Ch.142Preparation #2

After passing through the Beast Kingdom and stopping by the Elven Forest, I entered the Duke’s territory by blending in with a carriage that was changing workers.

Since I had left secretly, it was better to return secretly as well.

When someone who should be at home suddenly returns from outside, it naturally raises suspicion.

Especially if those harboring such suspicions might be spies, they would dig to the root of the matter, which could cause troublesome commotion.

That would hardly be a welcome development for Eve and me after completing an exhausting schedule and finally arriving home.

Still, perhaps it was thanks to soaking in medicinal baths to relieve fatigue and cutting my overgrown hair during the few days we stayed in the Elven village.

Even as we passed through the gates of Krauser’s duchy, my mind felt clear and refreshed.

“Gasp! My Lord…!”

When I entered the mansion through the back door after secretly climbing over the wall with Eve in my arms, a servant was startled and let out a gasp.

It was understandable to be surprised when someone who had been missing for months suddenly appeared.

Eve’s cheeks flushed because of this, but she didn’t seem to mind.

She was just embarrassed.

“Has everything been alright while I was gone?”

“Yes, yes…! Nothing unusual happened with me, but…”

“That’s good to hear. Is Helena upstairs?” “…Yes, yes! She should be in her office.”

“Thank you. I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I’ll greet you properly later.”

I bowed my head to the servant and immediately headed up the stairs toward the office.

Along the way, I encountered several other people besides the first servant and exchanged brief greetings.

It was somewhat amusing to see them all react with such surprise.

“Jion…!”

Clank. Just as I was about to open the office door, Helena came out first with tears in her eyes.

She seemed to have sensed my arrival from the commotion outside.

Helena was a woman capable of such things.

“Yes. I’m back.”

As I carefully set Eve down, Helena rushed into my arms as if she had been waiting for this moment.

She probably intended to embrace me as soon as I opened the door, but hesitated momentarily when she saw me carrying Eve.

That’s why I quickly put Eve down.

Still holding Helena, I slowly stepped into the office and smiled at Ellen, who was standing near the sofa.

Seeing how she anxiously looked back and forth between Helena and me, she seemed to be restraining her desire to be embraced as well.

“Come here, Ellen.”

Since Helena showed no signs of letting go, I opened one arm to welcome Ellen.

They would probably want to stay close for at least a day, possibly several days, so this was the right approach.

If I had waited for Helena to let go first, Ellen might have been consumed by impatience.

“I missed you…”

“I missed you too.”

How many months had it been since I felt their skin through clothes or inhaled the scent rising from their skin?

I sat down on the sofa, calmly suppressing the natural excitement that arose as I held both women in my arms.

With Helena on my left and Ellen on my right, Eve was left alone and excluded.

However, Eve smiled gently as if she understood everything and silently took a seat across from me.

At this, both women buried their faces in my embrace and began to breathe deeply, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

It was slightly embarrassing, like dogs thoroughly sniffing something.

“Oh! Are you hurt? Do you have any injuries? I received occasional news by sending spies, but I couldn’t get detailed information…”

After sniffing for a while, Helena suddenly raised her head and asked urgently, as if she had just remembered something important.

Moreover, she naturally slipped her hands inside my clothes and began feeling my skin.

While I appreciated her concern, her movements were so smooth that I almost thought it unnecessary.

“Spies? You even sent spies?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to just sit and wait, so I secretly sent them. Besides, if you were injured, I would need to take appropriate measures…”

I swallowed hard in surprise at the fact that Helena had sent spies.

I couldn’t help but imagine what might have happened if news of my serious injury had reached her.

Although it rarely showed, Helena’s aggressive nature was not something to be taken lightly.

“It’s fine. Eve was with me, so it wasn’t dangerous.” “Really?”

“Really. I’ll let you confirm that slowly tonight, so you can stop worrying now.”

When I mentioned the night, Helena’s eyes flashed sharply. It wasn’t a sparkle of anticipation.

Normally, someone who frequently shared intimacy would react differently after a long separation, but this was somewhat peculiar.

“Eve, stay here for a moment. Jion, would you wait in the room? I’ll join you soon, so you won’t have to wait long.”

Ah. I felt enlightened when I heard that only Eve should remain.

Having been alone with me during our separation, Eve probably had many things Helena wanted to ask about.

So I nodded as if it were no big deal.

“Alright. I’ll wait while washing up.”

.

“How many times did you do it?”

Thud.

Helena placed a cup of herbal tea she had brewed herself in front of Eve and immediately got to the point.

The question was so sharp that even the refreshing aroma wafting into their noses felt like a keen dagger.

However, Eve showed no sign of fear as she expressed her gratitude and lifted the cup to her lips.

She was slightly tense, but not enough to show it outwardly.

It was understandable, given the circumstances.

“Well, that… twice.”

She answered with a hint of embarrassment due to the explicit nature of the question.

“Twice? Only twice during all those long months?”

Looking at Eve, who provided the answer despite the abruptly phrased question, Helena asked incredulously.

If they had been intimate a reasonable number of times, she might have felt a moderate jealousy and moved on, but this number seemed too low.

Ellen, sitting beside Helena, also widened her eyes in surprise, clearly sharing the same thought.

