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Chapter 33
‘No. Stay calm. Think it through.’
This was different from what Denok had taken. Rachel had made that clear.
She’d said it heightened the senses when touched.
In other words, it didn’t rouse desire in one sweeping burst, but gradually made the skin more sensitive to contact.
‘…I can keep my reason intact.’
As long as I could endure it, there was no risk of harming Denok.
Perhaps she saw the resolve in my eyes, for Rachel approached with a faint smile on her lips.
In her hand was the same teacup she had offered me earlier.
The steam had stopped rising—perhaps it had cooled somewhat—when she tilted a small vial over the cup.
A stream of pink liquid trickled into the deep crimson tea, releasing a strange aroma.
It smelled like a thousand flowers crushed together and soaked in thick, sticky honey.
A heady sweetness wove through the dense floral scent as she held the cup closer to me.
The intense fragrance assaulted my senses.
“Go on, drink. I diluted it to just the right concentration.”
“‘Just right’? How long will the effects last?”
“Around a week, give or take. So you’ll have to make wise use of your time.”
Her voice faded with a mysterious lilt.
I took the cup from her, hesitating just briefly to wet my lips before drawing in a deep breath.
That same overpowering sweetness threatened to dull my senses.
‘No use hesitating now.’
Nothing would change.
Raising the teacup to my lips, I drank.
The warm liquid slid down easily, and the quiet sound of several gulps echoed in the room.
When I’d emptied the cup, I handed it back to Rachel.
She accepted it with a soft chuckle, peering briefly into the empty vessel.
By then, I’d already closed my eyes, my face tightening as the heat began to spread.
The change started gradually—
The air shifting with each movement, the feel of hair brushing against my nape—
All of it became startlingly vivid.
My breathing grew shallow.
“Well done. Remember: the effect lasts for one week.
Within that time… you must conceive the young master.”
Rachel’s voice echoed strangely in my ears.
When I inhaled, that cloying sweetness sank deep into my lungs.
—
Denok frowned ever so slightly at the scene before him.
Throughout dinner, the seat across from him remained empty.
The same seat Edith always occupied.
She had never once missed a meal before.
He’d waited, thinking she might be caught up with work—but she never came.
Had she figured out that he’d been avoiding her all day?
A creeping unease took hold, and at last, Denok decided he needed to speak with her.
But when he found her that night, Edith greeted him with a calm, almost indifferent face.
After a moment’s hesitation, he asked,
“Earlier… why didn’t you come to dinner?”
“Ah, I was feeling a bit tired, that’s all.”
Her smile was awkward, though the fatigue didn’t seem feigned.
Dark shadows under her eyes told the rest.
Still, as she spoke, she subtly edged away from him.
Denok’s fingers flinched.
He wanted to ask if she was truly all right—but somehow, the words wouldn’t come.
There was a distance in her demeanor, a quiet wall she’d placed between them.
And the same thing happened the next day.
—
“What do you think about this section? The pricing here seems far too low compared to the average…”
“…”
“…My lady?”
Flinch.
“Yes?”
I snapped out of my daze with a start and lifted my head.
Denok was watching me quietly, his gaze filled with curiosity and—
A flicker of suspicion.
“Apologies… I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
I steadied my voice and dropped my eyes back to the papers, but my focus refused to settle.
There was a subtle warmth blooming beneath the soft fabric of my dress, constantly tugging at my awareness.
It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t itchy.
But every movement sent a ripple across my skin, a delicate, maddening sensation that kept dragging my mind off-course.
My fingers tensed and relaxed, over and over.
I bit my lip, forcing myself to concentrate.
It’s fine.
I can do this.
I’m working.
Ignore the sensations.
Thankfully, the faint pain from my bitten lip gave me something to anchor to.
Scattered thoughts began to gather again—
Barely, but enough.
Denok had pointed to a line regarding the sale price of mana stones.
I narrowed my eyes to read the figures under his finger.
Sold at 300 gold per unit…
Mana stones varied by grade, but the average price hovered between 400 to 500 gold.
He was right—it was far too low.
The mine that Viscount Rahim had been managing was riddled with issues.
“Good catch. Selling at that price wouldn’t have benefited him either…”
I trailed off, glancing sideways at Denok.
The recent changes in him made me wonder—
Maybe he’d already figured it out.
“What do you think he was after?”
Denok stared at the documents, falling into thoughtful silence.
He seemed to be working something out.
And then, not long after, he murmured as if realizing something.
“He must’ve been compensated elsewhere.”
“Exactly. He probably accepted bribes or other benefits in exchange for lowering the price.”
If I knew exactly what he’d taken, I could try to recover it… but—
“He’s still not been found, has he?”
“…We’ve dispatched knights to search thoroughly, but it seems he’s already fled the territory.”
A sigh escaped me.
After reporting the negligence of the branch nobles, most of them had faced proper consequences—
Except for Marquis Rahim.
He had vanished overnight.
His estate was completely empty—no family, no valuables, no trace.
We had issued a wanted notice across the territory and informed the Imperial Palace,
But he’d hidden himself so thoroughly, not even a single strand of hair had been found.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ve also requested help from the intelligence guild.”
“Right… Let’s leave that to others for now. We have to focus on what comes next.”
At least we’d removed the parasites leeching off the domain.
Now we had to fill those seats with competent, just people.
That’s what this discussion was for.
Denok truly was intelligent.
As long as someone organized the points for him, he could arrive at the right answer quickly—
Just like he had now.
If things continued like this, I could leave the estate in his hands without concern.
Relieved, I leaned forward again to focus on the papers.
As I did, my hair naturally fell forward.
Strands that hadn’t fallen brushed against the back of my neck and shoulder, lightly tickling my skin.
Even that small touch felt far too distinct, making me flinch.
And in that moment, something coarse brushed my neck.
It slid down carefully from my neck to my shoulder—
A soft stroke along the skin.
Denok was tucking away the loose strands of my hair with his fingertips.
The problem was…
I’d been enduring heightened sensitivity for a while now.
And the place he’d just touched—
Was the very spot he used to obsessively lick.
