Episode 111

“Ah, you’ve reached the level of being able to sense Grand Aura.”

I replied with a forced smile.

“Congratulations again.”

I raised my fist to my left chest.

And I respectfully bowed, avoiding Rea’s gaze.

“Yeah, thank you.”

The Princess smirked and tilted her head.

Then, with a gaze both arrogant and intriguing like a queen, she asked me,

“But how did I come to realize it?”

I frowned while keeping my head down.

“Well, obviously, you did research…”

“Do you think it’s possible with just research?”

Rea cut off my words.

“…!”

She leaned towards my bowed face.

Thus, the fullness beneath her dress came close to my face.

“Wouldn’t it have been faster to touch and feel with the body?”

Rea forced me to meet her eyes.

After that, a brief silence enveloped us.

“……”

Seeing that I didn’t respond, she smirked.

Her face remained expressionless, yet reassuring.

“Don’t be shy. Just enjoy the party, Vail Mikhail.”

The Princess turned around nonchalantly.

And she started to go down to the first floor.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes, I’m here for the rare occasion of the banquet.”

“I didn’t know you enjoyed such places, too, Your Highness.”

To my question, the Princess removed her mask.

Then, she carelessly dropped it on the table and said,

“Yeah, I bet the young ladies are just having trivial conversations. I’ll stay briefly and then head back to the command center.”

Indeed, Rea was said to be a good emperor had she been born a man.

She’d never be satisfied with conversations with ordinary young ladies.

“By the way, who did you invite to the party?”

The Princess asked me with a curious look.

“You mean the invitation?”

“Yes, each attendee was given one.”

I smiled slightly at her question.

And responded with a sly twinkle in my eye.

“I gave it to a couple I know.”

The Princess frowned slightly at my somewhat disappointing answer.

“A couple who are acquaintances…?”

“Yes, they should be arriving soon. They are distant guests from the North.”

Rea nodded calmly upon hearing my words.

Afterward, she descended alone to the party hall on the first floor.

As she descended the stairs, everyone turned their attention to Rea.

Her sensual aura and appearance were hard to believe for someone who was only 24.

And a figure as perfect as an hourglass.

Such a being captured the admiration of not only men but also women.

“Princess Rea…?”

“Really? You rarely come to such events.”

Young ladies, admiring her, had their eyes sparkling.

They flocked to the Princess like birds.

“Princess Rea, you look so beautiful today.”

“It’s truly an honor to meet you!”

Rea looked at the gathered young ladies with a cold gaze.

Like a lioness encountering an annoying flock of birds.

“Nice to see you. You all are as beautiful as before.”

The young ladies were moved by the Princess’s compliment.

“Oh, I’ve been diligently taking care of myself lately…”

However, their smiles froze suddenly.

Because the 1st Princess of the empire abruptly stopped talking.

“Just like birds in a cage. Nothing has changed.”

Complacent in their status, they lived a life of luxury and idleness.

Her criticism silenced the young ladies like muted honeybees.

‘No wonder no one approaches her…’

I covered my forehead in frustration.

And sighed deeply at Rea’s cold demeanor towards others.

“Come this way, Princess Rea. Join us for a drink.”

The young ladies led the 1st Princess to their table.

The Princess looked up at me, standing on the second-floor balcony.

I smiled, encouraging her to mingle with them.

“……”

As expected, Rea ignored my signal.

But then…

“Alright, I’ll just have one drink.”

She soon decided to spend some time with women of her age.

“Feel free to chat. I’m happy just listening.”

The young noblewomen were relieved by her approachable demeanor.

They naturally started their conversation, drawing the Princess in.

“My fiancé bought me a new carriage for the party today.”

“Recently, my husband became a high-level expert after consuming an elixir.”

And so on…

Everyone was busy boasting about their partners, not themselves.

The Princess pretended to listen indifferently.

“Just for a high-level expert…”

When Rea muttered to herself, the observant ladies all turned to look at her.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Rea reproached herself for almost mentioning a man’s story.

