The Transaction
"What? Why are you here?"
"Your mother called for me..."
"*Her?*"
Monica’s head snapped toward Vera. She didn't dare glare at her mother, so there was no sharpness in her gaze, but her tone was icy. "Yes, well, you said Sir Edward was unwell and even postponed the wedding, didn't you? So, I called him over to check if he was actually healthy."
I had to be careful; if she called me "Ed" like she usually did, we might get caught.
"Hmm, is that so? And? Is he healthy?"
"Yes. Aside from his injured arm, he is quite large, healthy, and vigorous..."
"He certainly looks the part. Isn't that arm just an excuse for sympathy?"
"That is the diagnosis provided by Viscountess Melbourne."
"Hmph. I was just joking. You're so dull. I have things to discuss with my mother alone, so you may leave."
"Yes, understood."
I left the room immediately upon being dismissed. Since I didn't want to be around Monica anyway, it was a welcome exit. I was worried because Vera wasn't good at lying, but there was nothing I could do about it by staying. Even if I were right there in front of Monica, I couldn't exactly gag Vera or speak for her.
I just have to hope Vera doesn't get caught...
All I could do was make Vera completely mine so that even if she were found out, she wouldn't be cast aside. Or, I could hope that Winnie, that woman, played her part properly.
Monica clapped her hands, and the maids waiting outside the door set up simple fruits, refreshments, and tea on the table. Monica, uninterested in anything else, picked up a sweet cookie and wore a happy expression.
"I don't know how much I held back from eating these while I was away on the expedition."
"You're not a child, you shouldn't just snack like that. Did you eat a proper meal?"
"No... I'll start eating again from dinner tonight."
"You need to keep up with your meals. If you keep skipping them and just getting by, you'll suffer later."
"It was because of the wedding. I told you, since it's been postponed, I'll eat properly now."
"Fine. But if you were going to eat things like this, you should have brought some for Sir Edward, too."
"Aren't you taking care of him too much, considering he's already your son-in-law?"
"If I don't take care of him, who else in this house will? It would be nice if you were just a little more affectionate, but instead, you pick on him for the strangest reasons. You're at the age to be in the middle of a romance; go and show him some charm or something."
Show charm to Edward? Even though he wasn't a stranger anymore, Monica couldn't imagine herself being affectionate. Why would she feel the need to do such a thing? In the end, all that came out of Monica's mouth was a pathetic excuse.
"If there's someone who treats him kindly, doesn't there need to be someone who treats him strictly to keep the family in balance?"
"Don't say such strange things. A married couple needs to be harmonious to have many children. Being an only child is too precarious."
"W-what are you suddenly talking about?"
"The issue of an heir is a much more important matter than you think, you know? If you're going to have them, it's better to have them sooner."
"I'm only nineteen. And you're telling me to have children already..."
"Yes. I gave birth to you when I was fourteen."
"But I have to do my work as the lord..."
Monica, sensing that a lecture was about to begin, tried to change the subject, but it was no use. The nagging that had built up while they were apart began to pour out, starting with the topic of pregnancy. Monica had no choice but to sit there and listen to a lecture on the necessity of an heir and the proper mindset for it. Unlike Vera, who was born and raised in the royal capital, Monica did not faithfully follow the religion, so the time felt even more like torture.
"...So, as the gods emphasize, you must have many children. Eat only what is good for your body. Look only at good things. Sir Edward is very vigorous, so if you just put in the effort, you will definitely be able to conceive. It's not like you can't work just because you're pregnant."
Vera spoke, recalling Edward's massive member that had been inside her body just moments ago, and his violent, rhythmic waist movements. Monica’s body stiffened with a jolt.
"Sir Edward is vigorous? How do you know that, Mother?"
Vera sensed her mistake in Monica's flustered gaze. But it was still something she could lightly brush off.
"...Knights are all naturally vigorous. They swing swords all day with that physique; wouldn't it be stranger if they weren't? For a man, waist strength is the most important thing. Just looking at him, his waist is so thick, he has to be strong."
She couldn't exactly say that she knew because she had been using him for the past few days. The semen still inside her belly reminded her of waist movements that poked at her own weaknesses, ones even Vera hadn't known she possessed.
"Hmm, i-is that so? I see."
Monica blushed at the slightly embarrassing topic. She wasn't particularly fond of men, but as a woman, she wasn't entirely without sexual interest. Stuffing the remaining cookies into her mouth, Monica said her goodbyes and left Vera’s room.
Was I really that harsh?
