Chapter 6
Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Loneliness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Luna finished her day's duties.
Charles's report about securing a house for Aiden, her benefactor, came to mind, leaving her puzzled.
Aiden had asked for a house as a reward for saving her.
Yet when she offered to find one, he picked the worst one available.
Luna couldn't make sense of Aiden's behavior.
'He turned down all the good houses and chose the cheapest one. Why?'
In truth, the houses Aiden deemed flawed were two or three times more expensive than the one he selected.
The reason? Taxes.
Taxes in the Heyron Grand Duchy scaled with the number of windows and the surface area touching the road, but Aiden, with his thoroughly modern perspective, was oblivious to that. That's why he went for the cheapest option.
He'd probably groan when property taxes came due this year, but Luna found herself warming to him.
It proved he wasn't blinded by greed.
When he'd first asked for a house, she'd thought he was just another man weak to material things. But if it was a condition to quash unsavory rumors, she didn't mind.
So she'd magnanimously instructed Charles to find the best house he could afford.
She just couldn't understand why he'd chosen the most modest one instead.
Since childhood, she'd lived in the Grand Ducal Palace, navigating tangled political webs.
That's why such actions stirred complicated thoughts in her.
'Is he aiming for something else? Or does he know his place and stay content?'
Whatever the case, she wasn't Aiden, so she couldn't know his mind.
If she learned he'd picked the cheapest house as a ploy to negotiate better ones, her face would be a sight to behold. But unaware of that, she only saw his choice in a positive light.
"Well, whatever. Time to sleep early tonight."
Her schedule was packed, so she closed her eyes in bed, seeking slumber...
-Groan...
Memories of that day resurfaced.
Aiden pinned beneath her, and the pleasure from then.
'Ugh... Why now?'
Luna tossed and turned, desperate to fall asleep.
But Aiden's ecstatic expression and the beads of sweat on his forehead kept flashing in her mind.
'I need to sleep...'
Yet closing her eyes only brought back that day's memories.
A faint pleasure stirred in her lower abdomen, and without realizing it, she crossed her legs.
As if a female awakened to pleasure could never return to innocence.
Twisting her legs to chase that small heat, Luna sighed.
"Haa... What am I doing..."
Her hand drifted lower, groping over her undergarments.
As if instinct knew exactly how to recapture that day's excitement.
Of course, she wasn't clueless.
She'd learned about marriage and childbirth young, and noblewomen occasionally gossiped about nights with their husbands.
Back then, she'd just thought, "Sounds nice." But that was mere head knowledge.
Now, heated by those memories, her hand rubbed without hesitation.
'What do I do... I'm going crazy.'
She quickened her hand, reviving that day's sensations, but her first time masturbating felt awkward.
At this moment, the cold, aloof Grand Duchess Luna Valmore didn't exist.
Only a simple female in heat remained.
That night, her first self-indulgence kept her hand busy until morning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Promoted to Squad Leader, I headed to the guard post to properly learn the ropes.
It was just leading a small group of about ten, but hey, it was something.
My pay had gone up too, so living wouldn't be an issue for a while.
I'd save up a few months' wages and move somewhere else.
I'd love to relocate next month, but since the Grand Duchess herself promoted me, bailing right away would slight her dignity.
I knew how proud she was, so I'd play nice for a few months. But I'd leave eventually.
Vain was too damn cold.
From October, brutal cold lasted until April.
Temperatures plunged below freezing in a mad freeze, then from May, it warmed into stifling, humid hell.
Cold hit right after harvest season.
I planned to move south, a bit warmer.
Then settle in a new city and start a business.
Selling the house would give me a nice chunk of change anyway.
I'd decide on the venture slowly. First day on the guard post.
A blond man greeted me.
"Whoa, you must be Aiden, the one who caught the Grand Duchess's eye and got promoted."
"Hello."
"Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Rodang. Heard you're from a noble house? Teach me some swordplay later. I wanna learn noble fencing."
Rumors of being the Grand Duchess's benefactor were inflating.
Not bad, though. It'd make things smoother.
"Lemme brief you on duties. Ours are easy. Just lead your squad and arrest anyone up to no good when ordered."
"How do arrests work? I haven't finished guard training, so I'm not sure."
His face when I asked—pure disbelief, like "Why would you arrest anyone?"
"Your underlings handle it. Oh, and when you get bribes, kick some up top and toss scraps to the men. Otherwise, other squads get noisy."
