HIGOS 08

Chapter 08

[Looking at Jester’s brown eyes blinking stupidly, Fleurette shook her head.

“To explain more simply, what the baron did to—no, did to the baroness on your first night was nothing more than the breeding act of beasts.”

“That’s…”

“Let me borrow a pen.”

Fleurette pulled over a chair, dragged a blank sheet of parchment over, and picked up a pen. A few lines seemed to sketch themselves from her hand, and soon something was complete. Jester, who had been quietly staring at the paper, flushed bright red.

“Wh-what is this!”

“It’s a woman’s body.”

It was an explicit—all too explicit—drawing of a woman’s nude form. The skill was so good one thought she could have succeeded as a painter rather than a courtesan. That made it even more embarrassing.

“You seem to know that mating and ejaculating leads to breeding, so I won’t explain that part further.”

“H-hey…”

Jester’s embarrassed face looked about to burst from the heat, but Fleurette didn’t stop.

“If you ask the ultimate reason humans have relations, breeding is correct, but I assure you, there’s no wife who would like a husband who strips off his clothes and just thrusts his club in without rhyme or reason.”

“No, that, I…”

“The baron said that breeding act felt very good, didn’t you? And the madam hated it to the point of shuddering?”

“…Th-that’s right.”

“It won’t do for only one person to enjoy it, will it?”

Fleurette lifted her pen with an indifferent touch and drew circles here and there on the female figure on the parchment.

“Here, here, here, and here.”

With her other hand—the one not holding the pen—Fleurette wiggled her fingers slyly.

“Touch them softly and tenderly.”

“Wh-what!”

Screech—startled, Jester pushed back in his seat, and the chair legs scraped loudly against the floor. Fleurette frowned.

“Are you going to react to every little thing like a child when you’re old enough to be a grown man?”

“H-how could I do such a thing…”

“Such a thing? Don’t you want a healthy relationship that the madam can enjoy as well? Didn’t you call me here to ask how?”

“Isn’t that beastly? Aren’t you telling me to grope my wife’s body?”

“Ah, seriously…”

Fleurette tilted her head back and sighed, then turned to Paul again. She pressed her index and middle fingers to her lips in a gesture asking for a cigarette, but Paul coldly shook his head.

“Don’t you ever feel the urge to touch the madam’s body?”

Fleurette turned back and asked. Jester hesitated, then opened his trembling lips.

“I-I did, but… how could I? Haven’t you seen my wife? She’s small…”

Jester furrowed his brow and drew Cassia in the air with both hands.

“…White, and this… it’s not something I should be touching…”

“God, God. Please, I beg that the poor madam has even a shred of patience left. Please grant her a heart broader than the sea, so that she may still take in this one pitiful beast…”

Fleurette closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and muttered mockingly. Embarrassed, Jester bit his lip and slammed the desk.

“She’ll hate it! How dare I!”

“Baron, she already seems to hate it so much it couldn’t be worse, so you may boldly challenge it. From now on, since you’re being too frustrating, I’ll be bold with my word choices as I teach you. That’s all right, yes?”

“D-do that.”

“Listen carefully. The moment you start relations and shove your X in first thing, it’s all over. First…”

“Aaagh!”

For quite a long time, painful screams leaked from Jester’s office.

***

For a week, Cassia truly did nothing but play and eat. Perhaps Jester had spoken to him well—Paul, who visited a few times, only asked after her comfort and didn’t bother her by bringing up the castle’s household affairs.

It was a truly peaceful week. Her body, which had worked ceaselessly for all twenty-seven years, was itching from rest. Still, she was happy. Her body was at ease, and her husband Jester, though staying at the castle, didn’t hover in front of her eyes.

She conversed often with Vita while hiding her true feelings. As expected, Vita said many things that turned Cassia’s stomach. Stories about how they had been each other’s first kiss when young, stories about how Jester had taught a lout who’d picked a fight with her a lesson…

They were stories she had heard in her previous life too. Even then she had been displeased but had let them pass with an “Oh, I see.” She felt like a fool all over again.

But this time, well—she didn’t feel particularly jealous or displeased. No emotion at all.

When was it that she had discovered Jester and Vita in their secret tryst? Chewing over her memories, Cassia decided to keep Vita close for the time being, unpleasant as it was.

Vita tormented Cassia not only with reminiscences of the two of them but in other ways as well. She kept urging Cassia, who lay around wanting to do nothing, to take walks, and today she had suggested touring the castle, so Cassia had dragged her heavy body along with difficulty.

That was how the incident happened.

“Who’s that?”

She heard Vita’s voice, sunk low, from where she walked beside her.

It was when they were passing Jester’s office on their tour of the castle that they encountered the suspiciously dressed woman. The mysterious woman, wrapped in an expensive fox fur shawl, wore a brightly colored silk scarf—all the rage in the capital—around her head. Her appearance, half-hiding her face, looked suspicious.

She was clearly an outsider, and she seemed to have just come out of Jester’s office.

‘What’s this? Did he bring in a woman or something?’

Since Jester had never had woman trouble apart from his peculiar relationship with Vita, Cassia thought nothing of it. She hated to admit it, but one could call Jester a man of pure devotion. The only woman near him, as far as Cassia recalled, was Vita.

But Vita, standing beside Cassia, seemed to think a little differently. Her eyes were sharp as she stared at the mysterious woman standing face to face with them.

