A Venomous Encounter
The raw moans and the vulgar, wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh had every servant in the annex squirming in discomfort, holding their breath. The woman's frenzied cries echoed endlessly through the narrow building.
It was so obscene that one young boy servant flushed scarlet and fled the scene. Yet the man and woman occupying the corner of the room, shamelessly engaged in their depraved act, didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Quite energetic for the middle of the day. To have the stamina to rut so vigorously in this gloomy weather is truly impressive."
"...Why here, of all places?"
Malena, who had handled every dirty task in this household without once showing displeasure, now made no effort to hide her revulsion.
"There's no better place to avoid prying eyes, is there?"
"Even so, this place has people living in it now. To barge into someone else's home and start doing something so indecent..."
"That's precisely what makes it so amusing. All sorts of lewd and filthy rumors swirl around Mathias and me, yet my sister—who is currently pressing her belly against a man in broad daylight—is revered as a chaste and devout saint."
The sounds of her sister's ecstatic moans carried clearly from the room across the hall. Odeliana felt a fresh surge of resentment. She had never engaged in the vulgar acts others whispered about, had never even uttered a single moan, yet here she was.
"Some are treated as virtuous ladies no matter how they soil their bodies, while others are branded filthy whores even when they do nothing at all. Tell me, shouldn't I feel wronged?"
"I wish they'd finish already. They're taking forever. Have they no shame?"
"They must have accumulated quite a bit during the tour of the relief centers. Just leave them to it. Surely they won't keep at it all day?"
But as the saying goes, never say never. Orldette did not emerge from the room until dinner time was nearly upon them.
She hadn't even bothered to straighten her disheveled appearance before she finally seemed to remember her sister's presence in the annex. Orldette immediately sought Odeliana out. The way she opened the door and entered was as imperious as if she were the mistress of the house.
"It's been a while, sister."
Orldette's state was utterly appalling. Traces of their violent coupling showed between the slipping folds of her clothes, and her ample breasts were brazenly exposed. Yet there was not a hint of shame in her brazen demeanor—one could tell at a glance that she was no ordinary slut.
Birds of a feather.
In terms of a promiscuous private life, Joslyn was hardly any better. Of course, in high society he was regarded as a spotless gentleman who had never caused a single scandal with women. Behind closed doors, however, he frequented brothels as casually as eating meals, embracing prostitutes without a second thought.
The fact that she had only learned this truth after their marriage remained her greatest regret. The private life he had hidden even from his closest knights was nothing short of repulsive.
Even after discovering it, she had still loved him. Most men pretended to be faithful in public while taking women without hesitation in private. Since society accepted such behavior as natural, she had tried to understand even as she turned a blind eye. She had simply clung to him pathetically, desperately rationalizing it as something that couldn't be helped.
"You must have been quite desperate. You shut yourself in the room the moment you arrived and wouldn't come out. I thought I'd die of boredom waiting."
"Are you angry? But... this place was originally meant for that sort of use. You're the one who arbitrarily occupied my secret sanctuary, sister."
Without waiting for an invitation to sit, Orldette made herself comfortable.
"Give me some water. All that exertion has made me thirsty."
Odeliana instructed Malena to bring water, carefully masking her contempt. Orldette took one look at the tall, muscular woman and gasped.
"Is that truly a woman? Isn't that a man in disguise?"
It was pure, unadulterated malice. The viciousness delivered with an innocent expression—as though she had no intention of wounding anyone—called to mind the cold-hearted noblewoman who had mocked a dying woman whose heart had been pierced.
Odeliana let out a soft laugh. Of course. A rotten sprout could never grow straight.
"It seems the rumors about your head being damaged are true. Wearing such an uncharacteristically noble expression doesn't suit you at all."
"Seeing your current behavior, some memories of you are beginning to surface."
"Really? If your old memories return, you won't be able to stand before me with such an insolent face."
"Then I suppose I should pray you never remember for the rest of your life."
Orldette gulped down the cold water in one go, then studied Odeliana's face with careful scrutiny. Her gaze was like that of a butcher appraising meat, laced heavily with mockery.
"You really don't remember anything. Sister, I'm truly disappointed. Back then you were the one who cried and clung to me first, begging me to play with you. How can you not remember a single one of those joyful memories?"
"......"
"I wanted you, of all people, to never forget me."
"Yes, I regret it as well. If only I had even one memory of you—good or bad. At least then I wouldn't have to be disappointed by the sight of you acting like a whore."
"Whore? What a crude way to put it. Sister, I'm not a whore. A whore sells her body. I am the one who buys them."
"Fine, let me correct myself. You're the madam who runs a business using your body as the merchandise. Satisfied?"
"That's incorrect as well. How can it be called business when I don't receive payment? Still, that doesn't mean I don't conduct any business. Many of my clients are noblewomen. I've provided them with plenty of young, virile men. They were extremely satisfied."
"What exactly are you so proud of that you wear such a smug expression?"
"It's only natural that a sister who will never know the taste of a man in her entire life cannot understand."
Orldette sat with a crooked posture and stretched out her smooth legs. The fabric that had barely been clinging to her body slipped away helplessly, revealing her dazzling nakedness. Her full breasts, narrow waist, firm buttocks, flat stomach, curved pelvis, and thighs pleasantly rounded with flesh.
The fact that such vulgar behavior didn't make her seem cheap could only be attributed to her near-perfect figure and breathtaking beauty.
"To become the object of someone else's desire is such a thrilling thing."
"......"
"A cripple like you will never understand. God gave you a curse and granted me power. A superior face and body are the strongest weapons a woman can possess to dominate men and reign over them. I was born with those weapons. You were born with shame."
What was she expecting her to say? Did she simply want to preach about how beautiful and superior she was?
"Speaking of which, I heard you have a loyal young male servant at your side. Quite handsome, with plenty of strength."
"...What?"
"They say you picked up quite a good-looking child from the streets. I heard that boy serves as your attendant. It must have been quite the spectacle—there isn't a single servant who doesn't know about you and that child. Even in the main residence, the praises of his face were so abundant that I came to see what sort of remarkable fellow he was, but... he's not here?"
"......"
"You seem to cherish him a great deal. I can see it in the way your arrogant face has cracked."
It was an enormous relief that Mathias was currently away. The mere thought of him and Orldette rolling around together in the next room was horrifying.
"Do you feel threatened? Worried that I might steal your loyal servant away?"
In her previous life, she had seen more than enough to know that attempting to seduce Mathias with beauty was meaningless. Yet for some reason, anxiety still gnawed at her. The woman before her—sensual by nature, truly as if born wrapped in divine blessing—was so radiantly beautiful that even another woman might lose her senses.
No matter how stone-like Mathias usually was, if this woman set her mind to seducing him, would he truly remain unmoved? In their previous life, Mathias and Orldette had shared no connection whatsoever, making his potential reaction impossible to predict. That unknown factor terrified her more than anything.
"It's a joke, so relax your expression. Would I really try to take what belongs to you? I've never once taken anything from you before."
"......"
"Even without me trying to seize anything, everything came to me on its own. Our parents' love, the position of the sole princess—everything."
She was laughing arrogantly when it happened. A sudden headache crashed over Odeliana like a wave, forcing her to clutch her head.
Why is this happening all of a sudden...
Piercing through the pain that felt as if her skull would split open, an unfamiliar memory forced its way inside.