“…No, I’m not.”
“If you tell me why you shaved, I’ll answer you.”
I teased with a playful smile, and a brief silence followed. Heliod furrowed his brow, glaring at me for a moment before turning his head away.
After what felt like ages, he finally covered his flushed eyes and mumbled,
“Training uniforms and armor… they stick down there…”
“So having hair makes it uncomfortable?”
“…Yes.”
Heliod bit his lips tightly, clearly embarrassed, and blinked rapidly. Before he could run away, I spoke up.
“I’ve never met anyone like you, Sir Knight.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Oh my, why are you so sure? I’m serious.”
Pouting, I gently tugged at his cheek without hurting him. He raised his eyebrows, startled and confused.
“Well… there were a few relationships that were purely physical. I always ended them when the seasons changed, so maybe around ten, give or take?”
“What?”
Heliod’s jaw dropped in shock, completely forgetting I was still pulling at his cheek. His reaction was so adorable that I couldn’t help but chuckle. I reached out to touch the back of his neck and added,
“But it was just physical, nothing emotional. As for noblemen who expected me to offer them my heart, I never even spoke with them more than a few times.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. So there’s never been anyone like you, Sir Knight. I even thought our letters were rather sweet, don’t you think?”
Heliod’s face, though still showing hints of confusion, began to flush a soft pink. He watched me with an expression that seemed caught between relief and nervousness as I gently ran my hand along his neck.
“Milady, your letters were nothing but teasing.”
“True, but… didn’t I also occasionally mention how beautiful you are?”
“That’s…”
Heliod fell silent, only to suddenly jolt when he felt my touch becoming more deliberate. Startled, he grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away.
His arousal twitched again, making its presence known. As my gaze naturally dropped downward, he quickly cupped my face and redirected my attention to him. It was the first time Heliod initiated such bold contact, and the unfamiliarity of it left me momentarily stiff. Realizing what he had done, Heliod froze as well, his expression a mix of shock and mortification.
“Sir Knight?”
He exhaled shakily, staring at me for a moment before slowly lowering his hands. Rubbing his flushed cheeks, he took a few steps back.
“Milady, it’s late. You should leave now.”
His pounding heartbeat was almost audible. I blinked in surprise, watching as Heliod hurriedly attempted to dismiss me.
“May I ask you to practice the dance with me another time, before the party?”
“Hm, yes, that’s fine.”
Realizing it would take some time to reach the Jedediah estate, I nodded easily. Heliod, clearly unaccustomed to this kind of excitement, probably needed the time to collect himself.
Ah… I really want to devour him already.
Hiding my darker thoughts behind a gentle smile, I turned to leave. Heliod, still fixing his disheveled clothing, glanced down at his lingering arousal and froze, clearly embarrassed.
“…If you’re all right with it, I’ll call for an attendant to see you off….”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’ve memorized the way.”
“My apologies. Even with a cloak, it’s… hard to hide if I walk,” he stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.
As though his embarrassment poked at him further, his eyes grew misty again.
Seriously, this man is so emotional. Smiling, I brushed the corner of his eyes and said my farewell.
“Sir Knight, really, it’s fine. Shall we arrange our next meeting through letters?”
“…Yes, let’s do that.”
Heliod flinched slightly but didn’t pull away from my touch. His pounding heartbeat grew louder, so close that I wanted to keep listening. But it was time to leave. Stifling a giggle, I stepped out of Heliod’s office.
It was a bit disappointing that I hadn’t been able to touch him as much as I wanted, but this was fine for now. The curse seemed to be progressing faster than I expected, which made me worry about the upcoming party, but I decided to trust that everything would work out and headed toward the prepared carriage.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that the curse—something I had carelessly used as an excuse to get closer to Heliod—would eventually come back to haunt me in ways I couldn’t foresee…
❖ ❖ ❖
The Jedediah Gossip Papers centered their stories around the suspicious relationship between Heliod and me, and soon enough, countless noble ladies and young lords—wait, why the young lords too?—cast envious glances in my direction. Ruby from the Count Laia family even went so far as to host a tea party, something she never usually did, just to create a gathering where she could gossip about me behind my back.
Having already grown numb from enduring others’ jealousy and petty mind games countless times, I chose not to pay them any mind. Instead, I focused entirely on my relationship with Heliod. Or, more precisely, on our dance.
“Sir Knight, this time we have to hold each other at this beat.”
“Ah, wait a moment, Lady Arpen, uh, hngh—”
“…Did you get aroused again?”
At first, it was amusing. Little Heliod, so quick to react with just the slightest touch, adorably raising its head and spilling its sticky essence. The way he whimpered and squirmed whenever I so much as brushed against him filled my visits to the temple with an undeniable sense of satisfaction, awakening the desires buried deep within me.
But that didn’t last long…
“Uh, we’re supposed to actually dance this time.”