“Oh, oh dear… this isn’t the way.”

The woman was truly suspicious. She started when she saw Cassia and Vita, then turned and hurried in the opposite direction as if pretending it was natural. As though fleeing someone she mustn’t meet.

“Hey, you there.”

It was Vita who stopped the woman. Unless she was hard of hearing, she must have heard Vita’s voice, but the woman kept hurrying on as if she hadn’t.

“Hey, you!”

Vita quickly ran and grabbed the shawl the woman was wearing. Stopped in her tracks, the woman timidly turned her head to look at Vita.

“Who are you? Who invited you to the castle? You just came out of the baron’s room, didn’t you?”

Vita interrogated.

“No, I’m…”

The woman faltered and glanced at Cassia behind Vita. She seemed to have come to see Jester, and she was watching Cassia’s reaction. She certainly did look suspicious. Cassia let out a small sigh and approached them.

“Miss Vita, what rudeness is this to a guest? Let her go.”

“May I see her face? She seems suspicious, so I think I need to confirm.”

“Eek!”

Vita boldly pulled off the scarf covering the woman’s face. The woman’s abundant red hair fluttered in the air.

“Huh?”

The woman with the charming red hair was a great beauty.

A beauty, her husband’s room, suspiciousness.

It was a situation that invited suspicion, but Cassia was angrier at Vita than at the woman. Even in this life, Vita was playing Jester’s wife in her stead, unchanged.

“Miss Vita, I said enough.”

“Madam, this woman is a courtesan.”

“What?”

“She’s famous even in the capital—does the madam not know? A cheap courtesan who sells her body to nobles, blinded by money! Tell us what on earth you did in our baron’s room!”

“Miss Vita!”

“No, what kind of shameless woman is this? Who are you to wag your tongue at me, calling me cheap and whatnot? Frankly, if I came here to be paid and entertained, I wouldn’t be the one with something to complain about.”

“Wh-what? What kind of crazy woman is this?”

The woman seemed to have as fiery a temperament as Vita. Showing no intention of politely accepting Vita’s insults, she rolled up her sleeves and snorted.

“I was going to leave quietly, but since it’s come to this, I should introduce myself. I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand. You’re the Baroness Greze, correct? I’m Fleurette Roselyn. The butler of this castle contacted me about a problem with the baron, so I merely visited. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The woman, who introduced herself as Fleurette Roselyn, straightened her crumpled shawl, shot Vita a sidelong glance, and bowed her head to Cassia. Cassia didn’t quite understand what Fleurette was saying, but she acknowledged the greeting for now.

“Yes, I see. Since you say Paul contacted you first, you’re a guest of our castle, and it seems our young lady has been rude out of ignorance. You look to be on your way out—take care.”

“Madam!”

Vita called Cassia in a sharp voice, but she paid no heed. As if to show her, Fleurette snorted once more and turned to leave.

But Vita was not the type to let a strange woman who had come out of Jester’s room go peacefully. The commotion erupted in an instant.

“Aaagh!”

“Vita!”

Vita, eyes flipped in fury, yanked hard at the back of Fleurette’s hair as she turned away. At the rather heavy tug, Fleurette’s head whipped back and forth.

Fleurette was no ordinary opponent either. She quickly reached out and yanked at Vita’s neatly braided hair. It was chaos.

“Let go!”

“You let go, you cheap courtesan!”

“Vita! I said stop!”

Cassia, caught in the unexpected situation, was at a loss. She knew Vita would always exact revenge on any woman entangled with Jester, but she had no memory of such an open commotion with hair-pulling in the castle.

What, did her combat ability improve or something?

“Ow! My hair’s all coming out! Madam! Help, please help me!”

“W-wait. Miss Roselyn. Uwaaah!”

Cassia, who had approached to stop them, was swept up in an instant. Fleurette, gradually being pushed back by Vita’s monstrous strength, flailed her hands and grabbed the front of Cassia’s dress beside her. The three became tangled and chaotic. It was truly a mess.

Just then, sensing the commotion, Jester’s office door flew open.

“Wh-what is going on!”

Paul’s flustered voice, coming out with Jester, tore through the air. By then Cassia’s world was spinning. She had never been in such a catfight even in her previous life.

“Cassia!”

“Aaagh!”

“Good heavens!”

Cassia’s body, being shaken about by Fleurette’s hand, was seized by a firm grip and pulled out of the fray. It was Jester. He pulled Cassia out rather forcefully, and Vita and Fleurette lost their balance, staggered, and fell.

In Cassia’s dizzy vision, she saw Vita and Fleurette. Vita, beside herself with rage, grabbed the back of Fleurette’s hair once more as she tried to flee.

“Aaagh!”

It was a mess. A true mess. It couldn’t be more of a mess.

Who was the culprit behind this situation? Vita? Fleurette? No.

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Jester grabbed Cassia’s shoulders, turned her toward him, and asked. His expression was steeped in earnest worry, just like the last time she had seen him before she died.

Just what business did he have calling a woman who worked as a courtesan into the castle…

And what sweet nothings was he whispering to Vita behind her back—acting like his wife when his real wife was right there…

‘Why am I being subjected to such humiliation?’

That day, Baroness Cassia Greze finally exploded. It was emotion she had bottled up for a full ten years.

“I am NOT all right, you bastard!”