The Stepmother's Gaze
Frank's voice echoed from outside the door, announcing Arwen's arrival. "Another failure today, I see."
Isabel gnawed on her fingernails, painted with deep red polish, as she glared at the door. If she simply said the word, Arwen would walk right through it. Suddenly, she recalled the story her husband had once told her about the Reinhardt family's divine protection. The goddess's blessing passed down to the bloodline of the first patriarch, the Sword Saint Reinhardt.
"Poison resistance, huh... Even with that immigrant monkey blood mixed in, half of him is still a lion's cub."
Among Ethan's children—Arwen, Sophia, and Cordelia—only Arwen and Sophia had inherited the Reinhardt family's protection. On top of that, Sophia had even awakened the Valeri family's blessing as well. Born with exceptional talent for both swordsmanship and magic, Sophia had entered the Academy earlier than her half-brother. It was an unusual occurrence in the closed-off world of nobility. Yet because she had been born a girl, Sophia had been pushed out of the line of succession.
Even the Valeri family, who had driven out Arwen's biological mother, couldn't break Ethan's stubbornness when it came to the matter of the heir. "If only Sophia had been born a boy..." The thought made Arwen, who had claimed the position of successor simply for being male, seem even more detestable.
Isabel made no effort to hide the irritation in her voice. With a sharp tone, she answered.
The door soon opened, and Arwen stepped inside. He covered his mouth with one hand and coughed as he greeted her.
He certainly looked worse than yesterday. The way he gasped for breath with a voice like he'd swallowed sand made it clear that the poison her older brother had sent was no joke. His silver hair shook along with his trembling shoulders, which quivered like a sick chick.
Haah... Damn it all.
Seeing the scrawny Arwen, Isabel didn't feel nearly as satisfied as she'd expected, despite her cruel intentions. At the same time, she realized deep down that she was feeling pity for him. The precarious tightrope walk between cruelty and compassion pricked at her heart like a thorn hidden in her shoe.
But Isabel bit her lip. Yes, this is all your fault, Arwen. It's your fault for stubbornly clinging to the position of patriarch when you don't even have the ability to handle it. She rationalized her role as the villain by blaming it all on Arwen.
Let's see how shameless that face of his really is.
At Isabel's permission, the soldier opened the door.
"Please enter."
"Thanks."
Time to show off my acting skills.
I was the guy who had faked being deathly ill to get out of school early back in high school. Coughing, chills, flushed face—I had perfectly mimicked every symptom. My friend who was supposed to skip with me had even asked if I was actually sick. That should give you an idea of how good I was.
Loading cough attack.
As I stepped into the office, I saw Isabel sitting in the chair behind the desk with her legs crossed. I immediately let out a cough that sounded like my lungs were about to burst.
I tensed the muscles in my throat and shook my head like a drowned rat in the middle of winter. At the same time, I held my breath to flush my face red. For the finishing touch, I casually wiped the spit that had sprayed onto my sleeve against my pants.
Damn, that was perfect. Acting is all about the details.
I probably looked exactly like someone in a zombie movie right before they died from the virus. Proud of my Oscar-worthy performance, I observed Isabel's reaction. But despite pouring my heart into the act, Isabel didn't even return my greeting. She simply stared at me with a blank expression.
What the hell? Is she drunk in the morning? Why isn't she saying anything?
I noticed the wine glass on the desk, about a third full, and the nearly empty wine bottle beside it. It would be troublesome if she were too drunk to function. Whether I liked it or not, I needed some kind of reaction from her to play along. Instead, she just sat there like a soulless doll decorating the office.
A doll, huh... Well, she's a pretty one, at least.
I couldn't remember the exact number, but according to the game settings, Isabel was in her late thirties, approaching forty. But like most anime and games, age and appearance were just numbers. It was the same logic as drawing a woman and then insisting she's actually a guy—as long as it looks good, who cares? It was easier to just accept it as artistic liberty in subculture media.
Even though she was supposedly in her thirties, Isabel had the kind of looks that would make anyone believe she was in her twenties without question. Voluminous golden waves cascading past her shoulders. Smooth, flawless skin without a single wrinkle. Eyes the color of amethysts. Yet what captured my gaze more than anything was her chest that looked ready to burst.
An E-cup? No, probably an F-cup or more. Her breasts were so prominent that they seemed less like they were wearing the dress and more like the dress was draped over them. Just standing next to her would probably fill the air with a lewd scent.
Cordelia and Raibel too... The women in this house all seem to wear clothes with way too little fabric.
Isabel's dress looked like something you'd see at a year-end awards ceremony—or rather, it exposed even more skin. Aside from covering her nipples, it generously revealed the soft undersides of her breasts and her smooth armpits in a tantalizing way. It was hardly appropriate attire for a noblewoman working in her office.
Of course, I didn't have even a grain of complaint. It was a solid "hell yes" from me. If anything, I was disappointed that her desk hid her hips from view.
With breasts like that, her ass must be just as juicy.
My mind automatically pictured my body overlapping with Isabel's voluptuous figure. I wanted to bury myself mindlessly into those soft-looking breasts and thighs. My cock was getting so hard it felt like it might rip through my waistband. Thank god I'd tightened my belt.
Completely unaware that her stepson was desperately horny for her, Isabel remained in her mute, honey-stuffed state.
