fixed his eyes on the corner of the table.
Look and die. Look and die.
Elise pulled out a scroll from her bosom and unfurled it.
"Here, these are the Contract Romance Clauses I stayed up all night writing."
She began reading in a solemn voice.
"Article One! The male lead shall look only at the female lead—me! If he so much as glances at another young lady... his eyes will be plucked out!"
She's saying the exact same thing as Mari.
"Article Two! If the female lead is in danger, the male lead must appear and rescue her within three seconds! If he's late... his legs will be broken!"
......Is this even a romance?
"And... Article Three."
Elise's voice grew smaller. She fanned her flushed face and muttered, cheeks burning like a tomato.
"At night... um... through hot kisses... you will supply me with mana."
After saying the final clause, she let out a squeak and buried her face in her hands. To Elise, who had zero sexual knowledge, a kiss was a shameless, obscene act that directly led to pregnancy. Just imagining it was enough to make her want to die of embarrassment.
"Oh no, what have I done! I said something so lewd!"
She hung her head and fanned herself furiously. But that posture was the problem. As she leaned forward, the neckline of her dress lost its battle with gravity and drooped downward. Through the gap, not only the upper swell of her white breasts but even the deep shadows within were completely exposed. And at the very edge... the pink tip of her areola was just barely visible.
"......!"
Hans's eyes rolled back. Mari's warning evaporated from his brain. It was pure male instinct. He tilted his head slightly, widening his eyes to get a better look into that gap.
Just a little more... if she leans just a little more, I'll see it...!
Perhaps it was because of that impure gaze and wild imagination. Hans's junior immediately reacted. The front of his pants pitched a tent, standing proudly.
Elise, who had stopped fanning and lifted her head, noticed the strange shape.
"Oh my?"
She widened her eyes and pointed at Hans's crotch.
"Grand Duke? Are you carrying a magic staff in your pants?"
An innocent question.
"It's so... stiff and protruding... and for some reason I can feel a hot energy all the way over here?"
She reached out as if to touch it.
"Could that be... the legendary mana amplifier?"
Hans felt like his face was about to explode.
"N-no! That's not what it—!"
Splash—!
At that moment, a cold splash of water poured directly onto Hans's lap.
"Ah, I'm so sorry! My hand slipped."
It was Mari. Holding the teapot, she apologized in a completely flat, soulless voice.
"Your clothes are all wet. I'll dry them for you, so please come this way for a moment."
Her eyes weren't apologizing—they were blazing with the intent to kill. Mari grabbed Hans's arm and forcibly hauled him to his feet.
"My lady, please excuse us for a moment. I need to dry our guest's clothes."
"Huh? Oh, sure! Take good care of him, Mari!"
Elise waved cheerfully, completely oblivious. Hans was dragged out of the reception room by Mari.