Not knowing what to do out of sudden fear and bursting into tears, Florencia reached her first climax.

* * *

It was a holiday at the Academy, and on a day when Ludwig had also been away from the temple for several days. Florencia, who had been at the dormitory, returned home after a long time and was studying with Michael.

“Michael, you even studied ahead on your own? That’s really admirable, at this rate you’ll finish the whole book soon!”

“Yes, you said that if I want to become a knight, I need to study hard too.”

“That’s right, of course. Our Michael, at this rate you’ll truly become a splendid knight.”

“I’ll definitely become an excellent knight and protect you, sister!”

Michael said bravely with a rather dignified attitude.

“Really? That makes me feel so secure. Thank you, Sir Michael.”

Florencia smiled gently at her young brother’s admirable words. Michael, excited by the praise, began reading the book more loudly and clearly. Kind laughter filled the quiet room. It was a warm and peaceful afternoon for once.

‘Eriendna said she was going out with friends, and Mother went to Marchioness Rozesis’s party.’

Eriendna, who had gotten a small wound above her eye from falling off a horse, had been depressed and shut herself in the house for a while. Fortunately, as the wound healed and became so faint it was barely noticeable, she soon returned to her old self. After her broken arm and leg had fully healed, she went out playing enthusiastically as if to compensate for the time she’d been confined at home. Thanks to this, it was extremely rare for her to encounter Florencia when she returned home on holidays.

“Look at these lowly creatures, putting on such airs?”

At that moment, the closed door opened with a rudely loud noise. The one who entered with a sneering remark was the second son of the Hazel family, Geoff.

“B-Brother……”

As he approached, a strong smell of alcohol emanated from him despite it being broad daylight. Florencia froze in terror. Michael, who had been sitting beside her, also trembled as he hid behind his sister.

“Filthy vermin not even worth being called bugs, what do you think you’re doing in my house?”

“……I was teaching Michael his studies.”

“Studies? Ha, that’s ridiculous. An illegitimate brat like you doesn’t know your place.”

The books and writing materials spread out on the table were torn by rough hands and thrown to the floor.

“Please don’t do this, brother.”

Slap—

Florencia’s head turned sharply. Her cheek, struck by the thick palm, immediately burned.

“Brother? You wh*re-like b*tch…… Just who do you think is your brother? I was already in a foul mood today, and now I run into you.”

Geoff, her half-brother two years older than her, had a rough and brutal temperament. Since childhood, he had regarded Florencia as something like a punching bag on which he could vent his frustrations according to his mood. After their father officially acknowledged her, this kind of physical violence had decreased, but whenever they occasionally met, he would look her over with unpleasant eyes, waiting for an opportunity.

He was a good-for-nothing who had no clear job even after graduating from the Academy, but recently he had been wandering around outside saying he would become a knight, so she had thought he wouldn’t be home today—that was the root of the problem. His broken arm and leg from the riding competition had long healed, and his recent failure in the knight examination was purely due to his lack of skill, but Geoff vented his anger only on those he could easily bully.

“Now I’m starting to feel a bit better. Father did it too, but why doesn’t our eldest brother just throw out this bug-like b*tch? Not even letting me beat her as I please…… Hey, you know what happens if you tell our brother, right?”

Geoff pushed Florencia against a wall and beat her mercilessly, carefully choosing areas that wouldn’t leave visible marks on the outside. She endured the beating without any resistance. If she fought back, it was clear he would take out his frustration on Michael after she returned to the Academy.

“Waaah, sister!”

When young Michael burst into tears, Geoff, seeming annoyed, extended his leg and kicked him with a thud.

“Michael!”

While checking on her fallen, crying brother, Florencia looked up at Geoff with resentful eyes.

“Brother, he’s still just a child! If you’re angry because of me, I’ll take all of it, so please leave Michael alone.”

Geoff’s bulging eyes glistened as he glared at her. His greasy, sticky gaze swept over Florencia who was sitting on the floor. Looking at her silver hair that had fallen loose and her pitiful eyes mixed with resentment, a strange, lewd desire suddenly arose as his lower abdomen tightened.

“……So, you’re saying I should take out my anger on you……? Kid, you get out.”

“Aack! Why are you doing this!”

