The Carrot and the Stick
“Why are you so indifferent?”
The next day, Monica sought out Winnie, who was still holed up in her house making dolls. Since she wasn't in a state to be seen by Monica, Winnie had shoved the dolls and other clutter into a storage room and greeted her in the parlor. It was the only room in her mansion that was actually kept clean—mostly because it was where Monica stayed whenever she visited.
“You were the one who said the carrot should come after the stick last time. I’m trying to give him a reward, so why is he reacting like that…?”
Well, that’s probably because the man is already helping himself to the reward, Winnie thought.
Monica, who had come to visit her only friend since the morning, was pouring out her worries about Edward. Winnie, while suppressing the jealousy that bubbled up at the fact that Edward still occupied Monica’s thoughts, gathered the gist of the situation: Monica had used the stick on Edward, so it was time for the carrot, and she had decided to give him a reward. Since he had successfully handled the subjugation of the barony and hadn't caused any trouble, she had offered him a prize, but he didn't seem as pleased as she had expected.
“…Isn't it just that you’re too late?”
“I-is that so? Should I have given it to him yesterday? Or right when we saw him at the barony?”
I think he’d be indifferent no matter what you did for him.
Things Winnie had implicitly agreed upon with Edward flashed through her mind, but she couldn't voice them. That man was doing his best to eliminate any room for Monica to develop feelings for him. As long as he was doing his job properly on his end, he couldn't afford to be stupid and miss his chance.
“…What did you say you were going to give him?”
“I didn't specify. I wanted to see some kind of reaction before I gave it to him, but he annoyed me, so I just told him to leave.”
“You must have had something in mind, though.”
“Hmm… money? A bonus?”
“…Well, saving money is good, I suppose… And you said you didn't want to get involved with him anyway. Isn't it better if you don't interfere with each other?”
“I mean, that’s true, but… it’s still annoying.”
When Winnie looked at her with a questioning gaze, as if asking what was so annoying, Monica added, “I don't really want to get involved with him, but it feels like I’m being ignored, and that’s what’s annoying! He doesn't even have a title and came in as a son-in-law!”
Monica took a sip of her tea. “Of course, I don't like having my work interfered with. But I am the liege, and Edward is my vassal. Shouldn't he be showing me absolute loyalty?”
“…Is this really a matter of questioning his loyalty…?”
“No, it’s just not proper etiquette toward one’s liege.”
For a fleeting moment, the thought that a wife trying to control her husband wasn't exactly proper etiquette either crossed Winnie’s mind, but she shook it away. I shouldn't be blinded by such prejudices, Winnie thought—setting aside the fact that trying to control someone else was inherently undesirable.
“…I will always observe proper etiquette, Countess Rystein.”
“No, don't do that. You’re the only friend I can open my heart to.”
Monica pulled Winnie into a tight embrace. Winnie felt her heart racing. The scent of Monica’s hair, like fresh flowers, and the softness of her breasts pressing against her own meager frame. Monica was beautiful enough to be admired even by another woman—no, perhaps even more so because she was a woman.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been moved to tears and melted with happiness at this hug, but today, she gathered a bit more courage.
“…If you hate it that much, you don't have to marry him. Or you could marry a different vassal.”
Monica buried her face in Winnie’s shoulder and stayed still. During that silence, Winnie felt as if her small chest might burst, much like a failed experiment. But contrary to what she had secretly hoped for, the answer that flowed from Monica’s lips was the one she had expected.
“That won't do. Winnie, don't you hate me getting married too much? I’ll still take good care of you even after I’m married.”
Monica laughed and patted Winnie’s bottom. “And marrying another vassal makes even less sense. Edward is at least only six years older; the other vassals are all pot-bellied middle-aged men or wrinkly old geezers.”
What about me? The words rose to her throat, but they were swallowed back down. It would take even more courage to utter the words that would shatter basic common sense—that a woman could marry another woman.
It would have been nice if I’d been born a few hundred years earlier.
They said that in the old days, before the church gained power, same-sex relationships weren't rare. Of course, that was between men, but if men could be together, would people really care if women were together too? Winnie could only resent being born in the wrong era.
“And I need an heir. It’s my mother’s wish to continue the lineage, so shouldn't I at least grant her that? I also refuse to let the family bloodline end with me.”
After that, they chatted about trivial things, and Monica eventually left. In Winnie’s mind, as she had given half-hearted responses, only one thought remained.