Monica thought that if Vera, who always took her side, was going so far as to say that, perhaps her own attitude had been a bit problematic. She recalled how Vera had been covering for and taking care of Edward, even when he wasn't there. The fact that Edward had proposed to Vera crossed her mind, and a certain assumption flashed through her head, but she shook it off immediately, thinking it was absurd.
Maybe it's because I've been reading nothing but strange novels lately.
Having returned today, there was still a lot of work to process. After shaking off the useless thoughts, Monica went to find her friend Winnie, who would help her with her work.
I should ask her for some ointment for bug bites.
Perhaps she had been bitten by mosquitoes because it was summer, but there was a red, swollen patch on Vera’s chest.
The next morning.
I hugged Vera from behind as she was leaving the church and dragged her into a secluded spot beside it. Vera, who had been struggling in surprise, must have caught a glimpse of my face, because she didn't scream and instead obediently surrendered her body to me.
"Y-you really scared me."
"What are you supposed to do when you're the one who called for me, Vera-nuna?"
"How could I not be surprised when someone suddenly grabs me from behind and drags me away! And I said I was going for a walk after a long time; I never told you to come."
This morning, the three of us—Vera, Monica, and I—had eaten together for the first time in a while. But during the meal, Vera had suddenly said, "I think I'll go for a walk today, it's been a while~." Knowing that she had gone for a walk yesterday and the day before, I was baffled, but seeing Vera keep glancing at me after Monica had declined her invitation to join the walk, I realized the purpose of her statement.
"It was written all over your face that you wanted my cock, are you going to lie?"
"T-that I want it! I'm not some lewd woman, there's no way that's true."
I slid my hand into Vera's skirt and grabbed one of her buttocks. I felt the plump, soft flesh of her hip without anything getting in the way. Why was there nothing but her actual butt?
"Did you not wear any underwear underneath?"
"I did wear some."
If she did wear some, what on earth was she wearing? Come to think of it, I had never seen Vera's buttocks with my own eyes. We had only ever done it in positions where we were facing each other. I lifted her skirt to reveal her fair, pale skin and her underwear.
"We're outside... what if someone sees us?"
"Is this even panties? Isn't this just a string?"
A black string, contrasting with her white skin, crossed over Vera's buttocks as if dividing territory. Only the fabric covering her pussy and anus had any width; the string that met it perpendicularly at her waist was, quite literally, a string. It was tied in knots on both sides of her waist, perhaps to tighten it. It seemed to be pulled so tight that it was pressing slightly into her waist flesh.
That string, which went by the name of panties, seemed to have packaged her soft, fleshy mounds with black string just to invite me to touch them to my heart's content. The way it emphasized her butt crack was incredibly lewd.
"Did you wear such lewd underwear because we didn't do it last night?"
"It's not lewd... i-it's just hot because it's summer. I just took out something cool to wear..."
The weather was certainly hot. Even though it was only morning, it felt sultry enough to make me sweat. But what made me heat up more than that was Vera's lewd butt crack. Seeing something like this would make even a dying man's cock come back to life. I didn't want to show this to a dying man, though.
"Hold onto this."
I ordered Vera to hold her skirt so it wouldn't slide down. Vera's buttocks seemed to be seducing me. At that lewd sight, I pulled out my cock, which had gone rock-hard in an instant without any foreplay. As I pushed it between Vera's legs, I felt the damp, wet fabric. Fortunately, it seemed Vera was aroused even without foreplay.
"You wore black underwear so no one would notice you were wet, right?"
"N-no, it's not like that..."
"You're so soaked. Tell me to put my cock in your pussy. If you don't, I'll just rub against you in this position like last time."
"Ugh, how can you say such things..."
She still wouldn't say it herself, then.
"It's a wish. I feel like my cock will get even harder if you do it just once, are you really saying no?"
"It's such a vulgar thing to say..."
She seemed tempted by the idea of my cock getting harder, but she wasn't giving in. Still, I really wanted to hear the words "cock" and "pussy" come out of Vera's mouth.
"You haven't used the wish ticket you got when we were studying last time, have you? Since the marriage with Monica hasn't been canceled yet. Do this instead of that."
"Hmm... are you doing this because I asked? I'm not the kind of woman who says things like this usually."
"I know, I know."
Ahem. Clearing her throat, Vera turned her head away. It seemed she couldn't bring herself to look at my face while saying it.
"Please put your, c-cock, into my place."
"Where did 'pussy' go?"
"Augh..."
Still, this was a passing grade. I thrust forcefully into Vera's soaking wet pussy in a doggy-style position.
"My pussy-yy!!"
Hmm, I was going to go easy on her, but she said it in the end. Did she bite her tongue?