The First Night (5)
I removed the ring Vera had originally been wearing from her left ring finger. Then, I retrieved the one I had taken from my pocket. A pair of rings, gleaming with gold. Just as I had inserted my cock into her pussy, I slid my engagement ring onto her finger. Perhaps because I had chosen one as similar as possible to the original, it seemed unlikely that anyone would notice the change from a distance. Unless, of course, they examined it very closely.
Vera smiled, looking delighted as she received my ring. Yes, this was the right choice. I interlaced my right hand with her left, feeling the ring against my skin. I felt a surge of joy, as if I had finally marked her as truly mine. Now, I had to ensure I didn't betray her expectations. I had to make sure she wouldn't be hurt.
“Vera, my love.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not that I’m being petty or jealous, but… may I ask what kind of hurt you suffered from your former husband?”
I needed to know what kind of wounds she carried. I had heard vague rumors before my regression and knew the gist of it, but hearing it directly from her was a different matter entirely. It would have been too unnatural to pretend I knew things I hadn't been told.
“Hmm…”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s alright…”
I held Vera close, cherishing her, then turned us over so she lay on the bed. Feeling the sensation of her breasts pressing against me, filling the space between us, I draped myself over her. Looking at our joined bodies, still connected, I began to move slowly once more. Vera was naturally prone to producing plenty of lubrication, and with my semen from earlier still present, the movement was smooth.
“I really love you…”
“…I love you, too.”
Vera blushed, seemingly shy at such cringeworthy words, yet she answered me faithfully every time. Her appearance was so lovely that I kissed her all over her body. By tomorrow, the marks I left with my lips would bloom like flowers across her skin.
As I made love to her gently, as if to soothe her, she began to stimulate me in return.
“You cock-teasing playboy.”
Smack—
Wait, why are you hitting my chest while talking about my cock?
“This wicked playboy’s cock… I’m going to hold onto it tight with my pussy so it can’t run away.”
“…I’m never going to run away.”
What a cute and lewd thing to say. Even though she trembled slightly, the fact that she said cock and pussy so clearly made it even more erotic. To prove my resolve that I wouldn't run away, I pushed deeper into her. Her softly tightening pussy accepted me completely. I couldn't last long rubbing against that warm, succulent flesh before I ejaculated deep inside her.
“What are you going to do if I get pregnant?”
“We can just reveal everything and raise the child. Should we make them the heir?”
“Oh, you. There’s nothing you won’t say.”
With my cock still inside her, we shared a long, warm kiss. We lay there together, draped over one another, feeling each other’s warmth.
“Ed.”
“Yes?”
“Do you still think I’m pretty?”
“You were always pretty, and you’re pretty now. You’ll still be beautiful ten, twenty years from now.”
That wasn't just empty flattery. I knew for a fact that she would remain a woman of stunning beauty even in the future.
“Th-then that’s a relief…”
After a moment of silence, as if she were contemplating, she continued.
“Actually, my former husband barely paid any attention to me. When I first married into his house, we were intimate often, but as I grew older after giving birth to Monica, he lost interest in me.”
Vera’s wounds seemed to stem from the loneliness of having no one to rely on. Even before the regression, she had shown a much brighter side as she grew closer to me. Of course, the current Vera was a bright person in her own right.
“I would have preferred it if he’d just given me a clear reason, but he just said he didn't like me because I was getting old… I was only in my mid-twenties then. Mid-twenties isn't old, is it?”
“Just hearing that makes me feel upset for you.”
“Hehe, oh my.”
Vera giggled softly at my joke.
“By the way, how old were you when you first married?”
“Since I just remarried today, I’m thirty-three. I gave birth to Monica at fourteen… so I must have married at thirteen, right?”
Lusting after a thirteen-year-old bride, and then losing interest as she matured, calling her old… the former Count Rystein’s tastes seemed incredibly dangerous. Wasn't he just a pedophile? Still, it was hard to say that to her face…
“So, you’ve remarried exactly twenty years later.”
“That’s true. It’s such a coincidence. I married in the summer back then, too.”
As we shared such trivial talk, time passed quickly. I knew much of what she said, but there were quite a few things I was hearing for the first time. It felt good to see Vera opening her heart to me. After we talked, I politely declined when she wanted to make love one more time and left the room. If I stayed any later and someone caught us watching the sunrise together, it would be troublesome.
