Chapter 157: Exhibitionism and Voyeurism
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: Exhibitionism and Voyeurism
“Let’s head to the inner castle. I’ve prepared a party.”
Count Dresden and Duke Signir led the way, guiding us through the royal capital. Citizens, forced to come out, scattered flower petals with fake smiles and cheers.
Meanwhile, Cynthia, who had shifted to face forward, glanced sideways at the Duke’s daughter, Isabel, who was riding her horse right beside her father up ahead.
Isabel was also glancing our way. But unlike Cynthia, who was staring holes through her, she continued to treat Cynthia as if she didn’t exist.
“Isn’t she detestable? The way she pretends to be so pure, as if she knows nothing, all while looking down on and ignoring others.”
“What’s so surprising? All nobles are like that.”
When I met her gaze and grinned, her curious eyes widened. Then, her face turned as red as a tomato, and she quickly looked away.
She wouldn’t be so embarrassed if she just stopped sneaking glances, but it seemed she had no intention of doing so.
“Is that your type?”
Cynthia gripped my arm even tighter, though she didn’t seem to realize it herself.
She asked with an emotionless expression and voice, as if she held no personal feelings on the matter.
She probably thought she was hiding her emotions perfectly, but the corners of her eyes were slightly raised.
It was a sign she was displeased—something I had learned during our time together.
And why wouldn’t she be? Saintess or not, she was still just an orphan from an orphanage. Moreover, her only asset, her ability, didn’t work on me, diminishing her value.
It was only natural for her to feel a sense of alarm.
“She’s from a family with a fine bloodline, she’s cultured and graceful, and she’s as beautiful as a doll, isn’t she? You could say she’s prime bride material.”
I feigned ignorance, deliberately getting under her skin. A little jealousy wasn’t bad, but I wanted this stoic woman to reveal more of her true feelings.
Unaware of my intentions, Cynthia whipped her head around to look up at me. Her gaze was sharp.
“They say men lose their minds at the sight of a beautiful woman, but I didn’t think you would be like that, my lord Baron.”
That lasted only a moment. As if I’d been waiting for it, I leaned my face in close, and she shrank back like a turtle. The kiss we’d shared before entering the castle must have come to mind.
With a smirk, I moved my face to the other side, away from where she had turned, and whispered in her ear.
“You said you didn’t want to be my woman, so I don’t understand why you’re jealous.”
The fine hairs on her neck, touched by my warm breath, trembled. She nonchalantly pushed my face away with her hand and played innocent.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Or have you finally started to see me differently?”
I had traveled to the Holy Land to find her, all alone without a single servant, and now we had reached the capital.
It was a far cry from the grand titles of ‘Ruler of the South’ or ‘Master of the Coastal City Alliance.’ Perhaps that was why she hadn’t grasped my true standing.
It was only after seeing a count and a duke, the men closest to the throne, rush out so eagerly to greet me that she finally began to comprehend my status and position.
“And what if I have?”
Cynthia admitted she was a snob. Furthermore, she retorted as if to ask what was wrong with that.
I liked her honesty.
“So you admit it? Then you must also realize that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has come your way, right? And that this opportunity will vanish in an instant if you continue with this half-hearted attitude?”
I was telling her there were many women like Isabel vying for the spot by my side. Among them were many whose qualifications were beyond comparison to Cynthia’s.
I subtly slipped my hand under her top and began to toy with her stomach. It was a bit of mischief hidden from view by the horse’s head in front and by my body from behind.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
Of course, the cheering crowds on either side of the road could probably notice the movement of my fingers under her clothes if they looked closely enough.
Knowing this, Cynthia grabbed my hand tightly over her clothes to stop me from moving. Her voice, now cold as ice, was an added bonus.
“Don’t you want to show that sly cat who ignores you and covets what’s yours? That the prize she’s trying to claim is already yours.”
Isabel’s fine brow furrowed slightly as she saw me bury my face in the nape of Cynthia’s neck.
Only then did her gaze fall upon Cynthia, the woman she had been treating as if she didn’t exist.
Cynthia’s body shuddered.
“…”
Cynthia remained silent. But it wasn’t a refusal. The proof was in the slight loosening of her grip on my hand.
This audacious woman didn’t stop there. She lifted her head and met the glare of Isabel, who was staring daggers at her.
Her boldness remained even as I savored her belly, pliable and soft like a rice cake, before slowly moving my hand upward.
“…?”
Isabel, who had been glaring with a slight frown, tilted her head in confusion. She had seen the fabric of Cynthia’s top, the part not hidden by the horse’s head, squirming.
Then, it seemed to dawn on her what we were doing. Her eyes, which had been glancing sideways, widened as far as they could go. Her mouth fell slightly open.
“…She saw.”
Cynthia flinched. I could feel her once-pliant flesh tense up. I gently caressed her stomach and whispered.
“So, are you going to stop? A true noblewoman doesn’t interfere even when her husband fools around with a mistress. I’m sure this much won’t faze her.”
“Huuu…”
Cynthia took a deep breath. Then she leaned back, resting against me.
Her upper body naturally jutted out, making the movements of my fingers roaming beneath her clothes all the more distinct.
Gulp.
Isabel was now staring openly. Cynthia grew more sensitive. Then, when I gently twisted her already-erect nipple…
“Hngh…”
A suppressed moan escaped her lips. It seemed she had a bit of an exhibitionist streak. Then again, I should have known from the moment she unhesitatingly made someone drink her piss.
“So our dear Saintess is a pervert.”
Focus returned to her eyes. She wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth and played innocent as if nothing had happened.
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You really don’t know?”
“I really… Hngh.”
