Chapter 10: Saving the Best for Last (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Saving the Best for Last (4)
Around lunchtime the next day, a timely summons arrived.
It was a call from my mother, inviting me to join her for lunch.
Since my father was scheduled for a luncheon with the primary vassals, including my older brother, the only person sitting across from me was my mother.
Slice, slice...
As always, there was no warm, friendly conversation at our family's dining table.
Since this was nothing new, I simply continued slicing my steak as I always did...
Suddenly, I noticed my mother watching me with a meaningful smile.
"Is something the matter, Mother?"
"Hoho, I was just thinking... you really are consistent."
"...?"
"Look at the meat you are cutting."
I didn't think I was at an age where I still needed Table Manners Education.
There was nothing particularly wrong with my plate. I was just cutting the meat and eating it, same as always.
As if she found my confusion amusing, my mother’s voice, still laced with laughter, reached my ears.
"You have always eaten the most delicious food or the best cuts last. It seems that habit hasn't changed a bit."
"Now that you mention it... I suppose that's true."
But doesn't everyone do that?
The most delicious thing tastes best when eaten at the very end. The period of endurance, suppressing the urge to put it in your mouth immediately, makes the moment you finally taste it feel like a revelation.
'...Now that I think about it, it is a bit perverted.'
Come to think of it, the process of conquering Helena felt similar to my eating habits.
Leaving the best part for last, while slowly and meticulously nibbling away at everything around it...
Just when did I develop this kind of temperament and fetish? I was lost in that thought when she spoke again.
"By the way, I heard Helena was injured. A slight ankle sprain, apparently... Was your sparring session with her quite intense?"
"Yes. I feel truly sorry for the teacher, but I didn't want to let go of the momentum I had finally seized."
"I see. But even now that you're an adult, is there still something left for you to learn?"
"Hahaha, is there ever an end to learning? Every day of sparring with my teacher feels fresh and new."
I naturally popped the last piece of steak into my mouth while observing my mother's reaction.
The look in her eyes, the movement of her eyelids, the angle of her lips, her posture... I scrutinized every physical response.
'Hmm... It seems she hasn't heard anything else.'
Lately, I had been increasing the amount of skinship with Helena.
To use the steak in front of me as a metaphor, I had finished the garnish and was now at the point of seriously attacking the meat.
That was why I was watching my mother's reaction so closely, but fortunately, it seemed that what happened with Helena yesterday hadn't reached her ears.
It wasn't that I'd be in trouble for laying a hand on Helena... but for Helena, it wouldn't just be trouble; it would be a literal thunderbolt of divine punishment.
Therefore, I needed to drive the point home more firmly.
"Mother, I have something to say regarding that matter."
"Go ahead."
"I asked the medical officer, and he said that rest is the top priority for treating a sprain. Lady Helena is my teacher, but she is also the final bastion protecting you, Mother. So, how about granting her a three to four-day vacation?"
"A vacation... Hmm."
My mother brought the teacup, which a servant had just brought over, to her lips.
Only after the cup returned to the table did she speak again.
"Now that I think about it, that child has never taken a vacation. She always declined them."
"Is that so... I wonder why?"
"I never bothered to ask. The reason was far too obvious."
"Obvious...?"
The reason is you.
As if saying those words with her eyes, my mother looked at me with another meaningful smile.
'True... I never missed a single day of learning the sword from Helena.'
Damn, just how much does this woman know?
In the worst-case scenario, Helena could be exiled from the territory. All for the crime of a girl from a powerless collateral lineage dreaming a dream far above her station.
Regardless of what the individuals involved thought, if the decision-maker felt that way, it was all over.
But the most frustrating part was... the fact that all I could do was wait for my mother's next words with sweaty palms.
"So, I was actually thinking of giving Helena some rest myself. Even if it was her own choice, don't you think it's a bit much to never take a single day off?"
"You are absolutely right."
"So, you should take it easy as well. It's good to be passionate about learning, but if you overdo it, you'll end up dragging those around you into trouble, just like this time."
"Yes, Mother. I will keep that in mind."
It seemed... fortunately, the worst-case scenario had only played out inside my head.
It looked like Helena would be granted a four-day vacation.
'It's exactly what I wanted... but I can't let my guard down.'
