Ch.129Side Story) Race (1)

Time continues to flow.

There were some issues at the Academy from the beginning.

Above all, the news that I would marry twins caused quite a stir at the Academy for a while.

It was certainly big news.

But that too passed quickly.

The fact that I was of common birth, an adoptee, expelled from the Praester family, and established the Mels family…

Since it was widely known that Asena and Kirsy weren’t blood-related to me, the nobles accepted it rather quickly.

If you listened to their conversations, rather than questioning “Isn’t this a sibling marriage?”, they were more concerned with “Wasn’t Caden hated by Asena?”

Also, the news that three families combined—especially the most powerful Praester and Ice families merging into one—caused quite a commotion.

Besides those issues, there really wasn’t anything problematic.

Thanks to the help I received, I was able to adapt well to classes, and no more sudden problems arose.

Life at the Academy simply flowed for me and the four women.

We gradually grew closer.

There were differences though.

Between how I treated Daisy and Judy, and how I treated the twins.

First, with Daisy and Judy, since we hadn’t known each other for very long, we took things one step at a time.

Although we shared deep emotional connections, there was still much to learn about each other.

Of course, even though we had already kissed, I became more careful. I learned what it meant to treat someone preciously.

Light physical contact like hugging them became part of our daily routine.

We didn’t show affection in front of others, but occasionally when no one was looking, we would embrace and share warmth.

Since we were at the Academy, we were frequently caught by others, but since everyone knew about our relationships, it wasn’t a big issue.

With our busy Academy lives, I took turns having meals with them.

From the beginning, everyone felt uncomfortable eating all together.

During meals, I would listen to Judy and Daisy’s everyday stories and get to know them better.

Through this, they walked deeper into my heart.

Daisy would speak gentle words and express her affection quietly, giving me a comfortable and relaxed feeling.

Judy wasn’t skilled with words… so her actions came first.

She would sometimes surprise me with sudden kisses on the cheek, making me smile. Especially when I teased her like before, she no longer became flustered but would counter-attack with a kiss on my cheek.

In this way, Judy and Daisy grew closer to me gently and gradually.

Though I didn’t know when it would happen, we decided to enjoy these fluttering, tingling feelings until our wedding day.

The twins, on the other hand, were different.

We had already hugged hundreds of times.

Since there was nothing I didn’t know about them, and nothing they didn’t know about me, the dynamic was completely different.

They advanced aggressively.

It was as if our agreement to marry had broken the chains that had been restraining them.

I didn’t mean to rank them, but I inevitably realized that the twins’ feelings were much deeper and more passionate than Daisy’s or Judy’s.

I had thought they’d been expressing their affection fully all along, but by their standards, it had been far from enough.

.

.

.

One day, when I went to Asena’s room to talk briefly:

“…so, Asena, about the territory tax—mmph!”

Asena, pretending to focus on the conversation, suddenly kissed me.

Breathing heavily through her nose, she pressed her lips against mine and thrust her tongue forward.

Of course, hugs and pecks were familiar and we’d done them many times, but I didn’t expect her to jump to the next level so quickly.

Though I was surprised by her actions, I didn’t think about pushing her away.

Who wouldn’t feel the same when looking at Asena?

I could feel how happy—so, so happy—she was as she melted before me, letting out delicate moans, despite her usually stern expression and intimidating demeanor toward others.

She occasionally pulled her mouth away, trailing saliva, and mixed words between kisses.

“…I’m going crazy…mmm…stick out your tongue, oppa…hah. You’re my man now, aren’t you…?”

She expressed her sticky affection without restraint, crashing her love against me.

The Asena who had promised to approach carefully without being burdensome seemed to have disappeared somewhere in the past few months.

And she seemed fixated on the term “my man.” She kept using that title when calling me.

I didn’t dislike it, but it was certainly still awkward.

I had long since erased the perception of her as my little sister. But somehow, it seemed to remain deep in my heart.

…And sometimes that fact gave me a slight sense of guilt along with a kind of forbidden feeling.

Her tongue swam through every corner of my mouth as if it were her own home.

Her tongue movements were so skillful that I could easily get lost in them.

Finally, I pushed her away and asked. It was partly a mutter to myself.

“…haa…haa…aren’t you too experienced…?”

I didn’t say this because I didn’t know why she was so skilled.

I had learned that the twins had stolen kisses from me while I was asleep.

At times like this, I wondered how long Asena had been stealing kisses from me.

Anyway, I spoke to calm her down and create a brief pause, as she was too excited.

…But Asena wouldn’t be pushed away.

She quickly pressed her lips against mine for a light kiss while I was catching my breath, then asked with an incredibly confident expression.

“…Isn’t that natural…?”

“What?”

I was speechless at her confidence.

It was as if such flaws no longer mattered for our future that would lead to marriage.

When I couldn’t continue speaking, she looked down at me with seductive eyes and even smirked.

“Asena, did you just smile?”

“……”

I couldn’t help but laugh too. It was absurd, but seeing her happy made it hard to hold back my laughter.

“…Never mind, oppa. We don’t have time. Give me your lips.”

With those words, Asena continued the kiss.

Kirsy wasn’t much different from Asena.

She wasn’t as aggressive as her sister, but she was certainly different from Daisy and Judy.

Since she loved taking walks, we often rode Rush to feel the breeze in different places. Whenever she had the chance, Kirsy would pull my arm and ask me to stop Rush.

After stopping Rush as she requested and helping her down, she would scan our surroundings once, then gaze intently into my eyes.

Following her lead, I would look around too, easily realizing that no one was there, and simultaneously understanding what Kirsy wanted.

Once that atmosphere was established, we would be kissing in a predetermined position within minutes.

