Chapter 353: Leaking Secrets(1)
Chapter 353: Leaking Secrets(1)
I was truly satisfied with the gift Albenheim gave me. The packaging was exquisite, and the contents were beyond words.
Although there was a dangerous moment when an accident occurred in the middle of receiving the gift, it was resolved well.
In fact, thanks to that incident, Arwen’s hidden lust was awakened, leading to an even more passionate first night.
I was so satisfied—and so aroused—that I even found myself comparing it to my first night with Mari.
However, because the difference in our physical builds and stamina was so vast, I ended up practically overwhelming her.
She kept passing out at every opportunity, and even after I woke her up, she would lose consciousness again in the middle of it, making it quite difficult to stay in sync.
Arwen knew this all too well, so she literally begged me to treat her as a 'gift.' She said her pride wouldn't allow her to be the only one feeling satisfied.
Thanks to that, we were able to have a night where we both felt completely fulfilled.
"So, am I considered the Prince Consort now?"
The next day arrived after our intimacy, which had lasted until the crack of dawn. Even though it was 'the next day,' I slept through the entire morning.
The afternoon wasn't much different. Arwen was nodding off constantly from the lingering exhaustion of our first night.
Moreover, she couldn't even get up and was forced to stay in bed all day.
Forget attending to state affairs; she couldn't even walk properly, so she planned to take a break for a while.
"You may do as you wish. I was a gift for you, after all. In practice, you could be considered higher in status than me, the Queen."
"That much?"
"It is only natural, as I have gifted you Albenheim itself. Do you wish to be treated as the Prince Consort?"
Arwen, lying in bed, asked me with sparkling eyes.
There was a faint hint of anticipation in her silver-gray eyes. It seemed to be a personal wish of hers.
"Well... honestly, I'm fine with it. The fact that we didn't have a wedding ceremony is a bit of a flaw, but I'm sure everyone will overlook it."
"R-Really?! Then immediately...!"
"But even if I'm okay with it, will others be? Especially Cecile—she’ll probably come charging at us with fire in her eyes."
Her joy was short-lived; the moment I mentioned Cecile, she immediately wilted.
To Arwen, Cecile was her greatest rival, both personally and politically.
The moment I was officially treated as the Prince Consort of Albenheim, Cecile would likely drop another bombshell of her own.
"...I see. It is a shame, but it cannot be helped. That was just a personal request of mine, so please pretend you didn't hear it."
"We've already spent our first night together; it's only natural to have such a wish."
"Mmm..."
As I stroked her long ears to comfort her, Arwen let out a pleasant sound. It was like a kitten purring.
Lying in bed like this made me feel like we were newlyweds. I wondered when Arwen would be able to get up.
Meals were fine since an attendant brought them directly, but going to wash up was the real challenge.
Whether it was because she was the Queen of Albenheim or because of some stuffy Elven tradition, the bedroom and the bathroom were quite far apart.
When I asked why the layout was so inconvenient, she told me that the water in that bathroom was connected to the Spring of Life.
Specifically, the same Spring of Life where I had washed right before our first night. It was very typical of Elves to be so obsessed with tradition.
She was so embarrassed when I carried her there.
So, I had carried Arwen to the bathroom myself. It wasn't as if an attendant could carry her, so I was the only one who could do it.
I recalled the looks Elodia’s servants gave us as we headed to the bathroom. As I mentioned before, the 'gift incident' wasn't Arwen's doing, but a voluntary move by Albenheim.
Furthermore, the fact that Arwen couldn't walk was proof that we had spent our first night together—in other words, that I had accepted the gift.
While they were likely overjoyed, I felt rather embarrassed being the target of those stares.
"Mmm..."
Meanwhile, Arwen was making cute noises as I toyed with her ears.
Much like a Demon's horns, touching an Elf's ears was only permitted for someone they had completely opened their heart to.
Since they were a well-known weakness, their sensitivity was concentrated there, meaning even minor stimulation like this could provide great satisfaction.
"Arwen."
"Yes... speak."
"What happens to you now?"
The Elves had gifted me Arwen, the very symbol of Albenheim. Simply put, she belonged to me.
Of course, I wasn't actually going to treat her like a slave. The fact that we were connected was enough.
Still, I was curious about Arwen's future. Now that we had spent our first night together, would her life become easier, or would it become more complicated?
"Since we are joined, I will likely be proclaimed as Xenon's woman. That alone should make things easier, if anything. No problems should arise."
"What about the Demon Worshippers? They might threaten you."
"Ha. Do you truly think I would lose to mere Demon Worshippers?"
True, Arwen might have poor physical stamina, but her prowess as a mage was profound.
She could teleport with a simple snap of her fingers or make objects appear out of thin air; who could possibly harm her?
Above all, she had reliable Dark Elves by her side, so there were no immediate threats in sight.
I looked at Arwen, who had answered with such confidence, with a look of mock surprise before breaking into a grin. A mischievous urge struck me.
"You kept losing to me, though."
"T-That...! That is a different story entirely!"
At my playful remark, Arwen flailed indignantly. However, since her lower body wasn't functioning properly, only her upper body flopped around.
In reality, Arwen's physical strength was on the lower side. Even as an Elf chosen by a god, her innate physical specs were roughly on par with a human's.
It was just that her mana cultivation and magical abilities completely bypassed those limitations.
Arwen was no exception. If she had been a warrior, it might have been different, but as a mage, her stamina was bound to be very low.
