Love Jenga
A little before Cynthia and Rian arrived at the villa.
“So, Eret. What’s your plan?”
“Huh? For what?”
“You little… You said it yourself. That you’d help me sleep with Cynthia Rebellion. There has to be a concrete strategy, right?”
“Ah~ There’s no special trick~ I’m just going to push straight through with the standard method.”
“The standard method…? You think that’ll be enough to take down Cynthia Rebellion?”
“Think about it the other way around, Russell. If you threw away all sense of decency, could you conquer my sister?”
“Hmm?”
Russell tilted his head, not quite grasping the meaning. He figured that without limits on his methods, he could probably manage it at least once. But Eret clearly didn’t see it that way and immediately scolded him.
“Is the only useful thing you have that dick of yours? If you used your head even a little, you’d figure it out immediately.”
“Figure what out?”
“That if you try any funny business and my sister catches on, your limbs will be ripped clean off.”
Cynthia had received love from countless men, yet not a single one had ever gotten truly close to her. A few had shown interest, but they quickly grew bored and moved on. Until now, she had skillfully avoided every marriage proposal. Rian was the first man she had ever met with the intention of actually marrying.
“Do you have any idea how many dirty tricks men have tried to pull to make her theirs? Arranged meetings, business deals, alcohol, aphrodisiacs, courtship schemes, outright crimes… The truly insane ones even snuck into the grand duchy to try and kidnap her.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. Of course, that bastard ended up with all his limbs torn off and became food for the beasts. There were plenty of other victims. So tell me, do you really think you can conquer a woman like that? Men far more handsome and powerful than you drop to their knees the moment they stand before her.”
“Ugh… Then what about that guy named Rian?”
“…Rian?”
“Yeah. Honestly, his face is passable, but everything else about him seems completely ordinary. Isn’t he also the son of a count, same as me?”
“…That’s the part I don’t understand either.”
Rian Veilburg was an exceedingly ordinary noble. His features were handsome enough, but he had never trained in mana. The information they had suggested he handled work-related duties competently, yet his personality was far too gentle for someone expected to become a ruler. He was the kind of average man you could find anywhere in the empire.
Why did my sister choose Rian Veilburg?
The reason she had selected such an ordinary man. There was no way to know the exact answer, but perhaps it was simpler than it seemed. Because the man she chose was ordinary.
“Anyway, the important thing right now is whether or not you can actually embrace my sister. I’ve come up with a safe plan. If this fails, though, we’re honestly out of options.”
“What’s the plan?”
“First, we’ll set up a drinking party with the two of them.”
Russell’s eyes instinctively flicked toward the table in the living room. The caretaker had prepared the finest food and liquor.
“Get them drunk and wait for an opening?”
“My sister doesn’t get drunk on ordinary alcohol. I’d love to use an aphrodisiac, but the second she notices, we’d both be dead. So that’s off the table.”
“Then what?”
“We start with a game. Ever heard of Love Jenga?”
“Who hasn’t?”
Love Jenga. The game itself wasn’t much different from regular Jenga, but the real distinction lay in the missions written on the blocks. Players pulled out a wooden block and had to complete whatever perverse command was written on it. Naturally, every single mission was shamelessly obscene.
“I brought it because I wanted to try it, but the moment you arrived you jumped me like a wild animal and I never got the chance.”
“What? Why are you blaming me? You were into it too!”
“Was I? That thing is big, but you finish so fast it’s barely satisfying.”
“That’s rich. I distinctly remember you thrashing around in pleasure.”
“Enough pointless chatter. We’re going to play this game and steer the mood between them.”
“…That seems like a stretch.”
Russell’s gaze toward the Jenga tower grew skeptical. Cynthia might be dating someone now, but given her true personality, she would never participate in something so vulgar. High-ranking nobles were strict about morals and etiquette precisely because of their status. Besides, her current lover, Rian Veilburg, seemed far too upright to engage in Love Jenga.
“It’ll work if we split into teams.”
“Teams?”
“You and me on one team. My sister and Rian on the other.”
“Oh… If the skinship is only between partners, she might not resist as much… But how does that help us?”
Their goal was one night between Cynthia and Russell. The setup seemed to prevent Russell from getting close to her at all. Yet Eret simply smiled with a meaningful look and explained.
“When you play Love Jenga, you have to carry out all sorts of commands, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So my sister and Rian will have to do them too. The atmosphere will slowly heat up. We just need to guide that heat in the direction we want.”
“…For example?”
“We’re going to retire one of them. With this.”
“That’s…?”
“Sleeping powder.”
The small envelope contained a fine powder. Russell frowned, looking uneasy.
“Why are you carrying something like that around?”
“To be prepared for situations where it might come in handy, obviously.”
“Don’t people usually call that ‘just in case’?”
“Whatever. Once the mood is perfect, we’ll use this to knock Rian out. Then what do you think will go through my sister’s mind when she’s all worked up and suddenly loses her lover?”
“Uh… Well…”
“I’ll take Rian and slip away at the right moment. After that, it’s all on you.”
It might actually work…?
What had seemed like an impossible quest at first no longer felt entirely out of reach. Humans were creatures easily swept up by atmosphere. When everyone around them said something was fine, they started to believe it. Even when they knew where the line was, the right mood could push them right over it.
