By Zephyria I visited Marquis Murray’s mansion.
Conversations that I felt I shouldn’t be privy to, including stories about divine objects from various countries, were casually exchanged over the dining table and tea table. There were all sorts of stories, but the most impressive was the hand signal a servant who attended the young prince and princess at the Marquis Murray household subtly revealed to our party, unbeknownst to the children.
Surprisingly, it was almost identical to the hand signal Ivan had shown Windy when he first arrived in Yulan. The only difference was that it was shown under the table, not beside the cheek…
The nobility of the Sierran Empire consisted of five ranks: Duke, Marquess, Count, Viscount, and Baron. And my mother, though she held a Single Ascent Title, also possessed a baronetcy. My mother was a researcher who enjoyed reading philosophical texts, and a certain thesis she published in her youth helped the country, earning her a Single Ascent Title as a reward…
And I had never, in my entire life, seen my mother associate with suspicious people like Ivan.
Could Ivan be a former informant from the Department of Noble Lineage Management after all?
But if that were the case, why would he need to hide it from me?
No, well. If he’s a national informant, does he have to deceive his family too? It’s just the two of us, me and Ivan, not like we have kids, so why hide it from me?
Then again, what if knowing suddenly puts me or him in danger… If it could be dangerous, perhaps it’s better not to know… It feels both disappointing and not disappointing… Ivan is usually so expressionless, so an informant… it seems to fit him…
What would happen to me if the power struggles between the princes began, as Ivan mentioned before? Haven’t I become like a goblin caught in an ogre’s fight for no reason? Was Eldos really a sufficiently sized trading company for Ivan to pursue his dreams? Weren’t there other reasons why Ivan specifically chose a trading company he desperately needed…
The banquet to meet the princess and prince of Yulan was, of course, prepared by Ivan.
I just followed Ivan around, offering suggestions like, “This tablecloth would be better,” or “This wine glass is sufficient,” or “Since this is a secret meeting for a small group, prepare only ten servings for the meal and bring them promptly.”
Should I ask him? No, what if I get caught up in something strange just by asking?
But is there anything stranger than what’s happening now?
It was fine when I was busy moving around, but after the banquet I had been preparing was canceled, and Mikael and the Prince disappeared from my sight using our names, my insides were in quite a turmoil. They told me not to be seen by anyone while they borrowed our names, so Ivan and I locked ourselves in a luxurious, windowless room.
As I sat alone, lost in thought, a white hand slipped under my shirt.
“⋯What, what is it?”
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
Still, Ivan wasn’t that scatterbrained. In this room, with people from the Department of Noble Lineage Management coming and going outside the door, would he really do something? As expected, Ivan only gently rubbed my lower abdomen and didn’t delve any deeper. I grabbed his wrist, stopped him, and shook my head.
“No, I’m not thinking anything…”
“It’s not nothing. What’s so serious?”
“Well.”
But, what if Ivan is an informant for the Department of Noble Lineage? ⋯What changes?
We still slept together once a week. Ivan would try to kiss me every time our eyes met, and if I looked sad, he would tickle my sides like he was doing now to make me laugh. Each time, Ivan seemed very happy and joyful. Even if his expressions didn’t change much, I knew.
And we had already overcome many life-or-death situations together. When trouble arose, he always took care of me first. Even at the cost of his own life. I believed in the love he consistently showed me. Even if he told a hundred other lies, that heart that loved me would never be a lie.
Yes, let’s be a little more generous. Let’s speak as kindly as possible.
I gently placed my hand over Ivan’s hand that was holding my waist. Ivan sat down next to me on the sofa where I was sitting and gazed at my face.
Looking directly into his eyes, I asked.
“Are you, by any chance… hiding something from me?”
“⋯Yes?”
“It’s okay, so please tell me. Ah, of course, if you can’t tell me, it’s fine not to.”
“⋯What… ? No, ⋯suddenly?”
“⋯.”
“⋯.”
This was the first time I had ever seen Ivan look so serious.
I must not be surprised by whatever answer he gives. Damn it, but is he really a Department of Noble Lineage informant? Or what if he suddenly says he’s a hidden illegitimate child of the Emperor? Ivan has such noble bearing, it seems plausible.
My thoughts spiraled endlessly.
After a long silence, Ivan replied in a voice that was rarely so deep.
“⋯Did I, perhaps…”
“⋯.”
“⋯Did I, hurt Eric?”
“⋯What? No, no, that’s not what I meant… It’s just, um, well, you’re hiding something… and I just wanted to help if I could. If you don’t need me to, it’s truly, truly fine not to say anything.”
“⋯?”
“I’m really sincere. It’s not that I suspect you, or dislike you, or anything like that.”