“It was nothing. Don’t mind it.”

The Princess regretted instinctively showing interest in their stories.

And she shook her head, getting ready to leave her seat.

She felt that staying any longer would make her dull as well.

But then…

The Princess’s indifferent steps suddenly halted.

“Oh my, who are they?”

“Could it be the Duchess from the North?”

The author of the novel she loved to read.

Her intellectual mentor, who had fueled her fantasies, was visiting the palace.

A woman with black hair wearing a gothic dress with frills.

The black mole under her eye was striking.

She was welcomed along with a large man wearing a Northern uniform.

“I really enjoyed your latest work!”

“Me too. I never thought I’d actually meet you…!”

Nobles of all ages gathered around her.

The Duchess briefly left her husband’s side to greet them.

“Thank you all for enjoying my novel so much.”

The high-class young ladies near Rea also approached her.

Meeting a celebrity was indeed a delightful experience.

“Please, come sit here!”

The young ladies eagerly ushered the renowned novelist to their table.

“……”

Then, the Princess quietly sat back at the table.

It wasn’t because she was interested in the novelist.

She merely sat ‘unavoidably’ swept away by the crowd.

I looked down at the Princess, finding her demeanor quite adorable.

‘It’s a token of gratitude for bestowing mana.’

The person I invited for Rea.

It was the author of the novel, ‘The Northern Duchess and the Slave Knight.’

The young ladies seated at the round table all looked at the Duchess.

Rea, pretending not to be interested, listened attentively from a slightly distant seat.

“I’ve been so curious about many things.”

“I heard a rumor that the content of your novel is all autobiographical. Is that true?”

The Duchess chuckled at the young ladies’ questions.

It seemed she found them endearing, gathered like chicks.

However, among those chicks, there was also a lioness lurking.

The lioness, pretending to be uninterested, already had her gaze fixed on the Duchess.

“Haha… The protagonist in the novel is just a Duchess like me, not autobiographical at all.”

The young ladies were disappointed by the novelist’s smile.

“Ah, too bad.”

“It was so romantic…”

Rea felt the same.

She snorted in a, ‘I knew it’, manner.

But…

“Well, it was based on some truths, though.”

The Duchess, true to her novelist nature, played with the young ladies’ hearts.

Their hearts fluttered at the Duchess’s words.

“So, there was this time when the slave knight had a chance to escape but couldn’t forget the Duchess and returned, right?”

Everyone listened intently to one avid reader’s words.

“Was the ‘Marking Kiss’ you gave him then a true story?”

The Marking Kiss.

At those words, Rea also swallowed hard.

It was a passage she had read with great interest.

The Duchess who toyed with him but cherished him in times of peril.

The slave knight who realized his dependence on her and returned.

The scene where she rewarded the knight with a deep kiss, lifting his chin.

One of the famous scenes in the adult version of the novel.

‘Of course, I also happened to read it, so I know…’

Wanting to erase that memory, I shook my head.

It was hard to believe that these ladies were into such provocative stuff.

“Hmm, isn’t it enough of an answer that I took my husband’s first kiss?”

The women shrieked like young girls at the Duchess’s response.

“How can you be sure whether it was his first kiss or not?” asked a lady.

The Duchess smiled elegantly and replied,

“It’s a bit awkward to discuss such details here. I doubt many are interested.”

At the novelist’s words, everyone raised their hands in unison, showing their interest.

They all wanted to hear more.

Rea observed the ladies around her.

Then, she timidly raised her hand among them.

“Haha… Normally, I don’t tell such stories, but since many of you are curious, I’ll make an exception.”

The Duchess’s expression changed.

Originally, her face was graceful and pure.

“The way to confirm if it’s someone’s first kiss is simple.”

But, as she spoke about the secret, her demeanor became more provocative and alluring than anyone else’s.

“When tongues intertwine, inexperienced men tend to be stiff and bellow like bulls,” she explained.

The young ladies swallowed hard at her words.

“However, a man with experience instinctively knows how to softly caress and entwine with his partner’s tongue.”

