episode_0104

Morning always arrives, without exception.

When morning comes, my eyes naturally open.

Yuri had been an early riser since childhood.

As the sun rose and the sunlight touched her eyes, her body always automatically began to move.

Even when she helped with her parents’ business, even when she started working alone at the inn.

Waking up early to prepare for the day was always paramount.

Perhaps it was a scar left behind from her arduous childhood, she thought. It wasn’t that she *could* wake up early, but rather that her eyes simply opened early.

She’d struggled more than once to adjust her waking hours even on holidays, due to ingrained habit.

Even after finishing work late the previous night, even when she tried to sleep in a little to rest…

She’d often spent entire holidays battling fatigue because her eyes opened early.

Especially since she’d started living with Her Highness, she’d often spent the night… engaging in intimacy.

Of course—! It was something she enjoyed, and she’d often been the one to initiate it.

She had absolutely no intention of blaming Her Highness for the fatigue the next day.

On the contrary, she felt sorry for herself for not being able to adjust to Her Highness’s schedule.

That’s why, Yuri sometimes even begged to be ravished until she was completely exhausted.

She thought that if she became incredibly tired, to the point of being unable to open her eyes, she might be able to sleep in a little longer in the morning.

But there were no exceptions.

Instead, the aftermath left her inner thighs and lower back aching.

This… was one of the reasons why Yuri herself considered her habit of waking up early a “scar from her childhood.”

When people live closely together, it’s natural to have some incompatibilities.

The closer the relationship, the more open communication becomes…

This is precisely why even love-filled relationships often have frequent arguments.

However, given Yuri’s nature of always overcoming problems with effort, her love for Her Highness was quite devoted.

And because their relationship was that of a princess and her maid, even before they became lovers…

Whenever problems arose between them, Yuri always blamed herself.

That day was no different.

“Mmm, Yuri… where are you going?”

Nari, naked under a thin blanket, awoke to the rustling sound.

Sensing the absence of warmth against her skin, she extended her body out of the bed to find Yuri.

“I’m going to do some shopping. Before returning to the dormitory, I need to feed my sister.”

“I want meat—”

Pffft—

She curled her hands into fists, mimicking the act of gripping a thick rib before… immediately falling back asleep.

Yuri wrote down the necessary meat and ingredients by category on a small piece of paper and tucked it into her bag.

Her neatly dressed appearance was slightly different from her usual attire for going to the market.

Perhaps it was her slightly tense, resolute expression.

She left the Philbrog Baron’s mansion and headed towards the carriage waiting a short distance away.

“Please take me to the Naifrantz Royal Palace.”

…

…

…

Thump—

The royal palace. A long-awaited visit.

Time wasn’t plentiful, so first, she needed to find a plaything to exploit.

“—?!”

“Long time no see, senpai.”

“Yo- You, what are you doing…?!”

The person Yuri called “senpai” was a maid who had once served Her Highness long ago.

After quitting that job, she plotted a very bold scheme, essentially exiling the thorn in her side, Yuri, to Her Highness’s side.

Thanks to her, Nari had awakened, making her a very despicable woman and now, just pitiable.

Since she had been dismissed from Her Highness’s eyes, she’d become Yuri’s tool.

“I had some things to take care of.”

For instance, simple errands could be assigned.

Yuri pulled out the memo from her bag and handed it over. The maid’s hand automatically reached out and carefully received it.

“Wh- What is this…?”

“Bring back everything listed there by the time I return. The money… is here.”

Clink—

As she opened the pouch, gold coins poured out like sunlight.

It was clearly more than enough to buy all the listed ingredients… but the maid’s hands trembled.

“A- All of this…?”

“Why? Is it too little?”

“This damn—!!”

From raw meat to vegetables and spices…

These weren’t ingredients that could be easily obtained in a short amount of time.

It was the amount she would barely manage to procure by running until she was exhausted.

“It’s for Her Highness… if the quality is even slightly lower than the rotten potatoes or meat you gave me before—”

Gulps—

The maid’s past wrong choices flashed before her eyes. Having chosen the wrong path, the Fifth Princess Narita was the epitome of terror to her.

“You know what to do? Arrange a suitable carriage and have it sent to the Philbrog Baron’s mansion before dinner.”

“Ye- Ye- yes!”

Whizz—

Yuri pointed her finger towards the Venetian market.

“What are you doing? Time’s ticking, senpai.”

“Yeeees—!!”

Leaving the maid behind, her hair disheveled by the wind, running as if her life depended on it…

Yuri slowly made her way into the royal palace.

