Pandemonium - 2
It was strange. This was clearly a rest area—a space meant for taking a brief pause during the coming-of-age ceremony to recover one’s physical strength and mental clarity. And yet….
“......”
“......”
“......”
Three women were exchanging cold, piercing glances.
A sudden confession? Irina, who had proposed just moments ago, seemed to notice the other two women belatedly. The three of them now sat in a triangular formation with me at the center.
Whiiiish—!
A chill wind blew through the room that should have been structurally warm.
“Cough! Cough!”
The suffocating atmosphere dried out my throat, forcing an awkward cough from me. Reactions came instantly.
“Are you all right, Leo? Here, drink this slowly. It’s a medicinal tea I prepared. It should be good for your body.”
“Ah, thank y—”
“Lord Leoric! Now that I think about it, I still haven’t given you my gift! I left the other presents in the warehouse, but I brought this one personally. It’s a special elixir from our Boran family! I’m certain it will benefit you!”
“Uh, yeah. I’m not great with bitter things, but I’ll try to—”
“Leoric Franz. The flow of magic power within your body is complex. Since you are currently undergoing a transformation, the burden appears greater than usual. I will guide the flow to ease that strain as much as possible.”
“…Th-thank you, Princess.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
Somebody save me.
Even though she saw Leoric Franz’s troubled expression, Amelia Bachnia could not retreat now. She had to seize the initiative.
A foreign territory… Of course she possessed some knowledge of Franz, but it was limited to the current head of the family, Avon Franz, and his heir, Aidan Franz. Moreover, the distance between the West and South had never been something a princess like her needed to concern herself with.
Still, in this short span of time, Amelia had begun gathering information through those around her. She asked straightforward questions when possible and used indirect, cleverly worded inquiries when necessary to grasp the current state of Franz, Leoric, and the southern region that revolved around them.
Especially now, with so many nobles gathered for the coming-of-age ceremony, she had managed to infer a great deal from mere snippets of conversation.
The second son of Franz who almost never participated in external activities. The reason for his seclusion was said to be that, despite carrying Franz blood, he possessed little magic power. There were vicious rumors claiming he suffered from a hereditary disease so grotesque that even magic could scarcely heal it.
Of course, favorable rumors existed as well. The businesses Leoric Franz had touched were quite famous. Literature, art, music—though most of it amounted to him merely planting hints and delegating the actual work to subordinates—the truth was that the arts in the southern region had advanced dramatically in recent years….
The crucial point was that the man she had met for the first time, Leoric Franz, was genuine talent.
He himself showed signs of disliking external activities just as the rumors suggested, yet he never neglected the responsibilities and duties placed upon him. And then there was the matter of the Muller Territory. Simply being there for a short while had revealed how thoroughly it was destabilizing the political landscape of the South. Would acquiring only the Muller Territory truly be the end of it?
Amelia Bachnia thought with cold, calculating precision. If she could secure land near Muller, it would create an excellent trading partner for Bachn. Even if she failed to become queen, this connection could prove useful for years to come.
In other words, she needed to stake her claim right now.
Golden hair and golden eyes that held both mystery and splendor. The magic power within his body already far exceeded what should be possible for a Count-level bloodline. Both in quantity and quality, it was reaching toward Marquis rank. Within that power, she could faintly sense not only the Franz family’s unique ability but the first subtle traces of a characteristic that belonged solely to him.
His personality… was also to her liking.
Amelia Bachnia gazed at the man before her. It wasn’t as if she had felt no anxiety. To suddenly lose consciousness and awaken in an unfamiliar land—yet she had remained composed out of a royal sense of duty and the obligation to protect her bloodline. She had intended to carry out her responsibilities as royalty until the very end, but he had shown her consideration.
The gift he had given her, using the coming-of-age ceremony as an excuse. She understood the weight that came with royal connections, yet what he had offered her went somewhat beyond mere courtesy.
Especially…
‘After noticing my anxiety, he began spending more time with me…’
Trivial conversations. Watching plays together at the nearby theater, sipping tea and chatting. The way his gestures, his gaze, and his tone all showed consideration for her. She could feel that it was directed at her as Amelia, not at the background of royalty.
She could feel her heartbeat echoing in her chest.
…She did not want to lose him.
This emotion was entirely new to her.
With that thought, Amelia shifted her gaze. The two women present besides him—Leoric Franz’s sister-in-law, Grace Hamilion, and the other ruler of the southern region, said to stand on equal footing with the Franz Count family: Irina Boran of the Boran Count family.
