Side Story – The Hardships of a Pregnant Woman (4)

 As soon as I entered the shop, Catherine Millie-ssi greeted me, half-furred… no, in a half-beastfolk state. 

 Perhaps because the shop’s location had changed, the interior also felt quite different. 

 For one, the shop itself had become wider. She had said she moved the shop after receiving good terms from Lizzie, so the shop’s area must have been one of those terms. 

 “It’s been a long time, Lillith-yang. Should I call you Duchess Lilith now?” 

 “You can speak however you’re comfortable.” 

 “Is the person next to you a friend? Or a maid?” 

 “I am Isabel, Duchess Lilith’s Exclusive Maid.” 

 “She is a maid, but also a friend. We were colleagues since my maid days.” 

 “Aha, then your relationship must be special. In that case…” 

 With those words, Catherine Millie-ssi suddenly stood up from her seat and moved towards the shop’s display case. 

 Every time she walked, her tail and hips swayed alluringly, which was a bit embarrassing, if anything. 

 ‘Is it at least a relief that Cat is a girl?’ 

 For a boy in his prime growth, if he had such a ‘grandmother,’ it would be enough stimulation to change his sexual fetish. 

 Moreover, perhaps because she’s a Werewolf, the traces of time were barely noticeable. I’m not sure if it’s a characteristic of the Werewolf tribe or the Beastfolk as a whole. 

 ‘Now that I look, it seems there are almost only male customers.’ 

 And only customers who seemed to have a lot of money. Some people, perhaps nobles, hastily averted their gaze as soon as their eyes met mine. 

 Perhaps Catherine Millie-ssi’s very presence was this shop’s selling point. I had heard that customers increased after she openly revealed her Werewolf nature at her previous shop, so it was a very plausible story. 

 “Here, Lillith-yang. And Isabel-yang.” 

 “Yes?” 

 “It’s a gift for a welcome customer I haven’t seen in a long time. I also received help from Lillith-yang once, so please don’t decline and accept it.” 

 A pair of small glass bottles were placed in my and Isabel’s hands. 

 Looking at the liquid in the small reddish-brown bottle, it seemed like perfume, but I wasn’t sure what scent it was.  

 “The perfume I gave Lillith-yang has a cherry blossom and tuberose scent. It has a sweet and elegant fragrance. And the one I gave Isabel-yang is a perfume with a lemon and lime scent. It has a bright and cheerful citrus scent, so it will go well with the perfume I gave Lillith-yang.” 

 “Is it alright to receive this, Catherine Millie-ssi? It would have been fine if you just recommended it and we bought it.” 

 “I wanted to give it to you. I was already here in Blackwood Territory, and it would have been a shame not to greet you two. And I’m grateful that Lillith-yang still remembers an old woman who merely sells perfume.” 

 Well, of course, it was a memorable experience in its own way. Rather than the incident itself, it was more about the impression of meeting a somewhat suspicious Werewolf woman. 

 It seemed strange to refuse her kindness, so I decided to accept it for now. There were other things I wanted to buy besides the gifts I received, so I could just pay with that. 

 “I’m also planning to buy something for Ethan, is there a men’s perfume that would go well with this?” 

 “If it’s Duke Blackwood, then it must be the Prince who visited our shop last time. If it’s him, then perhaps…” 

 To take out the men’s perfume, Catherine Millie-ssi stood on her tiptoes and reached for a slightly high cabinet. 

 The tail protruding from behind her tall, flowing skirt swayed gently from side to side, drawing the gaze of the customers inside the shop. 

 ‘Is this a perfume shop or an idol concert?’ 

 Considering the original work was an eroge, it might be natural in some sense. Still, I don’t recall there being any Beastfolk heroines among Lumia Academy’s heroines. 

 Unaware or uncaring of other people’s gazes, Catherine Millie-ssi calmly took out a perfume from the highest cabinet and handed me a small bottle with a calm expression. 

 “It’s a perfume with sandalwood and leather scents. When its scent mixes with the one I gave Lillith-yang, it becomes an even more sophisticated and elegant woody fragrance.” 

 “How much is it?” 

 “Originally it’s 12 Gold Coins, but since it’s Lillith-yang, I’ll only take 10.” 

 “Wow, whoa…. Th-ten Gold Coins…” 

 …It really is expensive. I guess that’s what happens with luxury goods. 

 Isabel next to me looked surprised and stared at the perfume in her hand. Because it was given so casually like a gift, she probably didn’t expect it to be this expensive. 

 I felt similarly, but it wasn’t a price I couldn’t afford. Anyway, what Isabel and I had already received were high-quality items no less valuable than this, so it would be a bit strange to suddenly claim ten Gold Coins were too much. 