He grabbed Florencia’s hair and roughly pulled her up. Her shoulder, pushed and hit against the wall by the force, felt like it was breaking.

“Acting innocent when you’re the offspring of a lowly sl*t.”

His rough hand squeezed and twisted Florencia’s right br*ast as if wringing it.

“Aah!”

Oh ho, look at this girl?

I thought she was just skinny……

But looking carefully, that expression as if begging, there was something strangely arousing about her.

“Hey, you seduced me first, didn’t you?”

Geoff pounced on her body with sticky eyes and tore her skirt with a rip. Florencia screamed and resisted, but he didn’t stop.

“Brother! Why are you doing this……!”

“Shut up, do you think I don’t know that you keep going in and out of the temple and fooling around with that pretty-faced priest? Pretending to be chaste won’t fool me.”

“What are you saying…… Please, let me go……!”

It was then.

“What are you doing, Geoff?”

The door opened, and a man with neatly arranged short black hair swept back entered with large strides. He shot a glare at Geoff through intellectual silver-rimmed glasses.

“Eldest brother……!”

“Tch, big brother……”

“Geoff, what exactly are you doing to your sister?”

“Sister? Big brother, how can this vulgar woman with dirty blood be my sister?”

“Shut up, aren’t you ashamed with even a child watching? I don’t want to hear it, so get out.”

With eyes full of discontent and menace, Geoff glared at Florencia before slamming the door shut as he left. Joseph sighed and helped Florencia to her feet.

“I’m sorry, Florencia.”

“……No, you have nothing to apologize for, eldest brother…… Thank you for saving me.”

“Anyway, it seems there was no serious harm done, so that’s fortunate. As the head of the family, I’ll take responsibility to ensure this never happens again. However, if this gets out, it won’t be good for you or the family…… I’d like you to keep this a secret and not tell anyone…… Can you do that?”

“Yes…… I understand.”

“Thank you. If you have time now, could we talk for a moment?”

Joseph spoke gently to Michael, who was still sniffling beside Florencia.

“Michael, I need to speak with your sister, so could you leave us alone for a moment?”

“Yes, eldest brother.”

Michael wiped his tears, got up, and closed the door as he left.

“Florencia, I heard you’ve decided to become a saintess after graduating from the Academy? I heard you’ve been receiving education at the temple in the capital lately.”

“Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

“No, you’re an adult now, so it’s natural for you to decide your own path. It’s not like I didn’t know your faith was particularly deep…… You often visited the temple even on days without mass when you were young.”

“Thank you for understanding, brother.”

“Ah, I have one more thing to tell you. It’s about Michael’s future.”

“Ah…… I heard you’re going to educate him, thank you so much. So…… are you going to include him in the family registry now?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m planning.”

“Thank you so much, eldest brother!”

Florencia’s eyes sparkled with joy. Looking at that vibrant face, Joseph suddenly wondered,

Was she always this pretty?

Until he inherited the title of Count after their father’s death, he had actually had little interest in his timid half-sister. He hadn’t particularly wanted to bully her, but he hadn’t liked her either; it would be more accurate to say he hadn’t wanted to pay her any attention.

When Florencia was about ten years old, wasn’t it? Their father, for some reason, had suddenly registered her in the family registry when she had been living no differently than a maid, and started sending her to the temple and school. Although he hadn’t been pleased about it, he had just accepted it.

‘She’s the same age as Eriendna, but why is she so gloomy?’

Unlike Eriendna, who was energetic and lively in everything, Florencia had always been unnaturally intimidated. Perhaps she had become increasingly that way because everyone beat her at every opportunity, saying they felt bad seeing her like that……

Pushing up his cold metal glasses frame, Joseph examined Florencia carefully. Her large purple eyes and soft silver hair were unchanged, but clearly something was different. Well, a young girl blossoming into a woman was like a flower blooming overnight—in the blink of an eye—so perhaps it wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t uncommon for a lady who had her debutante to grow into a different person within a few months.

Her white skin, which had only looked pale before, now had a lovely glow on her cheeks, making them rosy, and her lips, slightly parting when she spoke, were plump and cute. However, her frail physique remained the same, and compared to his full sister Eriendna, she couldn’t be called a great beauty.