Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred (5)

"Do we really have to prepare for the lecture...?"

Euphemia asked as she looked at the downpour.

But instead of answering her, Ferzen simply looked at her and took a sip of his tea.

Lord Asran's son, Geralt was talking with Yuriel...

There's no need to even speculate as to why this happened.

It was likely that Yuriel's marriage was already being arranged.

Alfred probably wished to solidify their relationships with the Lord of the North, increasing their influence.

If Asran were not the Lord of the North, or more accurately If Jeremiah had not helped me in his talks with the Emperor...

No that was a meaningless speculation…..

"Euphemia."

After a little time, Ferzen uttered her name.

Euphemia shuddered slightly because of his unusual tone.

"I…..Just really don't like this weather..."

Euphemia's taming already took control as Ferzen's silence made her rub her belly nervously.

"I simply wished to ask you something."

"…..What you wanted to ask?"

"If I took another woman as my mistress...Would you be sad?"

"...?"

Euphemia's expression was ashen, but the look on Ferzen's face made her realize he was being completely serious.

"I thought I would become your mistress...Since you said my blood was a commoner's blood. But now….You're asking me this…..I don't understand..."

"Euphemia, you will be the mother of my son, and he will succeed me."

At Ferzen 's words, Euphemia embraced her belly.

"If this child is a daughter and not a son..."

Ferzen approached his wife, reading her thoughts clearly, and with a knowing smile, he kissed her cheek while stroking her belly in a protective way.

"I will make you bear my child until you grant me a son. But don't worry, no matter how many daughters we have, I promise you I won't reject them."

Because of Seo-Jin's ego, Ferzen didn't have such strong prejudice about their child's gender.

"I will say it as many times as you want to Euphemia. You will grant me a son, and he will become the only heir of Louerg."

Euphemia stared at Ferzen's crimson eyes, and she was flooded with complex emotions.

"I…..I see."

"Hm."

"But….Why did you choose me…..?"

Euphemia, the caged bird, now wished to learn more about her cage and her jailer, Ferzen.

"..."

"You don't even desire the status of a Lord..."

"Euphemia."

"Yes..."

"Your question…..I shall answer it when our child is born safely."

Honestly, the young woman expected him to dismiss her question...

"This mistress...It's because of the matter your brother has put forward?"

"Yes."

"But…..I don't think it's possible for Louerg to become the center of the North."

"I will make it so. What you truly worry about is if Louerg will keep its status for the next generations."

Louerg is basically a territory incapable of thriving on its own.

However...

"If the first Imperial Prince becomes the Crown Prince, I will offer him an opportunity. My proposal will be in line with the current situation of the North, so I don't think he would refuse it."

"..."

"If my plans are successful, Louerg's future position will become solidified."

The North has a very low tax rate compared to other territories around the Empire. Because of this, it wasn't rare for other aristocrats to open their businesses there.

Because of this fact, Ferzen thought about creating such a thing.

With the support of Brutein, there would be no way this venture would fail.

"So...You don't need to worry about such things."

After saying this with a serene tone, Ferzen gently brushed her hair and secured her tightly in his arms.

The love behind his touches was something awkward and unfamiliar for her.

Even though Ferzen said he would explain it to her, Euphemia was naturally curious about his choice of taking her as his wife.

Was it due to love?

The young woman had no way of knowing.

There would always be those who believed in the power of love, even if his form of love was twisted...

But not even once Ferzen said such things to her.

Drip-Drop....

The rain never ceased.

But alongside the sound of the rain, the only thing that could be heard in this room was the sound of their breaths.

"..."

"..."

But this silence was no longer uncomfortable.

Euphemia buried her face in his firm chest.

The distinct scent of Ferzen's perfume and the woody stench of tobacco invaded her nose.

"W-We should stop...It's not good for the child...."

"..."

Ferzen looked at his wife and kissed her neck as he whispered in her ear as if teasing her.

"Alright, I'll stop."

Despite this brief moment, their enjoyment was true.

* * * * *

After the long hiatus due to the Academy's incident, the lectures were resumed with haste and the final exam would be held in June.

"The groups will be composed of two teams with 5 students and one team with 4 students. The groups' composition will be announced in early June, but bear in mind that the composition of the groups is non-negotiable."

Since this exam would be a group one, in theory, it would be possible for the students to cooperate and achieve a better result.

But this would be meaningless because the exam required them to use the autonomous control technique.

When using the autonomous control technique on a corpse, the Warlock is not the one manually controlling the corpse.

Instead, the corpse itself will take action in accordance with his experiences and habits when it was alive, and the implementation of such actions is decided by the synchronization rate.

"The mana required will be the same for all, about 15%."

When variables like skill, lineage, and familiarity are excluded, if a Warlock of Keter class consumes 1% of their mana to control an ordinary corpse, their synchronization rate would be about 2-3%.