“⋯You don’t dislike me?”
“Yes. How could I dislike you…”
“Th-that, no, that’s…”
“If not now, then whenever you feel like talking, you can just say it.”
“⋯.”
“Me too.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. I clasped Ivan’s hand, which was wrapped around my waist. Stroking the back of his hand gently, I took a deep breath and spoke with utmost sincerity.
“⋯I love you too…”
“⋯Ah.”
Then, the tension left Ivan’s shoulders. He gently stroked the hand around my waist from top to bottom. Ah, damn it, how far is he going to touch? I desperately held onto his hand just before it reached my groin, but Ivan let out a soft laugh.
And he revealed one of his secrets.
“Actually, I did buy a toy that might fit your lady’s mouth well…”
⋯What the hell?
⋯.
To get straight to the point, Ivan was just a perverted bastard.
He wasn’t a former informant from the Department of Noble Lineage. The hand signals he knew were just basic ones that most Academy graduates would know.
The meaning of the symbol Ivan and the informant had indicated with their hands was very simple. ‘As a citizen of the Sierran Empire, I know the true nature of the Department of Noble Lineage.’ It simply meant ‘ally.’
Instead, the perversion he had harbored as his greatest secret, which he confessed himself, was truly shocking. The fact that I had come to like being spanked, that my nipples became so sensitive I went crazy just from being touched, that I cried because the inside of my holes felt itchy – it was all his preference.
Without even realizing it… Damn it… I had become… something… tailored for my husband.
“When… When did this start?”
“I swear, I never intentionally did anything bad to your body. It was just during the process of us fitting our bodies together…”
“No, damn it, that’s not what I mean. When did you start liking that kind of thing?”
“⋯.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“⋯Ten, ten years old.”
This was the first time I had seen Ivan stutter. Even so, he was cute, damn it, it was annoying. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at how absurd it was. I was truly angry, dumbfounded, and also ashamed and bewildered. How could a kid like that… before he was even an adult.
To cool my flushed face, I covered my cheeks with both hands, and Ivan fidgeted restlessly, getting up and sitting down.
“This is really… really depraved… Ah, w-no, what…”
“⋯.”
“Did you have anyone before me?”
“How could that be? I am devotedly yours, Eric Bikov.”
“No… But why are you so good at it?”
“⋯I always got perfect scores on written exams…”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“No, no, it’s not.”
Ivan could no longer act smug.
Instead, he cautiously glanced around and then knelt on the sofa, placing his legs on it. I couldn’t decide whether I was more surprised that a nobleman like him couldn’t kneel on the floor, or that I found it cute that Ivan was kneeling before me to apologize.
Ivan, with an affectionate voice, spoke nonsense again.
“⋯Shall I raise my hands too?”
“No, what are you repenting for?”
“That I made my wife’s body lustful…”
“Are you crazy?”
“⋯You said you love me.”
“I do love you, but! But!”
“But?”
“But…”
Why are you pouting? Damn it, you didn’t do this kind of thing before. Where did you learn this, Ivan Bikov?
I was about to question him further, but looking at his face, my anger always subsided. And besides, he said he didn’t intentionally do anything bad. He just acted a little rougher according to his preferences because I endured it well. It didn’t seem like a huge mistake. Honestly, I think I even enjoyed it a little…
“⋯Eric?”
“⋯.”
“Eric, what are you thinking? I’m anxious right now.”
“⋯Ha. That.”
“Yes.”
“⋯The toy, what is it?”
“⋯Yes?”
“I’m telling you in advance, if it’s something really weird, I really won’t do it. But since you want to see it, I’m curious about what it is, not that I’ll do it, but I’ll just see what it is.”
Ivan’s face, which had been looking dejected, suddenly brightened.
“Eric, I love you.”
“⋯You know I say that every time I feel like I’m about to die, right?”
“This time, I mean it.”
“Ha.”
Well, Eric Bikov, a man. Sex is sex, how different can it be? I’ve already done all the embarrassing things, so there’s no more shame to be had. Besides, kneeling like that didn’t suit Ivan. I reached out and extended his legs on the sofa, making him sit up properly. Now, my adorable child looked closer to his age.
Sighing once, I was about to give him another kiss when.
The door burst open, and a strange woman wearing a black hood shouted loudly.
“A message from the Second Prince! In the name of Rubel Anti Searon, all overstepping of authority is now permitted for Ivan Bikov! Rubel Anti Searon and Michael Ernhardt, immediately after using the Yulan divine object, were taken by spirits! They are scheduled to return after resolving the spirits’ request, but if their disappearance lasts for two days, their disappearance will be immediately reported to the home country!”
What?