That these two women shared an unusual relationship with him was something she had discerned not only from gathered information but from pure feminine intuition.
The most dangerous of them was…
Irina Boran.
Blue hair and blue eyes that evoked the sea, yet what Amelia sensed from her was the freedom of the open sky. Her bloodline was at minimum Count-level as well. Most important of all—
‘They are practically engaged!’
It was not an official arrangement, yet it was famous enough that most of the maids knew of it. Considering that nearly all of Leoric Franz’s rare external activities involved her, the rumor carried considerable weight.
Moreover, the two families that dominated the southern region. A long-lasting alliance was never a bad thing. As for the Muller Territory he would soon obtain, although she had been unable to gather detailed information, the earlier conversation had made it clear that it essentially involved joint rule between the two… or at least some deep connection to Irina Boran.
It was good that he would rule Muller, but the thought of her being there…
Amelia Bachnia refused to lower her guard. Knowing her current position was the most precarious, she steeled herself to act immediately.
This is dangerous. Extremely dangerous!
Irina Boran maintained a confident smile and perfect poker face while observing the two women before her.
She already knew about them. The Bachn Kingdom’s princess, Amelia Bachnia, who had suddenly appeared in Franz territory one day. And Grace Hamilion—Leoric Franz’s sister-in-law, the woman who had taken his virginity.
Ugh!
Virginity. Of all things—virginity?
Lord Leoric was a virgin?!
“……!”
“Uh, yes?”
Leoric looked visibly flustered by Irina’s sudden glare.
From his consistently considerate and gentle attitude toward women, Irina had already deduced that his approach to sexual matters differed from the rest of the Franz family. Her father, William Boran, had discreetly informed her of this as well.
Therefore, she had assumed he had long since lost his virginity. While it wasn’t something she could completely ignore, she had mentally prepared herself for it.
But…
I’m still a maiden…!
Of course she wouldn’t blame him for it, but it still felt unfair! Irina genuinely believed so.
It wasn’t that she desperately wanted to lose her virginity or that another man existed. Still, if she was going to experience it, she had wanted her first time to be with her first love. Wouldn’t it have been romantic for both of them to lose their virginity and innocence together?
Moreover, the identity of the person who had taken that first experience was the problem.
Grace Hamilion!
Aidan Franz’s wife and the future mistress of the Count family. The sister-in-law of the Leoric Franz she loved.
Aidan Franz did participate in external activities, and since Boran territory hosted various gatherings, she had seen him in passing before. In fact, she had even attended their wedding. At the time she had sincerely offered her blessings upon their beautiful union, but…
To think she would devour the virginity of the man Irina loved!
Vixen! She’s a total vixen! A fox through and through!
Whether the animal representing the Hamilion family was truly a fox, Irina didn’t know. But in her eyes, every one of Grace’s actions now looked like sly fox tricks.
It was the same even now!
She’s sitting so close—kyaa! What is that hand doing?!
Even at this moment, sitting right beside him, their arms naturally intertwined, her breasts pressing against him, her hand resting on his thigh while her fingers twitched and stroked it. Irina knew it was for magic treatment utilizing the Hamilion family’s special traits, but that level of skinship was still…
They’re sister-in-law and brother-in-law! This is adultery, plain adultery!
Even among noble families, relationships could not always be so sticky, dirty, and obscene. Moreover, the Franz family was a true martial house known for converting every sexual instinct into either fighting spirit or honor.
When Irina had first heard that someone from such a family was having sex in his brother’s place to produce an heir, her head had spun and she nearly fainted. Even now, remembering it made heat rise in her chest.
She had known from the first time she saw them that their relationship was not merely physical.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Even now, Grace looked like a refined noblewoman nursing her sick husband, and it made Irina’s teeth grind together. She glared at Grace while reinforcing her clenched jaw with magic power.
In Grace Hamilion’s eyes, there was clear affection. And in the way Leoric Franz looked at her, Irina could see a different kind of love than when he looked at herself.
I can’t just trust Father and remain passive any longer…!
It seemed he had some kind of plan, but she could no longer stay still. She had to strike first! This was an attack—an all-out attack!
Irina Boran’s eyes sparkled as she solidified her resolve.
Grace Hamilion closed her eyes and regulated her breathing against the momentum radiating from the two women. The important thing here was deciding what to gain and what to relinquish. The time had come to make that choice.
…The most dangerous person present was—
Grace’s sharp eyes flicked across the woman before her.
Amelia Bachnia. Royalty of Bachn. The princess who had appeared so suddenly.
She needed to keep this girl in check.