Chapter 281: A Bad Feeling
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281: A Bad Feeling
“D-Dora, that’s—”
“Quiet.”
After hearing Iris’s story, Theodora’s eyes turned blood-red. Not the whites, but her pupils. It was a glimpse of the Divine Beast Power that manifested whenever she was too angry to control her emotions.
“Hey, you. Who gave you permission to seduce my husband?”
“Oh?”
I was slightly surprised by her reaction; it wasn't what I expected. Then again, come to think of it, was it really? I had told Iris I would help her however I could since she’d helped me so much in the past.
‘But this is just too trashy of me.’
I felt a pang of guilt at the thought of using that as a shield to dump all the responsibility on Iris. But...
“D-Dora—”
“I told you to be quiet.”
An angry wife is a terrifying thing. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be a henpecked husband.
“You’ve been strange ever since I first saw you. Clinging to Aven like a leech. No, wait, you’re from the Vampire Species, so I guess a leech is exactly what you are?”
“I’ve considered Aven my husband for the last seven hundred years.”
“What kind of sophistry is that? Seven hundred years...? Is that even possible because you’re a vampire..?”
Dora seemed lost in thought for a moment, stroking her chin, before she shook her head and shouted.
“Wait! Aven wasn’t even around back then! Aven is only twenty at most!”
“I’m twenty-one.”
“Shut up!”
“Eep.”
Huffing and puffing, Theodora snapped her index finger toward Iris. Look at that terrifying momentum. If she hadn't been wearing a professional dress, she looked ready to pounce at any second.
“Anyway! I know exactly what’s going on! You’re here to steal Aven now that his value has gone up, aren’t you?!”
“Not really. I have plenty of money.”
“Hmph! That goes for both of us, doesn't it?”
I didn't know exactly how much money Iris had, but if she said she was rich, she probably was. After all, she’d been on the surface for seven hundred years since the Labyrinth opened. Even if you just sat on the street and begged for seven hundred years, you’d end up as rich as Bin Salman.
“Do you really not know? The reason Aven gave in to me.”
Well, it wasn't exactly that I 'gave in,' but saying it like that made things sound a bit weird.
“W-What do I lack compared to you?! I have plenty of money, my breasts are big, and I’m beautiful?!”
Dora seemed to get a bit embarrassed after saying that out loud; her face flushed bright red for a moment before returning to normal.
“Shall I tell you, Beastkin?”
Iris, whose face rarely showed much emotion, let out a rare, mocking smirk.
“Or should I just call you a pathetic pussy?”
“Oh.”
“W-W-W-W-What did you just say—!!?!”
Theodora’s face turned redder than ever before. She was practically a tomato. If left like that, she might actually explode.
“It’s obvious just by looking. A total defeat, wasn't it?”
Despite being in the same boat, Iris was acting incredibly bold. If I were in a position to speak, I could have revealed the truth of what happened on Iris’s bed, but unfortunately, Dora had threatened to split my body in half if I opened my mouth.
“H-How did you..!”
“An unsatisfactory sex life is grounds for divorce.”
“Ack, ugh..!!”
“Have you never read about it? A virile man stealing a devoted wife from her husband.”
Iris wrapped her arm around my waist, clinging tightly to me as she licked her lips.
“In technical terms, it’s called ‘Netorare.’”
“E-Eek..!!”
Theodora’s face turned mottled with rage, and she glared at Iris as if she were about to pounce.
‘Uh, oh.’
It wasn't just 'as if'; she actually lunged. Her stride wasn't wide because of her narrow skirt, but using the superior leg strength of the Beastkin fueled by the Divine Beast Power, she quickly reached out toward Iris.
“Let go of him!”
—Zzap!
However, Iris was someone on the level of a Vampire Lord. The black chains she summoned with magic bound Theodora’s arms, leaving her unable to move an inch.
“Eeeek..! Aven!! Is it true?! Did you not like mating with me?!”
“N-No. Of course not.”
Theodora’s expression softened slightly at my answer, but Iris shook her head, pouring oil on the fire of Theodora’s anger.
“Most stolen wives say that before they leave.”
“What!?! D-Do you really want to die?!”
“No, that’s not it.”
If anything, Theodora, who had managed to endure even once, was top-tier bride material. That didn't mean Sera and Iris, who couldn't endure even once, were second-tier, though.
Actually, Iris was second-tier bride material. She was just a bit of a strange person.
“A-Aven doesn’t care about things like that! We don’t meet just for mating?!”
“Love cools without mating.”
“S-Shut up! I’ll kill you!”
As Theodora screamed, Iris approached her, glanced back at Yoo Eon, and then whispered softly into Theodora’s ear.
“Want me to tell you? How to mate for much longer.”
“W-What..?!”