The detailed explanation by the Duchess left the young ladies in awe.

“Wow…”

But Rea was different.

Ignoring the admiring ladies, she asked with queenly charisma,

“What would you do if you found out that it wasn’t their first kiss?”

Rea asked quietly.

The high-class ladies were startled by the usually quiet Rea’s question.

They quietly moved aside to allow the Duchess and Rea to have a private conversation.

“Who might you be…?”

“The Empire’s 1st Princess, Rea,” the ladies quickly answered the Duchess’s hesitant question.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I grew up in the North and didn’t recognize the Princess…”

“Duchess, let’s skip the formalities and answer the question.”

Rea cut her off firmly.

The Duchess smiled wryly and complied with Rea’s command.

“Well… even if the first kiss has already been taken by someone else…”

The owner of the slave knight curled her lips.

Then, she spoke to the Empire’s eldest daughter.

“Not all of his body has been conquered yet, right?”

She raised her finger.

Then, she slowly pointed toward her body and said,

“Just because one fortress has fallen doesn’t mean the country is ruined. One must conquer even deeper.”

The ladies looked puzzled at the Duchess’s grand words.

But Rea was different.

The commander of the empire chuckled in understanding.

“I see. The great writer of the North is indeed impressive.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. It’s an honor to meet one of the pillars of the empire.”

In the warm atmosphere, I, watching from above, exhaled deeply.

And with a satisfied expression, I decided to stop worrying about Rea.

“Bringing the Duchess was a good decision. She seems pleased.”

Just as I was about to turn away, I locked eyes with Rea, who was looking up.

“…?”

She was wearing a strange smile.

It seemed she was in a good mood, but it was somehow chilling.

“What…? What kind of conversation did they have?”

I quickly averted my gaze.

Then, just as I was about to leave, I encountered a man.

A towering knight, nearly 190 cm tall.

His purple eyes suggested he was from a minority ethnic group.

“You’re Sir Vail, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s me…”

Upon confirmation, the man offered his hand for a handshake.

“Thank you for inviting us. I am Baron Taylor, the husband of the Northern Duchess Lyn.”

Taylor, who had risen from a slave knight to a baron.

He smiled broadly and expressed his gratitude.

“Ah, the one from that novel…?”

“Yes, I’m known as the slave knight.”

A tall, handsome face.

Strong muscles and a gentle smile.

“No wonder the high-class Duchess of the North fell for him.”

“It’s nothing. I owe the Duchess for making my auction process smoother, so this is just a small gesture.”

Taylor nodded as the auction was mentioned.

“It’s surprising. Lyn seems tough, not easy to get close to…”

Taylor and I both looked down at the Duchess.

“She might not seem greedy, but her desire for possession is immense.”

“Is that so…?”

I listened to his words while staring at Rea.

The Princess’s gaze seemed to pierce through me.

“I think I understand the feeling. You must have a hard time.”

“Yes… it’s no joke. Really…”

The giant man sighed deeply upon hearing my words.

I noticed he had very dark circles under his eyes.

“For such a big man to be so worn out, the Duchess must be quite something.”

“Do you, Sir Vail, currently have a lady you’re seeing?”

“Not at all. I’m a commoner, not really fitting for this place.”

The Baron chuckled upon hearing my words.

“I’m a former slave, yet here I am. You’ll find a good match someday.”

“A match…”

Some faces came to mind, but they were far beyond my reach.

“Always take care of your health. You seem a bit thin.”

“I’m not that thin anymore.”

“Are you talking about physical strength?”

“Yes… I’m Lyn’s first, so I don’t know much, but women have surprisingly good stamina.”

As the Baron sighed deeply, the Duchess waved from below.

A signal to come down.

Responding, the former slave knight gestured as if to go down.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

“Yes, be careful… No, let’s see each other alive…”

I watched the Baron being dragged away, feeling sorry for him.

Despite his muscular body, he looked quite worn out, as if he had been wrung dry.

I later learned that they already had four children between them.

“I must never get trapped like that…”