Uriel Wayne Daina Alfred – "Do I... Not Need to Prepare for the Lecture?"
Was it not just a simple rain, but the early arrival of the summer monsoon? Staring at the relentless downpour outside the window, Euphemia asked cautiously.
In response, Ferzen lifted his head and gazed at her silently before bringing his teacup to his lips instead of answering.
Gerard, the son of Count Aslan, was conversing with Uriel.
At that point, there was no need to deduce what he might be grateful for.
It was undoubtedly the tacitly advancing marriage between Uriel and him.
The old monster of the Alfred family likely intended to further solidify ties with Count Aslan, who would eventually produce an imperial consort as insurance.
In truth, if Count Aslan weren't the head of the north—or more precisely, if it weren't for the condition Jeremiah had offered His Majesty the Emperor to protect him—Ferzen couldn't care less.
"Euphemia."
After a long silence, Ferzen broached the subject obliquely.
Euphemia flinched and lowered her eyes slightly.
"I... don't really like this kind of atmosphere..."
Whenever he assumed that weighty demeanor and broke the silence to speak, it only brought back bad memories for Euphemia, so she fidgeted with her hands, her expression gloomy.
"It's just... a simple question."
"What kind of question...?"
"If I take a concubine... would you be sad?"
"...?"
Euphemia unwittingly made a bewildered face.
But Ferzen's expression was so serious that it didn't seem like a joke.
"I... from the beginning, thought you might take a concubine someday. You were the one who said the blood flowing in my veins was lowly. Asking about this now... I don't quite understand..."
"The one who will inherit Ruerg's line is your son."
At those words, Euphemia cradled her belly.
"What if this child... is a daughter, not a son...?"
Her expression was so transparently readable that Ferzen approached with a faint smile.
He kissed her cheek, gently stroked her belly where the fetus was growing, and whispered softly.
"I'll keep impregnating you until you bear a son. Don't worry. No matter how many daughters come in the process, I won't neglect them."
Thanks to the intermingling of Lee Seojin's ego, the current Ferzen had no particular preference for his children's gender.
"If you don't believe me, I'll say it again. Euphemia... I'll impregnate you until you bear a son. And that child will be the sole heir to continue Ruerg's line."
Unsure whether to be pleased or displeased by those ambiguous words, Euphemia looked at Ferzen awkwardly.
"You know..."
"Yes."
"Why... did you marry me...?"
Having been quietly confined until now, Euphemia wanted to gradually learn about her new cage, which had become a haven, and its master, Ferzen.
"..."
"The nominal countess title... isn't necessary for you..."
"Euphemia."
"Yes..."
"I'll tell you the answer to that question after you give birth safely."
She had expected him to say she didn't need to know, or brush it off like that...
"The concubine... is because of the matter your brother-in-law raised?"
"Yes."
"But whether Ruerg can become the head of the north..."
"It's possible. What you're worried about is that even if we seize the position, we might not hold it through the generations."
Ruerg was fundamentally the worst territory, incapable of self-sustenance.
But...
"If the First Imperial Prince becomes crown prince, I'll present him with one condition. It aligns with the current northern situation anyway, so I doubt there'll be much opposition."
"..."
"If I hold this card and successfully realize it, the position of head won't crumble even through the generations."
The north fundamentally received much lower tax rates compared to other territories.
In fact, some territories even handled proxy businesses for other lords because of it.
Thus, Ferzen planned to legally establish such a place in the north and receive full authority over it.
With the connection to Brutein already in place, possessing this advantage would make collapse unlikely under normal circumstances.
"So... you don't need to worry unnecessarily."
With a low voice that seemed to soothe her mind, Ferzen gently straightened her bangs, laid her down on the sofa, and pulled her seamlessly into his embrace.
He softly stroked the back of her head, the affection etched there still feeling awkward and unfamiliar.
He said he'd tell her after she safely gave birth, but Euphemia was immensely curious about the motive behind this affection.
Love? She wasn't sure.
Even if it was twisted, those who believed it was love would whisper that they loved her...
But Ferzen had never once said such words to her.
Shooooaaa...
The rain continued to pour.
Mingled with it were their breathing sounds.
"..."
"..."
The lingering silence no longer felt uncomfortable.
Wriggling slightly, Euphemia buried her face deeper into Ferzen's firm chest.
His signature luxurious cologne scent, faintly laced with tobacco, wafted into her nose.
"Quit... smoking..."
"..."
"It's... bad for the baby..."
Lifting her head slightly, Euphemia rubbed her face against his nape and chided him in a soft, nagging voice.
"Alright..."
Hearing her cute admonition, Ferzen smiled faintly and brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear.
"I'll quit."
The short but happy time continued modestly.
After the long hiatus, the resumed lecture began with detailed notice about the final exams in June.
"The groups will consist of two teams of five and one of four. Personnel assignments will be announced in early June, and no objections will be entertained regarding this matter."
Since the exam was cooperative, announcing early might allow coordination, but that defeated the purpose.
The test was entirely under autonomous control.