“I’m here to see Professor Lester.”

“This way, please.”

Following the servant’s directions, she found the doctor’s consultation room at the royal hospital.

Knock-knock-

“Professor, the patient you mentioned yesterday.”

—Send her in.

Swallowing hard, Yuri slowly entered the room.

“…Hello.”

“Yes, I received your letter. How is Her Highness?”

“Too healthy, if anything.”

Lester Blanche.

The third specialist at the Naifrantz Royal Hospital, and Her Highness Narita’s personal physician.

He knew Yuri fairly well, having been close to Her Highness since they were young.

“What brings you here today? Don’t tell me… it’s because of anal sex again—”

“No, it’s not…”

The first time she had to show him her abused rectum… it was unspeakable.

Even though it was such a private area, he touched her as casually as if he were checking her limbs, causing even more shame.

As a doctor, Lester showed no hesitation due to his professional obligation, but from the patient’s perspective, it felt like being treated as an animal.

Yuri, who had known him since childhood, blushed even more intensely.

“So, what is it this time? Is the front… torn—”

“If it were, I’d be carried here…”

Most of Lester’s patients came with embarrassing symptoms.

Therefore, he often used lighthearted jokes to ease their tension.

Yuri, as if mentally prepared, placed her hand on her chest and slowly opened her mouth.

“…I can’t get pregnant.”

…

…

…

Everyone in the palace knew who the father was, without being told.

And most of them knew something of the Fifth Princess Narita’s secret, and they didn’t gossip about it.

Anyone who had a loose tongue was dead.

In any case, even for Lester, who had seen countless genitalia, this was his first time examining a hermaphrodite.

He had heard from his predecessor that the first Queen, Leah Flora Naifrantz, had a similar condition.

However, since she was an outsider, there was almost no reference material available. Most records had been destroyed after her death.

Naturally, the first to be considered suspicious was Yuri.

He performed tests using state-of-the-art magical equipment, and the results were quick.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Really… are you sure there’s absolutely nothing wrong? Perhaps the sex with Her Highness was a little too rough—”

“It looked that way.”

Lester pushed up his glasses, calmly laying out the diagnostic results.

The first thing he checked was the uterus itself. Although the examination revealed injuries around the cervix, which appeared to be from vigorous intercourse…

Yuri’s body, with its active mana due to her advanced magical capabilities, was exceedingly healthy. Such injuries wouldn’t be a problem, and all other functions were working perfectly.

Next, the ovaries. Those were also perfectly normal.

With her healthy lifestyle, her hormonal function was normal. Indeed, there was nothing wrong with her—she was a healthy 20-year-old woman who could serve as a study for a medical journal.

Clench—

With each word from Lester, Yuri’s fists tightened.

“Then, then why…?!”

“It’s obviously a problem on the other side. I suspected it from the start, but I wanted to narrow down the possibilities first.”

His expression was cold and emotionless.

Yuri was speechless. She hadn’t entirely dismissed her own suspicions either.

“And this kind of examination… it’s best if both parties are present, you know?”

“…I thought it must be my problem.”

“Even so, that doesn’t change anything. Think about it, is this only your problem?”

Lester pointed to a more fundamental issue.

“Having a child requires trust and responsibility. You seem more than ready to take on the responsibility, but…”

His expression was kind and warm as he gave his heartfelt advice after the diagnosis.

“Perhaps you lack some trust.”

“I completely trust Her Highness.”

“But… why did you come alone? You obviously didn’t say anything.”

“…”

Yuri lowered her head.

That was exactly what she did.

Even if she firmly believed in Her Highness, it wasn’t healthy to write off shared problems as her own responsibility and suffer in silence.

She wiped her slightly damp eyes and looked at Lester again.

“There’s someone you should consult first. Honestly…even if Her Highness came, I couldn’t do it. I’ve never seen ‘that’ kind of case.”

“Understood… I’ll talk to Her Highness.”

If it’s Her Highness, my beloved Nari-unni…

Whatever happens, she’ll surely be understanding.

To Yuri, it was the only unchanging truth.

“Thank you for today.”

“Yes. Give her my regards.”

Perhaps… she might know something, given she’s a step closer to the truth about her ‘mother.’

She straightened her back and walked out of the consultation room.

Then, she put her finger to her ear and activated the [Transmission] magic she’d learned from Nari.

「Can you hear me?」

「Wha- What is it—」

「It’s me, senpai. I need to add a few things to my shopping list.」

Clench—

Yuri squeezed her fist tightly.

「About ten eels, the freshest ones you can find, please.」