Chapter 41

What was the point of ruining things?

Although Selma scolded Shati for being reckless and worried she would face hardship, deep down, she genuinely wished for her happiness. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel relieved, knowing that staying in Oedel would bring Shati no good. Selma had sincerely asked Karel to take care of her. However, now that Shati was truly leaving for the royal capital, the suppressed worries began bubbling up uncontrollably.

Still, she couldn’t keep frightening the girl who was so full of hope. Selma’s voice softened as she continued.

“Take a good look around when you get to the royal capital.”

Her voice, which had trembled slightly with emotion, soon regained its usual sharp tone.

“Check if His Grace has another woman or a fiancée, alright?”

“Ah… Yes.”

“And if there’s no one else… Of course, it’s up to your judgment even if there is, but it’d be better if there isn’t anyone else. If that’s the case…”

Selma found herself rambling, realizing that there weren’t many opportunities left to have such conversations with Shati.

She had cared for Shati all this time, paying her small wages regularly, hoping to open even a single possibility for her. She didn’t want the innocent girl, raised under the care of an old grandmother, to end up entangled in the selfish schemes of unrelated adults, leading to a bleak future.

Perhaps, though, it was an unavoidable fate. Even during her younger days, when she traveled from city to city as a merchant, Selma had never seen anyone as beautiful as Shati.

Thinking she could simply hide such beauty had been naïve of her.

In the end, despite her experience, she was still just a woman from the countryside of Oedel.

Selma’s lips moved as if to speak again but failed to form words. Telling such things to the girl she had been protecting from the lecherous gazes of men until recently left her feeling unsettled.

“Well, if you like him, there’s nothing to be done about it.”

Her next words came out mixed with a sigh.

“If that’s the case… Have a child.”

“Pardon?”

“That could be your weapon.”

“A… weapon?”

Even without looking, Selma could imagine Shati’s wide, amethyst-like eyes blinking in confusion.

“To me, you’re beautiful and kind… But who knows how His Grace sees you?”

Selma was certain that Shati’s beauty could rival that of the noblewomen who dominated the royal court’s social circles. Otherwise, His Grace wouldn’t have gone out of his way to keep her by his side. While Karel treated Shati like a mere servant to satisfy his desires, Selma could tell it was a facade to mask his true feelings.

“It seemed like he used some excuse related to his duties to take you away…”

Oddly enough, that gave Selma some reassurance. If Karel had professed undying love, forcing Shati to rely solely on the whims of his fickle heart, Selma would have been far more anxious.

Even so, she would have had no choice but to let her go.

After all, it was she who had asked Karel to take Shati in the first place.

“But… it doesn’t seem like it’s just a case of love at first sight…”

Selma recalled Karel’s deep, dark blue eyes, which seemed to grow somber whenever he looked at Shati. There was a certain warmth in his gaze toward her, something that couldn’t be dismissed as mere youthful passion or possessiveness.

How could she possibly guess the thoughts of someone so high above her? Nobles had their own worries, after all.

Selma let out another sigh before continuing.

“Right now, His Grace treasures you and is taking you with him… But people’s feelings can change. A child, however, doesn’t change. If you have a child, they’ll become your only family and an unbreakable bond with his household.”

Family. Bond. Shati’s lips moved as she quietly repeated Selma’s words, committing them to memory.

“Of course… I don’t know what kind of life a child born that way would have.”

Selma wasn’t concerned about Karel’s potential child or the complications it might bring to Montferdia’s succession. Her priority was ensuring that Shati, who would be left alone in the royal capital without anyone she knew, would suffer as little as possible. Even though she had told Karel he didn’t need to look after Shati once she was settled, she didn’t truly want that to happen.

“Still, even as an illegitimate child, being the Duke’s offspring would make a difference, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“Ultimately, it’s your choice. When you get to the royal capital, observe the situation and make your judgment. If it seems like His Grace will take a proper wife soon, having a child could become dangerous for you…”

But that probably wouldn’t happen.