Because of that, I lost count of how many times she fainted during our first night. She woke up every time, but the constant fainting was a bit awkward.
Ah, of course, it was only awkward; it wasn't difficult at all.
"Still, shouldn't you build up some stamina?"
"Hmph. I would rather read another book than build stamina."
A very mage-like way of thinking. I smiled as Arwen turned away, her face flushed red with pouty indignation.
I didn't intend to push her further on the advice to build stamina. She likely had her own routine, and it wasn't my place to tell her what to do.
More importantly, I needed to worry about myself first. I was the one who needed to build stamina, and I was the primary target for the Demon Worshippers.
I gently massaged Arwen's ear while glancing to the side. On the pillow she was using sat a golden seed.
As everyone knew, it was presumed to be a World Tree Seed. For now, I had decided to leave it in Arwen's care.
I wasn't returning to my territory immediately, and I hadn't decided who should manage it yet.
Lord Hirt really knows how to put a person in a spot.
Still, it was proof of the great favor being shown to me, so I didn't feel bad.
Who could complain after receiving a blessing from the Goddess of Nature, who held the rank of a Creator God?
If anything, it was a wise move to mediate between Luminous and Mora, where potential for conflict remained.
Wait, there was something I wanted to ask her. What was it?
I tilted my head while staring at the golden seed.
There was a question I had originally wanted to ask her, but I couldn't remember it for the life of me.
Since I couldn't remember, I figured it probably wasn't that important.
If it had been a truly vital question, I would have recorded it in my notebook, but there was nothing there.
Given my personality, I would have immediately jotted down anything interesting or serious.
I'll think about it later.
What mattered now was how long this time would last. I looked down at Arwen, who was lying face down while receiving her ear massage.
Though she had pulled the blanket up to her neck, she was currently stark naked.
I had suggested she wear something light to avoid catching a cold, but she insisted that Elves don't catch colds.
She was right, and since I thought I knew what she wanted, I simply complied.
"Arwen."
"Mmm?"
"When would you like me to head back?"
Mari, Cecile, and Adelia—those three had school vacations, so I could spend a long time with them.
But in this case, I had come out in the middle of the semester, so I was unsure how to manage the timing.
Of course, even if I went back, I wouldn't return to my teaching assistant duties immediately; I’d be training under my father.
That’s why I asked her first. When should I head back?
Arwen seemed to understand my meaning. After much deliberation, she peeked her head out.
Her silver-gray eyes held a mix of lingering regret and subtle anticipation.
"In my heart, I wish you could stay by my side forever. I want to see your face every morning when I wake up, and share my affection with kisses every night."
"..."
"But that would be greedy. Above all, I am not the only one by your side. I also have my duties as Queen to attend to. So..."
Arwen hesitated for a moment before voicing her true desire.
"May I be a little greedy?"
"How much?"
"A week. A week is enough. Anything more would be excessive."
A week... Honestly, I had expected about a month, so this was surprisingly short.
I felt a pang of sympathy, wondering if she rarely allowed herself to be greedy or if she was simply exercising great restraint.
After a week, she would have to return to being the Queen of Albenheim. I reached out and stroked her hair instead of her ear.
"Is a week really enough? Truly?"
"You are busy as well. Instead, could you visit often afterward?"
"Can't you just contact me?"
"I'm afraid I would do so every single day."
The sight of Arwen answering while only peeking her face out was incredibly cute.
I smiled as I showed my affection, pinching and stroking her soft cheeks.
"Alright. Then until then..."
"Ahem."
When I trailed off, Arwen cleared her throat. At the same time, her fair skin flushed deep red.
Of course, we couldn't do anything today due to the aftereffects of the first night. That wouldn't be consideration; it would just be venting lust.
But things would be different after that. Arwen, her cheeks rosy, spoke quietly.
"I am asking just in case... were the other women like this too?"
"Mari was similar to you. Cecile and Adele are both physically strong, after all."
"I see. Still, I have no intention of building stamina."
"At this point, don't you just hate exercising?"
"Don't you think it's not that I am weak, but that you are abnormally strong? You even received Lord Hirt's blessing yesterday."
"Is that so?"
Come to think of it, I already had a lot of divine power, and receiving Hirt's blessing on top of that might have made me even stronger.
"Anyway, for this one week, I'll make sure to create moments that will stay in your memory for a lifetime."
"I think yesterday will be my most memorable moment."
"I'll make even better memories than that."
At that time, I didn't know.
"Can you call Siris for a moment?"
"Siris? Why her?"
"I have something I left with her."
I didn't know what kind of impact the World Tree Seed, left neglected at the head of the bed, would have on us.
"I brought the manuscript so she'd stop peeking. The draft for Volume 27 of the Xenon Biography."
"W-What?! Is that true... No. More importantly, why did you think I would peek!"
"Because you have a prior record?"
"Awoooo..."
I didn't know what kind of changes the blessing from Hirt would cause.
"By the way, how are you going to announce this? That we're 'connected'?"
"No. I should leave some room for interpretation. If I don't, it might cause you a headache. Though those who know will know."
"I'm curious to see how Cecile will react."
"Ah. You don't need to worry about that. We met before and settled things."
And finally, I didn't know just how much potential a half-elf possessed.
"Huh? What do you mean? When did you meet?"
"Ah, that..."
"Wait, you didn't learn all those things from yesterday from Cecile, did you?"
"..."
At that time, I had no idea.