As she feigned ignorance, she bit her lip. The hand that had been caressing her breast had slid down her skin and slipped into her pants.
“A-Are you insane?”
Grabbing my arm again, she turned to me and asked in a trembling voice.
“Tsk, tsk. You should look straight ahead. If others find out, you won’t be able to show your face in public. A scandal involving the Saintess famous for her charity work would spread like wildfire.”
Had we not started, it would be one thing, but now that we had, Cynthia was in the palm of my hand.
It seemed she was only just realizing that.
“You, you planned this…”
“Don’t look at me like I’m a pervert. Isn’t the real pervert the one enjoying this in front of so many people?”
“What nonsense is this? When did I… Hnngh.”
Cynthia bit her lip again, stifling a moan. My fingers had passed through the thicket and invaded the deeper valley.
She broke out in a cold sweat, glancing around nervously. Fortunately, it seemed no one had noticed. Except, of course, for one person.
“Hah—”
Isabel gasped. Though she couldn’t see clearly because of the horse’s head, she had guessed what we were doing from Cynthia’s reaction.
Her face turned beet red, yet she didn’t look away. Then again, she was at an age where she would be very curious about sex.
“You didn’t enjoy it? Then what’s this?”
I pulled out my hand and held it up for Cynthia to see. My fingers were slick with her fluids.
“Hah… You woman-crazed bastard, really…”
Gasping, Cynthia frantically pulled my hand to her chest to hide it.
She looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and her eyes met Isabel’s, who was staring right at her with a face like a ripe tomato.
In that instant, Cynthia’s body trembled violently.
“Did you come?”
I deliberately blew hot breath into her ear, and the trembling intensified.
In truth, the question was unnecessary. The weight of her body leaning against me had increased, and her breathless moan was proof enough.
“I’ll say it again: you’d better get used to this. This is just a taste.”
I toyed with her pliable belly, contemplating how to handle this woman who reacted more sensitively to the gazes of others than to my touch.
Then, I winked at Isabel, who still couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Hah—”
Isabel, finally realizing how obviously she had been staring, spurred her horse to create some distance. She didn’t approach again until we reached the inner castle.
As if regretting having given her body to me, Cynthia put distance between us the moment she dismounted.
Isabel didn’t miss the opening and scurried over to me. She tugged on my shirt to make me lean down, then whispered in my ear.
“I… I can do it well, too.”
Do what? There was no need to ask. Isabel’s face was so red it looked like it was about to explode.
Cynthia, who had been watching from the corner of her eye, scowled. What made her expression sour even more was the remark from the Duke, who approached with a bright smile.
“A match made in heaven! You two look perfect together!”
Isabel, still clutching my clothes, squirmed as if embarrassed. The way she glanced up at me was, for lack of a better word, adoring.
Meanwhile, there was one other person who disapproved of the father and daughter’s actions. Count Dresden made his presence known with deliberately loud footsteps and spoke.
“The Baron has promised to marry my daughter.”
His voice was calm but pierced the air.
“The Count’s daughter must be of a certain age, no? I’ve also heard the Baron has no children yet. To produce an heir to carry on the line, wouldn’t it be better to take a younger bride?”
Duke Signir said it as if it were no big deal. The Count’s face crumpled.
“That is not for the Duke to worry about.”
“My, my. Why such a sensitive reaction? I was merely expressing my concern for the Baron and his family.”
“It is inappropriate for you to have such concerns when you have no relation to the Baron.”
“Why would you say I have no relation? The Baron and I are comrades-in-arms who have faced life and death together.”
“Duke…!”
The two men’s intentions were obvious. With their common enemy, the Alliance, now shattered, they were ready to begin their fight for the throne in earnest.
The problem was that the Count’s and the Duke’s forces were evenly matched, meaning the entire landscape would shift depending on which side I took.
In other words, I held the casting vote.
‘This isn’t something I can just be happy about.’
The defeated Alliance may have been scattered, but the Pope was still out there.
Cynthia had been captured by the Pope since she was a child, her ability exploited. That meant he possessed an enormous amount of Holy Water.
With such a trump card up his sleeve, he would never give up. He would return with an army that defied common sense, just as he had in the game.
‘It’s different from my original plan, but…’
My plan to pit the Count, the Duke, and the Pope’s Alliance against each other and reap the benefits had gone up in smoke.
The messenger I’d sent to tie up the Alliance and buy time for Duke Signir to return had unexpectedly led Duke Babel to the Holy Land.
It had presented an opportunity to deal with Alex.
I had judged that eliminating Alex was more important than letting the three powers wear each other down.
And indeed, Alex’s skills were far greater than I had anticipated. If we had met on the battlefield, I would have suffered a major loss.
‘In the end, it was the right decision.’
Now, all that remained was to make the intact forces of the Duke and Count clash with the Pope’s Alliance, which had suffered a devastating blow but still had one last punch to throw…
It didn’t seem like it would be easy, seeing how Count Dresden and Duke Signir were already checking each other for the throne, with the Alliance completely out of their minds.
But that wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
I glanced sideways at Cynthia, who was keeping her distance. As the competition between the Count and the Duke for my favor intensified, she was bound to grow anxious.
After all, my value was rising by the second, while hers was diminishing.
Besides, she couldn’t go back to the Pope now, which meant I was the only one she could rely on.
But what if I suddenly had a change of heart? She would be left high and dry. It meant she could no longer afford to test the waters.
And just as I expected, that night, after I had dismissed the Count and Duke with the excuse of being tired from the long journey, she came to my room. She was dressed in a way that was practically half-naked.
Knowing how her ability worked during intercourse, I couldn’t help but grin.