Ch.176I Want To… Too #1

“From my perspective, I don’t want to leave even a single drop behind, and I shouldn’t… but given the circumstances, I have no choice.”

“Yes… Thank you.”

In the early dawn hours when most people had fallen asleep, Eve and Helena, with Ellen beside them, conversed in hushed tones while Zion slept between them.

Throughout their conversation, Eve nervously swallowed due to Helena’s visibly uncomfortable expression, but thanks to her thorough explanation of the situation, they managed to move past it.

One might expect Helena to use the absence of a child as an excuse to pursue a greater love, but instead, she specifically wanted a child.

While she wasn’t completely devoid of affection for the child she would soon have, she still harbored thoughts of avoiding it if possible. Helena couldn’t fully empathize with the desire for children, but she understood the yearning to bear a child, so she nodded in agreement.

“That’s just like the Duchess. I suppose she still hasn’t abandoned the thought that if not for the duty to continue the family line…”

Several hours later, Ellen nodded as she listened to what had happened while she was unconscious in Eve’s room.

Having witnessed Helena’s intense possessiveness on multiple occasions, she fully understood why such words were spoken.

“The Duchess said that…?”

“She often said such things before Eve joined our bed. That’s why the Duke had quite a struggle trying to subtly change her mind.”

“Ah… was that so?”

Although Eve had only begun sharing their bed this year, Ellen had been sleeping in the same bed as Helena for several years.

Naturally, she knew stories that Eve didn’t. This was one of them.

However, if asked whether this caused Eve any heartache, the answer would be no.

Everything had started late anyway, and she believed they were all living happily together within the boundaries of serving one man.

Ellen, whether aware of Eve’s feelings or not, sat on Eve’s bed and nodded as she replied.

“Yes. I knew I was quite obsessed with the Duke, just like the Duchess… but when I heard those words, I realized her case was much more severe. She said the months of carrying a child and the years of raising it would be bothersome.”

“I know it’s terribly rude to say this, but… that sounds just like the Duchess.”

“I think so too. She’s always prioritized the Duke above all else. Of course, she’s also someone who knows how to be mindful of her surroundings, which is why my gamble succeeded… thinking about it now makes me shudder.”

As Ellen recalled the past when she had sat alone with Helena and strongly threatened her, she smiled bitterly. Eve tilted her head curiously.

Though she desperately wanted to ask what had happened, she sensed it was something she shouldn’t inquire about.

So she remained silent, simply nodding, and picked up a thin vial filled with white liquid that had been placed in a test tube rack.

“Is that the Duke’s seed?”

“Yes. And the dish in front of me contains blood extracted from your sister’s lower abdomen.”

Eve pointed to a dish stained with red blood on the desk with her right hand, while dropping a few drops of the liquid from the test tube in her other hand onto another empty dish.

Beneath each dish was a wooden board engraved with magic circles, serving as a dish holder.

These were magic circles designed to identify the life wavelengths in the fluids extracted from Zion’s body and Ellen’s blood.

“What are you planning to do with those two?”

“The Duke told me that a woman’s body produces seeds for creating a child roughly once a month. I only knew that when a man’s seed enters a woman’s body, there’s a probability of conceiving a child…”

“Anyway, after hearing that, I started to get an idea.”

Eve answered while keeping her eyes fixed on each dish, infusing mana into the magic circles.

The magic circles were developed based on insights gained from the auras that Zion and the knights produced. Though developed over a short period, she prided herself on their accuracy.

This was thanks to her knowledge that each person’s mana quality differed subtly as they refined their mana techniques.

Whoosh! When the magic circle activated properly, mana like blue fire rose up and began swirling around the dishes like a vortex.

Startled by the sight that momentarily looked like fire, Ellen quickly summoned a water spirit.

She soon realized it was merely mana and withdrew the spirit in a comical moment, but Eve’s gaze remained fixed on the dishes.

“Hmm…”

It’s complex. Eve groaned softly as she observed the intricate, three-dimensional circles floating above the dishes.

She had expected some complexity since the magic was designed to gather as much information as possible, but it was far more complicated than anticipated.

“Did… the magic fail?”

Though Ellen lacked the knowledge to determine whether the magic had succeeded or failed, she could tell from Eve’s shadowed expression that something wasn’t quite right.

Fortunately, Eve quickly shook her head and confirmed that the magic itself had succeeded, which prevented the atmosphere from becoming too heavy.

“Fortunately… the magic I created did succeed. It’s just that, because it succeeded, I realized how difficult this will be.”

“Difficult because it succeeded…?”

Ellen stopped mid-sentence and alternately stared at each dish and the three-dimensional shapes floating above them.

Both had circular outlines, but the contents were visibly different at a glance.

The shape above one dish resembled a ball with only lines and no surfaces, containing a three-dimensional pentagon, while the other dish displayed a much more complex shape spinning around.

“…So that feeling wasn’t just a simple illusion.”

While Ellen gaped in amazement, Eve narrowed her eyes sharply at the complex shape floating above the white liquid.

