Lord Charles looked rather cute when he blushed. “Are you perhaps embarrassed?”
“No. I’m mad at you because you won’t keep your thoughts to yourself!”
We returned to the Margrave’s mansion, our conversation the usual banter. Once we arrived, Lord Charles was to have lunch with Lady Desiderata before continuing on to a very tightly-scheduled day.
★ Jeanne ★
“Welcome home, Lord Charles.”
“Thank you for your continued protection, Jeanne.”
Night had long since fallen by the time we finished the day’s schedule, yet it was a comparatively early finish compared to the recent norm.
Though Lady Desiderata was now well into her pregnancy, she still managed to greet Lord Charles at the entrance every day. Lord Charles would always worry and tell her to get to bed and sleep, yet the fatigue in his face always melted into a smile at the sight of her.
My lady was the spitting image of a maiden in love—though she was pregnant, so that much should not have been such a surprise. I had lived in Lord Charles’s shadow for five years, which passed by in a flash, but I’d never once had a chance to act on my desire. So close were they, it was hard to believe these two were brought together by a political marriage.
“All right, Lord Charles, I’m out. Please, I’m begging you, get some rest tonight. I know you gotta be zonked.”
His schedule was packed from early morning to late night again the next day. Ugh, I should get some sleep soon too. I bet Lord Charles will get a wonderful night’s sleep at Lady Desiderata’s side… Sniffle.
“Oh, Jeanne, one thing I forgot to mention. This morning, I had Sir Chris cast a certain spell on you.”
“Say what?! The hero is some kind of wizard, right, with the dark magic and all? Did you have him curse me? Am I being fired? Is it ’cause I’m stupid?!”
“I keep telling you to stop saying everything that pops into your head, silly. I’m only going to tell you this once, so listen well: as the hero is the goddess’s terrestrial agent, he can use holy magic even greater than the head
priest’s.”
“Oh, goddess, I’m so sorry, so sorry! I really am a bother, just a stupid bug buzzing around the happy couple’s home! I’m so sorry for loving you, Lord Charles!”
“The soothsayer has assured us that the child in Desiderata’s womb is a boy, so my line of succession is secure. Desiderata has also accepted you as my concubine—though considering you’re a woman and my bodyguard, everyone around us already assumes you’re a concubine, anyway.”
“I understand. I give up. It’s the monastery for me, for sure. I’ll bury my love forever and serve the gods, living a life of purity.”
“I asked the hero to bless us. Blessings conferred by the goddess’s terrestrial agent are of a higher rank than the head priest’s, so nobody should have any complaints about your past.”
“I, Jeanne, will give my very life in service to this city of yours, that I may better serve… Hmm? Blessing? You mean like a wedding blessing? Err.
Uh. What?”
“Though there was some brouhaha during the event, since he fabricated the light with his dark magic. At any rate, once you’ve washed up, come to my room, got it? Go on, repeat the order back to me.”
“Y-Yes, sir! Your knight will cleanse herself and then attend to you in your chambers!”
★ Charles ★
I met my bodyguard, Jeanne, by chance while eradicating slave traders, and ever since, her love for me was plain to see. Day after day, she trained frantically to become a knight. Her hair, ever-glossy despite the lack of care put into it, shimmered in the sun when she trained, as glistening droplets of sweat sprang off her. Seasons passed, and with each new moon I found myself more taken by her beauty. Her intense love for me had moved me to my core, and as she increasingly caught my eye, I realized one day that I had fallen in love with her as well.
My wife did not approve. Not at first. But as she came to know Jeanne better, and to understand what an earnest girl she was, my Desiderata soon realized that her jealousy was misplaced. This was a companion to welcome with open arms, not a threat to ward off.
Once we confirmed that the coming child would be able to inherit my title, we discussed Jeanne at length and decided to make her a concubine.
Given the circumstances, we decided we hardly needed to ask her thoughts on the matter. Now that our union had been blessed, I could no longer wait.
“I’m, uh, dreaming, right? This is a dream, yeah. Did I fall asleep in the carriage? Lord Charles, we can’t really be…?”
“Haha! You’re such a sweetheart, Jeanne.”
Desiderata took the petrified girl’s hand and led her to the bed. She seemed eager to show the new wife a good time as well. Clearly at a loss for what to do, Jeanne plunked down on the side of the bed, a blank look on her face.
I put my hands to the confused girl’s shoulders and gently pushed her back to land on the sheets. Then I stole her lips. Lips that had proclaimed her love for me for five long years. Lips that were, at last, mine.
“Mmmmmmnnnn!”
As I kissed her, Jeanne relaxed. She was now at the mercy of my hands, which lay on her chest.
“Phaah… I… kissed Lord Charles? Hooray!”
Jeanne blushed and let out a joyful yelp. A surprisingly cheeky act, prompting my wife to crawl up behind her and wrap her arms around her, stroking her hair.
Whoops. It seemed Desiderata was getting jealous from me focusing on Jeanne too much. I kissed my wife as she caressed Jeanne, our tongues dancing.
“Nnmmph! Mmch… Phaah! My word, dear! I’ll have to keep an eye on Jeanne tonight,” she chastised me.
Since my wife had grabbed her from behind, I hugged Jeanne from the front.
“Thank you for always being by my side, and for your constant love. I love you, too, Jeanne.”
“Eeeep! Aah! Both of you are touching me?! Was this what I wanted all these years?! Oh, yes, my lord and my lady, this is all I ever wanted. Ugh, seriously, if this is a dream, pinch me or something. I want my first time to be real, not a dream! Oh, but there’s no way this would happen in real life!”
With the two of us embracing her, she was so confused that she let her mind and her tongue run even wilder than usual.
“Dear, Jeanne is beyond cute. I’m jealous that I never get to keep her at my side.”
My wife casually played with the bewildered Jeanne’s breasts and nibbled on her ears. Was it my imagination, or was Desiderata even more aroused than usual? I decided to be careful we didn’t go too wild and put too much pressure on her belly.
“Indeed, is she not adorable? How could you not fall under her spell?”