Though Iris herself had lost her mind during the actual act due to the stimulation being far stronger than expected, she had learned Sensation Reduction Magic specifically for this day. She had even confirmed its effectiveness firsthand.
“I know it. Sensation Reduction Magic.”
“T-That’s illegal….”
In fact, most types of magic that confused the senses were illegal unless authorized. Since it was a magic that affected the brain to some extent, it was considered little different from brainwashing.
“Not really. I’m not bound by the laws of the Human Species.”
“I-Is that true..?!”
Actually, the moment Iris became bound by the laws of the Human Species, she would be executed as a monster. Unlike Dwarves, Elves, or Beastkin, vampires weren't treated as proper demi-humans.
Unless it was a special case like Iris, they had to live by sucking the blood of other demi-humans.
“Don’t you want to try? Mating that lasts all night long.”
“A-All night long..!”
Theodora fell into deep thought. Was she providing Yoo Eon with unsatisfactory nights because of the Beastkin’s intense, animalistic mating? What if Sera could endure twice?
She wondered if she really might lose Yoo Eon to Iris.
“B-But..!”
However, she was Yoo Eon’s wife. Moreover, Yoo Eon already had another wife named Sera. Just in case, she whipped her head around to look toward Yoo Eon.
‘Should I help?!’
She saw Yoo Eon asking her back with full-body language. Letting out a deep sigh, Theodora whispered softly so only Iris could hear.
“K-Keep your promise..! You have to tell me..!”
“Of course.”
* * *
“Hmm. Am I to be cast out onto the street like this?”
Just when it seemed Iris and Theodora were going to have a massive brawl, Iris suddenly released her binding magic. And surprisingly, Theodora issued an eviction order—not to Iris, but to me.
“Why did she suddenly tell me to leave? Does she mean she can’t stand the sight of me?”
Actually, it would be stranger if she didn't feel that way. Theodora was a noble, and the daughter of the Lymain family, the most prominent among them.
Having two wives was already something she might find displeasing, but to think I’d spent a night with another woman on top of that. Should I have kept a tighter leash on Iris’s mouth?
‘No, this is my fault. I should have firmly rejected Iris.’
That was the more common-sense perspective.
“Ah, since the Chancellor says I am no longer useful, what is the point of living further!”
As I was lamenting while standing on the roof of the three-story office building, Theodora looked up at me from the street on the first floor and shouted.
“What are you doing! Get down here, now!”
“Yes, ma'am. Coming.”
The Chancellor was seeking me again.
“D-Dora..?”
“Aven. Did you hate it because I fell asleep first?”
“Huh..? No, it’s really not like that. It’s not like I’m some lecher who’d think bad thoughts just because a night was unsatisfactory.”
“Is that true?!”
Theodora suddenly barked at me. Startled, I nodded my head vigorously.
“I-It’s true.”
She abruptly stepped closer, buried her nose in my neck, and began sniffing. Before long, she bared her teeth and bit down hard on my neck.
“That hurts.”
“I meant for it to hurt. You pathetic husband.”
“I have no excuse.”
For some reason, a unique pheromone scent was wafting from Theodora.
‘I want to mate. Mate.’
“Um... Dora? It’s still daytime.”
“W-What?! I didn’t say anything?!”
“Right.”
When I scratched my head, Theodora made it very obvious she was sulking, turning her head away with a huff.
“R-Really, how could you?! Going to another woman just because the night was unsatisfactory!?”
“Theodora.”
“W-Why are you suddenly calling me by my name like that….”
It seemed Dora was very angry.
—Grab
“I’m sorry for making you feel insecure.”
Now that I was close, I felt like I understood. The reason why Dora had bitten my neck just now.
“H-Hyeeek!?”
I did the same. I didn't use much force, just a gentle bite on Dora’s neck. Startled, Dora’s tail puffed up like a dandelion seed in full bloom.
“W-What are you doing, you pervert—!!!?”
—Bam!
“Guaack. My skull.”
It was the first time I’d ever been hit by a punch with her full sincerity behind it. It felt like the top of my head was going to split in half. Being hit without my exoskeleton or Aura active definitely hurt and made my head spin.
—My Lady! Is something wrong!
“D-Don’t come in! It’s nothing!!”
As Dora screamed, several servants outside banged on the door in surprise, but fortunately, they didn't enter.
I felt around to see if my head was bleeding, but Bleeding Berserk didn't activate.
“D-Dora. Then this evening, with you….”
“Ah—forget it.”
“I just feel so bad. It’s a rare day off, and it would be a shame to spend it alone.”
“What are you talking about? Who said I’d be spending it alone?”
“Then..?”
Theodora stroked her neck and glared intently at Iris.
“I’ll talk to Sera. Well... let’s the four of us eat together.”
“Oh.”
What was this?
I had a bad feeling about this.