It was so unlike her usual shy demeanor that it felt awkward to witness.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Ellen was too surprised to notice, but had she caught on, she would have questioned the reason thoroughly.

“The Duke’s wavelength is much more complex than I expected. To match it… I think it will take a lot of time.”

Though Ellen and Zion couldn’t have a child due to their different species, forcibly matching their mana wavelengths might change that outcome.

Eve had developed this magic based on that hypothesis and was proceeding with it… but the barrier seemed higher than expected, causing her to lower her head.

Just for a very brief moment.

“Still… I must do it. If only to repay my sister for everything.”

“I’m not sure I understand, but… will you really be alright? If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to do it. I can’t let you overexert yourself just for my selfish desire.”

When Eve spoke with determination, Ellen approached her with a concerned tone.

Her expression was filled with genuine remorse, making it clear this wasn’t just a temporary concession but sincere concern.

“Overexertion? No, not at all. Even setting aside my personal circumstances, this seems worthy of research from a purely magical perspective. So please don’t feel sorry.”

Moreover, Eve firmly believed that these shapes necessitated further refinement of her circle magic.

Just as knights could see and respond to things previously unseen as their enlightenment increased, she felt she needed deeper insight into the fundamentals of magic.

And that insight would come not from the methods she had used so far, but from wielding magic with her body.

Furthermore.

While magic typically pursued public value to some extent, Eve thought this case was exactly the opposite.

.

I feel dizzy.

I put down the last remnant of the year-end tax report and heaved a big sigh.

Though I’ve done this many times and Helena helps me, making it quite familiar, it’s never pleasant.

It’s a moment when I freshly realize that being in a position to handle things from above isn’t particularly enjoyable.

“Finally done…”

As I sighed and slumped my body, Helena smiled brightly, said “good job,” and wrapped her arms around mine.

The shift in weight made me stagger momentarily, but I quickly corrected my posture and avoided falling.

If I hadn’t maintained my strength and let the weight press down, my waist would have buckled, and we would have collapsed together on the office floor.

“Should we just collapse?”

“Then our clothes would get dirty. If we’re going to collapse, let’s go to the sofa over there.”

I felt a chill at Helena’s voice, which seemed to read my thoughts, and quickly moved toward the guest sofa.

It was slightly uncomfortable as Helena still clung tightly to my arm, but the distance was short, so I could soon sit down.

“Zion…”

As Helena called my name and pushed me down onto the sofa, I yielded to her momentum and lay down.

She’s naturally stronger than me, and I couldn’t bring myself to push her away. Nor did I want to.

“I… can’t wait anymore. Can we do it now?”

She whispered in my ear as if she had been waiting for this moment, making my body shiver from the ticklish sensation.

Moreover, her voice echoing in my ear made me want to clean it with a cotton swab.

Strangely, the thought briefly crossed my mind that if I were to clean it now, a large piece of earwax might come out, making it very satisfying.

“Be patient. We didn’t use contraception today for tomorrow’s sake, right? And there are only a few hours left anyway.”

“Hnnng… Do you know how long those few hours feel? They’re as agonizing as those terrible days when you were away in the Beastkin Nation.”

Helena’s pouting expression as she straddled me was incredibly stimulating.

Time was plentiful now, Ellen and Eve had considerately given us privacy, and the servants wouldn’t disturb us unless it was truly urgent.

So part of me wanted to take her to a corner right now… but that wasn’t possible.

Especially since we had planned to conceive a child as soon as the day changed, using a loophole.

“Still, be patient. If you wait… it might feel that much better.”

With my arms around Helena’s waist, I scolded her in a deliberately stern tone, then subtly tempted her with a suggestive one.

I don’t know if others would fall for such an obvious and simple enticement, but at least Helena did, very easily.

“Then… I’ll wait.”

Yet her discontent hadn’t completely disappeared, as she buried her face in my chest and tapped my shoulder reproachfully.

It wasn’t as gentle as a small child’s tap with tiny hands, but it wasn’t painful either.

It felt similar to being touched by several sheets of paper.

“That’s right. Let’s be patient a little longer.”

I gently stroked Helena’s back, trying my best to soothe her childlike behavior.

Fortunately, her sullen mood seemed to dissipate quickly, thanks to our close embrace.

“Zion. Though we’ve discussed this before, and I’ll have a child as requested… I’ll only have one. Unless that child dies.”

After a moment of silence, Helena spoke while still keeping her face buried in my chest.

Though she intended to bear a child and give it appropriate affection, she was clearly drawing a line, which seemed cold, but strangely reassuring.

It’s far from the idea that having more children is advantageous for stable succession of the family… but I can understand.

“I know. You’ve always disliked the idea of having more children because it would reduce the time you could spend with me. I remember.”

“…Yes. Thank you for understanding.”

“And thank you for listening to me and understanding as well.”

Though she changed her mind due to my persuasion, could such jealousy and possessiveness, extended even to our child, truly disappear?

It probably won’t end until we close our eyes for the last time, but still… I was grateful that she agreed to bear a child to continue the Ducal family.