episode_0058

Within the palace where the hero and his harem members resided, the interior was more spacious than Darin had ever imagined. It took hours just to navigate through the areas they primarily used, without even exploring the entire castle.

“Ah, my legs.”

Perhaps feeling unwell, cold sweat trickled down the girl’s forehead. Her thighs trembled due to the recent intimate encounter with the son.

Asteisia, possessing an extraordinary libido among the harem members and being a member of the Hero Party, couldn’t help but notice Darin’s discomfort.

“Are you feeling quite uncomfortable? You seem unsteady on your feet.”

“Oh, no!”

“Hmm, are you sure it’s nothing when your legs are shaking so much?”

Darin’s forehead creased slightly. The sight of the girl in front of her walking with a slight wobble felt oddly familiar. It reminded her of how she used to walk during the pure times when she first established a relationship with the hero.

Having accurately assessed why Darin’s legs were trembling, Asteisia casually brought up a somewhat awkward topic.

“By any chance, did you engage with Lucas before coming here?”

“Yes, yes!?”

It was surprising for Darin, a saintly figure, to hear such blunt words. However, as the first target conquered by the hero, Asteisia seemed oblivious to any need for discretion when broaching such topics. She simply smiled nonchalantly.

“Oh my, I might have been a bit too direct. It hasn’t been long since you engaged with Lucas…”

“… ”

“It must have been quite painful for your first time. My, my, Lucas seems to be quite an issue, doesn’t he? Treating a woman who is barely grown like this.”

“P-Please, don’t misunderstand!”

“Hehe, Darin. There’s no need to be so embarrassed. After all, we are like a community sharing one man as a husband. Besides, I quite like Darin.”

Although Darin felt a bit uneasy under the approving gaze of the pink-haired woman, she was grateful for the positive regard. Still, she hoped to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Why do you think that way?”

“Your gait is peculiar. Even I had a lot of muscle stiffness around the hip area during the early stages with Lucas.”

“Ah…”

The crimson-haired girl let out a shallow sigh, avoiding the saint’s gaze. She tried to brush it off, but it seemed impossible to escape the insight of a fellow “experienced” individual.

Misunderstandings continued to pile up. However, revealing involvement with another man to the saint was not an option. Whether Lucas would disclose to others that his chosen woman was not a virgin or choose to conceal it remained uncertain.

Nevertheless, aligning somewhat with his preferences seemed necessary to return to a stable position. After all, a man in power preferred when his women made decisions for themselves.

“It’s absurd to have to watch out for kidnappers just to return home…”

Though it felt ridiculous to be cautious of others’ eyes to return home, Darin was a wise woman. She understood that acting impulsively wouldn’t solve anything.

“Well, I might as well continue this conversation. Even if he won’t believe me.”

Therefore, Lady Darin decided to stop explaining and chose to maintain her current position as a “comrade who lost her innocence to the same man” with Asteisia. Even if she were to be exposed later, this seemed like the best course of action for now.

Since then, Darin had kept her mouth shut whenever the topic arose. The more she discussed innocence and sex, the more lies she would have to tell. Despite this, Darin wanted to uphold her conscience as much as possible.

It was not amusing at all for a woman who had previously seduced her son by spreading her legs to suddenly start showing concern. Darin knew this well. However, considering the great sin she had committed, shouldn’t she refrain from committing further wrongdoings?

Blaming her son, the instigator, would have been appropriate, but turning arrows against her beloved blood relative was not easy either.

“Ugh…”

Due to rising anger on her way back to her lodging, tears welled up in her eyes. She felt unjust because despite wanting to blame herself, she was unfairly becoming a bad person without intending to be one. She longed to confide in someone due to mounting stress, but there was no suitable person around.

“…Oh, Darin.”

Aestesia covered her mouth with both hands in surprise, nodding in understanding, and embraced the crimson-haired girl.

“Having become a lady at a young age, you must have been hurt. He is a man who enjoys violent intercourse.”

Assuming that the holy maiden had risen from an oppressive relationship, Darin felt incredibly sorry for the crimson-haired girl.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

In truth, Darin’s tears were probably shed for reasons elsewhere.

“When Lucas returns, shall I scold him? How could he treat such a young girl like this…”

‘Young girl.’

Although Darin’s conscience pricked at this word, being comforted by the presence of the holy maiden’s gentle touch seemed to soothe her troubled heart.

However, as time passed and she grew closer to her, something felt off.

“L-Lady Saint?”

Thinking that sufficient comfort had been given, Darin naturally tried to create some distance. But wasn’t Aestesia pulling her closer by gripping her waist?

“Men are indeed too rough, aren’t they? If it were two women, Darin wouldn’t have shed tears.”

“Eh…?”

“Haha, was my language too difficult?”

“I-I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“Exactly as I said? The time spent between women has a warmth that cannot be experienced with men.”

Considering the level of intimacy reached, some physical contact was acceptable. After all, she had occasionally shared light embraces with her aide Emma.

– Swipe, swipe.

However, Aestesia’s physical contact, when directed towards someone of the same gender, was surprisingly intimate. Fondling the flesh under the arm, gently caressing the soft side, or repeatedly tracing the midpoint between the buttocks and thighs…

“Well, Aestesia?”

“Yes, Darin. Do you have anything else to say?”

Unlike the sticky touch, the lady saint’s smiling face was profoundly graceful.

If there was something she wanted to say, she felt that the lady saint, with her expression, would comfort her like a young lamb.

‘What is this…?’

The actions and words didn’t match up. It was all too shameless. For a moment, Darin failed to grasp the situation and just blinked blankly. However, soon enough, she realized that something was going wrong as Aestesia’s hand began to tickle her abdomen and near her navel overtly.

“Aestesia, why are you… doing this?”

“You don’t need to be so guarded. It’s just a simple gesture of intimacy.”

“A gesture of intimacy? The women around me have never treated me like this!”

“Oh my, why did you do that? Ah! I heard Akayel adores you, so others couldn’t treat you lightly, right?”

“What are you saying…?”

Darine expressed her confusion with her mouth.

Why did you do that regretfully?

What on earth is this about?

I thought she was comforting me out of pity, but what are these inexplicable actions the saint is taking?

Whether Darine was surprised in various ways or not, the saint took the delicate girl’s hand and led Darine to the star room. It seemed like they had reached the vicinity of the lodging when this topic was brought up, as the time taken to arrive at the star room was very short.

“Do you like it? I decorated it in orange because Lucas said Darine likes oranges. I also heard there is a modest side to you, so I didn’t make it too flashy.”

A room filled with the scent of fruit and cute orange decorations welcomed Darine. Its scale surpassed several times the star room where she had lived, but Darine felt more awkward than pleased.

The space, meant for the two children who greeted the adult, was overwhelmingly girlish. Was it like a fresh space where an ignorant little girl would roll around cluelessly?

But once again, Darine found something odd here.

No matter how capable Lucas or the saint may be. I was just kidnapped. Yet, a large star room perfectly suited for me is prepared here? Unless this was arranged in advance, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

Feeling a creeping unease, Darine crossed her arms. Then, to dispel her doubts, she looked at Astesia and spoke up.

“When was this room… I mean, this place where I’m staying, prepared?”

However, she just smiled casually.

“This place was prepared right after the initiation ceremony…”

She said while gently touching Darine’s waist-length hair.

“Lucas made this space for Darine, didn’t he?”