Chapter 2.7

Duke Perschtmann, the unchallenged power within the Empire, had many weap*ns at his disposal, and one of them was his secret reconnaissance unit. Unlike the knights he commanded, they operated separately, usually tasked with identifying and capturing spies from other countries. This time, however, they were given a strange mission.

“Find a young lady in her early twenties with blonde hair and violet eyes. She may not be a noble, so search among commoners as well.”

Even with their almost supernatural abilities, this mission was not easy for the secret unit. Like searching for a needle in a desert, they began gathering information on every woman in the Empire. As a result, they managed to narrow it down to about fifty young women with blonde hair and violet eyes. Blonde hair was rare even in this Empire, so that was a small mercy.

“Commander, what do you intend to do now?”

Butlerman Volteman looked at Duke Caron with a deeply worried expression. Did he intend to find and kill the woman who had taken his chastity?

“We must find her, no matter what. Bring her to me by any means.”

“But if you summon all those women, it’ll cause a huge uproar.”

There were already countless young women desperate to have even a brief encounter with the Duke. Summoning them like this would surely turn things into chaos.

“Hm, in that case, I’ll have to go myself and check with my own eyes.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Caron threw on his cloak and even strapped a deadly longsword to his waist as he set out to find the woman. Volteman sighed and asked again.

“If you show your face to them directly, rumors will spread throughout the Empire. How could it not be known that the Commander is searching for a woman?”

The very idea that the Duke, known for treating women with care, would go around checking each woman himself would cause a huge stir in the Empire.

It would also give the Emperor’s opposition, desperate to bring down the powerful Duke, an excellent excuse.

“Hm, in that case, I’ll need a disguise. Bring me a mask.”

Caron, growing impatient, teleported straight to the front gate before the butler could even fetch the mask. He was in a very bad state. If he had never experienced it, it might have been different, but after tasting it once, he was going crazy.  

The scent of the soft skin of the woman he had held all night still seemed to linger at the tip of his nose. He couldn’t stand it, so every night, embarrassingly, he would relieve himself with his own hands.  

He was desperate to hold that woman again. In other words, it wasn’t that he wanted to kill her for taking his chastity, but rather, as punishment, he wanted to torment her every night until she thought she might die.  

But finding her was not easy. First, he had to visit each house of the fifty women narrowed down, and check with his own eyes. Even with a mask, the Duke could instantly recognize the daughter with blond hair and violet eyes as soon as he saw her from afar.  

She had a more delicate figure than most women, and a habit of tilting her head slightly to the side. And her scent. Her body exuded the fragrance of a perfectly ripe apple in midsummer.  

A scent like syrup poured over apples? He couldn’t quite describe it, but he was sure he could distinguish it. Before anyone even got close, he would raise his hand to forbid them from approaching. That meant, “not her.”  

Meanwhile, the young ladies, who had no idea what was going on and had been called into the courtyard by the Knight Commander’s reconnaissance unit, could recognize him from a distance. Even with a mask, the Duke’s imposing build and good looks couldn’t be hidden.  

So, even when Caron signaled firmly for them not to approach, some of them, as if bewitched, tried to come closer, only to be blocked by the soldiers.  

Anyway, all his efforts to search one by one soon proved fruitless. Caron, who was not known for his patience, became furious and locked himself in his office. Even last night, unable to endure it, he had taken off his trousers in his office and spent the whole night feverishly pleasuring himself.  

In the end, he gave his reconnaissance unit a second order. It had been three months since he met her, so now would be the time for the results of that one night to show.

“Search thoroughly for any unmarried young lady in the Empire who is pregnant. There must be someone who has become pregnant through improper means and is hiding herself. Find her and bring her to me.”

If she had received the seed of the House of Perschtmann, she would surely be pregnant. Whether it was a curse or a blessing, it was a trait passed down through the generations. Therefore, the thief of his chastity was bound to be caught.  