I returned to my room to sleep. One might ask why we didn't share a bedroom as a married couple, but this was more comfortable. I felt Monica would prefer it this way, too.
Vera, Winnie, and Monica. The three women who could be called the core figures of the Rystein household often had tea together. It was originally a regular event, but lately, they had been busy with various matters, so this was the first tea time they’d had in a long while.
Of course, it was Winnie’s role to prepare the tea, as she dealt with various medicines and herbs. Even after her marriage, she prepared tea brewed with herbs suited for each of them: for her friend and failed unrequited love, Monica, who lived for her work, and for Vera, the Countess of Rystein, the mother of her friend who had sex so thoughtlessly she didn't even seem to worry about pregnancy.
“Viscountess Melbourne, thank you as always.”
“It’s nothing, Lady Rystein.”
“You can call me comfortably, just like when we were young. I’m not really ‘Lady Rystein’ anymore, anyway.”
“Is that so…”
As Monica ascended to the position of Countess and married Edward, the title of ‘Lady Rystein’ had become ambiguous.
“I’ll call you comfortably, too, Winnie. So, what is this tea good for?”
“It’s just to boost your vitality and replenish your energy overall.”
“Hmm~”
Vera sipped the tea, savoring the aroma. Winnie, sitting across from her, took a sip as well to calm her nerves.
‘If she happens to get pregnant, Monica will be devastated…’
The herb she was using in the tea had contraceptive properties. Since Edward’s specialty was finishing inside her whenever he pleased without asking for permission, she needed to ensure post-coital contraception for the sake of Monica and the peace of the entire household. Seeing her friend and her mother having such a friendly conversation, Monica spoke up with dissatisfaction.
“Why don’t you give me any?”
“Because I’ve prepared something else for our Countess.”
“Hmm… what is it?”
“Ta-da!”
Winnie pulled out something black that smelled strange and dropped it into Monica’s cup of hot water. It happened before Monica could react, leaving her with no choice but to stare at the strange-smelling concoction in her favorite cup.
“What is this smell!”
“It’s a mushroom that’s good for a new bride. They say it helps with conception, so just drink it.”
Vera’s eyes seemed to light up at the mention of it being good for conception, but Winnie tried her best to ignore that gaze. She had to make Monica drink this, no matter what.
“Ugh, it’s bitter…”
“Good medicine is always bitter. Your friend went through a lot of trouble to get this, so drink it all quickly.”
At Vera’s urging, Monica squeezed her eyes shut and drank it all. Winnie hoped this would help conceive a child with Monica, aided by the semen she knew Monica was receiving from Edward every day. Monica, face twisted from the bitter taste, said:
“Now that I think about it, I have a question about our nights.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if it’s because I have no experience, but something feels a bit strange.”
“What is it?”
‘Don’t tell me she can feel me touching her body every night?’
“You haven’t even been married. You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”
“Ugh…”
Since she couldn't reveal that she actually had done it, Winnie decided not to correct her friend’s misconception.
“They said that after your first time, your back would hurt so much you couldn't even walk, so why am I perfectly fine?”
“…”
It was a problem Winnie hadn't considered, wanting to protect Monica’s first experience.
“Hmm, that varies from person to person. This mother of yours was walking around just fine the day after her wedding night, too.”
“Even though you did it when you were that young?”
“Of course. It seems my daughter takes after me. That’s a good thing, you know? It’s nice that you don’t have much pain during your monthly cycles, either.”
“Hmm, is that so…”
Vera smoothed things over with a calm, experienced voice, so convincing that even Winnie almost believed it. Monica seemed completely satisfied with Vera’s explanation. Winnie herself would have been convinced, too—had she not seen Vera’s eyelids, closed while savoring the tea, trembling with anxiety.
‘She knew that Edward and Monica hadn't done it.’
Vera was so deeply infatuated with Edward that she would even lie to her own daughter to protect him. Though, considering she was committing adultery in the first place, she was already telling the biggest lie of all. It seemed the kind, warm Vera Rystein that Winnie had known had changed quite a bit.
‘Well, I’m not one to talk.’
