episode_0029
by fnovelpia
A brief author’s note before we begin:
The R-19 episode will not include plot progression for the sake of underage readers.
A summary of events from the R-19 episode will be included in the following chapter.
So if the R-19 content isn’t your thing or doesn’t interest you, feel free to skip it!
29. How Do I Explain This?
After spending a passionate time with Vivian.
The rain had stopped, and twilight was beginning to fall, so we decided to head back.
Staying overnight in the old cabin we’d taken shelter in wouldn’t have been a bad choice, but…
“Let’s go back now.”
For some reason, Vivian insisted on returning immediately, her face tense with urgency.
Her restless demeanor made it seem like she’d committed some unforgivable crime.
Our armor and outerwear, soaked from the rain, had dried completely, so we redressed and mounted our horses.
But then…
“Ow…!”
“Vivian? Are you okay?!”
Vivian collapsed backward onto the ground, failing to mount properly, knees buckling awkwardly.
Then, with an embarrassed expression, she admitted:
“……My crotch hurts too much.”
After Vivian lost control at the end, we’d gone at it intensely about five times.
Either it was simply too rough for a first experience…
Or maybe I’m just above average—I don’t really know—but her groin was utterly sore.
In the end, she decided to ride with me, sitting behind me on my horse.
Unable to sit normally, she straddled the saddle sideways like she was perched on a chair.
Then she leaned against my back tightly, clutching my waist like her life depended on it.
Pressed so close, I could feel our heartbeats pounding through the layers of armor riding between us.
Is this what they call *ddeokjeong*—that sweet, mushy feeling?
An awkward silence settled between us, so I spoke first to break it.
“Now that I think about it… about speaking casually…”
“Drop honorifics.”
“But I can’t possibly do that.”
“Why not?”
Vivian, of course, turned my question back on me.
Well, because I’m just a commoner. Vivian might not be titled nobility, but she’s the daughter of a ducal household.
If Erika hadn’t taken a liking to me, a mere word from Vivian could have cost me my head—that’s the difference in our status.
So was I insane enough to speak casually to her?
Wait, no—if I’d been sane enough to care about status, I wouldn’t have spent the night doing *that* in the cabin.
Guess I *am* insane.
A few hours ago, my rational mind had been hijacked by my damn gonads.
Just as I started berating myself—*You lunatic, degenerate piece of shit*—Vivian chuckled and said:
“You know the Age of Warlords is coming, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then status doesn’t matter anymore. Under my sister’s rule, position will define status and power.”
Erika had told me the emperor had lost influence and the empire was on the brink of collapse.
I was mulling that over when Vivian playfully nipped at my trapezius and added—
Wearing the same wicked smile she had in the cabin that night:
“And… you really think you can just defile a noble like that and act like nothing happened?”
“Who—who said I’d do that…?”
“Yeah, yeah. Our fluffy boy is so *well-behaved*.”
So much for just saying status didn’t matter.
Apparently satisfied with my answer, Vivian beamed and pressed even closer against my back.
―――――――――――――――――
Humans are idiots.
We’re supposed to be rational creatures, yet we get swept up in the moment and do the dumbest things.
And the dumbest of them all is Vivian Grace—
—which is *me*.
*Fuck, I’m screwed… What do I do now?*
Erika Grace.
My beloved older sister, head of the former ducal Grace family.
A monster who outmaneuvered our father and seized the house with her political genius at a young age.
A future warlord when chaos descends upon the empire, and my direct superior.
And her most cherished, adored “fluffy boy”—Kain.
The guy *I* just fucking ravaged.
Like an animal, over and over, experiencing pleasure like never before, leaving me with zero regrets about dying right now.
I enjoyed it *so much* my groin is still sore—too much to even ride the horse I’ve ridden my whole life.
Luckily, sharing a horse with Kain turned romantic, which was great.
Beyond happy—except for the fucking *fallout* of stealing my sister’s crush.
They say heaven never seals off all exits, right?
*Maybe… she’ll let me off?*
I clung to that frail hope…
Until I reconsidered history.
What happened to those who coveted the emperor’s women?
Or those bitches who went after the queen’s man?
Unless memory fails me, being *flayed alive* was the *gentlest* fate among them.
But we’re sisters, right?
I wondered if Erika might show mercy.
“…Yeah, I’m *so* screwed.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing, Fluffy.”
I *have* to hide this.
If I wanna live…
We rode back in silence, arriving at the lodge beneath sickly amber moonlight.
―――――――――――――――――
After stabling the horses and stepping inside, we ran straight into Erika waiting at the entrance.
Kain and I bowed slightly, greeting our liege with proper decorum.
She nodded, acknowledging our courtesy with practiced grace.
“My fox, no trouble?”
“None—just took shelter from the rain before returning.”
I nudged Kain’s foot subtly while keeping my report vague.
Erika, blissfully ignorant, beamed just from seeing him, sensing nothing amiss.
“Good. Go rest.”
“What about Brooke and Eightrey…?”
