Chapter 132: Female Knight vs. Female Knight vs. Female Knight: A Contest to See Who Gets Pregnant First♡
Chapter 132: Female Knight vs. Female Knight vs. Female Knight: A Contest to See Who Gets Pregnant First♡
“Citre! We’re going back to the Academy right now. As fast as possible!”
The moment she burst out of the Imperial Palace, Serna shouted urgently.
The sight of the Imperial Princess running down the stairs and screaming so ungracefully was something previously unimaginable.
“Princess…?”
“The talk is over. Now, it’s a race against time.”
“Excuse me…?”
Citre, the Princess’s head maid, tilted her head in confusion.
She had no way of knowing what had been discussed during the meeting between the Emperor and the Princess. However, being well-acquainted with the general circumstances, she could roughly guess what the Princess’s frantic expression implied.
“I understand. I will take you to the Academy immediately.”
“Thank you, Citre!”
The Princess quickly climbed into Citre’s carriage, and they departed the Imperial Palace at once.
Only after the rear of the carriage had vanished from sight did the ministers, who had been watching the scene from various hiding spots, begin to reveal themselves one by one. They had been waiting outside the palace on the Emperor’s orders.
“What on earth… is going on?”
Court Count Brams, a power player in one of the palace factions, clicked his tongue.
“I’ve never seen Her Highness the Princess move with such urgency.”
Brams had lived in the Imperial Palace his entire life and had watched the Princess grow up. Seeing her hike up her skirts and sprint down the palace stairs was truly beyond anything he could have imagined. What could possibly be so pressing that the Princess, who always maintained her dignity regardless of the time, place, or situation, would act like that?
“If the Princess is showing such behavior after an audience with His Majesty… it certainly isn't anything ordinary.”
Brams furrowed his brow. The other officials standing beside him nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, Court Count. I have never seen her like this either.”
“Is there some palace intrigue brewing that we’re unaware of? We can’t afford to be kept in the dark!”
“If this leads to a shift in the line of succession, none of us will be safe!”
They were also Court Counts who were fixtures of the Imperial Palace. As men who lived solely by clinging to the Emperor’s power, without any other territories or reliable skills to fall back on, they were extremely sensitive to the palace’s power dynamics.
Brams chewed on his thoughts before turning to the other Court Counts.
“Does anyone here—anyone at all—know why the Emperor and the Princess are acting this way?”
“……”
“Well, that is…”
The Court Counts broke into a sweat and avoided Brams’s gaze.
How could they know?
Until now, the Emperor and the Princess had been on excellent terms. The Empire had been running smoothly without a single issue. But then, the Princess suddenly stormed into the palace and got into an argument with the Emperor. Even if it was just a family squabble, it was a matter of grave importance to the ministers.
The problem was that not a single one of them had a clue as to why they were fighting.
As if I’d know… You don’t know either.
Is the Princess going through puberty, or is the Emperor going through male menopause? It’s one of the two.
There hasn't been a single sign until now, so how the hell should I know?!
Brams guessed as much from the looks on the other Court Counts' faces.
“It seems no one knows.”
“W-well, we can just start finding out now, can’t we?”
“I suppose so.”
Brams nodded, thinking that made sense. Since he didn't know either, there wasn't much else he could say.
“Where did the Princess tell her maid she was going just now?”
“The Academy.”
“The Academy, you say…”
Come to think of it, the Princess had recently made a sudden special entry into St. Fellatio Girls' Academy. He recalled how the Court Counts had agonized for over a fortnight over her true intentions for enrolling, wondering what whim had struck her. They hadn't found an answer back then, either.
“It seems I’ll have to visit the Academy myself.”
“That will be difficult, Court Count Brams. Surely you know why?”
Another Court Count shook his head.
“Difficult? For me? Just to visit an academy?”
“It is. That is a place even you cannot enter recklessly. It is a girls' academy, after all. You might invite misunderstandings from the other nobles who have sent their daughters there.”
The Court Count’s point was valid. What kind of place was St. Fellatio Girls' Academy? It was a strictly men-forbidden zone, filled with noble daughters of marriageable age. If a middle-aged man were to barge in, there was no telling what kind of rumors would start.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Besides, you know who the Headmaster is.”
“Nekane… was it? The Emperor’s mentor.”
“As long as that woman is there, the Academy is not a place one can easily approach.”
“True.”
