“I spoke only the truth. Your Excellency knows better than I do what it means to offer your virginity to the Empire.”
He smiled, that big man, one moment in his pitiful pretense and the next in his most nonchalant, smirking manner.
He was right: In the Empire, giving your virginity meant eternal union with your partner.
But that’s an outdated idea.
Nowadays, an unchaste woman would be stoned to death for suggesting that she was unclean, or that she had ridden someone else’s hand.
“A slave bought from a foreign land who speaks the language of his wife’s empire, and knows some old-fashioned customs, you wouldn’t know unless you were an Imperial, makes me suspicious of your identity. You must have a big mouth, and I like the simplicity of it, as I suspect you’ll reveal your purpose soon enough.”
Puffy’s face seemed to be smiling, but it was subtly distorted.
Even that crumpled face is handsome, I’ll admit, but the handsome category doesn’t work for me now.
I turned to him, annoyed that he had dared to try to gain the upper hand verbally and hoping to return the favour.
“If you’re going to appeal to me as chaste, shouldn’t it also matter whether you’ve remained so since then? I apologize for using you for one night and leaving you behind, but how do I know how you’ve survived here since then, and whether you’ve allowed yourself to be touched by anyone but me?”
The people of Vitache, a port city belonging to the estates of House Steren, had a reputation for being quite harsh.
The people there, and indeed the people of all the northern estates, are rough and harsh. There is a kinder side to them, of course, but their location in the north of the empire means that the harsh behavior and habits of the north remain, even if only to survive the cold.
Those who do not work here will not survive. The weak will not survive.
Moreover, the continent of the black-haired people who brought him here has only hot summer-like weather for all four seasons.
How could anyone who lived there survive the bitter cold? Alone, without help from anyone?
“The people of my realm are not very hospitable to strangers. They don’t give warmth for no reason, and with so many bandits in Changi, the first thing they do when they see a stranger is call the guards.”
The fact that he was able to hide from the prying eyes of such lords suggests that he was under the protection of someone who could afford to keep him hidden.
The clothes he wore, ragged as they were, were not fancy, but the fabric itself was not something a commoner could afford.
Ethan’s momentary silence at my words confirms my suspicions.
He must have been under someone’s protection at least until he was captured here.
“…You really don’t remember anything.”
The way he says it, with such a bitter look on his face, I forget what to say next.
I don’t remember? I remember everything about him. Even my usually unflattering inspiration admitted that I had a pretty good memory as a child.
I remember buying him as soon as I saw him at the slave market, and I vaguely remember sleeping with him, albeit a little drunk. I also gradually remember some of our conversations the next day.
What the hell am I not remembering?
I’m sure it’s all an act, but the way he smiles bitterly, as if he’s really hurt, makes me wonder if there really is something I don’t remember.
I quickly shake my head and say, Don’t be fooled, don’t be swayed by his appearance. I said to myself a few times.
“I don’t care who you’ve been with for three years, chaste or not, that doesn’t interest me either, and if you say anything like that in front of Dioana, I won’t let you off the hook, and you should know that it’s entirely because of her that you’re where you are today.”
“…Yes.”
“I hope you don’t have to bluff in front of Jeremiah or any of the other vassals again today with a comment like that. I want you to know your fractions a little better.”
“I apologize. I didn’t know my fractions and I rambled on.”
“I will accept your apology.”
“I’ll take your disposition sweetly.”
“I’m not going to make a big deal out of this. I got pretty heated without realising it, but let’s watch out for each other in the future. And for the record, I’m not spending the night with you anymore. I’m not going to force myself on you, and I’m not going to kick you out for not responding. Of course, if you touch Dioana, I’ll show you in the harshest possible terms.”
He was visibly withered. I had spoken impudently at first, but then I realised that if he really did value his virginity, it would be a shame to have it taken from me.
‘No, then tell him then, it’s my first time….’
At that moment, a memory struck me like a bolt of lightning, piercing my brain.
“But I… I’m new it’s my first time.”
“First time at what?”
“…To have sex with a woman, in this way.”
“Then I’ll teach you.”
Oh wait, what is this memory…?
* * *
After class, Dioana burst into Daphne’s office, panting.
“Puffy, I’m done with class!”