“Ah, ugh, ah, Lady Arpen…”
After just a few practice sessions, an overwhelming sense of unease crept over me. Heliod’s sensitivity was growing alarmingly intense. Whether it was because of the curse or something else, he would already be panting and flushed, as if in heat, even before my hand grazed his back.
At this rate, dancing was out of the question. He couldn’t even manage to act as a proper partner. One day, I decided to skip all the idle chatter and move straight to practicing the dance, keeping things brisk and efficient…
“Ah… ahh!”
Unable to hold back, Heliod ended up rubbing against my lower abdomen and climaxing. His expression at that moment…
“It felt really good…”
Looking down at his soiled trousers and the hem of my dress now stained with his release, his face crumpled as though he was on the verge of tears. If I could, I’d immortalize that expression with magic—what a sight it was.
Lost in my thoughts, staring blankly into the distance, Mary gave me a little nudge.
“Lusha? We were talking, remember?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah…”
“Were you thinking about your lover again?”
“He’s not my lover.”
Not yet. I quickly wiped the mischievous grin off my face and raised my teacup with a prim expression.
Mary had come to see me after hearing about the gossip in the papers, worried about the rumors. She sighed deeply, pulling out a copy of the gossip sheet and tapping it with her finger.
“Are you really okay with this? Didn’t the duke say anything?”
“It’s fine. Father… well…”
When the article first came out, he stormed in, wailing and shouting. “What is the meaning of this? Are you really seeing this person? Just because you have a title doesn’t mean you can do as you please!” He just wouldn’t stop.
I frowned at the memory, shaking my head.
“But Mother’s on my side.”
“Hm, so the duchess isn’t opposed?”
“Right.”
Mother was usually strict, but she had a rather unconventional view on this matter. She’d always said that having more experience was better, so she let me do as I pleased. That’s probably why I could even entertain myself with this whole lover charade and mingle with commoners.
As I sipped my tea, my attention shifted to Jenny, who knocked and entered just in time.
“My lady, a letter has arrived.”
“Oh, come in.”
Mary’s eyes widened with curiosity as she eagerly leaned forward. I smugly accepted Heliod’s letter and showed her the envelope.
“It’s from Sir Knight.”
“Wow, you’re still exchanging letters?”
“Of course. Since we barely have chances to meet, letters are our only option.”
Lately, we’ve been meeting more frequently because of the dance lessons, but sneaking around under Father’s watchful eyes was exhausting. Not to mention, with the gossip now in the papers, couldn’t he just leave me alone?
Grumbling inwardly, I turned my back slightly to keep Mary from peeking as I opened the envelope. Ever the curious one, she watched me with sparkling eyes before eventually pouting and grabbing a cookie instead, claiming she wouldn’t stoop to looking at something so “dirty.” I smiled faintly at her antics, glancing at her for a moment before my eyes snapped wide open at the first line of the letter.
[Lady Arpen, it seems the third ordeal is upon us.]
“What? What’s this?”
“Lusha, what’s with that expression?” Mary asked, her brow furrowing.
“Uh, oh, hold on a moment.”
I quickly sat upright, clutching Heliod’s letter, and walked toward the window. Jenny and Mary trailed behind me, but I ignored them as I narrowed my eyes and focused on the contents of the letter.
This month seemed like it would pass peacefully, but an unexpected variable had emerged… deeply apologetic for causing me trouble… determined to face this matter head-on… yada yada, it was an endless stream of apologies. Once I skimmed through all the rambling, the message boiled down to this:
‘He’s saying he’s so nervous about the spring party that he might hit another crisis!’
On top of that, the curse made it clear he couldn’t even practice dancing properly, and I could practically see how dejected he was through his words. Biting my lip, I trembled slightly, torn between exasperation and affection. What was I supposed to do with this adorable man? Resting my forehead in my hand, I leaned against the window and let out a sweet sigh. Mary, who had been peeking over my shoulder, let out a dry laugh.
“Your face looked so serious, I thought something terrible had happened… but it was just another lovey-dovey letter, wasn’t it?”
“Well, no, it is about a problem.”
It’s just that the problem was his third crisis. Not that I minded—it was good news for me, after all.
“I’m not worried. He’ll handle it well. Besides, Sir Knight is so adorable, I’m feeling a little dizzy just thinking about it.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Mary said, throwing up her hands as she returned to her seat. Jenny giggled softly, then pulled out a pen and paper, holding them up for me.
“My lady, shall I prepare for your reply?”
“Yes, let’s do that. Just give me a moment…”
As I sorted through what I wanted to say, the door to the parlor suddenly flew open with a loud bang. Startled, the three of us jumped and turned to look. Standing in the doorway was my father, Henon Arpen, practically snorting like an enraged bull.
“Lusha! Another one of his letters arrived, didn’t it?!”
“Oh…”
Well, that was fast.
