Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Late-Night Visitor (1)
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Deep into the night.
Chloe finished her brief late-night snack with Count Julian von Reinhardt and returned to her room.
"What a pathetic room. To think I have to sleep in a place worse than the stables at my estate. Tch."
She irritably snapped her fan shut against the bed.
There were plenty of other high-grade missions she could have taken without coming to this remote backwater. But Count Julian had chosen this place, leaving her no choice but to follow.
"The food was as lousy as you'd expect from the countryside. It wasn't fit for someone of my stature at all!"
The Iterne Marquisate was one of the wealthiest houses, even in the capital. To Chloe, its lady, such rustic fare was utterly distasteful.
The lord here, some fellow named Anton, was nothing more than a minor knight. His manor, where they were staying, was barely better than a commoner's hovel in the capital.
Which made it all the more strange.
Chloe recalled the dinner Anton had prepared for them just a few hours earlier.
Stale bread and watery soup. Gamey roast meat and a handful of dried fruits—that was it. For a frontier village like this, nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet Count Julian hadn't minded at all.
'I've only come to do what's expected of me, and they roll out this kind of welcome. A feast fit for a king. I'll dig in. Thank you, Sir Anton.'
Those weren't empty polite words. Julian had devoured every last bite, as if it were delicious. It was the complete opposite of the man Chloe thought she knew.
'Even in the lecture halls of Istia Hall, he dined on the most lavish spreads. Everyone says he has refined tastes...'
Knowing that, she'd gone all out with the banquet at last year's gathering. Compared to that, tonight's meal from Anton was downright abysmal.
But Count Julian had polished off every scrap—what amounted to dog food by Chloe's standards.
'Delicious. It hasn't been long since winter ended, so fresh food must be scarce. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.'
And afterward, he'd listened intently to Anton's rundown of the territory's woes. That earnest demeanor was impossible if he'd been offended by the meal.
'It wasn't an ordinary monster, but a mana beast. Our territory's forces couldn't handle it. Many have died because of it... The mood here is grim.'
'No need to worry, Sir Anton. With two Golden Wing Squadron members here, we'll take care of it for sure. Can't leave empty-handed after such a meal.'
'Really? As expected of Count Julian, heir to the hero Wilhelm—no, you're a hero yourself! So reliable!'
Chloe had just sat there beside them, listening to the exchange in utter disbelief.
She couldn't fathom the count's principles. Last year, he'd been such a wastrel. What was that act in front of Anton?
'Is he seriously trying to emulate Border Count Wilhelm now, of all times?'
If you named the living heroes of this era, the great Border Count topped the list without question.
The sole ruler of Essenmont, where tempers ran as wild as the land. A battle-hardened veteran who'd expanded his domain against the eternal permafrost gates.
He was also the grand master who'd saved the empire in the Great War twenty years ago. Lionheart Wilhelm's fame was no empty legend.
Moreover, he governed Essenmont with the lowest taxes and highest security, earning him prestige as a lord. Even the commoners revered him sincerely for his approachable ways.
By contrast, last year's Julian had been the polar opposite—a total bastard.
'No wonder the central politics and noble council breathed easy.'
Hero of the age, Wilhelm. He'd risen beyond Border Count to grand duke, wielding immense influence in the empire.
Even a coalition of high nobles couldn't check his renown.
So right before Julian entered Pantheon last year, some high nobles and imperial royals had whispered plans to curb the Border Count's power.
Of course, it was all hush-hush. But Chloe had pieced it together from her father, Marquis Iterne's, movements.
After Julian's enrollment in Pantheon, though, everything changed.
The Border Count's sole heir turned out to be an utter wastrel beyond imagination. His scandals spread even to the capital.
'That's why the high nobles relaxed.'
Wilhelm Border Count's prestige was overwhelming. The seat of his heir was no easy inheritance—it was a poisoned chalice, heavy beyond measure.
With an heir like Julian, the Border County was doomed to decline.
'But that narrative could shift. If the count isn't really a wastrel.'
On the way here, he'd lectured her nonstop about a noble's duties and etiquette.
And in front of a pipsqueak like Anton, he'd shown a generosity and courtesy unlike other high nobles.
That demeanor unmistakably echoed the world-renowned Border Count Wilhelm.
'What if last year's antics were deliberate?'
Thanks to the count's wastrel reputation, scrutiny on Essenmont had eased considerably.
Always facing the eternal permafrost, and with such a heir, no one saw the need to press a territory already waning.
And this year, circumstances had shifted. Mana beast sightings were rising across imperial lands, leading to the imperial summons planned for this fall.
In this atmosphere, reigniting last year's anti-Wilhelm sentiments was tough.
Just when pressure had peaked, the count's timely foolery had defused the crisis.
'If this was all his scheme, I need to bump his rating to the top tier.'
After term started, Julian von Reinhardt had become a different person. Having weathered the Border County's crisis, no need to play wastrel anymore—if Chloe's theory held.