Kissing brought a definite shift in my perception. Every time our tongues touched, it reminded me that they had also grown into proper women.

Kirsy particularly loved sitting on my lap with our navels pressed together.

She would wrap her arms around my neck, slowly close her eyes, and bring her lips close to mine. Her trembling body revealed her nervousness, but sometimes it seemed like she was trembling with excitement.

And…occasionally. Very occasionally. In that position with our navels pressed together…she would subtly rotate her hips.

Surprised by this action, I would pull Kirsy away.

“…Why?”

Kirsy would ask me the reason with a dreamy, innocent expression.

When I couldn’t answer, she would close her eyes again and press her lips against mine, shyly pushing her tongue gently into my mouth.

Given how gentle and affectionate Kirsy was, I didn’t think she moved her hips intentionally…but honestly, I couldn’t be sure.

With such days flowing by, the first year passed in an instant.

Another vacation had arrived.

*****

In the carriage returning to Mels territory.

Looking at Asena sitting beside me with her eyes firmly closed, I asked her once more.

“…Asena. Shouldn’t you be returning to Praester territory—”

“—I’m not going back.”

She cut me off and answered without hesitation.

“……”

No matter how much I tried to persuade her, she seemed to have already made up her mind.

There was something I hoped she wasn’t misunderstanding.

I wasn’t sending her back to the territory alone out of hatred for her.

Judy, Daisy, and Kirsy had all decided to receive the Mels name, so they were returning to Mels with me.

Asena surely knew this, but her eyes, which had slightly opened, were filled with disappointment as she looked at me.

“…I give up.”

Finally, I threw up my arms and gave up trying to persuade her.

I just hoped that the Praester family wouldn’t collapse because of me.

Of course, the Praester family wouldn’t fall apart just because Asena was away for a while.

It was the distant future that worried me. She couldn’t insist on staying by my side forever.

We finally arrived at the territory.

Though it was my land, it felt incredibly awkward.

I hadn’t lived here for a long time, and since the city had been rebuilt after being damaged in the war, many things had changed, requiring time to adapt.

As we entered the plaza in front of the castle, the new head maid of this newly established family, Ewin, the younger sister from Hexter Orphanage, welcomed my arrival.

“Oppa—I mean, Lord Caden, was your journey comfortable?”

“It’s been a while, Ewin.”

She smiled, then corrected her expression when she saw the women behind me.

“Ahem. Lord Caden. Before that, there’s a guest waiting for you.”

“A guest?”

I thought it might be Grandmother, but a strange feeling told me it wasn’t her.

“Yes. They arrived at the territory a few days ago and have been waiting. If you’d like to rest or eat first, I could tell them to wait a bit longer—”

“—No, Ewin. Please guide me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ewin bowed deeply, then walked ahead to guide me.

I turned around to look at the four women waiting.

“Girls, go rest first. I’ll meet the guest and come back.”

“I’ll come with you, oppa.”

Asena,

“I’ll go too.”

Kirsy,

“I’ll come along as well.”

Daisy,

“I’ll…go too.”

And Judy.

They all refused to rest.

Each seemed to have their own reasons for not wanting to leave my side, but it was too inefficient to argue with each one.

There was no reason for me to refuse if that’s what they wanted.

Since they would be accompanying me when meeting guests in the future anyway, I easily nodded.

.

.

.

.

In the room we arrived at…surprisingly, Count Hexter was there.

“Oh, Count.”

“Father?”

Daisy and I called out to him in surprise.

As I entered the room calling him, he responded with surprise.

“Oh, Lord Caden! I hope you’ve been well! Daisy, you look good.”

There had been an awkward incident with Count Hexter in the past, but our relationship was reestablished with the founding of the Mels family.

Count Hexter had sent a considerable amount of wealth as repayment for the grain I had sent in the past, saying the situation in his territory had improved.

It was an apology for past events and also a gift blessing Mels’ future.

It also served as a certain amount of betrothal gifts.

Afterward, he and I had a long conversation, resolving our tangled emotions. He logically explained why he couldn’t help me and offered me a sincere apology.

We also discussed marriage arrangements with Daisy, so you can imagine how comfortable the atmosphere was when we parted.

And now, he had come to see me again, less than half a year later.

“I should be the one asking. If you had sent a letter, I would have gone to Hexter territory.”

“No, it’s right for the person who has something to say to come.”

He waved his hand and treated me with respect.

I had acquired a somewhat unique social position.

I was a viscount…but at the same time, I had formed very strong alliances with the Praester and Ice families.

Of course, that wasn’t why Count Hexter was treating me so respectfully, but I did have my own power.

“What did you want to say?”

When I asked, Count Hexter looked at the women standing behind me.

After politely greeting them again, he hesitated to speak.

“…Lord Caden, I think it would be better if we could talk alone.”

He made his request plainly, but,

“…I’d like to listen too.”

Asena carefully rejected his request.

Seeing how she treated other nobles, this was actually a kind response from her.

“…Hmm.”

Count Hexter closed his mouth and groaned briefly. Seeing my expression change curiously as I didn’t understand his intention, he added an explanation.

“Ah, I haven’t come with a difficult request. I’m just embarrassed because it feels like I’m nagging.”

“What?”

At the mention of nagging, I began to grasp the direction of his words.

I started to anticipate what he was going to say.

“…What?”

The same seemed true for Daisy, who covered her mouth with a surprised expression.

Seeing our reactions, Count Hexter spoke without further hesitation.

“Lord Caden, what are your thoughts on setting a wedding date with Daisy?”

When you think about it, it was a perfectly reasonable question for a father-in-law to ask.

Count Hexter suggested:

“…If it’s alright with you, I think it would be good to set a date.”