Although Karel’s status as an illegitimate child wasn’t widely known among the public, his reputation as the King’s sword and the hero of countless battles was legendary. His fame was so widespread that even in the central regions where the royal capital was located, Karel had been regarded as a hero for over a decade, ever since his youth.

Even the men of this remote village in Oedel were awed by his renown.

If he were to have a wife, it would have happened long ago. The fact that he didn’t have one yet suggested he wouldn’t in the future either. Selma, a mere commoner, had no way of knowing the intricacies of Montferdia’s succession. To her, Karel seemed like a man who had dedicated his body to the royal family’s battles, living up to his role as Cambiano’s shield.

Many victories meant many campaigns.

Even if he left his estate empty for another battlefield or, heaven forbid, died in the line of duty, Shati would be slightly less miserable under Montferdia’s protection.

For that to happen…

Swallowing all her thoughts, Selma firmly combed Shati’s hair with her fingers.

A heavy silence filled the room. The warmth from the bathwater had fogged up the windows, covering them in thick condensation. When Shati wiped her nose, a droplet of water fell from her hand, which had been soaking in the tub.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that you should see and judge for yourself. I just want you to have the grace of that household, even if His Grace’s feelings fade.”

“…Yes.”

Selma’s words were so serious that Shati couldn’t help but lower her head.

It was a difficult and heavy conversation. Shati felt guilty for causing Selma such concern, knowing it was her own actions that led to this situation. Over the past few years, Selma had been her employer, and this was the first time she had spoken to her with such care and affection since bringing her to the inn.

For a moment, Shati felt a sense of gratitude.

‘But then, the thought of having a child…’

Sir Knight…

***

“Ah! Uh, huh, sob…”

Her wrists bound tightly behind her, Shati was pressed beneath the weight of the man who thrust into her from behind. The legs of the tea table she had been bent over rattled against the floor in rhythm with the man’s rough movements. Thud, thud, thud—the forceful pounding caused her hip bone to ache against the table’s edge.

Despite the pain, as the man’s imposing girth stretched and smoothed every fold inside her, her body instinctively responded, moving her hips in rhythm. His blunt tip repeatedly struck deeper within her.

“Ugh, huh, huh, sob, h-hah…”

Each time he pushed forward, her shoulders were pulled back painfully, but the overwhelming sensation of pleasure from their joined bodies overshadowed the discomfort. She found herself wishing for the man’s deeper thrusts to obliterate all traces of pain with ecstasy. Shati felt as though the friction between them melted her inner walls and his shaft into one.

The frequency of the tea table’s legs hitting the floor increased. Thud, thud, thud, thud.

“Ah! Huh, ah, ugh…”

Her chest and pelvis, pressed against the cold wood, had initially caused her to grit her teeth in discomfort, but she had long since forgotten that pain. Each time she was pushed forward, her hardened n*pples brushed against the wood, creating a tingling pleasure instead. The man’s relentless thrusts filled her completely, leaving no part of her untouched, stimulating even her most sensitive spots without pause.

All of this combined to send waves of pleasure originating deep below her navel. The friction at their point of connection had long since grown wet, and Shati’s excitement had mixed with the rapid movements, creating a slick mess.

“Ugh, huh, ah…”

A faint moan escaped through her clenched teeth, unable to hold back any longer. Her inner walls convulsed, and the entrance to her core quivered erratically from the overwhelming pleasure. Her trembling legs, barely supporting her weight, finally gave out, but the man’s firm body prevented her from collapsing entirely.

Sweat dripped from the man’s jawline onto Shati’s skirt as he maintained his steady rhythm.

Karel gritted his teeth, determined not to succumb to the overwhelming sensations of Shati’s tight, clinging walls. The woman, who always pretended to submit to his demands, was in truth a temptress focused on her own pleasure. He could feel her reaching the peak of her climax, evidenced by the intense suction around him. The sensation was undeniable proof of her ecstasy, and it pushed him to the brink of his own limit.