Rodang straight-up told me to take payoffs.
This place was hopeless.
"And you know Don Alphao? Grab his goons if they cause trouble, no exceptions."
"Why?"
Were they just irredeemable thugs?
Don Alphao bossed the Alphao Family, Vain's top crime syndicate by scale.
They raked in cash from prostitution, gambling, and shaking down merchants with fists.
And... they had bad blood with me.
"They pay fat stacks. Nab 'em, get your cut, let 'em go. Don't sweat it—they say if you climb higher, they'll invite you to their dens. All-day romps with girls or whatever. I wanna go, but squad leader ain't enough clout."
Bribing officials with cash and women kept them untouchable.
Rodang briefed me on duties and routes.
"Festival overlaps this time, so keep your men in line, don't let 'em wander. Merchants hate guards sniffing around. Patrol like this."
I nodded along.
Not tough.
Squad Leaders mostly led patrols, ordering arrests for suspicious types.
Sweet gig.
With promotion and revenge brewing, I headed to the training ground where 5th Squad waited.
I scanned their stiff faces—they knew I was coming.
Men from twenties to forties.
They raised spear tips to the sky, eyes on me.
"I'm Aiden, your new Squad Leader. Nice to meet you."
A cheeky young one raised his hand.
"Squad Leader, heard you saved the Grand Duchess and got promoted. True?!"
"Yeah! Tell us how you saved the Swordmaster Grand Duchess!"
Rumors spread fast.
"Ahem... Just did what any of you could."
Any fit guy could've.
Plus... we'd never cross paths again.
Our stations were worlds apart.
"Still, spill! Word is you're some highborn incognito."
"Right, and you held off knights without breaking a sweat."
Held off knights? Where'd that come from?
Knights trained bodies and wielded aura daily—human weapons.
"Ahem, rumors exaggerated. Anyway, I've introduced myself. Your turn."
One by one, introductions.
Kid me never got why this mattered, but leading a group? Names stuck or chaos reigned.
No photos here—memorizing faces and names was a pain.
"I'm Thomas. Parents run a tavern nearby. Come visit; drinks on me."
Thomas. Noted.
Intros done, I showed the week's schedule.
"We patrol tonight. Meet at town hall by 6 PM."
Festival for three days, they said.
My first task: patrols to prevent festival mishaps.
"Ooh, 6 PM? Nice haul potential."
"Heh, festivals pay sweetest."
"Yeah! Guard Commander's looking out for the new leader. Sweet perks, huh?"
These guys... rotten to the core.
Guards openly plotting bribes? Hard to fathom.
I'd revenge and bounce at the right time.
But those underworld scum? Payback mandatory.
For my benefactor.
"Anyway, don't be late."
Dismissed them and headed home, lost in thought.
Could I pull this off?
Seeing their vibe, doubts crept in—not easy.
First time leading, but no boss faces, just senior's vague: meet at town hall, get route map, patrol.
"One good deed before shift?"
Vain's back alleys were underworld strongholds.
Thugs extorted "protection" fees from merchants.
Non-payers got shops trashed, massive damage.
Arrests? Near impossible.
Alphao Family greased palms for cover-ups.
Guard Commander, prosecutors, judges—all bought, they said.
My grudge burned because they'd helped kill my savior.
First days here, starving, an old man took me in.
Ran a small grocer, hired me.
Low pay, but grateful for work. One day...
Alphao Family stormed in.
-No protection fee?!
-Wanna die, old timer?!
-Crash!
Thugs ignored the old man's plea for a month's delay, wrecked the place.
I froze, terrified of their hammers and clubs.
-No money? Steal it then! We dig graves for fun?!
-Smash this, how we trade?
-Shut it, geezer!
Old man tried stopping a shelf-smashing thug, got shoved.
His eyes: hollow despair.
-Aaah... From the wreckage, a thug mocked me.
-Quit this dump, kid. Find better work.
Shop closed after. Days later, word: old man died alone.
"Memories suck."
Failed to repay his kindness, turned away—crushed me.
-Creak.
My still-unfamiliar house.
Loaded firewood and kindling into the hearth.
-Fwoosh...
Poured oil, lit a match, flopped on the sofa.
Hearth thawed my body; I stared at the ceiling.
House stocked with furniture and food from house-hunting.
Charles even left fuel: "Stay warm."
Enough for a week, no shopping.
Wonder when I'll see him again.
Fire's glow warmed the room, but a chill lingered in my heart.