The Countess Arrives
Monica arrived much faster than I had anticipated. By putting a swift messenger on a fast horse, she managed to cover a distance that normally took three days one-way in just five days.
"That’s enough. Tell everyone to go inside and rest."
With a single wave of her hand, Monica brushed past the soldiers who had gathered to salute her and headed straight for the office-cum-bedroom where I had been staying in Baron Enixon’s estate.
"The damage seems greater than I thought?"
"Well, it was a siege... but we still managed to take it in a single day."
"That much is expected. It’s not like this tiny barony is a fortress or anything..."
Does she have to belittle me every time she opens her mouth? It felt like my resolve to be kind, just as Vera had suggested, was being chipped away with every word.
"So, what is the reason you insisted I come all the way here? If you’re going to assign me a task, you should handle it well enough so that I don’t have to do it twice. You’d better hope this is actually important, having dragged me all the way here."
Since there wasn't a single soul in my unit who knew how to write, I had to rely on the messenger’s tongue, and it seemed a lot of the context had been lost. I had thought he was sharp for a commoner, but his limitations were clear.
"In the process of conquering the Enixon Barony, we had an unexpected collaborator."
"Unexpected?"
"When we broke through the outer wall and entered the inner keep, someone claiming to be the Lady of Enixon had already subdued the Baron."
"A daughter subdued her own father?"
Her habit of repeating my words as if to pick them apart was incredibly grating.
"No, under the circumstances, she appears to be the Baron’s younger sister. She introduced herself as the Lady. As soon as we entered the inner keep, she was waiting for us as if she knew we were coming, and she handed the Baron over to our side."
"If she’s the Baron’s sister, that would be Jaina Enixon? That ugly old maid calling herself a 'Lady'—it’s laughable. She should have just joined a convent."
Monica sneered coldly. Compared to Monica, the woman was indeed quite unattractive. Even if Monica’s personality was trash, her face was at least pretty.
"So, are you certain this isn't just a case of them cutting off a tail to save the head?"
"I was suspicious of that as well, so I locked her in the dungeon, but this letter she provided as evidence has made things complicated."
"What letter?"
I pulled out the letter, and Monica quickly scanned the contents with her eyes.
"When did you receive this?"
"I received it the day before the battle began."
"No, it says right here that if you attacked the castle, they would respond from the inside."
"I thought it might be a trap."
"But you said they eventually responded from the inside. Then why did you lock her up?"
Ugh, I really didn't want to admit this to Monica.
"I didn't know how to read, so I couldn't verify the contents of the letter."
"So you’re saying you didn't know about the collaborator because you couldn't read this letter? And that’s why you fought such a barbaric, head-on siege?"
"There was no one who knew how to read..."
"Oh, for heaven's sake..."
I had nothing to say when she pointed out my ignorance like that. When I was young, perhaps fearing that I would become a seed of discord in the succession race, I was never given the opportunity to learn. I was only trained to be a knight before being sent off as a son-in-law. After marriage, before my regression, Monica had actively prevented me from learning, and after my regression, I simply hadn't had the time. I had actually planned to learn from Vera once the expedition was over.
"It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. I’ve never heard of a commander nearly causing a disaster because he couldn't read."
That’s because they usually use messengers, so there’s no need to read. I was fuming on the inside, but if there was one thing I’d learned from my marriage, it was that talking back to an annoyed Monica only made things worse. Like the nagging I’d heard a thousand times, it was easier to let it go in one ear and out the other. I’ll learn the damn thing myself, just to spite her.
"No, if you don't know how to read, you should say so. If you had, I could have prepared something, couldn't I, Sir Edward?"
"Knights usually don't know how to read..."
"That’s your opinion. You should report even the trivial things so we can minimize these kinds of problems. Am I the strange one for thinking a noble should at least be able to read?"
Of course she’s strange. How could guys who only want to swing swords and become knights because they hate studying ever learn to read? Some of the worst ones even considered it shameful to be literate, claiming that only cowards like priests learned to read. My thoughts had changed, though.