“Yes. The situation was quite urgent, so there wasn’t much opportunity. The Duke was especially busy over there.”

“By ‘there,’ you mean the Western Tribe’s camp? Tell me more details. My spies couldn’t infiltrate deeply, so they only reported on Jion’s safety and general situation.”

Indeed, if they had come close, either Jion or the Western Tribe would have shown some reaction.

Eve recalled how Jion had shown no sign of noticing the spies despite their presence, and carefully organized her thoughts before speaking.

“The Western Tribe was small and weak, but they were agile. The Duke spent his days teaching them techniques that utilized those advantages. Things like unarmed combat methods and dagger techniques.”

“He taught them techniques? I know their general disposition from reports, but how weak must they have been…”

While one might have been angry upon hearing that he taught techniques to people of another country with no prior connection, Helena merely pitied them.

Her judgment was based on a fanatical belief that whatever conclusion Jion reached must be right.

Phew.

Eve inwardly sighed with relief, then continued with a more relaxed demeanor.

“Yes. It’s awkward for me to say this, but… they were very weak. Still, they were such determined people that they trained day and night without rest. The atmosphere was quite tense because of that. In the end, everyone reaped the rewards of their efforts, but it was truly grueling.”

“…I see. If the atmosphere was like that, it couldn’t be helped.”

Even Helena, blinded by her feelings for Jion, found it difficult to imagine being intimate in a place where sweat and blood flew and shouts filled the air.

Moreover, according to Eve, they spent most of their time in a basement, which made it even more unappealing.

If it had been outdoors, perhaps, but a damp basement was unsettling.

Regardless of cleanliness.

“It’s a bit late to say this, but… you’ve been through a lot too. Thank you for returning safely.”

Rather than having a delicious meal in front of you that you can’t eat, it was better to be in a situation where you were forced to abstain.

With this thought, Helena softened her sharp gaze and looked at Eve with sympathy.

Eve, whether aware of this or not, expressed brief gratitude while appearing slightly intimidated.

“Ah! Here’s the contract from the next heir to the throne.”

After emptying about half of her now lukewarm tea, Eve searched inside her garment and pulled out a piece of paper, placing it on the table.

It was a contract declaring neutrality, written by Jion and signed and sealed by Skevin.

All that hardship for this one thing.

Helena glared at the contract, the fruit of Jion’s efforts and struggles, as if it were detestable, then took a deep breath to compose herself.

She wasn’t entirely pleased about obtaining this massive symbolic shackle that the kingdom, and by extension the duchy, needed.

“All this for a single piece of paper…”

“Still, it’s fortunate that things worked out well thanks to the Duke’s direct involvement. If the Beast Kingdom got involved, it would take time to resolve.”

As Ellen sat beside Helena and stared at the contract while making this comment, Helena had to admit she had a point.

While the difference in national power between the Empire and the Kingdom was clear, and in normal circumstances victory would be difficult, that wasn’t the case for them.

If things went wrong, they could simply reveal their hidden cards and resolve the situation cleanly.

Of course, Jion had no intention of fully revealing Ellen or Eve’s abilities even if war broke out.

He considered it more important to avoid the intense scrutiny that might follow, rather than having the two women use their powers to prevent casualties.

“Right. If something happens, we’ll think about it then. Let’s wrap this up for today. It’s not like we’ll find answers anyway.”

As Helena rose first with the contract and headed toward the safe, Ellen and Eve also stood up as if they had been waiting for this cue.

Despite it being time to work, they postponed it like any dissolute noble.

The reason was obvious.

They wanted to fully satisfy their accumulated desires in the arms of the man waiting in the room.

Moreover, they were particularly enthusiastic about welcoming back the pillar of the household who had been away for months.

Creak.

Helena opened the door and smiled gently at the maid waiting outside.

“I don’t think we’ll be coming out of the room for a few days. Please inform Andy.”

“…Yes. I will tell the butler.”

Goodness. Not that they couldn’t come out, but that they wouldn’t.

The maid nodded with a bright red face and a voice that seemed to shrink.

This was due to Helena’s explicit order and the recollection of the passionate cries that everyone living in the mansion knew all too well.

Unless something unusual happened, those cries echoed every day, and the servants guarding the doors would unconsciously exhale hot breaths.

It was fortunate that Helena and the previous Duke, Iss, ensured sufficient sleep time; otherwise, if they had to take shifts throughout the night, hot breaths would have leaked from all corners of the mansion.

Helena and the two women watched the departing maid’s back before quickly making their way to the room.

Their minds were so heated that they could barely think, leaving them in an almost instinctual state.

“Huh? I thought it would take longer, but you finished quickly?”

Jion, who had just finished unpacking and was undressing to wash up first, muttered with a blank expression.

It was understandable, as his expectation that they would remain in the office while he bathed had been proven wrong.

However, the two women interpreted this differently, not as coincidence.

They rationalized what was about to happen with the thought that this must be fate.

Yes. It’s only natural that Jion is expecting this too.

Helena and Ellen happened to think the same thing as they slowly approached Jion, who had already removed his upper garments.

“Take it off.”

However, due to excessive excitement, a very rough voice flowed from Helena’s lips.