Chapter 116
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Bloodline Dick is Incredible (4)
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“Haa...”
Frustrated, I headed out to the garden a bit early for my regular meeting with Marjan and took a stroll.
I had no idea what the problem was.
When I first saw Melphisa, I figured taming her would be quick work.
And sure enough, things had gone smoothly so far. At this point, I could say she was just about perfectly tamed.
...But
─ Lucia Ursula
─ Vivian Beatrice
─ Reika Calliope
─ Garcia Misha
─ Emma
Melphisa's name still wasn't showing up in the status window.
'Why isn't it updating?'
It pissed me off just as much as when you'd install a game only for some bullshit error to keep it from running.
In just two days, the week I'd promised the princess would be up.
I wanted to minimize my time in the imperial palace, so if possible, I wanted to wrap up her taming by then.
'Let me think this through again.'
I closed my eyes and pondered what set Melphisa apart from the other heroines. One hypothesis popped into my head.
'...Guilt.'
For whatever reason, Melphisa blamed herself for my mother's death.
Because of that, she saw obeying me as only natural.
The system must have clocked it as her following me out of guilt, not because she was tamed.
Or so I figured.
'...Gotta get rid of that guilt first, then.'
The best way to erase guilt was to make her pay a fitting price.
The problem was, her guilt wasn't the kind that'd fade after a few slaps.
'Can't actually have her cut off a finger...'
If she crushed her womb or crippled her limbs like she suggested, the guilt might ease up, but I wasn't about to do anything that insane.
'Gotta be something decent... painful and humiliating enough, but not crossing the line...'
No matter how hard I racked my brain, the stress was making it tough to latch onto anything solid.
“Eugene.”
I turned at the clear, pleasant voice calling my name. There stood Marjan in a pristine white suit, immaculate as ever.
“Sorry I'm late.”
“Nah, it's fine. I just got here early, that's all.”
“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. Thank you for your consideration.”
Marjan flashed a bright smile.
We hadn't talked a ton, but she had this vibe—strict about boundaries, but chill within them.
“What's the message today?”
“Yes, sir. As planned, Lady Lucia will depart first thing tomorrow. She also asked when you plan to leave.”
I rubbed my chin at Marjan's question.
Truth was, I had no clue.
I couldn't head out until Melphisa was conquered, and I didn't know when that'd happen.
“...Not sure yet. Tell Lucia to wait for me at the Creampie Inn in Sankisen Village for a while. If I don't show by the day before the opening ceremony, she should head to the academy ahead of me.”
“Understood. I'll pass that along.”
Marjan bowed, her hair cascading over her neck to reveal a glinting earring.
The sight sparked something in my mind.
'That's it...!'
This could be the perfect punishment.
Painful, humiliating, no real harm to the body, and symbolic of submission to boot.
“...Um... Eugene?”
I snapped out of it to realize my fingers were fiddling with Marjan's earring.
“Oh! Sorry, zoned out there...”
“...N-no, it's fine. Just caught me off guard.”
Marjan placed a hand over her chest and let out a long breath.
“...One thing I'm curious about, though.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“...Is that earring something precious to you?”
I didn't have any earrings, and being cooped up in the palace made it hard to get one anyway.
But Marjan's was just the right size and shape.
If possible, I wanted it.
“No, just something I bought because I liked it. But why do you ask?”
“In that case... sorry, but could you hand it over? I'll pay, of course.”
“Ah, you want this one? It's too late to go out now, so I'll buy one tomorrow.”
“No, I want the one you're wearing.”
The week's promise was right around the corner.
I didn't even have time to wait until tomorrow.
I planned to use it tonight.
“Eek...! Y-you mean the one I'm wearing?”
“Yeah, exactly that one.”
“...A-alright. It's not expensive, so no need to pay.”
“Can't do that. Here.”
Marjan removed the earring and handed it over. I gave her a gold coin in return.
“Hic...! Th-this is too much!”
“It's fine. Worth every bit to me.”
I admired the earring with a satisfied grin.