If I’m left alone with a woman who just lost her lover while she’s burning hot with desire… If I play the atmosphere right, it might be possible. No. If it’s me, it will be possible.
There was a chance. He had confidence. Cynthia’s case was exceptionally difficult, but plenty of women had fallen for his smooth tongue and ended up in his bed.
In that situation, she might even make the first move. Yes… it’s definitely possible.
“…Alright. What do I need to do?”
“There’s no way I’m doing that. Such a filthy game.”
As expected.
She wasn’t going to agree easily.
Cynthia’s face twisted with clear displeasure the moment Eret brought out the Love Jenga. Her sharp gaze toward the pair suggested they had lightly provoked her temper.
“If you want to play, do it by yourselves. And get out of my sight.”
“There you go again, being so prickly. That attitude is a huge minus when it comes to your brother-in-law, you know?”
“…It is not.”
Her answer was firm, but a flicker of doubt made her glance at Rian. He simply shrugged and turned to Eret.
“I’m not particularly fond of games like this either.”
“Huu—”
“Ehh~? Even you, Rian brother-in-law? You two really don’t know how to have fun.”
While Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief, Eret frowned and began to complain. She suddenly scooted right up to Rian and started pleading with desperate intensity.
“Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, don’t you want to get closer to my sister?”
“Of course I do. I intend to keep getting closer.”
“Then you absolutely have to play this game! Don’t you understand the situation?”
“I don’t.”
“Really? Then take a good look at the person beside you, brother-in-law.”
“?”
Following Eret’s suggestion, Rian turned his head. There sat Cynthia—his fiancée, the most beautiful woman in the world.
“See? She’s fucking gorgeous, right?”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“You should burn this image of her into your memory. That fresh, innocent, virgin-like appearance won’t last much longer.”
“Ah… That’s true…”
Cynthia’s maiden days would soon be over. After all, she was about to become his wife.
“Are you really okay with ending things here? The chance to go all out with a virgin like my sister might only exist right now. You won’t regret it?”
“W-well… maybe…”
“Once you’re married, she’ll be only yours, of course. But right now she’s ‘not yet,’ correct? That ‘woman’ is still someone else. She’s the last ‘female’ you can fully enjoy before the wedding.”
“……”
Heat gradually filled Rian’s eyes as he stared at her. It was an intense, almost oppressive gaze that even his fiancée found difficult to meet. Just as Cynthia was about to speak up, unable to bear the pressure any longer—
“Shall we try it once?”
“W-wait, Rian.”
“If a strange command comes up, we can just refuse, right? Or do we drink strong liquor to pass in those cases?”
“Oh~ You catch on quick, brother-in-law! That’s exactly right. If a command is too hard, just drink and pass~”
Rian’s gaze grew even hotter after hearing Eret’s explanation. With a clear escape route available, he looked at Cynthia with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘This much should be fine, shouldn’t it?’
Cynthia hesitated for a moment, but the increasingly heated look in his eyes finally made her nod. She had zero interest in skinship with others, but with Rian… it didn’t sound so bad.
“Fine… Let’s do it.”
“Nice! Congratulations, brother-in-law!”
“Yeah!”
“Pfft! You’re both adorable.”
“Then~ I’ll explain the rules real quick, okay?”
Eret placed the Jenga tower in the center of the table and gave a brief overview.
“You all know the basics, right? Teams take turns pulling out one wooden block each and completing the mission written on it. If a mission is too difficult, you can drink a glass of liquor to pass~”
“What happens if the tower falls?”
“That’s obviously a win for the opposing team. The losers have to grant one wish to the winners.”
“What? Grant a wish?”
Cynthia glared at Eret, clearly unhappy with the penalty. Eret tilted her head cutely and asked in a sweet voice.
“Yeah. Why?”
“How can you agree to grant a wish when you don’t even know what it’ll be? Are you insane?”
“Is my sister not confident?”
“That’s hilarious. Even if we win, we get nothing out of it. What could I possibly gain from owing you people a wish?”
“Hic! Brother-in-law! Sister keeps using bad words!”
“You—!”
“Um… Let’s all calm down first.”
Rian awkwardly responded to Eret’s cutesy act and soothed both women.
“Since it’s a wish, let’s agree not to make any overly unreasonable requests.”
“Ehh~? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Meaning, any wish must stay within what the other person can actually grant…”
“That kind of vague condition takes all the fun out of it~ The tension and thrill come from knowing you have to grant any wish…”
“Then forget it. We don’t have to play.”
“Sigh. If both of you are going to be like that, I guess there’s no choice. The tension’s gone, but shall we start anyway?”
With a regretful sigh, Eret began the game. She pulled out a block with a bored expression, read the mission written on it, and announced in a dry tone:
“Ai, it’s early in the game so we got something light.”
““!?””
Rian and Cynthia’s minds went completely blank the moment they read the command. Eret and Russell, however, remained perfectly calm. Eret sat on the sofa and began removing her socks. Russell moved in front of her, quietly knelt, and then—
“Slurp… Chulp.”
“Ahaha! That tickles.”
““……””
The sight of Russell sucking on Eret’s foot without the slightest hesitation left the two newcomers frozen. He even slipped his tongue between her toes. Seeing their stunned reaction, Eret simply smiled casually.
“Next, it’s you two’s turn.”