Conversing with my parents felt similar to sparring with Helena.
In the sense that I had to calculate every moment when and where a strike might fly, they were far more difficult opponents than Helena.
Helena's strikes only hurt, but my parents' decisions cut to the bone.
"Oh, have you heard the news?"
"What news are you referring to?"
"I heard the Young Lady of the Bayern Marquisate entered our territory yesterday."
"...Does that mean?"
"Hoho, you're quite cute when you pretend not to know. Are you nervous because you're a man too?"
At times like this, even though they were my parents, I felt a wave of utter disgust.
Especially the way they decided things amongst themselves and then just notified us, without ever asking for my or my brother's opinion.
As expected, to my father and mother, my brother and I weren't children, but merely chess pieces to be placed where needed.
...It couldn't be helped. For now, I had no choice but to move as dictated on their chessboard.
"Hahaha, yes. Actually, I am a bit nervous. The Young Lady of the Bayern Marquisate is famous for being both beautiful and talented."
"Indeed. Furthermore, they came to our territory personally. Never forget that fact."
The Bayern Marquisate was a family with a territory and army of similar scale to ours.
Thus, there was no significant gap in power between the two houses... but regardless, the opponent was a Marquisate.
It was a family with a title clearly one rank higher than a Count.
Furthermore, this hierarchy was an immutable order established not by the parties involved, but by the Emperor and the Imperial Family.
There was no telling what consequences even a slight impoliteness might bring.
"Yes, Mother. I will keep that firmly in mind."
"Good. Actually, I'm not particularly worried about you. You've known your Place and Station since you were a child."
So she was telling me to act according to my station this time as well.
Be an obedient, clever son and make sure the marriage with the Marquisate happens... that was the command.
Then, I had only one thing to say in return.
Fuck off.
"Hahaha. Hearing you say that, Mother, calms my racing heart."
"Oh, is that so? Hohoho. If you're too nervous, things won't go well, so that's a relief."
"Then, when should I visit the Young Lady? Since she is a precious guest who has traveled a long way, I should greet her personally."
"As a matter of fact, she mentioned she would like to meet at tonight's banquet."
"I see. Will the location be the banquet hall inside our castle?"
If possible, I wanted to meet outside the castle.
And... if the other side had any sense, they would think the same.
Where in the world do you have a blind date at the suitor's house?
"When I asked if that would be best, the Young Lady hinted that she felt a bit burdened by it. And understandably so."
"Mmm... I suppose so. She would feel as if not only I, but also Father and Mother were present."
"Hohoho, you certainly know a woman's heart. In that case, you decide on the banquet location yourself and let her know."
"Yes, Mother."
"Then, let's wrap up this luncheon. It was a pleasant meal, Leon."
"It was a pleasant meal for me as well, Mother."
And so, the pleasant luncheon with my mother in the garden came to an end.
Sigh... seriously... I thought I'd be able to just coast through life when I was reborn as a noble...
'Anyway, I need to arrange a banquet location. Fortunately, there are plenty of suitable villas around, so the blind date itself isn't a big deal.'
With those calculations in mind, I walked off in a completely different direction from my mother.
*
As the setting sun dyed the sky crimson.
Rheinstein Castle, the stronghold of the Konstanz family, was more bustling than ever.
Knights and soldiers moved about busily in full armor.
Male servants were preoccupied with brushing the coats and manes of black stallions.
And finally, female servants hurried about with quick, short steps.
The blind date between the Young Lady of the Bayern Marquisate and Leon was not just a matter for the two of them.
"The Young Master is ready! He says he will depart immediately!"
At a servant's shout, the pace of the busy people quickened even more.
Knights lined up beside their horses, and soldiers formed ranks behind the knights.
Finally, as a servant dressed in neat formal attire led Leon's horse forward, the gates of Rheinstein Palace swung wide open.
"Haha, it's not such a big deal, yet everyone's making such a fuss."
The appearance of the protagonist everyone was waiting for, Leon, began with a somewhat lackluster comment.
However, the eyes of the servants watching Leon, dressed in his fine formal attire—especially the female servants—were shining with admiration and dreams.
"Ahhh~ the day has finally come for Young Master Leon..."