The irritated commander swept back his golden hair, which had fallen over his forehead, and shoved the paperwork from the Emperor aside. He couldn’t focus on work or anything else.  

He suddenly looked out the window. In the fresh sunlight, the branches of an abundant apple tree stretched out, filling the air with the scent of apple blossoms. In that moment, the Duke unconsciously recalled that scent. The sweet aroma of apples.

“D*mn it!”

Caron suddenly let out a scream and half-rose from his seat. The front of his trousers was bulging as if it would burst. Hastily loosening his belt, his already rock-hard arousal sprang up like a spring.  

It would take quite some effort to calm it down again. He couldn’t help but curse. All he had done was recall the scent of apples.

“Get in here, now!”

He called the knights outside in an angry voice.

“Cut down all the apple trees out there right now. Don’t leave a single one standing.”

As the knights went out to carry out the order, Butler Volteman hurried in. He immediately noticed that Caron’s hand was under the desk. It seemed he was in the throes of it again.

“Commander, I have prepared a backup plan.”

The quick-witted and capable butler Volteman had come up with an idea this time. Three girls appeared behind him.  

All of them were beautiful girls with blond hair and violet eyes.

“Your Grace, please choose according to your preference. Until we find her, you can…”

Blond hair was considered the property of noble ladies, but occasionally even among commoners, a rare mutation would appear.  

Having participated in this operation, Volteman had selected beautiful girls from among the commoners who might please the Duke. He hoped that if the Duke spent time with these girls, he might calm down for a while.

“Volteman. I appreciate your effort, but take them all away.”

Caron, whose sense of smell was keen, couldn’t detect any pleasant scent from any of the three girls. Trying to attract the Duke by overusing perfume only irritated him further.

“What? Still, if you just try one of them…”

“I said take them away right now.”

Caron turned his head as if he wouldn’t even look. He wanted only her. The woman who had stolen his chastity was desperately needed by him.

***

Aness was baking apple pie again today. Since ingredients were scarce, it was the cheapest and most filling meal she could make.  

The kind old lady next door would give her a cartful of apples that were either damaged or too hard to sell, and with those, she would make jam or apple pie to get by.  

So, her body always carried a strong scent of stewed apples.

“How are you feeling, Miss?”

Dana, having finished cleaning the house, approached and asked quietly. Aness smiled as she placed the freshly baked warm apple pie on a plate.

“My belly is pretty big now, but thanks to the cloth you gave me, Dana, I’ve wrapped it tightly and it doesn’t show much, so that’s a relief.”

She forced a smile, but inside, Aness was more anxious than she could express. At first, she hadn’t realized she was pregnant.  

She didn’t eat much, so when her lower belly began to swell, she thought she was gaining weight and tried to eat even less. Dana, with her sharp eye, quickly noticed the change. Since she already knew Aness had been with a man, she had guessed as much in her heart.  

Still, Aness was such an innocent young lady, Dana had hoped they could get through this safely, but the worst had happened. She was definitely pregnant.

“Miss, something’s not right. The Duke of Perschtmann is investigating unmarried young ladies throughout the Empire. They say he’s looking for some spy, but that makes no sense. What noble young lady would be involved in espionage?”

“R-really?”

Aness, about to take a bite of apple pie, was so startled she dropped it. Her hands began to tremble. Why would that beast be looking for her? Hadn’t he enjoyed himself enough that night?

“Miss, so… what if you just come forward and confess the truth and say you’ll take responsibility?”

Clever Dana tried to think through the situation. The Duke was said to be cold and heartless, but if he was searching so desperately for the woman he’d spent a night with, there must be a reason.  

Maybe the Duke actually liked her, so perhaps it would be better to come clean and hope for a merciful outcome.  

Even if her family was humble, if she were accepted even as a concubine, she could receive a substantial dowry, and then the Baron and Baroness wouldn’t blame her for her indiscretion.