Case 46: To handle the aftermath of the situation pt.II.

''Whew...''

Ah, the tea was so flagrant. Such great flavors.

I'd have to give Mary some bonuses later. Um. It definitely wasn't because I felt bad that she had to clean the bedsheet, the quilt, and the mattress after all Penelope and I had done.

...Thinking about it again made my cheeks burn. I had never felt such intense awkwardness and embarrassment before. How should I even face her going forward...?

''About your periods.''

''Hm?''

As I buried my face in shame, Penelope called out to me. The clock just clicked toward six—dinner time—and it was only a dozen rough minutes after our intimate time, yet my partner had already returned to her cold, exquisitely lady-like appearance.

We had non-stop sex for the whole afternoon.

As perverted as we were, the session was objectively quite wild. A little on the rougher side, although not as much as my time with Rachael, but nonetheless vulgar. And hot.

We did make a mess of my bed, which was why we were in the guest room in the first place.

The impressive part was that despite going all-out on me, Penelope currently seemed exactly the same as before we started. No, now that I looked at her more closely, the faint layer of lipstick on her lips was gone, replaced by a glistening hue, likely a residue from the tea she had just drank.

''...''

I couldn't help but think back to those moments when she used those delicious-looking lips to kiss mine down there. Her tongue... ahh...!

''Is today truly not your safe day?''

''Ah?''

''Lady Cecilia?''

''I-It's nothing.''

Okay, now wasn't time to daydream, stupid me. Did she ask about periods?

''Indeed, today is not my safe day, Lady Penelope.'' I gingerly replied. ''Still, you needn't worry about it. I... had already anticipated this somewhat, so I prepared birth control medicine beforehand.''

''...Is that so?''

That was, of course, a lie. I wouldn't get pregnant anyway, but why did she sound kind of disappointed...?

''Considering your situation and my own health, I do think we should avoid such dangerous scenarios in the future, Lady Penelope.'' I calmly continued.

''...Sure. I was going to mention that I would provide birth control if you didn't want to commit to the pregnancy, but I see you have already made your decision.''

''Pfft—you say it as if it would be totally fine if I got pregnant. The country's finances are going to be a mess if they knew you had a child.''

''...''

''...''

''...''

''...Lady Penelope? You aren't being serious, right?''

''Of course. Mhm. That would have wasted nine months of our contract.''

No, that was the problem...?

W-Well, she was probably too embarrassed to admit the lame joke, so she doubled down on it. Yeah. More than that, I was a bit intoxicated by Penelope's sexual aura at the time, but I needed to get this out.

''But Lady Penelope, about the video you took of me... I hope you won't send it to anyone. Especially Her Highness, the third imperial princess.''

''If that is what you want.''

''Thank you. This wasn't in the contract, so if Lady Penelope wants any sort of explicit materials on top of that tape to enjoy, I would gladly record them for you.''

Hearing that, the perverted lady immediately choked on her tea a bit, thankfully not spilling anything. She stared at my grinning face with astonishment, but soon, a smile would also bloom on hers.

''I'd rather get the real thing, but it would be a great help when I can't reach you.'' She replied.

''Fufu, I'm looking forward to your next visit.''

''...''

''...''

Somehow, the atmosphere between us began to heat up again. It seemed that both Penelope and I had become a bit... irritated again after all of those lewd talks.

I'd totally be down for a quick shot inside the bathroom or something. Wouldn't that be so hot? But Lyra was probably coming already...

''Ah.''

Talk about the devil.

From nowhere, my little sister flung the door open, entering the room with such class and majesty that I couldn't help but cower. That was an exaggeration, but she seemed sharper today for some reason.

Even the chubby dragon in her arms looked nervous.

As it was, Lyra shot an obvious glare at Penelope before flopping down my lap as if it were natural. However, just as she made herself comfortable, leaning on my chest—

''...What is this smell?'' She muttered, her cutesy nose twitching.

''W-What smell? Oh, are they burning something weird on the mountain again? Let me close...''

''The window is already closed, big sis.''

Fuck. Get to work quickly and fix the scent, Lucy!

I could swear we washed so thoroughly earlier, so how come Lyra noticed it...?

Nevertheless, with Lucy's magical magic, I was quickly able to purify the smell—probably. Lyra looked at me suspiciously, but she eventually sighed and returned to her normal self.

''Lady Lyra. I apologize for not being able to congratulate you yesterday directly. Here is the present I was meant to deliver.''

''Thank you.''

Ah, the present. I almost forgot this was the reason for Penelope's visit today. It was, right...?

In any case, what she got for Lyra was a hefty gem the size of a chicken egg. It had a slightly cloudy purple hue with impurities here and there. That, along with the rough shape, told me that this piece of amethyst wasn't supposed to be jewelry. Was it...

''It is the highest grade of all amethyst. I hope it helps your dragon.'' Penelope added, confirming my suspicion.

''Whoa... this must have been really expensive, no?'' I voiced my question, but the rich lady casually brushed it away with a shrug.

To explain a bit, gemstones like this one generally fetched for more than their counterparts on Earth. I won't bother going into the details, but the gist of it is that they contained different amounts and properties of mana, meaning they could be utilized for Soul Guardians' consumption, alchemy, forging, etc.

That led to more demand and, thus, increased value.

From the looks of it, a piece as big and pure as this one must have cost hundreds of thousands.

[Is that for me?! That looks so good...!]

And it would be crunched down by none other than Amethyst, Lyra's Soul Guardian. Of course, I wouldn't complain. I had no reason or right to. Amethyst's strength was Lyra's strength, and the stronger Lyra was, the better it would be.

So, I properly thanked Penelope again and stroked my little sister's head. I got the feeling that this little cocoon of jealousy was trying to retort something, but I guess the present was too nice for her to complain.

How cute.

It suddenly came to my mind that Penelope and I were exactly like a couple.

No, really.

Ever since we had sex a few days ago, I felt the distance between us reduced to non-existent. Since we had already shown each other our most intimate secrets, there was nothing to hide anymore.

Just like how Rachael began to thirst over my blood on top of my body after our night, Penelope also began to ask of me very explicit pictures, whether it would be a close-up of certain body parts or myself in a compromising position.

I loved sexting, too, so I had no reason to refuse any of it.

Genuinely, texting with those three was one of the few reasons I stayed relatively positive about my life. Oh, I guess another thing I was looking forward to at this point was Rachael's next visit to our manor.

It would last a whole week!

I wondered what made her so busy these few weeks, but it turned out she was stacking work to stay with me longer. Oh, how could I ever meet someone so dedicated and sweet...

Nevertheless, anticipating the princess's arrival, I excitedly stocked on a drawer's worth of condoms and other essentials, but when she actually came here...

''So, do you have any excuse?''

I immediately realized that I was screwed.