Is she actually drunk?
Watching her sit there with her lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing, was starting to get frustrating.
Fuck, should I just pin her down and fuck her right here?
Isabel was directly connected to the Valeri family through her maternal side. If I clumsily tried to tame her and failed, I had no idea what kind of backlash would follow. I'd be labeled a depraved son who lusted after his stepmother, locked away in some prison-like place, and quietly disposed of without a trace.
That's why I was planning to get more traits and skills before making a move...
But if she really was drunk, maybe it was worth a shot even though the quest hadn't triggered yet. However, my impure thoughts about ravishing my stepmother quickly vanished at the sound of Isabel's icy voice.
Startled by her sudden words, I answered in a voice pitched half an octave higher.
That was close. I almost got myself killed.
I shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if I'd tried to fuck Isabel. Her screams would have brought the guards standing outside running in an instant.
And I probably wouldn't have even gotten my dick out before they dragged me away.
Isabel snorted in response.
Isabel rapped her fingers harshly against the desk.
They didn't call her a villainess for nothing. Before I even entered the Academy, she had fed me poison under the pretense of curing my weak body, and now she was blaming me for it.
Look at the way she talks. What a bitch.
With her nose and eyes raised haughtily, Isabel was the very picture of an arrogant noblewoman. The urge to slap her arrogant stepmother's cheek with my son's cock surged up inside me.
Fuck, should I just shove my dick in that mouth and shut her up? No, hold it together. Don't let the pervert in you take over.
It felt like chewing on a mouthful of dirt, but for now I had no choice but to dance to Isabel's tune. I lowered my head to hide my twisted expression.
When I slowly raised my head again, Isabel's lips curved upward at the sight of her obedient, tail-tucked son.
Isabel suddenly stretched and rose from her seat.
She deliberately emphasized the word "very." Beneath her outstretched arms, I caught a glimpse of her smooth, glistening armpit. The gentle curve was so inviting I wanted to slide my cock right into it.
Isabel slowly approached me. With every step, her hips and breasts swayed up and down like pudding on a plate. Before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and said,
The Academy... what?
I barely registered what Isabel was saying. My eyes were glued to her breasts, which carried a sweet, fleshy scent. Acting be damned—I wanted to grab those tits and knead them right then and there. Fortunately, just before my reason snapped, Isabel returned to her seat. Even the way her ass swayed from behind was magnificent.
Isabel plopped back into her chair. She looked much more cheerful than when I'd first entered. Of course, if she'd known she'd almost been raped by her stepson moments ago, she wouldn't have worn that expression.
Isabel asked,
At her question, I pulled myself together and continued the act.
Isabel's left eyebrow twitched noticeably.
She shook her head.
It seemed Isabel had no intention of letting me off the leash without supervision. And separately from that, I'd just obtained some very important information from her.
So Masha wasn't at the mansion around this time.
It was information I never would have known no matter how many times I'd played Elysia Story. When playing the game, the first day had passed without any notable events. The conversation with Isabel had been nothing more than one of the game's many meaningless lines of text. Back then, I'd simply thought "oh, okay" and accepted the flat, developer-defined information as it was.
But now that I was inside the game, the quality and quantity of information I could obtain changed depending on my choices, just like what had happened moments ago. This was probably why the third quest hadn't appeared immediately after completing the first one, unlike the second quest which had started right away. It seemed the third main quest would be where things truly began to intertwine with Masha Valeri.
"Once Masha returns, I'll be busy receiving private lessons from her. Will I even have time to go outside?"
"Hmm."
It was a reasonable point that Isabel couldn't easily refute. Of course, that bitch Masha didn't have an ounce of sense of duty as a tutor—she'd probably just be monitoring me rather than actually teaching.
That's exactly why I need to go to the village right now.
To freely explore the village without Masha's surveillance, I absolutely had to go out today. I straightened my back, looked Isabel straight in the eyes, and said,
I didn't forget to add the cough even then.
"Still..."
Seeing Isabel still hesitate, I played my final card.
Now Isabel had no grounds left to refuse my request. Although she was the acting head of the family, Arwen was also the family's successor. As long as he didn't cause any major scandals or lose any limbs, he would eventually become the patriarch. Isabel had no right to dismiss Arwen's opinion without any justification.
She nodded reluctantly.
That seemed to be Isabel's final line regarding my outing. Arwen wasn't a ten-year-old kid, so it was a bit ridiculous for her to set a curfew, but there was no need to cross that line and upset her further.
Isabel waved her hand toward the door as if telling me to get out of her sight. I bowed my head to her one last time before escaping the suffocating office.
Whew, that was exhausting.
The acting had been hard, but what had been even harder was suppressing the urge to pin Isabel down and ravish her. Her body was so perfect it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it sex incarnate.
Poor Arwen.
To have a woman like that as his stepmother—what a tragic fate. But that had nothing to do with me. If anything, I was looking forward to the deliciously immoral sex that the stepmother setting would bring.
Just wait, Isabel. I swear on the honor of my father, the MILF Hunter Byeon Gang-sik, that I will fuck you senseless.
At any rate, the first day's meeting had ended safely, and I'd received permission to go out. Now I could handle my business with confidence.
First, I'll head back to my room and tell Raibel that we're going out.