A bit extravagant, maybe, but the allowance I'd gotten from introducing Dad to those 'local specialties' was fat enough that this wouldn't make a dent.
“W-well, if you insist... I don't even know where to put myself... Th-thank you... Eugene... I'll... I'll be going now...”
“Yeah. Make sure you deliver the message...”
That's when it happened.
“Hmm~♪”
An ominous hum drifted in.
“...!”
Judging by her expression, Marjan had noticed too.
'Damn it.'
I'd picked this garden spot precisely because it was far from Liana's chambers, but she'd come all the way here!
'...Too late to run. Play it off as a coincidence?'
No...
No real reason, but my gut said the princess would sniff out my connection to Lucia the second she saw Marjan.
“Hmhm~♪”
The humming grew closer.
No time to hesitate.
I made my call.
“...Marjan, slap me.”
“Pardon? H-how could I ever lay a hand on you, Eugene?”
“No time to explain. Slap me and bolt.”
“...You mean it?”
“Hurry!”
I hissed, and Marjan squeezed her eyes shut before swinging.
Smack—!
Sorry.
She mouthed an apology, then ran off as ordered.
'Stings.'
Blood filled my mouth—guess she hadn't held back.
“...”
As I rubbed my cheek, I felt an odd gaze from behind.
Golden hair peeked through the trees.
If the princess really wanted to hide, she wouldn't be so sloppy. She was basically announcing her presence.
“...Your Highness.”
“Oops, you caught me~♪”
Liana stuck out her tongue and beamed.
“You saw?”
“Hmm~? What?”
“...You saw.”
“Hahaha! Yeah! I saw! I saw it all!”
She laughed merrily for a moment, then turned dead serious.
“...But even if she's Lucia's direct knight, how dare she lay a hand on an archduke of the empire—no, blood of the Calliopes? She needs punishment, right?”
That's Liana for you.
If I let that slide, she'd definitely punish Marjan.
“It's really fine. My fault.”
“Hmm~. Really...? What'd you do?”
“...Sexual harassment.”
“Ehh?! You harassed her sexually? Thought you weren't into that stuff?”
The princess's eyes went wide as she clapped her hands over her mouth.
“...What do you take me for? I'm a guy too.”
“For a guy, you sure didn't bite when I tempted you.”
Liana cupped her breasts and lifted them.
“...How could I touch Your Highness's sacred form? This time, she was so my type I couldn't hold back... but looking back, it's embarrassing. Still, a slap seems cheap for it, no?”
“Heh, so that's your type... What'd you say to harass her?”
“...”
I'd said sexual harassment but hadn't thought that far ahead, so I clammed up.
Liana narrowed her eyes and spoke coldly.
“Hmm, no good. Hands on an archduke? We'll start by chopping off her wrist...”
“...I asked to see her panties!”
I regretted it the second it left my mouth, but it was the first thing that popped up.
'...You idiot...'
Plenty of other options, and I pick panties?
Blame the knight in my head flashing her panties with a scornful look.
“Pan...ties? Ha...hahahahaha!”
Liana doubled over laughing.
“Pa...panties... right in the heart of the palace! Hahaha! Yeah, you're always good for a laugh, Eugene~♪”
“...Glad it amused Your Highness at least.”
“Yeah, seriously... Days with you are never boring! Oh, by the way, my panties...”
Liana lifted her skirt a tad. I turned away.
“...Your Highness. This is the palace. Please, compose yourself.”
“You're the one asking for panties in the palace without any composure?”
“...”
“And it's my house! Can't relax at home, then where?”
Part of me wanted to argue, but...
She had a point.
“Ufufu! For cheering me up, Eugene, here's a special chance. Guess what I'm wearing...”
“...Not guessing, so no need to say.”
“Hmm, you asked if she was okay taking a slap... but not curious about mine? Fine, I won't tell.”
She shot me a quick glare, puffed her cheeks, then dropped her skirt like she'd given up.
The moment I sighed in relief, Liana closed in and whispered.
“The answer is... nothing at all~♪”