༺ Interlude ༻
Laura walked alongside Ferzen, both protected by the same umbrella. Occasionally, her gaze drifted toward his feet.
‘It doesn’t suit him……’
Naturally, he adjusted his stride to match hers, a basic courtesy expected in any situation.
However…
Laura couldn’t shake the sense of incongruity she felt with him. She questioned whether the man walking beside her was the same person who had cornered her and turned her into a slave.
No, it wasn’t just a feeling of estrangement.
There was also a sense of connection.
To be precise, it was a feeling of familiarity.
If Ferzen concealed his arrogance and self-righteousness, his wolf-like cunning, beneath a human façade…
They—the lineage of the Genova Family—were monsters hiding behind human masks.
Startled, Laura’s slender hand trembled ever so slightly as she held the umbrella. Her brows furrowed in response.
Unbeknownst to her, a sense of aversion surfaced as her thoughts turned to the tragic life she had led before.
‘How annoying……’
There was absolutely no resemblance between him and her. Not even a shred.
It was merely a sense of déjà vu that led her to believe that there might be some similarity.
Was this what it felt like to forcefully hold a mirror up to someone with a distorted face?
Laura slowly contemplated why she felt uneasy being around that cunning brat today.
“Heup…!”
However, her thoughts were quickly interrupted as Laura let out a cute squeal.
Without warning, Ferzen’s strong forearm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
“W-what…!”
Even if their relationship was that of master and servant, it was still too impolite for him to casually touch her in public where many eyes were watching.
As Laura, who rarely blushed, began to grow angry…
“Ah……”
Stomp!
A man in a hurry rushed past them without even using an umbrella.
If Ferzen hadn’t intervened, Laura would have ended up kissing the ground with her backside.
“T-thank… you…”
“Look ahead while you walk.”
“Yes… I-I’m sorry…”
“There’s no need to apologize for something like that.”
Due to the considerable height difference between them, Laura found herself slightly off the ground when Ferzen held her in his arms. Once he set her down, she tightly grasped the umbrella with both hands.
“Let’s go.”
As if nothing had happened, Ferzen turned his gaze forward and took another step.
Like a baby bird following its mother, Laura trailed behind him, her eyes fixed on his back.
‘……’
Even though she didn’t want to dwell on it, the sensation of Ferzen’s strong forearm still lingered around her waist.
To be honest, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience.
Being carried like a child in a man’s arms reminded her of her own fragility and vulnerability.
Of course, considering her age and the fact that he was her professor while she was his student, there was nothing unusual about it.
Yet, even after knowing that, Laura felt unfamiliar with the situation of receiving someone’s protection.
In her previous life, she had to face and overcome all challenges on her own.
Who could she ask for help? She had no one.
The only ones around her were the monsters who shared her blood.
Step.
Before they stood a road they needed to cross, with six wagons lined up in a row.
Laura and Ferzen stopped walking together, and she absentmindedly fiddled with the handle of her umbrella.
“At most…”
He had only hugged her tightly.
How could that lingering feeling persist for so long?
‘……’
It truly was perplexing.
Was she making a fuss about it because she had very little knowledge of men?
Or was the sense of peace and relief from being protected so sweet?
Sniff, sniff…
“Ah……”
Startled by her own actions, Laura flinched.
Unbeknownst to herself, she had unconsciously taken a step closer to Ferzen, drawn by the alluring scent of his luxurious perfume wafting from nearby.
Despite the crowd around her, how did she immediately recognize that it was Ferzen’s fragrance that had entered her nostrils?
Sighing, Laura chided herself for being so foolish.
But upon reflection, it would be even stranger if she didn’t recognize the scent.
After all, ever since the night when her curse had fully activated, her body had been bathed in his aroma every morning.
‘……’
Instead of stealing a glance at Ferzen beside her, Laura turned her head away from him.
Her gaze landed on a restaurant, more specifically, the translucent glass of the establishment.
Or to be even more precise, her own reflection in the glass…
Rustle.
Laura lowered the umbrella she held with both hands to obscure her reflection.
“Seriously……”
There was so much clumsiness about her that didn’t befit her age.
Laura de Charles Rosenberg.
No, Isabel Ron-Pierre Genova.
She felt unfamiliar with her own teenage self.
* * * * *
When Ferzen’s arrival was delayed by another day for an unknown reason, Euphemia couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Just a few months ago, he had come to Louerg without any reason and violated her. Since then, she had been treated as nothing more than a receptacle for his seed.
One would think that with him gone, she would feel relieved and free. However, these past two days had only served to make it painfully clear that his absence couldn’t be replaced.
