Before Heading North (6)

The sun slowly began to rise, casting its light through the window.

It was a bittersweet ending, signaling the demise of a mindless beast, acting only on instinct.

"..."

Ferzen looked down at Laura, his complexion pallid and worn, a clear sign of exhaustion.

Although all he wanted was to catch the vile and murderous creature that had escaped into the shadows and pulverize it, how could he kill something formless?

"Ah, ah…"

As her primal instincts receded, Laura stood still, grappling with the exhaustion that washed over her body and the soreness that echoed throughout her muscles.

The pain around her waist, where the rope had bound her, was a reminder of how fiercely she had struggled last night.

Moreover, her damp and soaked undergarments clued her into how desperately she had attempted to bring Ferzen to his demise.

"Heh… Ugh…"

Struggling to speak, Laura glanced at Ferzen, noticing dark circles beneath his eyes.

Before long, he crouched down and reached out to loosen the gag in her mouth.

It was then that she noticed his injured fingers, both hands showing signs of strain.

"I-I'm… so-sorry…"

"There's no need to apologize. This will likely happen again in the future. Will you keep apologizing every time? I'd get tired of accepting them repeatedly, so don't do that."

"..."

Ferzen's words seemed straightforward, without any hidden meaning.

Yet, the phrase 'This will likely happen again' still stung Laura's heart.

Even so, Laura realized she couldn't offer any rebuttal to Ferzen's statement, knowing well that it was the truth. Therefore, she forcibly shut her mouth.

After Ferzen returned her rosary to her, Laura opened her subspace and retrieved the medicine needed to treat his wounds.

Pop-!!

As she opened the lid, the bitter smell unique to the drug spread out.

After applying the medicine to all of Ferzen's wounds, she carefully cut a bandage and wrapped it in a way that wouldn't cause discomfort in the movement of his fingers. Once she was done, she looked up at Ferzen.

"The o-other w-wounds…"

"There are none. It's not my first time restraining you. Do you think I'll get hurt in every corner of my body every time?"

Ferzen stood up at that moment, tidying his disheveled clothes.

Then, for a brief moment, he recalled what had happened last night.

If he were to compare her lack of reasoning to an animal, she would be like a hungry wolf.

…However, she looked more like a praying mantis than a wolf last night.

After all, female praying mantises would eat the male, if the male ever lost in the fight that occurred before they mate.

"I-Is there… an-anyything… you w-want to, to s-say?"

Laura stuttered and opened her mouth as her body flinched at the sight of him looking down at her.

"There's nothing."

Since asking whether she was frustrated was a question that crossed the line, Ferzen just turned around and grabbed the doorknob.

"Before you change your clothes and leave, open the windows to ventilate the room."

"O-okay…"

When Ferzen finally left with firm steps, Laura let out a deep sigh and tore off the strand of her hair that was sticking to her collarbone.

She was desperate for even a little more rest, but she knew it would be better to return to her room before doing so. Especially before Yuriel woke up.

With that in mind, Laura rose to her feet and began to take off the cheap clothes she was wearing.

"Sigh..."

As she undressed, she couldn't help but frown. Vivid handprints were visible around her waist and ribs.

'Really…'

It was evident that he had handled her with reckless abandon.

She felt fortunate that she didn't have any broken bones after being subjected to such force.

Rustle-!!

After that thought, Laura removed all of her outerwear, unclasped the waist belt of her shorts, and slowly lowered them.

Squelch-!!

When she lowered her undergarments, a strange and thick liquid elongated along with it.

Just how could that sound feel so shameful?

Pushing through her embarrassment, Laura took off her panties. Because of that, her left hand that was holding the panties got wet in an instant.

When she smelled the lewd female scent wafting from her wetness, she belatedly realized that it was also a trace of what had happened last night.

"Heu... Heut..."

Pink nipples that were erect and quivering over her pitiful breasts.

The transparent liquid flowed down her thighs when she took off the panties.

On top of it, the scent that came from Ferzen when she was hiding under his desk–the strong scent of a male.

"Huh...!"

A sweet moan leaked through her lips as soon as she pinched one of the erect nipples on top of her breast.

Quelch-!!

"Ah..."