"Aren't you embarrassed to live as an illiterate? It seems inconvenient, if not embarrassing. What have you been doing all these years?"
Swinging a sword, you witch. Still, I’d bet less than a quarter of the knights out there know how to read. Why? Because that’s the experience I’ve gathered in my own head. Still, she was less harsh than I expected. Maybe it’s because she’s younger and less venomous.
"I don't want to hear that I’m married to an illiterate. Either hide it perfectly forever, or learn to read. Though I doubt you could hide it for long with that brain of yours."
"Anyway, I will leave the disposal of the Lady of Enixon to you, Deputy Lord. It doesn't seem like a matter for a mere knight to decide."
"Fine, move aside."
Monica took my chair. Then, perhaps noticing the bandage wrapped around my left arm, she asked, "Why is your arm like that?"
"I was hit by an arrow during the battle. It’s not a serious wound, but I intended to get it treated as soon as I returned to the county."
"Careless, getting hit by arrows and the like. Your body is not your own, Edward. As long as you have sworn loyalty to me, you getting hurt is no different than my property getting damaged."
"...Yes."
Now I’m being treated as private property. Even if it is a lord-knight relationship, isn't this a bit much? It must be because I’m a knight without my own territory.
"So, return first and get it treated. What if the wound festers and you lose the use of your arm? I don't want to live with a one-armed husband, so leave this barony to me and return to the county first."
"Yes, I understand."
Why does she have so many husbands she doesn't want to live with? Still, for some reason, Monica allowed me to return without her. I had been prepared to be nagged while stuck in the barony for several days, so this was a pleasant surprise. I’ll have to heal my wounded heart and body by seeing Vera.
I quickly slipped out of the office before Monica could change her mind. She seemed to say something behind me, but if it were important, she’d call me back.
Vera had been living in great discomfort lately due to the heat rising from her body. If it were just a fever, it would have passed after a few days, but this was the first time she’d felt such intense heat and vitality, so she couldn't help but be flustered. Even though she increased the simple daily exercises she did for self-care and even went for walks, it wouldn't subside, leading to many nights where she couldn't fall asleep until late.
Tonight was no different.
'How undignified... what is this...'
Her body had been like this ever since Edward started visiting. It was a desperate measure she had devised to appease Edward, who had insisted on marrying Vera herself rather than her daughter. The pretext was that a mother-in-law was helping her troubled son-in-law, but Edward’s trouble was mostly due to his sexual desire.
Vera had no choice but to diligently satisfy Edward’s desires with her own body. Being held firmly from behind, trapped by arms as sturdy as old trees, and having that hot, solid flesh pressed tightly between her thighs...
'How shameful... thinking about this makes it even harder to sleep.'
To her, who had only been taught to view sexual intercourse as a means to safely continue the family line, and only in modest and safe positions befitting her dignity, Edward’s behavior was a total culture shock. It was an act performed solely for pleasure, without the goal of creating a child. It wasn't just intercourse; it was a sexual act, and one using her own body at that.
The semen that should have become life, scattered into the air from between her thighs. Watching that white liquid, Vera felt that her body had changed from its usual state. She touched between her legs with her fingers. The spot that Edward’s member had kept rubbing against as it brushed past. As Vera rubbed the area with her slender fingers, recalling Edward’s movements, her body shuddered and trembled with a thrilling sensation.
Enjoying that strangely tickling feeling, she suddenly startled and pulled herself together.
'I shouldn't do things like this...'
They said that women in their thirties are easily tempted by lust. In times like these, she needed to keep her conduct pure and discipline her mind. To crave pleasure herself just because Edward wasn't there—how obscene and undignified. On a night when sleep wouldn't come, Vera relit her candle and pulled out her Bible to discipline her mind.
For her, whose life had never been smooth since she was young, religion was like a pillar of support for her heart. Even on a night like this, consumed by lust, she believed that if she read the Bible and prayed to God, she could drive it all away.
"Ah."
Vera’s thought collapsed in front of the bookshelf that smelled of dried semen.