This Is Business, So Aaah!! ♥ (1)
Thud, thud.
Someone was pacing restlessly in front of the mansion's main gate.
"Haa... seriously!... Aaah...!!"
It was Topaz.
Even from a distance, I could see her constantly glancing around, unable to stand still.
'Sorry, Topaz!'
My chest stung.
To make excuses, I really hadn't imagined our 'consultation session' would go that far.
"Topaz."
"....!!"
Whoosh!
The moment I called her name, Topaz whipped her head around.
"Haa...!!"
She let out a sigh of relief first, then...
"Ri! An! Nim!"
Pat-pat-pat!
She dashed right up to me in an instant and launched into a scolding.
"If you're going to be late, you should at least let me know! Do you have any idea how long I waited?!"
"Well, actually─."
"I-I thought something terrible had happened to you, Young Master Rian!!"
Topaz didn't even give me a chance to explain, her words tumbling out one after another. Tremble, tremble.
She was standing on tiptoe, probably trying to look intimidating, but...
Unfortunately, it just looked cute to me.
"...Sorry for worrying you."
"Hmph, at least you know you made me worry."
Squeeze.
Topaz grumbled curtly and buried herself in my arms.
"Still... you're back safe, so... that's a relief."
Her body was trembling—I could tell she'd been really anxious.
Pat, pat.
"I won't let it happen again."
"...You promise? Hooo.... Huh?"
As I patted her back to soothe her...
Slide.
Topaz suddenly lifted her head and said,
"...Young Master Rian? Why do you smell like Sister Lapis?"
"...."
Fwiiiish!
The light vanished from Topaz's pupils.
'...I definitely sprayed deodorizer in the carriage.'
Had all that bitch play sharpened her nose to dog levels?
"Heh... 'Consultation,' you said? Looks like you had a great time. And here I was, waiting all alone like an idiot~?"
Squiiint.
Her gaze, narrowed and looking up at me, burned.
"There were... circumstances."
"Sounds like you just got your dick wet."
"...."
Topaz ruthlessly hit me with the facts, leaving me speechless.
I had actually fucked, after all.
"Ugh, it's cold out. ...Let's go inside first. I'll explain once we're in."
Squeeze!
"Eek!?♥... Y-Yo-Young Master!..♥ Wh-What are you... touching?!♥... H-Here!... O-Outside!♥... Ex-Explain... first!♥"
"That's why I'm saying let's go inside. We can talk while we walk, right?"
Topaz tried to pry my hand off her ass, but...
Knead! Knead!
The more I massaged it, the weaker she got.
"Th-Think you can... get away... with... this!♥... Nngh!♥... Yo-You're wrong!♥... Ahh!♥... L-Let go!♥"
"...."
"Ahh... Yo-Young Master... let... gooo!!♥"
"...."
Gripping Topaz's ass, I headed into the mansion.
...
..
.
The next morning.
Slide─
"I explained it pretty well, somehow."
I nodded, looking at Topaz sleeping soundly beside me.
Throb!
My shoulder, bitten last night, throbbed.
Checking it out, the teeth marks were vividly clear—way too intense for mere foreplay.
'Honestly, I deserved it.'
Even I thought so.
Squeeze! Squeeze!
"Heek!♥... H-How is it?... Haa...!♥... Young Master's... exclusive... onahole...♥ pussy... compared to... Sister Lapis's!!... Ngh!♥... Is it... t-tastier?♥"
"...."
Of course, I knew exactly what answer Topaz was fishing for...
"Hmm... If Topaz's is the 'exclusive pussy,' then Sister Lapis's is the 'slutty pussy'... totally different vibes, no comparison. But if I had to score the total pleasure... they're pretty much even."
Chomp!!
The instant she heard my answer, Topaz sank her teeth into my shoulder with all her might.
"Aah! That hurts, Topaz."
"Grrr...!!... I-It hurts, right!♥... That's why I bit you!♥... Hnngh!♥... Wh-When you're... with me!♥... Even if it's a lie!♥... Heek!!♥... Yo-You should say... I'm... better... shouldn't you?!"
I wasn't unsympathetic to Topaz's plea for even a white lie.
But...
Squeeze!
"Can't do that. I swore I wouldn't."