From there, Laura took a step further and unconsciously lowered her small finger to touch her wet slit. She then crossed her legs and bent forward.

"A... Ah..."

When she realized what she had been doing, Laura bit her lips strongly to regain her composure.

The scene of her masturbating alone in his office... Wouldn't this make her look like a bitch in heat?

Feeling the pride she had built up for such a long time get scratched, Laura took out the clothes she was going to change into from the subspace.

She ignored all the waves of pleasure that were assaulting her one after the other.

"..."

In the meantime, she found the stuffed rabbit that was watching all that she had been doing while sitting on the floor. She then approached it and pulled its cute little paws to the side.

Squeeze-!!

Next, the tiny and innocent face of the rabbit was crushed.

However, the clear liquid that was flowing down Laura's beautiful legs dropped onto the rabbit's face, making it look like that it was crying because of the injustice.

* * * * *

After taking an early morning bath with the help of the maids, Ferzen entered Euphemia's bedroom.

Her sleeping face was peaceful and ethereal.

Lately, she had been waking up early in the morning, leading to sleep deprivation. However, at this moment, it seemed like she had fallen into a deep slumber. Ferzen carefully laid down beside her, gently pulling Euphemia's soft body into his embrace.

He then let out a series of hot breaths on the nape of her pure white neck and closed his eyes while gently kneading her voluptuous breasts.

...It should be fine for him to sleep as long as he woke up around noon, had a quick meal, and set off for the North after that.

Ferzen made sure his body knew when it should wake up, then used Euphemia's body as a blanket, entrusting himself to the soothing embrace of sleep. It wasn't long before he drifted into the dreamland.

* * * * *

Around 8 in the morning, Euphemia, who had been in a deep sleep, opened her eyes in response to a knock on the door.

She wondered how long it had been since she had last slept so soundly.

Due to the baby in her stomach, she usually woke up whenever she needed to use the bathroom. However, for some reason, she had slept through the night without waking up even once.

Before long, she felt a warm presence behind her.

"Ah…"

Though she wasn't sure when he had come in, she knew that he was currently sleeping peacefully from the rhythm of his breath.

Noticing that his large hands were inside her clothes, holding onto her breasts, Euphemia couldn't help but smile, finding him endearing.

Rustle-!!

However, since she couldn't meet anyone in that state, Euphemia gently removed Ferzen's large hand from her and sat up.

"Come on in."

Click-!!

The maids entered the room promptly.

"Madam, what would you like for your breakfast?"

At the moment, Euphemia didn't have much of an appetite, possibly because she had just woken up. However, considering the child in her belly, she couldn't skip breakfast entirely. So, Euphemia requested a simple meal to be brought to the room.

After the maids left and closed the door, Euphemia carefully brushed Ferzen's bangs.

"Ah…"

Upon noticing the bandage wrapped around his fingers, Euphemia quickly took his large hand into her own.

Now that she thought about it… he always seemed to get hurt at least once every month.

Was it because of carelessness, or was there another reason?

Feeling a hint of bitterness, Euphemia lay down beside Ferzen and snuggled close to his body.

He was the only one left in her world, and she wished he would take better care of himself.

"...?"

An unknown amount of time passed. Perhaps around ten minutes?

Basking in Ferzen's body warmth and the scent of his luxurious perfume, Euphemia pulled away slightly as she felt the area around her chest becoming damp.

Flinch-!!

When she raised her body, the negligee around her breasts had become wet, revealing her slightly enlarged pink areolas and nipples.

As a sweet scent entered her nostrils, Euphemia couldn't help but wonder if the substance wetting her chest area was her breast milk.

'I heard that this only happens… after the sixth month?'

Her restlessness grew as she observed her body with the knowledge she had acquired so far.

Could there be something wrong with her?

Creak-!!

Just in time, the maids returned to the room, bringing a simple breakfast for her.

"Oh, my goodness…!"

Naturally, when they saw Euphemia's appearance, they covered their mouths and closed their eyes with surprised expressions.

Euphemia knew that both maids had been pregnant and had delivered a child before her.

But since she wasn't sure whether their reaction was positive or negative, Euphemia spoke with a slightly uneasy expression.

"C-can you please call the doctor right away?"