 Pretending to take money from the wallet I pulled from my bag, I subtly hinted at the real reason for my visit to her shop. 

 “Ah, Catherine Millie-ssi. And by the way.” 

 “Yes, Lillith-yang.” 

 “By any chance, that tea we received last time… Is that also for sale?” 

 “‘Honesty Tea,’ you mean?” 

 “…Yes, that one.” 

 Catherine Millie-ssi looked at me with a strange expression, as if she already knew from the start. 

 Thinking about its purpose made me a little embarrassed, but I couldn’t back down now. Since I had already come all the way to her shop, it would be a bit of a waste to leave without buying it. 

 Hearing my words, Catherine Millie-ssi smiled slightly, took out a familiar box from the cabinet near the counter, and handed it to me. 

 “It’s one Gold Coin per serving. Since Lillith-yang will be using it with Duke Blackwood, I should give you two servings, right?” 

 “…Buying about 10 servings…” 

 “This isn’t a tea whose effects last long. If you don’t consume it within a month, its effects will diminish, so I recommend visiting and buying it whenever you need it, Lillith-yang.” 

 …If it’s two servings at a time, and needs to be consumed within a month. 

 Based on how often Ethan and I have sex in a week, if I use it about once every three times… 

 “Then about 16 servings…” 

 “…I told you it was for one month, why is it increasing, Lillith-yang?” 

 “…….” 

 “For now, I’ll give you only 6 servings, Lillith-yang. Its effects diminish if used too frequently.” 

 “……Yes.” 

 “For your information, there are no side effects for pregnant women either, so you can rest assured about that.” 

 It didn’t seem like it was obvious from my appearance yet, but Catherine Millie-ssi spoke as if she had openly discerned that I was pregnant. 

 Following her advice, Isabel and I returned to Blackwood Mansion with 6 servings of ‘Honesty Tea.’ 

 ‘She said using it too often isn’t good, so maybe I’ll only use it about once a week.’ 

 …Still, it seems I’ll have to visit again within a month. 

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

 I returned to Blackwood Mansion with quite a bit more expenditure than I had expected. 

 Although I spent a lot of money, it didn’t feel like a waste. Except for buying snacks, most of it was money spent for Isabel and Ethan. 

 …Although it’s true I bought the ‘Honesty Tea’ for personal use. 

 ‘Since I’ll be using it with Ethan, it’s also true that about half of it was bought for Ethan.’ 

 Between Ethan and me, who are already married, I wondered if something like this was really necessary now, but doing it with our true feelings completely exposed is different from just doing it. 

 My personal thought was that if I used this, Ethan might become a little more proactive and honest with his desires. 

 ‘As long as it’s not internal ejaculation, she said just doing it is fine, so if I can somehow get him to that point….’ 

 With those thoughts, I prepared by boiling water, timing it for Ethan’s return from the bathroom, and as I sat quietly at the table, waiting for about 10 minutes, the bedroom door opened and Ethan entered. 

 “Lillith? What’s that?” 

 “Th-the moon is bright, and I thought I’d have some tea with Ethan for the first time in a while. Since I can’t drink alcohol in this state, it’s instead of that.” 

 “…Really?” 

 As if he noticed my awkward aura, Ethan looked at me with slightly suspicious eyes. 

 But since I had already made up my mind, I had to push a little boldly here. I was already feeling a bit restless lately due to the accumulating libido as a pregnant woman. 

 If I hadn’t known about this tea, I might have thought I should just endure it moderately as before, but now that I knew, I couldn’t bear to suppress the desire to use it. 

 Thinking that I could properly do it after a long time, it was inevitable that my thoughts kept drifting in that direction. 

 – *Pouring sound*

 “…….” 

 “…….” 

 As I poured hot water into the teapot containing the tea leaves, a somewhat alluring scent naturally wafted up. 

 It was quite a unique scent, so even though it had been a long time, as soon as I smelled it, the memory of the day I first drank it several years ago vividly came to mind. 

 …And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who recalled the memory of that day. 

 “Lillith, surely that…” 

 “Do you remember Cat and Catherine Millie-ssi, whom we met in the Imperial Capital before?” 

 “…Yes, I remember.” 

 “Today, I went out for an outing to the Commercial District and happened to run into her. She said it’s been quite a while since she moved from the Imperial Capital to Blackwood Territory. And she moved that shop from back then as well.” 

 “…….” 

 “Just because I was feeling nostalgic, I got some of the tea leaves we drank back then from Catherine Millie-ssi.” 

 …Ethan probably knew that it wasn’t a pure intention, merely getting it out of nostalgia. 

 “…….” 

 – *Creak*

 Even so, he obediently moved to the seat opposite the table, and Ethan quietly met my gaze.