Under autonomous control, the black mage's will didn't directly control the corpse.
It only moved freely within the implementation rate, reflecting pre-death habits or behaviors in the given situation.
"Mana usage will be equal for each: exactly 15%."
Excluding factors like comprehension, familiarity—proficiency and lineage—for a Keter-rank black mage, 1% mana consumption yielded 2-3% implementation on an average corpse.
Thus, with 30-40% implementation fixed, performance would depend on feedback received from the assigned corpse.
"..."
Silence fell as he finished speaking.
Naturally so—for those not designated heirs or engaged to prestigious families, academy exam scores were a lifeline guaranteeing their future, so tension was warranted.
These scores accumulated over three years and were officially used in interviews for imperial knights or mage corps.
In short, aside from family prestige, the sole objective proof of one's worth outside.
"Then... let us begin the lecture."
Approaching the blackboard, rolling up his sleeves, Ferzen took the chalk.
11 a.m.
Finishing the lecture, Ferzen watched Lizzy wheel away hastily without meeting his eyes throughout class, then strode toward Laura.
"Wh-why... are you d-doing th-this?"
Blinking her distinctive crimson eyes, Laura looked up at Ferzen blocking her path.
Though it had been a while since they faced each other, his overbearing aura was still hard to get used to.
Once all students had left and they were alone, Ferzen looked down at her and spoke.
"Laura."
"Y-yes..."
"On June 4th, I can look after you. But for the three-month vacation after, I cannot."
"..."
"I originally planned to go to Rosenberg for rest, but now it's Ruerg... What will you do?"
During academy terms, it was fine, but keeping her for the entire vacation required pretext—better from Laura herself than him, to avoid rumors.
"Th-that's... d-don't w-worry... ab-about..."
"Laura."
"..."
"I'm not worried. But if the lie you spit out to stay by my side for three months can't be brushed off as a professor-student relationship... I'll have to bring up your ties to the Genova count family to clean it up."
Folding his arms and leaning casually against the podium, Ferzen continued.
"You're a smart girl. You've prepared. I never hinted at going to Rosenberg for vacation. So... let's hear your plan."
"Ah..."
At his words, Laura hesitated.
She desperately wanted to evade, but Ferzen approached closely, gripped her pale chin, and lifted it.
Leaning her hips obliquely against the desk behind, Laura rolled her eyes sideways and spoke.
"Th-that I... l-l-love the p-professor..."
"..."
"I... t-t-told them... fr-from that d-day..."
"That you love me."
"Y-yes..."
"That's... a bit problematic."
"P-pardon?"
Laura looked puzzled.
If it was one-sided love, wouldn't cleanup be simple? No damage to him from jealousy-driven oversteps, neatly resolved later.
"Will the day come when you suppress your lycanthropy without my help? When that lie overheats... even if I clean it up, how would we meet again?"
"..."
"Thinking about it, sending that blessed piano to Rosenberg might've looked like a trousseau."
"..."
"Your parents might think not just your one-sided affection, but that I like you too... and you've kept it hidden until now."
"Th-that's..."
Laura swallowed hard.
As he said, she wasn't sure about her father, but her mother seemed to think that way.
"You have a bolder side than you appear."
"N-no, that's n-not..."
His hand on her chin slid to her nape, gently tracing her collarbone.
Her snow-white body, untouched by any man... trembled and shrank at the unfamiliar sensation.
"Laura."
"Y-yes..."
"I'll play along for now, but gradually steer it in another direction over time. Cleanup might not go as smoothly as you think. In the worst case, to resolve it without mentioning the Genova count family... you'd have no choice but to become my concubine."
At those words, Laura made a bewildered face.
Ferzen was 24; adding her past life, he seemed young to her. Becoming his wife stirred considerable reluctance, so she hadn't intended that even without his words.
Originally, before pretext for meetings, she'd offered that affection as payment for her father's smooth cooperation whenever Ferzen desired.
Of course, now the situation was ambiguous, as Laura well knew.
She hadn't anticipated her mother's favorable reaction.
"Y-yes... I'll... d-do th-that..."
Thus, Laura replied in a small voice, extending both hands to push away the closely pressed Ferzen.
But his firm chest wouldn't budge.
Muscular, uncharacteristic for a black mage.
"You say you understand, but this now... is it temptation?"
"N-no..."
Just struggling to push, but to Ferzen, her fumbling seemed flirtatious; spitting distorted intent, Laura flushed.
"Then, we'll meet there on June 4th."
"Y-yes..."
Ferzen quietly left the lecture hall.
Alone afterward, Laura caught her ragged breath.
With summer in full swing, she'd worn long sleeves against the harsh sun, but now in the rain, she'd donned a short dress for the first time in ages...
It was hot.
Sure enough, lightly tugging the hem revealed sweat beading between her modest cleavage, glistening like dew on her pink nipples.
Sniff sniff...
"..."
Moreover, with the humidity, a faint sweaty scent emanated, making Laura crave a shower immediately.
Unaware, but... before Ferzen, her body had been quite tense.
Feeling somewhat pathetic, Laura sighed.