“You think I’d be that petty?”
“Of course not.”
“Then off you go.”
Just this afternoon, Erika had thrown a fit over meeting a female dwarf.
But now, oddly mellow, she gave me a flicker of hope.
*Did she lose interest in Kain? Or grow merciful like Ha-hae?*
Once Kain left, leaving us alone, Erika noticed my wistful stare.
“Why the look, Vivian?”
“Just… thought you’d be crankier.”
“Ah, *that*?”
She smirked, slipping back into casual speech—formal noble talk must’ve grated on her.
Then, softer:
“Because I trust *you*, Vivian.”
“Huh?”
“With my fox guarded by someone as reliable as you, what could go wrong?”
Guilt crashed over me like a flood.
Clueless, Erika cheerfully clapped my shoulder.
“Count on you, little sister.”
I swallowed hard and bowed again like a dutiful subordinate.
*If she finds out, being flayed alive will be the least of my problems.*
We walked together to her room—now it was time for official business.
Duty called, so Erika’s noble speech slipped back on.
No longer my affectionate sister, here stood the poised leader of our faction.
“Report. Any threats during escort?”
This wasn’t personal.
Dozens of nobles had witnessed Kain’s talents at the gala.
Some might try exploiting him, or worse—killing him to stunt Erika’s rise.
Unthinkably stupid moves, but those existed.
Kain, regardless of opinions, was Erika’s treasure—and a brilliant inventor.
Protecting him was natural; harming him would justify retaliation.
That’s why she’d assigned me, her most trusted, as his guard.
“No major threats. Just some adventurer types trying to kill him for coin.”
“Damn vermin—… *ahem*, understandable.”
For a moment, fury twisted Erika’s face into something demonic before she recomposed.
Then I divulged details I’d withheld from Kain.
“Probably forced by Oh Yeong-je.”
Oh Yeong-je.
The emperor’s once-favored quintet of advisors.
Corrupt officials exploiting their power to line their pockets.
I scowled before asking:
“Those rumors… true?”
“All true.”
“Ledgers showed no trace—they invented taxes like *changmun-se* to exploit commoners.”
“Even dressed their private troops as bandits for extortion.”
Horrifying.
I’d prayed they were just rumors.
Erika sighed bitterly.
“The empire’s being run like shit—… *ahem*, incompetently.”
“The gala required splendor, so they levied taxes recklessly.”
“But that cut into *their* pockets.”
“So they sent ‘bandits’ to murder, rape, and pillage.”
“Fucking monsters.”
The empire *was* crumbling.
Erika’s head throbbed at Frontier’s decay.
She knew warlord era was inevitable, but it stung that Oh Yeong-je doomed its 300-year legacy.
Now bandits robbed citizens *in broad daylight*—even in Lumiar, the capital.
Rot ran so deep, she couldn’t fathom where to start cutting.
Frustration seethed—continuing would only enrage her further, so she halted the discussion.
I agreed, nodding stiffly.
We sipped tea, calming our fury.
Once settled, Erika switched topics—and speech—casually:
“So, did you ask?”
“Ask… what?”
Instantly, guilt—drowned earlier by rage—flooded back.
Trembling, I met my sister’s eyes—the woman who loved the man I’d just slept with.
“About my fox! I told you to ask if he likes me *that* way!”
“Oh… that…”
Cold sweat drenched me as I ducked my head like a convict.
But love makes fools of us all—Erika, oblivious, pressed eagerly:
“You’re the only one I trust with this…!”
Her words stabbed my conscience.
I *had* asked—just *after* screwing him senseless.
Seeing me hesitate, Erika’s face fell.
Her usual confidence wilted—shoulders slumping despite her tiny stature.
“I see… not the answer I hoped for.”
“No! That’s not it!!”
Panicked, I recounted Kain’s exact words:
“He said he often finds you beautiful…”
“But knows his place and won’t overstep.”
Word for word.
(I cursed past-me for jealous kissing afterward.)
Erika’s eyes sparkled anew.
“Hah…! I knew it—trusting you was right, dear sister!”
She hugged me tight, grinning brighter than I’d ever seen.
I clenched my eyes shut, enduring her embrace through guilt.
“I think I love him. Just between us.”
“Mm…”
“But I won’t confess yet.”
I knelt slightly—even though *I* was taller—to match her gaze.
Oddly, it felt like *she* was the younger sister now.
“First, I must solidify my power—deal with Oh Yeong-je, the empire’s rot…”
“Right…”
“And there’s the status issue. I’ll wait.”
“Mm…”
“Love has its perfect moment.”
Guilt left me listless.
Misreading my mood, Erika ruffled my hair fondly—thinking I sulked over sharing her affection with Kain.
“Don’t worry, my adorable sister.”
“My fox isn’t the only one I cherish.”
“I trust you, Luna, and Adele just as much.”
“…My loyalty is eternal.”
Head bowed, I endured her affectionate pats.
Bearing the weight of my swelling conscience—begging it not to burst.
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