Therefore, in a state where the synchronization rate was about 30-40%, the feedback received from the corpse will determine the result.

"..."

After he was done lecturing, only silence lingered in the classroom.

Under normal circumstances, the Academy's test scores would be a crucial foundation for the students' lives, especially if they are not the successor of their house titles or aren't in any arranged marriage, so it's understandable that they would be nervous about it.

Their test scores would be accounted for over the next three years and the final value will be used to get into interviews with the Imperial Family, the Imperial Knights, the Wizards Corps, etc.

In other words, this was the only way for the students to prove their value outside their family name.

"Then...Let us begin the lecture."

Walking up to the blackboard, Ferzen rolled his sleeves and picked a piece of chalk.

* * * * *

11 A.M.

After finishing his lecture, Ferzen saw Lizzy leaving the classroom in her wheelchair with unusual haste, as he walked towards Laura.

"W-What…..D-Do y-you want...?

Laura's blood-red eyes met Ferzen's crimson ones.

Even though it had been a long time since she faced him, his oppressive presence still bothered her.

And after all the other students vacated the classroom, Ferzen opened his mouth.

"Laura."

"Y-yes..."

"On June 4th, I will be there to restrain you. But during the three-month vacation, that will not be possible."

"..."

"I was planning on spending time in Rosenberg, but my plans changed and now I will be returning to Louerg...What are you going to do?"

While our current arrangement is ideal, If I leave the capital, then Laura must present a clear cause to follow me or at least 'accidentally' choose the same place for vacation as me, so the rumors won't spread.

"Th-That....Y-You d-don't ha-have to...worry."

"Laura."

"..."

"If you cannot present a clear reason to follow me without violating our current student-teacher relationship. Then I'll be forced to bring your Genova lineage to settle the record."

Crossing his arms, Ferzen leaned back on the table.

"You are a bright child. So you surely must have some contingency plans. So let's hear them."

"Ah..."

At Ferzen's words, Laura squirmed nervously.

She didn't want to answer his question, but Ferzen wouldn't tolerate her silence as he grabbed her chin and lifted her head.

At this, Laura anxiously put her hands on her buttocks as her eyes darted around the room.

"I….I….I….Lo-love….Yo-you….."

"..."

"T-That..."

"You claim to be in love with me."

"Y-Yes..."

"That's...A bit difficult."

"Pa-Pardon?"

Laura's mind came to a halt.

If it was a one-sided love then it was something easy to deal with, no?

And if the deed was done, the situation would resolve itself neatly.

"I wonder...Do you think you can deal with the curse of the full moon without my help? And when your lies start to become truly ridiculous...What will you do?"

"..."

"Come to think of it, sending that blessed piano must have looked like a proposal gift."

"..."

"Maybe your parents think that not only are you in love with me, but I harbor such feelings for you as well..."

"T-That...."

Laura gulped.

Just like Ferzen concluded, her own mother reached this conclusion.

"Such a mischievous child you are..."

"Ah….N-No….No..."

Ferzen's hand which until now was holding her chin, gently brushed her neck.

A snow-white body that has never experienced the touch of a man...

Laura shivered at this unusual sensation.

"Laura."

"Yes..."

"I'll go along with this little plan of yours for now, but in time, ponder more about it. This may not be as good as you think it will be....Do you truly wish to become my mistress?"

Laura's expression crumbled a bit upon hearing his words.

Ferzen is 24 years old, and if you count her previous life....Laura thought she was too old to become this man's mistress...

But there would be no use in pondering about that.

From the beginning, Ferzen only helped her in order to secure a smooth deal with her father.

But Laura also knew that their situation is now a little twisted.

She didn't know what her mother's reaction would be.

"Y-Yes...I…I'll d-do it….Hah….I-I wi-will."

Laura answered him with a soft tone as she reached for him and tried to push him away.

But his firm chest refused to budge.

Although he was a Warlock, Ferzen's body was well-built.

"You…..You are trying to tempt me now?"

"N-No…..It's not li-like t-that...."

Ferzen's words caused Laura's face to blush profusely as she continued to push him away.

"Then let us meet on June 4th."

Ferzen quietly left the classroom.

Now alone, Laura sighed nervously.

Since it was now summer, she wore long-sleeved clothes to hide from the sun, but the rain made her use a short dress for the first time in a while...

It's hot.

Unsurprisingly, as she pulled the helm of her dress, she could see tiny beads of sweat rolling from her pale bosom to her pink nipples.

Drip.

"..."

And with the humid climate, she now carried a faint sweaty stench, so Laura wished to bathe as soon as possible.

She just realized it.

But when Ferzen was talking to her...

He surely must have realized this.

All of a sudden Laura wanted to sigh once more.