Brams nodded. He knew very well what kind of woman Nekane was. An unparalleled genius who had taught the Emperor both martial arts and magic. Though she was currently retired and living a leisurely life as the Headmaster… that also meant she no longer intended to involve herself in practical politics.
It was thanks to Nekane’s absence that the Court Counts had been able to squeeze in and seize their current power. If they accidentally provoked her and she left the Academy to return to the palace, their positions could be jeopardized.
“Then what should we do?”
“We cannot go to the girls' academy ourselves… but we can use someone who is already inside.”
“Someone inside?”
“As it happens, my daughter is there.”
At the Court Count’s words, the others all brightened up.
“You have a daughter there…? Ah, right. I recall your daughter is of marriageable age.”
“She’s a bit prideful, but she’s a lovely girl. We can get information through her.”
Brams nodded at the Court Count’s suggestion.
“Good. Then contact your daughter and have her find out what the Princess is up to at the Academy. We will look into the Emperor’s side.”
“Understood.”
“By the way, what was your daughter’s name?”
At Brams’s question, everyone’s eyes turned toward the man. Court Count Esparte spoke his daughter’s name in a low voice.
“Chernia.”
“Chernia…?”
“I will ask her to uncover the Princess’s secret.”
*
“Commoner!”
Upon returning from the palace, Serna flung the door open and sought out 6.9’s room.
“Commoner…?”
But the room was empty.
Whoosh…
The room was a mess, with belongings overturned as if it had been ransacked by a burglar.
“Citre? Where did the Commoner go?”
“Is he not there?”
Citre poked her head in and scanned the room. Indeed, no one was there.
“That’s strange. Surely…”
“Look for him! Quickly!”
Serna shouted frantically. Citre let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“Understood. First, I will tidy the room while looking for any traces.”
“Good idea. I’ll help too.”
The two of them entered to organize the Commoner’s room. As a maid, Citre’s first instinct was to tidy the bed. She headed toward the Commoner’s bed out of habit, only to find something resting on top of the duvet.
“Princess? Look at this.”
“…A letter?”
It was a letter left on the bed. A proper letter, sealed with the crest of a specific noble house.
“I know it is rude for a Princess to read someone else’s mail… but this is an emergency.”
“I will open it.”
“Please, Citre.”
Citre carefully pulled the letter from the envelope. Inside was an invitation.
“……It is an invitation from House Pedeia. 6.9’s name is clearly written on it.”
“House Pedeia…”
The Princess recalled the names associated with Pedeia.
Bern Pedeia.
Angelica Pedeia.
Come to think of it, Angelica, who was supposed to be the Princess’s escort knight, happened to be on vacation starting today. Professor Bern was also on leave…
Which meant only one thing.
“…It seems the mother-daughter pregnancy contest wasn't just limited to us.”
“…Pardon?”
“The Commoner is likely… at the Pedeia estate by now…”
An invitation in the family’s name. Two women on vacation and a missing Commoner. And the Pedeia estate was famous for being a beautiful villa by the sea.
“He—he abandoned me…! And went on a summer vacation?! Commoner?!”
*
Meanwhile, the commoner 6.9 was currently…
“Uuugh……”
Rattle! Clatter-clatter!
He was losing his mind in the swaying carriage. Who knew a carriage could be such an uncomfortable contraption!
“Lord. Please steady yourself. This level of shaking is nothing.”
“Oh, Husband. If you are uncomfortable, please use this Bern’s breasts as a cushion.”
Of course, it was slightly better because the mother and daughter on either side of him were pressing their bodies against him to act as cushions. 6.9 leaned on them, barely holding back his motion sickness.
“Tsk… You stupid commoner. You can’t even handle this?”
Looking down, he saw Lisa with his cock firmly in her mouth. She had insisted on coming along as Angelica’s junior, so he had no choice but to bring her.
“I’ll try to endure it, so suck it well.”
“I’m already sucking as hard as I can, you commoner…! Slurp… chupa…! Shhhp…!”
“Lord. May I also offer you a kiss?”
“I’m always down for a kiss from Angelica.”
“Thank you. Then…… Mmmph…♡ Slurp♡”
“Chu, shhhp…! Slurrrp…!”
“Husband. I shall take the ears…. Slurrrp…♡ Mmmph♡ Chu♡”
While receiving the tongue-service of three female knights, 6.9’s carriage was already crossing the border of the territory.
[ Beyond this point lies the territory ruled by Count Pedeia. Entry by outsiders is strictly prohibited. ]
The summer vacation—and the pregnancy contest between mother and daughter—was about to begin.