Anyway, if he was that cunning and sharp, she wanted him. If the rival was Princess Lillia, she was confident she could steal him away.
Of course, it might all be her delusion, so verification was needed. But right now, priority one: revenge.
'No matter what kind of man he is, I've endured too many humiliations. I can't let it slide. Who do you think I am?'
So Chloe planned a small payback.
During their post-dinner snack, she'd slipped a special sleeping potion of her own making into his portion.
Of course, nothing lethal since they'd tackle the mission together tomorrow. Just a sedative.
But she'd dosed it enough to keep him out while she worked—no more, no less. As its creator, she trusted its efficacy.
'Time to move.'
A petty revenge, really. She planned to stage a wet dream for him come morning.
"Today he went on and on about nobles this, heroes that, strutting like he owned the place."
But if word got out he was some pathetic guy jerking off in his sleep, he'd be too ashamed to face her during tomorrow's mission.
'Tomorrow morning, I'll burst in with the manor folk and catch him in the act.'
If he turned out as decent as she suspected, the embarrassment would hit even harder. That'd square things for today's slights.
The potion should be kicking in now. Praying it wouldn't fail like last time.
Chloe slipped quietly from her room and into the count's.
It was about time for Chloe to show up.
An hour ago, she'd popped in out of the blue, suggesting a snack. After all the barbs I'd thrown today, she even flashed an overly bright, friendly smile.
Sure enough, after sharing her wine and snack, the alert popped up.
A sleeping pill, huh. After all the humiliation she's taken from me lately, was she planning to off me in my sleep?
'Nah, probably not. If assassination was the goal, tomorrow during the mana beast hunt would've been better.'
And for that, a fast-acting poison beats a sedative. Whatever her scheme, it was clear she had one.
So I'd pretended to sleep, waiting for her arrival. Finally, the door creaked open cautiously.
Eyes closed, but her distinctive scent gave her away instantly. Chloe's breathing drew near.
Probably checking if I was out. Once satisfied, she got to work. She carefully lifted the blanket off me.
Then she slid off my pants and slipped her hand into my underwear.
'Has this woman lost her mind? What the hell is she doing?'
Her hand in my underwear gently caressed my sleeping tyrant. The nighttime beast slumbered quietly in its den.
But her inexplicable handjob roused it from slumber, head rearing up. No surprise, given my impressive stamina.
Once erect, Chloe gripped the shaft with both hands and started pumping vigorously.
I cracked an eye to observe.
Doesn't look drugged wrong or hallucinating. If anything, her face burned with venomous determination. Dead set on making me cum.
Thinking calmly, I pieced together her intent.
'She's trying to force a wet dream.'
Strictly speaking, not a dream-induced emission, so not a true wet dream. But if I came like this, and she showed the stained underwear tomorrow, she'd call it one.
Using that to humiliate me. Probably barge in come morning with some excuse and "discover" it.
'She must be pissed.'
Fair enough—I'd roasted her all day. But staging a handjob wet dream as revenge? Hardly befitting the fearsome villainess Chloe.
Or maybe it was. After my lecture on proper nobility, this struck at noble pride without much risk. If I woke, she could always play it off.
'But she picked the wrong target.'
No intention of playing along. With my stamina stat at 60, her amateur efforts wouldn't coax out a drop before dawn.
I watched her handiwork leisurely.
'This insane prince dick! Why won't it come out?!'
Thankfully, the count was asleep. Chloe hurried to execute her plan. She started jerking him off.
But the real issue was elsewhere. No matter how hard she pumped, there was no sign of climax.
'Damn it. If hands won't do, time for something else.'
It was vigorous work. Yet he stayed asleep—proof the sedative was holding.
So she yanked down his underwear and used her mouth and breasts to stimulate him desperately.
Still nothing.
'Even this doesn't work? Why?!'
Handjob, paizuri, fellatio—she threw everything at it. His cock remained unmoved. Not the sedative; otherwise, no erection.
And precum welled endlessly at the tip. So ejaculation should be possible...
Chloe's mind reeled. Or rather, spun dizzily.
At first, the handjob was fine. But actively tasting him with her mouth ignited something in her.
"Hoo... Hngh... Hee..."
Watching his massive rod thrash between her breasts only made it worse.
'And... between my legs feels weird...'
Riding horseback over rough terrain today had chafed her intimately. More sensitive than usual.
Time dragged on.
"Hnght... Hnngh... Hnght..."
Chloe blanked out briefly without realizing. Snapping back, she saw her shameful state.
One hand and her mouth worked his cock furiously; the other rubbed her clit relentlessly.
'Am I crazy? Why am I doing this?'
But spite and some inexplicable urge blanked her mind again.
'Hnnngh... Can't... give up... Make him cum somehow... And shove the count's... lovely beast... in me...'
In the end, Chloe stripped off her panties and straddled him.