Diana burst through the door, but she wasn’t perceptive enough to realise that the air was not quite right.
The original Dio would have run to her aunt to tell her that class was over, but when you get a new toy, the old ones go out the window.
Children are secretly cruel. It was Dioana, not Daphne, who trotted over to Puffy and plonked herself down on his lap.
“Did you have a good lesson?”
“Awww, but Puffy, what’s wrong with your face?”
“What?”
Dio cocked her head and cupped Puffy’s face in both hands, looking pitiful, as if she’d just discovered a crack in her porcelain doll.
“No, are you crying?”
Noticing Puffy’s bloodshot eyes, Dioana quickly turned her head to look at Daphne.
Daphne’s shoulders jerked involuntarily at her niece’s glare, as if a thief had stolen her foot.
I caught her.
“My aunt is bullying you.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re being bullied by Auntie, because Auntie is the Archduke, and Puffy is Puffy, so you’re being bullied by her!”
Dioana may have been young, but she knew what status and power meant.
Dio was sure that her aunt, who didn’t necessarily like him, was bullying Puffy.
“It’s nothing like that, Dioana.”
“But your eyes are red! Are you sure it’s not like that?”
“Yes.”
But Puffy’s face looks like it’s about to burst into tears like this! Is this what you call an excellent face?
This was Dioana, who was just starting to move away from basic words and into intermediate words.
Dioana realised that something had happened while she was away. Dioana looked at Daphne again with suspicion.
“Why are you looking at me like I’m the bad guy ? I’m not the bad guy.”
“If you’re not, I’m sorry I misunderstood you, Auntie. Now, Puffy, do you want to go build a sandcastle?”
“Oh, no. That’s a waste of clothes, and I thought you said we had sword training later.”
“Phew. Auntie. I’ve got this. I’ll get all dirty and play.”
With that, Dioana tugged on Puffy’s hand and led her out of the office.
Daphne quickly followed, grumbling that no matter how much she liked him, she couldn’t be expected to side with Puffy after all the years they’d been together.
Next to the backyard garden is a large sand pit for Dioana, who loves to play in the sand.
The sand, airlifted directly from the beach, was much finer than normal land sand and perfect for building gowah sandcastles.
Puffy’s seat was supposed to be Daphne’s.
Whenever Dioana didn’t have afternoon classes, she and Daphne would build towers out of sand, or sculptures of some sort.
Of course, now the other person was Puffy.
Daphne, who was now the “second prettiest person” because of Puffy, watched them from afar.
“You know, Auntie, you’re a real hardass when you refuse to play with me.”
“I know.”
“Because I always said you were the prettiest. But Puffy says she’s prettier. He even made me do sword training today on purpose.”
“You must have a lot of classes, Dioana. It must be hard.”
Ethan didn’t have a lot of confidence in caring for children, but whether it was because Dio was special, or because he had always found it easy to care for children this age, or because she was so good at imitating adults, caring for Dio wasn’t too difficult.
Dioana shook her head, sounding quite grown up.
“I can’t. I can see where you’re coming from.”
“But do you really need to train in swordsmanship?”
“Auntie said I was supposed to take over the family name one day, but the elders and vassals told me that in the original empire, a woman had no business taking over the family name unless there was a very good reason, and that’s what they said to Auntie, the inspirations. You should marry soon and make your husband carry on the family name.”
Dioana had a pretty good idea of what was going on with the adults.
Perhaps even Daphne would be surprised to learn that Dio knew so much.
“They didn’t want her to go off to war. They said she had to have a baby and carry on the Steren line, and she couldn’t if she died. So she got mad and slammed her desk, and that quieted everyone down.”
“Elders are mean.”
“No. Auntie said not to hate them. They have their place. Anyway, she’s making me train so I can be stronger, so I can go into battle and not die.”
“…Dioana-sama, you’re being very respectful.”
“Hmph. But I have to train today. I have blisters on my hands, and they hurt, and I’m scared of my teacher. His eyes look like this, and his beard is like fire. He says that a weak person can’t survive in the north! He says things like that. Ew.”
Saying this Dioana giggles.
After staring at the giggling Dioana, Ethan glanced at Daphne for a moment, then asked in a low voice.
“But Dioana, …how did you know it was me then?”
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