"Haa, what will I do once Young Master Leon gets married..."
"What would a mere servant like you do? Don't tell me you like Young Master Leon?"
"To be honest, the Young Master is more my type than the Eldest Young Master. And I can hear you whimpering and calling the Young Master's name under your covers every night, you know?"
"Hey, you! What are you talking about! When did I ever whimper!"
While almost all the women who knew Leon were exchanging laughs.
On the face of one woman watching through a window, Helena, a dark shadow was already falling like the approaching dusk.
'Young Master...'
If the Leon she had watched over since he was a child was going on a blind date, she should rightfully feel proud and fulfilled.
Especially if the partner was a Young Lady from a prestigious family that was no less than the Konstanz family.
That was why there was a look of deep emotion in Helena's eyes as she watched Leon through the window, but...
Grip...
Helena's hand, moving unconsciously, was clutching tightly at her chest.
A sense of regret for which she herself didn't know the reason.
Helena felt as if the man she thought would always be by her side was being taken into the arms of another woman.
Loss, deprivation, jealousy...
Watching Leon outside the window, Helena found herself clenching her fists.
So tightly that her hands and arms trembled.
"..."
Perhaps unable to bear it any longer, Helena turned her head away from the window where Leon was receding into the distance.
She took her eyes off his back as he moved further away.
However, was that not enough to soothe her?
As naturally as if she didn't even realize it, Helena's hand began to retrace Leon's touch.
"Haa..."
As she stroked the nape of her neck where Leon had caressed her, a hot breath escaped Helena's lips.
"Ngh..."
When she traced her collarbone where Leon had touched, a moan unfamiliar even to herself escaped through her lips.
Before she knew it, Helena's hand moved toward her sprained ankle.
The pain, which felt much lighter than yesterday, felt strangely pleasant.
Like footprints left in the snow, Helena still held onto Leon's touch and warmth.
'N-no... this... I shouldn't...'
Helena's hand, which had been stroking her ankle, began to move further up.
As if wishing Leon's hand would touch her there.
The dark flames she had barely managed to soothe were beginning to flicker and rise again.
"Hah..."
I shouldn't. I mustn't cross this line.
I must not harbor such dirty desires for the Young Master.
The Young Master is my disciple. I am the Young Master's teacher.
This feeling, this desire, is an unforgivable sin.
It is a hideous craving that no one would ever condone.
However, no matter how much she whipped herself mentally, Helena's hand was no longer listening to her.
Eventually...
"Ahn...!"
Cover.
Even though there was no one to see and no one to hear, Helena hurriedly covered her own mouth.
What in the world did I just do?
Am I... am I really looking at the Young Master with those kinds of eyes?
Is a teacher harboring lust for her disciple?
The more she questioned herself, the more vivid the sensation between her legs became.
She was becoming more desperately wet.
"Ngh..."
I shouldn't, I really shouldn't.
Even as she thought that, Helena's hand slowly and cautiously moved downward.
The sparks that had been scattering inside her at some point had already become a blaze, heating her from within.
"Kh... ngh..."
She moved her fingers to quench that fire, but a sensation even more intense than before struck her brain like lightning through her spine.
"Ah... ngh... haa... ngh..."
She felt a lingering regret.
A sense of desperation.
No matter how much she caressed, no matter how much she rubbed, no matter how deep she thrust her fingers.
Even as her hand, which had been splashing in the shallows, began to make squelching sounds and churned through the deeper, muddier depths.
Helena's parched thirst only burned more fiercely.
Her deepest part was not soothed at all; instead, it itched even more agonizingly.
"Haa, haa..."
Before long, Helena's fingers rose before her eyes.
The viscous fluid of desire drenched her long, slender fingers.
Even as she frowned at the filthiness of it, Helena... brought her hand down again.
This time, she even pulled open her clothes, using her remaining hand to lewdly comfort herself.
Everything is only difficult the first time.
As the sky where the sun had set grew darker, the darkness that had found Helena's room deepened as well.
"Young Master... ah... Leon..."
Please, fill me.
I have no one but you.
"Haa, haa... no... this isn't enough at all..."
No matter how much she comforted and soothed herself, Helena's thirst only grew drier.
She was only becoming more parched, more inflamed.