The role of Ferzen’s wife was eating away at her, consuming her identity as Euphemia El Lauren Loureg.
So, when she received news that Ferzen had arrived at the academy and would be returning soon, a sense of relief and happiness washed over her.
‘Just a little bit more……’
Placing her hands on her belly, Euphemia gazed out the window as the rain gently trickled down.
But then, her joy evaporated. What if, upon arriving at the mansion, Ferzen went to Yuriel’s room first instead of hers?
‘No, that couldn’t be.’
Euphemia shook her head. If it was Ferzen, he would surely come to her room first.
With unwavering faith, Euphemia quietly waited for Ferzen’s return.
Finally, when she caught sight of him passing through the front gate with numerous escorts, she hastily rose from her chair and made her way into the hallway.
“……”
“……”
It was too much to call it a coincidence.
In the quiet hallway, she crossed paths with Yuriel Wayne Dayna Louerg.
Could it be that Yuriel felt the same unease as she did?
It brought a sense of satisfaction to Euphemia, a woman who had nothing and appeared shabby, to know that even someone as seemingly perfect as Yuriel could feel jealous and anxious.
Euphemia averted her gaze, but Yuriel, who was observing her, felt no sense of superiority.
Instead, Yuriel was filled with shame.
If things were going to be like this, she would have been better off staying in her room.
At that moment, countless thoughts raced through Yuriel’s mind.
‘Seriously……’
She despised herself for being rattled by the composed demeanor of such an insignificant woman.
And moreover……
Euphemia’s unconscious act of gently caressing her belly.
To Euphemia, it may have been a natural gesture, but to Yuriel, it felt like a deliberate attempt to provoke her.
So, Yuriel turned her head away as well, stealing a glance at her own stomach.
Despite having no experience with bearing a child, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness.
Perhaps, unlike her, that insignificant woman felt warmth.
Yuriel clenched her teeth in frustration at the jealousy that consumed her.
Stomp!
As she heard Ferzen’s footsteps ascending the stairs, Yuriel forced her expression to relax.
But something felt off.
She had a nagging feeling that the footsteps she heard were not Ferzen’s alone.
And to clear any doubts, he appeared in front of them.
But beside him…
“……”
“……”
A beautiful girl stood.
* * * * *
As they walked down the street, they finally arrived in front of a splendid and magnificent mansion.
However, it was not the mansion itself that caught Laura’s attention, but the flowerbeds filled with beautiful blossoms and rows of lush trees, each with its own unique charm.
Laura had always had a soft spot for flowers, so she admired the meticulously tended flowerbeds as she approached the mansion’s entrance.
“All of you should wait on the first floor for a while. The maid will come down and guide you.”
“Understood.”
Ferzen folded the umbrella and led her inside, heading upstairs. Laura wondered which room he would enter first.
Through that, she hoped to glean some insight into who he held the most affection for.
Perhaps it would be Yuriel Wayne Dana Alfred, she pondered.
Step by step, Laura made her way to the second-floor hallway.
However, her excitement quickly faded when she noticed both Euphemia and Yuriel waiting for Ferzen outside their rooms.
“That child……”
“Rather than going back to Rosenberg… why is she here?”
“Didn’t I mention my plans to support the magician of Louerg’s territory? Then… Laura.”
With Ferzen’s call, Laura stepped forward, slightly lifting the hem of her skirt in a graceful gesture of courtesy. Her sickly slenderness seemed to harmonize with the elegance of her bow, devoid of any sense of incongruity.
“This time… for the time being… I will be indebted… My name is… Laura De… Charles… Rosen… berg…”
She managed to say, deliberately speaking slowly to minimize her stuttering.
Euphemia and Yuriel responded with expressions that were difficult to read.
Laura stole a quick glance at Ferzen, then shifted her gaze to the women before her, dressed in comfortable attire suitable for the mansion rather than their usual academy clothes.
To be honest, the outfits accentuated their curves, highlighting their femininity.
‘If it’s to that extent……’
They should have no difficulty in having children. They could easily give birth to three or four children.
With women like them around, she couldn’t help but feel like she would spend the rest of her life as Ferzen’s concubine.
After all, he would have no complaints if she didn’t want to have children.
Laura felt a faint glimmer of joy as this realization settled in.
TL note: Let the cat fight begin!
Btw I decided to do double/triple updates instead of daily shit.
Why you ask?
Well cause i wanted to?
(I can cliff hanger everyone better this way)
But fret not, we should have at the bare minimum 15 chapter this month. I won’t promise more cause the universe is always looking forward to have the stupidest shit happening on my life.
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