"...Swore? To who?"
"No one."
Just a vow to my own soul.
[I will never lie about lust.]
Honestly, I knew it.
Even if polygamy was allowed in this world...
What I was doing was trash-tier!
Why build a harem?
Not some grand noble cause like "the world ends if I don't fuck." Nope.
Bluntly put, I just had the ability to do it, so I did.
And yet, I hated the idea of my women even glancing at other guys.
Topaz and Sister Lapis loved only me, but I loved them all.
Obviously selfish! Yeah, I'm trash! But trash has its own code.
Just as their love for me was genuine, I'd resolved to love them all equally and truly.
"...."
Stroke, stroke.
"Mm..."
Topaz nuzzled into my hand like a cat, responding even in sleep.
"Young Master Rian... mm...♥"
Careful not to wake her, I slipped out of bed and got dressed.
Thud, thud.
Clank!
Passing down the hall, I opened the study door. The desk was piled high with letters.
"Hmmm...."
Most of the overwhelming stack was fan letters forwarded from the publishing house to "Nakadashi," as expected.
Beside them were the comparatively fewer letters addressed to "Rian Ludwig."
Normally, Topaz would prescreen them, handle the minor ones herself, and only bring me the ones needing my input...
'But I went overboard last night, and she's still out cold...'
No choice—I'd have to sort them myself today.
Scratch.
I scratched my cheek and sat in the chair.
'Guess I'll get to work.'
I decided to start with the letters to "Rian Ludwig."
The fan letters to "Nakadashi" looked numerous, but they were no issue.
What can I say...
Like comments flooding in on my old-life erotica serials?
The more, the better—no complaints there.
'Whereas...'
Letters to "Rian Ludwig" were mostly business, so I couldn't ignore them even if I hated it.
Rustle, rustle.
Tax bills, publishing house repair estimates, utility charges, price adjustment requests...
'Ah, the familiar taste. Someone once said death and taxes are unavoidable...'
Who'd have thought I'd need to deal with taxes even in a fantasy world?
As expected, important but tedious reading.
Twitch!
'Huh?'
One caught my eye.
The envelope bore the Ludwig Count family crest.
'From the main house?'
Riiip.
Opening it revealed my sister's handwriting.
'That's a lot...'
Long time no see, so it was hefty.
Stripping out the fluff, the summary was:
Hey, how've you been? I miss you. Can't you just come back home?
Word is, even up north, those novels by "Nakadashi" are all the rage. Turns out it's your publishing house. If you know who the author is, spill to your big sis in secret. I'm dying to know.
And push me for family head. You show up, and I'll send a special express carriage. I'll make it worth your while—second-in-command spot, everything on the line.
P.S. Father's orders: You must attend the Glacia Ducal House ball. Not a request—a command. No matter how independent you are, you're still the youngest son of the Ludwig family.
— Your Sister
'Looks like the rumors have fully spread even to the north now.'
If even the frigid north—where messenger birds barely fly—was buzzing...
Safe to say no one in the Empire hadn't heard of "Nakadashi."
Slide.
'No, seriously, what do you think I can do...'
Overestimation, as always.
Sure, "Nakadashi" might have some pull now, but back home, I was just the worthless youngest.
'P.S. about the Glacia Ducal House ball...'
The Glacia Ducal House gala, held every three years.
A massive social event where most vassal families attended—prime spot for political alliances and marriage deals.
Honestly, I could skip it no problem...
But I didn't want the Ludwig family catching heat from the Duke because of me.
'...Plus.'
Elisha de Glacia.
The lady of the Glacia Ducal House.
We got along decently back at the academy.
'Seeing her again after so long wouldn't be bad.'
Confirmed.
Reply to sis later—now for the last letter.
To: Rian Ludwig.
Pension Guild S&P500 here. Regarding the "Orc Aphrodisiac" described in your work Childhood Friend Rape, are you interested in partnering with S&P500 to commercialize it as a real product? Additionally, the "Anal Cleaning Slime" from the same work also shows strong market potential, so...
'Huh? Wait a sec...'
Slide.
Sensing something off mid-read, I flipped the letter over.
Yup, definitely addressed to "Rian Ludwig."
"...So."
S&P500 knows I'm Nakadashi.