Monica and my child…
Winnie flipped through a few books, but eventually gave up on finding it and returned to her doll-making. Even if she could create semen, she would have to succeed in her confession before she could even attempt to use it.
***
“What did you talk about with Monica?”
After being summoned by Monica and returning, Vera asked me that. Still, I had to keep my promise.
“We promised to speak comfortably when we were alone, didn't we?”
“You’re here to study right now. To you, I’m not Vera-nuna, I’m Teacher Vera.”
I was in Vera’s room to study for the first time in a while. For the past few days, under the guise of "inspection," we hadn't studied at all and had only had sex. But since Monica had returned and we couldn't do that, studying was the plan I had come up with to create time for just the two of us. Ugh, my head still hurt just looking at the letters.
“You spoke so comfortably yesterday… why are you insisting on using formal language now?”
“That was because I was out of my mind then…”
“Was our relationship so good that you were out of your mind?”
Vera’s face turned red, and she turned her head away without a word. She seemed to think that the more she spoke, the more she lost. She should have just kept her promise quietly.
“I’m trying to use such elegant words, shouldn't the teacher be the one to set an example by keeping the promise first?”
“Ugh… okay, fine. I mean, okay.”
Vera was even cuter when she was shy about using casual speech. It must be because she was so used to being formal. It felt good, knowing that she didn't seem to be looking down on me, but rather felt comfortable with me.
“So, what did you talk about with Monica…?”
“Just that she said she’d give me a reward for my achievements, so I told her to go ahead.”
“You didn't just tell her to go ahead as you said, did you…?”
“Hey, I wouldn't do that. I’m a knight who knows chivalry.”
I was terrified of what might happen if I acted insolently in front of Monica. Her personality was a bit prickly, after all. Vera looked at me with a skeptical expression at the word "chivalry," but she just let it slide and opened the textbook.
“Now, today… we shall study with the Bible, which we were going to study last time.”
What Vera pulled out was the Bible, the book I had once splattered with white, sticky fluid. She had said she wouldn't use it until she filled in all the contents again, but it seemed she had managed to finish it even amidst the days of being crazed with having sex with me.
“Teacher… doesn't it smell a little bit?”
“No! It doesn't smell like that. Probably… I mean.”
Vera’s voice trailed off. She seemed unsure herself. Even to me, perhaps it was just my imagination, but it did seem to have a funky smell. Vera seemed to notice this, too, and opened a different page than last time. It looked like she was trying to start from the first chapter.
“Since you’ve become a bit more familiar with letters through studying things like memorizing words, from today on, we’ll study by reading the book. The text isn't very difficult, and I’ll help you whenever you get stuck, so don't worry too much. A student as excellent as you, Edward, will be able to read it easily.”
I followed where Vera’s finger pointed with my eyes. But no matter how hard I tried to read, all that entered my vision wasn't the black ink, but Vera’s elegant finger. Thinking I was stuck from the start, Vera began to read for me.
“In the beginning, there was light…”
Her voice rang in my ears like a soothing lullaby. *Zzz…*
“…created… hmm?”
It seemed it was still too much to make Edward read from the beginning. While Vera, having judged as much, read the text as if telling a story, Edward had already fallen asleep. Unlike the face that used to tease her and smile slyly, his sleeping expression looked gentle and young.
I don't think I’ve ever seen him sleeping before.
After we had relations, she was always the one who got exhausted first and fell into a deep sleep. And when she woke up, Edward was always already up for training. He seemed to have stamina that didn't tire like a beast, so to think he’d fall asleep right away just because she made him study.
Is this what it feels like to have a son…
For Vera, who had wanted many children, the son she never had was a sore spot. It wasn't that she felt a lack with Monica, but if Vera herself had given birth to a son, the succession would have been a bit more stable. She had once resented her ex-husband for not having relations with her, but now that much time had passed, the pain had dulled.
Edward’s mouth was slightly open while he slept. *Will he not wake up even if I do this?*
She stealthily inserted her finger into his mouth. Being careful not to touch the inside of his mouth, she inserted her index finger, and Edward’s warm breath touched her hand.
Hehehe, how cute.
She moved her finger in and out, back and forth. It was a prank she often played on Monica when she was dozing off as a child. After Monica grew up to a certain point, there was no one who slept in front of Vera, so it was a prank she hadn't been able to play. How long would he stay asleep? At this rate, it felt like she could do this until the sun went down. Just then, Edward’s mouth suddenly closed.